Jonamay Lambert & Associates

Everyone is born with their unique striking beauty. 25-year-old Chelsea Werner from Danville, California was born with  Down syndrome , the most common chromosomal defect (1 in 700 babies) that delays physiological and intellectual development. Chelsea was introduced to gymnastics at the age of four to help her develop strong muscles because most people with Down syndrome suffer from low muscle strength. Chelsea showed remarkable gymnastic talent and later went on to win four Olympic championships in gymnastics. Chelsea has now been recruited as a model by  We Speak , an international fashion agency aimed at encouraging people to love their bodies and never be shamed by the way they are. Werner hopes to be a voice for people born with Down syndrome. The HeartySoul - Read more

Childhood / Junior High Growing up, there was a narrative that I heard time and time again. It began with the damsel in distress story. Then it continued as my older cousins married opposite-sex partners. As I started adolescence, my mom constantly reminded me she expected me to go to college, find the right man, and have her grandchildren.  As a child, all of this made sense because of  heteronormativity . I was attracted to boys, yet a certain part of me wanted to object to these  notions placed upon me by my family and society . The idea of going to prom with or getting married to some man made me uncomfortable.  It wasn’t what I wanted, but it was what the world expected of me. I don’t remember the exact moment when I realized that I liked girls, but I believe I was born the way I am. I do remember having some feelings toward the opposite sex as early as 6th grade, but I repressed them. They were just girl crushes, I told myself, and everyone has...

The Latest in Diversity News  Dorothy Jean "DJ" Tillman earned her bachelor's degree at 12 years old. Next, she hopes to earn a master's in environmental engineering.  Read More Here  #jladiversity 

The following article is adapted from Amy Waninger’s book,  Network Beyond Bias: Making Diversity a Competitive Advantage for Your Career . Is your professional network as diverse as the workforce and community around you? If not, you could be missing important opportunities for your career. We all face challenges in making meaningful connections, especially with people who differ from us in significant ways. Few of us consider the impacts of these missed opportunities. Even fewer know how to recognize and overcome them. Yet we must do so, urgently, if we are to  compete, collaborate and create   in the modern world. The old question for success was “What do you know?”  In the information age, though, we all have access to Google. Knowledge has become a commodity and is taken for granted. What you should be asking yourself instead is  “What you can  do  and  who  do you know?”  In our global, social media-driven, freelancing economy...

We know a corporate speechwriter who refuses to open a speech with a joke. He explains, “Three things can happen when you tell a joke in a speech, and two of them are bad: the audience laughs; no one laughs, or the joke offends the listeners, and you’ve lost all hope of coming across as credible.”  Expert speakers are thorough in researching their audiences, because of the danger of offending people. Sloppy research often results in offensive mistakes. Former Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann kicked off her presidential campaign in her hometown, Waterloo, Minnesota. She said “John Wayne was from Waterloo, Iowa. That’s the kind of spirit that I have, too.” Unfortunately, Waterloo’s was not the actor but the serial killer John Wayne Gacy. Cultural illiteracy is also a common cause. Many people have regretted the use of a wrong word or making rude remarks. This ignorance is more of a problem when it comes to sexual harassment.  There are differences in opinion based on mu...