How does one navigate the world with a hidden disability and still thrive in a successful career? Join us as we speak with Monica Dreger, Monica oversees all worldwide research initiatives for Airbnb where she has created a foundation for company growth and inspired a new insights-driven philosophy. She built the team and vision for the first centralized research function for Airbnb and manages diverse sub-teams of Consumer Insights, UX research, Trends & Foresight, and Neuroscience research. She has previously held roles with other iconic brands including Mattel – where she oversaw the Barbie transformation, Unilever and Nickelodeon.
Monica learned at a very young age that she had a hearing impairment and could only make out a few words when speaking with others. She shares with us that there are many shades of grey when it comes to a disability and luckily, she was able to get the support she required to have one of the best hearing aids. This helped her to persevere and carry on with her life. She learned to remove the focus from herself and on others and she became an advocate for enabling her to give to others. Eventually learning not to be concerned with what other people thought of her helped her begin to lead with empathy and to never fall to a victim state.
She realized that most organizations are not equipped with the infrastructure to support those with a disability much less a hidden disability and that became even tougher after covid with most people working hybrid. Airbnb has worked really hard to create an environment that is diligent in finding the best possible outcomes by trying a variety of things to enhance the experience. Not perfect but a focus on inclusion has helped them to adapt.
Monica has dedicated her career to research as she is fascinated with the details and nuances being shared. She started her career as a group therapy leader and her focus has always been on listening which is remarkable considering her hidden disability. Her fascination with irrational thinking and the brain makes her the perfect person to dive deep into the details and facts that present themselves. We gain insight from her into how the brain works and how accelerated everything is today in our attention-deficit society.
To wrap up our conversation she shares some of her favourite insights regarding the transformation of the Barbie brand and how other organizations might take a look at how they can become more inclusive, which requires risk, but the payoff may be bigger than you realize.
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