The Importance of Opening Up The World to New Ideas and Perspectives Featuring Anna DeShawn

Let’s close out Women’s History Month with a bang! In this special episode of The Rutledge Perspective, I am joined by none other than Chicago-born media professional and social entrepreneur, Anna DeShawn! Anna is the Founder & CEO of E3 Radio which is an online radio station playing Queer music & reporting on Queer news with an intersectional lens. She is also the Co-Founder & CEO of The Qube, a podcast production company and curated platform to discover the best music & podcasts by BIPOC & QTPOC creatives.

Anna is determined to ride media into its next era by utilizing online radio streams to tell the stories and play the music that needs to be heard. Having seen the lack of investment in the podcasting space when it comes to people of color, Anna is on a mission to give a voice to the voiceless and share fresh perspectives with the world. As I like to say, Anna gives people not in those communities a safe place to be curious.

Along with her sharing her vision for the future as it pertains to podcasting, Anna also shares with us how she developed a love for media. From growing up admiring Robin Roberts to studying TV production at Drake University and serving different roles on the Tom Joyner Morning Show. Anna’s always been involved in the media production process in one way or another and she isn’t stopping any time soon! However, this episode is much deeper than media production. This show is about someone with multiple marginalized identities standing on the shoulders of those that came before her and sharing different perspectives with hopes to open people’s minds and push society forward.

Learn more about Anna’s work here.

Follow Anna on social media:
TikTok – https://tiktok.com/@annadeshawn
Instagram – https://instagram.com/annadeshawn
Twitter – https://twitter.com/annadeshawn
Facebook – https://facebook.com/annadeshawn

𝑇𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑦𝑠 📝

🔑 You should be able to be whomever you are wherever you go!
🔑 Culture exists at the intersections. That’s the true beauty of life.
🔑 Take in as many perspectives as possible. Ideas and perspectives are based on someone else’s lived experiences. These perspectives will help you build your own foundation for who you are.

ℍ𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕜 📚

Go listen to The Qube! Here’s a link. Take in some new perspectives.

𝓯𝓾𝓵𝓵 🎧 𝓪𝓷𝓭 📹 𝓪𝓽 🔗 𝓲𝓷 𝓫𝓲𝓸

Be sure to tune in each week for new episodes!

About the Host:

Laurel Rutledge’s human-centered approach, empathy, and understanding of individual needs make her a top-notch personal advisor and women’s leadership coach.

Her care and compassion have made her an indispensable guide for countless women navigating the next phases of their lives and careers. Add to that her intimate knowledge of the HR landscape, and it becomes clear why her HR clients have had such transformative experiences. Just as Rutledge has helped countless others get out of their rut and off of the ledge, so too can she help you.

After receiving her MBA, Laurel moved from accounting and consulting to human resources, driven by a desire to do good in a business environment. It quickly became apparent that the switch had been a good choice — she flourished professionally and became happier, satisfied with the difference she could make through her work.

After a 30-year career, she left the corporate world, but her passion for HR and helping others has only grown. Now, she works one-on-one with clients, leveraging her experience in leadership and personal development to help them get the most of out their lives and careers.

From her beginnings as a consultant at Deloitte to her time as VP of HR at Covestro, Laurel has seen more sides of the business world than most. She’s achieved technical mastery of HR, with a deep knowledge of the rules and regulations that must be followed.

She’s also a people person, perceptive and outgoing, with a sixth sense for helping others to see the difference between what they want and what they need. The culmination of this is in her personal philosophy: “lead with your heart, act with your head.”

Find out more at: https://laurelrutledge.com

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