They Tried It

What happens when the person responsible for protecting employees becomes the one who needs protection? In this episode of They Tried It , Lindiwe Davis sits down with longtime HR leader Elizabeth Arnott to discuss toxic workplaces, workplace retaliation, abusive leadership, and what happens when the systems designed to protect employees fail. After more than 26 years working in human resources, E...

Seven-time Emmy Award-winning journalist and former news anchor Andrea Morehead Allen joins They Tried It for a powerful conversation about workplace abuse, racism in corporate media, retaliation, gaslighting, and what it took to walk away after 21 years in television news. Andrea opens up about the emotional toll of toxic work environments, navigating discrimination as a Black woman in media, sur...

This week on They Tried It , Zara Northover joins Lindiwe Davis for one of the most powerful conversations of the season. Zara is a Jamaican Olympian, founder of Moving In Faith, former mortgage banking leader, TEDx speaker, and pro se litigant currently representing herself before the Michigan Supreme Court after alleging workplace discrimination and retaliation during her corporate career. In th...

What do you do when your boss is trying to push you out, and nobody at work will stop it? In this episode of They Tried It , host Lindiwe Davis sits down with Peggy Beane , a longtime media and marketing executive whose career has spanned publishing, advertising, integrated marketing, and DEI consulting. From Black Enterprise, Jet, Ebony, Essence, and American Legacy to Nickelodeon and beyond, Peg...

In this episode of They Tried It , host Lindiwe Davis sits down with Pamala Buzick Kim , founder of Mavenverse , a marketing firm that helps brands connect with high-trust communities like book clubs, run clubs, and other interest-based groups without disrupting the culture that makes those spaces meaningful. At the center of this episode is a workplace betrayal that still stands out years later....

In Episode 7 of They Tried It , host Lindiwe “Lin” Davis (aka The Couch Coach) sits down with workplace abuse advocate Deb Falzoi to unpack the hidden epidemic of workplace bullying, and why the system so often protects power instead of people. Deb shares the experience that changed the trajectory of her career: a toxic workplace situation while working in higher education in Boston that escalated...

In this episode of They Tried It , host Lindiwe Davis sits down with marketing strategist and entrepreneur Sequoyah Glen , founder of 924 , to unpack the realities of navigating corporate America as a Black woman, and what it takes to walk away on your own terms. Sequoyah, also known as “Data Bae,” built a career in data, consumer insights, and marketing strategy. But behind the accolades and prof...

In this episode of They Tried It , host Lindiwe Davis sits down with Kim Williams, founder of the Fair Path Project and longtime HR leader, to unpack the realities of workplace bullying, psychological safety, and what really happens behind closed HR doors. Workplace abuse affects millions of employees every year. Yet most people are told to “toughen up,” stay quiet, or accept toxic behavior as par...

In Episode 4 of They Tried It , host Lindiwe Davis (aka The Couch Coach) sits down with Shakira Polite to talk workplace sabotage, hostile coworkers, and what it takes to protect your dignity and your career in high-pressure team environments. The heart of this episode centers on a difficult experience inside a professional program designed to create access to advertising for nontraditional talent...

In Episode 3 of They Tried It , Lindiwe Davis sits down with Jenny Chen (“J Chen”) , a first-generation Chinese Canadian immigrant, former wealth management DEI leader, and founder of Catalais Consulting , to unpack what happens when workplace culture punishes authenticity, rewrites the definition of “leadership,” and rewards toxic authority. This conversation gets specific about how toxic environ...

In Episode 2 of They Tried It , host Lindiwe Davis sits down with Shenelle Brooks , a success coach and DEI consultant, to unpack how workplace bias actually shows up—and why it’s so often disguised as “professionalism.” Shenelle shares her journey from teaching into corporate leadership, where her work in people development, training, and DEI repeatedly ran into familiar barriers: being told she...

They Tried It – Episode 1: From Cultural Theorist to Corporate Truth-Teller (with Dr. Anastasia) In the first episode of They Tried It , host Lindiwe Davis sits down with Dr. Anastasia—cultural theorist, lifelong activist, and former corporate leader—to unpack what happens when truth, integrity, and power collide at work. Dr. Anastasia shares her journey from being classically trained in race and...

About The Host: "I wanted to share a little more about what I’ve been working on and what’s coming next. Many of you know I’m building my podcast, 'They Tried It,' and I’m excited to share that our first episodes will begin rolling out in January 2026. It’s been a labor of courage, truth, and storytelling—and I can’t wait for you to hear it."