Episode Description

For episode 192, Sharon welcomes Cecilia B. Loving to the Metta Hour to speak about Diversity, Inclusion, and embodied Lovingkindness. Cecilia is an award-winning speaker, diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion thought leader, consultant, and author. Her work focuses on restorative justice, storytelling, inclusive leadership, racial inclusion, mindfulness, and well-being. She is the Senior Vice President of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at PBS, with over 25 years of experience in DEI. Cecilia has practiced meditation since she was a teen in Detroit, and is the author of several books, including “The Power of Inclusion” and “Unbroken Circles: Holding Space, Finding Forgiveness, and Transcending Edges.”

In this episode, Sharon and Cecilia discuss

• Growing up in the Civil rights movement in Detroit
• Embodying vs. intellectualizing teachings
• The impetus for Cecilia’s book “The Power of Inclusion”
• The necessity of a diverse community for resilience
• Surviving compared to flourishing
• The ancient tradition of Circles
• Being heard by others as a path of healing
• Restorative Justice circles
• The effect George Floyd’s death has had on DEI work
• Teaching emotional intelligence to the FDNY
• Working with first-responders and vicarious trauma
• Learning to wear the world as a loose garment
• The challenges caregivers face
• Lovingkindness as restorative presence for others
• DEI as a “Ministry of Love”
• How shame impacts healing and learning

Additional Resources

The episode ends with Cecilia leading a guided lovingkindness meditation to close the conversation. To learn more about Cecilia’s work, you can visit www.mindfulnessgroup.blog or check out her many book offerings.

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