Diversity Conversations W/ Eric Ellis & Tommie Lewis

Change the Conversation, Change the Future | Leadership & Empathy

In this episode of Diversity Conversations, Eric Ellis and Tommie Lewis kick off the 2026 season with an honest, unscripted conversation about leadership, empathy, and what it really takes to move forward. They explore what to leave behind from the past, how “double-clicking” old experiences keeps us stuck, and why changing the conversation internally and externally can change the future. The conversation also dives into empathy, listening without taking the bait, and the powerful shift from feedback to feedforward in leadership. This episode sets the tone for the year ahead and invites leaders, professionals, and community members to reflect, reset, and lead with intention. 🎧 Watch the full video episode on YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDrPZqTPejI [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDrPZqTPejI] This episode is sponsored by Game Time Budgeting, an award-winning financial wellness firm helping employees transform their relationship with money through mindset, behaviors, and simple systems. Game Time Budgeting helps people save more, reduce debt, and feel more confident about their finances without judgment or confusion. Learn more at: gametimebudgeting.com [https://www.gametimebudgeting.com/]  👥 About the Hosts Eric Ellis is President & CEO of Integrity Development Corporation. Tommie Lewis is President & CEO of Make It Plain Consulting. To learn more about their work, consulting, and speaking engagements, visit: * Integrity Development Corporation [https://www.integritydev.com/] * Make It Plain Consulting [https://mipcllc.com/] leadership, empathy, courageous conversations, diversity conversations, communication skills, emotional intelligence, personal growth, leadership development, feedforward, feedback, listening skills, relationship building, community leadership, faith and leadership, mindset shift, conflict resolution, trust building, professional development, leadership podcast, DEI conversations, change the conversation  📅 New conversations every Saturday 9:30 AM EST 📩 Subscribe, share, and join us in moving diversity forward—one conversation at a time. 🌐 Watch more episodes on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@diversityconversations2641]

"Don’t Lose Hope”: Dr. Littisha A. Bates on Academic Freedom, Faith, and the Next SNCC Generation

In this powerful year-end conversation, Eric Ellis and Tommie Lewis welcome Dr. Littisha A. Bates, Senior Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives and Academic Affairs at the University of Cincinnati College of Arts & Sciences. Dr. Bates brings clarity, courage, and heart as she shares how her upbringing on Chicago’s South Side shaped her leadership, her commitment to equity, and her belief that you can be fully yourself and fully intellectual at the same time. Together, they explore what’s happening in higher education right now, why academic freedom matters, and how fear-based narratives are impacting classrooms, faculty, and students. Dr. Bates offers a grounded perspective on authenticity with wisdom, the role of faith without performative religion, and why this generation of young people will not be silenced, reminding many of the student-led movements that changed history. A Special Year-End Thank You to Our Community This episode also marks the final Diversity Conversations show of the year and the close of seven years and more than 375 episodes of courageous dialogue. Eric and Tommie take a moment to thank the Diversity Conversations community, the people who show up week after week from across the country and around the world. Your voices, reflections, questions, and presence are what make these conversations possible. This show exists because of you, and it continues because of the community we’ve built together. As we head into a new year, we are deeply grateful for the trust, engagement, and collective wisdom that lives here. Key moments you’ll hear in this episode: * “The streets had a code… they protected the smart kids.” * Why “indoctrination” claims don’t hold up in real classrooms * The tension between authenticity and professional survival (and how to navigate it with wisdom) * Why students are stepping up when institutions step back * Faith, works, and leadership in a moment of national confusion * A closing message you’ll want to share: “Don’t lose hope.” About our guest Dr. Littisha A. Bates is a sociologist and higher education leader committed to expanding access, equity, and belonging in academic spaces. She speaks candidly about identity, community, and the responsibility of leaders to build pathways for those coming behind them. Sponsor This episode is brought to you by Game Time Budgeting, an award-winning financial wellness firm helping employees transform their relationship with money. By focusing on mindset, behaviors, and simple systems, Game Time Budgeting helps people save more, reduce debt, and feel more confident about their finances without judgment or confusion. Learn more at GameTimeBudgeting.com Diversity Conversations, leadership podcast, inclusive leadership, higher education, academic freedom, DEI, diversity equity inclusion, equity in education, psychological safety, faith and leadership, authentic leadership, social justice, education policy, sociologist, Black leadership, community leadership, student activism, SNCC generation, identity and leadership, courageous conversations, University of Cincinnati, Littisha A Bates 📅 New conversations every Saturday 9:30 AM EST 📩 Subscribe, share, and join us in moving diversity forward—one conversation at a time. 🌐 Watch more episodes on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@diversityconversations2641]

The Holiday Reality Check: Giving, Gratitude, and Weathering Life’s Storms

The holidays have a way of revealing what matters most, especially when life brings storms you didn’t ask for.  A holiday leadership conversation on giving, dignity, family expectations, and finding joy and faith while weathering personal storms.  In this week’s episode of Diversity Conversations, Eric Ellis and Tommie Lewis reflect on the realities many people face during the holiday season and what it looks like to lead with humanity when expectations, emotions, and finances collide.  They explore three holiday “realities”:  1. Those doing well financially and how to give relationally, not transactionally, without making generosity a spectacle. 2. Families with limited resources and young children with big expectations and how to protect dignity, redefine “Santa,” and model values that last. 3. People who have means but are exhausted by the commercialization of Christmas and how to set boundaries with intention, not moral superiority. The conversation also turns personal and powerful: Eric and Tommie open up about storms, faith, receiving help without shame, and the clarity that comes when life forces a pivot. They revisit a childhood memory, the Charlie Brown tree, as a reminder that what makes the season meaningful isn’t the transaction, it’s the connection. Plus: a reflection on the “war on talent,” overlooked potential in underserved communities, and why values associated with DEI still matter even when trends change.  Sponsor spotlight: Game Time Budgeting [https://www.gametimebudgeting.com/], helping employees transform their relationship with money through mindset, behaviors, and simple systems.  Merry Christmas from our team to yours. We love you, and we’ll see you next Saturday 🙏🤗 Holiday season, leadership, DEI, generosity, gratitude, faith, community, family expectations, financial stress, emotional resilience, storms, purpose, Charlie Brown tree, war on talent, underserved communities, Diversity Conversations   📅 New conversations every Saturday 9:30 AM EST 📩 Subscribe, share, and join us in moving diversity forward—one conversation at a time. 🌐 Watch more episodes on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@diversityconversations2641]

How to Have Hard Conversations: Managing Up, Family Traditions, and Boundaries

Some of the most important conversations in our lives don’t happen often. But when they do, they change everything. In this episode of Diversity Conversations, Eric Ellis and Tommie Lewis explore what they call rare but consequential conversations. The kind of conversations we avoid, delay, or don’t know how to navigate, yet they shape our relationships, leadership, peace, and future. From learning how to respectfully end a conversation with a boss, to unpacking family traditions that lost their original meaning, to defining what real friendship actually requires, this episode invites listeners to slow down and reflect on how they show up in the conversations that matter most. You’ll hear powerful real-life stories, honest reflections, and thoughtful distinctions around: * How to have hard conversations without burning bridges * Managing up and setting boundaries with authority figures * Family patterns we normalize but never question * The difference between having friends and being one * Forgiveness versus allowing yourself to be used * How to evaluate where your time, energy, and care truly belong This conversation is not about perfection.  It’s about courage, clarity, and choosing intention over avoidance. If you’ve ever struggled with knowing what to say, when to say it, or whether to say it at all, this episode will meet you exactly where you are. 🎧 Listen in, reflect deeply, and join the conversation. Interested in joining the conversation as a guest? Diversity Conversations welcomes leaders, thinkers, and community voices who value honest dialogue and meaningful impact. If you’d like to be considered, reach out and tell us why this conversation matters to you.  Leadership, Difficult Conversations, Personal Growth, Communication Skills, Boundaries, Emotional Intelligence, Relationships, Friendship, Forgiveness, Diversity and Inclusion, Diversity Conversations 📅 New conversations every Saturday 9:30 AM EST 📩 Subscribe, share, and join us in moving diversity forward—one conversation at a time. 🌐 Watch more episodes on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@diversityconversations2641]

More Than Gifts: The Real Meaning of Giving & Grace

In this special holiday episode of Diversity Conversations, Eric Ellis and Dr. Tommie Lewis dive deep into “The Season of Giving and Grace.”  From 2:30 a.m. moments of quiet reflection to a breakthrough idea about “trillion-dollar stars” in underserved communities, Eric and Tommy explore what it really means to give, receive, forgive, and reset.  You’ll hear:  * How giving beyond material gifts—time, attention, empathy, presence—can matter more than anything money can buy. * Eric’s powerful story of loaning his brother $10,000, not speaking for two years, and then being led to call and apologize, which completely transformed their relationship. * Tommy’s honest account of wrestling with anger, control, and change at home—and how a real encounter with the Holy Spirit “hit the reset button” on his heart, teaching him to live with more grace, abundance, and compassion in real time. * A fresh look at diversity conversations themselves: why this show is not just for DEI experts, but for anyone willing to bring their real stories, questions, and humanity to the table. This episode is a vulnerable, hope-filled invitation to ask yourself:   * What am I really giving this season? * Where do I need to extend grace—to others and to myself? * What new story is God (or life) inviting me to live into? Thank you for listening and for being part of the Diversity Conversations community. Your presence is a gift. 🎄✨   📅 New conversations every Saturday 9:30 AM EST 📩 Subscribe, share, and join us in moving diversity forward—one conversation at a time. 🌐 Watch more episodes on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@diversityconversations2641]