My take on DEI was never an initiative but a world we should all strive to live in because diversity IS our reality; equity and inclusion's necessity is a result of the world bigots created through hate and scapegoating.
Yes, very well said. Pretending diversity doesn't exist is willful blindness. Also very very stupid since our diversity is one of our greatest strengths.
Jena, DEIB has never been a checklist or a corporate initiative to me—it’s the foundation of how we shape the world we live in. When I developed the DEIB framework for Vitaminwelten GmbH, I built it with the understanding that true equity and inclusion don’t come from policies alone, but from shifting the underlying structures and mindsets that make those policies necessary in the first place. That meant drawing from best practices and initiatives like Charta der Vielfalt, Pride at Work, the UHLALA Group, the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), and the UNHCR Diversity Initiative, yet going beyond that—integrating DEIB into leadership, communication, and decision-making at every level.
I’ve always believed that DEIB starts with the basics: how we communicate with each other. In German—especially, but not exclusively—language and interaction reflect deeper systemic realities. German is both a *male-oriented* and *strictly gendered* language. It defaults to the masculine as the so-called “neutral” form, reinforcing male as the standard. And because it has specific male and female versions of most professions, roles, and identities, it automatically excludes non-binary people like me in everyday conversation. Just *speaking* German regularly means being misgendered, overlooked, or forced into categories that don’t fit. Language shapes thought, and when a language structurally erases people, it is impossible to claim true inclusion.
DEIB isn’t just about bringing diverse people into a space; it’s about creating environments where they belong, where they are heard, where their contributions are not just tolerated but valued. That requires a fundamental shift from the hyper-individualistic “me-first” mentality that dominates so much of our world—especially within the *authoritinsane* regime—to a relational, systemic “we” perspective.
One of the greatest obstacles to true inclusion is the ingrained habit of judgment, labeling, categorization, comparison, and ranking. The moment there is a need to be *better than*, there is automatically a *less than*—and that, by its very nature, creates division. Hierarchies of worth, whether based on race, gender, socioeconomic status, or ability, are what make equity necessary in the first place. If we continue to judge value through those frameworks, we will never reach a place of true belonging.
Inclusion cannot exist without psychological safety. Representation alone does not create inclusion—if people do not feel safe being themselves, they are still outsiders, just in a different setting. Psychological safety is often overlooked in DEIB work, but without it, marginalized voices bear the burden of either assimilating or constantly advocating for themselves. I have always built my DEIB approach around trauma awareness and systemic change, because without those, we are only treating symptoms rather than root causes.
At the moment, I am on sick leave and unable to work. For mental health reasons, I cannot return to the same line of work, and it remains unclear whether I will return to work at all. But the questions I have always worked with—about belonging, power, and how to create spaces where people don’t just exist but *thrive*—are still the questions I carry. I appreciate your focus on social-emotional learning because that is where so much of this begins. How we teach children to see themselves and others determines whether inclusion is something they perform or something they truly embody.
I’d love to hear more about how you integrate this into your work. How do you see social-emotional learning as a bridge to systemic change?
Jena, I appreciate the clarity and care in how you frame this. DEI isn’t just a concept—it’s about real lives, real safety, and real recognition. Visibility matters, and so does speaking up. Silence has never been neutral, and erasure isn’t passive. I’m grateful for spaces like yours that hold the line.
My take on DEI was never an initiative but a world we should all strive to live in because diversity IS our reality; equity and inclusion's necessity is a result of the world bigots created through hate and scapegoating.
Yes, very well said. Pretending diversity doesn't exist is willful blindness. Also very very stupid since our diversity is one of our greatest strengths.
It's only by looking at the world through a variety of lenses will we truly see our Humanity and the best solutions to the problems that afflict us.
A closed mind blinded by hatred will never see this basic truth.
So wise and so spot on. Thank you!
Jena, DEIB has never been a checklist or a corporate initiative to me—it’s the foundation of how we shape the world we live in. When I developed the DEIB framework for Vitaminwelten GmbH, I built it with the understanding that true equity and inclusion don’t come from policies alone, but from shifting the underlying structures and mindsets that make those policies necessary in the first place. That meant drawing from best practices and initiatives like Charta der Vielfalt, Pride at Work, the UHLALA Group, the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), and the UNHCR Diversity Initiative, yet going beyond that—integrating DEIB into leadership, communication, and decision-making at every level.
I’ve always believed that DEIB starts with the basics: how we communicate with each other. In German—especially, but not exclusively—language and interaction reflect deeper systemic realities. German is both a *male-oriented* and *strictly gendered* language. It defaults to the masculine as the so-called “neutral” form, reinforcing male as the standard. And because it has specific male and female versions of most professions, roles, and identities, it automatically excludes non-binary people like me in everyday conversation. Just *speaking* German regularly means being misgendered, overlooked, or forced into categories that don’t fit. Language shapes thought, and when a language structurally erases people, it is impossible to claim true inclusion.
DEIB isn’t just about bringing diverse people into a space; it’s about creating environments where they belong, where they are heard, where their contributions are not just tolerated but valued. That requires a fundamental shift from the hyper-individualistic “me-first” mentality that dominates so much of our world—especially within the *authoritinsane* regime—to a relational, systemic “we” perspective.
One of the greatest obstacles to true inclusion is the ingrained habit of judgment, labeling, categorization, comparison, and ranking. The moment there is a need to be *better than*, there is automatically a *less than*—and that, by its very nature, creates division. Hierarchies of worth, whether based on race, gender, socioeconomic status, or ability, are what make equity necessary in the first place. If we continue to judge value through those frameworks, we will never reach a place of true belonging.
Inclusion cannot exist without psychological safety. Representation alone does not create inclusion—if people do not feel safe being themselves, they are still outsiders, just in a different setting. Psychological safety is often overlooked in DEIB work, but without it, marginalized voices bear the burden of either assimilating or constantly advocating for themselves. I have always built my DEIB approach around trauma awareness and systemic change, because without those, we are only treating symptoms rather than root causes.
At the moment, I am on sick leave and unable to work. For mental health reasons, I cannot return to the same line of work, and it remains unclear whether I will return to work at all. But the questions I have always worked with—about belonging, power, and how to create spaces where people don’t just exist but *thrive*—are still the questions I carry. I appreciate your focus on social-emotional learning because that is where so much of this begins. How we teach children to see themselves and others determines whether inclusion is something they perform or something they truly embody.
I’d love to hear more about how you integrate this into your work. How do you see social-emotional learning as a bridge to systemic change?
Jena, I appreciate the clarity and care in how you frame this. DEI isn’t just a concept—it’s about real lives, real safety, and real recognition. Visibility matters, and so does speaking up. Silence has never been neutral, and erasure isn’t passive. I’m grateful for spaces like yours that hold the line.
Thank you for reading along and letting me know your thoughts. I agree - DEI is NOT just a concept!
Spot on, as always.
Thank you, Jena!