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OhHello - Veronica Appleton (Part 1)
73 Plays2 years ago
Veronica Appleton is a scholar, practitioner and children’s author. Currently, she serves as a scholar-practitioner holding professional roles within the corporate sector and in academia. Dr. Appleton works as lecturer for DePaul University College of Communication, facilitator for Northwestern University Weinberg School of Arts & Sciences Executive Education Program in Racial Equity in Business, and head facilitator for Yale University’s Women in Leadership Executive Education program. She’s also a certified diversity professional and works as Vice President for Talent Management and Inclusion within The Marketing Arm, an advertising agency within Omnicom Group, Inc.
As a renowned speaker, Appleton has served as keynote and speaker for some of the world's largest Fortune 500 organizations and believes educating the future is an essential strategy for building equity in communities and systems at-large.
Appleton's work has been recognized by Crain’s Business, FOX News, and Diversity Journal’s Top Professionals in Higher Education. She's so excited to be a mentor on OhHello.io and our first PHD on the pod/vod!
Veronica is a board member of several nonprofits providing resources and impact in communities of color for women, men and children.
Of all her career accolades, Dr. Appleton is a giver of her time to the community.
She currently serves as Task Force Member within DePaul University’s Addressing the Vincentians’ Relationship with Slavery Committee, a Board Member for the Chicago Foundation for Women Southside Giving Circle, and a Board of Directors for Bernie’s Book Bank. Outside of work, Dr. Appleton is also a children’s author and reading literacy advocate.
Dr. Appleton completed her undergraduate education at Purdue University, graduate education at DePaul University, and doctoral education at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.
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Transcript
Introduction and Sponsor Message
00:00:00
Speaker
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00:00:18
Speaker
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Guest Introduction: Dr. Veronica
00:00:40
Speaker
And now for our pod. Good grief.
00:00:48
Speaker
Come on, Charlie Brown. Oh, hello, Veronica. Hello, Jeremy. How are you? I'm great. I am great. I'm excited to chat with you right now. Enjoyed the chat that we had a little while ago. And I'm honored.
00:01:16
Speaker
to have a PhD on this pod. I'm honored to have my first doctor on the Oh Hello podcast in VOD. And the fact that we need a doctor who's joining the Oh Hello tribe is so exciting. That's so sweet of you, Jeremy. I am happy to be here. And
Musical Inspirations
00:01:33
Speaker
I also have to say I love that Charlie Brown music. I'm a huge Charlie Brown fan. So happy to be here.
00:01:41
Speaker
Thank you. You know, having a mix up of the peanuts meets Jay-Z. It's a great mashup. It gets you, just puts a smile on your face, gives you a little shoulder shimmy, especially early in the morning while we're drinking our coffee. So it's perfect. Yes, I always have a cup of coffee beside me and a Jay-Z track on play early in the morning. So I am a huge Jay-Z fan. So you literally got a hundred points in my book.
00:02:10
Speaker
Well, I know who you are.
Professional Roles and Focus Areas
00:02:12
Speaker
Why don't you tell us who are you? Like, tell us about yourself. Yeah. You know, I always like to describe myself as someone who sees the best in people. I have my career, right? So I'm a talent and DNI executive within an advertising firm.
00:02:29
Speaker
And then I also teach. So I teach for three different universities. I teach women in leadership. I teach racial equity in business and intercultural communication. And I'm a children's author outside of work. I have a small business where my co-founder and I, we go into businesses, we go into schools and educate folks about belonging in the home. And more often than not,
00:02:56
Speaker
We talk about longing and DNI within the workplace, but we never talk about it in the context of the home. So I love kids.
Passion for Literacy and Mentorship
00:03:05
Speaker
I don't have children of my own, but I find a sense of passion when I see kids thriving in the classroom, when I see them thriving through the volunteer activities that I do every month, when I see them taking charge of their reading literacy, that's super important too.
00:03:25
Speaker
Like I said, I'm a huge Jay-Z fan, so I love lyrics, I love words. And also I love meeting new people too. I've been a mentor for so long now, almost seven, eight years. And I think that it's not necessarily a give back opportunity in my opinion, it's a requirement. Every year I see it as a reason for my why as to why I do this work.
00:03:54
Speaker
why I show up in the spaces that I'm given. And then also the young women and men that come my way. I mean, even some senior level executives that also need my support too. So I love the reverse mentorship as well. So that's a little bit about me and also how I view mentorship. I know you didn't ask me that, but I also, I feel like it's kind of the reason for why, you know, we do what we do. Will you share the reason for your why you told us
00:04:24
Speaker
the conglomeration of activities and passions in terms of educating, mentoring, having a small business, being a children's author, and just being a DEI culture coach working within the advertising industry, the marketing industry. I don't know when you have time to sleep or breathe, but thank you for being part of Oh Hello. We appreciate it. I appreciate it so much.
00:04:56
Speaker
What's the name of the book? Let's drop it in the pod right now. Oh, I
Children's Books and Diversity
00:04:59
Speaker
love that. Yeah. So I, it's two children's books. Uh, the first is Journey to Appleville. So it's kind of a play on my last name. Appleville is that place where kids can just be their best selves and to feel inspired. And then the second book is Tutu Goes to School. So it's a small story, um, as a spinoff from the main book. And so Tutu Goes to School, they're show and tell, she's having a good time and
00:05:24
Speaker
With that book, I just wanted to create a sense of urgency for seeing little brown girls in children books. And so adding to that push in literacy was so important. So those are the two books. I love it. You're going to send me those two links and drop them in your bio for sure. Friends are four.
00:05:46
Speaker
How would you characterize your skillset that you're going to be sharing with the Oh Hello community? I love this
Skills and Mentorship Approach
00:05:52
Speaker
question. You know, I always encourage folks to think about listening as a real leadership tool. And so I am an empathetic listener. And along with that, I apply tactical empathy. At some point I was in the shoes of whoever I am going to be coming in contact with.
00:06:14
Speaker
So I want them to know that they have my ears and they also have my empathy. They have my ability to see past whatever their circumstances may be and to place myself in their shoes. The other piece that I would say that I offer is also like just really gassing people up. I love being able to inspire folks, whether it's men, women,
00:06:40
Speaker
Whoever comes into contact with me, I always want them to leave with feeling inspired about what they're doing, not just about me, because it's not about me. So I expect that people will feel like they can be gassed up, they can be hyped up. I will be their DJ Khaled and a- DJ Khaled! I know, I love DJ Khaled. And so I am happy to be their DJ Khaled, their personal DJ Khaled.
00:07:08
Speaker
And then the third thing, I think that there's something, what I felt like I was missing was a sense of urgency to show up. There's this sense of, well, I can mentor you when I have the time. I carve out time for my mentees. And it's very important that they're able to reach me. So cell phones, social media, and
00:07:38
Speaker
the post doesn't stop with me. I created a network and I still am still creating the network where if I am your mentor, I am also finding other mentors for you so that you can have an extension of the education and the partnership that we have in this relationship. So that's what I'll be bringing as well. That's amazing. That's amazing. What would you tell your younger self as you're a college professor, help us
00:08:08
Speaker
help our audience understand if you were able to go back in time, what would you tell your younger self?
Advice to Younger Self
00:08:15
Speaker
And what excites you about what you'd be telling your younger self? It's a good question. I would say be patient. There's a, I've always felt the heightened urgency to do things. And I still feel it today. I have a full plate.
00:08:33
Speaker
But I also find those moments of quiet time or just solace distracting. Like if I'm not able to be doing something, then I find it to be an issue. So I've been working on myself with that of like really calm me down. So if I could go back a few years from now, I would say be patient to that 15 year old Veronica.
00:09:00
Speaker
I would say be patient to that 23 year old Veronica. I would even say be patient to the 30 year old Veronica because she was very different back then. She was accomplishing goals. And today as a person that is 34 years old, I'm happy with what I have accomplished, but I was on truly a personally designed accelerated path.
Personal Journey and Life Philosophy
00:09:29
Speaker
And I created that path for myself. I feel like I had to because of my upbringing, being raised by a single mom, living on the South side of Chicago, going to public schools. You see the surroundings that you have and you are your ticket, right? You don't have anything else. And so I feel like I've designed, I've carved this out and I'm grateful for it, but I do wish that I was a little more patient.
00:09:58
Speaker
because then maybe I would find solace and be proud of it and find those moments of quiet time and say, okay, chill Veronica. So I have to physically and emotionally place myself in those moments of quiet time. And I have struggled with that a little bit. So, you know, a little TMI, but I think that's also the intent of this conversation too.
00:10:26
Speaker
to be vulnerable so that folks know that we are truly all humans, kind of battling the same types of issues or maybe different issues, but different textures. So, you know, more often than not, our identity is rooted in what we do. And sometimes it's not. And many folks are always on that path to finding what their passions are, what really truly drives them.
00:10:55
Speaker
I am fortunate enough that I have found those key drivers, but now I need to find those moments where I'm truly calming down, putting Veronica first, ensuring that I'm also still showing up for others while simultaneously placing career first. And so I love this space that I'm in right now because I'm in heavy reflection.