About SunShower Learning
SunShower Learning is known for creativity, collaboration and expertise. SunShower is committed to crafting learning experiences that inspire and challenge people to be more curious about their own habits and behaviors. We do this with impactful, award-winning DEI eLearning created by the world’s leading experts.
We teach skills and tools people can use to intentionally disrupt implicit biases before they influence decisions and interactions with others. As a global leader in high-impact Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) training, many hundreds of thousands of learners have taken our award-winning courses. Clients include Liberty Mutual, AT&T, McDonald’s and Amazon.
What’s a sunshower, anyway?
In the realm of nature’s wonders, there is a captivating phenomenon known as a “sunshower.” It occurs when the sun shines while raindrops fall from the sky, creating a mesmerizing contrast. Scientists explain that a sunshower can happen when winds carry raindrops from a faraway rainstorm into an area where there are no clouds.
Do you have a photo of a sunshower you’d like to share? Please email it to us!
This fascinating meteorological display has captured imagination and inspired many songs and poems throughout history. And, in folklore, sunshowers have been attributed to various meanings and superstitions. Tales are centered around such things as the marriage of foxes or other animals, a wedding of a spirit to a human or the conversion of sunshine into liquid gold.
In contemplating the ethereal and unexpected beauty of a sunshower and the profound impact of diversity, equity and inclusion work, we discover a powerful analogy. Just as the sun radiates through a downpour, DEI work illuminates implicit bias and offers a ray of hope. It brings clarity, inspires perseverance and nourishes the growth of more healthy people and environments. Amidst a storm of inequity, SunShower Learning’s DEI work lights the way toward a brighter future where all individuals, organizations and communities can thrive.
Do you have a photo of a sunshower you’d like to share? Please email it to us!
About Joel Lesko
Deepak Chopra, Al Gore and … fish?
Joel Lesko began his filmmaking career producing documentary films. He worked with thought leaders like Deepak Chopra and Vice President Al Gore to shine a light on social impact issues. When a company hired Joel to produce a customer service training video, he researched the field and found FISH! This was a short video about the employees in the Seattle Public Market who throw fish, delight customers and enjoy their jobs. FISH! was the inspiration for Joel’s subsequent project titled SMILE!, the story of a Seattle bus driver who greeted and sang to his riders. SMILE! was a blockbuster hit and propelled SunShower Learning into the corporate training business. In essence, Joel founded SunShower Learning based on his passion for using film to tell stories that educate, inspire and ultimately make a positive difference.
A lifelong commitment to racial and social justice leads to transformative DEI training
Joel’s next project brought together his passion for filmmaking and his lifelong commitment to racial and social justice. Having grown up with parents who were active in the civil rights movement, Joel wanted to find a story to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Ouch! That Stereotype Hurts was filmed in New York City with an HBO documentary cinematographer, and it rocked the training world. It won multiple awards and was a groundbreaking training video – before DEI was even a focus at most organizations. The training combined emotional storytelling, thought-provoking ideas and practical tools – like 6 simple techniques to speak up. Hundreds of thousands of employees have learned how to speak up with Ouch!
Joel’s next project brought together his passion for filmmaking and his lifelong commitment to racial and social justice. Having grown up with parents who were active in the civil rights movement, Joel wanted to find a story to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Ouch! That Stereotype Hurts was filmed in New York City with an HBO documentary cinematographer, and it rocked the training world. It won multiple awards and was a groundbreaking training video – before DEI was even a focus at most organizations. The training combined emotional storytelling, thought-provoking ideas and practical tools – like 6 simple techniques to speak up. Hundreds of thousands of employees have learned how to speak up with Ouch!
Organizations come calling
SunShower Learning grew, and Joel’s work was adopted by large and small organizations across the country and beyond. The training helped create a more inclusive culture and improve performance for businesses like AT&T, UCLA, McDonalds, Microsoft and the US Justice Department. SunShower evolved to create custom corporate training based on client demand. Soon came a phone call from Liberty Mutual Insurance: “We love your work and want you to make a program for us.” This surprise call led to a multi-year project to create a series of video courses (Inclusion in Action: 9 Skills). They have since been used by more than 40,000 Liberty employees and tens of thousands more in organizations around the world.
A lasting impression
Joel’s work has been at the forefront of DEI training, setting a standard in both content and production. All along, Joel’s commitment has remained the same: to explore what gets in the way of diverse, equitable and inclusive workplaces and to provide actionable skills to drive meaningful change.
About Gina Miller
Gina Miller is a native New Yorker who married into a Gullah family in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. (The Gullah people are descendants of Africans who were enslaved on the rice, indigo and cotton plantations on the Sea Islands and coastal plain of the lower Atlantic. Due to their geographical isolation and strong community life, the Gullah have been unique in their ability to preserve their African cultural heritage.) As a result of Gina’s family dynamic – and especially when she became a parent – her natural interest in culture, community and social justice evolved into a deep commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace and beyond. As an avid reader, prolific writer and community volunteer, she channels her thoughts and emotions into various forms of storytelling. This includes writing articles and developing content.
With a deep-rooted belief in the power of DEI training as a catalyst for progress, Gina has embarked on a remarkable journey to promote lasting change by capitalizing on her decades of marketing expertise. As SunShower’s Director of Marketing and Customer Experience, Gina helps steer the company’s branding, communication and outreach efforts to amplify our mission and connect with a wide-ranging audience.
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A distinguished team of world-class DEI experts
Joel is pleased to share more about the team of authors, speakers and facilitators who have collaborated with us to create these important programs. The collective intelligence and experience are only outweighed by the passion these talented leaders bring to the work.
Leslie Aguilar
Founder, International Training and Development
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Leslie wrote the book Ouch! That Stereotype Hurts and collaborated with Joel Lesko from SunShower Learning to produce the wildly popular and multi-award winning video, online course and eLearning. She also collaborated with Joel to create the follow-up program, Ouch! Your Silence Hurts. The Ouch! series has been enthusiastically used by tens of thousands of organizations around the world with significant personal and organizational results.
Leslie is an author, consultant and curriculum developer in the areas of DEIB, multicultural and multilingual competence and multicultural customer service. Watch the interview with Leslie here in which she offers valuable insights into the practical applications of Ouch! techniques.
Courses in the SunShower library:
Hideko Akashi
Founder, Liberation Consulting
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Hideko has over 20 years of experience in the educational sector, challenging individuals and institutions to think critically about issues of diversity, privilege, social justice, inclusion and equity and to create healthy, meaningful work cultures.
Hideko has worked with SunShower to create learning experiences around the myths of the model minority and AAPI experience.
Courses in the SunShower library:
Hideko is collaborating with SunShower on three new courses launching in early 2024:
New products coming soon!
Mary Chlopecki, Esq.
Workplace Investigations, Training & Consulting, Senior Investigator and Counsel, Georgetown University
With 20+ years of diverse experience, and a Juris Doctor from George Mason University School of Law, Mary is a trusted legal advisor and EEO specialist, serving clients in the public, private and nonprofit sectors.
Mary has deep competency in conducting professional, end-to-end, confidential workplace investigations.
Mary is a seasoned trainer with a record of success developing and delivering an array of live and virtual programs, and she’s experienced in designing and performing work environment studies and climate assessments.
Mary has deep competency in conducting professional, end-to-end, confidential workplace investigations.
Mary is a seasoned trainer with a record of success developing and delivering an array of live and virtual programs, and she’s experienced in designing and performing work environment studies and climate assessments.
Courses in the SunShower library:
- Within Our Power: Preventing and Addressing Sexual Harassment Together
Tina Dyer
Founder, Grafted Together Consulting
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Tina is a leader in the areas of global diversity and inclusion, a public speaker and an organization development professional with proven success in designing and implementing DEI strategies and initiatives, coaching senior leaders and enhancing employee engagement, retention and productivity.
Tina is a Somatic Abolitionist Practitioner with years of experience in coaching around Racial, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. She has collaborated with SunShower to conduct online live trainings across many industries.
Tina is developing a new course with SunShower that will help people build a capacity mentally, emotionally, and physically for staying present and engaging in conversations across dimensions of diversity, especially race.
Greg Gale
Founder, Insight Out Consulting
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For over 25 years, Greg has held DEI leadership positions in both Fortune 100 companies and non- profit organizations and has implemented DEI solutions throughout the US and globally.
Greg has high-level experience developing DEI strategy, coaching leaders to develop inclusion skills and creating insightful and actionable group learning experiences.
Greg has led workshops with SunShower in Inclusive Leadership and has worked with our clients to aid them in the Enterprise roll-out of our eLearning courses.
Courses in the SunShower library:
Greg is developing a new course with SunShower to help white male allies gain skills to be champions for inclusion and equity.
Katherine Jeffery, Ph.D.
Founder, KJ Consulting
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Dr. Katherine Jeffery is a generational researcher and practitioner who’s passionate about guiding companies and organizations through the massive leadership transition in the world right now.
Dr. Jeffery is a highly sought-after consultant and presenter, known for her engaging workshops on intergenerational dynamics. Her ability to translate research into practical solutions has made her an international thought leader, shaping the future of leadership and organizational development.
GenShift is based on Dr. Jeffery’s extensive research and experience in consulting and coaching teams to enhance communication, collaboration, and success across generations.
Dr. Jeffery is a highly sought-after consultant and presenter, known for her engaging workshops on intergenerational dynamics. Her ability to translate research into practical solutions has made her an international thought leader, shaping the future of leadership and organizational development.
GenShift is based on Dr. Jeffery’s extensive research and experience in consulting and coaching teams to enhance communication, collaboration, and success across generations.
Courses in the SunShower library:
Robin Denise Johnson, Ph.D.
Founder, RDJ Training
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Dr. Robin is a Harvard Business School trained Ph.D. and wrote an award-winning dissertation on diversity, work-life balance and empowerment.
Dr. Robin’s BA is in International Relations / World History from Brown University, and her Masters in Social Psychology is from Harvard. She was also faculty at Darden University of Virginia, Cal Poly Pomona and UCLA as well as a visiting professor at Ozyegin Business School in Istanbul, Turkey.
Dr. Robin has collaborated with SunShower on the series, Being a Kind Leader, which includes 3 modules - 6 Soft S.K.I.L.L.S., Developing Trust and Living Your Values (coming soon). The SKILLS and Trust courses have both won multiple awards.
Courses in the SunShower library:
Yolanda Lewis-Ragland, M.D.
Attending Physician , Children's National Health Center
Dr. Yolanda Lewis-Ragland is a double-board-certified physician in pediatrics and obesity medicine, owner and CEO of Family Fitness and Wellness for Community Health, and founder of Dr. Yolanda Cares Foundation, her nonprofit organization focusing on reducing health disparities in at-risk communities at home and abroad.
For 20 years, Dr. Lewis-Ragland has lived and practiced in one of the poorest and most traumatized communities in the nation’s capital, gaining the trust and respect of residents and, more recently, actively addressing heart disease in African Americans through her annual Heart-to-Heart Red Carpet Affair. She has published, Navigating a Triple Pandemic: Healthcare Workers of Color Confront Racism in America, Health Disparities in Medicine, and the Trauma of COVID-19.
Dr. Lewis-Ragland is collaborating with SunShower to work on a new program, Let’s Talk: Health Equity
Courses in the SunShower library:
New product coming soon!
Lisette Martinez, MBA
Chief Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Officer, National Audubon Society
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As a fervent advocate for the transformative power of inclusion within enterprises, Lisette has launched and scaled award-winning DEI organizations and programs that align with the company's mission, vision and values. Throughout her career, she has successfully established, designed and led scalable, company-wide diversity models at renowned institutions such as Jefferson Health, Yale New Haven Health System and TriHealth, integrating DEI into their core infrastructures. Lisette has further demonstrated her commitment by creating supplier diversity, community partnership and leadership development initiatives aimed at increasing diverse spending and broadening organizational impact. Previously, she held the position of Executive Vice President and Chief DEI Officer at Jefferson Health, a 198-year-old legacy organization with 18 hospitals and 10 colleges with over 50,000 employees and students. Lisette was appointed by the National Audubon Society to spearhead efforts across the organization, integrating equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging (EDIB) practices seamlessly into the fabric of Audubon’s operations. Her role involves refining policies and procedures and championing data-driven change initiatives. Lisette collaborates closely with the Conservation and People and Culture teams to embed EDIB principles in Audubon’s conservation initiatives across the Western Hemisphere.
Courses in the SunShower library:
Danita Oliver
VP, Global Diversity, Culture & Belonging
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As a seasoned builder of holistic strategies, Danita looks to drive change while expanding opportunities. She has extensive experience building and developing teams, strategic planning, goal setting and implementing effective grassroots employee programs.
As a strategic thought leader and culture architect, Danita focuses on cultivating diverse workforce engagement and environments where employees can experience belonging.
Danita is partnering with SunShower to develop a course on growing culture by planting one seed at a time - Culturvate for success.
Courses in the SunShower library:
New product coming soon!
Steve L. Robbins, Ph.D.
Speaker, Author, Inclusion & Belonging Consultant, Founder SL Robbins & Assoc.
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Dr. Steve Robbins is a master storyteller. He blends art and science to motivate people to be better humans. His style has been described as a mix of Bill Nye the Science Guy, The Big Bang Theory and Saturday Night Live.
Steve is well-known for his concept on Unintentional Intolerance which is featured in the SunShower course, Inclusion Insights. Our micro-learning course consists of 11 insight nuggets in which Steve tells stories and challenges our automatic assumptions.
Courses in the SunShower library:
- Inclusion Insights
Marsha Ross-Jackson, Esq., MPA
Senior Lecturer, Associate Dean of DEI and University Ombudsperson at Chicago-Kent College of Law. Founder, BoldWorks
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Marsha is the Senior Lecturer, Associate Dean of DEI and University Ombudsperson at Chicago-Kent College of Law.
Marsha is also an experienced attorney, arbitrator, facilitator and consultant who provides training and advice on a variety of employee relations and leadership topics, including, diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.
Marsha has delivered many live online trainings with SunShower in the areas of unconscious bias, microaggressions and inclusive hiring, consistently receiving rave reviews.
Courses in the SunShower library:
New product coming soon!
Derald Wing Sue, Ph.D.
Researcher, Author and Faculty,
Teachers College, Columbia University
Dr. Sue is a pioneer in the field of multicultural education and the psychology of racism and antiracism.
Dr. Sue is one of the leading researchers and authors on microaggressions. Dr. Sue’s books include Microaggressions in Everyday Life, and Microintervention Strategies.
Dr. Sue collaborated with SunShower to produce Disarming Microaggressions and the 21-Day Plan for Disarming Microaggressions.
Courses in the SunShower library:
- Disarming Microaggressions
- 21-Day Plan for Disarming Microaggressions
Sondra Thiederman, Ph.D.
Speaker, Author, Founder of Cross Cultural Consultants
Dr. Sondra Thiederman is one of the nation’s leading experts on unconscious bias and workplace inclusion issues.
Sondra is a researcher and speaker known for providing practical skills for defeating unconscious bias/implicit bias in the workplace.
Sondra collaborated with SunShower to create three powerful and award-winning courses that continue to be favorites today: Defeating Unconscious Bias, Diversity Dialogue Blunders, and Unconscious Bias in FOCUS.
Courses in the SunShower library:
- Unconscious Bias in FOCUS
- Diversity Dialogue Blunders
Connie Watson, Ed.D.
Lead Consultant Watson & Assoc.
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Dr. Connie Watson excels at getting the people side of your business right from building leadership capacity to increasing team performance.
Dr. Watson is a researcher and author of assessments focusing on the area of well-being and mental health.
Connie has been a frequent collaborator with SunShower for workshops and webinars on inclusive leadership, psychological safety, Ouch! and other topics.
Courses in the SunShower library:
New product coming soon!
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Topics
SunShower addresses these topics (and more) in our eLearning courses, Trainer’s Toolbox materials and Live Webinars with experts:
- Microaggressions and Psychological Safety
- Unconscious Bias
- Culture of Belonging: What gets in the way?
- How to lead a multicultural team
- Are your Hiring Practices Inclusive?
- Inclusive leadership: What’s needed now
- Stereotypes: How to speak up
- Disability and accessibility
- Preparing for DEI resistance
What sets us apart
- Self-paced, asynchronous
- Interactive Activities
- Knowledge checks
- “What would you do?” scenarios
- Consistent training experience for each employee
- Scalable from 100 to 100,000
- Plug & play SCORM on your LMS or SunShower’s
- Adherence to highest standards of accessibility
- Personalized implementation support
- HRCI CE-certified programs
What people are saying
“SunShower’s Unconscious Bias e-learning is the most engaging e-learning product I’ve seen. We are getting very positive feedback. It is the first time we’ve seen people making a point to tell us how good the training is. Stellar! ”
— K. Riley, Training Specialist,Fortune 500 Company
— K. Riley, Training Specialist,Fortune 500 Company
“The Ouch Video is a great complement to our harassment training since many potential harassment situations involve those “not so obvious” stereotypical comments. As participants watched the video, we could see heads nodding in agreement that stereotypes still exist. Since rolling out the training, employees in all of our facilities across the U.S. are saying “ouch” to speak up against stereotypes.”
— Employee Relations Specialist, Fortune 1000 company
— Employee Relations Specialist, Fortune 1000 company
“Inclusion in Action eLearning not only brings attention to inclusion as a necessary leadership skill, it teaches skills that everyone in an organization can learn and practice. Best of all, the vignettes are realistic and really grab your attention.”
— Gerry Fernandez, President and Founder, Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance (MFHA)
“Joel Lesko and SunShower Learning have produced the gold standard of anti-bias training that will have a lasting and beneficial impact in business, industry and education. If equity, diversity and inclusion are important goals for your organization, community and the nation, then this interactive training video will teach employers and employees concrete skills to confront and disarm microaggressions (bias and bigotry).
The training teaches targets, allies and bystanders specific actions that involve making the ‘invisible’ visible, disarming microaggressions, and educating offenders. It is filled with real-life examples of harmful microaggressions, along with tested intervention actions that can be taken to create norms that reinforce an inclusive, respectful, and welcoming environment.”
— Derald Wing Sue, Ph.D. Author, Microaggressions in Everyday Life, Microintervention Strategies
“Joel was wonderful to work with! He was great about meeting with us in advance to ensure the training was everything we needed it to be and created a very supportive, safe place for folks to be vulnerable, learn and reflect. We did the Disarming Microaggressions training at my office and it sparked quite a bit of important and open discussion.”
— Erica Curry
— Erica Curry
“The resources available at SunShower Learning are enabling our Human Sciences specialists to share important strategies for communicating respectfully in the workplace and local community. The OUCH! That Stereotype Hurts curriculum is making a significant difference in how individuals respond to disrespectful stereotypes and bias!”
— Barb Dunn Swanson
— Barb Dunn Swanson
“After extensive research, our organization landed on Sunshower Learning to help execute DEI training for our leaders. This was absolutely the best decision we could have made surrounding this initiative, for Joel and his team are not only responsive when we had a question or needed support, but their material is relevant, timely, and grounded in research backed studies and analyses on these topics. We used Sunshower Learning for both live virtual training as well as their Train the Trainer program. If you or your organization are searching for a group that tackles these tough topics with knowledgeable concepts, valuable conversation, and measurable results, SunShower Learning is the answer.”
— Emily Fieser, Director of Culture + Development at Natural Retreats’
— Emily Fieser, Director of Culture + Development at Natural Retreats’
“It has consistently been a great pleasure working with SunShower Learning! The team is quick to respond to our questions/needs and offers thoughtful solutions and recommendations. The customer service at SunShower is top notch!”
— Instructional Designer, reputable private research university
— Instructional Designer, reputable private research university
“During the height of COVID, it was critical that we find a way to provide effective training utilizing a virtual platform. A variety of training options were considered; however, the utilization of SunShower Learning served as an invaluable tool during these unprecedented times. Having the option to access online modules and videos enhanced the information we presented to our customers in a virtual fashion. This also reinforced the information the customers received with the option of accessing the training portal at their leisure. We look forward to providing our customers the same level of excellence in person.”
— Anonymous, Training Instructor
— Anonymous, Training Instructor
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