Belonging is one of those catch-all terms that everyone talks about, but we're often describing completely different experiences. On this episode, Mateo explores a framework that breaks belonging into three distinct dimensions - not as a prescription to follow, but as a compass for understanding the different ways we can experience connection.

What Mateo Covers:

• The three dimensions of belonging: Self, Others, and Universal
• Why most conversations about belonging get stuck focusing on just one dimension
• How belonging with yourself creates space for more authentic relationships
• The science behind our innate connection to nature and something larger than ourselves
• Why exclusion registers in our brains the same way physical pain does
• How to use these dimensions as pathways when you're feeling disconnected
• The Venn diagram approach: mapping the seven different states of belonging

Key Ideas Explored:

• Brené Brown's True Belonging and what it means to stand alone in the wilderness
• The biophilia hypothesis and why we're wired for nature connection
• Ubuntu philosophy: "I am because we are"
• How authenticity and social connection can sometimes work against each other
• Why these dimensions aren't hierarchical - just different landscapes to explore

Resources: Mateo has created a free Venn Diagram PDF mapping out all seven belonging states, complete with research notes and book recommendations. Reach out at createbelonging@gmail.com or connect on LinkedIn to get your copy.

This isn't about optimizing your belonging or checking boxes. It's about recognizing the different pathways that are always available and learning to trust your own internal compass.

Enjoying these conversations? Please subscribe, rate, and review wherever you're listening - it helps more people discover these explorations of belonging and connection. Thank you for being part of this community and for doing the work of creating belonging for yourself and others.

Acknowledgments:

Music “Playing with Color” by Nullhertz obtained royalty-free from Pixabay

Thank you to the lovely people at Purple Space for your support

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Thank you for listening! 

I would love your Feedback: Please send me an email at createbelonging@gmail.com and let me know what you thought of the episode. 

You can also follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/createbelonging/ or on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/create-belonging

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a short update on where I've been. I stepped away to work on my mental health, handle professional commitments, and wrestle with procrastination and imposter syndrome.

During this time, I've learned that sometimes stepping back is necessary, and that belonging to yourself comes first. I've also been thinking about what Create Belonging can offer in a world where anyone can start a podcast and AI generates content instantly.

I'm returning not with a polished plan, but with curiosity and the same commitment to exploring what it means to truly belong. The format might evolve, but the core mission remains: creating space for authentic conversations about belonging.

Ready to continue this conversation about belonging? Subscribe to Create Belonging wherever you listen to podcasts, and join a community committed to exploring what it truly means to belong in this world.

Acknowledgments:

Music “Playing with Color” by Nullhertz obtained royalty-free from Pixabay

Thank you to the lovely people at Purple Space for your support

——————————-

Thank you for listening! 

I would love your Feedback: Please send me an email at createbelonging@gmail.com and let me know what you thought of the episode. 

You can also follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/createbelonging/ or on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/create-belonging

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Did you know that creativity is one of the keys to finding your belonging?

Creativity is about taking what we know, what we imagine, and what surrounds us and making something significant, something that may not have existed otherwise. 

We all have the potential to be creative and, in many ways, creativity is something that is deeply human and something that requires action and courage. If we are trying to discover our belonging or if we are trying to help others belong, then creativity is one of the necessary skills that one will need. 

And when it comes to understanding how creativity can be used for belonging, I knew I wanted to speak to Jenny Theolin. 

Jenny Theolin is a renowned expert who helps people learn more effectively. Calling upon her wealth of experience from around the world and background in design, she creates effective, engaging, and memorable learning experiences for organisations, schools, and non-profits.

Jenny grew up as a world citizen, where she developed a high cultural intelligence and understanding of the humanity that connects us all. 

This conversation explores the power of facilitation and how this skill is often overlooked. Jenny’s latest book is “Dare to Facilitate” a collaboration with expert facilitators sharing their insights on how to properly embrace facilitation as the skill that helps individuals and companies collaborate better and tap into people’s true potential. 

This was a very FUN, insightful, and generous conversation with a creative human who creates belonging in all her projects. 

I was inspired by this conversation, and I hope you too will be inspired. 

Resources to continue exploring:

• Jenny’s personal website, Instagram, X, LinkedIn
• Studio Theolin’s website
• Her New Book “DARE TO FACILITATE” book website
• Download: “How to be an Alien” by George Mikes (1946) inspired one of Jenny’s previous art show called “Alienation”. You can download the full book in PDF here. 
• Elizabeth Gilbert on Distinguishing Between Hobbies, Jobs, Careers, & Vocation from Acumen Academy Youtube

Support Create Belonging:

• Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify.
• Get in touch and Please send us your feedback: www.createbelonging.com/contact
• Share this episode with a friend!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Indeed, questions are everywhere, and yet few of us know just how powerful they can be in changing our world. 

“We know that after a question is asked, the world may never be the same afterward”. 

Pia Lauritzen Ph.D.

Pia is also someone who believes all questions are valid, and that we shouldn’t put too much emphasis on asking questions for the sake of getting answers - rather, we should just look into what the question is trying to tell us. 

This was a jam-packed, condensed conversation with a wonderful, insightful, and thoughtful human. I hope you enjoy this episode, and please don’t forget to connect with Pia Lauritzen on LinkedIn, and check out her upcoming book published with John Hopkin’s University Press. 

Resources to continue exploring:

• Pia's LinkedIn
• Pia’s book published on John Hopkins University Press: Question: A Brief Book about Big Ideas
• Pia’s Blog: Pia’s Questions
• Pia’s free tool for education and educators: Question Jam
• Pia’s consulting tool for companies to tap into the power of questions: qvest.io 

Support Create Belonging:

• Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify.
• Get in touch and Please send us your feedback: www.createbelonging.com/contact
• Share this episode with a friend!

Acknowledgments:

Music “Playing with Color” by Nullhertz obtained royalty-free from Pixabay

Thank you to the lovely people at Purple Space for your support

——————————-

Thank you for listening! 

I would love your Feedback: Please send me an email at createbelonging@gmail.com and let me know what you thought of the episode. 

You can also follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/createbelonging/ or on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/create-belonging

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I sit down and talk with the amazing Lola Akinmade about her life, work, books, and her views on Belonging in a world that tries to put you in a box.

I loved this conversation and I hope you do too.

Show Notes

Key ideas we explore in this episode:

• From Programmer to Photographer: Lola’s incredible range of experience
• Lola’s concept of home: “A Space where I can exist without explanation” where one is celebrated for just “existing”, without judgment. 
• Why she doesn’t believe in first impressions. She tried not to judge anyone until after 10 minutes. Instead, we should look for depth in people. 
• How the Swedish concept of Lagom works as a personal value but fails as a societal rule. 
• We discuss the importance of being a role model
• Tokenism - how it can be done right, and when should we call companies out? 
• The responsibility of opening the doors for others. 

Resources to continue exploring:

• Lola's Homepage and Blog.
• Lola’s Tedx Talk
• Lola follows the examples of some very prominent Nigerian Authors: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimamanda_Ngozi_Adichie 
• Lola’s Slate Article on Lagom: “Why are Swedes so Quiet”
• Book: Lagom: The Swedish Secret of Living Well - the book that was published in 18 different languages, except in Swedish! 
• Trevor Noah’s final thoughts and highlighting the importance of honoring black women
• Book: In every Mirror She’s Black and Sequel Everything is not enough

Support Create Belonging:

• Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify.
• Get in touch and Please send us your feedback: www.createbelonging.com/contact
• Share this episode with a friend!

Acknowledgments:

Music “Playing with Color” by Nullhertz obtained royalty-free from Pixabay

Thank you to the lovely people at Purple Space for your support

——————————-

Thank you for listening! 

I would love your Feedback: Please send me an email at createbelonging@gmail.com and let me know what you thought of the episode. 

You can also follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/createbelonging/ or on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/create-belonging 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We start the conversation by talking about the illusion of power dynamics in society. Sebene flips the script that society is a struggle towards the middle where there is access to resources and power. She does that by reminding us that those in the margin - have a richness of perspective and access to fluidity and other ways of belonging that those in the middle might not. 

This part two of the conversation was a lot more personal and open, and one where I really got to express my deep gratitude for Sebene’s contribution to our understanding of Belonging. 

Key ideas we explore in this episode:

• Get into Power dynamics - and how we have the idea that society is structured in concentric circles where the Powerful stand in the middle, holding onto power and status. While those in the margin have a richness of perspective and a more holistic view based on a deeper knowledge of understanding. 
• Context Switching - Fluency vs Semeiotic Vigilance - and why this can lead many of us to fatigue of belonging. And how Affinity Groups can offer minorities some respite from constantly being “Vigilant and monitoring” whether we belong or fit in. 
• We look into the efficiency of Affinity groups - like female only, on black only groups. And how they create the space for much of the “work” that can be done so that the conversations and the network can be explored in a more profound and direct way.
• She answers the questions about her vision of the future with “how she would like to feel in that future”, and gives us some clues on the type of world we should all be striving towards. 
• And much more…

Resources to continue exploring:

The ideas and media related to this episode

• Wikipedia on “From Margin to Center” - by Bell Hooks
• Sebene’s book You Belong: A Call for Connection
• Subscribe to Sebene’s newsletter
• Follow Sebene on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Part 1 of the long-awaited interview with writer and meditation teacher Sebene Selassie. We introduce her book “You Belong - A Call for Connection”  and her motivations for writing it. We discuss the fundamental fact of belonging and the paradox of belonging.

We later go on to look at the way that the world seems to be suffering from a “Delusion of separation” and how the way to wake up from that reality is to look inwards. 

This was a very rich, insightful, and enlightening conversation about belonging with one of the world’s leading thinkers on the matter. 

Key ideas we explore in this episode:

• How her book is not a map to belonging, but rather a “map key” where each one of us is expected to make our own maps. 
• The Paradox of two truths: Even though we are not separate, we are not the same
• The delusion of separation: forgetting that we are all interconnected and part of the same reality
• We touch on some of the systemic issues that have led us to forget the fundamental truth of belonging
• ‘Mana’ the comparative mind and how it keeps ups in the delusion of separation
• Why we must start with grounding ourselves BEFORE we can begin to know ourselves
• How cultivating “embodied awareness” can help us find our way back to belonging
• And much more…

Resources to continue exploring:

The ideas and media related to this episode:

• Hurry Slowly interview with Sebene on the Delusion of Separation
• Sebene’s book You Belong: A Call for Connection
• Subscribe to Sebene’s newsletter
• Follow Sebene on Instagram

Acknowledgments

Music by Ergy, aka Hugues Coudurier, Facebook

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Thank you for listening! 

I would love your Feedback: Please send me an email at createbelonging@gmail.com and let me know what you thought of the episode. 

You can also follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/createbelonging/ or on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/create-belonging 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are extremely grateful for Kristín’s vulnerability in talking about her journey to find her belonging. 

In this Episode one we cover the following topics:

• Kristín’s path to authenticity, starting from a small fishing village in Iceland 
• The early days of living up to external expectations were the antithesis of living authentically
• How this one TED talk changed her forever
• Her 12-year journey of living from vulnerability to authenticity
• The slow, tough, and uncomfortable journey of living in vulnerability
• Trusting the process, and taking risks in big life decisions - following the feeling
• How to identify authenticity in others - “It’s a feeling in your body” 
• Helping others discover their values and live more authentic lives
• Her approach to helping her children discover and live in accordance with their values
• Understanding your values and your energy has an effect on other people
• How living authentically can help one take responsibility for one’s actions
• What Create Belonging means to Kristín

If you haven't already, I highly recommend giving this episode a listen to gain valuable insights into living a more authentic life. Tune in now to Create Belonging, available on your favorite podcast platforms.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Episode one we cover the following topics:

• How we should think of identity as flowing and how one wears many hats (5:00)
• Why “You Belong” by Sebene Selassie is the first book she starts and finishes in a long time (7:25)
• Why belonging is not connected to a place (9:45)
• How Biking she never felt lonely despite the fact that she traveled solo on a bike across Europe for 120 days (10:14)
• How acceptance and sensing ourselves can lead us to realize that we already belong (11:25)
• How Belonging can be a compass to authenticity (13:50)
• The two types of Belonging: individually and universally (15:25) 
• How disconnection and not-belonging are hurtful (17:20)
• The opposite of Belonging is to “Fit-in” (17:45) 
• How we should lean into the pain of feeling like not belonging and it can give us clues to our values (20:00) 
• Kristín talks about the work she is doing with building tools to help people better understand themselves (21:00)

Short Bio:

Kristín Grímsdóttir has lived many lives. She is guided by her values, which one day led her to quit her job and cycle solo across Europe for over 120 days. She planned to meet over 100 strangers, and this lead her to write a memoir about the experience in the book “Real: a story I tell myself and choose to believe.” Aside from being an adventurer, she is also a mother, partner, and entrepreneur. She is a sustainability and leadership expert with over 15 years of experience in understanding human behavior and decision-making within the context of sustainability. She has been a startup founder and CEO, a project manager in a public company, and has led the sustainability agenda during digital transformation times in a large, international company. Kristin's passion for creating enabling conditions for sustainable development through vertical development has led her to specialize in conscious leadership, emotional intelligence, building trusted relations, strategy, sustainable business design, sustainable development, vertical development, culture and values, brand development, facilitation, project management, coaching, deep and genuine listening, co-creation, and navigating complexity.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, I sit down with Mustafa Sherif (LinkedIn, Instagram). He is the creator and host of the URBANISTICA podcast. He is also an Urban Planner working at AFRY in Stockholm, Sweden. 

Mustafa was born in Bagdad and came to Sweden with his family at age 17. He received a degree in architecture and later when on to complete a Masters in Urban Planning and Design from the Royal Technical Institute (KTH).

This is a wide-ranging conversation with someone that has given a lot of thought to how cities should be designed and how do these decisions affect people. We cover a lot of topics including how he defines the concept of “home”, what makes a good city and how Urban Planning has changed over the years to become more inclusive. 

I hope you enjoy the joy of this fascinating interview about belonging to our cities. 

Please visit www.createbelonging.com for the complete show notes.

Thank you for listening. Please don’t forget to like and subscribe! 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kerone was born in Jamaica, raised in Brooklyn, NYC, and has been living in Stockholm for 6 years. Kerone, like many of us, is someone that has given a lot of thought to Belonging. Through his words and his Art, he is able to communicate wholeheartedly, in a way that very few of us can. 

However, can all relate to the emotions that his work evokes. 

• Kerone is has been a creative person who was born in Kingston, Jamaica. 
• Immigrated to New York City (Jamaica Queens) when he was 10 years old

Where/when does Kerone belong?

• Kerone belongs in the present, but it was never that way
• Throughout his life, he never felt like he truly belongs. 
• He found his belonging in Stockholm - when walking to the supermarket

The disillusionment of not fitting into ideals as a child immigrant. 

Life lesson: When you immigrate to a place, you can be anyone you want to be. 

Q: What’s it like being back in Sweden, compared to being black in New York?

• In Sweden, racism is more subtle. The only time race and other forms of discrimination are talked about is at the extremes. Upon explicit forms of racism and discrimination, Swedes tend to say “Well, I’m not like that, we are not THAT racist”. They are quick to point at these extreme examples and claim the higher road without acknowledging that they might act on their bias or engage in other forms of exclusion.
• Instead, racism is subtle. 
• Kerone came to the realization that racism is their problem, not his. There is little he can do to change others' opinions, other than just living his truth and living his life.

Book: Subtle Acts of Exclusion but Dr. Tiffany Jana, and Michael Baran. 

Why it is important for him to bring to the surface the issue of slavery and other traumatic events of the past. 

How did he get started with Spoken Word? 

Keron discovered Spoken Word in 2003, however, he would not find his voice until he came to Stockholm. He started writing following a painful breakup. Today he writes on many topics including family, society, and relationships.

What happens when you don’t feel as you belong?

How he found his own belonging. Why belonging is much bigger than what anyone else thinks or does to you. 

The importance of realizing that you are on your own journey, charting your own path. 

Do you have any tips or practices for healthy belonging? 

• it’s important to follow curiosity

Sebene Selassie - “You Belong” - talks about the importance of curiosity for finding belonging.  

Here is how to get in touch with Kerone:

Website: https://keronecampbell.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keronecampbell

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keronecampbell/

Acknowledgments:

Music by Ergy, aka Hugues Coudurier, Facebook

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Thank you for listening! 

I would love your Feedback: Please send me an email at createbelonging@gmail.com and let me know what you thought of the episode. 

You can also follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/createbelonging/ or on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/create-belonging 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we speak to Chris Hovde

(Linkedin, Instagram, Facebook). 

A self-proclaimed “Urban Monk”, Chris is unapologetically living a life where he strives to make sure his behaviors are in accordance with his values.

He is one of the people leaders at Telia, one of the largest telecoms with 21000 employees across the globe. He holds many roles and responsibilities, including employee wellbeing, diversity and inclusion, and promoting self-leadership. 

Chris sits on the boards of many companies and is very involved in many initiatives concerning the environment, technology, and issues around racial and gender inclusivity. You can check out his meditation and well-being initiative here: regenerativemonks.com/ 

He is someone that leads by example and is on a mission to helping people live their most authentic selves. 

So at this point, you may be wondering why I invited an Urban Monk to be on a podcast about belonging?! 

Chris is someone that belongs to himself first and foremost. He understands that in order to inspire and help others, we must first live our own truths.

Chris is not one for excuses. And in this podcast, he challenges us to stop lying to ourselves and to start the journey to our authentic selves. 

Topics Discussed:

• Cognitive Dissonance and how we tend to respond to it. 
• The 3 dimensions of belonging (According to Mateo): 

1. Belonging with the Self (the theme that this podcast episode is based on)
2. Belonging with others (includes belonging with our partners, family, groups, community, nations etc., and any kind of inter-personal belonging). 
3. Belonging to the planet or universe (understanding that we belong to this planet, with all living things and objects, including the wider universe). 

• Singularity University Summit
• Minimalism
• Clarity and doing less is key to making an impact
• Greta Thunberg is someone that is living true to her values. She doesn’t do too many things, just the necessary to make an impact. 
• Finding peace with what matters to you, then anyone else’s opinion is not necessary. 
• Change starts with knowing your personal values and purpose in life
• Indifference is a trap, it’s better to have people hate you than to have them be indifferent. 
• Being discriminated against for being gay helped him to connect with others that are also marginalized
• Professional is a mask. Acting professional prevents people from being their true selves. 
• Link to post, showing why it's important to be vulnerable and share your story. 
• The importance of stop lying to ourselves. We need to be true to our word. 
• How to do a gratitude journal
• The importance of walking the walk
• His work at Telia, and how he is helping in setting up a more fair recruitment process
• What makes Chris so special: he is not ruled by fear. What he wants is always more powerful than the force of fear. 
• His mother had high expectations of him as a child
• Reframe, from “hard work” to “smart work”. 
• We should get off the hamster wheel of producing volume, and instead focus on what one truly wants to achieve in a quarter. 
• We can have a bigger impact with less. Creating diversity and inclusion conferences online is an example. 
• The Pareto Principle AKA, "the 80/20 rule”
• Systems Thinking as a way to understand where to focus efforts 
• How the pandemic was a gift, a sort of “reset” that Chris has been longing for, as a catalyst for societal transformation. 

Chris’ Summary of the conversation in 2 points:

1. Start being honest with yourself? Change can happen with small changes. Try to find meaning where you are. 
2. Start backing up the things you say you care about with actions. 

Reach out and connect with Chris: (Linkedin, Instagram, Facebook). 

“Regenerative Monks” - Where you can find his dinners and meditation services

Acknowledgments:

This podcast is created, produced, and edited by me, Mateo Bornico

Music by Ergy, aka Hugues Coudurier, Facebook

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Thank you for listening! 

I would love your Feedback: Please send me an email at createbelonging@gmail.com and let me know what you thought of the episode. 

You can also follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/createbelonging/ or on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/create-belonging 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to our second episode of Create Belonging. This is my interview with Howard Ross, author of “Our Search for Belonging: How Our Need to Connect is Tearing Us Apart”

About Howard:

Howard Ross is a lifelong social justice advocate and is considered one of the world’s seminal thought leaders in identifying and addressing unconscious bias. He authored and co-authored many books on diversity and inclusion, including, Our Search for Belonging: How Our Need to Connect is Tearing Us Apart, which won the 2019 Nautilus Book Award Gold Medal for Social Change and Social Justice.

Howard’s writings have been published by the Harvard Business Review, the Washington Post, the New York Times, Fast Company Magazine, Diversity Women Magazine, Forbes Magazine, Fortune Magazine, and dozens of other publications. Howard has served on numerous not-for-profits boards, including the Diversity Advisory Board of the Human Rights Campaign, the board of directors of the Dignity and Respect Campaign, and the board of directors for the National Women’s Mentoring Network.  

Howard has been the recipient of many awards, including the 2009 Operation Understanding Award for Community Service; the 2012 Winds of Change Award from the Forum on Workplace Diversity and Inclusion; the 2013 Diversity Peer Award from Diversity Women Magazine; the 2014 Catalyst Award from Uptown Professional Magazine; the 2014 Catalyst for Change Award from Wake Forest University; the 2015 Trendsetter in HR by SHRM Magazine; and the 2016 Leadership in Diversity Award by the World Human Resources Development Conference in Mumbai, India. He was also named an Honorary Medicine Man by the Eastern Cherokee Reservation in N.C., and given Medicine Holder designation by the Pawnee Nation.

Howard founded Cook Ross Inc., one of the nation’s leading Diversity and Inclusion consultancies. He sold the company in July 2018 and founded Udarta Consulting, LLC.

Question (Q): “The essential dilemma of my life is between my deep desire to belong and my suspicion of belonging.” What does this quote by Jhumpa Lahari mean?

Answer (A):

- We are encoded to belong as a human imperative for survival

• Yet in modern times we are taught to be independent, and we focus on being individualistic. 
• For this reason, we tend to go towards the groups where we have a lot in common so that we are able to express our individuality within the group.

Q: Udarta is the name of your current organization, where does the name come from?

A: The name is a Hindi word roughly translated as “Generosity and Kindness”. More than half the work we do at Udarta is pro-bono and charitable. 

Q: Where did you get started to work for a more equitable and fair society?

A: 

His origins in activism are a result of his family’s history, with his parents being the fleeing worn-torn eastern Europe for the united states and he considers social justice work a “family business”, with over 35 years of experience working in this field. 

Q: How has exclusion and discrimination evolved over the decades? What has changed in the last decades?

A: History repeats itself, and MLK jr. said “The arch of history bends towards justice”. So society has improved over the long history. However more recently, things have been changing quickly.

- The role of new media in cultivating more tribal belonging

• The shift in politics from an “issue orientation” to an “identity orientation”. 
• The role of fear, and how people retrieve to their “tribes”. 
• Tribal belonging is more clearly defined and fear of being excluded causes us to act “against others that are outside our tribe”
• We shift from an “issue orientation” to an “identity orientation”. 
• Othering is a lot easier when we are reduced to our tribes

Daniel Goldman, father of emotional intelligence and the amygdala hijack. Fear gets in the way of rationality, causing people to act in the subconscious bias that keeps them safe. 

How fear makes things Personal, Persistent, and Permanent

Q: Why did you use 3 fictional characters to explain your points?

A: Using 3 archetypes to explain the complexity of relationships - why identity and affiliations are not so clear-cut.

- The characters are an archetype of “intersectionality” (Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw)

• It explains the difficulty of categorizing people and how one person can be in an in-group and out-group a the same time. 
• Jon Robert Tartaglione collaborated with the research and studies included in this book.

Q Why is belonging in the workplace so important?

A: Most of us cannot choose who our workmates and we are somehow “forces us” to find ways to relate with others and work together towards a common work. 

Solving belonging in the workplace can have a deeper impact on society since many of the lessons from the workplace can be transplanted to society.

Q: Why company culture cannot be “like a family”

A: 

-the workplace is more like a community 

• The importance of contribution for belonging in the workplace. 

Q: How can leaders accelerate the move towards becoming more diverse and inclusive?

• The problem with always trying to “fix” things, or “fix people” causes people to be reactive.
• Changemakers become fatigued by “fixing things” always trying to figure out what is wrong. 
• People don’t want to be fixed and fixing things require a lot of energy 
• Instead, having a vision can help address many of the root causes and helping people unite under a common vision.

To be proactive, it’s necessary to have a vision of “belonging”. All great change-makers managed to act behind a vision: MLK, Nelson Mandela, Gandhi. 

Having a vision is 1 of 8 “Pathways for belonging”

[In chapter 9 of his book “Bridges to Bonding”, Howard provides the 8 pathways to belonging]

The 8 pathways to belonging are: 

1. A Clear Vision and Sense of Purpose
2. Creating a Container
3. Personal Connection, Vulnerability, and Consciousness
4. Inclusion and Enrolment
5. Cultivate Open-Minded Thinking
6. Develop Shared Structures and Forms of Communication 
7. Honoring Narrative
8. Tools for Negotiation and Conflict Resolution

Exploring #7: Honouring Narrative

• Understanding the narrative, the story we tell ourselves
• If we are aware of the narratives that we are raised in, we can find a different story for ourselves. 

Leaving our own identity is incredibly difficult. 

Understanding Bridging vs. Bonding relationships

- Robert Puttnam - Bowling alone on Social Capita

Some people believe they are bonding when in fact they might only by bridging. The example is bonding amongst women, with the black women, are not bonded, but rather bridging. 

How bridging can lead to bonding relationships. 

“Rapid Fire” questions 

What is one country to visit?

China and Tibet

Favorite meal?

Pizza

What’s a movie or show that you are currently watching that would recommend?

“13th” by Ava DuVernay about the 13th amendment. 

I am in my element when…

“When I am with my family”

Final words:

We are in a very “special” time. Many refer to this time as a Syndemic. 

During these time it is especially easy to slip us into an “othering” and seeing others as a threat. This opportunity also opens up the opportunity to become more compassionate and empathy is important. 

Here is the Google Talks Video of Howard talking about his book: “Everyday Bias”: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v01SxXui9XQ

Acknowledgments:

Thank you to Aidan McCullen (host of “The Innovation Show” podcast) for your support and for making this interview happen. 

Thank you James Robinson, Emmy® Award-Winning Sound Designer & Engineer for helping me salvage the audio quality.

Music by Ergy, aka Hugues Coudurier, Facebook

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Thank you for listening! 

I would love your Feedback: Please send me an email at createbelonging@gmail.com and let me know what you thought of the episode. 

You can also follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/createbelonging/ or on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/create-belonging 

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Guest: Innocent Mugenga, a Founder and the CEO of Aline. Host of the Learnability Podcast

You can follow and connect with him here:

https://www.instagram.com/innocentmugenga/

Notes:

In this episode, we explore Innocent's story. We get into how it was like being born and growing up in Sweden. We touch on his early professional experiences of not belonging, and why he considers himself privileged.

This has been a real learning experience for me, and I hope that it will be the same for you too.

Here are some of the notes I took.

• Notice how he resists defining himself in any particular “title”. 
• Why he defines himself as an entrepreneur, and nothing else
• He does not want to be defined as a product of the event that he experienced throughout his life. 
• Early life. Moving around Sweden and the advantages of constant change 
• Arriving in Nynäshamn - formative years in early adolescence, and how he handled bullying and being picked on at school. 
• His identity is not his entire identity. 
• His identity is formed by how he interprets the situation. 
• Context switching 
• How to handle sticking out, not only being a visible minority but also having a very unique name
• Why choosing the most productive or positive version of reality is what helped him belong. Why
• Why he considers himself privileged and how awareness of his privilege helps him be grounded and happy
• His first job. An experience was not-belonging. 
• The importance of learning
• How do you empower yourself and others?
• Why non-attachment to external happenings and material things is important
• The importance of mindfulness, reading, and talking to people
• Why you should pay attention to cognitive sciences to better understand the world around us. 
• The importance of curiosity and how traditional education dampens our capacity to be curious
• Unlearning is a necessary and courageous act
• Aline's mission on transforming education stating from the way we consume information. We have unlimited access to information, so the problem is not in access of information, rather in how we consume information and alining the type of information we consume with our personal goals.
• Aline and why Ikigai offers a good framework for its mission
• Aline uses digital tools to create a to-learn list (in contrast with a “to-do” list)
• Aline’s mission is “Using Digital Tools to Learn Better”
• Why unlearning and re-skilling is crucial  
• Why the real enemy of is a “fixed mindset” (to learn more about fixed mindset, watch this TED talk by Carole Dwek  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_X0mgOOSpLU)
• Why the workplace is the ideal environment for promoting learning
• The importance of job-mobility and how following one's curiosity leads to a better outcome for the individual and society at large. 

Thank you for listening to the first episode of Create Belonging. I have many more to come, please don't forget to subscribe on your favorite podcatcher.

• Music Credit : http://www.huguescoudurier.com/ (Thanks Hugues, will give you a shoutout next time)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a test episode. You can hear me talk to my first guest, about some of my thoughts on this podcast. I plan on expanding a bit more and talking about the short in more detail on episode 0. Hope you like it. If you have any feedback, please email me at createbelonging@gmail.com

Best,

Mateo

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