Disrupted

The US Women's Hockey team are perennial favorites to win a gold medal every 4 years. Since 1998, the US squad has finished among the top 3 in every Winter Olympics. That’s in part thanks to retired American forward Julie Chu. This week on Disrupted, a conversation with the Connecticut native on breaking barriers and competing for gold at the Winter Games. Plus, a look at the biggest story l...

2022 is a big year for politics across the United States. And this week marks the start of a new legislative session for Connecticut’s General Assembly. Today, we preview the upcoming session with a roundtable of experts. Plus a look at the upcoming midterm elections. GUESTS: Christine Stuart - Editor-Owner of CT News Junkie , and reporter for NBC Connecticut Ebong Udoma - Senior Reporter co...

This Episode Originally Aired on June 9th, 2021 February is Black History Month in America. To celebrate, we revisit an episode on Black history from last year. It may not be well known that by the American Revolution, Connecticut had the largest number of slaves of all the New England states. In fact, slavery in Connecticut did not officially end until 1848 – the last state in New England t...

(Update 1/29/22: This show has been updated from it's original broadcast to reflect the recent events surrounding the r/antiwork subreddit and Doreen Ford's removal as a moderator. We've added new context to our conversation with Doreen and linked to coverage below on the subreddit's changes.) In recent years, self-care has become a multi-billion dollar industry and a focal point of the pandemic....

Over the past decade, Connecticut has averaged nearly 200 gun deaths each year. How are community members responding? This week, two New Haven initiatives that are trying to prevent gun violence before it even happens. Plus, a new report on the staggering number of evictions in our state. GUESTS: Marlene Pratt - Co-founder of The New Haven Botanical Garden of Healing Dedicated to Victims of Gun Vi...

2021 was a year of unprecedented moments. From an insurrection at our nation’s capital, to the end of the longest war in American history. We’ve struggled to make sense of all that has happened. This week, we’re joined by three political experts to help sift through the events of the last year, and look ahead to 2022. GUESTS: Brian O’ Donovan - Washington Correspondent for...

In 2020, following calls for racial justice, U.S. businesses committed over 35 billion dollars toward racial equity in the workplace. But still, corporate offices remain overwhelmingly white. According to a recent study by Mckinsey , less than 30% of corporate managers are people of color. This week on Disrupted, we’ll hear from individuals pushing for greater equity in the workplace. GUESTS...

From a shocking insurrection at the Capitol, to the rise of cryptocurrency, and the continuing fight for voting rights, 2021 brought more disruptions – and our show has attempted to make sense of this complicated world. This week on Disrupted, we’re wrapping up the year listening back to a few of our favorite conversations of 2021. GUESTS: Nancy Yao Maasbach – President of the Mu...

This episode originally aired on March 31st, 2021 This moment in American history can feel unprecedented. But white supremacist violence and debates over whose rights really matter are hardly new. This hour on Disrupted, we re-air conversations with two authors who provide crucial historical and theoretical context to this moment. Keisha N. Blain co-edited Four Hundred Souls, A Community History o...

Materials scientist Ainissa Ramirez has made it her mission to tell the stories of little known inventors. She shines a light on the women and people of color that have helped create everything from the ice cream scoop to the GPS. This week on Disrupted, a conversation with Ainissa Ramirez. GUESTS: Ainissa Ramirez - Materials scientist, science evangelist, author of The Alchemy of Us: How humans a...

This week, ten candidates were selected to join NASA's latest class of Astronauts. They will join the Artemis program, which expects to send humans to the moon for the first time since 1972. The new cohort will be one of NASA’s most diverse ever. On today's episode, hear from two Black Americans who helped pave the way for the next generation of NASA astronauts and administrators. GUESTS: Le...

During the pandemic, many people turned to art to process their feelings and cope with loss. Others turned to local artists to contextualize the current moment. Art has the unique ability to comfort us and get us through difficult times. Today, three New Haven artists and disruptors on the ways they are using art to affect change. GUESTS: Kwadwo Adae - Visual Artist and founder of the Adae Fine Ar...

This episode originally aired on August 11th, 2021 Trees are one of New England’s most treasured resources. But in Connecticut cities, a painful history of racism and redlining has led to fewer trees. During this holiday week, we look back at a show from this summer about our urban tree canopy in Connecticut. And, our region loses nearly 38 square miles of forestland each year. How can we fi...

As more people confront the realities of climate change, our society’s relationship with food is changing. This week, the ways we access our food. We’ll hear from a man who spent just 5 dollars feeding himself over two years, by mastering the art of dumpster diving. We also hear from an indigenous ethnobotanist who shares the ways we can all lessen our impact on nature. And, a conversa...

America is home to many spiritual practices that were once considered evil - like Brujeria or Hoodoo. But today, more people are looking to reclaim these ancestral traditions. This hour on Disrupted, we hear how slavery gave birth to Hoodoo and how young African-Americans are embracing their past. We learn about Brujeria, a witchcraft tradition from Latin America. And, the legacy of Pamela Coleman...

In September, TikTok surpassed over a billion monthly users . And the app is fundamentally changing how creators reach an audience online. This week, how TikTok is changing our relationship with media. We’ll hear from a TikTok creator about how he’s staying relevant. A professor reveals how TikTok's impacting childhood development. And a look at TikTok’s stronghold on the music i...

Capitalism is a major driving force in American society. But the COVID-19 Pandemic has shown that the system doesn’t work for everyone and what we prioritize matters. This hour on Disrupted, a conversation with political scientist Margaret Levi on the future of our economy and how we can find dignity in work. And economist Janelle Jones talks about the importance of the Black female workforc...

The United States is responding to an influx of refugees from Afghanistan following the Taliban’s takeover of the country. But what happens after they arrive in our state? This week, we take a look at the immigration process for refugees. We’ll hear from two immigration experts about how we can best support new migrants and what research tells us about their ability to thrive in Americ...

This episode originally aired on March 3rd, 2021 Gun sales remains sky high during the pandemic – and the largest increase in purchases came from African American communities. This hour, we talk to the president of a Black Gun Association in Connecticut about what he’s seeing locally. And we hear about how these larger gun-buying trends are playing out nationally. Also, with increased...

Over the last 51 episodes, Disrupted has taken a critical look at our country, our democracy, and our culture. From the world of fashion and hair, to the politics of NASCAR and sports activism, our show has asked difficult questions and attempted to understand our changing world. This week on Disrupted, we celebrate our one year anniversary by talking to our first guest, Eddie Glaude Jr. GUESTS: E...

This hour we hear from two influential women: one making her mark in the world of comedy and publishing and one advocating for policies that will positively impact women across the country. GUESTS: Teresa Younger - CEO and President of the Ms. Foundation for women and 2021 Inductee to the Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame . Phoebe Robinson - Comedian, Actress, and Author of the new book Please Don'...

Once seen as a niche technology, the cryptocurrency market is now valued at over 2 trillion dollars . And that growth is attracting more scrutiny around the globe. This week on disrupted, how crypto’s going mainstream. We’ll hear how policymakers are pushing cryptocurrency to be more equitable. And a look at El Salvador’s rocky adoption of Bitcoin. GUESTS: Emily Parker -  Ma...

This week on Disrupted, our politics roundtable explores recent headlines: The United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan, the fight for reproductive rights in Texas, California's recall election, and the legacy of Michael K.Williams. Guests: Bilal Sekou -Associate professor of Political Science at the University of Hartford Maya King - National politics reporter at POLITICO Janelle Wong - P...

The Coronavirus Pandemic has impacted the return to school for the second year in a row. On this week’s Disrupted, we celebrate this anniversary with a back to school special. We hear from students about their hopes and fears for the coming fall semester. We’ll speak with a professor about the similarity between Hurricanes and the pandemic. And an ESPN writer on the changing economic l...

This episode originally aired on July 7th, 2021 For the first time in league history, a non-white racer has won NASCAR’s Cup Series. Kyle Larson’s win comes only a year after the sport banned one of it’s most well known symbols -- the confederate flag. On this week's Disrupted, we replay a conversation on NASCAR’s push for diversity with racing legend Bill Lester. GUESTS: D...