From Invitation to Inclusion: The Key to Talent Retention

In this episode of Talent Wars, host Patience Fairbrother sits down with Dr. Andreya Williams, founder and CEO of Sunday Still, to explore how communities can retain talent by creating a true sense of belonging that helps people stay rooted.

Drawing on her own research and lived experience, Dr. Andreya brings a unique lens to this challenge. Her doctoral work on the experiences of Black professionals navigating mobility, transition and belonging laid the foundation for The Listening Lab™, a healing-centered, story-driven research initiative. This led her to create Sunday Still. Today, she partners with cities and institutions, like J.P. Morgan and Tulsa Remote, to design systems of care, connection and community integration. Her work centers on a crucial insight: most cities excel at the invitation but struggle with inclusion, expecting meaningful community connections to happen organically after someone relocates.

Listen to learn:

• Andreya’s “I-to-I framework” for moving newcomers from indifference to impact
• How to build emotional infrastructure alongside economic development
• Why curated experiences and cohort-based programming create lasting connections
• The power of measuring retention through “stickiness scores” and sentiment analysis
• How to create programmatic orientations to cities that mirror corporate onboarding

If your community wants to create deeper connections and a true sense of belonging for newcomers, this episode is for you.

Listen and subscribe to Talent Wars on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. To submit guest or episode topic ideas, email patience.fairbrother@old.aboutdci.com.