Intentional Conversations

About Intentional Conversations

A podcast intersecting the work of diversity, equity and inclusion with leadership and business by bringing different voices from across the DEI business spectrum to the table to educate, encourage and inspire.

Publisher

Nika White Consulting

Category

business · education · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

4 Apr 2022

Latest episode

16 Sept 2025

Latest episodes

81 of 174 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   16 Sept 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Intentional Conversations with Shayla Atkins

   Welcome to Intentional Conversations! This week we were honored to be joined by Shayla Atkins for a powerful discussion on authenticity and what that really means, future-proofing for leaders, how to practically do that and why we all need more S.P.I.C.E. 🎧 Grab your headphones, hit play, and let the conversation begin! ** Be sure to SUBSCRIBE (https://www.youtube.com/@NikaWhite2015) to our channel because we're all about keeping the great conversations flowing. ** KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM SHAYLA: The future-ready leader and work is NOW. It is what we’re living in today. They’re changing the approach of soft skills to no longer soft, they’re necessary, but really elevating soft skills and a human centered approach. There is a myth with authenticity, it’s not how real you can be, it’s about being in alignment with your values and how you show up. Telling our brains that our natural selves are not enough and that makes a trauma response every time, that activates your fight / flight response. We have to know how to lead self before leading others. You'll get compliant teams, but not committed teams. Understanding resilience, but it isn’t resistance, these 2 are conflated. It is taking the time to sit and plan, be strategic and proactive and the 1st thing is taking a Stress Inventory. Stress inventory - what is activating stress? What is a high fatigue period? Is it cyclical in nature? Put proactive strategies in place, you can do it with yourself, your team, your organization. We aren’t going to power through until the rubber band pops, we’re going to stretch, power down, cool down, recover. On your teams, are you planning and anticipating change and disruption? WHAT IS S.P.I.C.E.? It’s a ROAD Map and a guide to ascension that is aligned and strategic in nature. S - Savvy (Black women are most educated women on the planet. We are not able to translate our biz education to biz outcomes.) P - Performance I - Image / Your authentic brand C - Communication E - Exposure Data should drive and inform strategies and leadership, often it is missing, even the maturation of the data. We get qualitative data daily... when you blend the quantitative / qualitative - that is what gives you the human approach. Level setting on perspective, we understand long term sustainability over short term gains. "If you cannot be who you are, where you are, change where you are, not who you are." Carolyn Wanger - Former CEO of Essence 🟣 CONNECT WITH SHAYLA: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shayla-n-atkins (https://www.linkedin.com/in/shayla-n-atkins) Website: www.theatkinsimpact.com (https://www.theatkinsimpact.com) Book: Women Redefining Leadership With S.P.I.C.E. (https://www.amazon.com/Women-Redefining-Leadership-S-P-I-C-Vision/dp/B0F3N9YJYY/ref=sr_1_1?crid=VGFQDIKFYYP6&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.krOWafjxWgJrSjwmMaUE0Q.TPecLTdpKYmYN6FIUyhL5oYBmwECC4d8frlWEdA7Vs4&dib_tag=se&keywords=Women+redefining+leadership+with+SPICE&qid=1757691966&s=books&sprefix=women+redefining+leadership+with+spice%2Cstripbooks%2C85&sr=1-1) Book: Black Women Lead With S.P.I.C.E.: Effective And Authentic Leadership Without Sacrificing Your Identity (https://www.amazon.com/Black-Women-Lead-S-P-I-C-Sacrificing-ebook/dp/B0BZZRVQWW?ref_=ast_author_dp)...

2. 

   9 Sept 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Intentional Conversations with Charlotte Otter

   Welcome to Intentional Conversations — the podcast where thoughtful leadership meets meaningful impact. In this episode, we sit down with Charlotte Otter, author and reputation management expert, to explore what reputation truly means, why the world is calling for new leaders, and the essential qualities those leaders need today. 🎧 Tune in for a conversation that blends insight, challenge, and inspiration. ** Be sure to SUBSCRIBE (https://www.youtube.com/@NikaWhite2015) to our channel because we're all about keeping the great conversations flowing. ** KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM CHARLOTTE: Storytelling reminds us how human we are. It is so important in this AI age to privilege this human connection and emotion. Vulnerability - stories show our human side and how vulnerable we are. Leaders think they need to be seen as the most powerful person in the room, but it’s when they crack and show a little bit of vulnerability, they are so much more likely to create the fans they need to change their ogranizations. If your words and your actions don’t match, that is a credibility gap. No leader ever gets up and says everything is gonna stay the same, all communication is about change. Leaders have gone through obstacles, obstacles teach empathy and that makes them amazing leaders. Trust is reputation’s closet sibling - so it’s very important! Important for people to say their values out loud, tell the stories that match their values The best way to counteract bias is a stellar record of success. By living your reputation out loud as a leader, your creating a bridge for the next generation to cross. Leaders who are single loop learners, leaders who are double loop learners, fix the problem, but they ask what was it in my behavior that caused this problem and what can I do in my future to not do it again! The single loop leader never wants the feedback. But the double loop leader wants to know more. If you’re leading change, spend a LOT less tie talking and a lot more time listening. The hierarchy breaks when you have that expoenentional amount of pressure… to future proof themselves in a culture of high autonomy and high freedom. Single loop learning leaders don’t like this, but it is the only way that managers will be able to cope with the pressures on them. AI is super useful for 1st drafts, don’t rely on it for the final copy. It will always be incumbent on humans to tell human stories. Leaders who understand this and know their stories, these are the leaders and brands that survive. To be a good communicator, you have to understand what you’re communicating. We privilege confidence over competence. The key to breaking the LOUDNESS is authenticity! Being prepared to be vulnerable, being prepared to show everything isn’t perfect, being prepared for feedback. Knowing who you are as a leader is the prototype to breaking the archetype of a noisy, loud leader. A new leader is someone who knows their values, tells stories, who’s behavior matches their stories and values, and has strong communities. It is not enough to talk about yourself, you need others to confirm your reputation. Writing is a way to figure out what she thinks. But it takes the writing down of ideas to work out what they think. And it’s a place of flow and joy. Think about your reputation as vitamins, not aspirin. Your reputation protects your immune system and it’s a way to help you succeed. 🟣 CONNECT WITH CHARLOTTE: LinkedIn: <a href="https://linkedin.com/in/charlotteeliseotter" rel="noopener noreferrer"...

3. 

   2 Sept 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Intentional Conversations with Lisa Hurley

   Welcome to Intentional Conversations, the podcast where thoughtful leadership meets meaningful impact. This week we’re honored to be joined by Lisa Hurley for a powerful discussion. 🎧 Grab your headphones, hit play, and let the conversation begin! ** Be sure to SUBSCRIBE (https://www.youtube.com/@NikaWhite2015) to our channel because we're all about keeping the great conversations flowing. ** KEY TAKEAWAYS: I’m an introvert, so I’m not protesting in the streets but I still want to contribute to the movement, so how can I use my talents to help the movement? I grew up in Barbados, and my upbringing was soft. I was driven to school, and it was safe, no bullying. The island closed down at noon to 1p, and the entire island would rest. This informs how I show up in my life. Soft centered serine life: Life work balance vs. Work life balance. Life has to come first. Include a strong sense of self and a group of people to support you. It can’t be work life balance, what if you lose your job. Then what? This can’t be the center. You have to be the center. Your wants, needs, health, happy, must be centered for you and then there’s everything else. When I think of balance everything isn’t always 50/50... sometimes it’s 70/30. I love to speak with people who are thinkers because they make you think more. I love words. I had to delete 30,000 words from my book. I called my dad and sister for advice. They said to eliminate the breathing exercises and meditation prompts, but I couldn’t... that’s my book! I edited another way. Anyone that’s stressed, sometimes you need someone to say I understand, here’s something that you can do. We’re not use to people offering help. This is what this book (Space to Exhale) is for. Let me help uplift you. I have difficulty prioritizing, I call someone to help me prioritize (do the least and get the most benefit from). The work is always going to be there, but the people and moments are gone. You can’t get them back. I have a Budda sitting under the tree as inspiration. That is not me... I have some wisdom, but I am not perfect. 🟣 CONNECT WITH LISA: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamlisahurley (https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamlisahurley) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelisahurley (https://www.instagram.com/thelisahurley) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelisahurley (https://www.facebook.com/thelisahurley) Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thelisahurley (https://www.tiktok.com/@thelisahurley) Book: www.spacetoexhalebook.com (http://www.spacetoexhalebook.com/) 🟣 CONNECT WITH DR. WHITE: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/nikawhiteconsulting (https://linkedin.com/company/nikawhiteconsulting) Facebook: https://facebook.com/nikawhiteconsulting (https://facebook.com/nikawhiteconsulting) Instagram: https://instagram.com/nikawhiteconsulting (https://instagram.com/nikawhiteconsulting) Website: <a href="https://nikawhite.com" rel="noopener...

Inside a recent episode

Intentional Conversations with Shayla Atkins

Published 16 Sept 2025 · Transcript excerpt

[…] And when you think about authenticity, there's a myth. And there's a misconception because it's a common word that it's used and quite frankly, it's overuse. But authenticity is not how real you can be. People that, oh, I can show up, and I can just be super real, and I can just, you know, this is about being in alignment with your values, and how you show up that there is alignment. And that's what authenticity is. And we know it more out of alignment. We feel it. And so when you think about what that looks like in the workplace as a leader, as an employee, leading an organization or team, are you consistent in alignment with your values, beliefs, and how you show up in the workplace. […]

Who has been a guest on Intentional Conversations

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Dr Rosalind Cohen
• Peggy Sullivan
• Valarie Sandjivy
• Dr Ingrid RG Waldron
• Robyn Hicks-Guinn Esq

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

88,769

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 80 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

87

Social presence

94

YouTube

76

Engagement

60

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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