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-{{ovation.company}}Embrace Your Authenticity for Aligned Success
Author, podcaster, and thought leader Chad Sanders was achieving success as a tech entrepreneur but felt out of alignment with his creativity and his identity. Feeling marginalized racially in the corporate environment, he made a major career shift – pivoting to become a sought-after Hollywood creative and thought leader on authenticity in the workplace. In this compelling talk, he shares insights from his personal journey, as well as the wisdom gathered from industry leaders for his acclaimed book, Black Magic, encouraging audiences to embrace their authenticity to find greater alignment and success.
DEI: Having Hard Conversations at Work After Tragedy
In this compelling talk, tech entrepreneur and Hollywood creative Chad Sanders shares unparalleled insights about how to have hard conversations at work, particularly following a tragedy. The author of Black Magic and sought-after voice in conversations about creating equity in the workplace unpacks what DEI concepts mean in practice, balancing actionable strategies with his personal experience, such as how his colleagues could have supported him after the murder of George Floyd.
Why Achievers Quit and How You Can Change Their Minds
Tech entrepreneur, Hollywood creative, and host of the Quitters Podcast Chad Sanders is an expert on workplace culture and how – and why – employees are pivoting. In this informative and engaging talk, Chad shares insights about workforce trends and the dynamics that impact employee decision-making, as well as tangible ideas about how to attract – and retain – top employees for stronger teams and greater success.
Fireside Chat with Chad Sanders, Author of Black Magic and Writer on HBO’s Rap Sh!t
Join Hollywood creative, author, and podcaster Chad Sanders for an engaging conversation about his current projects, his unique perspective on the new media landscape, and the creative process. The author of Black Magic, writer for numerous projects including HBO’s Rap Sh!t, and prolific podcaster shares insights and actionable takeaways that make an impact with audiences of all kinds.
Black Magic: What Black Leaders Learned from Trauma and Triumph
Chad Sanders delivers an honest exploration of Black experiences when moving towards success in white environments. His first job in Silicon Valley quickly taught him that to gain success at work, he would need to code switch and play a certain social game to imitate whiteness.
After changing everything that connected him with his identity as a Black man, he was accepted in the business world, but did not feel like himself. When that weight became too heavy to bear, he changed back his clothes, behavior, speech, and more. Once he did, everything began to turn around for him. Sanders credits this change to what he calls Black Magic, the resilience, ingenuity, and stamina forged in his experience in America as a Black man.
In his talk, Sanders draws on powerful interviews with Black artists, activists, scientists, leaders, and champions, as well as his own story, to share the experience of imitating whiteness to gain success, and demonstrates how important it is to be your true self.
Chad is the author of the critically acclaimed Black Magic: What Black Leaders Learned from Trauma and Triumph and a staff writer on HBO Max’s Rap Sh!t. Chad’s op-ed writing has appeared in The New York Times, TIME and others and he has written for ABC Freeform’s Grown-ish.
Chad is also the creator and co-host of the Quitters podcast, along with co-host Julie Bowen, which has welcomed a number of high profile guests including Jimmy Kimmel, Sarah Hyland, Mayim Bialik, Lamorne Morris, Meghan Trainor and more.
Chad has been featured in publications such as Forbes, Fortune, and Variety, and he has appeared as a guest on several TV networks including MSNBC, CBS News, NBC, and E! as well as highly charting podcasts such as Brené Brown’s Dare to Lead, Dax Shephard’s Armchair Expert, NPR’s Wisdom From the Top and the Harvard Business Review podcast.
Chad’s creative collaborators have included Spike Lee, Issa Rae, Kenya Barris, Morgan Freeman, Craig Ferguson, Will Packer and more.
Chad formerly worked at Google, YouTube and as a tech entrepreneur in CA, NY, London and Berlin. Chad is from Silver Spring, Maryland and resides in New York City.