Broken Office Chair

In this episode of Broken Office Chair, our host Bessie Alcantara is joined by Dakarai Larriatt. They discuss Dakarai's experience at the hands of Michigan State Police in 2024 and his advocacy work. Dakarai Larriett, a proud Alabama native, is the son of a U.S. Army veteran and a dedicated public school teacher. Dakarai began his career in corporate leadership roles in New York before launching h...

Broken Office Chair host, Bessie Alcantara is joined by Adela Carlin, Senior Director of Advocacy at Illinois Partners for Human Service and Sarah Daniels, Chief Of Staff at ICOY for a special live recording of Cocktails & Complicity. This event was recorded on March 12th, 2026, This is Part 1 of a series related to Community of Care. Speakers touched on how true community is defined by mutual...

Broken Office Chair host, Bessie Alcantara is joined by Ald. Jessie Fuentes, Alderperson of the 26th Ward and a queer Latina grassroots organizer, educator, and public policy advocate. Growing up in Humboldt Park amidst the generational traumas of parental substance use, mental illness, and job instability, Jessie resorted to dealing with her own struggles of resentment and anger with the juvenile...

In part 2 of their conversation, Broken Office Chair host, Bessie Alcantara is joined by Sufyan Sohel, Chair of Cook County Commission on Human Rights - Consultant Social Impact, board member of ACLU, whose career centers on combating hate and advancing justice for marginalized communities, and he is the Founder of Globalize Good, where he advises leaders and supports nonprofits, foundations, and...

Broken Office Chair host, Bessie Alcantara is joined by Sufyan Sohel, Chair of Cook County Commission on Human Rights - Consultant Social Impact, board member of ACLU, whose career centers on combating hate and advancing justice for marginalized communities, and he is the Founder of Globalize Good, where he advises leaders and supports nonprofits, foundations, and social enterprises in navigating...

Broken Office Chair host, Bessie Alcantara is joined by Mercedes Brown Racial Equity Assessment Director from the Building Movement Project (BMP) and Frances Kunreuther former Co-Executive Director from BMP. BMP supports and pushes the nonprofit sector to tackle the most significant social issues of our times by developing research, creating tools and training materials, providing guidance, and fa...

Broken Office Chair host, Bessie Alcantara is joined by Dr. Cristina Pacione Zayas as they talk about parenthood, Pacione Zayas's trajectory from nonprofit to the State Senate, the importance of Latina representation in leadership and more. Pacione-Zayas, a distinguished leader born and raised in Chicago, with an extensive background in public service, policy development, and advocacy is Chicago's...

Broken Office Chair host, Bessie Alcantara is joined by lauren Ornelas as they talk about environmental/climate/food justice, animal rights, community organizing, and more. lauren Ornelas (she, her, hers) is Food Empowerment Project's founder and general programs team member. lauren has been active in the animal rights movement for more than 37 years. She is the former executive director of Viva!...

Bessie is joined by Prisca Rodriguez, founder of Latina Rebels. as they talk about being raised as Latina women in dual culture environments, leadership as women of color, and how to share access to elitist spaces. Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez  is a leading Latine activist, writer, and speaker. She is the founder of Latina Rebels, a platform with over 350,000 followers, and the author of For Bro...

Bessie is joined by Tinisha Dorsey, Senior Principal, Central Zone Leader at Mercer as they talk about professional development, leadership as women of color, and how to show up for your community while in leadership positions. Tinisha Dorsey is a Principal Central Market leader of Mercer’s Life, Absence and Disability (LAD) practice. As a highly valued leader of the LAD consulting team, she manag...

Tune in to hear Vu Le and Broken Office Chair host, Bessie Alcantara answer questions submitted to the Broken Office Chair Advice Column. Vu Le (“voo lay”) is a writer, speaker, vegan, Pisces, and the former Executive Director of RVC , a nonprofit in Seattle that promotes social justice by developing leaders of color, strengthening organizations led by communities of color, and fostering collabora...

Bessie is joined by Tawa Mitchell, Senior Program Officer of MacArthur Foundation's Chicago Commitment as they talk about growing up in Chicago, Chicago Public Schools, mental health, public health, critical race theory, and philanthropy in Chicago. Please note, this episode was recorded prior to the 2024 Presidential Election, though the issues remain as pressing as always.

Join host Bessie Alcantara in this powerful episode featuring Andrea Ortez, Program Officer at Woods Fund Chicago. Together, Bessie and Andrea dive into the profound impact of the conflict in El Salvador, exploring how their shared heritage and experiences have shaped their identities and leadership styles. Tune in for a candid conversation about asylum seekers, the implications of being a Sanctua...

Join host Bessie Alcantara in this powerful episode featuring Andrea Ortez, Program Officer at Woods Fund Chicago. Together, Bessie and Andrea dive into the profound impact of the conflict in El Salvador, exploring how their shared heritage and experiences have shaped their identities and leadership styles. Tune in for a candid conversation about asylum seekers, the implications of being a Sanctua...

Join us for an inspiring episode as Bessie sits down with two powerhouse leaders, Candice Jones and Thena Robinson Mock. Together, they dive into their journeys in advocacy, justice, and community building. Candice, President and CEO of Public Welfare Foundation in DC, shares her insights on philanthropy and Black leadership, while Thena, VP of Programs at Public Welfare Foundation, and a racial j...

In this episode, Bessie steps into a new role—interviewee. For the first time, she shares her personal & professional journey, offering listeners a rare glimpse behind the mic. Bessie's guest, Maha McDiarmid turnst the tables and interviews Bessie, diving deep into the pivotal moments that shaped her career, the passion that drives her, and her vision for the future. It's an inspiring and raw...

This week, our Host, Bessie Alcantara sits with Restorative Works! Podcast host, Claire de Mézerville López, M.Ed., M.S., to speak about the ways in which restorative practices are making a difference in their communities and places of work. Bessie and Claire explore the complexities of self-regulation, having challenging conversations, and holding space for multiple truths to exist simultaneously...

In this episode, Alternatives' Executive Director, Bessie Alcantara is joined by Nazek, USPCN-Chicago Co-Chair and Nick, USPCN member to talk about what has happened since October 7, 2023. They discuss mobilizing efforts, the power of public narrative shifts, cross-cultural relationships, and what it means to live with Palestinian identities in the United States.

In this powerful episode of The Broken Chair Podcast , we sit down with Illinois State Senator Robert Peters to discuss the key elements of political change—collaboration, organization, and the importance of open dialogue. Senator Peters shares his insights on how building coalitions and staying flexible in your approach can lead to meaningful change, even in the most challenging political landsca...

In this episode, Bessie sits down with Dr. Rebekah Levin to discuss her experience as an American Jew advocating for Palestinian Liberation. Rebekah shares stories from her experiences in Palestine and her own path of deconstructing her beliefs and identity.

In this episode, Bessie is joined by Stephanie Skora and Raeghn Draper to talk about the upcoming local elections in Chicago. They cover topics ranging from our right to vote or not vote as we see fit, voting based on personal values, single-issue voting, the importance of local elections, and so much more! Stephanie Skora is a writer, educator, speaker, organizer, and non-profiteer based in Chica...

This special episode of Broken Office Chair was recorded in front of a live audience at Alternatives' Cocktails and Complicity event. In this episode, host Besie Alcantara is joined by Leslé Honoré and Ayoka Samuels to discuss everything from racist standards of professionalism to unfair expectations placed upon women of color in leadership.

In this episode of Broken Office Chair, Bessie sits down with Vu Le, writer of the blog NonprofitAF.com to talk about funding ethics, progressive vs conservative funders, zodic signs in nonprofit leadership, advocacy, and much more. Vu Le (“voo lay”) writes the blog NonprofitAF.com . He is the former executive director of RVC, a nonprofit in Seattle that promotes social justice by supporting leade...

In this episode of Broken Office Chair, Bessie is joined by analía rodríguez to discuss the future of philanthropy, and what transitioning from Executive Director at a nonprofit to Philanthropic Program Officer looked like. analía rodríguez (they/them/elle) is a longtime community organizer and immediate former executive director of the Latino Union of Chicago, a grassroots community organization...

Bessie sits down with Dr. Cynthia Treadwell, Executive Director of Social Emotional Learning at Chicago Public Schools to discuss Chicago Public Schools, social and emotional learning, suspension rates, student-centered classrooms, and how to create positive change in CPS. Dr. Cynthia Treadwell, currently serving as the Executive Director for the Office of Social and Emotional Learning, brings 22...