Call Us: (720) 304-3710

Choose The Right Franchise Speaker

Risha Grant

Diversity & Inclusion Expert

Many people who have decided to join the efforts of moving diversity and inclusion forward find themselves asking a familiar question: how can I make a difference in this area? Franchisees are likely to follow this line of thinking due to their inability to make large sweeping changes to the franchise structure. It can be easy for a franchisee to feel like their locus of control allows little room for making a significant impact. Companies are full of problems that seem beyond the ability of one franchisee to solve. Can one person truly stop the harmful practices of racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and gender intolerance? Yes.

A franchisee may not change white-washed marketing materials, biased company policies, binary bathrooms, or costly price points. But a franchisee can practice awareness of unconscious bias. They can make sure they are actively hiring diverse employees. They can ensure that every customer who walks through their door feels welcomed by a smile. They can demand a racist or homophobic customer leave when he/she/ they act in ways that are harmful to diverse staff and customers. One franchisee can do a lot in a world that consistently makes diverse people feel unwelcome and rejected. They have the power to create a safe environment in the communities they serve.

In Permission Granted: Get Rid of the BS Risha shows franchisees how to eliminate their unconscious biases and connect their franchise culture. Through her simple 3-step process, Risha empowers individual employees to identify, own and confront their biases so that they can engage with co-workers and customers in ways that increase team morale, improve customer satisfaction, and add diverse dollars to the bottom line. Risha’s presentations will help attendees tackle tough topics in a manner that feels safe, informative, and rewarding.

Risha Grant’s Demo Reel

Travels From:

Tulsa, OK

Fee Range:

Keynote Live & Virtual:
$20,000 – $27,500

Favorite Food:

Mashed Potatoes

Risha Grant's Bio

Motivated by her passion to correct societal isms like racism, sexism, classism and plain old stupidism, it is Risha’s personal mission to expose the value of Diversity & Inclusion while shining a light on the economic impact it creates. From her race, gender and lifestyle choices, to growing a small business and tackling economic issues, every area of her life intersects diversity.

Founder & CEO of Risha Grant LLC, an award-winning diversity consulting and communications firm, as well as an edgy, educational and motivational speaker, author Risha Grant is an internationally renowned diversity, inclusion and bias expert. She covers these topics as NBC KJRH’s community correspondent and host of the Risha Talks series. Through her Tulsa World column, Risha Talks and as a contributor to Black Enterprise Magazine, she has motivated and educated numerous corporations, associations, and universities. In her book, That’s BS! How Bias Synapse Disrupts Inclusive Cultures and the Power to Attract Diverse Markets and her corresponding “BS” Video Series, Risha has led audiences to new places of respect and understanding. These audiences have included Discover Card Financial Services, Samsung Electronics America, Cox Communications, Wells Fargo, USAA Diversified Financial Group, Boy Scouts of America, U.S. Airforce, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder, University of Oklahoma and Roger Williams University, to name a few.

She has been featured in Forbes, The Financial Times, Off Script, Bloomberg Media, Black Enterprise, Engage Magazine, Radioactive Radio, Take the Lead Radio, The Dream Catcher podcast, Money for Life podcast, DJC Oregon Newspaper, The Kansas City Star, WUSA-TV, KVUE-TV, KTLU-TV, WURD Radio, among other local and national media. Risha has also been awarded numerous honors such as being named a 2019 Top 100 HR Influencer by Engagedly, a 2018 Inclusive Leadership Award Winner and Entrepreneur of the Year in 2017.

Through her interactive keynotes and deep-dive training sessions, Risha teaches and empowers attendees with D&I tools to increase their bottom line and permission to get rid of their BS.

risha-grant-hi-res-2-750x1124px

Partial Client List:

  • BJ’s Restaurant
  • Boy Scouts of America
  • Exelon Corp.
  • National Basketball Association Franchise Team
  • National Mortgage Industry
  • Oklahoma Women’s Leadership Conference for Women in Public Service
  • ONEOK Corporation – Stand Against Racism
  • Rogers William University
  • Sam’s Club – Women In Leadership
  • Tropical Smoothie Café
  • Urban Financial Services Coalition
  • Wells Fargo
  • "We just completed her session and it was the most well received of our three keynotes, in my opinion. She knocked it out the park. Or, to use a basketball reference, she was draining 3’s all speech long. She did a fabulous job. I truly appreciated her story-telling and transparency. It allowed our team members to connect with her."

    Signet Jewelers/Chief Diversity Officer & SVP NA Field Human Resources
  • “We loved having Risha as our Keynote Speaker for our 2020 Professionals of Color Conference. This year came with a lot of challenges, but Risha and her team made going virtual smooth. Risha’s content challenged the cultural norms and we appreciated her openly speaking her truth and experiences.”

    Amway
  • “Nestle Purina’s Women Leaders Forum invited Risha Grant to lead a (virtual) presentation to our members in August 2020. Risha’s presentation, Authenticity is Everything, was a candid discussion on how to identify and get rid of our biases so that we can show up as our authentic selves. The feedback from this discussion was overwhelming! Our members appreciated the safe space for discussion, asked thought-provoking questions that Risha answered truthfully, and walked away with tools on how to examine and overcome their own biases. Risha has such a dynamic personality that was felt even through the virtual environment (although I bet seeing her in person is even better!) and a disarming manner that made it easy for us to engage with her. If you’re looking for an energetic, no BS speaker to engage your organization on some tough topics, hire Risha.”

    Nestle Purina Women Leaders Forum/Director of Education and Programing
  • "D&I is hard work because we humans are complicated. The bottom line is, when you need an extraordinary facilitator--who is clear-eyed, compassionate, and unafraid to work on implicit bias—call Risha. She steered the conversation to illustrate the unacknowledged, unaware white privilege that was underneath many of the exchanges among the participants, yet always created an environment of safety. Risha is uniquely equipped to lead your people forward into better territory where everybody wins."

    Behavioral Health Service and Student Counseling and Mental Health Service, Harvard University/Manager
  • “Risha Grant did an amazing job at our virtual leader offsite. She provided an entertaining, compelling and informative discussion on the power of Diversity and Inclusion. Risha left us with many tools and provocations in our own journey to be better stewards of Diversity and Inclusion. I highly recommend Risha as a speaker. Thanks to Risha for providing the highlight of our session!”

    ProConnect Group, Intuit, Inc./General Manager
  • "I want to say a HUGE thank you to our bureau team and to Risha Grant. Risha's talk was so impactful and we have received tons of positive feedback from our team. Risha was warm, engaging, and honest with our group. She wasn't afraid to address many of the challenging topics facing our nation's businesses and our social groups when it comes to diversity, equity & inclusion. Risha was genuine and relatable to our fully distributed team across 41 states. I highly recommend booking Risha for a virtual keynote. She truly is such a gift and we are grateful for the opportunity to have her speak with our team."

    Ad Hoc/Staff Support Specialist
  • “Risha provided an excellent presentation that had record attendance - with some of the highest evaluations ever. Risha’s presentation teed up a critical conversation for our membership, one that we plan on continuing. Thank you for helping make it a success.”

    IFEBP/CEO
  • “Risha was wonderful today! She received a standing ovation and was the perfect speaker to wrap up our conference!”

    The Bridge Conference - The Direct Marketing Association of Washington/Senior Project Manager

Risha Grant Keynotes

Permission: Granted - Get Rid of Your BS (Live or Virtual)

Whether implicit or conscious, bias is the number one threat to humanity and any company’s success. If your company’s goal is to create cohesiveness within your organization, increase revenue, be innovative and/or elevate your reputation-the bias in your workforce and community is a roadblock. You know the problem. Permission: Granted is your answer.

Throughout this session, Risha allows attendees to express their biases, while giving them easily applicable tools to get over them, however screwed up they may be. Although diversity can often be an uncomfortable topic, Risha’s approach helps attendees to understand the concept, without feeling bored or judged.

Attendees will leave this keynote understanding:

  • An understanding of Diversity & Inclusion
  • A thorough awareness of biases
  • A realization of how biases originated
  • A recognition of the symptoms and results of bias
  • Tools to address bias internally and externally
  • Tips to navigate bias in the workplace
Permission: Granted - Build an Inclusive Culture (Live or Virtual)

Building an inclusive culture is imperative to business success. Learn the keys to creating a culture that welcomes all employees, boosts retention and productivity. During this talk, Risha shares applicable tips and strategies to take your company’s culture to the next level.

Attendees will leave this keynote understanding:

  • Keys to attract and retain top diverse talent
  • Strategies to showcase how an inclusive culture provides a competitive advantage
  • Stuff she thinks is important (that you should write down) as you establish your inclusive culture
Permission: Granted - Attract Diverse Markets (Live or Virtual)

Companies need to know how to get diverse customers to buy their products and services. Why?

Because business sustainability, competitive advantage, a constantly changing economy and trillions in buying power. During this session, Risha will share with attendees the keys to effectively engage various diverse groups and provide them with tips to increase their bottom line.

Attendees will leave this keynote understanding:

  • Create a successful diversity communications plan of action
  • Communicate to diverse audiences
  • Market to diverse groups vs. mainstream audiences

Additional Resources

Contact Us

We're not around right now. But you can send us an email and we'll get back to you, asap.

Start typing and press Enter to search