Sonia Thompson

Everyone deserves to feel like they belong. And I'm on a mission to ensure more consumers and employees feel like they do.

Unfortunately, far too many businesses push potentially loyal customers away (without even realizing it), because they send the signal across various aspects of their customer journey that "you don't belong here."

This happens far too often with consumers who have differences that make them not so cleanly fit into what is considered to be "mainstream."

I know this first hand, because I have a lot of differences (Black woman, gluten-free diet, left-handed, former expat, immigrant husband, multi-racial child, bi-lingual household.)

Combine my experiences as a consumer with differences, with my MBA, more than 10 years in marketing at Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and other healthcare companies, and more than 10 years as an entrepreneur, and I have a unique view of the intersection of diversity, inclusion, belonging, customer experience, and marketing.

Now I'm an inclusive brand strategist, coach, educator, keynote speaker, and CEO of Thompson Media Group where I guide brands on how to make more customers, especially those that are chronically underserved, feel like they belong.

I write columns for Forbes and Inc. on inclusive marketing, belonging, and customer experience. My articles have also been published in Entrepreneur and Success. I'm also host of the Inclusion & Marketing podcast, which is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network.