Meet Dr. Thomas RaShad Easley

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dr. Thomas RaShad Easley a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Dr. Thomas RaShad, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
I use my life experiences to guide my creativity, because what I go through, creates thoughts and ideas. Those thoughts and ideas, I turn into articles, songs, stories, and curricula. Music is my primary artistic outlet and I fortunately, have set up an official label with artists and producers. The wonderful thing about working with these artists and producers is that they are my friends. Seriously, doing business with my friends has been a blessing! Through my relationships and my engagements, my creativity is stimulated. Through my relationships, I can be accountable in my business with them, and I can be free because I want to be, but they also accept what I create. Save your life music is what we call our style of lyricism and music.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I have been described by my friends and clients as a “renaissance man.” They say this because I teach, I have been an administrator, and I make music. By day I lead a consulting firm that focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, leadership growth and development, and organization cultural shifts. I am also a forester. By night I am making music and content. Before all of this, I am hip hop. Therefore, as a trombonist that has been playing since childhood, and an artist that has been creating music professionally since 2008, I pull on my experiences that inform what I do. It’s nothing for me to watch a news story, have a conversation with a friend or family member, then perhaps connect this situation to a historical event, and close by using an equity lens to surmise my thoughts. That’s the upload.
Potentially, in a few days, hours or minutes, the download is a poem or a song. This excites me because just as I support those artists that inspired me, I now create art for a great support base. My music label, just created and released a project entitled, D.E.I. On this project the songs are all about an aspect of diversity, like race, age, gender identity, place of origin, orientation, and profession. The music is composed by me, and our three producers on the Branch, DJ Green, Joe Tea the Producer and JS20000. Easley Branch, LLC is where we create our music, but we also host a podcast called “Heartwood” that we co-lead with Yale University’s School of the Environment, through student leadership.

Then as an author that is also a consultant, my book is entitled Mind Heart for Diversity, where I explain how I have been successful in university settings, to grow and sustain DEI efforts that lead to cultural shifts within the organization. The name of my firm is Mind Heart for Diversity, LLC.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I learned to adapt in my surroundings and be aware of how I am representing myself when I am in public. Being able to adapt, means you become easier to work with, and easier to accommodate when you need things to change. Achieving success in the conditions you end up in creates a since of confidence and gives one a path to reflect on when you feel negative or are struggling with Self-doubt. Know how to communicate your ideas and learn to write them down. Communication means, you can bring others into your vision. Being able to clearly write your ideas, makes it easier for others to promote your vision. Knowing how to show up and being aware of how you are feeling is a great skill, because as circumstances change that are out of your control, you manage yourself, and move with the flow. Know how to assert yourself without burning bridges if it is appropriate. People many times have to learn how to treat you when they meet you. Try your best to enjoy the journey because if you are not enjoying the journey, you may be pursuing the wrong goal(s).

Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?
My ideal client is one that is ready to work and be a part of the process. They are leading the process, by sharing, communicating, and being active in the development process. They are taking ownership of what we are creating. It’s tough when the clients do not take any accountability and responsibility for the process. By night I am making music and content. DEI is not linear and it’s also not complicated. People’s jobs are more complicated than DEI. Therefore, I love when someone or an organization is active in their own development and are developing metrics to hold themselves accountable to their goals. That way, they understand their own growth and they can manage it once we have completed our work.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Evin L. Grant

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