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What truly shapes us without us even noticing? Sometimes, it’s not the hard stops that define our path, it’s the silent redirections, the invisible “no’s,” and the things no one says out loud. This talk reveals the quiet, systemic ways highly skilled immigrants are shaped - not just by the cultures they enter, but by the coded preferences that decide who gets to belong. I moved to Norway for a job, but soon my employer went bankrupt just months after I arrived. And so began nine months of searching. Nine months of being “almost chosen.” I reached final interviews again and again. Each time, I was told I was an excellent candidate. But each time, the job went to a Norwegian. Not because they were better. But because they were familiar. This isn’t a conspiracy - it’s a pattern. A silent comfort with the known. A national culture that values sameness, even when it claims to welcome diversity. And it has a cost: not just to people like me, but to innovation, creativity, and the richness of perspective that companies quietly forfeit. This talk invites audiences to consider the invisible forces: comfort and unconscious bias that shape careers and cultures more than we care to admit. And it offers a vision of what we could gain if we finally let go of our fear of difference. Because real inclusion doesn’t happen when we let people in. It happens when we let them stay whole.

• People
• Real life

Foredragsholder

Dora Makszy

Design strategist by day, Information architecture & Design systems geek by night

You know what’s truly rewarding? Helping someone learn and grow. There’s nothing quite like being part of someone’s journey and knowing you played a role in their progress. As a human being, a mother, a team member, and Head of Design, my mission is to contribute to as many growth stories as possible. Over the past 18+ years, I’ve gained a wealth of experience in design, product, and leadership - and now, it’s time to give back.