PODCAST EPISODES

Emily K. Graham is a millennial on the rise. She is the first Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at FleishmanHillard, a public relations company. Previously, Emily served as FleishmanHillard’s youngest Senior Vice President and Partner. By age 32, Emily had already charted a trailblazing career, leading communications efforts for companies such as Morgan Stanley, Deloitte, and Merrill Lynch. We discuss Emily’s rapid rise in corporate, how she continues to #breakconcrete as a young Black woman in communications, and her commitment to helping other young women advance professionally. 

Topics Covered: 

• Emily’s path in public relations and communications
• How Emily created her own blueprint for success
• Emily’s experience being one of the youngest public relations executives at her firm
• Emily’s experience with the “pet to threat phenomenon” and how she managed it
• Emily’s experience with white male mentors
• Emily’s commitment to the professional development of other women
• How Emily learned she was underpaid and what she did about it
• Advice for other women to make sure they’re not leaving money on the table

Highlights:

• “I learned that deference to what someone else thought their vision for your life or career was, was a fascination for your career.”
• “Once I became comfortable with my voice, I began to know how to take control and to articulate what I really need in the most effective way and make decisions that were best for me.”
• “No matter what happens, I will always be seen as a Black woman first. It lets me be more comfortable, not trying to hide that I am a Black woman. And I have leaned into that in my career.”
• “I believe courage has to come from the soles of your feet to the top of your head.”
• “You never want to lose your courage because you will find yourself complacent, paralyzed by fear and anxiety, and stuck.”

Other References: 

• • Pope-Chappell, Maya, This Millennial PR Shattered the Glass Ceiling–but it Came With Some Cuts, How I Got Here, May 22, 2019
  • Break Concrete, Episode 7,  Leveraging Your Difference and Building A Career with Audacity with Jennifer McClanahan-Flint
  • Stallings, Erika, When Black Women Go From Office Pet to Office Threat, ZORA, January 16, 2020
  • Break Concrete, Episode 21,  Embracing Uncomfortable Conversations with Erika Stallings
  • National Women’s Law Center, The Wage Gap for Black Women:Working Longer and Making Less, August 2019
  • Lean In and McKinsey & Company,  Women in the Workplace 2019

Connect with Emily:

On her LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emgraham/

On Twitter: @emkgraham

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