Leading with Equity: In conversation with Viva Asmelash

Viva! So lovely to have you here. Let’s start off learning a bit more about your work.

I'm most passionate about helping our clients find concrete ways to incorporate equitable and inclusive practices into their work lives. That’s why I co-founded Liberation Labs with my friend and business partner, Michael Gregor. 

This work is often challenging to sustain within organizations because leaders aren't aligned on the needs and struggle to see the relationship to their daily work. We help them integrate equitable and inclusive principles at the outset of internal efforts like manager training and development, employee onboarding, retreats and employee engagement, and org-wide strategic planning. This aids leaders in seeing the connection out of the gate, versus viewing equity as an afterthought or "pet project" of a select few. 

Our work most often also includes beginning-to-end design and delivery of high-impact experiences, either in person or virtually. Ideally, clients work with us alongside their broader internal DEI and antiracism journeys.

It’s such a powerful practice, and I love the name! How does your lived experience inform your work, if at all?

As a first-generation Eritrean American, I leverage a unique, lifelong perspective on race, gender, culture, belonging, privilege, and education access. I'm the youngest of four siblings, and the ONLY one born in the United States. The intersection of being both Black and from an immigrant family shapes my lens on everything! I've also had the unique responsibility of supporting multiple immediate family members on health journeys, which has illuminated the dire need for antiracism work in our healthcare and legal systems. It's what's led me to become an active mental health advocate and former member of the Sacramento County Mental Health Board. 

It’s clear that wellness and wellbeing is deeply ingrained in your current work, too. What hopes do you have for the future of our industry?

My hope is that we can stay focused on the big picture; that we can remind each other and ourselves that, at the end of the day, we are just trying to make our purported values (whether those are personal values, org values, etc) more true for more people—ideally, for everyone, right? I also believe that we are closer to liberation than we think we are, which is why we are seeing the type of pushback we are. When we stay focused and lean on each other for inspiration and concrete support, we show naysayers we can't be deterred. I'm like the world's oldest millennial so I also have so much hope and anticipation for what Gen Z is about to do! I'm watching closely as they come even more into their own as adults, and gain greater organizational power within the workplace.

What key challenges are you facing in your work at this moment?

I share the challenges of so many, which is how we consider the atrocities we are watching unfold globally, and then consistently and thoughtfully address them in the context of the workplace. People spend so much time working (which is a whole other issue), that it's incredibly important that we evolve into trauma-informed, healing-centered workplaces. 

This also means, at the very least, not further causing harm through what many call, "institutional betrayal." We're excited for more values-aligned clients to learn about our services, especially our one-of-a-kind program: Culturally-Aware Feedback Training™. What makes this feedback training so special is it's one that (finally!) takes identity and power dynamics into account in ways that traditional frameworks don't. This is an especially ideal primer for organizations that are jumpstarting or revamping their learning and development offerings.

What’s bringing you joy right now?

I'm a new, first-time mama to baby River, who just turned nine months. Having cared for my mom so recently at the end of her earthly life, seeing so much of her in River fills my heart in ways I could never fully explain. I won't say it's the first time I've felt such a deep sense of purpose, but my purpose does have has brand new motivation.

What book are you currently reading? 

You Belong by Sebene Selassie! With a new baby at home, things are moving slowly for me, but I can already relate to so much of what has shaped Sebene's lens and life. 

Viva Asmelash (she/her) is an insightful workplace consultant and certified inclusion strategist specializing in forward-thinking employee engagement, equity-centered strategic planning, values-driven branding, and critical team conversations. Viva’s professional purpose is to create environments where people feel truly seen and are inspired to be their best and most authentic selves. She often facilitates inclusive executive group coaching, delivers engaging keynotes and panel discussions, and crafts org-wide education experiences for clients like IDEO U, MiQ, and Reading Partners. As the co-founder of Liberation Labs, she proudly co-designed the first-of-its-kind Culturally-Aware Feedback Training™. She also co-authored the viral 2023 Harvard Business Review article, Creating Psychological Safety for Black Women at Your Company.