Noelle H. 

Sr. Employer Brand Manager / Toast Parents & Tapioca

“Courageous. Limitless. Focused: Sustaining DEI through the Highs and Lows.” That was the theme of DiversityWomanMedia’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Conference. I had the privilege of attending the conference this year with other leads from Toast Communities, our employee resource groups and clubs. While each of us were there on behalf of different Toast Communities and represented various departments across the business, we shared a common goal of submerging ourselves in the unique experience of being surrounded by influential DEI practitioners. I was also excited to spend time with fellow Toasters, as many of us had never met in person before.

Photo credit: Fabio Camara Studios

I’ve been in the HR field my entire career and have been to my fair share of conferences. They’d often have DEIB focused breakout sessions, but this was the first time I’ve ever attended a conference solely focused on DEIB. This is also the first time I’ve attended a conference where the majority of the speakers and attendees were people of color. Even though I saw the agenda and speaker list before the event, I honestly didn’t think about how it would make me feel actually being present in those rooms – feeling seen, heard, and understood. 

My key takeaways from the sessions and conversations were:

• Remember that there’s no finish line for DEIB

• Define boundaries in your sandbox – establish how you will embrace your values in all that you do by also determining what you will tolerate as an organization and  what you will consider unacceptable

• Challenge a scarcity mindset versus abundance mindset

• Center on your purpose and focus on moving the needle

• Educate instead of shame – when people know better, they do better

Read more reflections from the experience from other Toast Community leads below: