Guest: Kenisha Coon
Host: Joe Santana
Episode Overview
In today’s workplace, employees are navigating more than just deadlines—they’re often carrying trauma, stress, and the weight of systemic inequities. So how can ERGs step up and create safe, healing-centered spaces for their members? In this powerful episode of ERG Powertalk Podcast, Kenisha Coon—a keynote speaker, DEIB expert, consultant, and PhD candidate—shares strategies for helping ERGs respond to trauma with empathy, care, and long-term support.
Drawing from her experience in child welfare, policy reform, antiracism, and systems change, Kenisha emphasizes the importance of lived experience, cultural humility, and equity-rooted leadership. Whether in corporate, tech, or government spaces, her work shows that healing is both personal and systemic—and ERGs can lead the way.
Key Takeaways:
✅ What trauma looks like in the workplace—and how it impacts marginalized employees
✅ Why lived experience is a leadership asset, not a liability
✅ How ERGs can foster psychological safety and collective healing
✅ Tools from Kenisha’s Equity & Systems Change Framework
✅ What true support looks like beyond policies and checkboxes
About Our Guest – Kenisha Coon
Kenisha Coon is a nationally recognized DEIB strategist, keynote speaker, and author with deep expertise in trauma, equity, antiracism, and leadership development. A PhD candidate and former child welfare leader, she has shaped federal policy and worked with organizations like AdoptUSKids, Families Rising, and the Minority Professional Leadership Development Program.
She brings a unique perspective grounded in lived experience, systems thinking, and a passion for turning equity into real, measurable action. Her work equips leaders to navigate complexity with care—and empowers ERGs to lead transformational change.
Resources & Links:
Learn More About Kenisha Coon’s Work
Connect on LinkedIn: Kenisha Coon
Call to Action
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