Welcome to My Writing Hub!

Cornerstone • June 5 2023

Maximize your EVP by leveraging talent mobility

Discover the power of talent mobility with actionable strategies and insights for your Employee Value Proposition (EVP).

Cornerstone • March 31 2023

Honoring Black excellence in the workplace and beyond

Black excellence in the workplace is vital to supporting equity and inclusion. Learn how you can create successful DEIB strategies that invest in your people.

PBS SoCal Fostering Change Initiaitive • September 27 2022

Not Your Statistic

“Sugar Free Shari” is a former foster youth who entered foster care at age 14. Beating the odds of the 97% of foster youth who don’t finish college, Shari graduated from California State University Northridge. Today, she is pursuing her Master’s degree in Social Work at USC and continuing her passion for social justice advocacy.

Education Week • October 4 2021

I Lived Off Off School Lunches as a Kid. Here’s How to Make the Program Better

Growing up in poverty in the projects of the Watts projects of Los Angeles, I was dependent on free and reduced-price school lunches. Today, I am a foodie, someone who plans vacations around the food and not the destination because of the experiences of my childhood.

Like my taste palate, my life has been molded by both the good and bad I experienced growing up in poverty and with food insecurity, never being adopted, and emancipating from foster care.

Food insecurity defined my childhood. I l

KPCC - NPR News for Southern California - 89.3 FM • September 15 2016

How educators can help homeless and foster youth overcome instability

A team of local educators has won a $10 million grant to start a school serving foster and homeless youth in Los Angeles.

The money comes from Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs, as part of a competition she funded, "XQ: The Super School Project."

The school, called RISE, will launch with the aim of helping a population that is often challenged with the instability of frequent moves.

Take Two’s Deepa Fernandes spoke with Shari Walker, a former foster youth, to und

Her Agenda • November 2 2022

Top TV Shows To Stream On Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime And More This Fall

Fall is here, and the time for finding a new TV series that will have you bundled up with warm apple cider has officially arrived. It is finally time to settle in and catch up on the latest shows. Below are a few great TV shows to stream on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and more, with new seasons that you should add to your watch lists.

Not your typical game show, “The Mole” follows 12 contestants vying for a major money prize while one member of the group acts as the “mole.” This is the show to

Studio | ATAO • September 27 2022

What does it mean to be an “adult”?

Much has changed in our lives during the pandemic, especially for Gen Z-ers and Millennials who are still striving to navigate career, family, and overall adulthood. In fact, in a Pew Research Center survey, young adults were particularly hard hit by the pandemic and economic downturn, with the coronavirus pandemic pushing many to move in with their family members.

Her Agenda • December 7 2022

How Millennial Women Can Successfully Make A Career Pivot

The career you choose has a pivotal impact on your overall life, and many don't discover what they want to do until later in life. As millennial women, it’s never too late to make a career pivot when you feel called to a new home within the work field. Pew Research found that “roughly one-in-five workers say they are very or somewhat likely to look for a new job in the next six months.” The power moves millennial women need to make a successful career pivot can be elusive if navigated alone. We

Cornerstone • May 9 2023

Filtering out the noise around quiet hiring

You can make the most of quiet hiring by utilizing these key benefits to excel as an employer and employee.

Her Agenda • November 17 2022

5 Ways Women Can Build A Village When Racing Against A Busy Schedule

Most of us know the old African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Yet, as we get older, the village that we once found security, safety, encouragement, and connection with soon fades. We can become overwhelmed by the daily tasks of life, whether lost in the fight to rise to the top of the corporate ladder, fighting a battle in work-balance as parents, or simply being overcome with all of the to-do items on our list that require us to spend less time being present and more time raci

Her Agenda • November 10 2022

Dating For Entrepreneurs: How To Navigate And Find Your Way To Bae

Being an entrepreneur can be an invigorating experience. You have the opportunity to navigate daily life many times on your own terms, make your own decisions, and be the captain of your own extraordinary business. As an entrepreneur, you are already savvy at finding solutions in creative ways. You know how to navigate business, yet do you know where to start when navigating toward finding your bae? If not, no worries. We have the tips you need to hear when dating as an entrepreneur. In order to

Cornerstone • May 9 2023

Re-thinking employee development to fuel your talent mobility

In partnership with Lighthouse Research & Advisory, the Cornerstone People Research Lab recently released new research uncovering how organizations can revamp employee development to turbocharge talent mobility.

Her Agenda • December 29 2022

4 Healthy Habits You Need As A Career-Focused Millennial

As busy millennials, to-do lists can run long and the overwhelm of life can be heavy. In the ebbs and flows of life, we can embrace unexpected habits that can lead to beneficial rewards or negative consequences. Healthy habits for the career-focused millennial provide an open door to opportunities that can build a solid foundation for a joyful career path.

Harvard Business Review recently acknowledged in the article "Building Healthy Habits When You're Truly Exhausted" is to take slow and stead

Cornerstone • May 9 2023

Closing the Skills Confidence Gap: Cornerstone Global Skills Report 2022

How high-performing organizations are focusing on skill development to thrive during a global skills shortage. And how your organization can too.

Her Agenda • January 3 2023

Instead of Quiet Quitting, Try These Three Actions To Find Fulfillment

Are you a quiet quitter? In a Harvard Business Review article, researchers note that quiet quitting is a “new name for an old behavior.” Some key components to quiet quitting via Harvard Business Review:
• None Do you “reject the idea that work should be the central focus of [your] life?”
• None Do you “resist the expectation of giving [your] all or putting in extra hours?”
• None Do you find yourself saying “‘no’ to requests that [you] think should be expected of a person in [your] position?"

Cornerstone • May 9 2023

Empowering your people from within during a hiring freeze

Despite the current climate, a hiring freeze does not have to hinder your organization’s future-ready workforce.

Her Agenda • November 22 2022

How To Start A Successful Podcast For Women Entrepreneurs

You know your voice matters. You may have seen the Pew Research Center survey conducted in July 2021 found that about “a quarter of U.S. adults (23%) say they get news at least sometimes from podcasts.” You might be ready to add your voice to the conversation, but you wonder how you can build a lucrative podcaster when first starting out. If this is you, you are in the right place. Learn the top tips for women entrepreneurs starting a successful podcast below.

We sat down with Nicky Saunders, t

Her Agenda • November 24 2022

Sponsor, Advocate, And Mentor: What's The Difference?

While navigating your career, you may be wondering how to expand your network. As you travel on your career journey, learning the various roles those around you can have in supporting your advancement is important. Knowing the key differences between sponsors, mentors, and advocates can have a vital role as you advance in your career. Support while navigating your professional career can help advance you to the next level.

In fact, researchers of the Center for Talent Innovation (CTI) found tha

The Imprint • May 20 2016

Rain Upon My Spirit: The Power of a Careless Remark

I am 25 years old, and still learning what it means to thrive versus simply survive after transitioning out of the foster care system.

At a recent foster care event, I scanned the room from where I sat, watching the various child welfare and juvenile justice leaders, social workers, probation officers and foster youth in attendance.

I was the keynote speaker for the event, and knew that, regardless of my past, I had become a woman who had lived the testimony of resilience. I felt confident, st

Cornerstone • May 9 2023

Thriving through change: Talent management strategies for HR leaders

Unlock the full potential of your workforce with effective talent management strategies. Gain actionable advice to help you build a future ready workforce.

The Imprint • September 7 2017

Four Things Every Foster Youth Should Know Before College

Many people who work with the child welfare system know that only three percent of foster youth graduate from college. This means that, despite the number of youth who enroll, most do not finish.

Since exiting foster care I have graduated from Santa Monica Community College and California State University, Northridge, and I will enter my first year at the University of Southern California as a graduate student in social work this fall.

Graduating college is not easy, but I’m going to share my

Alliance for Children's Rights • April 22 2017

Community Voices: Shari Walker

This month we are featuring a range of voices from our community of outstanding young leaders who have experienced foster care firsthand. Recently, DCFS announced the search for a new director, and our young leaders have offered their thoughts on the qualities and concerns that they hope will factor into the hiring process.

Shari Walker is a journalist, office manager at Fostering Media Connections, member of the Opportunity Youth Collaborative Young Leaders, and former Human Service Aid at DCF

Her Agenda • December 13 2022

Prepping For Motherhood: 4 Steps To Take When You're Ready To Start Your Family

As you begin the journey to start your family, building a supportive community can be integral to helping navigate motherhood. Gaining better education and support now is important. According to the National Library of Medicine, websites, apps, and social media are important ways to gain valuable childbirth information for millennial women.

A great website to join is What To Expect When You’re Expecting which offers the following resources for free:
• None “Resources for when you're trying to c

Her Agenda • November 30 2022

Career Dream Team: 5 People You Should Always Have On Speed Dial

As millennials, the journey toward career advancement can be an adventure filled with both highs and lows. On your journey, it is important to have a set of people who are always close via speed dial. In reflecting on the people who are important to your professional development, five people stand out the most. Exactly who you need on your team for career advancement and propel you to the next level in your professional development is shared below.

Mentors can provide valuable advice and insigh