E69: In her full voice: Deepa Purushothaman on Leadership, Diversity, Inclusion and Equity

In the wake of the Great Resignation, there's this real desire to make "work" work for everybody. And so, we have to unpack what that means and what that looks like. In this episode, Deepa Purushothaman shares her journey as a woman of color who, although an ultra-achiever in corporate America, made the decision to walk away and serve a deeper purpose. Growing up, Deepa had a lot of questions about identity as one of the five students of color in her school. Her mother and her sister were very light-skinned while Deepa and her father were darker-skinned. They didn't talk about race at home and this happens to a lot of immigrant families. There was a lot of confusion and Deepa didn't have a sense of feeling she belonged. She ended up questioning herself– why she was not enough–when nothing ever had to do with her. Deepa served as a corporate executive and a partner at Deloitte, being the first Indian female that made partner. After 21 years, Deepa left at the height of her career and in the early stages of COVID because she knew she was just done. She eventually started a company focused on creating a community and helping women of color advance, and she also wrote the book The First, the Few, the Only: How Women of Color Can Redefine Power in Corporate America. Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation: Growing up in an immigrant family of color Walking away at the height of her career Reflecting on the way people work Three questions for self-introspection Trusting your body to find that wisdom Signals that your workplace is not for you Redefining leadership and how we can change the future of work Episode Highlights: [10:21] The Power of Community Deepa wrote the book realizing that in these spaces where we're navigating and having to figure it out, we have these shared stories around microaggressions, racism, and othering or just feeling like you didn't belong. There's magic in those rooms where we can unpack what needs to be unpacked and hold space for each other. [11:53] Questioning the Way We Work Although the book is focused on women of color, it does apply to so many people. It's a critique of the way we work and the model we're in. There is a real overworking, overperforming, and a real deep sense of security ingrained in so many women they don't even realize it. Coming out of COVID, everyone is asking questions such as:  What is the space I want work to take in my life? How do we do more fulfilling work? The book opens up a whole conversation around people's willingness to understand so we can make work work for everybody. A lot of us are measured by external accolades and success. Deepa shares these three questions you should start asking yourself: - What would you do if you didn't do this job? - Do you have to do a big job like this to feel worthy? - Don't you  see that you are worthy of just being you? We should not lose this moment that we're in, in terms of how we work, where we work, and all the questions in the last few years that have opened up an opportunity to do things differently. We're in a moment where we need more people to stay. But more of us are also awakening to the disconnects. And so this is a fascinating time to be asking these questions. Resources Mentioned: The First, the Few, the Only: How Women of Color Can Redefine Power in Corporate America