Equity, Equality, And Inclusion Dialogues: A Podcast About Who People Are
At first glance, the podcast name -- Equity, Equality, And Inclusion Dialogues -- doesn't seem to be catchy, lively, vibrant, and assertive enough to attract listeners.
However, after you listen to the first episode with the guest, a copywriter named Dev, who is transgender, neurodivergent, and self-proclaimed aracial, you realize that the name is flawless in its description of the podcast's tone, tempo, thoughtfulness, thoroughness, tolerance, transformative nature, and even tenaciousness.
This podcast was conceived, developed and is hosted by Tracy Kadessa. She is a Kenyan policy advisor, researcher, writer and artist. Having studied law at both graduate and undergraduate levels, she is keen on the intersection of technology and human rights, as well as gender.
Tracy was a board member and an acting national coordinator for the Forum for African Women Educationalists-Kenya Chapter, an Internet Society ambassador (2017), a consulting researcher for the State of Internet Freedom in Africa Report by CIPESA(Collaboration on International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa), a member of the Kenya Internet Governance Forum Multi-stakeholder Advisory Group, a participant researcher at the Citizen Lab Summer -Institute (University of Toronto) (2018) and a fellowship scholar at the International Maritime Organization-International Maritime Law Institute (2019–2020).
As a host, Kadessa excels with a cheery, supportive, and professional demeanor. There is a breezy formality about her hosting delivery that can disarm listeners. Possibly because of her legal background and expertise, Kadessa knows her way around a successful interview.
Kadessa says: "We are here to have action oriented conversations on equity, equality and inclusion! Join us as we meet and chat with amazing people from different parts of the globe."
I asked Tracy Kadessa, "Why start a podcast?"
Her response was: "I was tired of gatekeeping. We need to have important conversations on equity, equality, diversity and inclusion, but sometimes the very platforms that talk of being open for us are so closed off we can't access them."
When I asked,"What has challenged with podcasting?"
Her response was emphatic: "In the beginning, it was audio editing, If you check some of the first episodes, the audio is terrible. (AUTHOR'S NOTE: She is being too hard on herself), I had no idea how this was done, and I couldn't find someone to help. But now, I'm getting better at it, I'd say I score 65 percent now. I'm working towards getting to 100. Another hard thing is getting your podcast out there. It can be very overwhelming. And of course the elephant in the room for many podcasts is making money from it."
In episode nine, Kadessa discusses how patriarchy, capitalism and white supremacy have shaped our perceptions of women's hair.
In episode five, Kadessa begins by stating, "Change Management seems to be a buzz word! But in this episode, Dr. Batsheva (Sheva) Guy (She/her) walks us through the importance of Change Management and why equity and Inclusion principles have to be part of it." It's a remarkable interview, with Kadessa walking listeners through the ways in which Change Management principles must include equality and inclusion in its fundamental structure.
In the last episode in December, Kadessa discusses one of the most pernicious thinking patterns -- stereotypes.
"Sometimes stereotypes make us miss out on what we really want to be," Kadessa says in the episode.
In this episode, Lisa Hällbrink shares her journey in the engineering field, as well as her work in challenging stereotypes about engineering and STEM. It's a captivating exchange between host and guest.
While I am sure that Tracy Kadessa would not turn down money to podcast, like a lot of indie podcasters, her primary motivation was to spur conversations on equity, equality, and inclusion.
As Tracy has said on her podcast: "We need to enable people to live life on their terms. We need to listen to people when they tell us who they are."
Tracy Kadessa -- indie podcasting superhero!
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This review is part of an ongoing series of reviews, recommendations, and essays about Indie podcasters -- their craft, their challenges, and the critical role they play in podcasting. These entrepreneurs display skills as disparate as hosting, sound production, graphic design, scriptwriting, interviewing, marketing genius, and financial watchdog. They are the heart and soul of podcasting.