About the Organization
Worthwhile Research & Consulting guides clients to modern, strategic, and inclusive language. We are at the leading edge of inclusive language research and education, bringing decades of academic research to our science-based talks, training, and consulting.
Clients rely on our expertise to identify and address language problems that negatively affect their organization’s business. We help clients move away from language that contributes to toxic workplace culture, elevates risk and legal liability, and drives away both clients and employees.
Worthwhile is located in Oakland, California and is a small, woman-owned business. Our clients range in size from small start-up to global enterprise. Zoom, airplanes, Slack, e‑mail, and file-sharing allow us to work with people around the US and internationally.
"We did exhaustive research to find just the right partner...Suzanne’s programs were relatable, highly interactive, and informative. Rooted in academic research, but designed to help teams better communicate. We couldn’t have asked for more in this partnership.”
- Katelin Holloway, VP People & Culture, Reddit
About our CEO
Dr. Suzanne Wertheim is a national expert on strategic and inclusive language and the author of The Inclusive Language Field Guide (2023). After getting her Ph.D. in Linguistics from Berkeley, she held faculty positions at Northwestern, University of Maryland, and UCLA. In 2011, she left the university system in order to apply her expertise to real-world problems.
Dr. Wertheim has been an invited speaker around the US and in Europe, presenting research on language and bias, language and gender, and anthropology and artificial intelligence. She has done fieldwork with speakers as diverse as Tatar nationalists in the former Soviet Union, Native Americans in central California, comedians in Los Angeles, and female engineers of San Francisco and Silicon Valley.
As head of Worthwhile Research & Consulting, Dr. Wertheim now specializes in analyzing and addressing problematic language at work. Her clients have included tech giants such as Google and Reddit, financial companies such as Charles Schwab, and national news organizations such as News Nation.
Want to learn more about Dr. Wertheim’s book or keynote speaking? Visit www.suzannewertheim.com.
“People felt really seen and represented, and they didn’t feel judged.
And the framework allowed us to understand bias and the importance
of anti-bias work in a new way."
- Tess Wood, Assistant Director, Language Science Center University of Maryland
About our Linguistic Anthropology Framework
At Worthwhile Research & Consulting, we apply linguistic anthropology to real-world problems. Linguistic anthropology is a social science centered on language, culture, and power. We draw on decades of research into power dynamics and the ways language can express bias and discrimination. Linguistic anthropology helps people see the world in a new way, and provides a toolkit to understand and productively discuss problematic language in the workplace.
Learn more about linguistic anthropology and its benefits. →
“I don’t know anyone who presents complex and often fundamentally challenging information in a more inclusive and entertaining way than Dr. Wertheim. She connects with the audience in a way that breaks down barriers and creates an environment of productive collaboration. I have recommended her frequently.”