Monroe reflects on how being raised by three generations of Black women shaped his understanding of responsibility, power and equity. He shares how those early experiences continue to influence how he leads and shows up in the world.

Together, they explore how bias forms, why self-awareness is a leadership skill, and how systems not just individuals, shape outcomes in workplaces and beyond. Monroe also offers practical ways leaders can challenge their assumptions, build accountability, and create environments where more people can thrive.

A thoughtful conversation on leadership, equity, and the work it takes to create real change

They discuss why most workplaces operate like authoritarian regimes, the real harm of performative DEI, and why basic needs like fair wages matter more than belonging metrics. Aparna shares her journey from building equitable organizations to taking a radical sabbatical and reveals practical ways you can practice daily disobedience in your own life.

Learn why "safety" in the workplace often means protecting white supremacy, and discover how small acts of kindness and disruption can compound into real change.

Swati shares insights on navigating the job search process, negotiating offers, and addressing equity issues in hiring. The conversation also explores her background as the child of Indian immigrants, how early experiences shaped her commitment to equity, and why aligning your career with your values can create more meaningful work and impact.

They discuss lessons from historic movements, how advocacy organizations can align purpose with execution, and why asking questions matters more than defending positions, especially in conversations about Palestine.

A thoughtful conversation on activism, democracy, and finding shared humanity in polarized times.

Drawing from her experience as a parent, Pooja explains why these conversations don’t start for children, they start as practice for adults. The early years are about building our own language, courage, historical understanding, and habits so we’re prepared to talk honestly when it matters most.

This episode also challenges how we talk about figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and why discussing his legacy without naming slavery, Jim Crow, and white supremacy misses the truth.

A timely conversation about responsibility, preparation, and raising awareness early in ourselves first.

Nicole reflects on movement, mindfulness, caregiving, and the Asian American experience, sharing how representation, boundaries, and community shape everyday equity. A thoughtful conversation on belonging, visibility and creating change from the inside out.

They talk about culturally specific support for survivors of violence, why equity has to start inside organizations and what it looks like to lead with care, power-sharing, and accountability especially for women of color in nonprofit leadership.

They discuss four-day workweeks, paid family leave, and why centering wellness and care inside organizations isn’t a perk, it’s an equity practice. A practical conversation on moving from values to systems that actually support people.

Kia shares how early experiences of racism shaped her commitment to positive social change, and why workplace “commitments” to DEI often collapse when it gets uncomfortable. Together, they unpack how silence becomes complicity, why equity can’t be treated like a separate initiative, and what it actually takes to embed inclusion into everyday systems and processes.

This episode is a practical, human conversation on how to interrupt harm, navigate hard conversations without escalating conflict, and move from statements of intent to lasting culture change.

Mahalene shares her journey as a daughter of Filipino immigrants and why she created a wealth practice centered on women of color, LGBTQ+ communities, and first-generation wealth builders. Together, they explore how financial systems exclude, how money trauma shows up across income levels, and how access to financial education can shift long-term impact.

A grounded conversation about reclaiming money as a tool for stability, agency, and generational change.

Khadka shares her journey from Nepal to the U.S. and the experiences that made equity personal, navigating identity as an immigrant, witnessing language and healthcare barriers in refugee communities and raising a child in systems not built with everyone in mind.

Together, they explore what everyday equity really looks like: noticing who’s excluded, embedding inclusion into daily decisions and helping leaders move past fear into action. This conversation is a reminder that equity isn’t just a strategy, it’s a daily practice.

Laura shares her deeply personal journey, growing up as the child of immigrants and refugees, navigating elite sports shaped by obedience, overtraining and silence and later reckoning with the long-term impacts of trauma on the body, identity and sense of belonging.

Together, Puja and Laura explore what it means to take a trauma-informed approach to sports, parenting, leadership, and everyday life. They discuss generational trauma, the power of storytelling, redefining resilience and why healing requires community, compassion, and awareness not “grit at all costs.”

This conversation is for athletes, parents, coaches, leaders and anyone learning how to move through the world with more care for themselves and others.

This is Because equity isn’t abstract, it shows up in our bodies, our stories and how we choose to treat one another, every day.

Grace shares her lived experience as an international adoptee and foster care alum, and how these often-invisible identities shape how people navigate work, community, and belonging. We explore why assimilation causes harm, how systems silence adoptees and foster alumni as adults, and what true inclusion looks like when intersectional identities are acknowledged and supported.

A necessary conversation on equity, identity, and building spaces where people don’t have to disappear to belong

They dig into why DEI backlash matters, how to handle hard conversations without ego, and the small acts of equity that make a big difference—like passing the mic, using your privilege, and showing up for community care at work.

Sharp, honest, and full of gems you can use today.

This conversation centers on how personal awareness, boundaries and values shape inclusive leadership and why equity work must include reflection, care,and intentional action. Judy shares insights that challenge performative approaches and invite leaders to slow down, listen and lead with clarity and integrity.

A reflective, practical episode for anyone thinking deeply about how change actually happens, starting with ourselves.

This conversation moves past theory and into action. How organizations can do better. How leaders can show up differently and how everyday choices can create real, lasting change.

If you’re looking for grounded, actionable perspectives on equity and inclusion, this episode is a strong place to start.

Together they explore unconscious bias, the history of equity work in universities, and why institutions must look closely at data to understand who truly feels seen, heard, and valued. A thoughtful discussion about building academic spaces where inclusion and belonging are real experiences—not just intentions.

In this episode, Pooja Kothari sits down with licensed mental health counselor Joan Choi to explore how anti-oppression work shapes the therapy room. They unpack why therapists must do deeper identity work beyond their training, how power dynamics show up in therapy and what it takes to create truly safe spaces for clients from marginalized communities.

Joan also shares practical advice for choosing the right therapist, speaking up in sessions, and why clients deserve the highest standard of care for their mental health.

Together they explore how leaders can navigate systems thoughtfully, support their teams emotionally, and recognize the internal work required to challenge oppressive structures. Dr. Horsham-Brathwaite also shares practical insights on emotional regulation, strategic leadership, and why caring for ourselves is essential to building more just and sustainable workplaces.

Together, they explore why speaking up isn’t just an individual responsibility, but also a leadership one, and how creating space for different voices helps unlock talent, dignity, and stronger teams.

Jennifer shares how she built her company, why she now focuses on supporting women-led and “new majority” businesses, and how public relations intersects with equity and representation. The conversation explores how implicit bias shows up in hiring, leadership, and business growth—and why awareness is the first step toward change.

They also discuss Jennifer’s TEDx talks on implicit bias, the myth of meritocracy, and how organizations can move beyond performative DEI to create cultures where people truly feel included.

This episode is a candid conversation about leadership, bias, visibility, and the small steps that move us closer to equity every day.

What does it mean to build anti-oppression into your business from the very beginning?

In this episode, Pooja Kothari talks with attorney, former wedding planner, and Oberg Law founder Leah Weinberg about making equity a daily practice  not a marketing strategy.

They explore defensiveness and privilege, intent vs. impact, avoiding tokenism, and what it really takes to create inclusive spaces in business.

This is a candid conversation about responsibility, growth and doing the work  even when it’s uncomfortable.

What does real belonging at work actually look like?

In this episode of Everyday Equity, Pooja Kothari speaks with Chris Hooten, speaker and consultant focused on intersectional neurodiversity and gender equity.

They explore what it means to create neurodivergent and gender-expansive affirming workplaces, why traditional DEI efforts often fall short, and how leaders can shift from defensiveness to accountability.

From “unearned advantage” to rethinking bias and belonging, this conversation challenges surface-level inclusion and invites deeper cultural change.

In this episode of Everyday Equity, Pooja Kothari sits down with Allison Shurilla, founder of AS Community Consulting, to demystify evaluation and data strategy. Allison explains how research doesn’t have to be cold or math-heavy — at its best, it’s about listening to communities, gathering meaningful information, and using it to make better decisions.

They discuss anti-oppression in practice, navigating bias in data, building trust with communities, and why discomfort is often part of growth.

If you’ve ever felt intimidated by “evaluation” or wondered how equity connects to research, this conversation makes it clear: it starts with curiosity, humility, and a commitment to doing better.

In this episode, Pooja Kothari talks with Sandhya Jain Patel, DEI and multicultural strategy advisor and host of The Culture Prism, about third culture identity, authentic storytelling, and why representation still matters.

They explore stereotypes in media, internal community bias like colorism and anti-Blackness, and the tension between generational survival strategies and today’s equity work. Sandhya also shares how her executive compensation survey aims to advance pay equity through better data.

A candid conversation about culture, power, and building a truly multicultural future.

They explore the intersection of design and equity, unpacking the difference between diversity, inclusion, belonging, and equity and why equity is the outcome we’re striving for. Jessica shares how designers shape human experience, how identity shows up in physical spaces, and why asking better questions can transform the design process.

This conversation challenges us to think more intentionally about the spaces we create, the assumptions we make, and how expanding our awareness can lead to more inclusive, human-centered outcomes in design and beyond.

They talk about why Chief Diversity Officer roles face resistance, the difference between programming vs. strategy, and what it looks like when DEI becomes everyone’s job. Dr. Wells also shares practical questions any leader can ask to build a more inclusive workplace and why community is essential for sustaining this work.

They unpack what anti-oppression and allyship look like in practice, using Lynne’s work exposing harmful casting language as a case study in building platforms and ladders for others. Lynne also shares her “be the oyster” framework for doing meaningful work inside a toxic system without burning out.

Ariana shares why career growth must center identity, intersectionality and lived experience not separate from them. They discuss showing up authentically at work, navigating bias with humility, community organizing as a foundation for leadership and why understanding your own story is key to advancing equity.

A grounded, empowering conversation on thriving as your whole self  and redefining success on your own terms.

They explore how diversity efforts shifted from women-in-leadership pipelines to more direct conversations about race, power and systemic inequity  and why accountability still lags behind intention.

Dr. Session shares candid insights on burnout, backlash, preserving your well-being in this work, and why organizations must resource DEIB roles properly.

They also discuss her book, Working While Black, and practical strategies for building equitable workplaces that move beyond performative commitments.

In this episode, Pooja Kothari speaks with Dr Yvette Martinez Vu, first-gen Chicana grad school and productivity coach about sustainable productivity, the hidden curriculum of higher education and supporting first-gen BIPOC students in navigating grad school.

They discuss:

• Why productivity must align with well-being
• How to center lived experiences in your work
• Why equity is a lifelong practice
• The importance of believing people when they share their experiences

Let also shares insights from her new book, Is Grad School for Me?, and why grad school isn’t the right path for everyone.

Practical, honest, and grounded this conversation brings equity into real life.