DEI Isn’t the Problem—But Our Delusions About It Are

People love to say, “Look how far we’ve come!” while also acting like we never had a problem to begin with. You can’t celebrate progress and pretend there was nothing to fix.

You can’t say, “Things are better now!” without admitting they used to be worse. And if things were worse, then people had to fight—hard—to change them. So when we start rolling back DEI efforts, what are we really saying? That the fight wasn’t real? That progress just magically happened on its own?

And let’s be honest—how wild is this logic?

“Okay, you have as many rights as we’re willing to give you. Be happy with what you’ve got. Oh, and by the way, we’re reversing some things now because you don’t ‘need’ them anymore.”

Excuse me… what??

Make it make sense.

The Two Big Delusions

There are two ways people completely miss the mark when it comes to DEI:

🚩 The Checklist Delusion – Thinking racism, sexism, and unfair systems can be solved by checking a few boxes. A DEI workshop here, a new policy there—boom, problem solved. That’s not how this works.

🚩 The “We Don’t Need DEI Anymore” Delusion – Acting like we’ve “fixed” discrimination, so we might as well scrap the very things that made progress possible. That’s like fixing a leak in your roof, deciding your house is now waterproof forever, and ripping the whole roof off.

If fairness isn’t built into the system, it can be taken away. And history tells us that if people aren’t paying attention, that’s exactly what happens.

What DEI Is Really About

DEI isn’t about guilt. It’s about respecting the struggle that got us here in the first place. You can’t erase history just because it makes you uncomfortable.

That’s why I built the CLAIM SPACE Framework—because if we’re going to talk about leadership, communication, and real engagement, we need to do it in a way that actually makes sense. Here’s what I ask leaders:

✔ If you believe we’ve made progress, can you admit we had a problem?
✔ If fairness matters, how do we make it the standard—not a debate?
✔ If we expect strong leadership and communication in some areas, why do we ignore it when it comes to equity?

CLAIM SPACE isn’t here for performative nonsense. It’s about real strategy. And yeah, I know—Confidence, Leadership, Authenticity, Impact, and Motivation sound like your typical buzzwords. But here’s how we’re doing things differently:

🔥 Confidence? Not just “believe in yourself.” It’s about knowing when to push, when to listen, and how to lead with clarity and purpose.

🔥 Leadership? Not about titles. It’s about helping people see the value of change—because just like going to the gym, you may not feel “ready,” but putting in the effort will make your organization stronger in the long run.

🔥 Authenticity? Not just “bringing your whole self to work.” It’s about knowing the system you’re in, recognizing what’s real vs. what’s just for show, and figuring out how to push for actual solutions without losing yourself in the process.

🔥 Impact? Not about “raising awareness.” If things aren’t shifting, it’s not impact—it’s just noise.

🔥 Motivation? Not about hype. It’s about sticking with it, even when it’s hard, because that’s how change actually happens.

Where Do We Go From Here?

If the way we’ve been doing DEI isn’t working, then fine—let’s improve it. But throwing it away? That’s not the answer.

Progress doesn’t just happen. People fought for it. And if we let DEI die without a plan, we aren’t just failing the future—we’re disrespecting every single person who fought to get us here.

So, what’s next? We claim space. We stop waiting for the system to care. And we make damn sure the fight doesn’t go to waste.

A great place to start? Take the Leader Quiz. It’s a free tool that helps you figure out how you show up as a leader—how you communicate, advocate, and navigate power. Because whether you’re stepping into your leadership or already running the show, knowing where you stand is the first step to making real impact.

🔗 Take the Leader Quiz now and start claiming space in a way that works for you.

Let’s get to work.