It’s less about what you say, more about how you make people feel

Yasmin Rose is a facilitator and HR director with over 15 years of experience in the hospitality and logistics sectors. She has been working with Be The Riot since 2021, helping organisations to strengthen their culture through sessions on topics like inclusive behaviours and anti-racism. 

How have your personal experiences helped equip you to do EDI work?

I’ve always been surrounded by my culture. My parents came to the UK from Jamaica when they were young, and they made sure we never forgot where we came from. Our house was filled with books, art, and conversations about Black leaders like Marcus Garvey and Martin Luther King. That shaped how I saw the world from early on, especially around injustice, identity, and the importance of community.

As I’ve got older, books like Queenie and Don’t Touch My Hair helped me reflect even more deeply on my own experiences as a Black woman, especially navigating the world of work. But honestly, it’s my lived experience that’s pushed me to do this work.

What’s your approach to EDI? 

I’m a believer that people won’t remember what you say as much as how you made them feel. I would never go in there and hit anybody with any jargon, give people a history lesson, none of that. I’ll start any session by asking what people want to get out of it and try my hardest to hit those marks, giving examples and real-life tips. 

“I’m a believer that people won’t remember what you say as much as how you made them feel. I would never go in there and hit anybody with any jargon, give people a history lesson, none of that.”

How did you end up working in this space?

I’ll be honest: I was thrown into it. My background is as a generalist HR manager and I didn’t start out with a lot of EDI knowledge. I was working for a hospitality company and the chief people officer asked me to facilitate an EDI session. I wasn’t comfortable with it because I was just given a deck without being taken through the content; I’d never facilitated on that scale and the only reason I could think I’d been asked was because I was Black. But I gave it a try, it worked out really well and I was asked to train the whole London team, which was several hundred people. Then I was able to make the session my own, and I really started to enjoy it. 

What was it that you liked about it? 

It was really the conversational element to it: hearing other people’s perspectives from different cultures and backgrounds. Certain people would share their experiences and you could see the absolute shock or empathy other people had for that.

I also liked the challenging sessions. I had one with quite a few Black employees where they really stuck it on me: how come the organisation is only talking about this since the murder of George Floyd? I said OK, I hear what you’re saying but what are you doing? How are you sharing your lived experience? 

I got good feedback for that session, I didn’t think I would but sometimes it’s about bringing people on the journey. If you get comfortable with the uncomfortable, you’re going to have better conversations. 

Are there any personal experiences or stories you draw on in your sessions? 

Throughout my career, especially as I’ve moved into more senior roles, I’ve regularly been the only Black woman in the room. And that comes with its own set of challenges. You constantly feel like you have to work that bit harder to prove yourself, just to make sure people hear what you're saying rather than judging you because of the colour of your skin. And working in HR makes it even more complicated. People expect you to be neutral, composed, to support everyone else, but forget that we’re human too, and carry our own experiences. There’s always that fear that if you speak up, you’ll be labelled as aggressive or too emotional, so a lot of us stay quiet.

When it comes to facilitating sessions, people love to hear a story. If you give an example of a microaggression, it really helps people see that this is about how you made somebody feel, intentionally or unintentionally. Hair is a good one that resonates with a lot of people; I have been known to point to my white co-facilitator’s hair and say, she changes her hair every day and no one asks to touch it. 

“I know what it feels like to be on the outside, and I want to help create spaces where people feel safe, valued, and genuinely included.”

What challenges are on your mind right now?

The reality is, systemic racism still exists. We’re seeing pushback on inclusion efforts, and there’s still not enough representation, especially at the top. I don’t do this work because it’s trendy, I do it because it matters. Because I know what it feels like to be on the outside, and I want to help create spaces where people feel safe, valued, and genuinely included.

What makes Be The Riot different from other providers? 

How authentic it is. How genuine. I had worked with Nathan before so I knew his origin story and value system, and that means I truly believe in what I’m saying. When I work with Be The Riot I’m not someone who is there to tell you that EDI is part of your company ethos and values… I’m making this topic conversational and bringing a genuine passion to it. I really believe that the sooner we lean in and admit our faults, the sooner we can move forward together. That’s why I truly want Be The Riot to continue to succeed and I know it will.

I’m not someone who is there to tell you that EDI is part of your company values… I’m making this topic conversational and bringing a genuine passion to it.

How can we help?

Explore how we can help your organisation through our workshops and strategic consultations.