Knife skills & life skills: building community through second chances with Chason Forehand
Discover how organizations can transform lives through human-centered innovation and inclusive practices in "I Know I Belong When.” Host Christopher Bylone welcomes Chason Forehand, founder of HR4U and Transformation Kitchen, for an inspiring talk on building a sense of belonging at work and beyond.
Chason shares his journey from abuse, addiction, and homelessness to creating transformational change. Transformation Kitchen offers second chances, mentorship, and authentic leadership—empowering marginalized communities and fostering equity. This episode covers strategic inclusion, accessible brand design, and the Belonging Formula, which promotes a positive workplace culture and genuine relationships.
Ideal for those interested in inclusive design, diversity, and building belonging at work. Listen for insights, leadership, and a hopeful view on belonging and driving change in your organization.
Watch the full episode :
Must-hear insights & key moments
Breaking cycles, building futures: Learn how intentional strategy and data-informed people solutions help break cycles of disadvantage, creating lasting impact for individuals and organizations alike.
The power of listening: “It literally comes down to one thing, and that’s listen.” Discover why sincere connection and transparent communication are the foundation of inclusive culture and collaborative workplaces.
From pain to purpose: Hear how honoring individual stories—without weaponizing pain—creates reflective networks and empowers people to thrive.
Retention as a measure of belonging: Explore how stay interviews and feedback loops are essential for measuring impact, driving progress-driven leadership, and sustaining values-driven business.
Leadership lessons: “Remove the ego and the hubris and take our names out of it and focus in on how many people can we realistically impact.” Learn how bias-free consulting and warm, confident brand voice foster authentic workplace belonging.
Chason’s words of wisdom:
“I know I belong when I feel safe to be myself.”
“We do not just flip eggs, we flip lives.”
“How do you care enough about a human being to frame the work to make sure they have what they need?”
“Remove the ego and the hubris and take our names out of it and focus in on how many people can we realistically impact, create a community, keep people in that community and have them thrive long term.”
“I think when you genuinely care, and you come from a place of curiosity, and you listen, now all of a sudden you’re hearing the story. You’re hearing the name. You’re understanding the journey.”
“When we can focus on ourselves to make sure that we are doing and championing all the work, then we can help others and we continuously do that.”
“Retention is a huge factor for saying, are we winning or are we losing? Are people staying with us because they see all the things that we’re doing and are... Are you talking to people and having stay interviews with them? Forget the exit interview. Yeah, an exit interview is an important process, but are you having the stay interviews?”