Episode 72: Human Connection at Work Is Broken. Here's What Actually Works

<p>What if the highest-ROI program in your organization isn&#39;t a new tool or a new hire, but a mentoring program built on psychological safety? LaTonya Wilkins talks with Artimisha Curl, Head of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity &amp; Belonging at El Camino Health, about the mentoring pilot they built from the ground up, why most programs fail before they start, what happens when mentors and mentees stop being separated, and why leaders learned as much as the people they mentored.</p><p>🎥 Prefer to watch? This episode is also available on YouTube</p><ul><li>Change Coaches on YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@changecoaches/podcasts">https://www.youtube.com/@changecoaches/podcasts</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p>Episode Chapters &amp; Key Moments</p><p>[00:00] Welcome back &amp; meet today&#39;s guest: Artimisha Curl</p><ul><li>A 23-year HR veteran who built something unexpected</li><li>For anyone building community, making a business case or supporting burnt-out leaders</li></ul><p>[03:00] What sparked the mentoring program pilot</p><ul><li>The gap between talent and access</li><li>Why potential is everywhere, but access is not</li></ul><p>[06:00] Equity, access, &amp; who mentorship is really for</p><ul><li>Not a stereotypical mentoring cohort: that was the point</li><li>Why leaders need expanded networks</li></ul><p>[09:00] Cross-functional matching: pairing a chief legal officer with marketing</p><ul><li>Why matching &quot;just like us&quot; reproduces inequity</li><li>How intentional, non-obvious pairing opened the organization&#39;s eco-system</li></ul><p>[12:00] Why this program went beyond traditional mentoring</p><ul><li>The truth about voluntold mentoring programs</li><li>What made people actually want to show up</li></ul><p>[15:00] The learning series: psychological safety, belonging &amp; leading across differences</p><ul><li>Four workshops gave people shared language for what they felt</li><li>The moment &quot;psychological safety&quot; clicked for healthcare leaders</li></ul><p>[18:00] What mentors &amp; executive leaders actually got out of it</p><ul><li>Truth: C-suite leaders are hungry for development</li><li>Why mixing mentors &amp; mentees changed everything</li></ul><p>[21:00] The art and science of matching: how blind trust became a game changer</p><ul><li>What happens when people don&#39;t fully understand each other&#39;s daily roles </li><li>Why that trust built the strongest cross-functional partnerships</li></ul><p>[24:00] Measur