Melanie Jacob (she/her/hers) is a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Consultant (DEI&B). She holds a BA (Hons.) in French & Spanish from the University of the West Indies and an MA in Communications, Media & Public Relations from the University of Leicester. Originally from the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia, she has lived in Barbados, Martinique, Lyon and now, Paris. As a result of her diverse personal and professional experiences, she became intent on exploring matters surrounding intersectional feminism, discrimination and media representation. This is what led her to launch Melanie Jacob Consulting.  As an experienced DEI&B specialist, she advises multinational companies – through webinars, workshops and one-on-one coaching – on how to create and implement best practice strategies that focus on amplifying and respecting the uniqueness of each individual’s background. In this episode we speak about Melanie's work as a DEI&B consultant, the story behind choosing this path in her professional life which is linked to her personal life, because we all know that the personal is political. We speak about racism, sexism, feminism, diversity washing, and misogynoir, about Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie and her book Americanah and we speak about black hair - a topic that is inextricably linked to historical, structural and racial discrimination. A subject that is part of the long-lasting intention to control black and brown bodies and further reflects the predominance of Eurocentric beauty standards. Thank you Melanie.  Host: Stella Saliari  At Salt the Podcast my guests and I contest and deconstruct narratives, and passionately recreate with the aim to change systems and perceptions. We want to elevate a generation that is feminist, antiracist and empathetic. Our conversations flow into each other and leave room for the unexpected. Salt is love, community, solidarity, a collective, healing, creating. It is intersectional, full of stories, movement and change. It insists, evolves and transforms. It is a commitment. #diversitytraining #diversity #diversityandinclusion #diversitymatters #blackhairispolitical #saintlucia #unconsciousbias #misogynoir #blackgirlsrock #blackgirlmagic #blackwomen #femmesnoires #femmes #leadership #diversityequityandinclusion #diversityintheworkplace #womenleaders #genderequality #women #culture #equitymatters #saltthepodcast #intersectionality #antiracism #blackfeminist #paris Follow Salt @salt_thepodcast Subscribe to Salt The Podcast on Soundwise