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Michelle Silverthorn

Keynote Speaker and Founder of Inclusion Nation

Michelle Silverthorn is a prominent figure in the field of diversity and inclusion. She is the Founder and CEO of Inclusion Nation, a company she established in October 2018.1 As an award-winning global keynote speaker, Silverthorn is passionate about promoting diversity and inclusion, believing that this field needs a fresh perspective for the current era.1

Professional Background

Silverthorn's career spans various roles in the legal and diversity sectors:

  • She currently serves as an Advisory Committee member for the Origami Works Foundation, a position she has held since August 2023.1
  • Prior to founding Inclusion Nation, she worked as the Diversity and Education Director at the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism from January 2015 to September 2018.1
  • Her legal career includes positions as a Litigation Associate at Schiff Hardin LLP and Latham & Watkins.1

Expertise and Contributions

Silverthorn is recognized for her expertise in:

  • Public Speaking: She is an acclaimed keynote speaker on diversity and inclusion topics.1
  • Authorship: Silverthorn is the author of "Authentic Diversity".1
  • Education: She offers an e-learning series called LAUNCH.1

Recent Activities

In her recent LinkedIn posts, Silverthorn has discussed various aspects of workplace culture and inclusion:

  • She emphasizes the importance of thriving at work, which she defines as succeeding professionally while finding purpose, growth, and fulfillment.3
  • Silverthorn has shared insights on communicating inclusion progress, drawing from her experiences since founding Inclusion Nation in 2018.2

Michelle Silverthorn's work focuses on creating more inclusive and dignity-centered cultures in workplaces, empowering leaders and organizations to embrace diversity and foster environments where all individuals can thrive.

Highlights

Aug 30 · linkedin

We already have 200 people signed up for my #freewebinar on how to successfully talk about #politics with family, friends, and colleagues this fall and forever more.

Come join us!

Sign up today: https://lnkd.in/dyZYsQDh

#communication

Aug 29 · linkedin

It is officially the end of summer! ☀ Let's talk about habits, unconscious bias, and a few tools I like to use to interrupt those biases and defeat stereotypes.

I'll start with one simple question. “Why do you brush your teeth?” When I ask that question in my unconscious bias training, people always give me an extraordinary look. Because you want healthy teeth and fresh breath, obviously, except for millennia, humans were perfectly happy without either.

So what changed?

Advertising. Marketing. Pepsodent, especially. They made you want to brush your teeth. They made you desire that clean feeling. They made it into a habit. A habit is changed behavior. And making people want to do something is how we always think habits should form.

Change hearts and minds, and changed behavior will follow.

But it’s not the only way. It’s not the reason, for example, why you put on your seatbelt. You put on your seatbelt because, for decades, legislators have said we should. Now you do it automatically — so automatically that it has become a habit.

They changed the rules; they changed the world. 🌍 Now it's our turn.

If you want to #interruptbias for good, and create a fair and #equitable world for everyone, adopt new habits to change your behavior. If you keep on doing it, day in and day out, your new #habits will replace the old habits you had before.

You can apply this practice to interrupt unconscious biases. It just takes doing the work. Here are three tips to help you get started.

☑ Slow down your thinking.

✅ Create a counter-stereotypical narrative.

☑ See the person, not the stereotype.

Create new habits. Build new #behaviors. That’s how you can interrupt unconscious bias for good.

Related Questions

What inspired Michelle Silverthorn to start Inclusion Nation?
How has Michelle Silverthorn's work impacted diversity and inclusion in the workplace?
What are some key takeaways from Michelle Silverthorn's LAUNCH e-learning series?
Can you share examples of Michelle Silverthorn's work with the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism?
What are Michelle Silverthorn's main goals as an Advisory Board Member at Origami Works Foundation?
Michelle Silverthorn
Michelle Silverthorn, photo 1
Michelle Silverthorn, photo 2
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Experience

Founder & CEO at Inclusion Nation (October 2018 - Present)
Advisory Committee at Origami Works Foundation (August 2023 - Present), Diversity and Education Director at Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism (January 2015 - September 2018), Litiga at Schiff Hardin LLP (November 2010 - May 2012) and Latham & Watkins (September 2008 - October 2010)

Location

Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States