Culture Unfit

In this episode, Nikkia announces the end of the Culture Unfit podcast and shares her journey of self-discovery and the decision to pursue endeavors that align with her inner essence.

In this episode, Nikkia speaks with Clara Broomfield about balancing independence with a sense of belonging at work and how she coped and eventually dealt with a tough manager situation at a previous employer. Clara Broomfield is a writer, creator, and learning development professional. Her career in tech has included everything from content curation to building an L&D program from the ground up. Clara brings a spirit of curiosity to her work and always takes a people-centered approach to business. She is currently looking for her next learning and development role! Check her out on linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clarabroomfield

This is the second part of a two part conversation with Elyse Kane, Nikkia's first manager and mentor in the Corporate world.

In this first episode of Season 2 of Culture Unfit, Nikkia speaks with Elyse Kane, her  first Colgate manager, mentor and forever friend. Elyse played an outsized role in Nikkia's leadership trajectory by selflessly nurturing her natural talents because Elyse saw a potential in her that she could not yet see in herself. Elyse's advocacy for the brilliant underdogs, or as Nikkia likes to call us, the ‘beautiful misfits,’ infected her early on and She has been trying her best to pay it forward ever since. Sometimes she fails in that pursuit, but she never stops trying. Elyse Kane is the former VP for Consumer Insights and Analytics for North America at Colgate-Palmolive.  Currently, she is an Adjunct Professor teaching graduate level Consumer Behavior classes at Baruch College in New York City and the owner of Elyse Kane Consulting, LLC, specializing in brand strategy, brand positioning, advertising development and training across a variety of marketing areas.  

In this episode, we hear a story of gradual hearing loss and the impact of this change at work.  The mental and emotional toll of such a change in condition is already a lot to deal with. Maintaining the status quo at work so that others don't perceive a dramatic change in engagement or productivity slowly becomes more challenging. What accommodations can help in situations like this when disclosing your condition to colleagues is still difficult? And if you're at a point when you're ready to let others in on what you're experiencing, how do you broach the topic?  Both the beautiful misfit who shared the story and @nikkastar offer up some thought starters to consider.  

In this episode, we delve into the issue of personal identity and cultural expression in workwear for Corporate environments. I share 4 steps that one can take in challenging the dress code status quo.

In this episode, a beautiful misfit shares her story of being told that working on her English accent would help her assimilate into her U.S. Graduate School environment better even though English is her first language.  Her accent is an important part of her identity and something that she does not feel like she needs to change, but ponders whether there is a value to making this change so that fits in more easily.  Let's continue the conversation on Twitter (https://twitter.com/cultureunfit) or on Instagram (https://instagram.com/cultureunfit) If you would like to submit a story, feel free to email us a voice recording/note/memo at [email protected].

In this episode, we hear from a beautiful misfit who, despite attempts to try to get her co-workers to properly pronounce her name, is unable to.  She feels hurt and isolated in her pain as a result yet still wants to figure out a way to move forward. The question that we grapple with is how much to continue pushing when we want our co-workers to understand and respect a unique part of ourselves and when to let go. Definitely a tricky balance to strike as every situation and scenario is so different. Let's continue the conversation on Twitter (https://twitter.com/cultureunfit) or on Instagram (https://instagram.com/cultureunfit) If you would like to submit a story, feel free to email us a voice recording/note/memo at [email protected].

In this episode, we hear from a beautiful misfit who shares a story about a time when the intent behind an email she sent was misunderstood and the tone of her email was characterized as being aggressive.  Surprised by this and wanting to ensure that her messages are received as intended in the future, she seeks guidance on how to strike the right balance between being clear and direct in her communication without being perceived as rude.  I share two tactics to help with delivering clear communication in email and establishing a healthy foundation for communicating with co-workers that can be incorporated into your work toolkit.   Let's continue the conversation on Twitter (https://twitter.com/cultureunfit) or on Instagram (https://instagram.com/cultureunfit) If you would like to submit a story, feel free to email us a voice recording/note/memo at [email protected].

Ever receive a slap on the wrist for something that felt innocuous?  After eagerly responding to an email addressed to her after recently joining a new company, today's caller received a response from her manager that she did not expect.  She was told, in no uncertain terms, that she should not have responded and was given little to no explanation why.  She was left feeling confused and demotivated.  In today's episode, we'll dive into how the manager in this situation might have handled this opportunity to provide feedback differently. We will also share some practical tips and outline the steps that one can take to learn and grow from an experience like this in a productive way - starting with a reflection into the personal impact of the situation and then moving towards having an open, positive and productive conversation with their manager if faced with a similar situation.  Let's continue the conversation on Twitter (https://twitter.com/cultureunfit) or on Instagram (https://instagram.com/cultureunfit) If you would like to submit a story, feel free to email us a voice recording/note/memo at [email protected].