Insights

By Deanna Jones During my college years, I worked with my dad at his school furniture company, where we sold computer desks to school systems. Yes, I know—fathers and sons working together is the stuff that Greek tragedies are made of. But here I was, putting together all the furniture that he sold to schools. […]

Life has a way of sweeping us along. Before we know it, the days blur into each other—full of movement, but missing the moments that make us feel truly alive. What if it didn’t have to be that way? What if joy, clarity, and a renewed sense of purpose were just ten minutes away? In

By Deanna Jones At the Perspectives 2025 event hosted by the Raleigh Chamber (beautifully led by @Dr. Torri Staton and fellow members of the @Raleigh Chamber of Commerce), keynote speaker @Al Vivian shared a striking reality: this year marks the largest high school graduating class, but starting next year, the numbers will decline significantly. Fewer

By Deanna Jones There were days I couldn’t tell if I was burned out… or just disappearing. I wasn’t thriving. I wasn’t crushing it. I was holding it together and showing up to meetings, replying to emails, doing what I had to do. But inside, I felt disconnected—like I was running on fumes in a

Deanna Jones Speaker, Author, and Consultant Focused on Creating More Inclusive Communities Through Storytelling, President of Harmony LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce. As president of the Harmony NC LGBT+ Allied Chamber and as a consultant focused on inclusion, I’ve seen how politics have reshaped the events industry. Hosting a conference isn’t just about booking a ballroom

What if the thing you’re meant to do has been with you all along, quietly waiting for permission—not from the world, but from you? Despite endless surveys and strategy decks, only 23% of employees are engaged globally. That’s not just an engagement issue. That’s a disconnection from self. The Wake-Up Call For years, I performed

There’s a particular kind of silence that echoes through modern workplaces—the kind where people smile, nod, contribute… and quietly conceal who they really are. It’s not just about being private. It’s about being strategic. It’s about survival. We’ve been conditioned to believe that professionalism means putting on a costume. That sharing too much—especially when it’s

In the past few months, two major retailers—Target and Costco—have made distinctly different choices in response to political pressure. Target scaled back its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) commitments. Costco didn’t. One bent the knee. The other stood tall. And now, the results speak for themselves. Target lost $12.4 billion in market value, saw a

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