Kiera Fernandez

Target buckling on what and how they will be displaying #lgbtqia merchandising is very telling of where their mindset lies on matters of the "community." For instance, the choice to only sell adult-sized clothing insinuates that our youth can't be part of the #queer community, and is quite frankly insulting. You (Target) are actually pushing the false right-wing grooming narrative, and are coming off kind of yuck! Bowing to the right-wing political pressures from a sect of the nation that would like to see the total demise of our "community" says enough about where Target morals and values lie (VERY VERY LOW). Just one more reason to buy local and avoid corporate weakness and BS. https://lnkd.in/ebTYT2Av

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Let me reintroduce myself on this Wonderful Woman Wednesday! 1. I AM Xavier’s mom. The most fulfilling title I hold, filled with love, pride, and endless joy. #XaviersMom #ProudParent #WomenCrushWednesday 2. I AM a transformational change agent. Spearheading organizational development to drive sustainable growth and innovation. #ChangeAgent #TransformationalLeadership #WomenInLeadership 3. I AM a global executive coach. Empowering leaders to unlock their full potential and achieve unparalleled success. #ExecutiveCoach #LeadershipDevelopment #Empowerment 4. I AM a champion of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Creating inclusive cultures where every individual can thrive and contribute meaningfully. #DEIChampion #InclusionMatters #EquityInAction 5. I AM an architect of authentic leadership. Guiding leaders to embrace their true selves, fostering resilience and confidence in the face of change. #AuthenticLeadership #Resilience #Confidence #WomenCrushWednesday #DailyBrew #LeadershipExcellence #WomenEmpowerment #DrDeenaSpeaks

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Ensuring your organization has a strong pipeline of talent tomorrow means you need to invest in people today. This CUSTOM CREATED experience is one-of-a-kind. It layers 1:1 executive coaching, group coaching and interactive group learning sessions. This approach ensures that insights are not only gained, but incorporated into real-life practices and habits. Please listen to this quick interview to understand more about this very unique opportunity that is kicking off soon!

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About 80% of Black leaders who seek out my coaching services and aspire to become more effective and impactful leaders lack employer support. Often, they are even fearful of asking their employer for this investment. Instead, they fund it out of their own pockets. ❗Keep in mind, Black women earn 58.5% less than White men (Catalyst, 2022 via Canadian Women’s Foundation), making it challenging to invest in themselves. From my experience, these are the three common scenarios Black women face regarding coaching: 1. Unaware of Available Coaching Opportunities: Many Black employees do not know if coaching is part of their organization's talent management strategy. If they are unaware, it effectively means it isn’t accessible to them. 2. Denied Requests for Development: When Black employees ask for development opportunities, the answer is often no, or the process for approval requires a business case rationalizing the request. Excuses range from budget constraints to doubts about their potential or impact. This reflects outdated and biased talent review practices. 3. Hesitation to Advocate for Themselves: Many Black employees, even those in senior roles, feel hesitant to ask for investment in their development. This hesitation stems from a lack of normalized support and the internalized belief, based on lived experience, that they are not worthy of such investment. Although I’ve developed a self-advocacy guide to help them request these investments, it shouldn't be necessary. I’ve yet to encounter this issue with non-Black employees whose organizations contract my services. Employers, sponsors, and allies need to recognize that investing in Black women’s development through coaching is crucial. This investment should place them in environments where they feel safe, understood, and are given the space to thrive. Are you willing to break the barriers and invest in the growth and development of your Black employees? #LeadershipDevelopment #EquityInclusion #BlackWomenLead #BrilliantColours #blackexcellence #womenofcolor #allyship

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Let's Talk About Target Audiences & Racism As professionals, it's essential to understand that identifying a target audience does not equate to racism. Miss Chantal J, an Afrocentric jewelry curator, is facing backlash for catering to her community. Let's clarify: celebrating one's culture and having a target audience is not discriminatory. Racism is about denying opportunities and perpetuating harm based on race. Let's educate ourselves and others on the difference. Supporting Black excellence, Afrocentric expression, and inclusivity is crucial. Let's promote respect and understanding in our industries and beyond! #TargetAudience #Racism #Education #Inclusion #BlackExcellence #AfrocentricPride"

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Leaders who wait for change to happen miss the mark. To truly support Black Talent, leaders must take intentional, proactive steps. Great leadership transforms potential into performance. We can help you with that 👉🏿 [email protected] #Leadership #Blacktalent

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🔥 The Case for Black Conglomerates 🔥 Y’all remember when Monique Rodriguez sold Mielle Organics to P&G? Or when Richelieu Dennis handed SheaMoisture Moisture to UniLever? 🤨 The black community was outraged, accusing them of "selling out" to companies that don't care about us. But let’s get real for a second. 🛑 When black-owned brands hit a certain level of success, they run straight into the scalability wall. Founders are left drowning in debt, scraping for capital, and getting rejected simply because they're "new" or seen as "one-hit wonders." 💸🚫 Monique Rodriguez and others have been clear: if there were black-owned conglomerates ready to invest, they would sell to THEM. But that’s the problem—we don’t have our own! So here’s the hard truth: WE NEED OUR OWN CONGLOMERATES. 💼✊🏾 These corporate giants—P&G, UniLever, L’Oréal, Coty—have been dominating for over 100 years. Their money, power, and experience are hard to match. But if we unite, pool our resources, and think collaboratively, we can build something powerful that lifts up all black-owned brands and ensures long-term sustainability. 🔥💪🏾 In the U.S., this conversation has been ongoing, but in the UK, it’s just starting to take shape. The real question is: can we shift our mindset from competition to collaboration? Working together is the only way we can create lasting change and a real presence in this industry. 🛑💥 #diaryofacoo #blackboards #blackownedbusiness #conglomerates #mielleorganics #sheamoisture #moniquerodriguez

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Powerful insights from Thasunda Duckett and Rashida Jones at the Global Black Economic Summit! “Providing great equal opportunities to people who are of equal talent is important. It’s good for business.” In this clip, Thasunda Duckett and Rashida Jones emphasized the critical importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in business during their fireside chat at the Global Black Economic Summit. They highlighted that equal opportunities for talented individuals are not just morally right but also beneficial for business success. Diverse teams attract top talent and foster environments where everyone can thrive. “Diversity, equity, and inclusion are not just moral imperatives—they’re essential for business success. Equal opportunities attract top talent and create environments where everyone can thrive. When companies embrace diversity, everyone benefits, and the business thrives.” #Diversity #Equity #Inclusion #EqualOpportunity #Talent #BusinessSuccess #InclusiveBusiness #GlobalBlackEconomicSummit #Leadership #DiversityAndInclusion #TIAA #MSNBC #Essencefest

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Help Save Yany Beauty Retail: A Call to Action As a bootstrapped, Black-Women-owned clean beauty retailer, we've worked tirelessly to build a business that empowers and uplifts our community. We've dedicated countless hours to business development, mentorship, and creating high-quality products, often sourcing from other indie, clean beauty brands. But the reality is, Black AND Women-owned beauty brands face unique challenges, including limited access to funding. To keep our doors open and continue serving our community AND supporting other small businesses, we need your support. We just launched a unique crowdfunding campaign to raise $100,000. This seemingly large goal can be achieved by just 1000 people purchasing a discounted holiday gift basket filled with our favorite clean beauty and wellness products and brands. Support link in the comments! https://lnkd.in/eyWjx8pU By supporting Yany Beauty, you're not just making a purchase; you're investing in a dream. You're helping us keep our doors open, continue to provide clean, effective products, support our community, and create jobs. Watch our video to learn more about our story and mission. Let's make a difference together. Please make a purchase and share with your network! Thanks in advance. #BlackOwnedBusiness #WomenOwned #SmallBusiness #Crowdfunding #SupportBlackBusiness #CleanBeauty Black Woman Owned Buy From A Black Woman The Flex-N-Fly Foundation YANY Beauty ForbesBLK GWBC Live Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs

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As leaders, we often focus on looking ahead—planning, executing, and setting goals. But how often do we pause to look inward? Self-reflection is a critical practice for leadership growth. It allows us to pause, assess, and recalibrate, helping us understand our strengths, recognize blind spots, and build the resilience needed to navigate challenges effectively. Here are three ways to incorporate self-reflection into your leadership routine: 1️⃣ Daily Journaling: Spend five minutes at the end of each day noting wins, lessons learned, and areas for improvement. 2️⃣ Weekly Check-ins: Dedicate 15 minutes weekly to reflect on the bigger picture. What’s working? What could be better? 3️⃣ Ask the Hard Questions: What’s one thing I need to let go of to become a better leader? Where am I holding myself back? Self-reflection isn’t just a practice—it’s a pathway to growth, clarity, and impactful leadership. How do you incorporate self-reflection into your leadership? What’s a question you’ve asked yourself recently that led to growth?

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#TheMorningInclusive: Celebrating Sojourner Truth and Inclusive Women’s Rights On this day in 1851, the pioneering Sojourner Truth stepped onto the stage at the first Black Women’s Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio. Her powerful words challenged the status quo and ignited a fire that still burns brightly today. 👩‍🦱 Racial Equity in Women’s Rights: Sojourner Truth understood that the fight for women’s rights could not be separated from the fight against racial injustice. She demanded that the struggle for equality be inclusive of all women, regardless of their race or background. Her unwavering commitment to racial equity paved the way for a more just and united movement. 🌈 Transgender Women and Equality: In an era when transgender rights were not even on the radar, Sojourner Truth’s vision extended beyond binary boundaries. She believed that women’s equality must embrace all women, including our transgender sisters. Her courage and foresight remind us that true progress means leaving no one behind, emphasizing the inclusivity and value of every individual in our fight for equality. 🌟 Belonging and Sustaining a Just Society: Sojourner Truth’s legacy transcends time. Her words resonate as we strive to build a society where everyone knows they belong. We must create spaces where every voice is heard, every identity respected, and every person valued. Only then can we sustain a world where justice, compassion, and belonging thrive. 🔥 Let us honor Sojourner Truth’s legacy by continuing to fight for a world where all women, regardless of race, gender identity, or background, stand shoulder to shoulder-in the pursuit of equality. Together, we can light the way toward a brighter, more inclusive future, emphasizing the power and strength of our collective effort. #SojournerTruth #InclusiveRights #EqualityForAll #Belonging #Inclusion #Diversity #Equity #Accessibility NOTE: This image was created by Copilot to summarize this text

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🌐 Today, I am honored to co-host the “Navigating the Post-Election Landscape” Roundtable beside Anthony P. Howard, with a special focus on Black HR Professionals. In this session, we are addressing the unique challenges that Black HR leaders face as they navigate the next normal in our workplaces and communities. With so much change and opportunity on the horizon, it is essential to explore how we can best support each other and advance strategies that foster inclusive, resilient environments. Our goal is to equip each participant with insights and tools to lead effectively through these transitions. Looking forward to sharing key takeaways from this impactful dialogue. #BlackHRLeaders #PostElection #Roundtable #Diversity #FutureOfWork

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As we step into the new week, here’s something to reflect on: Not everyone will agree with your direction, not even yourself sometimes but progress requires moving forward anyway. One day, the critiques will turn into praise. This week, Emily Aneno -Byaruhanga-SHRP and Global HR Partner - East Africa at Alight International, shares practical advice on retaining top talent: 
"Retaining the best talent is every HR manager’s nightmare. Hiring is costly and time-consuming, but once they’re on board, what happens next?" Watch this insightful clip and learn strategies for retaining and nurturing talent in your organization. Drop a comment below with your thoughts! #AHWAM #TalentRetention #HRStrategy #LeadershipInsights #EmployeeDevelopment #WorkplaceGrowth

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Exercise your right!

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Update: I always love to see the weasels who untag themselves and crawl back into their hiding hole. Jeremy Hayden, partner at Taft Law and member of the United Way of Greater Cincinnati's BOD, we see you. 👀 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Shame on the United Way of Greater Cincinnati. How dare you do this to an employee. You have a ytness problem in your organization, and it sounds like its pushing out talented Black folks in droves. Moira Weir - As the President & CEO, what are you doing about this? It's not good for the employees you've harmed, and it certainly can't be good for the organization or its mission. Operating like this is an incredible risk. As someone who was a for-profit CEO and now works with non-profit CEOs and C-suites as an executive coach, I can tell you that this behavior is FAR too common in non-profit spaces. Most are run by toxic yt people who hide behind the veneer of doing good while doubling down on the culture of yt supremacy and harm that got them to the top. You forced a talented manager to resign because of meeting space utilization accusation and tone? What an incredible waste! And to the United Way of Greater Cincinnati Board, what are YOU doing about. this? It sounds like you have a governance problem. Tagging you here so you can engage with your CEO and address it with a formal investigation into Andraya Mays, MPA-SJ resignation and the others she references in her original post. Brian Hodgett (what sort of Board Chair and Procter & Gamble employee doesn't have a proper LinkedIn profile? 🙄 -- says volumes) George Vincent Maureen Bickley Ryan Dunlap Larissa England Leigh Fox Jodi Geiser Emily Frolick Brian D. Griffin Kala Gibson Jeremy Hayden Rob Herman Marianne Lewis Jill Meyer Vedran Miletic Mandy Neeley David Nevers Matthew Randazzo Cory Shaw Cady Short-Thompson K Z Smith Tyran Stallings Barbara Turner Warren Weber Kristen H. Wevers, MBA #work #bod #ceo #culture #humanresources

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My first session attended today was on Black school leader pipelines. It was so insightful, practical, and full of resources to start taking action steps! 🙌🏿 #nabse #teamDPS #BlackSchoolLeaders #POCleadersK12

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This right here

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