In The ZOUD
In The ZOUD is where we stop avoiding the hard conversations about Equity, Diversity and Inclusion - and start saying the things people usually whisper, avoid, or soften.
Hosted by Sylvia Stevenson, this podcast takes you into the Zone of Uncomfortable Debate - the place where real learning happens, assumptions get exposed, and leadership is tested. No sugar-coating. No corporate gloss. Just direct, meaningful conversations with people who are willing to name the truth about culture, power, race, identity and inequality.
If you’re tired of performative statements, tick-box strategies and safe conversations that change nothing, this is your space. Here, we ask the questions that make people shift in their seats — because that’s where change begins.
Welcome to In The ZOUD — if it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change anything.
In The ZOUD
7 Things My Mother Gave Me: Day 6 - Humility
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In Day 6 of the 7 Things My Mother Gave Me series, I reflect on a Jamaican proverb my mother once used in a moment I will never forget.
“Di higher di monkey climb, di more im expose.” Literally, it means that the higher the monkey climbs, the more it exposes itself.
Behind the saying is a powerful reminder: the higher we rise in life—whether in leadership, visibility, or influence - the more our character becomes visible to others.
In this reflection, I explore how success and opportunity bring not only recognition, but responsibility, and why humility and integrity matter even more the higher we go.
Because sometimes the greatest test of character comes not when we are struggling - but when we are succeeding.
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Until next time, keep leaning into the conversations that matter.
Welcome to day six of this seven-day series, Seven Things My Mother Gave Me. Today's reflection is about humility. Now I will never forget the first time I really heard this saying. As a young teenager, I remember traveling in a van with some friends and family, and my nephew, who is one year older than me, was being kind of loud and disruptive and kind of getting on people's nerves. Suddenly, my mother's voice rang out from the front of the van. She called my nephew's name and declared, the higher the monkey climb, the more em expose. Needless to say, we all understood the message. Literally, it means that the higher the monkey climbs, the more it exposes itself. But what my mother was really teaching us was something much deeper. You see, the higher we rise in life, whether in position, influence, visibility, or success, the more of who we truly are becomes visible to others. You see, people don't just see our achievements, they see our character. I'm reminded of a saying often attributed to John Wooden, who says, ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there. In other words, our skills may open doors for us, but it is our character that determines how we remain in those spaces. Because the higher we go, the more our actions, our values, and the way we treat others become visible. And that connects deeply with the theme of International Women's Day this year, Give to Gain. Because when we use our position with humility, sharing knowledge, opening doors, and lifting others as we rise, the influence we gain becomes something that benefits far more than just ourselves. In that way, the higher we climb, the more we should think about who we're helping to rise with us. Because as my late mother would say, the higher the monkey climb, the more him expose. Come on, let's give to gain.