Is a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) actually about "improvement," "coaching," or is it just a paper trail for your exit?

In this explosive episode of Diaspora’s Career Challenge, we pull back the corporate curtain on the workplace's most "Open Secret." With a failure rate of over 90%, the PIP has become the primary weapon for "Quiet Layoffs," "Quiet Firing" allowing companies to fire high-salaried talent and "outsiders" without paying severance.

Host Sweta Regmi shares a raw, first-hand account of being on both sides of the desk. From the manager pressured to "document" employees out of a job, to the high-performer who was gaslit in a small-town branch—standing for 8 hours in heels without a chair, while being told she was "learning too slowly."

What we’re calling out in this episode:

• The 90% Failure Rate: Why HR uses the PIP as a legal shield, not a coaching tool.
• Corporate Gaslighting: Recognizing the signs of being "managed out" (denied training, gossip, and moving goalposts).
• Toxic Culture: Dealing with the "Mean Girl" "Happy hour" cliques, and "Smoking Circle" politics that target high-performers.
• The Power of the Burned Bridge: Why I chose to slap my resignation on the desk and walk away to protect my mental health after 20 years of high performance.

Your Tactical Survival Guide:

If you are being served a PIP, do not just sign it. We provide the HR-Approved Scripts inside the podcast you need to document the "Resource Gaps" and protect your side of the story.

"A PIP should be a bridge to a better you, but today, it’s a plank you’re forced to walk. Your worth belongs to you—not to a company that won't even give you a chair to sit in."

If you are looking for an authentic keynote speaker in Canada or globally who speaks on career development, workplace diversity, AI biases, and the immigrant journey, book Sweta Regmi for your next event.

Book Sweta Regmi, Founder & CEO, Teachndo as a keynote speaker: https://www.teachndo.com/speaker

Download Free career resources: https://www.teachndo.com/resources

Have you ever wondered why some voices travel farther online while others stay buried at the bottom of the feed? The more I study career systems and digital platforms, the more I realise the field is not equal. Not in hiring and not even on social media. And now there is data showing it.

Recent studies on algorithmic bias found that posts from women receive far less visibility than posts from men. The World Economic Forum reported that women get up to 30 percent less reach on professional platforms. A study by Cornell University found that online algorithms consistently amplify white coded language more than language patterns linked to people of colour. They shape who gets seen, who gets heard and who gets picked for opportunities.

And now LinkedIn is part of the conversation. BBC and The Guardian have reported that some women who changed their gender setting to male saw higher post views. Others rewrote their content using male coded language and saw impressions rise. While women of colour who did the same saw impressions go down. So the system is not only reacting to gender. It is reacting to intersectionality.

This trend made me test something myself. I took my real bio, the actual story I tell about my work and my lived experience, and I asked ChatGPT to rewrite it in three versions. White female coded, POC women coded and South Asian women coded. I kept the same structure and asked the model to explain every change.

Across these versions, the model also explained the deeper patterns behind each rewrite. It said white women can lead with story and still be seen as credible. POC women need a mix of credentials and strategy to be read as leaders. South Asian women need stronger authority signals, data, expertise and performance proof. Warmth from South Asian women is often misread as passivity. Warmth from white women is often read as leadership confidence.

These are patterns the model learned from global data. And these patterns are being picked up by platforms like LinkedIn whether we like it or not. This is proxy bias.

DATA USE AND VISIBILITY

This brings me to something that has been on my mind. What happens when we declare who we are on platforms. When we choose our gender, our identity, our demographic or even our pronouns. How is our data being used. They say it is for insights and research, but who really knows what is happening behind the scenes. Who gets visibility. Who gets pushed down. And how does someone get to the top of a search list.

AI IN HIRING

And it does not stop at social media. In one of my earlier episodes I talked about AI interview tools . One way video interviews. Automated scoring systems. Tools that judge your verbal communication, your accent, your pacing and even your pauses. Who are these tools coded for. Who fits the template of confidence. Who gets misread. These questions matter because these systems now screen tens of thousands of candidates before a human ever sees them.

THE BIG PROBLEM

So when governments invest over one billion dollars into AI and quantum computing, as the Canadian budget just announced, we have to ask a simple question. Who is auditing these algorithms. Who is checking the patterns. Who is holding these tools accountable when they quietly punish underrepresented communities.

If you are looking for an authentic keynote speaker in Canada or globally who speaks on career development, workplace diversity, AI biases, and the immigrant journey, book Sweta Regmi for your next event.

Book Sweta Regmi, Founder & CEO, Teachndo as a keynote speaker: https://www.teachndo.com/speaker

Download Free career resources: https://www.teachndo.com/resources

In this episode of Diaspora Career Challenges, keynote speaker and career strategist Sweta Regmi shares her journey from being overlooked to becoming a recognized voice on career development and representation.

Invited as a keynote speaker for a government Career Development Day, Sweta reflects on what it means to be seen, valued, and trusted to speak about workplace culture, diversity, and the immigrant career journey. She explores why representation matters, how diaspora voices can break barriers, and why amplifying underrepresented perspectives is essential for true inclusion.

Sweta also dives into the challenges many speakers face, especially women of color and professionals from immigrant and diaspora backgrounds. Despite being underrepresented on global stages, she explains how it is possible to get booked as a keynote speaker without elite networks, PR teams, or marketing budgets—by creating content, building thought leadership, and speaking up about issues that matter.

Key themes in this episode:

• The power of representation in keynote speaking

• Career challenges faced by immigrants and diaspora professionals

• Why women, POC, and diaspora voices are underrepresented as speakers

• How to amplify your voice and get invited to the stage

• Practical strategies to be seen, heard, and booked as a keynote speaker

If you are looking for an authentic keynote speaker in Canada or globally who speaks on career development, workplace diversity, representation, and the immigrant journey, book Sweta Regmi for your next event.

Book Sweta Regmi, Founder & CEO, Teachndo as a keynote speaker: https://www.teachndo.com/speaker

Download Free career resources: https://www.teachndo.com/resources

Ever felt lost in workplace jargon and Canadian slang or wondered why your coworker just said “bet” in a meeting? You’re not alone. In this episode of Diaspora’s Career Challenges, I break down how to navigate corporate lingo, Canadian slang, and even some Gen Z speak, without losing your vibe.

We cover:

• Why newcomers shouldn’t have to decode secret workplace codes (it’s giving gatekeeping)

• The role of inclusion beyond just hiring (real ones know)

• Canadian slang explained [yes, even “Timmy’s” and “Double Double”]

• Why fitting in is overrated and how to truly stand out

• Accent bias, corporate buzzwords, and why even native-born professionals get lost in the sauce

• Gen Z terms you’ll hear at work — from “slaps” to “sending me” — and how not to cringe when you hear them

Whether you’re new to Canada, starting a new job, or trying to vibe with colleagues from different generations, this episode will help you blend without bending.

Listen in for real talk, sarcasm, and tips that hit different.

This episode is for anyone who’s ever been made to feel like they don't fit the corporate mold.

40 Common Corporate Jargon, Canadian Slangs, Gen Z Phrases with Meaning: https://www.teachndo.com/post/breaking-down-the-language-barrier-navigate-corporate-jargon-and-slang

Free Career Resources: https://www.teachndo.com/resources

• Diaspora's Career Challenge Podcast Episodes: teachndo.com/podcastepisodes

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  Sweta Regmi - https://www.teachndo.com/speaker

Ever been told your communication skills need work, but you’re already leading projects, managing teams, and getting things done?

They say immigrants lack soft skills — but who decides what good communication even looks like?

If you’re an immigrant or part of the diaspora, this might sound familiar. You speak more than one language, but somehow your accent, grammar, or “tone” becomes the reason you’re rated lower in performance reviews. Soft skills? You’ve got plenty. But they don’t seem to count the same.

In this episode, I unpack how communication and soft skills are often used as coded feedback—a quiet form of bias that holds many immigrants back from promotions, raises, and recognition. I share my own lived experiences with white and South Asian bosses, including:

• Getting my emails proofread after I was already managing people

• Being asked “Who helped you?” after creating a training guide

• Watching my grammar get fixed, my credit erased, and my confidence shaken

• And later, finally being rated the highest by a director who saw my real value

This episode is for anyone who’s ever been made to feel like their voice doesn’t fit the corporate mold. Because communication isn’t grammar—it’s how we lead, handle chaos, and move things forward.

If you’re tired of being told to “speak or write better” just to be heard, this episode is for you.

Free Career Resources: https://www.teachndo.com/resources

• Diaspora's Career Challenge Podcast Episodes: teachndo.com/podcastepisodes

  Book me to speak

  Sweta Regmi - https://www.teachndo.com/speaker

It’s AAPI Heritage Month — but let’s be real: South Asians are still the afterthought.

In this raw and unapologetic episode of Diaspora’s Career Challenges, Sweta Regmi dives into the erasure of South Asian voices during AAPI Month and beyond. From the dominance of East Asian representation in media and corporate diversity panels, to the harmful stereotypes, casteism, and colorism within our own communities — this episode unpacks the layered struggles South Asians face in both professional and cultural spaces.

We talk about:

• Why “Asian” doesn’t always mean East Asian

• How anti–South Asian hate is rising — and being normalized

• The myth of the “good immigrant” and the cost of staying silent

• Workplace invisibility, emotional labor, and missed promotions

• Intra-community discrimination: caste, color, and gender bias

• Why exposure ≠ compensation — especially in DEI spaces

From curry jokes to corporate gaslighting, from internalized shame to external discrimination — we’re done being the diversity checkbox.

South Asians aren’t a monolith. We’re not your punchline. We’re here, we’re loud, and we’re taking up space.

🎧 Tune in, share it, and let’s rewrite the narrative — because South Asian stories deserve more than just a heritage month shoutout.

Free Career Resources: https://www.teachndo.com/resources

• Diaspora's Career Challenge Podcast Episodes: teachndo.com/podcastepisodes

  Book me to speak

  Sweta Regmi - https://www.teachndo.com/speaker

#AAPIHeritageMonth #AmplifySouthAsianVoices #Diaspora'sCareerChallenges

Ever pressed 2 for French or Spanish to dodge an accent? This episode exposes the not-so-subtle bias behind “accent shopping” in customer service calls. From real-life contact center stories to AI now being used to mask employee accents as digital whitewashing, we dive deep into the uncomfortable truth: It’s not always about comprehension—it’s about who sounds “acceptable.”

So here’s how it goes…

You call a contact center. You don’t press 1 for English—because let’s be honest, you don’t want to get ‘Raj from Bangalore’ or ‘Mei from Manila.’

Nope. You press 2 for French… or Spanish.

Then go, ‘Oops! Meant English!’—knowing that bilingual reps are usually North American-born.

Welcome to Accent Shopping.

It’s not in the handbook, but it’s alive and thriving in every customer service line across North America.

And now?

Companies are using AI to MASK employee accents.

Yes. We’ve gone that far to please a customer.

So I gotta ask:

What will customers complain about now? That the AI sounded too ‘neutral’?

Let’s dive in.”

🎧 Listen as we unpack:

• Why customers game language menus to avoid international voices

• How AI is erasing human identity for “neutral” North American speech

• What counts as a “Canadian,” "American" or “professional” accent

• Real examples of bias in call transfers—and who gets deemed “Canadian enough”

Whether you’ve ever been judged for your voice or caught yourself preferring certain accents, this one’s got some real talk you need to hear.

Free Career Resources: https://www.teachndo.com/resources

• Diaspora's Career Challenge Podcast Episodes: teachndo.com/podcastepisodes

  Book me to speak

  Sweta Regmi - https://www.teachndo.com/speaker

In this episode of Diaspora's Career Challenges, we tackle the hidden job market stats and break down why it’s not actually hidden—it’s just exclusive. If you’re an immigrant, newcomer, or someone without an Ivy League connection, you’ll want to hear this. We dive into why networking is often more about privilege than merit, and what strategies actually work to land the job you deserve. Tune in for the truth on navigating today’s job market and getting noticed in a system that’s stacked against you.

The Hidden Job Market Exposed: Why It Was Never Meant for You

“80% of jobs are hidden.” Sounds great, right? But here’s the truth: the hidden job market isn’t hidden—it’s exclusive. If you’re an immigrant, newcomer, or anyone without an Ivy League bestie, guess what? You’re not on the guest list. That’s the reality.

While gurus, networking coaches, and LinkedIn influencers preach about tapping into the “hidden market,” here’s the real deal: 500,000+ job vacancies in Canada in 2025. So, why are we pushing people to chase these so-called hidden opportunities when there’s a stocked pond right in front of them?

Let’s talk about the biases that fuel the so-called hidden market:

• People hire people who look like them.

• People hire people who went to the same schools.

• People hire people they golf with.

That’s not networking. That’s bias.

The Biases Keeping the Job Market ‘Hidden’

Let’s just call it what it is:

🚨 Affinity Bias – Hiring people similar to you.

🚨 Confirmation Bias – Seeing an immigrant name and assuming they won’t “fit.”

🚨 Halo Effect – Assuming a Harvard grad must be the smartest person in the room.

🚨 Opportunity Hoarding – Keeping jobs in exclusive circles.

🚨 Privilege Bias – If you have to network to survive, was the system ever really merit-based?

I’ve worked at top companies, and I can’t imagine not posting jobs. Hiring isn’t random—there’s a system behind it. But yes, some jobs aren’t posted:

• Small businesses with no HR team hire based on word-of-mouth.

• Executive search firms recruit for C-suite roles confidentially.

• Companies pulling from networks before jobs even go live.

But is that 80% of all hiring? No. That’s an outdated myth recycled over and over.

Here’s what’s real:

• Strategic personal branding – Make it impossible to ignore you.

• Targeted job applications – Yes, they work if done right.

• Informational interviews – The right kind, not just “pick your brain” sessions.

• Storytelling on LinkedIn – So hiring managers find you.

The truth is, the so-called “hidden job market” favors privilege, not merit. So when people tell newcomers, “Just network harder,” we need to question what that really means.

What works instead? Focus on strategies that you control—personal branding, applying strategically, building real professional relationships, and ensuring that you are seen. Stop chasing shadows and focus on what’s tangible.

Free Career Resources: https://www.teachndo.com/resources

• Diaspora's Career Challenge Podcast Episodes: teachndo.com/podcastepisodes

  Book me to speak

  Sweta Regmi - https://www.teachndo.com/speaker