We’d be lying to ourselves if we acted like our country’s history wasn’t filled with societal pains and traumas.

Eric Liu, the CEO of Citizen University, says that when we grieve together, we open the opportunity to heal and move forward as a nation. By renewing faith in ourselves, we can carry on the legacy of our ancestors.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Citizen University website

f a thousand mice don’t make an elephant, why do we believe replicating solutions can solve a problem at scale?

My guest today, Sanjay Purohit, CEO and Chief Curator of the Centre For Exponential Change, believes that we must tailor our methods for each community. But that doesn’t mean scale is not possible. Today, he reveals how a change in our thinking can unlock large societal change.

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Resources mentioned in this episode:

Centre for Exponential Change Website

Societal Thinking Website

ShikshaLokam Website

Can we show up for our communities if we can’t show up for ourselves?

Rachel Cargle, best-selling author and the founder of The Loveland Foundation, doesn’t think so. Today, she explains how we can self-study to learn to be our true selves and give back to our community.

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Own: A Memoir and Manifesto of Reimagining, book by Rachel Cargle

How I Learned From What I Learned - August Wilson’s play

Elizabeth's Bookshop and Writing Centre - Bookstore Link

Link to The Loveland Foundation

Are we naturally caring or divisive as human-beings?

Dr. Richard Davidson, the founder of Center for Healthy Minds, explains we are hard-wired to build connections. He also teaches us how to cultivate well-being through four easy steps.

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Resources mentioned in this episode:

Healthy Minds Program Meditation App

Too often we allow society to tell us what success means. In this episode, we challenge that definition. MESHELLE, the Indie Mom of Comedy, shares her inspiring story of embracing her individuality in the world of stand-up comedy.

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Resources mentioned in this episode:

Whoopi Goldberg: Direct from Broadway on Hulu

Policymaking isn't enough to create real change. Impact begins with a shift in culture.

Negin Farsad, a comedian and filmmaker, talks to me about the importance of comedy in creating a foundation for social change. She also explains how comedy has helped her build bridges across identities.

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Resources mentioned in this episode:

Gutsy on Apple TV

Fake the Nation podcast with Negin Farsad

3rd Street Blackout on Apple TV

If you complete a bachelor’s degree, you’re more likely to live longer. Yet, 60% of Americans don’t have one. And skepticism about its value is growing. My guest today, Steve Colón, talks about why college is worth it and how students can make the most out of their college experience.

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Resources mentioned in this episode:

BottomLine.org for more information

Voter turnouts in American elections are typically low. But that’s not because Americans don’t care. My guest today, Debra Cleaver, explains that people will vote if we make it easier for them. As the founder and CEO of Vote America, Debra helps us remain optimistic in the fight to save our democracy.

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Resources mentioned in this episode:

VoteAmerica.com for more information.

Jimmie Briggs, Principal at the Skoll Foundation, is the embodiment of someone who has followed his calling while wearing multiple hats. As a journalist, activist and philanthropist, Jimmie tells us how he is giving a mic to those who are often denied one.

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Over the past year, there has been a 33% rise in attempts to ban books, especially those featuring characters of color or addressing LGBTQI+ themes.

As the Executive Director of the Campaign For Our Shared Future, Heather Harding tells us how teachers and schools are being threatened by extremist ideologies, as well as what we can do to fight back.

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Resources mentioned in this episode:

Beloved by Toni Morrison

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

Campaign for Our Shared Future (Website)

Being a leader isn’t easy. Spiderman’s Uncle Ben said it best, “with great power comes great responsibility.” So you have to be ready to mess up.

Carmen Rojas, CEO of the Marguerite Casey Foundation, talks to me about the value of owning up to our mistakes and being accountable.

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Resources mentioned in this episode:

Freedom Is a Constant Struggle by Angela Davis

Daring Greatly by Brené Brown

To Be Young, Gifted and Black by Lorraine Hansberry

The Source of Self-Regard by Toni Morrison

Angela Davis: An Autobiography by Angela Davis

Description goes hereI’m sorry to break it to you - but doing well in school doesn’t automatically create opportunities for students to succeed. The real question is, how do we ensure our students get the opportunities they deserve?

Today, Dr. Tequilla Brownie, CEO of The New Teacher Project, answers this question for us.

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Resources mentioned in this episode:

‘The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together.’ by Heather McGhee

The Opportunity Myth Report by The New Teacher Project (TNTP)

Description gHow can we best serve under-resourced people in America? Michael D. Smith, CEO of AmeriCorps, says real service means working WITH our communities and not FOR them.

In this episode, Michael also shares how connecting across economic class and generations can help the nation progress.

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Resources mentioned in this episode:

Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin

The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin

Nearly 75% of Americans think the media is increasing political polarization in this country. But our guest today, Farai Chideya, believes that journalism can actually bring us closer.

Farai is the CEO and host of the Our Body Politic podcast and senior writer at FiveThirtyEight. In this conversation, she explains how data-driven journalism and engaging with people of different opinions help her to lead with love.

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Resources mentioned in this episode:

Our Body Politic Episode with Adam Berinsky

The American Dream –the idea that anyone can succeed regardless of their background– often feels just like that, a dream.

Today I speak with John Friedman, an economist and Co-Director of Opportunity Insights. John explains the barriers to opportunity that under-resourced communities face, and why removing these can improve the American economy. He also tells us why social mobility is harder to achieve today.

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Resources mentioned in this episode:

Imprisonment Rates of Black Americans (Pew Charitable Trusts)

Diversifying Society’s Leaders? The Determinants and Causal Effects of Admission to Highly Selective Private Colleges (Raj Chetty, David J. Deming, John N. Friedman)

My conversation with Cheryl Dorsey, the President of Echoing Green, was recorded on the third anniversary of George Floyd’s murder. It was a perfect opportunity for us to reflect on how far America has come to fulfilling its promises of racial equity.

Cheryl speaks about the barriers to entry people of color face and how these very leaders are overcoming the odds and paving the way towards a better America.

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Resources mentioned in this episode:

Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination by Robin Kelley

Eyes on the Prize by Henry Hampton.

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

America is increasingly becoming multiracial. But our institutions haven’t caught up to this reality. In our first Say More episode, Karla and I talk about this irony.

Karla Monterroso is CEO of Brava Leaders, a nonprofit that coaches organizations to support underrepresented leaders. Today, she speaks about the challenges in our multiracial reality, especially what people of color face in climbing up the ladders of power.

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Resources mentioned in this episode:

Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist's Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations by Thomas L. Friedman

Imagining spaces where our communities can thrive and finding the power to build them with real estate developer and urban revitalization strategist Majora Carter.

Having conversations about a country in crisis, holding space for complexity and finding reasons for hope with Farai Chideya, creator and host of Our Body Politic.

Creating a vision for collective liberation, self-determination, abundance and prosperity for Indigenous communities with NDN Collective’s Nick Tilsen.

Discussing the power of connection and building relationships across difference with serial connector and social impact leader Susan McPherson.

Unpacking what it takes to build inclusive workplaces full of trust, empathy and belonging with Daisy Auger-Dominguez, Chief People Officer at VICE Media Group.

Exploring “systemic humanism” and the practice of accountability with Lisa Yancey, entrepreneurial strategist and president of Yancey Consulting.

Talking about love, learning and un-learning with two experts in trauma-informed practice: educator Sarah Montgomery and mental health advocate Shauna Lee.

Going deep on emotional justice, reconciliation, repair and reinvention with Esther Armah, Founder of the Armah Institute of Emotional Justice.

Interrogating wealth and economic justice with Charisse Conanan Johnson CFA, a small business advocate and Managing Partner of Next Street.

Getting real about collective trauma and what it means to be the architects of our own healing and joy with health coach and wellness guide Pilin Anice.

Imagining a world free from white supremacy with Dr. Tema Okun, racial justice facilitator and co-leader of the Teaching for Equity Fellows Program at Duke University.

Talking about Black love and Black womanhood with Dr. Diane Stewart, Professor of Religion and African American studies at Emory University.

Understanding the economics of liberation and Afrofuturism with Darrick Hamilton, Director of the Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy at The New School.

Architecting Black liberation and looking at the research on economics and self worth with Dr. Andre Perry, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institute.

Talking about growing up Black, family and the real work of equity with activist Michelle Molitor, Founder and Executive Director of The Equity Lab.

Examining the radical nature of genius, success, vulnerability, inspiration and self love with artist and actress Karen Pittman.

Probing the relationship between liberation, education and sisterhood with Alexandra Bernadette, founder of visionary education platform Beyond 12.

Getting into the flow of healing and liberation with Leslie and Jeff Jones, founders of the transformational body-mind practice Afro Flow Yoga.