Steve (host):
Welcome to the 12th edition of Wonderspace which was originally released as a video orbit on the 22nd of November 2020. Since then we've been asking the same 6 questions to people from around the world. Our questions revolve around life and wonder, places of reset and stories of hopefulness, which I think we need more than ever. The setting for all of our interviews is a virtual window seat on the space station from where we see everything from a different perspective. This week our orbit takes us from Mexico to New Brunswick in Canada And joining us in this ultimate window seat, we welcome Dr.

Steve (host):
Ilanda Williams. Ilanda is the Director of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, or JEDI for short, at B-Lab in Philadelphia. B-Lab is a non-profit organisation that serves a global movement of people that use business as a force for good. In her role, Elonda works to create an equitable, diverse and inclusive culture for all employees. I start by asking Alondra, from this window seat 250 miles above Earth, which place, city or country would you want us to fly over and why?

Ellonda:
The answer to the question is an answer I can't give right now and I'll tell you why. Just recently I had a birthday, I'll leave out my date, And 1 thing I wanted to do for myself was to do an ancestry DNA full background of my ethnicity and my race and where my people come from in my history and as an African American in the US. I can't trace that. And so I will be getting those results this week so I'm super excited and once I find out what part of Africa my people are from I would love to do a 5 past of that space and begin to create a connection to that part of the world that I don't currently have right now.

Steve (host):
Ilanda give us a glimpse into your life story so far with an emphasis on what you are doing currently.

Ellonda:
A glimpse into my life story so far So I like to see myself as somewhat of a linguist. I really like words and the study of words and their meaning. So my snapshot would be a series of words. It would be darkness, so your youth and the ignorance and just the lack of understanding. And then light would be coming of age and introducing new concepts and theories and experiences and understanding and empathy.

Ellonda:
And then there's clarity around who I really want to be, my goals, my personal ambitions. I think that the world, family, education, life gives us a lot of things that we think we should be and that we should do. And once you kind of live into that, some clarity around what that really means to us personally. Trials, I've suffered loss and experienced the ups and downs and trials and tribulations of life, some race related, some just life. And they've really shaped who I am.

Ellonda:
And then discovery, just really discovering that things are not always what they seem in the world of Jedi and really understanding justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, that there's a lot of historical context for why the world has been shaped the way that it is. So it's all about discovery and the consistent dedication to lifelong learning, accepting what we can't accept. Sometimes things just are the way that they are and that we have to understand that we play a very small role in a very large act in a play and understanding that sometimes it's not our role and that we can relinquish that experience to others and just really understanding the beauty that even when things are dark and trials and tribulations occur. There's a beauty in learning and growing. You can't get a diamond without pressure, right?

Ellonda:
You know what I mean? You can't create pearls without some abrasion. So understanding that within everything there is a beauty and understanding. How can I take something that may look so unassuming or sad or dark? What's the joy that I can walk away with?

Ellonda:
And I always try to make a moment that can be like that, twist that into something that can be beautiful. I think all of these experiences have led me to a place in my professional career that encourages me to think very strategically on the choices that I make. So as the Director of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at B-Lab, I focus internally on creating safe spaces for not only staff, but my colleagues and myself as well. And as we look at the different things that are happening in the world today, we can't ignore that social justice has a place in business, in school systems, in places where we worship. And I think that really drives my ambitions to create spaces that are welcoming to all.

Ellonda:
It's almost given me a passion to put empathy first, put people first, understand that it's not always about the bottom dollar, it's not always about some of those aspects of business that we've been told are important. It's about the people that we live and breathe and share our experiences and lives with so that together we can create spaces that are just better for everyone.

Steve (host):
Where on earth is your place of reset or recharge?

Ellonda:
My place of reset I would say 2 and in this in this day and age I think that you kind of need 2. You need a couple in a pandemic, right? My place of peace and reset and recharge is at home on the couch with my wife. Like throw on Netflix, relax, and just let the world be outside of our home. And I think it's very important to have a space of solace where you live.

Ellonda:
And I understand that's a privilege that we all don't share. And if not that, then at the ocean. Take me to any beach at any time of year, winter, summer, spring or fall, I can handle the beach. And just being that close to nature and the earth sounds and the sun, it really, really recharges me. And I try to make a point to touch sand every year for my birthday because that's just how special that experience is to me.

Steve (host):
What wonder of the natural world excites you the most?

Ellonda:
A wonder of the natural world that excites me is that we are all connected. It's so easy to remember and see the silos and the segregation and the socioeconomic status and race and ethnicity and all these things that separate us and make us so different. But we have way more in common than we have in difference. And so I think what excites me is getting my DNA results and seeing where I come from and how many examples that we've seen in the real world that by nature so many of us are just actually connected and that connectivity is something that happens organically without anyone's help and it only can be hindered by individuals. So I think that that is something that really drives my ambitions as well.

Steve (host):
Ilonda, what is your story of hopefulness that's not your own? About a person, business or non-profit who are doing amazing things for the world.

Ellonda:
When I think about a story of hopefulness as it relates to people or business or nonprofits, I think about what hits close to home. And so any organization or individual or group who is elevating marginalized voices and individuals that have been marginalized or that are coming from those small sectors that often get overlooked really have a lot of my respect, especially in the Jedi work that I do. And 1 local nonprofit that's doing this is Strategy Arts here in Philadelphia. And they are part of the Philadelphia Be Local chapter. And what they do is they reach out to businesses and try to work with them to engage in hiring inclusively and working within the community in order to find job placements and opportunities for individuals who typically might get overlooked for opportunities, so specifically looking to create access and overall create a local B Corp community that is just as diverse as the Philadelphia surrounding area.

Steve (host):
Finally as we prepare to re-enter what insight wisdom or question would you like to share with us?

Ellonda:
As we re-enter the earth's atmosphere so to speak I think that it's important in everything that we do, in every initiative that we start, in every program that we decide to embark on, that we ask ourselves, what about the most marginalized? What about the individuals who are the most impacted? And I think if we all approach the work that we do thinking outside of ourselves, We collectively would be able to create spaces that are just much more inclusive and welcoming to everyone but we also would create solutions to problems that we all have because we'd all be invited to take part in finding outcomes that are actually going to be better suited for everyone.

Steve (host):
More information about the work of B Lab can be found at bcorporation.net. If you want to find out more about Wonderspace, join the community or listen to the previous episodes. The website is ourwonder.space. I want to thank Ilanda for being with us on this Wonderspace orbit. I hope you can join us again next week for more wonders and stories of hopefulness.