How Do You Pronounce Digh, Anyway?
It sounds just like the word “dye.” Or like “sigh,” with a D.
I’m an author, speaker, and educator who builds inclusive learning communities and gets to the heart of difficult topics like diversity, inclusion, and meaning.
I am here to recognize the deep worth of all people, help them see it too, and provide tools we can all use to make transformational change in our lives, organizations, communities, and societies. I use story, interactive learning experiences, and the power of humor to challenge people’s thinking, grounding my work in inclusion, kindness, generosity of spirit, authenticity, and integrity.
For the past last three decades I have focused my energies on diversity, inclusion, social justice, and living and working mindfully. I’ve developed diversity strategies and educational programming for major nonprofit and corporate organizations, and I’ve been a featured speaker at many national and international conferences.
(Here’s my resume, if that’s more your style.)
Once upon a time, I was the founding Vice President of International and Diversity Programs for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), with over 350,000 members worldwide. Since 1996, I’ve been operating my own shop, now called “Strong Offer, LLC.” I’m in the business of spreading ideas and learning.
Author. Speaker. Educator. Philosopher. Social Justice Advocate. Community-Builder.
At the intersection of all my work is story.
Patti’s clients have included…
Douglas Arnold
Rick Hamrick
“If my work were a room, it would look like a conversation pit with orange walls decorated with posters of doorways, representing new possibility. It would be furnished with bean bag chairs and hammocks and yoga bolsters. The overall feeling would be a place for dialogue.” -Patti Digh
Patti is perhaps best known for her eight books, including Life is a Verb: 37 Days to Wake Up, Be Mindful, and Live Intentionally; Creative is a Verb: If You’re Alive, You’re Creative; and The Geography of Loss: Embrace What Is, Remember What Was, Love What Will Be. Her first book was a Fortune magazine “Best Business Book.” Her third book, Life is a Verb, was one of five finalists for the prestigious “Books for a Better Life Award.” Both Life is a Verb and Creative is a Verb were nominees for the Southern Independent Booksellers’ Association Book of the Year Award. Patti’s books have been translated into five languages.
In 2013, Patti founded Life is a Verb Camp, a four-day annual event that brings together speakers, artists, writers, and others from around the world who want to live fuller, more creative lives and find their community. In 2015, after the Charleston Massacre, she founded The Art of Activism to teach individuals and organizations about social justice, diversity, and inclusion issues. More recently, she has founded The IDEAA Institute: where Inclusion, Diversity, Equality, Access, and Action intersect, an online hub for thought leadership in the drive for social justice. The IDEAA Institute’s inaugural social justice camp will be held in 2024.
She is a sought-after keynote speaker on living and working with intention, global diversity and inclusion, creativity and innovation in the workplace, and storytelling as a leadership skill. Patti has lit up the stage for a range of entities including TEDx, PepsiCo, Boeing, the American Red Cross, and Fortune.
Patti believes in volunteering. She has served on diversity advisory councils for the President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, the National American Red Cross, the AARP, the American Society on Aging, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, and the American Society of Association Executives, among others. Currently, she serves on the Board of the ACLU-NC and the Council on Aging.
She is a teacher and a learner. A former faculty member for the Intercultural Communications Institute and the University of North Carolina, her comments have appeared on PBS, and in the Wall Street Journal, Fortune, New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post, and the London Financial Times, among other publications. She has written over 100 published articles on business strategy, leadership, diversity, and globalization issues and has lived, worked, and traveled in over 60 countries.
Patti lives with her family near Asheville, North Carolina.
“Passion is what drives us crazy, what makes us do extraordinary things, to discover, to challenge ourselves. Passion is and should always be the heart of courage.” ― Midori Komatsu
My Core Values
These values are the grounding for all my work in the world:
- Respect for individuals and belief in their intrinsic potential (What’s beneath the surface?)
- Kindness and generosity in all things, especially when difficult (What would love do?)
- Creating safe spaces for people to become their best selves (What wants to happen here?)
- Creating brave spaces for hard conversations about things that matter (Can we stay by the fire?)
- Serving at the intersection of moral imagination and moral courage (How can we do hard things?)
- Understanding we are made up of stories (How can I find my story?)
- Belief in the power and necessity of inclusion (Who else needs to be at the table? And who owns the table, anyway?)