Welcome to Be the Glitter, where we talk about tough topics with giggles and leave inspiration that sticks. In this episode, we talk about one of the sticky subjects that pops up in Pride Month: DEI.

What if the training meant to reduce bias was quietly making it worse?

Dr. William Cox is a social psychologist with a PhD from UW-Madison, founder of the nonprofit Inequity Agents of Change, and author of the new book Overcoming Bias Habits: An Evidence-Based Guide to Creating a Joyfully Inclusive World. He has spent 20 years developing and testing bias reduction methods through more than a dozen randomized controlled studies. In this episode:

✨ Why giving people information is one of the worst ways to change behavior

✨ How some DEI training causes managers to avoid colleagues of color

✨ The zip code story that will make your jaw drop

✨ Equality vs. equity — explained with one perfect example

✨ Why diverse joy is a scientifically proven tool for reducing bias

Resrouces mentioned:

📚 Book: Search "Overcoming Bias Habits" everywhere books are sold

🎙️ Podcast: Diverse Joy (top 5% of all podcasts worldwide) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/diverse-joy/id1692372910

🔗 Free resources + training: www.biashabit.com

Music provided by Chillhop Music Aviino - Hotel Lobby Birthday Party https://chll.to/1ac17f01

A Special Thanks to Be The Glitter's Sponsor, New Valley Labs, Where Founders Bloom! https://www.newvalleylabs.com

Music provided by Chillhop Music Venuz Beats, Bao - Circles https://chll.to/8af1d579

For more from Wa'am: https://linktr.ee/waamwrites

#DEI #BiasTraining #DiverseJoy #OvercomingBias #BeTheGlitter #Inclusion #SocialPsychology #WorkplaceInclusion #LGBTQ #evidencebasedpractice

🌟 "No matter where I go, guess who shows up? It's me." Feeling overwhelmed by everything happening in the world? Trans Latina life coach Tawni Sophia Acosta shares practical tools to navigate fear, reset your nervous system, and discover you're more powerful than you think. In this conversation, Tawni guides us through simple breathing exercises you can use RIGHT NOW - including box breathing and the "learning state" technique - plus deep wisdom on managing trauma, building healthy support networks, and finding trans joy even in the hardest times. What You'll Learn: ✨ Box breathing technique to reset your nervous system (do it anywhere!) ✨ The "learning state" eye exercise to break out of fight-or-flight ✨ How to acknowledge anger as information, not enemy ✨ Why "no matter where you go, you show up" changes everything ✨ Building healthy support networks as a trans woman ✨ Navigating intersectionality: Trans, Latina, and human ✨ White male privilege loss during transition (and what it taught) ✨ Why community cooperation emerges in crisis ✨ Setting boundaries with social media consumption ✨ The difference between toxic positivity and real transformation TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 - Introduction 02:15 - Meet Tawni Sophia Acosta 05:30 - Intersectionality: Trans & Latina Identity 08:45 - Navigating Current Political Reality 12:20 - White Male Privilege Loss During Transition 16:40 - The Power of Community Response 20:15 - Managing Fear vs. Denial 24:30 - BOX BREATHING Exercise (Try it now!) 26:45 - LEARNING STATE Eye Technique 30:20 - Building Healthy Support Networks 34:50 - Anger as Information 38:15 - "No Matter Where I Go, I Show Up" 42:30 - Affirming Career Fair Story 46:20 - Transform, Don't Just Let Go 50:10 - Social Media Boundaries 53:45 - Gratitude & How to Connect BREATHING EXERCISES FEATURED: 🧘 Box Breathing - Breathe in 4 counts, hold 4, out 4, hold 4. Repeat 4x 🧘 Learning State - Look up, extend peripheral vision with fingers, reset ABOUT TAWNI SOPHIA ACOSTA: Tawni Sophia Acosta (she/her) is a life coach and founder of Empowered Journeys. She helps people remove the "gunk" so they can shine bright and pursue goals aligned with their authentic selves. As a trans woman, Latina, and Buddhist practitioner since 1988, Tawni brings intersectional wisdom and practical tools for transformation. 🔗 Connect with Tawni: 🌟 Website: https://www.empowered-journeys.com 📅 Book a free connection call with Tawni https://www.empowered-journeys.com/contact EPISODE SPONSOR: This episode is brought to you by New Valley Labs - a startup studio by founders, for founders. Not consultants with PowerPoint frameworks, but scrappy outsiders who've been in the trenches. New Valley disrupts the norm and amplifies diverse, underrepresented founders building the next generation of unicorns. Welcome to New Valley, where founders bloom. 🚀 Learn more: https://www.newvalleylabs.com 📧 Email: hello@newvalleylabs.com ABOUT BE THE GLITTERPODCAST: Tough topics with giggles, inspiration that sticks. Hosted by Laura Paisley Beck (Wa'am of Wa'am Writes). 🎙️ More Episodes: https://www.waamwritesllc.com/podcast 🌟 All Links: https://linktr.ee/waamwrites KEY QUOTES: 💬 "No matter where I go, guess who shows up? It's me." 💬 "We're more powerful than we really think we are." 💬 "Anger is there for a reason. It's informative." 💬 "We're all connected. We're all interdependent." 💬 "The journey gave me strength I never knew I had." Music provided by Chillhop Music Aviino - Citrus Snow https://chll.to/ce0cf279 Music provided by Chillhop Music Venuz Beats, Bao - Circles https://chll.to/8af1d579 #TransIdentity #LifeCoaching #BreathingExercises #MentalHealthTools #NervousSystemRegulation #BoxBreathing #TransLatina #LGBTQWellness #AnxietyRelief #TraumaHealing #Intersectionality #TransJoy #CommunityBuilding #Mindfulness #SelfEmpowerment #CopingSkills #FightOrFlight #GroundingTechniques #TransWisdom #InclusiveWellness #BeTheGlitter #FindingYourPower #NavigatingFear #HealingJourney #AuthenticSelf