How Do You Fight Age Bias at Work? Sheila Callaham Built a Global Nonprofit to Answer That Question Titelbild

How Do You Fight Age Bias at Work? Sheila Callaham Built a Global Nonprofit to Answer That Question

How Do You Fight Age Bias at Work? Sheila Callaham Built a Global Nonprofit to Answer That Question

Jetzt kostenlos hören, ohne Abo

Details anzeigen
Episode SummaryAge discrimination in hiring is not a fringe issue—it is a structural one, and Sheila Callaham has the three-year job search spreadsheet to prove it. After a 15-year corporate communications career spanning the US, Europe, and the Middle East, Callaham returned to the workforce and received zero offers over three years—despite applying at every level, spending thousands on coaching, and doing everything "right." When she looked up who got the jobs instead, she found people who couldn't be 30 years old sitting in executive roles. That moment of clarity became the foundation for the Age Equity Alliance, a global nonprofit dedicated to eliminating age bias across all ages and life stages in the workplace. In this episode, Callaham and host Janine Vanderburg break down how she turned long-term unemployment into 200-plus Forbes articles, a knowledge partnership with AARP and the OECD, and a thriving organization she now runs from Portugal—on her own terms.Key TakeawaysAge discrimination in hiring is measurable and systemic. After three years and zero job offers, Callaham tracked down the people who were hired into roles she applied for. They were not just younger—they were decades younger. The pattern was impossible to explain away.Writing about a problem and solving a problem are not the same thing. Callaham's Forbes column gave her a platform, but she knew from her change-management background that real organizational change only happens from the inside. That insight is what drove her to build Age Equity Alliance.The first client comes to you—if you build visible credibility first. Callaham did not chase her first paid employer. By year two, she was already an AARP knowledge partner on a global initiative in partnership with the OECD and the World Health Organization. The credibility came first; the client followed.Making bold asks is a learnable skill, not a personality trait. Callaham cold-pitched Ashton Applewhite on Twitter and asked AARP for a formal knowledge partnership when the organization was barely a year old. Both said yes. Her framing: the worst outcome is a 50/50 coin flip.Women over 50 already have what they need. The gap is not competence—it is belief. Callaham's message to women sitting on decades of expertise: stop waiting for someone to discover your talent and build your own boat.FAQsWhat is the Age Equity Alliance?The Age Equity Alliance is a US-based global nonprofit, headquartered in Austin, Texas, dedicated to eliminating age bias and stereotyping in the workplace—across all ages and life stages. It works directly with employers to identify how age bias shows up in hiring, development, retention, and promotion decisions, and helps organizations commit to measurable change. It operates largely as a volunteer organization and has its strongest market traction in Europe.What is the Mobley v. Workday lawsuit and why does it matter for age discrimination?Mobley v. Workday is an active federal discrimination case in Northern California alleging that Workday's hiring algorithms disproportionately screened out applicants based on race, disability, and age. For age discrimination specifically, the case tests whether AI-driven screening tools violate the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). Workday's attempts to have the case dismissed—including arguments that the software, not the employer, made hiring decisions, and that applicants are not covered under the ADEA—have so far been rejected by the court. A ruling in favor of the plaintiffs could create employer accountability for algorithmic age bias at a scale not seen before.How do women over 50 successfully transition from corporate careers to entrepreneurship?According to Callaham, the skills that matter most—team building, change management, stakeholder communication, and the ability to hold a vision under pressure—are exactly what experienced corporate professionals have already developed. The practical gap is operational: learning to do everything yourself, stretch a budget, and ship work that is useful rather than waiting for it to be perfect. The psychological gap is belief. The strategic gap is visibility: building credibility publicly before the first client appears, rather than chasing clients before you have proof of value.What does "building your own boat" mean for women in midlife?It means recognizing that if the job market, workplace, or industry you built your career inside is no longer working for you, the answer is not to apply harder—it is to build something of your own. The expertise, relationships, and perspective you have accumulated are the raw material. The boat is what you build with them.How do you price services for a nonprofit or social enterprise?Callaham's framework: build visible credibility and expertise first (through free training, speaking, writing, and partnerships), so that clients come to you already convinced of your value. Once you are in a negotiating ...
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
Noch keine Rezensionen vorhanden