The Wishful Doing Podcast

Many of us spend our lives trying to fix ourselves without ever examining the systems shaping us. In this opening episode, Ja'Bette and Nawil explore how the invisible routines, expectations, and patterns we inherit at home influence everything from how we learn and communicate to how we care for ourselves and those we love. Nawil shares the unexpected journey that took her from teaching mathemati...

No organization changes lives alone. Neither does one mentor. Or one teacher. Or one coach. Real change happens when communities decide that every young person deserves access to relationships, opportunities, and people who believe in their future. Tony shares the vision behind I Am Underdog and why building stronger villages—not simply stronger students—is the work ahead. Every generation asks th...

Young people don't need adults who have all the answers. They need adults willing to ask better questions. Tony shares why authentic mentorship begins with listening, how vulnerability creates trust, and why mental wellness, life skills, and human connection should never exist on the margins of education. Every generation asks the same question in a different way: How do we prepare young people fo...

What happens after you've achieved the dream everyone else celebrates? For Tony Covington, the end of one chapter became the beginning of something far more meaningful. In this conversation, we explore identity beyond achievement, the courage to reinvent yourself, and why the most significant work of our lives often begins after the applause fades. Every generation asks the same question in a diff...

Saving Lives Starts Earlier: What Families, Friends, and Communities Can Do We have named the crisis. We have explored the conditions. Now we ask the only question that matters: What do we do—before it’s too late? In this final episode, Dr. Marissa Leslie and Dr. Timothy Golden come together to bridge clinical insight and philosophical understanding into real-world intervention. Grounded in data s...

What Happens When Black Men Don't Get Help? We cannot talk about intimate partner violence without talking about the internal worlds that often go unseen. In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Timothy Golden, an academic philosopher specializing in African American Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion, and Critical Philosophy of Race. His work—including Frederick Douglass and the Philosophy of Relig...

When Home Isn't Safe: Understanding the Hidden Crisis Facing Black Women We’ve been conditioned to look for danger in strangers. But the data—and the lives lost—tell a different story. Black women in the United States are murdered by men at nearly four times the rate of white women, and in more than 90% of those cases, the perpetrator is someone they know—most often an intimate partner. Despite ma...

Midlife leadership collides with something most women never planned for: Caregiving. There are 53 million unpaid caregivers in the United States. Most are women. Family caregivers provide an estimated $600 billion in unpaid labor annually. And when caregiving intensifies: • Women reduce hours • Turn down promotions • Leave the workforce • Delay retirement savings This is not anecdotal. It is econo...

Women are leaving boardrooms, launching businesses, caring for aging parents, and managing teenagers, all while their biology is shifting beneath them. And instead of education, they receive dismissal. Instead of data, they receive shame. Instead of solutions, they receive “this is just aging.” If women will spend one-third of their lives in postmenopause, why are we still treating it like a footn...

There is a quiet exodus happening in midlife. Women are leaving jobs. Leaving marriages. Leaving titles. Leaving identities that once defined them. Here’s the controversial part, women are not unraveling in midlife because they’re fragile. Women are just finally unwilling to live misaligned, so they’re recalibrating. Nearly 30% of women consider leaving the workforce during midlife transitions — o...

Success isn’t the finish line—it’s the foundation for legacy. In this heartfelt finale, Sandra opens up about what it means to give back, lift others as you climb, and build a community rooted in equity and empowerment. From mentoring women to serving on key leadership councils, Sandra’s journey reveals that the most powerful structures we build aren’t made of concrete—they’re made of connection....

Sandra didn’t just find a seat at the table—she built the table herself. In this conversation, we talk about what it takes to claim your space, command respect, and change the culture of an entire industry. From managing multimillion-dollar operations to mentoring the next generation of women in trades, Sandra shares the mindset, strategy, and heart behind leading fearlessly in spaces that weren’t...

What does it take to walk away from a stable career and build something entirely new—especially in a world that wasn’t built for you? Sandra Hofmeister went from crunching numbers in accounting to running a multimillion-dollar construction company. In this episode, she opens up about how she turned uncertainty into opportunity, the lessons she learned from the ground up, and what it really means t...

Not all leadership challenges are visible. In this deeply personal episode, Dr. Louérs-Phillips opens up about living with a permanent invisible disability since 1996 and what it has meant to lead while managing fatigue, pain, and societal assumptions. Together, we explore how workplace cultures reward performance while often punishing honesty, and why empathy and grace must become leadership comp...

Most leaders can point to a moment when someone saw potential they hadn’t yet claimed for themselves. In this episode, Dr. Louérs-Phillips shares the story of Maria Whittermore, a mentor who recognized his leadership capacity long before he felt ready. Through her encouragement, Eric stepped into spaces that stretched his confidence, sharpened his voice, and ultimately prepared him to lead at a sy...

What does it mean to be seen as “acceptable” and who gets to decide? In this episode, Dr. Eric Louérs-Phillips reflects on growing up as a Black man whose family instilled pride, discipline, and high expectations without explicitly naming race, and how that foundation shaped his professional journey. From classrooms to district leadership, Eric unpacks the quiet, persistent questioning of his comp...

Leadership can be isolating. Even for experienced leaders. In this episode, Ja’Bette and Linda explore the power of executive coaching and leadership communities in helping leaders reflect, grow, and navigate complexity. They discuss Linda’s work as an ICF-certified executive coach and the role she will play helping guide members inside the Wishful Doing Legacy Lab. The conversation highlights a s...

Entrepreneurship can be exhilarating. It can also be isolating. In this episode, Ja’Bette and Linda talk honestly about the realities of building businesses as women — including the importance of supporting solopreneurs, lifting each other up, and resisting the scarcity mindset that sometimes creeps into professional spaces. They also explore the cultural shift required for women to move from comp...

After decades of leadership in public education — including directing large systems, shaping policy, and leading teams of hundreds — Dr. Linda Chambers chose to step into entrepreneurship. Why? In this episode, Linda shares the story behind launching LJC Consulting, the mindset shifts required to move from institutional leadership to solopreneurship, and the courage required to start something new...

What happens when Black women choose courage over fear—and step back into the water together? Recorded after the Back2theWater retreat in Cartagena, Colombia, this episode centers the voices of women who once avoided water and now move through it with confidence, reverence, and joy. Diamond Crystal is joined by retreat participants Keyoka Kinzy and Wendy Kyles as they share their stories  bef...

Drowning is not random. It is patterned by history, access, and inequity. In this powerful opening episode, we examine the racial and socioeconomic disparities that make drowning a persistent and preventable public-health crisis, particularly in Black communities. Joined by Dr. Tiffany Monique Quash and Diamond Crystal, we explore how segregation, generational trauma, and exclusion from aquatic sp...

In this final installment of our  Mentorship Series , we bring the conversation full circle. You’ll meet Gracie Armstrong—a parenting student whose journey reflects courage, growth, and the transformative power of mentorship. Together, we unpack what it means to be mentored, the hurdles mentees face, and how embracing guidance can change the trajectory of your life and leadership. This episod...

In this heartfelt continuation of our Mentorship Series, Dr. Pollard reflects on the importance of paying it forward. We explore what mentorship looks like in action—from her role as a mentor to emerging and seasoned leaders, to the deeper concept of sponsorship and advocacy. We’ll dive into how she creates space for others to rise, what true mentorship requires, and how to nurture the next genera...

Before becoming the first woman to lead the American Association of Community Colleges, Dr. DeRionne Pollard was a student with big dreams and powerful mentors who believed in her potential. In this first episode of our Mentorship Series, we explore how mentors helped shape her journey—from her early days as an English instructor to her trailblazing roles in higher education leadership. Dr. Pollar...

The holiday celebration continues in Part 2 of this special two-part series. Once again, Dr. Ja’Bette Lozupone hands the reins to her husband, who isn’t holding back on the big questions about what’s next. From bold goals for Wishful Doing’s future to the balance of family and entrepreneurship, this episode is equal parts heartfelt reflection and inspiring vision-casting. Grab a cozy cup of cocoa...