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The Nitty-Gritty:\n\n\n\n* The day Melissa Urban realized she needed to do more to make the Whole30 community more inclusive* Why she\u2019s chosen to be public about her learning when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion* How Dr. Carrie Kholi-Murchison is taking the lead on efforts to make sure everyone feels seen and heard within the community* What unique challenges Whole30 faces in their DEI efforts* Why listening is at the heart of so many of the initiatives they\u2019re rolling out\n\n\n\n\n\nWho\u2019s missing here?\n\n\n\nWhat points of view, what lived stories, what experiences aren\u2019t represented here?\n\n\n\nUp until a few years ago, this is a question I didn\u2019t think to ask.\n\n\n\nThe reason I didn\u2019t ask those questions, simply put, is because the spaces I was in\u2014the spaces I had created\u2014seemed so normal to me. The spaces I was in and the spaces I had created were full of middle class, white women.\n\n\n\nIf I\u2019m being frank, the only question I would ask from time to time were: where are the men?\n\n\n\nWhich probably just further proves my point\u2026 I was used to seeing men around, so I questioned it when they weren\u2019t there. I wasn\u2019t used to seeing people who had different points of view, different lived stories, and different experiences than mine so I didn\u2019t notice they were missing.\n\n\n\nWho\u2019s missing here?\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s a question that asks so much more of me as a leader than to \u201csimply\u201d even out the demographics.\n\n\n\n\u201cWho\u2019s missing here?\u201d asks me to consider why people are missing in the first place. What is it about the way I\u2019ve built my business, my community, my brand that doesn\u2019t create space for people who are different from me?\n\n\n\nOver the last few years, like many white women I know, I\u2019ve been on a personal growth journey to better understand systematic oppression and internalized bias\u2014and their role in my business.\n\n\n\nI\u2019m personally invested in this journey. I\u2019m politically invested in this journey. And yes, I see this journey as integral to my effectiveness as a leader and entrepreneur, too.\n\n\n\nI do not have answers. I don\u2019t even have all the questions! But I\u2019m learning and sharing that learning with you is important to me.\n\n\n\nWhile there are many white women entrepreneurs who are on this journey with me, few have been so public about her learning, her missteps, and the action she\u2019s taking in her business as Whole30\u2018s Melissa Urban.\n\n\n\nAbout a year ago, shortly after I finished my own life-changing Whole30, I noticed that Melissa announced she was searching for someone to lead diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts for her company. I kept my eye on those developments and always enjoyed seeing her update her audience on the hire and progress they were making.\n\n\n\nSo when we decided to do this month on leadership, I knew I wanted to talk with Melissa and the woman she hired to fill this role, Dr. Carrie Kholi-Murchison, now Whole30\u2019s Director of People & Culture. I wanted to find out why and how Melissa has been leading so publicly on this front\u2014and I also wanted to find out what Kholi was doing to lead this change internally in the organization.\n\n\n\nThis conversation has been several months in the making\u2014even though we recorded it less than a week ago!