Storytelling as Resistance: Finding and Using Your Voice with Janice Gassam Asare, PhD

Your story is not just your story. It's part of a larger narrative about whose voices are heard and whose are erased.

I’m thrilled to have Janice Gassam Asare back on the podcast. She's an organizational psychologist, equity consultant, and author of the new book Rise and Resist - and this conversation went places I didn't expect.

What struck me most is how Janice reframes resistance. Not as something dramatic or career-ending, but as the small, daily choices we make: amplifying someone else's idea in a meeting, speaking up when it's uncomfortable, refusing to let an important story quietly disappear. Those aren't small acts. They're how culture actually changes.

We also get into what it takes to develop your voice when you've spent years being rewarded for staying in your lane. If that hits close to home, this episode is for you.

Janice and I talk about:

• Why storytelling is preservation and power, not just communication
• How personal stories build connection that expertise alone never can
• The everyday acts of resistance that shape workplaces and culture more than we realize
• How to find your voice when you were taught not to rock the boat
• What to do when you speak up and face criticism or pushback for it

About My Guest: Janice Z. Gassam Asare, Ph.D. is a Ph.D.-trained organizational psychologist and the founder of BWG Business Solutions, an award-winning consultancy designed to help organizations create cultures built on equity. Dr. Janice provides consultations, facilitates workshops, provides guidance, delivers keynote speeches and “Awareness Talks” to spark important dialogue about equity in the workplace. Dr. Janice has had the opportunity to collaborate with Google, Amazon, Yale University, Nordstrom, H&M, and Paypal/Venmo among many others. Dr. Janice is the author of three best-selling books, including her latest “Rise and Resist: How to Reclaim Workplace Equity and Justice” coming in February 2026. She is a senior contributing writer for Forbes having authored over 500 articles, a Harvard Business Review contributor, a LinkedIn Learning and Udemy Business instructor and EBSCO Learning facilitator. In 2022, Dr. Janice was recognized as a LinkedIn #1 Top Voice in Racial Equity. In 2023 she was recognized by Gusto as one of the 25 Top Workplace Experts to Follow. She is a 2-time TEDx speaker, the host of the Dirty Diversity podcast and an adjunct professor at Columbia University. During her free time, Dr. Janice enjoys volunteering as a job coach for the Coalition for the Homeless.

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/461/

Janice’s website: https://www.drjanicegassam.com/

Get Janice’s new book “Rise and Resist: How to Reclaim Workplace Equity and Justice”: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/808352/rise-and-resist-by-janice-gassam-asare-phd/

Forbes article by Janice: “How Carol Cox Is Helping Women Speakers Get Paid What They Deserve” = https://www.forbes.com/sites/janicegassam/2019/12/01/how-carol-cox-is-helping-women-speakers-get-paid-what-they-deserve/#1f5c3921533f

Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/

Apply for our Thought Leader Academy = https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/

Connect on LinkedIn:

• Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox
• Janice Gassam Asare (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/janicegassamphd/

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 156: Visibility Strategies That Get You Noticed with Janice Gassam
• Episode 257: Writing a Book Gives Your Ideas Depth and Longevity with Tiffany Hawk
• Episode 378: The Power of Women's Voices and Stories to Change the World with Carol Cox