Enliven Empathy

BREAKING: At Apple’s 2025 annual meeting of shareholders, a proposal by the right-wing nonprofit National Center for Public Policy Research to “cease DEI efforts” was overwhelmingly rejected. According to Write, these same folks tried it at Costco Wholesale and got shot down 98-2. Here’s why it matters: They’re pushing the false notion that “DEI kills merit,” when in reality, diversity and inclusion fuel innovation, collaboration, and yes—profitability. Anyone who’s worked in a truly inclusive team knows that bringing different perspectives to the table makes for better products, stronger results, and healthier work cultures. Seeing Apple shareholders stand firmly for DEI sends a powerful message: If you care about future-proofing your business, you can’t ignore the benefits of inclusion. People are tired of the argument that “DEI vs. merit” is a zero-sum game. It’s not. It’s about unlocking the full potential of your workforce by letting people show up as they are, with all the unique experiences they bring. What do you think—will more companies follow Apple’s lead and recognize DEI as essential, not optional? Inspired by: Nancy Levine Stearns, thank you. ————— 🔔 Hi there, Alex here. Founder & CEO of Enliven Empathy. Follow me on our mission to infuse empathy in training and education through game-driven immersive tech. I talk about #empathy #inclusion #diversity #impact #entrepreneurship. Let’s connect! www.enlivenempathy.com #DEI #empathy #Leadership #Inclusion #Innovation #Apple

When one of the worlds best storytellers produces a 2 minute film with brutal dialogue and a twist … I hope you can find a moment to watch it. No clues, as it impacts how you interpret each sentence. Now you know … what are you going to do about it? ❤️Did you guess before the end? Original post: Stephen Fern

“Just a crowded day at Costco Wholesale.” In my recent post about Costco stores being filled to the brim, some comments claimed it’s “just a crowded day” or “because of tariffs and egg supply issues.” It’s sad that so much focus goes into explaining why this supposedly has nothing to do with supporting companies that uphold their DEI commitment. Yet, the video—and the overwhelming support it has received on social media—makes it clear that this IS about people supporting a company that aligns with their values. Sure, other factors like supply and pricing may also play a role, but they don’t diminish the fact that DEI commitments matter to people. And beyond the public’s support, there are plenty of reasons why companies should keep investing in DEI programs. Research consistently shows the business case. Costco’s example is a reminder of why these programs matter—not just for customers but for employees, leadership, and long-term success. DEI isn’t just about checking a box; it’s about building stronger, more inclusive organizations that deliver better results. —— 🔔 Hi there, Alex here--founder & CEO of Enliven Empathy, on a mission to infuse empathy in training and education through game-driven immersive tech. I talk about #empathy #inclusion #diversity #impact #entrepreneurship. Let’s connect! www.enlivenempathy.com Natalia A. Andy Lurling Walter Hueber Pim Hollestelle Kimberly Fuqua Timon de Leeuw Amir Tavassoli

💡 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐄𝐈: 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤, 𝐌𝐫. 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭. Must-read DE&I stories - part one. Trump recently signed an executive order emphasizing “merit, excellence, and intelligence” over DEI initiatives, aiming for a “color-blind” society. Now here’s the contradiction when for example analyzing his perhaps most critical hire, the Secretary of Defense: Lloyd Austin, a decorated general with decades of leadership, versus Pete Hegseth, the Trump-appointed Secretary of Defense, whose qualifications pale in comparison. Just to make sure my analysis is “accurate” according to conservative standards, I asked Grok (Musk’s “Truth AI”) to rate their capabilities as Secretary of Defense. The results? Austin: 8.25/10, Hegseth: 3.5/10. Comparison summary in the comment. This “focus on merit” is a convenient tactic to sway the easily swayed. Yes, DEI initiatives have had flaws, but the goal has always been about ensuring fair opportunities. And for many, this is undoubtedly what they did. Weaponizing meritocracy while acting the opposite is quite a paradox, Mr. President. 𝐈𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐄𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧, 𝐰𝐞'𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥-𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐄𝐈. 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐨, 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞, 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝-𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐣𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞. 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧 𝐮𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞. 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, “𝐈 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈'𝐦 𝐬𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐲.” 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭, 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐈'𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭: “𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲. 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠.” 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐈 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭. 🙂 Yes, Trump; DEI has always been about giving everyone a fair chance based on merit, excellence, and intelligence. Now it’s time for you to walk your talk. Inspired by post: Paul Ladipo #DEI #empathy Kimberly Natalia Cheryl Boyd

Thank you for having me, Ingrid Tappin 🏳️🌈, for the DEI Unpacked webinar yesterday, with Estelle Wienk. Such a pleasure to connect over our shared passion for safe, equitable, and inclusive workplaces. And for the opportunity to introduce myself and Enliven Empathy to the Diverse Leaders in Tech community. In these polarized times, it's essential to continue talking about DE&I, but more importantly to implement it in ways that truly connect and include everyone. At Enliven, we lead cultural change through empathy and compassion, offering immersive experiences that uniquely place colleagues in each other's perspectives. Since day one, we've centered empathy in the design of everything we do in our mission, and we're proud to have an average rating of 4.5/5 from predominantly (white) male audiences. If you're looking to activate your leaders and employees on inclusion through immersive tech and empathy, consider starting with two demo sessions for HR and Executive teams. We're offering a 25% discount for DLiT members. Join the DLiT community here: https://lnkd.in/eGTnKip7 😊 Andy Lurling Natalia A. Walter Hueber LUMO Labs Sabine Schoorl MBA 🏳️🌈 #empathy #DEI #diversity #equity #inclusion #psychologicalsafety

My baby girl 👶 and I have been dancing to Alicia Keys, because of this 👇 And it's somewhat of a coincidence, but then again not really, just in terms of timing. I started dancing to her music with my girl every day, since just a week ago. Precisely because of this: she stands for power and elegance since day one! —— 🔔 Hi there, Alex here. Founder & CEO of Enliven Empathy, on a mission to infuse empathy in training and education through game-driven immersive tech. I talk about #empathy #inclusion #diversity #impact #entrepreneurship. Let’s connect! Find out more on the “most impactful” Inclusion training: www.enlivenempathy.com

DEI IS DEAD 🤡 Only the people decide, and the people have spoken: it’s VERY. MUCH. ALIVE. 🌹🌸🌺🌼🌿 Costco Wholesale (give them a follow to support) boldly stood by its DEI policies, faced some backlash, and then—the people took matters into their own hands. Through overwhelming support, they showed that financial influence and boycotts work both ways. When we, the people, recognize and wield our collective power, we take back control. To honor this incredible show of support, I’m launching a series of posts exploring the why of DEI. Each post will include a practical example shared by participants from our trainings at some of the world’s leading corporates. These are companies that value diverse perspectives, equitable opportunities, and inclusive workplaces where employees from all walks of life feel safe and valued. Credit: video shared by my wonderful colleague Natalia A. —— 🔔 Hi there, Alex here. Founder & CEO of Enliven Empathy, on a mission to infuse empathy in training and education through game-driven immersive tech. I talk about #empathy #inclusion #diversity #impact #entrepreneurship. Let’s connect! www.enlivenempathy.com Natalia A. Andy Lurling Walter Hueber Pim Hollestelle Kimberly Fuqua Timon de Leeuw Amir Tavassoli

DEI IS DEAD 🤡 Only the people decide, and the people have spoken: it’s VERY. MUCH. ALIVE. 🌹🌸🌺🌼🌿 Costco Wholesale (give them a follow to support) boldly stood by its DEI policies, faced some backlash, and then—the people took matters into their own hands. Through overwhelming support, they showed that financial influence and boycotts work both ways. When we, the people, recognize and wield our collective power, we take back control. To honor this incredible show of support, I’m launching a series of posts exploring the why of DEI. Each post will include a practical example shared by participants from our trainings at some of the world’s leading corporates. These are companies that value diverse perspectives, equitable opportunities, and inclusive workplaces where employees from all walks of life feel safe and valued. Credit: video shared by my wonderful colleague Natalia A. —— 🔔 Hi there, Alex here. Founder & CEO of Enliven Empathy, on a mission to infuse empathy in training and education through game-driven immersive tech. I talk about #empathy #inclusion #diversity #impact #entrepreneurship. Let’s connect! www.enlivenempathy.com Natalia A. Andy Lurling Walter Hueber Pim Hollestelle Kimberly Fuqua Timon de Leeuw Amir Tavassoli

📣 “…powerful white men rule the world while offering the poor white man a vicious lie as playcation… that regardless of their lot, they are superior because they are white.” The powerful words of Dr. King, spoken in 1965, still ring true 60 (!) years later. Powerful, mostly white men continue to rule the world, owning 99% of the wealth while telling poor, frustrated white men that their struggles are the fault of Muslims, Africans, Blacks, and Eastern Europeans. It’s incomprehensible that, with all the information and history available to us, the same far-right fascists still take to the streets to harass rightful protesters—whether it’s the Black Lives Matter movement or those fighting for Palestinian rights and ending a genocide. The same police brutality plays out today live on television, unchanged. I was horrified and filled with disgust watching the crackdowns on students amplifying Palestinian voices during a live-recorded genocide—both in the Netherlands and the United States. Yes, progress has been made, but we still live in a world where far too many are dissatisfied with their lives, looking for someone else to blame. Self-centered, ignorant, and filled with hatred, they are easily swayed to target the poor and vulnerable minorities seeking safety and prosperity after their homes have been bombed, stolen, or their countries destabilized for the profit of others. We still have a long way to go. More than ever, I am committed to embedding empathy into our societies and education systems to help us overcome these barriers. Empathy. Always. Wins. 💜 If you’re reading this and in any way fighting the good fight—be it as an educator, activist, politician, DE&I facilitator, advocate or consultant, let’s connect and explore how we can fight together. Video credit: Selma (2014)—must see.

How can you call him a Nazi and a Zionist at the same time? Make it make sense. I suffered from the Neo-Nazi movement as an Iranian teenager growing up in a small village in the Netherlands. Those who know me know that my birth name (and still the name used by many I grew up with) is Ali. Naturally, I was a primary target. Yes, I was the primary target. Me. And the only factor? My first name. For my looks and last name, I’m often mistaken for Italian (sometimes Spanish or Greek)—even by my fellow Iranians at an all-Iranian gathering when I greet them with a “Salam” (hello, in Farsi). 😅 As you probably guessed, this hatred and the incredibly strong bias around my first name are the reasons why—I guess about 15 years ago—I decided to go through life as Alex. I was tired of always starting every interaction at 0-3 (in football terms) and having to fight my way up just to be seen as a human being. Modern-day Nazism has shifted. It’s no longer solely tied to antisemitism but is primarily rooted in hatred toward Muslim, Middle Easterner, and Black ethnic groups. And this hatred is not only present but shared at the core of Zionist indoctrination. So yes, Elon, it actually makes perfect sense for someone to embody both Nazi and Zionist ideologies in today’s world. And yes, I believe this is a Nazi salute. From a psychological perspective, what I see here is a sudden rush of adrenaline to the brain, bringing out his true, unfiltered self for a brief moment. I hope I made it make sense? P.S. Since this is LinkedIn, and we’re all selling something: At Enliven Empathy, we offer the most incredible inclusion training rated 4.5/5, trusted by global corporates. Our training leverages immersive technology, and available is a cultural workplace bias experience that allows participants to feel, firsthand, the biases faced by Muslim employees. Request a demo here to get started: https://lnkd.in/eGPpGwyM #Inclusion #BiasAwareness #Empathy