Finding Ways to Support Diverse, Inclusive Community with Nicole Yang

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Nicole Yang is on the show and I’m so excited for you guys to hear everything that she has to share on what it means to truly be an inclusive leader, how you can grow as an inclusive leader, and how to find ways to support others through your business. She has so many great thoughts to share. This is such a complex topic, and we definitely don’t have all the answers, but I’m so grateful for what Nicole had to say and learned a lot from our conversation.

There’s a similar podcast episode to this one with Natasha Samuel talking about how to be a more inclusive leader by owning your brand values. I highly encourage that you listen to that one as well, if you haven’t yet! But I also wanted to have Nicole come on and share her perspective. I think that it’s beautiful to be able to hear what they both shared because Natasha was able to share those tangible takeaways of really doing the work around what your values are and allowing that to help you decide what you’ll speak up about on social media, the team you’ll build, etc.

But what Nicole has to share today is more about revisiting how we define inclusivity and deciding how we can better be inclusive leaders, then also being intentional about taking action. She has an incredible grant program through her business, and is doing some amazing things to help those who might not have had the same opportunities as other business owners.

Meet Nicole Yang

Most designs only scratch the surface of their potential, and Nicole Yang is here to change that. Nicole is a brand strategist + graphic designer with a penchant for combining strategic design with great ideas. With a decade of experience working with dozens of online business owners, she supports online brands and business owners by directing their visual brand, designing their product and service launches, and helping them boost their visibility and presence. Her expertise in product, digital, and print design helps businesses grow confidently and bravely… and with more than a little punch.

Episode Highlights

• How Nicole’s background in journalism and experience at Southern Weddings helps her as a designer (04:29)
• Nicole’s thoughts on having emotional boundaries for yourself and your team on social media and in the office (08:22)
• How Nicole defines being an inclusive leader, and how she’s learning to grow in this area of leadership (16:00)
• Nicole’s advice for dealing with the challenges of being a Minority in the entrepreneur space (21:14)
• How Nicole decides what causes to support + how she can support them as a business owner (23:03)
• Where you can start with supporting diversity and inclusion in your own business (25:32)

Connect with Nicole + Links Mentioned

If you loved hearing what Nicole shared in this episode, be sure to connect with her through her website and on Instagram.

Nicole’s Grant Program for Minority Women

The grant program we mentioned in this episode is the Minority Womxn’s Business Grant and Development Program. Created to support minority and women-owned businesses, it includes brand and web design, marketing strategy, mentorship, and more pro-bono to help the recipient grow. Learn more and nominate someone here.

Diversity and Inclusion Resource

Founded by Aleia Walker, The Hill Creatives is a directory of Black Creatives that you can partner with in your business. They also offer conversation-based Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Trainings.