This summer, I was invited to work with the City and County of Denver, and facilitated one of my Uncovering Our Value workshops with 94 participants from 17 government agencies.
Covering – downplaying, hiding, filtering or masking parts of ourselves at work, with social groups, at school and with family.
Through my work including interviews and hosting video podcasts, and research done by organizations including Deloitte and UCLA Williams Institute, women of color, straight white men, LGBTQ+ folx and people with disabilities, among others, have all named ways in which they've covered parts of themselves and their identities in business settings.
Combining storytelling, introspection, and small and large group discussions, we covered a tremendous amount a ground examining and unpacking the topic of covering. I designed the workshop this way, whether it is in-person or virtual, to respect people's learning and processing styles.
It was evident that foundational work had already been done across agencies, as participants stepped into the workshop with vulnerability and honesty. We talked about redefining what is means to be a "professional," the MANY ways covering can manifest and impact the workplace, and explored what uncovering our value and authenticity at work can look like in practice.
Thank you to Jessica Wilson and the team at the City and County of Denver for inviting me to do this work with you all! You can read Jessica's testimonial below.
A few respondents said:
"This is so impactful, this is a launch party to have more of these conversations and feel safe to do so… when we have these spaces and conversations we can move mountains."
"You have blown my mind and I am so appreciative!"
