Answer the Moment - Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Consulting

Why DEI Matters

Organizations who recruit, hire and retain employees from diverse backgrounds are more innovative, profitable, and enjoy more employee satisfaction. Did you know:

Ethnic Diversity

In 2019, organizations in the top quartile for ethnic and cultural diversity outperformed their competitors in the bottom quartile by 36%. [1]

Gender Diversity

Companies with more than 30% women executives were more likely to outperform companies with fewer or no women executives. [1]

Job Satisfaction

Workers who are satisfied with their company's DEI initiatives are happier with their jobs. [2]

About the Founder

Khalilah is a disrupter of dominant cultural norms at start ups, small corporations, consulting firms, VCs, and non-profits. Listed third as one of Mogul's Top 100 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Leaders in 2021, Khalilah has extensive experience and an engaging, no nonsense approach that makes her sought after as a thought leader, facilitator, coach and advisor.

About the Founder

What "Answering the Moment" means in DEI work.

Khalilah is a disrupter of dominant cultural norms at start ups, small corporations, consulting firms, VCs, and non-profits. Listed third as one of Mogul's Top 100 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Leaders in 2021, Khalilah has extensive experience and an engaging, no nonsense approach that makes her sought after as a thought leader, facilitator, coach and advisor.

Led by an appreciation for the rhythms of cultures and people, and the necessity to respect those rhythms, her work as a keynote speaker, mentor, advisory council member, thought leader, and volunteer have offered platforms for sharing actionable inspiration, creating privilege and empowering the brilliance of others. As founder of Answer the Moment, LLC. she partners with many different organizations ready to start their diversity, equity and inclusion journey as a DEI partner bridging capability gaps to create inspiring and engaging cultures that bring the best talent and the best from talent. Her unique approach layers the “how” and “why” we stand the way we do into the “what” of diversity, equity and inclusion.

As managing director and co-founder of Candidly Connecting, she is igniting bold and essential conversations with children and their parents. Through this online platform, parents are equipped with tools, resources, and role models to begin having real dialogue and understand the diverse resilience that enables communities to thrive. With digestible coaching and a dynamic, online community, parents and children can create diversity and inclusion naturally in their daily lives through the power of storytelling.

Khalilah believes in the power that bold conversations have to shift cultures where lived experiences are appreciated and all identities can genuinely flourish.

What I Offer

Services

I offer a full suite of diversity, equity, and inclusion premium services to organize, plan and scale your business, including facilitation, coaching, and consulting.

Guiding Principles

I focus on holistic strategies that allow people to be vulnerable, reflect on the nuances of their behaviors, and ultimately create transformative outcomes.

Expertise

I specialize in creating safe spaces for people to boldly venture into unfamiliar conversations that untap their hidden potential and activate their brilliance.

Talks & Podcasts

Khalilah has extensive experience speaking at conferences and events. She engages with diverse audiences, including non-profit organizations, Fortune 500 companies, universities, start-ups, and the broader public.

Trusted By

What Clients Have Said

“ As a thought leader and a DEI expert, Khalilah not only delivers, but elevates difficult conversations within organizations masterfully by creating learning and exchange opportunities in a psychologically safe environment, while building lasting partnership opportunities.

-Sahar Hariri, CPO of Storybolt

“ Khalilah provided relatable and specific examples of how unconscious bias impacts our day-to-day decisions, and ways we can be more aware and mitigate these biases. The workshops left attendees with concrete actions they can take to be DEI leaders within their individual roles at the firm.

-Jonathan Phillip, Manager of DEI of Grant Thorton

“ Working with Khalilah fundamentally shifted the culture in our organization. Her expertise does not simply check the box for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion conversations - it permeates and shifts the culture. Khalilah is highly adaptable and dynamic, confident in any conversation with any person, and comfortable managing difficult conversations while staying true to the ultimate goal. She's no doubt one of the best in her field.

- Angie Gaffney, Executive Director, IFA Chicago

“ Khalilah is responsive, energetic and non-judgmental in her approach. She ensures that each person feels heard and validated, but she is not afraid to respectfully challenge us as a team or individuals.

-Susan Matejka, Managing Director, HPS Chicago

“ Hearing Khalilah speak about how our experiences shape us more than our achievements was so eye-opening and needed. I left the presentation feeling empowered to connect more meaningfully and intentionally to the experiences I have in my day-to-day and not only in life's big moments.

-KIRSTEN RAMOS, President -Elevate Performance Solutions, Inc.

“ Khalilah is a strategic DEI thought-leader that eloquently connects with audiences in a way that allows them to unlock new learnings centered around diversity, equity, inclusion & belonging topics. Khalilah humanizes DEI concepts so that they are relatable and effectively reach employees where they are in their personal DEI journey.

-Jyl Feliciano, Vice President of Talent and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging 3Q Digital

“ Working with me, we will design an experience of the journey, not just a completion of it.

Let's get to work!

Let's talk about designing a tactical, approachable, and practical strategy that is relevant for you.

First name:

Last name:

Email:

Phone (optional):

How did you hear about me?

If other, please specify:

Tell me about your business and why you're ready to partner.

“Culture is invisible so it's critical to be intentional”

-Khalilah Lyons, Founder

“Culture is invisible so it's critical to be intentional.

-Khalilah Lyons, Founder

Why DEI Matters

Ethnic Diversity

Gender Diversity

Job Satisfaction

What I do

How I Help

About the Founder

What I Offer

Services

Guiding Principles

Expertise

Talks & Podcasts

Trusted By

What Clients Have Said

Let's get to work!