| |  | | The Two Piers Digest - August Roundup |  | Hello friends!
Erica here. These monthly emails are packed full of information in bite-sized pieces, so we’ll try to offer a TL;DR upfront to help you skim to what interests you most.
A reminder that registration is open for our brand new three-week intensive happening this October called “Reclaiming the Floor: How to Get Your Voice Heard and Handle the Interrupters.” 📣 Click here to learn more! 🎉 | | On Tap 🚰 - Three podcast episodes in August! Yael talks about the job market. LaToya talks about Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Ally and Erica talk about interrupters. Coaches Corner 💡 - This month’s theme is “Creating Space” DEIBJ Digest 🗞 - August included National Black Business Month and the anniversaries of the 19th Amendment and the March on Washington. Hispanic Heritage month starts September 15th. What We’re Reading 📚 - Check out our monthly book lists here
| | What’s On Tap A quick rundown of what we’ve got on offer, including recently published articles, podcast episodes, and upcoming events or opportunities. | Behind the ScenesChanges are afoot over here at Two Piers! 👟
We recently celebrated our 7 year anniversary 🎉, and the old adage might have some truth to it. With some of the growth we’ve experienced, it’s become clear that it’s time for an overhaul as we prepare for the next era of our business journey. |  | This will include a new look and feel to our communications, including this monthly digest. The glow up will also extend to our content for workshops, courses, and social media. We are super excited about these changes, and while it’s an intensive effort upfront, we know that it will make our valuable content more accessible, engaging, and easily absorbed.
We’ll also be introducing a new client portal in which our clients can access all of their information including resources, paperwork, proposals and payments in one place. 💻
Keep an eye out for changes in the coming months! 🕵️♀️ | The Two Piers PodcastWe started out August with professional recruiter Yael Iffergan who shared a behind-the-scenes glimpse of navigating the current job market 🤝. We’ve received lots of great feedback on this episode! It is loaded with insightful wisdom and practical tips. Listen here 🎧 |  | Mid-month we were joined by Two Piers Advisory Board member LaToya Stallworth who shared her insights on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and her experiences attending both Florida A&M University, an HBCU, and Harvard Business School, a Predominantly White Institution (PWI). She also speaks to the ongoing value of community and network, including as a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. 💖 💚 |  | Closing out the month, we have Ally Cedeno who joins us for a conversation about interrupters 🤫. You can catch the episode here. Ally is the Founder & President of Women Offshore Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to reducing the gender gap on the water. We discuss tools and tactics to manage disruptions and foster inclusion. Ally also shares details about the upcoming Women Offshore conference October 26th & 27th. Early bird pricing ends September 22nd. Click here to register. (Pssss: Two Piers will be hosting a workshop!). |  | ArticlesKeep your eyes peeled for Erica’s upcoming article in the September/October issue of Oilwoman Magazine. She discusses ways to create more space in our lives, starting with The Power of No.
As we close out summer, it seems like a lot of folks are on the brink of burnout ❌. Over on Medium, we’ve got a brand new piece about the ebb and flow of energy and productivity 🌊 . It also discusses some of the changes occuring at Two Piers, including the production of this very email 📧. It’s an eight-minute read ⏳. Head on over and share your thoughts in the comments! | Have you registered yet?October is right around the corner! Have you registered for our FREE seminar yet? “Reclaiming the Floor: How to Get Your Voice Heard and Handle the Interrupters” starts October 2nd. Sign up today to claim your spot in this three-week intensive. Each 30-minute session is designed for busy schedules, and all sessions will be available for replay. It’s been a while since we’ve opened up an offering to the general public, so this is pretty unique and a great chance to meet other folks and build your network. | | | Coaches Corner A handful of practical workplace insights and wisdom from Erica. | This month’s theme has been all about creating space. With summer coming to an end and fall activities ramping up, a lot of us are finding our calendars oversubscribed and our energy reserves depleted. September seems to be a prime month for launching programs, starting initiatives and making commitments. Everyone is back from summer holidays and travel, refreshed and ready to go, right? …Right?! |  | Despite the break you may or may not have taken during the summer months, many folks are actually feeling quite burnt out. Perhaps literally and figuratively, considering much of the US and Europe is seeing record levels of heat and drought while others are experiencing wildfires and hurricanes.
So as you look over your packed calendar and exhausting to-do list, how do you protect the precious space that you have, and perhaps create even more?
We’ve got some thoughts. For a helpful reframing and a useful exercise coaching, head on over to our blog. | | And if you want to explore how to create more space or peace in your life, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We’re here to support 🙌 | | DEIBJ Digest A highlight of what’s going on in the world of diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and justice, including awareness days, weeks, or months to have on your radar. | Reflections on AugustThis month, we celebrated National Black Business Month. This is an opportunity to support Black-owned businesses and entrepreneurship. It’s also a time to reflect on the historical barriers and setbacks facing Black business owners in America throughout our history.
Over the past several years, we’ve seen growing awareness about the vibrant economic district of Greenwood that existed in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the early part of the 20th century. This district, also known as “Black Wall Street” was the site of the horrific Tulsa massacre of 1921. What many folks do not know is that Greenwood was rebuilt in the years following the tragic attacks, only to be destroyed again through redlining, eminent domain, rezoning, and highway construction. The generational wealth that was removed from the community was astounding. Greenwood was not the only prosperous Black business district of note. Jackson Ward in Richmond, Virginia was a center of Black commerce and the home of prominent businesswoman, publisher and bank founder, Maggie Lena Walker. Other “Black Wall Streets” included Parrish Street in Durham, North Carolina, the Fourth Avenue District in Birmingham, Alabama, and Houston’s very own Freedmen’s Town in the Fourth Ward.
For more information about Black-owned businesses in your area, you can check out the US Black Chambers. | August CommemorationsIt also feels poignant that we recognized the anniversaries of Women’s Equality Day on August 26th and the March on Washington on August 28th - two anniversaries that are more related than we might realize.
Women’s Equality Day commemorates the adoption of the 19th amendment in 1920, which, in theory, granted women the right to vote. The reality was that in many states, Black women would continued to be disenfranchised due to racially based polling restrictions that followed reconstruction. Unfortunately, the women’s suffragist movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries strategically excluded the voices of Black women activists in order to appeal to white women in the South. The famous Seneca Falls Convention invited one African American attendee, and that was Frederick Douglass. No Black women were invited. It would be another 45 years after the 19th amendment before the Voting Rights Act was passed to expand access to the polls.
And that brings us to the pivotal 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, in which Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech and Civil Rights leaders created momentum for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. | National Grief Awareness DayAugust 30th also marked National Grief Awareness Day. We were honored to host author and leadership coach, Laura Jack on our podcast this past May. She spoke in depth about the concept of grief and how it can shape our lives. She also wrote the book on the topic: The Compassion Code: How to Say the Right Thing When the Wrong Thing Happens. If you are looking for resources on how to manage grief, or how to be more supportive of colleagues, employees and loved ones experiencing grief, we recommend checking her out. Click here to listen to the episode 🎧 | Coming up in SeptemberHispanic Heritage month is right around the corner. It runs from September 15th to October 15th. The dates are significant. The “Cry of Delores” was the call to arms which marked the start of the Mexican War of Independence on September 16th, 1810. This eventually led to the independence of Mexico and much of Central American in 1821. September 15th is also celebrated as a day of independence for many Latin American countries including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, while Chile celebrates their independence on the 18th of the month. This 30-day span also includes the historical anniversary of the arrival of Columbus to Guanahaní in the Bahamas on October 12th, 1492, known as Día de la Raza in much of Latin America, it’s increasingly celebrated as Indigenous People’s Day throughout the Western Hemisphere.
The federally recognized heritage month uses the term “Hispanic” and you might be wondering about the difference between the terms Hispanic and Latino, (or Latina or Latine). Simply put, Hispanic is a reference to heritage or ancestry from a country whose primary language is Spanish. So this would include, for example, Spain, but not Brazil. Latino, Latina or Latine (sometimes referred to as Latinx), references a heritage or ancestry from a Latin American country. This would include Brazil, but not Spain. While there is a lot of overlap in usage, it can be helpful to understand the differences so we can be intentional in our language.
To hear more, you can catch our podcast episode with Two Piers coach, Dr. Anthony Luévanos, where we discuss Hispanic Heritage Month and the communities that it celebrates. | What’s In the NewsLast month, we touched on the Supreme Court decision regarding Affirmative Action. While that decision focused solely on educational settings, it has caused a great deal of conversation about the future of DEI programs.
More directly, there have recently been a series of lawsuits filed challenging corporate diversity initiatives. While we’ll certainly be watching this space, we remain certain that having diverse, reflective workforces is both sound business practice and ethically responsible.
We recently recorded a really special podcast episode with two other thought leaders in the DEI space, focused on the future of DEI and best practices for business. We’re finalizing details, so keep an eye out for it in September. | In the meantime, you can check out some additional reading here: | What We’re Reading A curated list of the top books, articles, and insightful threads focused on making the workplace more welcoming and effective for all
You can find our full monthly reading lists on Bookshop.org, where you can select your local bookshop to receive the proceeds of your purchase. | Here’s a selection of highlights: | | If you have any feedback on this digest, let us know! As always, we are grateful to have you in our world and hope you stick around. 🤝 And if email is not your medium, we get it! You can find the link to manage your preferences or unsubscribe at the bottom of this email ⬇️.
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Your friends, Erica and the Two Piers Team | | | |
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