Katie #mixedmonday
Last year we asked Katie if she'd be interested in mentoring a member of the Beyond the Mix community as part of our business strand. After meeting and discussing Beyond the Mix at length and what we want to achieve long term, we came to the conclusion that we, ourselves needed a guide, a mentor, a friend - Katie.
Katie is an Inclusion and Cohesion Specialist, Educator, Coach, Social Entrepreneur and Founder of @bcohco Ltd. BCohCo is a learning and development company specialising in Diversity, Inclusion, Cohesion and Equality (DICE).
Today, Katie leads a team of trainers at BCohCo and is an undisputed leader in her field. Speaking at key industry events and working with some of the largest organisations in the UK and around the world, thousands of people have been inspired, helped, motivated and fundamentally changed by Katie’s words.
The DICE Programme she developed and now delivers to hundreds of people is operated as an intimate, self-reflective learning experience in small virtual and in person groups. It is Katie’s goal that people emerge from the programme ready and willing to do the work, to unlearn what they’ve been conditioned their whole lives to “know”, and to evolve themselves first, using the learning to influence change amongst their teams, networks and communities.
Hey, my name's Katie. I'm of mixed heritage, neuro-divergent, a wife and mother to 6 year old twins Ebun and Noah and a proud working-class Bristolian.
I’m very aware of the complexity of my identity and how the world receives me or not, because of it.
How would you describe your ethnicity?
Mixed Heritage. My mother is English/Irish and my father is Jamaican.
Has your mixed-ness influenced your career in any way?
My career is a direct result of the tools I've developed navigating my mixed-ness. From the topics I choose to study, including International Relations, Social Psychology and Community Development.
To my younger years living and working in London and time out after my studies traveling. During my early career I worked with Vulnerable Adults, Communities and in Family Support Services.
The lived experience of being mixed in a predominately White society. And the gorgeous human of Nigerian heritage that I married, has made my life an incredibly rich space.
I've developed a lot of ‘know how’ professionally and personally. All of which contribute to a continual journey developing my own cross-cultural literacy.
I now run a consultancy called @BCohCo that specializes in Learning and Development in Diversity, Inclusion, Cohesion and Equity with a view to Building Cohesive Communities and Cultures.
If you could describe your mixed identity in one word, what would it be?
Conduit.
What is the best thing about being mixed heritage?
Being compelled to see the world through multiple lenses. It demands cognitive energy and understanding (and can be exhausting) but is simultaneously freeing. It’s an approach I now apply to most areas of my life. It helps me maintain an open mind and mindful balance.
