Ep. 344: Celeste Warren on Performative DEI, Corporate Pullback & Why the Pendulum Swings Back

Is your company committed to inclusion, or was it only ever for show? Celeste Warren, a diversity and inclusion leader with nearly 30 years at Global Fortune 100 companies and author of The Truth About Equity, joins Zach for a candid conversation about belonging at work. She shares the early-career moment that shaped her mission: presenting her own project to a room of men who directed every question to her boss. Zach and Celeste get real about tokenism, the myth that diverse hiring lowers the bar, and the wave of corporate retreats from DEI and Pride sponsorships. Celeste explains why performative programs fall apart so easily, why social progress moves like a pendulum, and why customers, employees, and shareholders need to remember who stood up during hard times. She also leaves CEOs with one challenge and listeners with a reminder that waiting isn’t enough. We have to act.

 

Connect with Celeste Warren:
Website: https://crwdiversity.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/celestewarrenllc 
Instagram: @CRWDiversity
Also on Facebook and Substack
Book: The Truth About Equity
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1967587000?lv=shuf&psc=1&th=1&tag=bk00010a-20&geniuslink=true&channelId=1&plpRedirect=mhFallback 

Connect with Zach:
everythingandanythingpodcast.com | @TheRealZachRE

Podcast song by SIXFOOT 5: https://www.sixfoot5prod.com

Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sixfoot-5/1551774977

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5rHMzoU0G0fLhaBsrQiOOY?si=laSZ5hiKTYubJJyhrzf2JQ

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