Meet Lili Alice Walker Stiefel | CEO of The Mixed Space

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lili Alice Walker Stiefel and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lili Alice Walker, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I love creating and building community. I started to notice I have knack for putting together systems for strategic and structural improvement. I made opportunities to increase my tool set and adaptability, the businesses came naturally from there. I iterate. I do things over and over again and make them better each time around. I wanted to do my own thing my own way and be my own boss.

My thought process behind starting ‘The Mixed Space’ wasn’t as much a “thought” process as a “feel”process. I needed to create an opportunity to build community that reflects my own multidimensional identity. I’m biracial, bi-lingual, tri-Continental, I‘m a third culture kid – it can be difficult to feel a sense of belonging in the world.

I felt confused

I felt insecure

I felt curious

what if brave, brilliant people met up to speak boldly about their opinions and experiences on their identity journey? What if we collectively agree to tending to this community with benevolent hearts and grounded vulnerability? I want to tell people they are special and have inherited enormous legacies and I want to discover those together.

What should our readers know about your business?
You belong. You are welcome. You are enough.
The spaces I’ve built so far, focus on harnessing our best selves and our true identities. https://lilistiefel.com/experimentalstudio/ invites you to discover innovative ways to approach ongoing challenges and new projects, strengthening communication and collaboration in the workplace. https://themixedspace.com/ is a safe place for multicultural and multiethnic people to explore intersectional identity through collaborative conversations and community building activities. It’s all about fostering and supporting creative success for those who strive to find their personal voice by telling stories and inspiring others to tell theirs. Check out our free monthly meetups.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to Maria P. P. Root. Maria P. P. Root is a clinical psychologist, educator, and public speaker. Her areas of work include multiracial families, multiracial identity, cultural competence, trauma, workplace harassment, and disordered eating. She is an international authority on mixed heritage identity, credited with publishing the first contemporary work on mixed-race people. She has presented lectures and training in various countries, both in and outside of academia. We don’t know each other personally but her work is a major part of The Mixed Space foundation.
Additionally there are two other wonderful women who have made incredible contributions and I have had the pleasure of working with them:

Sonia Smith-Kang
Co-founder at Culturas.us- a media + tech platform creating and discovering content that evokes awareness and understanding through culture, diversity and inclusion. Women led for all.
Sonia is a #multicultural #mixedrace activist serving on several boards including Vice-President of Multiracial Americans of Southern California (MASC) and past board member of Northridge Hospital Foundation.
Her multiethnic children’s clothing line “Mixed Up Clothing” is about utilizing fashion as a vehicle to teach cultural diversity while showcasing and celebrating diversity and inclusion. Their motto is to build friendships through fabrics.
Co-founder of “Mixed Heritage Day”, Sonia was recognized for her community work by L.A. Mayor Garcetti during the inaugural event held at Dodger Stadium.
Sonia’s experiences lends itself to consulting, writing and speaking on various panels as an expert in the multicultural, multiracial field and has led several discussions on talking to children about race & identity.
Head to www.mixedupclothing.com to see more.

Farzana Nayani
is a recognized diversity, equity, and inclusion specialist and has been a consultant, business and strategy coach, and international keynote speaker for more than twenty years. She is an advisor to the Asian Leaders Alliance and is the former national director of ERG relations for the National Association of Asian American Professionals. Her passion for employee engagement and inclusion has led to client partnerships with Fortune 500 corporations, public agencies, school districts, and nonprofit organizations. Nayani’s expertise on diversity and identity has been featured by media outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Forbes, NPR, Parents, and Marie Claire.
Her most recent books—Raising Multiracial Children: Tools for Nurturing Identity in a Racialized World, as well as The Power of Employee Resource Groups: How People Create Authentic Change—are widely available, distributed by Penguin Random House.

Website: https://lilistiefel.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themixedspace/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lili-stiefel12345/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/themixedspace

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themixedspace/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheMixedSpace/videos

Other: https://themixedspace.com/