Deepa Purushothaman is a former senior executive, a corporate inclusion visionary; and co-founder of nFormation. She is the author of the book titled, The First, The Few, and The Only: How Women of Color Can Redefine Power in Corporate America. She is also a Women and Public Policy Program Leader in Practice at the Harvard Kennedy School. In today's episode, Deepa talks about her unique background, including her surroundings and the lessons she learned. She shares how growing up as a woman of color, there were no role models given the dominance of males in her industry. Deepa is a strong supporter of women of color, helping them to navigate the corporate structures to achieve their personal levels of success. Deepa also shares the story of the founding of her company, nFormation and discusses key principles from her new book.

Key Takeaways

The lack of role models for women of color can prevent or stall meaningful career development.
Personal worth and value must come from something intrinsic, not from a job.
Each person should have a personal definition of success.

Quotes

“You're worthy of being you.” – Deepa
“I am a person outside of my job.” - Deepa

Book Mentioned in The Episode

The First, the Few, the Only: How Women of Color Can Redefine Power in Corporate America
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/First-Few-Only-Redefine-Corporate/dp/0063084716
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58275733-the-first-the-few-the-only

Broken to Better: 13 Ways Not to Fail at Life and Leadership
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61251512-broken-to-better

Featured in this Episode

Deepa Purushothaman
Co-founder of nFormation, Author of The First, The Few, The Only
Personal website: https://www.deepapuru.com
Company Website: https://www.n2formation.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepapuru
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeepaPuru
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deepa.puru

Michael Kurland
CEO and Founder of Branded Group, Inc.,
Host of "Be Better with Michael Kurland" podcast
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikekurland
Website: www.branded-group.com

Words from Our Host

Thank you for tuning in. I hope that today's episode inspired you to become a purpose-driven leader in your career or your community. There's no doubt that when we lead with purpose, we can change lives. If you enjoyed today's show, I'd be grateful if you would take a moment to rate us on your preferred listening platform to learn more about Branded-Group's better experience and how we provide industry-leading On-Demand facility maintenance, construction management, and special project implementation. Visit us at www.branded-group.com. Be sure to follow us on social media, and you can also reach out to me directly on LinkedIn. Until next time, be better.

Chapters

00:00 Book Promotion; Broken to Better: 13 Ways Not to Fail at Life and Leadership
01:29 Episode Intro
02:20 Deepa’s background
05:01 Her reasons for supporting the growth of women
09:20 The start of change
17:48 Diagnosed with Lyme disease
20:21 Gathering amazing women
24:47 Details about her book
25:44 Her company, nFormation
27:01 More Details about her book
28:06 How to reach Deepa
28:37 Conclusion