Episode 29: Ray Tierney - Cybersecurity Expert: On Security, Safe Spaces and Life Hacks

Episode 30: 2024 Pride Trailer: Activism, Mental Health, Financial Health and Gender Expansiveness

Welcome to our fourth Pride series of all time, which is full of personal narratives that will make you smile, may make you cry and will definitely make you think. Join us as we discuss what allyship really means, share personal experiences across diverging global backgrops for LGBTQ+ rights, and take you into the realms of personal finance, international development and coaching.

Our stories are personal and nuanced and reveal how activism can come from many sources. We hear about individual stories of coming out, finding authentic selves, and about some challenges faced and achievements enjoyed.

The 2024 collection features the following inspiring guests:

· A long-time LGBTQ+ activist Mark Segal

· A prominent transgender spokesperson and partner at McKinsey, Dani D'Amico

· A couple who hosts a financial wellbeing podcast - The Debt Free Guys – John and David Auten-Schneider

· The head of LGBTQ+ affairs at J P Morgan, Brad Baumoel

· The first transgender graduate from HBS now at an investment fund that represents Finance Flowing with Pride, Soltan Bryce

· A coach who works with parents of LGBTQ+ children, Susan Berland

· A prominent activist within international development and advocate for directors, Fabrice Houdart

· A transgender founder of a private wealth firm, Lindsey Young

· A founder of a private wealth firm that is inclusive and values oriented, Marci Bair

So join us from June 1 and throughout the entire month of June.

The 2024 Pride Series is kindly supported by J P Morgan.

Episode 29: Ray Tierney - Cybersecurity Expert: On Security, Safe Spaces and Life Hacks

Ray Tierney is a cybersecurity specialist who was formerly a paramedic.  Prior to that she was a Security Forces Security Specialist. We chart her path through school and into a series of professions that were explicitly intolerant towards LGBTQ identities and discuss how she was "outed" initially by a polygraph test, which contained particularly intrusive questions.

We talk then about her transition, societal pressure that led her to detransition, and then the decision point that led to her committing to her transition once more. We discuss the rising tide of opposition and hostility to transgender people across the country (US) right now and the real stresses that this causes in their everyday life.  We speak about allyship and where it is genuine and where it is not and the advice that Ray would have for her younger self.

Finally Ray cites a number of organizations and affinity groups, including those listed below, which have supplied support and community to her and she recommends them as resources for others.

Trigger Warning: This podcast contains a discussion of suicidal thoughts. If you or anyone you love is struggling please seek help from one of the organizations below or one of the suicide helplines in your country.
 https://www.thetrevorproject.org/

https://translifeline.org/

www.veteranscrisisline.net

The 2023 Pride Series is kindly sponsored by members of our Rainbow Network including Laura J. LaTourette, who is a financial planner who describes her practice as one designed to enable LGBTQ+ folx make a plan to simplify their lives to enable them to live authentically and leave a legacy of love. Based in Dahlonega Georgia but with a national client base Laura has a particular interest in working with LGBTQ+ elders. You can find out more about Laura's practice by following her on:

Linked In
linkedin.com/in/lauralatourette 

Twitter: 

• LauraLaTourette

Episode 28: Ronnie Woo - Chef and TV Personality: A Four Star Journey of Authenticity

Ronnie Woo is the chef and owner of The Delicious Cook, an LA-based private chef company that specializes in four-star dining experiences. He is an accomplished chef, television personality, and cookbook author (Did You Eat Yet?, March 14, 2023) celebrated by his fans and peers alike for his infectious personality, background in dating & relationships, and creative Asian-American cuisine, which combines Asian dishes with All-American influences.

Our conversation starts by discussing Ronnie's childhood and love of food, which we trace through his high school years and early years as a model.  We talk about entering television, and the sometimes stop/start journey that that can entail, and how a recalibration of expectations and dreams is often necessary throughout life. Ronnie discusses what works for him and how he processes feedback in order to improve.  We hear how he connects with his audiences and the role that mentors and role models have played for him throughout his life.

You can find out more about Ronnie on the following website: www.ronniewoo.com and his IG is @ronniecwoo.

The 2023 Pride Series is kindly sponsored by members of our Rainbow Network including Laura J. LaTourette, who is a financial planner who describes her practice as one designed to enable LGBTQ+ folx make a plan to simplify their lives to enable them to live authentically and leave a legacy of love. Based in Dahlonega Georgia but with a national client base Laura has a particular interest in working with LGBTQ+ elders. You can find out more about Laura's practice by following her on:

Linked In
linkedin.com/in/lauralatourette 

Twitter: 

• LauraLaTourette

Episode 27: Erryca Robicheaux DEI Leader: Visibility and Acceptance, with a side of Joy

Erryca Robicheaux describes herself as shaping the future of Diversity and Inclusion through technology.  She is a certified DEI leader and strategist as well as a Neurodiversity ERG lead.

Erryca grew up in Louisiana in a deeply religious household where attending church multiple times a week was common.  She describes some of the belief system and backdrop to that time, and then how she was “outed” at church which was when she had to tell her parents that she was gay.  Her journey back to the church is one that we discuss, as it reveals the complex, intersecting, aspects of that relationship that many members of the LGBTQ+ community have to navigate.

We move then to her career and discuss the intersectionality of her neurodiversity with being gay, and how this is actually quite a common area of intersectionality, particularly for lesbians.  This requires a particular kind of inclusion that is in tune with the individual’s needs but just because it requires effort, Erryca’s view is that it is an effort worth making.

Erryca is an advocate for better visibility and acceptance on LinkedIn which is where I came across her profile, and she talks there about sometimes being forced to lead a double life and suppress a side of herself for corporate acceptance. She also discusses the pushback that something like a social media post can attract, in particular a recent one in which she was pictured with her jeep and a rainbow flag on Instagram in a joyful image that was actually grabbed by Jeep for their own post. 

You can find some of Erryca’s social media posts here:

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7067926967219597313?updateEntityUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_feedUpdate%3A%28V2%2Curn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7067926967219597313%29

including the famous Jeep Instagram pic that effuses such joy.


The 2023 Pride Series is kindly sponsored by members of our Rainbow Network including Laura J. LaTourette, who is a financial planner who describes her practice as one designed to enable LGBTQ+ folx make a plan to simplify their lives to enable them to live authentically and leave a legacy of love. Based in Dahlonega Georgia but with a national client base Laura has a particular interest in working with LGBTQ+ elders. You can find out more about Laura's practice by following her on:

Linked In
linkedin.com/in/lauralatourette 

Twitter: 

• LauraLaTourette

Episode 26: Dr Safi Mojidi of Hacking the Workforce: How to Move from Empowered to Employed

Dr. Safi Mojidi describes himself as a Point Guard of Cyber and Data Privacy.  He is the Founder and CEO of Hacking the Workforce, which co-creates employment opportunities for QTIPOC to upskill their lives and move from empowered to employed in cybersecurity. He is a Board Member and Director of Partnerships at TransTech Social Enterprises and has had a long career in cybersecurity.

We start with a discussion of Safi’s roots in Nigeria and his prowess in sport, in which he played in the Nigerian national basketball team.  This formed a pillar of his youth and even still he sees his role as a Point Guard.

We look at the field of cyber security and the fact that it can largely be done as a remote role today.  While this can enable a more inclusive work environment and a more diverse work force it can also be isolating and can diminish community. The challenge of finding gainful rewarding employment is one that lies at the heart of the Hacking the Workforce initiative, which is a non-profit focused on empowering QTIPOC to upskill their lives. Safi mentions that while there has been progress made in the workplace there is still a gap when it comes to intersectionality and individuals who may be trans and from an ethnic minority. Safi’s goal is to ensure that this segment does not fall through the cracks.

Moving on to broader workplace issues, we discuss the toxicity that can exist at various workplaces and why “just leave” is not always the right answer, although it might be the most appealing one. 

The 2023 Pride Series is kindly sponsored by members of our Rainbow Network including Laura J. LaTourette, who is a financial planner who describes her practice as one designed to enable LGBTQ+ folx make a plan to simplify their lives to enable them to live authentically and leave a legacy of love. Based in Dahlonega Georgia but with a national client base Laura has a particular interest in working with LGBTQ+ elders. You can find out more about Laura's practice by following her on:

Linked In
linkedin.com/in/lauralatourette 

Twitter: 

• LauraLaTourette