We were lucky to catch up with Zachary Nunn recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Zachary, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Both sides of my family are from Mississippi and both were sharecroppers. I’m the first man to start and graduate from a four year university on my Mother’s side and a 2nd generation reader on my Father’s side.

When I started working as a fresh-faced college grad in 2011, I didn’t have uncles, aunts, cousins, etc. who could help me navigate majority white working spaces. Now, I’m a gregarious person, so I put myself out there over and over again to be mentored by anyone that would give me their time. I was often turned away, ignored, etc. but between the “L”‘s, I have picked up enough wisdom to hobble together a decent career thus far.

All of that said, a few years ago I asked myself “what does it look like for folks that look like me, with my experiences, who aren’t gregarious and who don’t want to put themselves out there and be rejected — they don’t know what they don’t know, how do they get insight so that they can thrive at work?” That’s where the idea of creating a platform that took the whispered points of meaningful advice Black and brown people infrequently receive and have them out loud.

Since launching in April of 2018, we’ve had over 1000 pieces of published media pieces where we’ve interviewed Fortune 500 leaders, activists, authors, professors, creatives, elected officials, entrepreneurs and influencers, all of them centering the perspectives of marginalized employees (e.g., Black, brown, LGBTQIA+, trans/non-binary, disabled).

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Living Corporate is a multimedia company and we’re focused on Equity, Inclusion and Diversity. We’re known for having incredible guests on our podcast who aren’t afraid to be transparent and share “real talk” for our audience of black and brown millennial and gen-z professionals (folks that come to mind are DeRay Mckesson, Minda Harts, Michael C. Bush, Michelle Kim, Luvvie Ajayi, Brittany Harris, Howard Bryant, Roy Wood Jr.).

What sets us apart from the others and what we continue to be most proud about is…

1) We don’t shy away from having authentic conversations about the real challenges marginalized professionals face and we don’t apologize for it – here’s an example: we have a show called “The Break Room” which is hosted by two Black PhDs and focuses on mental health, wellness and healing for Black professionals. We believe courageously grappling with the nuance and reality of lived experience not only better reaches our audience because they feel seen, but gives us a distinct level of credibility – engaging on our platform means you are willing to go beyond the buzzwords and general nice-talk that is standard in corporatized D&I spaces.

2) We are a media network. We have multiple podcasts, web shows, blogs, and partnerships that all focus on centering and amplifying historically marginalized people at work.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The biggest lesson I had to unlearn (and am still unlearning) is the idea I needed to hide parts of myself and avoid conflict to be accepted in corporate contexts. A core tenet supremacy, especially in the world of work, emphasizes the provision of comfort to those in the majority. For historically marginalized people, prioritizing white comfort often comes at hiding parts of who we are and avoiding conflict, even at the expense of our self-respect.

As I have continued to grow as a professional, husband, and father, I realize that I owe it not only to those around me, but hose before me and those who have yet to come to be who I was made to be — and that avoiding conflict at the cost of my own identity undermines that mission.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

My first job out of college was as an HR Manager at a big box retailer. I came into that job thinking that was going to be where I’d work for at least a decade. What I realized only a few months in of my employment is that big box just wasn’t for me — everything was on a planogram and while that rigidity is great for scaling retail, it wasn’t great for someone like me who learns and develops through innovating. As such, I had to exit into something a bit more flexible, and I’m glad I did because it eventually led me to drive go to market strategy in tech and build my own startup that amplifies Black and brown voices at work, called Living Corporate!

Living Corporate is a digital media network dedicated to centering and amplifying Black and brown people at work.

Living Corporate is for anyone who wants to have these conversations around allyship, inclusion, and equity with us and push the needle forward on how we can can create and sustain spaces that reflect a workplace where everyone can belong. With over 1500 pieces of digital media spotlighting hundreds of elected officials, executives, activists, authors, educators, and influencers, I cannot overstate how proud I am of our team and the platform we’ve been able to build.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.living-corporate.com/login
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/livingcorporate/
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/livingcorporatepodcast/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/living-corporate
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/livingcorporate