August 19, 2020

Sharing Our Stories, with Anthony Paradiso

Episode 57:

With fifteen years of HR leadership experience, Anthony Paradiso has become very passionate about Diversity & Inclusion in the workplace. He is the owner and founder of AllThingzAP, where their primary mission is for all to always be your authentic self.

Anthony is a Human Resources Business Partner with Industrial U.I. Services and enjoys being on a host of boards and committees, such as the Diversity & Inclusion Director for the Garden State Council – SHRM (GSC-SHRM) and the VP of D&I with the North Jersey – Rockland Chapter SHRM. Additionally, he is on the Board of Advisors with the American Conference of Diversity and a Bergen County Human Relations Commissioner.

Anthony has written a number of published articles for SHRM, WorkHuman, Workology, Rezoomo, Achievers, etc. and has been quoted in HR Magazine, Namely, & Bonusly. He has given a number of presentations and lectures about D&I, inclusion, being your authentic self, unconscious bias, employee relations and facilitated workshops surrounding diversity & inclusion that include the privilege walk.

His education includes a BA from Binghamton University, MS in Human Relations & Business, and HR Certified. Serving as a Speaker, Influencer, Blogger, and Educator, Anthony is proud to have influenced the industry regarding unbiased and inclusive work environments.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • How Anthony discovered his passion for diversity, equity and inclusion work, and how coming out as a gay man fuels his passion for helping others
  • Why, for the last 20 years, too many companies have focused on diversity without giving enough attention to inclusion for existing employees
  • How sharing our stories are the necessary starting point for inclusion and equity, and why it is important to pay attention to leading indicators within organizations
  • Anthony shares a story of a “privilege walk” activity and how a participant’s story made a powerful impact on the group
  • Why sharing our unique stories helps connect us with the people we work with and can help us form strong, productive relationships based on commonality and empathy
  • Why it is important to conduct a privilege walk activity correctly with the help of an experienced practitioner to avoid reinforcing participants’ bias
  • How Anthony sharing his own coming-out story helps develop trust between himself and his audience
  • Why all of our stories are valuable and worth telling, and why being a great orator isn’t necessary for sharing your story
  • What advice Anthony has for HR practitioners with regards to developing their skills in diversity, equity and inclusion work
  • Why mental health stories are important to share, and why mental health is becoming a growing part of diversity, equity and inclusion

Additional resources: