Inclusive Marketing and Branding Podcast Conversation with Clark University

Special thank you to podcast host and Clark University student Manny Torto and Clark Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program leader Teresa Quinn for the invitation to share in conversation discussing inclusive marketing and communication practices.

This podcast conversation can be listened to in full on Spotify. Please note, the following transcript has been edited for clarity.

Manny Torto, E&I Podcast Host: Hello, everyone. Welcome to Episode 4 of Season 5 of E&I For You and I. I'm your host, Manny T. and today we are here with the Founder of WordSpark Digital Consulting, River Ingham. Hello, what's up?

River Ingham, Guest: Hello, thank you. Welcome to all the listeners and I'm happy to be here. Nice to meet you, Manny, and be part of the conversation today.

Manny Torto, E&I Podcast Host: Thank you. So, how would you describe yourself as a person? Please tell us everything about yourself.

River Ingham, Guest: Oh wow, yeah, that's a great question. Well, I would describe myself as somebody who loves to learn. That's probably one of the main things about me. That definitely helped in my journey as a Clarkie.

I completed my Master's in Communication in 2020. That was my graduating year. Unfortunately, we did not get a ceremony with the pandemic, kind of everything cropping up right around then. But I remember my time in the classroom before we all went virtual, just meeting everyone and being present and, you know, learning from each other.

So, that was a great thing for me coming back into that setting after 10 years passing since undergrad. I took that time to work and kind of learn on the job and come back and just formalize what I had learned in a different setting. And so I have good memories of the campus in Worcester.

But other things about myself, as you know, I have my own consulting business working in social impact with a variety of clients in all areas, whether it's here in Philly or regional or national in scope. So that's been a fun experience.

I'm celebrating four years of full time consulting this month. So that's a good feeling. It's a really good feeling. And other fun things about me, I love live music, so that may come up in conversation. I listen to anything and everything, and I'm always enjoying that part of just like the creative and artistic side. So, those are a couple cool things about me.

Manny Torto, E&I Podcast Host:

This is amazing. If I went to school during the same time as you, I probably would have been your friend.

River Ingham, Guest:

Oh, I love that. Yeah, go Clark, go Clark.

Manny Torto, E&I Podcast Host:

So how did that journey with your consulting, how did that start?

River Ingham, Guest:

Yeah, this is another great question. Like I said, I had been working in social impact for some time. I had had experience in a couple different focus areas, so youth development, education, national service mentoring, affordable housing, legal services. And so I was just really thinking, I took a break, to pursue grad school full time, and when all of this was happening and thinking of graduation, I was really wondering, what's that next step for me?

I think we all have that question at some point in our journey, whether that's what school to go to or what job to apply for or maybe when to pursue a new opportunity.

So for me, I was thinking, does it make sense for me to go back to a full time job, or be part of a team in a more formalized setting, or could I use all that entrepreneurial energy?

A lot of the roles I took on actually [when working full time] they were new to the team or maybe, the team had been restructured and there was an opportunity for me to come in and get creative and do something different.

And I thought, what if I did this actually coming into organizations as a consultant, taking on that leadership role and doing that and seeing just kinda seeing how far I get?

It is a risk, right? It takes a leap of faith to put yourself out there and really think about being independent in that sense. But I really enjoyed the challenge and I've had the opportunity to work on some really cool projects and meet great people and just build confidence.

You know, going back to school was also about building confidence. I remember when I was an undergrad, I just kept to myself, believe it or not, and was really quiet. I didn't really answer [questions] or raise my hand too much.

And then going to Clark and kind of being in different classes and learning new things. I just felt like it helped me build that voice, build that confidence a little bit differently. And that translated into my business with WordSpark.

I wanted to keep the social impact focus, but have more freedom and flexibility to take on, take on different projects and do different things. Yeah, it's like that sense of independence and freedom.

Manny Torto, E&I Podcast Host:

It's like you just took it into your own hands and I love the confidence, but it's just such a crucial thing to life and it opens so many doors.

River Ingham, Guest:

Oh, yeah, and what I will say, Manny, is one thing that was really essential and special during this time is I had so many mentors or, you know, people who had done consulting before or maybe had a different business, but they were kind of independent who were willing to have a virtual coffee with me, who were willing to let me talk out some of my ideas or share, you know, the first version of my website. I remember I sent to a couple people. "Can you test it for me? Are you notice anything, any feedback?"

So, I just wanna give a shout out to them, for all their help and support, 'cause that really just helped me launch in a way that felt strong. Community is really important even if you're, you know, leading things on the, on the business side.

Manny Torto, E&I Podcast Host:

Yeah, that's, that's amazing, so that leads me to my other question. In addition to your mentors, who inspires you or motivates you, or is that something that's more intrinsic for you?

River Ingham, Guest:

Oh, that's great. This is a great question. I think I'm inspired by people out there, whether I know them or not, who are willing to try something different if what they have isn't working for them or they just have a dream in their minds. They wanna put themselves out there and they want to see what can come of that courage, those courageous leaders.

Typically it's been that I found a lot of that courage and also leadership and self awareness and creative thinking in the artist community. This mural behind me is an example of that. These are found all over in Philadelphia in the community. These mosaic tiles and these designs. It just reminds me of the importance of staying present. Even when you're out and about, you can notice things and notice details, and know that someone's responsible for that. And it's bringing joy to someone's day.

And so for me, the artist community, whether that's, that can be any medium, could be music, could be writing poetry, whatever it is, people who access that part of themselves and share that with others. I love that. I love being a part of that in whatever way I can if I'm a patron or I'm supporting or just admiring that. For me, that is really special.

So, beyond mentors, I really look to people who, who wanna create, who want to just be out there in the world doing something a little bit different and challenging their mindset along the way. I can't think of any, like, one person or specific thing, but those qualities are really important to me. I try to also lead with those in my practice.

Manny Torto, E&I Podcast Host:

That's good. It means you're for the people, you know, and I appreciate you shouting out the artist community. As an artist myself, I don't really put myself out there as much as I should, but today was the episode, today was the episode.

Like ever since I got to Clark, people have only been supportive. So, it's like, why not put yourself out there?

And I don't know, I think fighting that fear with confidence and knowing that you have a community to back you is, is just a great feeling.

River Ingham, Guest:

Yes, absolutely a great feeling, right? And seeing like that continue to grow over time as you get more of the community growing behind you, so that's awesome. Keep going, keep going.

Manny Torto, E&I Podcast Host:

So my next question was how can we ensure that as a business, our marketing and branding efforts are inclusive and diverse.

River Ingham, Guest:

Yeah, this is also a great, a great question, and it definitely makes me think about how much has evolved even in the time that I've been working in marketing and communications.

So, for example, podcasts. This is the first time I'm a podcast guest, which is great, but I listen to them. I've helped senior leaders, prep for podcast opportunities, things like that. It just feels like things are changing and evolving so rapidly.

And I think along with the technology, remaining inclusive is also understanding, like, the word include. How can we make sure that this is accessible to folx and that it makes sense to lead in a certain direction. That we're asking the right questions throughout the process, throughout the project, throughout whatever it is that we're working on.

We're not just worried about the final product and how it might look from an external perspective, but we're understanding how to design things, meaning design, it doesn't have to be a visual, it can be how a decision making process is designed, right, that feels equitable, things like that.

It's really looking from ideation to a launch, for example, and understanding all the moving parts and really making sure that you're being thoughtful, you're obviously using equity principles and that you're working with people who can reflect and maybe have that lived experience and you can make sure that they're part of whatever you're creating and putting out there.

Also I feel like inclusive campaigns and inclusive marketing communication require having those conversations in that dialogue. So all those things I said, even with the best of intentions, maybe you put something out there and the community is responding to it and you wanna be able to take those concerns or, you know, whatever feedback it is and, and do better than next time.

So, it's not just about producing and in isolation, right? Like I said, like that community aspect is really important and making sure that people feel seen and heard, you know, it should be a baseline, it should be a foundational thing. It isn't always, but I just think we can always do better and we can always be active listeners.

Manny Torto, E&I Podcast Host:

That's wonderful. Right now we've been trying to do more of these things where it's like, after all your wisdom is out there, we take a little pause just so our listeners can soak it in. So to everybody listening, that was some heat, that was some wisdom right there. You need to make your community feel heard and seen. And if that also means like constantly revising with them.

If there's an idea that you might not have the experience to back it up, you know, ask the people who you want to involve in this. Get their opinion. And that doesn't just mean get their opinion wants and be like, okay, now you got it. Keep constantly revising. Go back to them. So, I love that message.

River Ingham, Guest:

Thank you. Well, absolutely, so critical to build those relationships, right? And make sure that they are strong and they are earned, you know, that trust and that relationship is earned.

Manny Torto, E&I Podcast Host:

Alright, so I know that you're also a mental health advocate so could you dive deeper into that and possibly give any suggestions to entrepreneurs who are finding it hard to manage that?

River Ingham, Guest:

I love this question because they are so closely tied together, how we navigate our professional lives and our personal lives and how we take care of ourselves. It really, it's all part of the package.

Yes, I've been a mental health advocate for over a decade now. I, um, have been closely affiliated with NAMI which is the National Alliance on Mental Illness. They have a national organization but also state chapters who do specific programming and workshops and trainings.

I've been a part of some of their fundraising efforts in the past, um, with their NAMI Walks, which is fundraising and advocacy days that they host, which is great.

But I would say that it's a buzzword, I guess, right now when people are always talking about self-care. But I think it really starts with thinking about what your needs are in a workplace, what those accommodations might be. The onus isn't on the individual, but it is good to kind of understand maybe where you're at and what's best for you and how workplace or company culture can align with that.

The responsibility really is on the organizations to take care of employees. Or if you're working in a, in a client space, you know, the clients are meeting your needs and respect whatever boundaries you put in places as a consultant, whether that's time management or other pieces that will help you do the work efficiently and effectively, but also, you know, to where you're not feeling burnt out.

I think we all have that phase, you know, depending on how long you've been working If you've felt burnt out or even if you haven't, you might know someone, a colleague or even in school, right with, with classes and homework and balancing so many things. I just wanna encourage anyone NAMI is one resource, but there's lots of resources. I'm sure Clark has campus resources, just don't be afraid to access any help or support you might need from your community.

I think that having those ties to community can help when, when you're feeling isolated or overwhelmed or stressed at any point. And ultimately, like, the places we work and learn, it should be enjoyable, right? Maybe not all the time, but you should feel respected and nurtured and supported in those settings.

And so just know it's not too much to ask to have those qualities in the places you live, work, study, you know, whatever that is. And NAMI is great, they have plenty, like I said of resources online. That's great about digital, right? There's so many things that are accessible in that way.

But also let's remember to watch out for each other too when we can, and, you know, just to continue to be good advocates and allies for each other. Maybe when we see, see someone, who might need an extra layer of support in a given moment.

Manny Torto, E&I Podcast Host:

I feel like it all comes down to that golden rule of just like treating others how you wanna be treated. But the same time realizing that if I'm willing to treat others like this, I can also accept help from others as well. So I love that.

River Ingham, Guest:

Yep, it starts with, with us and what we put out there, right? And trying to always just remain kind and, you know, knowing that we can all do better when we have people around us who, who are there on that journey.

Manny Torto, E&I Podcast Host:

This is the first time I'm clapping in the podcast, this is great. Thank you for spending time with us. Any other thoughts that you'd like to leave our listeners with?

River Ingham, Guest:

I would just say it's a great experience to meet with you and I say this with all sincerity, just see what the next generation of leaders is doing to amplify voices and amplify people's background and lived experiences. And there are new ways to do that.

Like this podcast is one thing and there are so many other things that are going on that make me really inspired and excited about, you know, the future of digital connection and community. You're putting something out there that I feel is really positive.

As we know, you know, the internet can have a lot of different pathways, right? But this is a positive example. And I'm grateful for you putting this together and producing it and leading with that and no doubt you're inspiring others to do the same in different ways. So, it's exciting. Thanks for the opportunity.

Manny Torto, E&I Podcast Host:

Of course, of course, always welcome, always welcome. Thank you so much for joining us, and to our listeners, thank you for listening. And we'll catch you next time on E&I For You and I.

You can check out past seasons of the E&I podcast series and stay tuned as Season 5 episodes develop. Visit the ever-evolving podcast page for more info.