35. Finding Your Personal Voice and Speaking Up for Race, Gender Equity, and ESG with Sonya Dreizler, Solutions with Sonya

In the Suite

Today In The Suite welcomes Sonya Dreizler, founder of Solutions with Sonya. Sonya is a leading industry consultant, speaker, and thought leader whose work focused on three main areas: Race, Gender Equality, and ESG. She works with RIAs, Broker/Dealers, and Custodians around the country and is a subject matter expert in ESG and responsible investing.

In this episode, Sonya, a White-American professional, shares why diversity, equity, and inclusion matters and how organizations should reflect the race, ethnicity, and population of the U.S. census, not just entry-level but to the boardroom. It’s a modern view of the world formed by Sonya’s 14-year history of working in traditional financial and investment roles, including CEO of a Broker-Dealer and RIA, and 4 years as a consultant.

“We should look like, and be from, the communities we look like and serve.”

Long before the riots, Sonya spoke up about diversity in the workplace as a powerful voice for doing what’s right. Today, she fosters candid conversations about gender and race in financial services and consults with other companies and business leaders to create more inclusive workplaces. She has a passion to speak and write about issues and current events focused on diversity and race relations—an unequivocal drive for equity and justice for all.

Join the conversation to hear about:

• The importance of race and gender in the workplace (5:41)
• Sonya’s early career in the financial services industry (7:34)
• Enjoying working in the back office (10:40)
• Sonya’s path to becoming the CEO of a Broker-Dealer (13:14)
• The Do Better Series: The Back Story & One Year Later (17:32)
• COVID-19 as an opportunity to reset (26:53)
• Three important phrases to use in situations of racial discrimination and harassment (30:05)
• The number one thing for women to do at conferences (35:40)
• How to bridge conversations around race (37:27)
• Sonya’s early exposure to Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) and ESG
• Sonya’s involvement with CUESA – Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture
• What it means to find your voice (51:20)
• How Sonya is present and stays grounded in her work (55:06)

Referenced Materials:

• Solutions with Sonya Website
• Sonya Dreizler on Twitter
• Sonya Dreizler on LinkedIn
• Do Better Series
• To Get On Sonya’s Newsletter – Text “Solutions” to 33-777
• Minda Harts, The Memo Book on Amazon
• CUESA – Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture

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