Your story is the single most powerful thing you own. Embrace it, share it, and watch the world transform around you. Renowned for her ability to empower leaders to unleash their full potential, Stephanie Zhong is a brand strategist and storytelling specialist with over 20 years of experience. Her journey spans diverse sectors, from non-profits to civic organizations, and her passion lies in helping individuals authentically amplify their presence. Despite cultural norms that often discourage se...
Jan 03, 2024•1 hr 5 min
Navigate the dualities, overcome challenges, and lead with compassion; authentic success intertwines passion with purpose while nurturing the soul. Kishshana Palmer introduces herself as a multi-hyphenate serial social entrepreneur with diverse experience in fundraising, marketing, and policy within the social impact sector. Through candid honesty, Kishshana reveals her path towards self-understanding and embracing strengths, illuminating a journey of personal evolution. Cultural influences and ...
Dec 27, 2023•56 min
Education isn’t just about learning, it’s about celebrating differences and fostering inclusivity. As CEO of Ascend Public Charter Schools, Recy Dunn’s story encapsulates the transformative power of personal experiences and the resounding impact they can have on one’s pursuit of educational justice and identity exploration. Raised by a mixed-race couple in Texas, his upbringing propelled a lifelong quest to understand identity amid societal complexities, stemming from racial prejudices and fueli...
Dec 20, 2023•54 min
Empowering minds is the spark, transforming communities is the flame that ignites a brighter future for us all. Dr. Ian Buchanan, the visionary CEO of Nia Education Group, is a role model of transformative leadership. Embracing his identity as a “Black Nerd”, he shares his path, transitioning from teacher to administrator to an inspiring entrepreneur and leadership coach. Addressing the poignant absence of diversity in education, his role amplifies the critical need to bridge cultural understand...
Dec 13, 2023•51 min
Bring a piece of yourself into everything you do so you can be a role model for others like you. Yexenia Gómez is a renowned culinary director and educator who helps bring health and nutrition education to underprivileged people in her community. Working with businesses and children alike, Yexenia's passion is empowering people to feel more confident and creative in nourishing themselves. There is a tragic lack of diversity in the education sector, leaving a cultural understanding gap in fundame...
Dec 06, 2023•55 min
Collective responsibility resonates strongly in supporting our communities, urging us to recognize the beauty and brilliance present within our own people. Dr. Nancy B. Gutierrez, President & Lead Executive Officer of The Leadership Academy, and Dr. Roberto Padilla, superintendent of Community School District 7 in the Bronx, share their journeys as educators and advocates for students of color. Together, they challenge the prevalent belief that success necessitates leaving one’s community. I...
Nov 29, 2023•51 min
Building communities is essential for creating opportunity, acceptance and prosperity. Kwamara Thompson is a leader, community builder and angel investor who pours herself into numerous organizations that foster a culture of unity and positive social change. From a young age, she has been passionate about fighting for equity and empathy-focused growth, and continues to dedicate herself to lifting others up by providing opportunities for those in need. In a world where your zip code can determine...
Nov 22, 2023•49 min
Leading with discernment is a vital part of unlocking the greatness in others. Shanita Rapatalo is a national consultant and expert on literacy, DEI, and education, and helps to create systemic changes to the education system that promote equity, compassion and acceptance. With 20 years of experience in the education sector, she continues to follow her passion for helping to develop and strengthen leaders and practices in the industry to ensure that students can become the best versions of thems...
Nov 15, 2023•58 min
Break free from your scripted role and uncover your authentic self. Rick Andrews is a highly respected trainer, educator, and improv artist with expertise in team development, creativity, innovation, public speaking, and leadership. He brings a treasure trove of hands-on expertise to these key areas. Rick shares his journey through the labyrinth of improv, illuminating the trail it blazed toward personal authenticity. The narrative peels away the layers of his initial motivations for diving into...
Nov 08, 2023•1 hr
Studies have shown that cognition is related to movement. Using dance to transform the STEM experience for girls, has allowed Yamilée to see the progress being made, after finding out that only 5% of people in STEM are women of color. Having to initially choose between dance and STEM as she was applying for college, Yamilée has made it her mission to integrate the two. Studying at MIT as one of few women of color in the room, Yamilée could see that a shift was required. With dance, allowing girl...
Nov 01, 2023•44 min
Deciding that your belief system will overflow into every aspect of your life, allows you to focus on what you have decided is important. Born into a home upheld by justice and faith, Kenan worked towards a career in education. Driven by a passion for restoration and the justice he grew up desiring, Kenan has risen to a position of leadership within education equity. Being surrounded by and in relationships with people who hold a different belief, values or come from a different culture, allows ...
Oct 25, 2023•56 min
Realizing the power of your connections is the key to success in business and life. Marcela is the President and CEO of designEDengagement where she co-creates roadmaps to help strengthen the partnership between families, communities and educators. In cities across the country, Marcela passionately oversees projects dedicated to cultivating the power of connections to strengthen communities and create better opportunities for students. Asking for help can feel like a shameful and transactional e...
Oct 18, 2023•47 min
Being confident in your identity is the key to growth. Marc Etienne is a Partner at Rethinc where he helps to provide the support and coaching needed to evolve communities and organizations away from inequitable practices. With over 25 years of experience in helping students achieve their potential, regardless of their background, Marc continues to follow his passionate pursuit of the dismantling of systemic racism. A big part of unsubscribing from systemic racism and inequitable traditions is b...
Jul 26, 2023•1 hr 17 min
What you accomplish is not a measure of your value as a human. Stephanie Morimoto is the owner and CEO of Asutra where she shares her passion for self-care through her products and business practices. With nearly 20 years of compassionate leadership and serving those in need under her belt, she continues to provide equitable career pathways and opportunities to her employees and her community. Many people today are stuck on the proverbial hamster wheel and don't stop to appreciate the journey or...
Jul 19, 2023•1 hr
Learning ways to hack the system is the key to living the lives we deserve to live. Atnre Alleyne is the founder of The Proximity Project, where he advocates for diversity and inclusion and helps organizations build authentic connections with marginalized communities. Founding multiple advocacy organizations, Atnre is an impassioned leader that empowers other leaders with equity-centered values as he fights for racial justice. Despite the dependence on funding that many advocacy groups have, the...
Jul 12, 2023•1 hr 2 min
To fight inequity, we must slow down enough to review and understand the behaviors that contribute to it. Alli Myatt is the co-founder of The Equity Practice and helps organizations redesign themselves to embody more equitable practices. Throughout her life and her long career in advising organizations, Alli has followed her passion of advocating for more human connection and liberatory principles in the workplace. Business is inherently about performance, urgency, and moving at a fast pace to m...
Jul 05, 2023•1 hr 1 min
Self-care is essential in the mission to advance inclusivity and racial equity. Laura Donald is the founder and CEO of Axis Talent Partners, where she focuses on supporting leaders of color in accessing positions of power. Through a career in teaching and recruiting, Laura has followed her lifelong passion for spreading a culture of liberation and leaving a positive impact with her liberatory values. Centering the experiences of people of color and cultivating a sense of belonging is a challengi...
Jun 28, 2023•55 min
In the fight to create more equitable job opportunities, transparency is a must. Ify Walker is the founder and CEO of Offor, where she leads with her values to ensure equitable opportunities for marginalized groups in the executive search industry. From teaching to attending law school, Ify has followed her passion for identifying and understanding broken systems and designing equitable solutions. It’s no secret that we still live in a world where meritocracy is overshadowed by the unfortunate t...
Jun 21, 2023•1 hr 2 min
In order to continue the fight against inequality, we need to create a culture where people are taking care of each other. Kate Gerson is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at Rethnic, where she partners with leaders to create evolved workspaces that promote healthier and happier work cultures through inclusivity. Throughout her journey, Kate has been the architect of numerous successful organizations, where she has poured her passion for anti-racism and dismantling systems of inequality...
Jun 14, 2023•54 min
Learning who you are and what values you represent is the key to leading and networking with others authentically. Russ Finkelstein is a career coach and advisor who helps other people become aware of their possibilities. Acting as a conduit and connector of people, Russ’s passion is in his idealist approach, where he combines empathy and structure to help people discover who they truly are. Making a connection requires trust, and the best way to gain trust is to show up consistently as your aut...
Jun 07, 2023•54 min
Using inclusion and innovation to align the interests of all humans is the best strategy to move forward into a more positive future. Ron J. Williams is a venture builder and corporate innovation leader that focuses on companies that want to build a better future. From making tutoring accessible to underprivileged kids to helping startups make positive impacts in their communities, Ron continues to pursue his passion for helping real people make real progress. Today’s society is filled with self...
May 31, 2023•1 hr 7 min
Tony Delarosa is the Author of Teaching the Invisible Race: Embodying a Pro-Asian American Lens in Schools. He is a Filipino American anti-bias and anti-racist educator who studies ethnic policies and practices and fights to instill a pro-Asian lens in the education sector. With his work featured on many prestigious platforms, Tony continues to pursue his passion for Asian American activism and fighting for a more expansive racial equity narrative. Racial equity in America is an endless uphill b...
Apr 05, 2023•1 hr
Discovering your voice and choice is the key to growth and success. Elsa Marquez is an executive leadership coach who works with individuals and organizations to help them fulfill their full potential and become the best version of themselves. With a long and passionate career in leadership and coaching, Elsa fosters leadership-based culture and values that drive individuals and organizations toward valuable changes and success. Many people struggle with a lack of self-awareness that prevents th...
Mar 29, 2023•43 min
When we help others, the world becomes a better place for everybody. Delvin Burton is a professional leadership coach who uses his leadership skills to develop leadership programs and help businesses and people become the best versions of themselves. Delvin was raised by and surrounded by leaders and mentors through childhood and naturally grew into the man of diverse leadership talent he is today, where he uses his passion for creating a positive impact on people and businesses across the many ...
Mar 22, 2023•1 hr 5 min
Society needs to re-evaluate its expectations to make room for identity. Travonnie Mackey is an associate partner and leader at Edgility, where she fiercely advocates for equitable access and works to close wage and opportunity gaps in the workplace. Through her journey of understanding how her identity and location have impacted her opportunities in life as a child, a teacher, a mother, and a leader, she has followed her passion for challenging existing systems and creating space for marginaliz...
Mar 15, 2023•1 hr 9 min
Christian Simamora is a father, educator, learning experience designer, facilitator, and writer. His craft is designing spaces where people can reflect, be vulnerable, and feel a connection. His sacred practice is loving his two boys better, more deeply, and more devoutly every day. Currently, he's a Fellow at Stanford's Life Design Lab, where he teaches classes that help people figure out what they want to grow into at any stage of life. While he lives now in Oakland with his wife and sons, he ...
Mar 08, 2023•1 hr 6 min
Chase and explore your curiosities, and you might just find your next passion. Tina Tang is a strength training coach who mentors middle-aged women on their fitness journey and helps them take control of their bodies. From financial analyst at Goldman Sachs to a jewelry crafting mogul with multiple storefronts and now an award-winning personal trainer, Tina has persevered through the ups and downs of the ever-changing economy while chasing her curiosity and passions. It is normal to change your ...
Mar 01, 2023•46 min
You need to heal yourself before you can adequately hold space for others. Judith A. Yáñez is the Founder and Executive Director of RootED Northwest Arkansas, which educates parents and helps them to use their power and voice to advance educational and economic opportunities for their families. After ascending from a working-class childhood of trauma and dysfunction and later becoming a math teacher who saw the disconnect between school systems and the families they were meant to serve firsthand...
Feb 22, 2023•47 min
Investing in other people's freedom and success is the key to making an impact. Jonathan Santos Silva is the Founder of The Liber Institute and an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Cambiar Education. From being a school founder, high school principal, instructional coach, education consultant, and an on-the-ground technical support provider under South Dakota’s Native American Achievement Schools Grant, Jonathan shares his journey through discovering his voice for social issues and paving his way int...
Feb 15, 2023•1 hr 4 min
