Dr. Lauran Star
Title: Inclusion & Diversity Psychologist
Public Speaking/Storytelling
Education: Walden University / Harvard Extention School
Boston, MA, USA
Biography
Inclusion & Diversity Strategist, Psychologist & 3x International Best Selling Author
Dr. Lauran Star’s known for transforming leadership and organizational culture, by pushing the edge of status quo to achieve greater employee engagement, culture, inclusion, and diversity. Being the first Inclusion & Diversity Psychologist in the United States, Dr. Star’s focus is Evidence Based Inclusion, Diversity & Equality (ID&E).
As a Senior HR leader with 20+ years of success driving high performing organizational cultures and employees, Dr. Star is raising the ID&E bar while driving measurable change within organizations through data-driven strategies. Known for uncovering blind spots to achieve optimal performance and enhanced retention, she dives in where others tread lightly yet is insightful, warm, and approachable.
Her own affinities go beyond being a woman, as she is veteran of the United States Armed Forces, serving in Desert Storm, has a learning disability and was raised in a multicultural family. Prior to her corporate life she performed on and off Broadway.
Dr. Star holds a Ph.D. in Industrial Organizational Psychology specializing in Inclusion, Diversity & Equity. A bestselling author and well-known media expert, her thought leadership touches many. She is an extinguished researcher and practitioner in the field of inclusion, diversity & equality. Her success includes being both a Best and International Selling Author (Your Power Pivot; Shifting the Paradigm of Work/ Life Empowerment and LEIP Forward: Leadership Emotional Intelligence Proficiency) and NOW AVAILABLE Evidence Base Inclusion; Its Time to Focus on the Right Needle.
Dr. Star's influence in the media is far reaching. She has been featured on NPR, CBS Radio; published in Forbes Women, Huffington Post, Talent Management, Society of Human Resource Management, to name a few.
Dr. Star is your partner throughout the conference and after, ensuring conference attendance and retention.
Passion
I love seeing the shift in perspectives - moving from a diversity mindset to inclusion; the ah-ha moments in the audience. My focus is on evidence based inclusion that drives diversity and equity.
Featured Video
I am willing to travel
More than 100 miles
When it comes to payments
I generally get paid for speaking but make exceptions
Topics
Origin Story
I often get asked why I focus my thought leadership on Inclusion, Intersectionality (Diversity), & Equity
My journey began in the United States Army, where I proudly served as a trauma medic during the Gulf War and other conflicts. On my first day of basic training, I was paired with a "battle buddy" – a person who becomes your responsibility, and vice versa. The unique aspect is that you don't get to choose your buddy; it's a random assignment without considerations for diversity quotas, job alignments, or skill testing.
Allow me to introduce Parish, my battle buddy. An 18-year-old from the deep south of Alabama, she held a GED, while I was college-bound. Her MOS was in the "motor pool," and mine trauma medic, her height 6’1” me 5’3”, her not so athletically inclined and me, I trained hard prior to basic for the physical training test. Despite our differences in height, athleticism, and other aspects, we quickly realized that our differences could be transformed into strengths.
Parish was responsible for me graduating and I her. This became a fast realization we were both doing pushups within the first 2 minutes of formation (one of us did something frowned upon – like wearing red sparking nail polish too formation, leaving us both to do pushups).
For us both to graduate (and graduate in the top 10%) we quickly saw our differences as strengths. I am dyslexic, Parish helped me study; we dug a foxhole for her 6’1” heights and cut in a step that worked for my 5’4” (so the foxhole was 5’7’ deep except for my step at 5’); Parish threw and shot as expected so we spent off duty time working on her arm and aim. I could tell story after story about those days; however, I think you’re starting to understand.
To date battle buddies, is the lens I take into the business world. A few lessons learned in basic training:
• Differences (diversity) are strengths and celebrating these strengths.
• Differences (diversity) are opportunities.
• Diversity in the workplace without inclusion leads to an “us versus them” workforce.
• The world is about intersectionality not diversity, as we are all different from each other.
• Inclusion does not just happen; we must have conviction in our intent.
• Everyone deserves respect and both equality and equity as they are not the same.
I think battle buddies are the Army’s way to strategic inclusion. However, for me, it was a gateway to over 20 years of education and leadership success.
The concept of battle buddies has shaped my perspective in the business world, emphasizing strategic inclusion. Over my 20 years of leadership success, I've come to understand that it's not just about having a diverse workplace; it's about cultivating a culture of inclusion where intersectionality can flourish – whether at the team or organizational level.
So, why do I focus my thought leadership on Inclusion, Intersectionality (Diversity), & Equity? Inclusion, Intersectionality & Equity are part of my core values. They are how I drive successful business and relationships.
To this day, Parish and I remain best friends, a testament to the enduring impact of embracing intersectionality and fostering inclusion.
(C)2011 Lauran Star
Example talks
What if We Approached DE&I Differently?
In this dynamic and thought-provoking program, Dr. Star explores and removes both the frustration and confusion around inclusion diversity and equity, utilizing evidence-based research and proven workplace applications. She will have your audience engaged to create solutions that focus on their employees.
All keynotes are uniquely crafted based on your audience's needs and the conference goals.
Fireside Chat on Evidence Based Inclusion; It's Time to Focus on the RIGHT Needle
A fireside chat is a personal and interactive discussion involving a moderator and Dr. Lauran Star. The flow is more like a conversation and interview wrapped together, allowing your audience to gain insights into the Dr. Lauran Star’s personal stories and thoughts on diverse topics.
Fireside chats often follow one of her keynote’s hours or days later. It can also be offered as a Zoom Follow up Post Conference.
Potential Fireside Questions:
• Explain your philosophy in I,E & D and where it came from
• How do we measure inclusion within an organization?
• What is meant by speaking power to truth from your lens?
• How and where do we start the inclusion journey?
• What is the Inclusion Paradigm™?
• What is the role of intersectionality – is it important?
• Lingering audience questions from her keynote
• Give us a few take-away
“The path to inclusion is not linear and is a partnership within the organization. It touches every department and employee; therefore, inclusion must be part of the organization’s strategic platform. Strategic planning should be based on research and proven results rather than guess work. Inclusion is an integral part of diversity as inclusion helps to create organizational equity. An Inclusive Organizational Culture will drive employee attraction, retention, performance, and equity, leading to diversity. Diversity training is a strategic learning tool.” – Lauran Star