Yvonne Jackson ~ Resilience Educator & DEI Consultant
Yvonne Jackson is a Resilience Educator, DEI Consultant, and founder of SocialEDG, a WBENC and WOSB Certified workplace equity firm. With 15+ years of experience at top companies like Apple, Bank of America, and Whirlpool, she saw the need for a new approach to DEI—one that prioritizes empowerment and positivity over shame, guilt, and fear.
Building on this vision, Yvonne developed Joyful Equity®, a framework designed to cultivate inclusive, resilient teams, strengthen talent pipelines, elevate employee engagement, and drive lasting, systemic change.
This mission is deeply personal. As a single mother by choice, a Black woman in corporate spaces, and someone who has rebuilt her life after profound loss, Yvonne understands the resilience required to thrive in systems not designed for everyone.
Beyond her corporate work, Yvonne helps Women and caregivers cultivate resilience through programs like The Resilience Reset, a 7-day course designed to help participants pause, reflect, and rebuild during uncertain times. Her approach is rooted in real conversations, actionable steps, and a clear-eyed acknowledgment of life’s complexities.
With an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Yvonne blends corporate strategy, lived experience, and compassionate leadership to transform chaos into clarity and fear into strength, paving the way for lasting equity.
Most Popular Topics:
- From Safe to Brave Spaces: How to facilitate courageous conversations
Move beyond creating “safe spaces” to developing “brave spaces” where diverse teams can engage in impactful conversations infused with courage, honesty, and collaboration. - The Inclusive Ally & Leader: Identifying your role in advancing equity
Explore the foundations of inclusive leadership, learn how to recognize and emulate the 7 Types of Allyship, and confidently champion equity within your organization. - The Inclusive Coach: Integrating Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion into modern coaching practices
Designed for life coaches, business coaches, and mentors who seek to enhance their professional development and DEI knowledge and build stronger, more inclusive coaching relationships that drive better client outcomes.
- Joyful Equity™: The path to resilient, high-performing teams
Get inspired to shift from shame-based motivations to positive empowerment when driving equitable change, and leverage joy and diversity as strategic assets that create high-performance teams
Conversation Starters:
- How did your career journey take you from working at Apple to founding your own company, SocialEDG?
- Resilience is a core theme in your work. How do you define resilience, and why is it so crucial in today’s world?
- How has being a Black woman in corporate America shaped your perspective on leadership and workplace equity?
- How can leaders approach diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in a way that empowers change without relying on shame or guilt?
- What are some common pitfalls organizations face when implementing DEI initiatives, and how can they avoid them?
- What changes do you hope to see for women in the tech industry, and how can leaders help drive that transformation?
- What role does joy play in overcoming burnout and restoring balance, especially for women and caregivers managing multiple demands?
- How have your experiences with loss and abandonment influenced your work and mission?
- What inspired your decision to become a Single Mom by Choice, and how has that journey reshaped your life and career?
- What’s one piece of advice you’d give to your younger self, especially during a time when life felt the most chaotic?
Partial List of Previous Podcasts:
Partial List of Previous Speaking Engagements:
- Martha Beck Inc. (I’m their Fractional/Contract Head of DEI)
- Quarterly Inclusion & Belonging Calls w/Wayfinder Community
- DEI Courses for both their Coach and Master Coach Program
- The Montana Institute
- RTP180 & NC PBS
- University of Cincinnati
- Activate Good
- Milhaus
Website:
