We love talking about diversity, equity and inclusion, and we know it’s important to keep having these tough conversations. In our free time, we like to keep learning by listening to our favorite podcasts centered around diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)!
By engaging in civil, thought-provoking conversations on difficult topics, we become more open to information that can sometimes be uncomfortable to hear. And through this better understanding of each other, we can be stronger and more thoughtful together in the workplace and beyond.
Without further ado, here are our top 10 favorite diversity podcasts—in no particular order.
1. Diversity: Beyond the Checkbox
We might be biased, but when our podcast was ranked among the top 5% most popular podcasts in the world, we knew it wasn’t just us. On the program, Certified Diversity Executive Jackie Ferguson interviews industry leaders and explores what DEI means to them. She also discusses why businesses should be focused on implementing diversity and inclusion initiatives, why DEI is the right thing to do, and how going beyond compliance – the checkbox – drives business excellence and long-term success.
2. Still Processing
The New York Times’ podcast presence is bigger than just the daily. Hosted by New York Times journalists Jenna Wortham and Wesley Morris, this podcast is both entertaining and educational, and the two discuss topics around race, DEI in the workplace, and key cultural conversations.
3. Code Switch
Code switching involves adjusting one’s behavior or expression in order to make others feel more comfortable, and that’s where NPR’s diversity podcast draws its name. Since 2013, journalists Gene Demby and Shereen Marisol Meraji have explored race, culture, and identity with insight and intellectual vigor. And while Meraji is now an occasional contributor, rather than a host, Code Switch remains as compelling and thought-provoking as ever.
4. The Diversity Gap
As important as these conversations are, they’re only meaningful if listeners turn their knowledge into action, and The Diversity Gap is about just that. Host Bethaney Wilkison talks to industry leaders about where they see gaps in diversity and offers solutions to fill them.
5. Making Gay History
In order to get where we’re going, we need to take a hard look about how we got here. Making Gay History is an oral history of key figures from the LGBTQ+ movement from 1945-1990. The podcast mines author and historian Eric Marcus’s decades-old audio archive of rare interviews to create intimate, personal portraits of both known and long-forgotten champions, heroes, and witnesses to history.
6. Race at Work
Host Porter Braswell wants to create a safe space to talk about how race can affect work experiences and outcomes. On the podcast, produced by the Harvard Business Review, leaders share their personal career journeys and talk about how race, equity and inclusion has influenced their paths.
7. Disability Matters
Host Joyce Bender has been on a mission to employ and empower people with disabilities since 2004. With over 700 episodes, the disability employment consultant talks with experts about recruitment, mentoring and accessibility in the workplace.
8. Asian Enough
In this podcast that explores being Asian American, hosts Jen Yamato, Johana Bhuiyan, Tracy Brown and Suhauna Hussain of the Los Angeles Times invite guests to share personal stories and unpack identity on their own terms. They explore the vast diaspora across cultures, backgrounds and generations, and try to expand the ways in which being Asian American is defined.
9. The Will to Change: Uncovering True Stories of Diversity & Inclusion
Informed by more than a decade consulting to Fortune 500 companies, host Jennifer Brown creates a compelling case for leadership to embrace diversity and create more enlightened and productive workplaces. On her podcast, she invites CEOs, best-selling authors, entrepreneurs, and activists to tell their stories of diversity and inclusion.
10. Latinos Who Lunch
In addition to pop culture and art, FavyFav and Bebelito discuss race, gender and class in LatinX communities with the mission of “maintaining visibility, accessibility and philosophy of de-centering white, male dominating cultural practices,” according to the show’s website. While the duo isn’t producing new shows, exploring the 200-episode archive is a great way to learn more about intersectionality.
We hope you enjoy listening to some of our favorite shows. If you have a podcast you love that we didn’t include on this list, reach out to us!
