What does it mean to truly belong, to feel seen, and to build a community where every thread of identity is honored? As a society, we often pride ourselves on progress, yet the persistent barriers to truly inclusive spaces reveal that we may be further behind in embracing equity and belonging than we’d like to admit. Join Vernā Myers for an extraordinary conversation with Prasanna (Pras) Ranganathan, a South Asian, queer, disabled consultant, filmmaker, ex-lawyer, and tireless advocate for diver...
Jul 13, 2025•40 min
In this powerful episode of Sundays with Vernā, rising political star Deja Foxx shares her remarkable journey from a challenging childhood marked by homelessness and a single mother's struggle with addiction to launching a groundbreaking congressional campaign to become the youngest woman in Congress. At just 25 years old, Foxx is running to be the first Gen Z woman elected to Congress in Arizona's 7th District. She brings a unique perspective shaped by her experiences with impoverishment, limit...
Jun 22, 2025•30 min
In this powerful episode of Sundays with Vernā, New York Times bestselling author Charles Duhigg reveals the hidden dynamics that can make or break workplace communication. Drawing from his latest book "Super Communicators," Duhigg unpacks the critical skills leaders and employees need to break through organizational silence and create meaningful dialogue. Discover how workplace conversations are actually composed of three distinct types - practical, emotional, and social - and learn why misunde...
May 25, 2025•21 min
HBCUs receive just $1 for every $100 in endowment funds that predominantly white institutions enjoy. Now, under increased budget cuts, legislative challenges, and attacks on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, their survival is being tested more than ever. Join us for a compelling conversation with Morehouse College President David A. Thomas as he shares with Vernā a powerful blueprint for defending and uplifting Historically Black Colleges and Universities against the anti-DEI onsalught of the ne...
Apr 27, 2025•21 min
In this episode of Sundays with Vernā , we celebrate Women's History Month with an uplifting and insightful conversation with tech trailblazer and business powerhouse Shelmina Abji. Shelmina is the CEO of Show Your Worth.AI and the author of Show Your Worth: Eight Intentional Strategies for Women to Emerge as Leaders at Work . Shelmina shares her inspiring journey from humble beginnings in Tanzania to becoming one of the highest-ranking women of color at IBM, offering valuable insights on career...
Mar 02, 2025•46 min
This week on Sundays with Vernā, Vernā sits down with Mahlet Getachew, Managing Director of Corporate Racial Equity at PolicyLink, for a robust conversation about redefining leadership in corporate America. Mahlet shares her inspiring journey from corporate law to becoming a passionate advocate for equity, shaped by her experiences as a first-generation immigrant from Ethiopia. Together, they discuss PolicyLink’s groundbreaking Business Standards for 21st Century Leadership, a bold framework tha...
Jan 26, 2025•41 min
This episode features an in-depth conversation with Patrice Gordon, a multi-award-winning professional with extensive leadership experience at British Airways, Royal Mail, and Virgin Atlantic. Her pioneering work in reverse mentoring, including her role as a reverse mentor to Virgin Atlantic's CEO, Craig Krieger, has transformed organizations worldwide. Vernā and Patrice discuss the origins of her Reverse Mentoring methodology and her subsequent development of structured reverse mentoring progra...
Jan 12, 2025•1 hr 6 min
Join Sundays with Vernā for an inspiring conversation with Ginny Clarke, a former Google executive and renowned leadership expert. Ginny's extraordinary career, which has spanned multiple disciplines and sectors, has paved the way for her to guide top executives at global powerhouses. Through her visionary "Five Dimensional Leadership" model, she continues to challenge leaders to rethink traditional approaches, driving meaningful change across organizations and empowering individuals to lead wit...
Dec 15, 2024•56 min
In this special conversation, Vernā interviews former mentee, Brenda Rodriguez, CEO of Lynn Community Health Center in Massachusetts. Brenda shares her journey from overcoming challenges like pre-teen pregnancy and homelessness to becoming a passionate healthcare leader. She reflects on the vital role of community health centers in delivering inclusive, comprehensive care. Together with Verna, who played a pivotal role in her youth, Brenda revisits their shared past and they discuss the lessons ...
Nov 24, 2024•56 min
Join us in this episode with Rodney Bolden, the Executive Director of Industry Engagement and Learning at Morgan Stanley at Work, as we explore the impact of equitable workplace benefits and the data-driven strategies behind creating inclusive benefit packages. Rodney offers invaluable advice on financial planning, breaking down the formula to reach your financial goals. He and Vernā reflect on their personal journeys toward social mobility and mastering financial literacy from scratch. The conv...
Nov 03, 2024•1 hr 2 min
Join us for an inspiring episode of "Sundays With Verna" featuring the phenomenal Carla Harris, a Wall Street veteran with over 35 years of experience. As a Senior Client Advisor at Morgan Stanley, Carla offers extraordinary insights on achieving success in every aspect of life. In this episode, Verna and Carla delve into the art of winning conversations and leading across generations, sharing strategies for effective leadership and time management. Learn how to "massage the calendar" and become...
Oct 20, 2024•54 min
In the latest episode of "Sundays With Verna," host Verna sits down with Michael Bush, CEO of Great Place to Work, for a riveting discussion on redefining modern corporate culture. Great Place to Work is a pioneering research and analytics firm that assesses employee satisfaction globally. Known as "the global authority on workplace culture," they survey over 20 million employees at 25,000+ businesses worldwide, aiming to measure not just satisfaction but trust. Together, Verna and Michael delve...
Sep 22, 2024•1 hr 3 min
This month on Sundays With Vernā, Vernā sits down with Brenda Darden Wilkerson, the president and CEO of AnitaB.org, an organization that advocates for gender equality in technology. Wilkerson shares her professional journey, from studying pre-med to discovering her passion for computer science and facing barriers as a Black woman in the tech industry. She discusses her work in creating the 'Computer Science for All' program in Chicago public schools and her current role at AnitaB.org, which aim...
Aug 18, 2024•56 min
In this episode of "Sundays with Vernā," Thomas Vozzo, the CEO of Homeboy Industries, a gang rehabilitation and re-entry organization, and Vernā have a conversation about Homeboy's history, methodology, and mission, the business benefits of DEI, the possible positive impact the corporate sector could have on our society, the role of faith and spirituality in his leadership, and Homeboy's response during the COVID-19 pandemic as a business. Tom also shares his journey from the corporate world to ...
Jul 21, 2024•52 min
In this thought-provoking episode, Vernā engages with the talented Emmy-nominated storyteller Baratunde Thurston in a wide-ranging discussion covering community, unlikely allies, intergenerational lessons, and dispelling myths related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Baratunde discusses how different and seemingly unrelated peoples connection with nature has impacted his perspective of interdependence, the future prospects of community and why nature deserves the same rights humans do....
Jun 16, 2024•1 hr 1 min
In this episode of "Sundays with Vernā," Anu Gupta, CEO of BE MORE with Anu and author of Breaking Bias (to be released in September 2024), joins Vernā as the latest guest. Together, they discuss the integration of mindfulness, science, and spiritualism in their work. He explains the journey that led to him receiving a foreword from the Dalai Lama. Anu also shares insights into the scientific tools he has developed to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB). Anu talks about hi...
May 19, 2024•54 min
On this Episode of Sundays With Vernā, Verna and her guest, Dr. Jenn M. Jackson, delve into Jackson's new book Black Women Taught Us: An Intimate History of Black Feminism, her personal journey into Black Feminism, and the stories of influential Black feminist figures featured in the book. In this discussion, Jackson pays homage to Black feminist foremothers such as Toni Morrison, Ida B. Wells, and Bell Hooks, praising their resilience and ingenuity in the face of systemic obstacles and personal...
Apr 21, 2024•59 min
In this episode of Sundays with Vernā, we are featuring a powerful conversation with Robert P. Jones, author of The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy: And the Path to a Shared American Future. The research on which Robert’s latest book is based delves deeply into the painful truth of our nation’s historic violence against Indigenous people and those of African descent. By having difficult conversations, Jones brings imagination to the task of repairing past injustice, embracing equity and above al...
Dec 21, 2023•1 hr 19 min
In this episode, Vernā Myers brings together Kenji Yoshino, a constitutional law professor at the New York University School of Law, and David Glasgow, founding Executive Director of NYU’s Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging, to talk about their work and the future of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion across corporate America. Yoshino and Glasgow also highlight the goals behind their new book, "Say the Right Thing: How to Talk About Identity, Diversity, and Justice," a practi...
Dec 03, 2023•1 hr 4 min
In this episode, Eric Bigger, a speaker, author, executive coach, and fan favorite from The Bachelorette, shares tools and insights about his integrative approach to wellness. By healing ancestral patterns and rewriting negative self-talk, people have the potential to become and transform into their highest selves. Want a daily dose of Eric’s wisdom? Check out his book, "100 Days Of Wisdom: Wisdom For Life." Download your free Miracle Mindset Guide at this link or get 50% off Eric’s #It'sMiracle...
Nov 19, 2023•1 hr 4 min
In this episode of Sundays With Vernā, we're looking at the intersection of sexism, racism and oppression today as Vernā invites her dear friend Wade Davis II, Global VP for Inclusion Strategy at Netflix, to share his male journey into feminism. A formerly closeted professional football player, Wade reflects on his evolution as a man who was once completely unaware of his gender privilege and his internalized biases around femininity and vulnerability. You will come away inspired to study histor...
Oct 15, 2023•1 hr 5 min
In Part II of an intimate and information-packed episode, Sundays With Vernā Myers is staying close to home. Building on their previous conversation, our host invites her child, Tres Myers, to further explore how we can create workplaces that allow trans and non-binary people to be their authentic selves. You’ll learn about the many tools we can all use to foster inclusivity and trust among marginalized people. Find out how to show up for Black, trans and non-binary people who are struggling wit...
Oct 01, 2023•33 min
Can you imagine living in a world where we fully see and appreciate one another? Where we have moved beyond the narrow identities and false assumptions that create marginalization? That’s where we’re going with this episode of Sundays with Vernā Myers, featuring an amazing, intimate conversation with a remarkable young person who also happens to be her child. Tres Myers gives us a window into what it means to be trans and non-binary in today’s world, sharing their journey from bullied, eager-to-...
Sep 14, 2023•57 min
Are you ready to get on the path to truly feeling you belong and are at home in this beautiful, often painful world? This episode of Sundays With Vernā Myers highlights the work of DEI expert Ritu Bhasin and the inspiration behind her latest book, "We've Got This: Unlocking the Beauty of Belonging." Listen to learn about the variety of tools Ritu has developed along her healing journey as well as steps we can all take to reclaim joy.
Jul 31, 2023•54 min•Season 1Ep. 6
If you’re not living the happily-ever-after storybook relationship we’re conditioned to expect, then you’re being offered an opportunity! Best-selling author Resmaa Menakem joins Vernā for a lively and practical conversation about what true healing looks like for us – as individuals, couples and as a society at large. A pioneer in the work of trauma-informed therapy, Resmaa shares practical ways to unpack our psyches in the context of how we behave inside our intimate relationships in his latest...
Jul 10, 2023•54 min
Is it any surprise that two out of three women have been opting out of the corporate workplace in order to pursue their own thing professionally? Not to powerhouse speaker, businesswoman and author of "The First, the Few, the Only: How Women of Color Can Redefine Power in Corporate America." Deepa Purushothaman. In this episode, Deepa celebrates Women’s History Month & provides actionable ideas for advancing women and anyone else perennially sidelined in historically white, straight, male-do...
Mar 16, 2023•54 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Rashad Robinson, President of Color of Change , has advanced social equity across the full spectrum: Police and prison reform, judicial equity, net neutrality, public health, education and civic engagement. In this episode, Rashad shares his take on everything from book banning (did you know that 1,648 works were taken off public school shelves in 2022?) to the double-edged sword that is The Woke Act to how erasing Black history comes at great cost to us all....
Feb 28, 2023•45 min•Season 1Ep. 3
On today’s episode, Verna talks with Bishop Walter Thomas - scholar, author, and pastor of New Psalmist Baptist Church in Baltimore, Maryland - about reflections from 2022, how he’s looking ahead to 2023, and how he’s processed and reframed the reality of the Covid Era we find ourselves in. This episode includes Bishop Thomas’ wisdom about inner healing and how being part of the Black church in America has influenced and shaped what he puts his hope in. Learn more about Bishop Walter Thomas and ...
Jan 30, 2023•53 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Welcome to Sundays with Verna! In this episode we are excited to welcome Liz Plank to discuss the overturning of Roe v. Wade and how it affects the US in both the present and the future. Liz is a filmmaker, award-winning journalist, and bestselling author most recently including For the Love of Men: From Toxic to a More Mindful Masculinity. In this episode, we dive deep into the misrepresentation of abortion in America and bring to light a new wave of allyship brought to us by the latest ruling....
Oct 06, 2022•58 min•Season 1Ep. 1
