Shola Richards

Shola Richards is a renowned racial equality speaker, best known for his dynamic work as Founder and CEO of Go Together Global and Founder and Chief Positivity Activist at The Positivity Solution. With a career rooted deeply in promoting kindness, inclusion, and civil unity, Shola draws extensively on his lived experiences as a Black man navigating systemic discrimination to drive his advocacy. His personal journey fuels his commitment to dismantling toxic behaviours and promoting racial justice across workplaces and communities. Through keynote speeches and workshops, he addresses critical topics such as racial equity, psychological safety, kindness-centred leadership, and building civil unity. Shola’s approach resonates powerfully because it is not just theoretical — it is lived, heartfelt, and deeply authentic.

Shola’s path to becoming a respected voice for racial equality was shaped early during his time at UCLA Health, where he served from 2007 to 2015 in roles including Lead Training Specialist, Training Manager, and ultimately Director of Training & Organisational Development. There, he trained over 11,000 learners, achieving a remarkable 99.4% satisfaction rate. His passion for fostering positive workplace environments earned him the Chancellor’s Excellence in Service Award in 2013. That same year, Shola launched The Positivity Solution, a platform dedicated to challenging toxic workplace behaviours like bullying and harassment. His articles quickly gained global traction, reaching audiences in over 160 countries and establishing him as a formidable advocate for change.

In recent years, Shola’s influence has continued to expand. He is the best-selling author of three acclaimed books: Making Work Work: The Solution for Bringing Positive Change to Any Work Environment; Go Together: How the Concept of Ubuntu Will Change How You Live, Work and Lead; and Civil Unity: The Radical Path to Transform Our Discourse, Our Lives, and Our World. His expertise has been recognised through features on major platforms such as the Today Show, CBS This Morning, Forbes, Black Enterprise, and Business Insider Australia. Shola has also delivered compelling presentations at TEDx, Silicon Valley, and even the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, consistently emphasising themes of racial justice, inclusion, and leadership rooted in empathy and resilience.

Shola’s speaking topics delve deeper into the principles of ubuntu — the idea that “I am because we are” — which ties profoundly to his focus on racial equity and civil unity. His talks provide actionable frameworks for building inclusive communities, combating systemic racism, and leading with compassion. Organisations hire Shola not only for his exceptional communication skills but also because his message is grounded in lived experience, extensive professional expertise, and an unyielding commitment to creating lasting, positive change.