Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Imperfect Allyship with guest Erica Courdae

I’m so honored to be interviewing Erica Courdae on Jump Start Your Joy! In this episode, Erica and are diving in to the important topics of racism in the US, and what it means to be anti-racist. Erica is an an entrepreneur and certified coach, and her work is focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), imperfect allyship, and imposter syndrome. I had the pleasure of meeting her at ShePodcasts Live, and I was deeply inspired by her presentation there on imperfect allyship and anti-racism.

Erica has dedicated her life to expanding how others interact with the world through powerful conversations. This work has taken her into communities and onto national stages as a speaker and educator at noteworthy events like AltSummit, ShePodcasts Live, and Being Boss. She is also the owner of an inclusive beauty salon, Silver Immersion, and the host of Pause on the Play, a podcast that features open dialogue on topics like company culture, visibility, and mindset. 

I really appreciate that Erica and I got to have this conversation. I appreciate that she held the space for me to ask questions, and explore topics around anti-racism. I am dedicated to learning more about being an ally to people of color and working to put what I’ve learned into practice. I encourage you (especially if like me you are a white person living in the US) to find a way to dive into these topics and explore them for yourself. For everyone to be free, we all need to work on dismantling the racism around us.

In this episode, we talk about:
– How Erica started her salon and what it’s been like being in business for herself
– Her start in coaching
– Imperfect allyship, and what it means
– Cancel culture
– the January 6 capital coup, and what it represented for People of Color
– the racial tension and events of the past year
– her podcast, Pause on the Play, and how it started with her friend India
– finding joy in the messy middle through connection, the laughter of her children
– Joy as an act of rebellion

Resources
Erica Courdea’s Website: DEI Coaching and Consulting

Erica Courdea’s Website: Silver Immersion Beauty Salon

Podcast: Pause on the Play

Instagram: @ericacourdae
Instagram: @silverimmersion

My episode on Imperfect Allyship