Dear Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders,

Your voice matters, You matter, and You deserve to be heard.

As APIs, many of us feel that people are not listening to us. Silence is painful. I am familiar. Perhaps you’ve been gaslit too many times and you’ve become selective with whom you share your world with?

I encourage you to share how you feel and what you need. We must persist. I want to hear your challenges at work and what you need to feel supported and like you belong at the workplace.

My role as the Asian Inclusivity Consultant is to listen to your needs and then summarize, anonymize, and articulate your concerns in a non-threatening manner where non-Asians can listen without being defensive. Then we can be on the same page at your organization and create a companywide Asian Inclusive Strategy.

Set up meeting

Let's Start the Conversation

Invite me to your Asian Affinity Leadership meeting to listen to your needs. We can spend 30 minutes and meet and greet and see how I can best support you. As an impartial, outside resource, I bridge the gap and explain the challenges to management where they are more open to listen. In my experience, the people in the majority group are able to listen when the information is dished out into bite-size chunks and has just enough sugar to be appealing.

Creating Asian Allies is my forte, and I know how to motivate Non-Asians to speak and up and make a difference by their own iniative. I offer intro presentations, assessments and on-going Asian Inclusive Programming to improve company culture.

We can both empower Asians, create Asian Allies, and improve Asian Inclusivity at the same time.

ERGS/BRG - Employee Resource Groups, Business Resource Groups

I can assist with energizing Asian ERGs and building value

  •   Analyze the current condition of the AANHPI work environment
  •   Initiate,  and promote the ERG
  •   Recruit members and allies
  •   Facilitate meetings on an as-needed basis
  •   Present at meetings on an as-needed basis
  •   Create a feedback chain to ensure success

What does the AANHPI community say about Jolene?

“I often feel the burnout of being a vocal Asian woman and not feeling heard and seen. Another Asian sister led me to Jolene, and I was automatically drawn to her commitment to inclusivity. She actively listens and asks questions to understand the heart of important issues to the Asian community. She amplifies our AAPI voices in a thoughtful and caring way. Jolene has an amazing ability to create synergy with the AAPI community alongside allies willing to take action.”

–Leslie Lew, Founder, Reclaiming Your Courage

“For so long, I have been shut down many times for speaking up, so I was trained to be quiet. Then I saw Jolene confidently educating, and guiding Asian Allies to take action and they do. It is inspiring.”

Tom

“I found out about Jolene because she continuously speaks on behalf Asian American voices. She is active in Asian online groups listening and asking questions.  Until I met her, I had no one in my circle that I felt I could share my feelings with who would listen and understand. She knows our Asian challenges and is able to communicate to others who are making a difference in my life.”

Minji

What’s one take away from Jolene’s Presentation?

“Listening to Jolene I felt empowered, heard, and seen in a way that I haven’t always felt as someone who has parents and grandparents born here. Feeling simultaneously not “Asian” and yet “other” enough in both Asian and non-Asian circles, I was glad to hear and see that this is a shared feeling but that doesn’t have to divide us. Especially for those who are mixed! Leaving the call I feel very excited to celebrate this month :sparkles:”

“I appreciated getting to hear Jolene’s experience and see the work she’s done for Asian American Visibility! Also getting to learn more about AANHPI + the inclusion of Native Hawaiians that I didn’t know a lot about before.”

“She validated my feelings I’ve been had having witnessed the lack of action and response to hate crimes against the AANHPI community.”

“I felt very seen when Jolene described how invisible and alone she felt during silence and being brushed off. After hearing this, I know I am not alone.”

“When she shared the quote about  – you deserve a true friendship and preserve your energy – don’t waste your time it with people who don’t support you -that struck a cord with me. I would have liked more time to do Q&A with her.”

“Really great event that puts a spotlight on the missing representation we’re seeing. Truly one of my favorite parts of the presentation was learning about the Oceanic US population!”

“I feel more empowered as an Asian woman because of Jolene’s passion of amplifying Asian voices. She is relentless when it comes to breaking down barriers and advocating for inclusivity. She’s the real deal because she eats, sleeps, and breathes Asian Inclusivity through her messaging, branding, programming, activism, and education. She stays current and abreast of the current socio-economic-political climate and this relevancy as well as adaptation to change, makes Jolene a rare expert. Jolene has such a big heart and truly believes in bringing the AANHPI community to the table to share stories, concerns, and solutions.

Whether alone or surrounded by allies, Jolene fights for all Asians tirelessly. I admire her conviction and perseverance as well as her empathy, compassion, and servant leadership. Jolene has a talent for bringing allies to the table as well and together they inspire people to do better… to communicate, understand, learn, and join forces. I can’t say enough how impactful Jolene is as an Asian Inclusivity Consultant. She truly is a powerhouse!”

—Amy M. Le, Author and Owner of Quill Hawk Publishing

“Jolene is an assertive woman who advocates for the Asian community and teaches people outside of the community of the challenges we face. She has provided safe spaces both on social media and with social gatherings where Asians can speak their truth; spaces where Asians can be affirmed are precious and needed. She also has call-to-actions, so these spaces are not just about listening and learning. Jolene has consistently helped those around her better themselves through advocacy (if you are not Asian) and through reflection (if you are Asian). I am thankful for the community she has built and for her dedication to equity for the Asian community.”

— Han Tran

“I appreciated the “Did you know” snippets scattered throughout the presentation. Although we were tight on time, I appreciated the audience engagement with these interesting facts. For example, I loved the points where you clearly pinpointed where our NH friends are as well as the tidbit about recognizing privilege
– I also knew of black face, but the concept of yellow face in Hollywood took me by surprise. Unfortunately, I started to look at these characters in Hollywood very differently in a negative stance.
– I related most to the privilege portion. Jolene you gave a very good image of your background and experiences growing up. Although my childhood did not mirror your experiences, it’s important for me to recognize my position of privilege NOW. I definitely feel very humbled after the activity engagements while listening to my peers in the chat.”