Black Maternal Inequality Is Rampant. 4 Ways Workplaces Can Support Black Families.
Nika White • April 10, 2023
It’s Black Maternal Wellness Week
Band it’s about time we talk about the ways Black women and families experience maternal inequality inside and outside of the workplace. Black women are disproportionately subjected to fertility and healthcare injustice that most organizations aren’t aware of.
In 2020, the maternal mortality rate for Black women was 3 times
higher than for White women in the United States. Many factors
contribute to these disparities such as structural racism, implicit bias from healthcare workers, and underlying chronic conditions.
Workplaces have an opportunity to go above and beyond to support Black families with adequate parental leave, mental health resources, and other benefits to not only combat internal workplace inequality but to also support those who are experiencing childbirth complications that affect their performance in the workplace.
Whether your organization wants to attract more Black workers or maintain and support the ones you have, consider offering the following maternal wellness support to Black mothers and families.
Believe Black Women
First and foremost, when Black women tell you they’re experiencing microaggressions in the workplace or they’ve encountered bias from providers when they needed medical care, believe them. All too often, Black women are gaslit on a number of issues from seeking maternal healthcare to expressing grievances about unequal treatment. The consequence of not believing Black women can not only be detrimental to their health but also to their unborn children.
Gaslighting and dismissing Black women about their lived experiences in the workplace and when navigating the medical system is not helpful. In fact, gaslighting can bring about feelings of institutional betrayal, a phenomenon where an organization's words don’t match its actions and consequently create a sense of betrayal and feelings of lack of safety for Black individuals.
Believing Black women when they say something isn’t right in the workplace or when seeking maternal care is essential to curbing death disparities and encouraging healthier and happier families.
Offer paid family leave and bereavement benefits that include child loss
In the event that a Black family is expecting soon, make sure your organization has parental leave that supports both the mother and father during this time.
Parental leave shouldn’t just apply to one gender—it should be available to all parents. Offering genderless paternity leave can play a critical role in leveling the playing field for expecting families and giving them the reassurance that their employers have their back on this issue. In a country where racial and ethnic minorities are more likely to be uninsured, offering basic parental leave can be a powerful way to support Black families in your organization.
In the case of child loss, families should have bereavement coverage which includes the loss of a child. Grief resulting from child loss can look a number of ways and may extend into a loss of identity, self-sufficiency, or opportunities at work.
Ensuring that bereavement is easy to access for Black families who have lost a child can be crucial in allowing them to grieve without subjecting them to the additional trauma of a loss of financial resources.
Support affinity groups for working parents and those who have experienced child loss
Since maternal health issues are so personal, it can feel affirming for parents and expecting families to participate in an affinity group with strong support from the organization. Affinity groups are a way for folks with common challenges to come together in a safe space where they can engage in open dialogue that helps each member to process, grieve, and feel affirmed.
It’s vital for Black families to have a space where they can discuss certain health issues within the community and not feel so alone. Many Black women experience maternal health issues that are different than their White counterparts. For example, Black women are more prone to infertility, stillbirths, and uterine fibroids. Topics that may be best discussed with those who understand their situation.
Whether an organization feels financially prepared or well-staffed enough to address this need internally or not, even a small affinity group can have a large impact. Simply providing a physical space and consistent time for groups to organize and meet is a meaningful way to demonstrate support to Black families struggling with maternal health issues.
Offer postpartum mental health support
Even after weeks of parental leave, some Black women still may not feel like “themselves” when they return to work. They could be experiencing postpartum mental health issues that affect their presence and performance in the workplace.
Offer postpartum mental health support
Even after weeks of parental leave, some Black women still may not feel like “themselves” when they return to work. They could be experiencing postpartum mental health issues that affect their presence and performance in the workplace.
One study showed that Black mothers are more likely
to suffer from mood and anxiety disorders like postpartum depression and do so in silence without clinical help. Mental disorders can leave some Black mothers especially vulnerable and in need of support as they return to work and effectively manage their work-life balance (or work-life blend as I call it).
Consider offering postpartum mental health resources for all families, but especially Black families. This can look like choosing a health insurance provider that covers visits to therapists or offering therapist visits as a separate perk to accompany traditional health coverage.
Even though thousands of Black women experience mental health issues after giving birth, the stigma in Black communities towards seeking therapists can deter many from getting the help they need. Employers have an opportunity to support the transition from new parenthood to returning to work by offering mental health benefits that truly support Black families.
Final thoughts
Although Black maternal health doesn’t seem like an issue that organizations should have on their radars, it truly is. As racial diversity increases in the workplace, more employers and non-Black employees will work alongside Black families who may be experiencing these issues.
They are going to build relationships with Black families and may even go to each other’s familial events. Having a keen awareness of Black maternity disparities can demonstrate cultural competence and create a safer space for Black families.
Filling in the gaps of health disparities and doing one's part to curb them helps Black workers feel supported in the workplace and can help them better transition between taking time for parental leave and returning to work successfully.
Forgetting to offer mindful resources to support Black families is a mistake that can cost businesses healthy and happy workers who need additional support during trying times. I encourage organizations to go above and beyond to provide better resources for Black women and families. The result can help attract and maintain a diverse workforce and ensure they show up happier and more present in the workplace.
Final thoughts
Although Black maternal health doesn’t seem like an issue that organizations should have on their radars, it truly is. As racial diversity increases in the workplace, more employers and non-Black employees will work alongside Black families who may be experiencing these issues.
They are going to build relationships with Black families and may even go to each other’s familial events. Having a keen awareness of Black maternity disparities can demonstrate cultural competence and create a safer space for Black families.
Filling in the gaps of health disparities and doing one's part to curb them helps Black workers feel supported in the workplace and can help them better transition between taking time for parental leave and returning to work successfully.
Forgetting to offer mindful resources to support Black families is a mistake that can cost businesses healthy and happy workers who need additional support during trying times. I encourage organizations to go above and beyond to provide better resources for Black women and families. The result can help attract and maintain a diverse workforce and ensure they show up happier and more present in the workplace.
High-capacity leaders often step in before others struggle. They refine the message. They fix the slide. They solve the problem before it fully forms. The intention is almost always supportive. But the impact accumulates differently. When leaders consistently intervene early, teams stop developing judgment. Initiative declines. And the leader’s workload increases—not because the team lacks ability, but because the team lacks ownership. Control rarely announces itself as control. It appears helpful. Earlier in The Human Shift, Capacity Is Not Infinite , we discussed capacity as information. Control is often a response to leaders sensing the system might falter and unconsciously compensating. The leader becomes the stabilizer. And stabilizers eventually become exhausted. Reframe Support strengthens capability. Preemption weakens it. One Grounded Practice The next time a team member brings you a solvable problem, pause before offering a solution and ask: “What options are you considering?” Then wait. Do not refine immediately. Do not redirect quickly. Allow their thinking to complete before yours begins. Leadership capacity grows when others experience themselves as capable. Closing Reflection Where might your helpfulness be preventing someone else’s development? Contextual Depth Signal In organizational advisory work, many leadership bottlenecks are not skill issues but ownership issues. When leaders shift from solving to supporting thinking, both performance and energy improve. In the shift, Dr. Nika White P.S. Where do you feel most necessary right now—and is it because of structure or habit?
Many leaders live in a state of readiness they no longer notice. They check messages before standing up in the morning. They anticipate disagreement before a conversation begins. They prepare responses before anyone finishes speaking. At first, this feels like responsibility. Over time, it becomes physiology. The body learns to expect interruption, so it stops settling. Attention shortens. Everything begins to feel slightly time-sensitive—even when it isn’t. This isn’t only about workload. It’s about nervous system posture. Earlier in The Human Shift, The Shift from Bracing to Grounding , we explored bracing—the body preparing to endure pressure. Constant readiness is a quieter version of the same pattern. Leaders aren’t reacting to the present demand. They’re reacting to a predicted one. And prediction changes perception. When leaders remain perpetually ready, they begin interpreting more situations as urgent than they actually are. Conversations compress. Listening becomes strategic instead of receptive. Discernment narrows. Reframe Urgency is not always information. Sometimes it is anticipation that the body hasn’t updated yet. One Grounded Practice Today, before responding to a non-emergency message or request, pause for one full breath cycle. Not to delay action. To confirm necessity. Notice: • Did the situation actually require speed? • Or did your body simply expect it? Grounding begins by distinguishing immediacy from importance. Closing Reflection Where in your leadership are you responding to expectation rather than reality? Contextual Depth Signal In my coaching work, leaders often discover their decision fatigue is less about volume and more about constant readiness. When urgency is recalibrated, clarity returns quickly—without reducing responsibility. In the shift, Dr. Nika White P.S. What in your work currently feels urgent—and what might simply be asking for your presence?
Inclusion Isn’t Exhausting—Disconnection Is: Why fatigue around inclusion often signals something deeper than disagreement When people say they’re tired of inclusion work, they are rarely describing values. They are describing an experience. Often it sounds like resistance on the surface. But beneath it, something more specific is happening: Disconnection from meaning. From impact. From each other. Sometimes from themselves. Inclusion becomes exhausting when it is treated as an initiative rather than an environment. When language expands but daily experience doesn’t change. When expectations increase faster than people’s capacity to understand or embody them. The effort then feels performative instead of relational. Earlier in The Human Shift, Culture Is What People Carry Home We explored how inclusion fatigue often emerges when people cannot locate inclusion in lived interactions—only in messaging. Without experience, even well-intended work begins to feel like compliance. The fatigue isn’t coming from caring too much. It’s coming from not knowing where caring actually lands. Reframe Fatigue is not a failure of values. It is a signal of misalignment. And misalignment does not ask for abandonment. It asks for reconnection. One Grounded Practice Instead of asking, “How do we do inclusion better?” ask: “Where are people most disconnected right now?” Listen specifically for: moments people feel unseen moments people feel cautious speaking moments effort does not match impact This shifts the conversation from strategy to experience—and experience is where inclusion either exists or does not. Closing Reflection If inclusion were measured by everyday interactions instead of organizational intention, what would you notice first? Contextual Depth Signal In my equity and leadership advisory work, organizations often regain momentum not by adding new initiatives but by reconnecting daily behavior with stated purpose. When inclusion becomes experiential rather than instructional, energy returns quickly. In the shift, Dr. Nika White P.S. Where in your environment right now does inclusion feel most like a requirement—and where does it feel like belonging?
Under pressure, leaders tell stories quickly. About intent. About risk. About who can be trusted. About what’s possible. These stories shape behavior long before policies or plans do. Often, they go unexamined solidifying into assumptions that guide decisions and culture quietly. Reframe Stories don’t just explain reality. They create it. Especially in moments of uncertainty. One Grounded Practice The next time tension rises, ask: “What story am I telling myself right now—and what story might someone else be telling?” This question opens space for curiosity instead of certainty. Closing Reflection What story is guiding your leadership right now—and does it still serve? Contextual Depth Signal Working with leadership narratives (especially under pressure) is a core part of my coaching and facilitation work. When stories shift, behavior often follows. In the shift, Dr. Nika White
Many leaders associate accountability with discomfort—and assume that discomfort is necessary for change. But there’s a difference between discomfort that leads to growth and shame that leads to withdrawal. Shame narrows attention. It triggers defensiveness. It interrupts learning. And yet, many accountability practices rely on it—often unintentionally. True accountability doesn’t require humiliation or fear. It requires clarity, dignity, and repair. Reframe Accountability is not about control. It’s about alignment. And alignment happens best when people feel safe enough to stay present. One Grounded Practice Before offering feedback, pause and ask: “Is my goal correction, or connection that allows correction to land?” This shift often changes: Tone Timing Impact Accountability rooted in dignity sustains trust rather than eroding it. Closing Reflection Where might accountability become more effective if shame were removed from the equation? Contextual Depth Signal This distinction is foundational in how I support leaders navigating performance and culture. Accountability without shame strengthens trust and resilience—especially in moments that matter most. In the shift, Dr. Nika White
Culture doesn’t end when the meeting does. It lingers in the body long after the workday is over showing up in dinner conversations, sleep patterns, patience levels, and the quiet exhaustion people struggle to name. We often talk about culture in abstract terms: values, engagement, and belonging. But culture is experienced somatically. It’s how it feels to speak up. How it feels to make a mistake. How it feels to be seen—or overlooked. When work consistently requires people to brace, perform, or self-monitor, the cost doesn’t stay at work. It travels home with them. Reframe Culture is not what organizations intend. It’s what people absorb. And what people absorb shapes how they show up everywhere else. One Grounded Practice Ask yourself: “How do people likely feel at the end of a typical workday with me?” Not how you hope they feel. Not what the values statement says. What their nervous system might carry. This question alone can shift how leaders present themselves in small but meaningful ways. Closing Reflection What might change if culture was measured by what people carry home, not what’s written on the wall? Contextual Depth Signal This lens (culture as lived experience) is central to my work with organizations. When leaders begin here, culture change becomes less performative and far more honest. In the shift, Dr. Nika White
Before leaders articulate misalignment, the body often registers it first. Sleep disruptions. Tightness before meetings. A low-grade fatigue that doesn’t resolve with rest. These are not failures of resilience. They are signals of adaptation. The nervous system is constantly scanning for safety, threat, and load. When demands exceed capacity, the body adjusts—sometimes through tension, sometimes through withdrawal, sometimes through control. Leadership cultures that reward composure often train people to override these signals. But ignoring the body doesn’t eliminate its intelligence. It just delays the cost. Reframe The body is not an obstacle to leadership. It’s an early warning system. Leaders who learn to listen sooner tend to retain more choices later. One Grounded Practice Once a day, pause and ask: “What sensation is most present in my body right now?” No analysis. No fixing. Just notice. This simple practice builds the muscle of attunement, allowing leaders to respond to strain before it hardens into burnout or reactivity. Closing Reflection What has your body been signaling that your mind has been negotiating with? Contextual Depth Signal This work (helping leaders recognize and respond to bodily signals) is central to how I support sustainable leadership. When leaders trust this form of intelligence, decision-making becomes clearer and cultures become more humane. In the shift, Dr. Nika White
High-capacity leaders are often rewarded for stretching. Carrying more responsibility. Absorbing more tension. Operating as the stabilizer when systems feel strained. Over time, this becomes identity: I ’m the one who can handle it. But capacity is not limitless and treating it as such eventually erodes judgment, creativity, and relational presence. Honoring capacity is not about doing less; it's about doing more. It’s about leading sustainably. When leaders ignore capacity signals, they don’t just risk burnout; they lose access to discernment. Decisions become reactive. Boundaries blur. The work begins to feel heavier than it should. Reframe Capacity is not a measure of worth. It’s information. And leaders who listen to it lead longer and better. One Grounded Practice This week, experiment with this question: “If I were stewarding my capacity—not spending it—what would change here?” Notice: • Where you’re saying yes by default • Where rest is postponed rather than planned • Where responsibility has quietly become self-abandonment Stewardship is a leadership practice, not a personal failure. Closing Reflection What is your capacity asking of you right now? Contextual Depth Signal In my leadership programs and advisory work, capacity stewardship is treated as a strategic skill—not a personal preference. Leaders who learn to work with capacity create more resilient teams and more humane outcomes. In the shift, Dr. Nika White
Bracing is one of the most common and least discussed leadership patterns I see. It shows up quietly: A tightening in the chest before a meeting... A subtle urgency in decision-making... A readiness to withstand rather than to engage... Most leaders don’t recognize bracing as something they’re doing. They experience it as who they need to be in order to perform. Bracing becomes synonymous with responsibility, strength, and composure. And yet, bracing is not a leadership trait. It’s a nervous system response. Bracing is what happens when the body senses pressure and prepares to endure it. It’s adaptive. Intelligent. Protective. Especially for leaders who operate in high-stakes environments where mistakes feel costly and steadiness is expected. The problem isn’t bracing itself. The problem is living there. Grounding is the shift that allows leaders to remain connected to themselves while meeting the moment. It doesn’t reduce standards or urgency. It changes how those standards are held. When leaders are grounded: Authority feels embodied, not force Decisions include more discernment and less reactivity Others experience safety without the leader having to perform calm Reframe Bracing narrows leadership capacity. Grounding expands it. This isn’t about eliminating stress. It’s about not allowing stress to hijack presence. One Grounded Practice This week, notice when you brace—not why. Pay attention to: The moment just before a difficult interaction The impulse to speed up or tighten control Physical cues like shallow breath or jaw tension Instead of correcting it, try this: Place one hand on your body (chest, stomach, or thigh) and slow your exhale by two counts. That’s it. Grounding often begins with the body, not the mind. Closing Reflection Where might grounding serve you better than bracing right now? Contextual Depth Signal This shift—from bracing to grounding—is foundational in my coaching and leadership work. It’s where leaders begin learning how to stay present and authoritative under real pressure, rather than relying on endurance alone. In the shift, Dr. Nika White
Introductory Issue: A New Chapter (Formerly Inclusion Insider) For several years, Inclusion Insider held space for conversations that needed to happen—about equity, access, belonging, and accountability at work. That work mattered.
And the world kept moving. What I’ve observed—across boardrooms, leadership teams, workplaces, and communities—is that the challenges leaders are facing now require more than language, policies, or frameworks alone. They require presence. Regulation. Discernment. A deeper understanding of what it means to remain human amidst accelerating change and frequent disruption. The Human Shift reflects the work I’m committed to now. This is not a departure from inclusion.
It is an evolution of it. What This Shift Is About We are living through an era of relentless technological acceleration, heightened expectations, increased pace, and mounting pressure. Strategy is abundant. Information is endless. What’s often missing is the capacity to move through change without bracing, numbing, or losing ourselves. The Human Shift exists to slow the moment just enough to ask better questions. Here, we explore: Leadership through the nervous system Culture through lived experience, not slogans Storytelling as a force for meaning, trust, and change The future of work through a human—not extractive—lens This is a space for sense-making, not soundbites.
For integration, not urgency.
For intentional shifts that actually endure. The Human Shift: A Manifesto We are not short on ambition.
We are short on regulation. We are not lacking tools.
We are lacking the capacity to use them wisely under pressure. The Human Shift is for leaders who understand that performance without presence is unsustainable. That culture without connection is brittle. That progress without humanity costs more than it gives. Here, emotional regulation is treated as leadership capacity.
Storytelling is treated as infrastructure.
Humanity is treated as a strategic advantage—not a soft add-on. This work honors the truth that the future will not be shaped by those who move the fastest. It will be shaped by those who can remain human while everything moves. That is the shift. What to Expect Here Each issue will offer: A grounded reflection on leadership, culture, or change Insight rooted in lived experience, not performance Language for what many feel but haven’t named Space to reflect—without pressure to “fix” or optimize Some weeks will feel reflective. Others will feel challenging. All are intended to support intentional movement rather than reactive motion. A Closing Reflection If you’ve felt the tension between who you’re expected to be and who you actually are at work…
If you’ve sensed that the next level of leadership requires less force and more presence…
If you’re curious about what becomes possible when we stop bracing and start grounding— You’re in the right place. This shift doesn’t happen all at once.
It happens one intentional shift at a time. In the shift,
Dr. Nika White
