Intentional Conversations: A Virtual Community Chat

Dear Friends,

Holding space for global communities to come together virtually to learn with and from each other is paramount during this unprecedented time. Intentional Conversations is an hour full of moments of sharing lived experiences, discovery and fruitful engagement around topics that intersect diversity, equity and inclusion with leadership and business. These weekly gatherings will regularly include a special guest co-host who will join me, as we respond to your questions in real time and engage in moderated, interactive discussion.

Thank you for your interest in sharing space as we navigate this time of uncertainty and change with the goal of propelling ourselves to the next level.

Dr. Nika White

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This Friday, join Dr. Nika White and guest co-host Liesel Mertes as we talk about the things that truly matter nowadays: empathy and care in the workplace and our emotional needs during this very trying time. We will also talk about compassion fatigue--what that is and what it means for us, meaningful responses to show others we care as well as re-entry into the workforce.

Liesel Mertes is an acclaimed workplace empathy expert. Having experienced her own loss and struggle, Liesel emerged with a deep understanding of what employees need to feel supported at work after a disruptive life event. As the Founder of Handle With Care, Liesel works with groups that want to boost employee satisfaction as well as attract and retain better talent.

Liesel’s favorite clients are forward-thinking organizations who know the value insupporting their employees with empathy and compassion. Her expertise is broad—loss, returning to work, a diagnosis, relationship transitions, how empathy impacts the brain—and no disruption is considered less significant. On these topics, Liesel is a dedicated speaker, writer, consultant, and host of the Handle With Care podcast.

Liesel earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science, a Master’s degree in BusinessAdministration and is currently pursuing studies to obtain a M.Div. She has worked inNairobi, consulted in Fiji and led cohorts in Ghana. Her adventures brought her to Indiana, where she is a proud mother, wife and lover of time spent on the water.

Through her actionable strategies, real life stories and passionate commitment, Liesel helps people survive, stabilize and thrive in the aftermath of adversity.

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Intentional Conversations is hosted by Dr. Nika White of Nika White Consulting.

Dr. Nika White is a national authority and fearless advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion. As an award-winning management and leadership consultant, keynote speaker, published author, and executive practitioner for DEI efforts across business, government, non-profit and education, Dr. White helps organizations break barriers and integrate diversity into their business frameworks. Her work has led to designation by Forbes as a Top10 D&I Trailblazer.