"You have to be vulnerable. You have to put yourself out there. You have to make mistakes."- Klarrisa Frank
Klarrisa Frank (she/her) identifies as a multiracial, first generation Chinese American who is now an immigrant in the Netherlands. Professionally, Klarrisa is a coach, facilitator, creative, and consultant. In her coaching, bringing in her own background, she enjoys helping ambitious professionals from diverse backgrounds build their visibility and advance their careers.
Meanwhile, she is also expanding her career within the DEI space, bringing her skills of creating (learning) experiences and content strategy, as well as consulting on internal processes.
“DEI professionals are 10 roles in 1. You're the coach, you're the strategist, you are the consoler, you're the counselor, and so much more.” - Vivian Acquah
In this conversation, we talk with Klarrisa about building bridges within ourselves, and between cultures. Klarrisa sees so very clearly that we can be more than one thing. We can have all these diverse backgrounds and experiences and bring them into our work.
“With a multitude of backgrounds, we are all that. We can all be more than one thing.” - Klarrisa Frank
Modeling this for us, Klarrisa herself brings her diverse cultural experiences as well as the combination of her creative and analytical sides. So far she’s brought DEI aspects into her entire career journey, always thinking through a DEI lens. At this point, she’s looking into expanding that in an even more DEI-focused way as a DEI specialist or consultant, working towards a bigger vision and impact.
“You can be a DEI specialist and have that job title, or you can be a content creator who creates content that is inclusive. You can bring all of those things, whichever role you have or choose. And whichever moment you're in.” - Marjolijn Vlug
For Klarrisa, DEI work is about bringing other people onto the bridge to being vulnerable, to be human with us. You have to put yourself out there, be more human, learn and make mistakes and, yeah, build a better world. Better places where we can all feel safe and included, able to be our naturally resourceful, creative, and whole selves.
“Be human, have a growth mindset and learn from mistakes. But also, a very important factor is that being a DEI specialist doesn't make you not biased anymore. You're still imperfect. To uphold DEI professionals in a way that they are perfect or put them on a pedestal where they aren't allowed to make mistakes is a myth. It's definitely a myth” - Vivian Acquah
The expertise that Klarrisa brings to her work includes writing, as one of her core strengths, and creating. She is also great at presence - in terms of the energy and perceptiveness that she brings wherever she goes - and at creating spaces where people, especially in 1-on-1 coaching but also in groups, feel like they can let down some of their armor and lean into being vulnerable. Spaces where people feel, ‘Oh, we can really say what we want to say and be heard.’
Klarrisa weaves the privileges she’s experienced into her work by bringing awareness to the fact that there are systems that hold people back, unrelated to a person’s individual efforts or faults. Naming this can have a significant impact on the individuals that she talks with, and then it creates room to move forward from there.
“How can we interact with that system now that we have that knowledge, now that we acknowledge that it's there, and how we are going to move forward with that?” - Klarrisa Frank
In group settings, Klarrisa’s life experiences have let her develop a good eye for who is not at the table, and who we can include at the table for a particular discussion; a broad eye too, noticing that it can be about a field of knowledge, a gender or racial perspective, or a personality trait like introverted vs extraverted.
"You're not going to leave one thing behind just because you're doing the other thing. You're not going to leave one part of who you are behind just because your job title says something else. You're all those things, whichever role you have or choose, and whichever moment you're in." - Marjolijn Vlug
A big surprise for Klarrisa has been what she experienced in terms of the differences in DEI work and in race as a theme in the US versus Europe. Unfortunately, Klarrisa has had some racist experiences here in the Netherlands that have been unfortunate and harsh. Hearing even very experienced DEI experts in Europe say, ‘Oh, yeah, we don't really talk about race. We’d better talk about culture, or gender, or these other things,’ prompted her to develop a response that aligns with her values. Navigating this has mostly been about finding the right reply: ‘Oh, you don't want to talk about that? Am I'm too American, if I want to bring that up? So, why do you think it's like that? Or do you think it could be this, instead?’
Vivian adds her own observations about the current state of DEI in this geographical and cultural context:
“Here in Europe, I'm seeing less transparency in DEI in terms of, ‘Okay, we started here, we are open about our journey and this is where we want to go,’ because of the lack of data that we have. Yes, the Netherlands is very progressive, but there is a lot happening under water.” - Vivian Acquah
For Klarrisa, what’s next is that she continues to explore the professional space of DEI. She is interested in having more conversations around collaborations and gaining insight into how she can best help in this space. She’s open to making new connections and learning more.
Additionally, she is continually expanding her learning about diversity facets including neurodiversity, physical disability and inclusion. She knows a lot about racial justice and gender and keeps growing in other pieces of the ‘pie chart’.
In a way, having made a home in Amsterdam has brought her personal growth, integration and belonging as a multicultural person. She grew up in and has lived in places that are really full of diverse cultures and traditions, and she’s often felt stuck in the middle. ‘I was seen as an outsider for so long in the US, because I don't fit the stereotype of whatever an American looks like, even though I am American. Then, coming here, I am an outsider, and that’s okay. And I've kind of embraced that,’ she says. ‘Amsterdam is one of the few cities in the world that I felt like I finally belong, because I feel like part of this very international mix.’
Klarrisa’s recommendations for us (below) highlight the depth of the expertise and insight into DEI that she’s developed: the wider space of DEI, including perspectives on matters like white supremacy culture, colonialism, patriarchy and hustle culture that are part of that way of thinking.
Her wish for all of us is recognition, personal recognition of how much we are doing in changing the world.
“I wish more people could see some of the powerful work that is happening within the organizations and teams and individuals that you're working with. And then, peace with that. You're doing enough, you don't have to carry the whole world on your shoulders, or in your hands, just be in peace, knowing that there are so many people doing this work and so many people that are passionate about this.” - Klarrisa Frank
What this conversation also integrates is the value of coaching skills in DEI. We are, all three, coaches on this episode. That means we are skilled at asking questions that dive deeper. ‘And that's a really good muscle to have when you are a DEI professional,’ Vivian recognizes.
Bringing a DEI lens, whether it’s as a DEI professional, a coach and/or as a content creator that specializes in DEI, this is what’s next for Klarrisa, and she’s looking forward to working together with a dedicated team.
Connect with her and stay posted!
About Klarrisa Frank
Klarrisa is a leadership and career coach, workshop facilitator, and consultant looking to collaborate and serve people and organizations doing DEI related work.
Connect with Klarrisa via
LinkedIn
Website
Instagram
Resources & references in this episode:
Daniela GR (artist and decolonization educator) on Instagram and Website
The Nap Ministry
Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Berkman
Regenerative Business by Samantha Garcia, ‘How to Align Your Business with Nature for More Abundance, Fulfillment, and Impact’
Embracing Inclusivity: Klarrisa Frank on DEI & Multiracial Identity