About Tina Varughese:
An Indo-Canadian daughter of first generation parents, Varughese says her cultural background allows her to find “the best of both worlds” and shed light, knowledge, and, most importantly, universal humor into the changing workplace. Her highly entertaining, interactive, and practical keynotes leave attendees inspired to think, behave, act, and communicate with intention.
For fifteen years Varughese worked with immigrants in her roles with the Province of Alberta’s immigration office. She also ran her own successful relocation and settlement firm. Varughese draws from her experiences as an entrepreneur, mother, daughter, wife, sister, and friend when delivering keynotes on diversity and inclusion — topics that resonate with her both professionally and personally.
Varughese has been named one of “Canada’s Top 10 Notable Speakers” by Ignite Magazine for her ability to break down barriers and create a comfortable, inclusive, and fun space for attendees. She was the face of diversity, literally, having been chosen to participate in Dove’s campaign for Real Beauty, representing beauty in diversity.
The past-president of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers (Calgary), Varughese is a contributing writer for the Human Resource Institute of Alberta’s Network magazine, Calgary Real Estate News, and Home to Home magazine. She was also profiled in Alberta’s Venture Magazine.
Episode Notes:
Dr. Laura welcomes Tina Varughese, keynote speaker and one of Ignite magazine’s top ten notable speakers in Canada, to the show to talk about unconscious bias at work and the human side of this hot button topic. Tina has been speaking on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for many years, and unconscious bias was a natural addition to her keynotes as she recognized the critical importance of understanding it.
Tina Varughese defines unconscious bias as “learned behaviors, attitudes and beliefs that sit in our unconscious state”. They are not things we are both with, but things we absorb over time. She identifies seven key areas in which we hold unconscious bias: gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, age, weight, and disability (physical and emotional). Tina and Dr. Laura discuss how biases in each of these areas affect our work and workplaces, how we are largely unaware of our unconscious biases, and why leaders need to act on unconscious bias. Tina’s candor and insight shed light on things we may not have considered, things that unconsciously affect our interactions with colleagues and our experiences at work.
“I think the most common, or the ones that probably come into play in the workplace the most, would be racial bias, gender bias, parental or maternal bias, and affinity bias. Affinity bias being the one that’s the most difficult to recognize in the workplace because we’ll say things like, ‘Oh, she’ll make a great culture fit’, or ‘he won’t make a great culture fit’, when in essence, that might actually be our affinity bias at play. And that’s why we really need to interrupt that, because at the end of the day we might be screening someone out when we could have screened them in, and they might have been a great organizational fit…” Tina Varughese
Resources:
- Website: https://tworksforyou.ca/
- Tina Varughese on LinkedIn
-
“The Leader’s Guide to Unconscious Bias” by Pamela Fuller, Anne Chow, and Mark Murphy
Learn more about Dr. Laura on her website: https://drlaura.live
For more resources, look into Dr. Laura’s organizations:
Season 3 Episodes:
Episode 57 | The Power of Exercise to Optimize your Brain and Mental Wellness
About Dr. John J. Ratey: John J. Ratey, MD, is an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and an internationally recognized expert in Neuropsychiatry. He has published over 60 peer-reviewed articles, and 12 books published in 20 languages,...
Episode 56 | The Evolution of Flexibility at Work with Dr. Laura
About Dr. Laura: KEYNOTE SPEAKER | PSYCHOLOGIST | THOUGHT LEADER | PODCAST HOST | AUTHOR Dr. Laura Hambley Lovett helps organizations and people to grow and thrive, using the principles of organizational psychology. Through leading, speaking, writing, coaching, and...
Episode 55 | The Secrets to Happiness at Work
About Dr. Tracy Brower, PhD, MM, MCRW: Dr. Tracy Brower is a PhD sociologist studying work-life fulfillment and happiness. She is the author of a new book, The Secrets to Happiness at Work as well as her previous book, Bring Work to Life. She is the Vice President of...
Episode 54 | Special Episode on The LiLoHia Project: with guests Gerald Auger and Sass Jordan
About Gerald Auger: Gerald Auger is an actor, producer, writer, entrepreneur and motivational speaker from Alberta, Canada, of Woodland Cree descent. He graduated from Grande Prairie Regional College in 1995 with a Marketing Management diploma and a Small Business...
Episode 53 | A Time To Lead: Master Yourself So You Can Master Your World
About Craig Dowden, PhD: Craig Dowden (Ph.D.) is an inspiring and thought-provoking executive coach, Forbes author and keynote speaker who partners with leaders and executives to tackle their most important personal and organizational challenges. Craig holds a...
Episode 52 | Making Space in Our Lives for What Matters
About David Allen: YOUR MIND IS FOR HAVING IDEAS, NOT HOLDING THEM.® That’s why David Allen created Getting Things Done®. GTD is the work-life management system that has helped countless individuals and organizations bring order to chaos. GTD enables greater...
More Thriving Human Episodes:
Episode 68 | Money and Well-Being: How the Pink Tax Harms Us All
About Janine Rogan: Janine Rogan, CPA, is a passionate keynote and TEDx speaker. She is the Founder and CEO of The Wealth Building Academy Inc. and an award-winning CPA. Her mission is to educate and empower women to confidently and profitably grow their wealth,...
Episode 67 | Making Bold Life Changes: Turning Fear into Courage
About Samra Zafar: Samra Zafar is an award-winning internationally renowned speaker, bestselling author, and educator for equity, mental health, and human rights. Samra is currently pursuing an MD at McMaster’s DeGroote School of Medicine with the purpose of...
Episode 64 | The Generous Workhome: Boosting Your Wellbeing and Productivity
About Philip Vanhoutte: Leveraging a rewarding international career in the ITC industry, Philip Vanhoutte’s passion for personal productivity tools and communication & collaboration solutions morphed into a singular purpose: accelerating the realization of human...
Episode 63 | Philanthropy Through Fashion: Purpose, Planet and People
About Randi Seiff: Randi Seiff is a Creative and Strategist in one, with 30+ years of expertise in fashion & lifestyle, specializing in design, branding, & product development, building purpose-driven brands from concept to completion. Randi brings a unique...
Episode 59 | Closing the Confidence Gap to Thrive in Your Career
About Kelli Thompson: Kelli Thompson is a women’s leadership coach and speaker who helps women advance to the rooms where decisions are made. She has coached and trained hundreds of women to trust themselves, lead with more confidence, and create a career they love....
Episode 57 | The Power of Exercise to Optimize your Brain and Mental Wellness
About Dr. John J. Ratey: John J. Ratey, MD, is an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and an internationally recognized expert in Neuropsychiatry. He has published over 60 peer-reviewed articles, and 12 books published in 20 languages,...