Everyone Needs a Story for the Campfire

In this episode I talk about how questioning your worth, voice, and safety in visibility isn’t something you arrived at alone; it’s shaped by culture, caretakers, education, media, oppression, and capitalism, so we need context to give ourselves the right care. I share that decolonizing visibility isn’t a destination but a threshold: if being seen in your leadership still feels unsafe, it may sign...

In this episode I talk story with one of the most brilliant minds, hearts, humans I've ever met, Giana Cerasia. Her journey from teaching in the oldest high school in America, to reforming prison education, to building the first virtual school in the state of Connecticut at age 25 is only the first act in her story of troubling systems from within and asking: "What are the most strategic ways I ca...

What if I told you that you could make your body of work a love letter to your people? That's what I did - because that's kind of all I know. As a misfit myself, I've always known I'm for the misfits. And as misfits, it's so important that we know how to find each other, stick together, and change our worlds together. So my work, my love letters, my bat signal to my kind - it HAS to find it's peop...

In this episode, I explore the idea of a pedagogy of love. Love as the central architecture for all that we do - our living, our working, our relating, our building new worlds. I tap into some personal stories - from my time as a foster mom, to the classroom, to the work I do now - to illustrate the power of love as a north star and root system. Listen all the way through for a feeling-filled hear...

This week I sit down with Sir Dushon, dancer, editor, and one-of-a-kind creative force. Shon brings 2 stories to the campfire. One story that breaks down the moments of facing fear and releasing it. In another story, Shon documents his up and down journey to pursue his creative purpose and what it means to preserve against the odds. Shon also takes a walk with me down memory lane and we swap stori...

This week I’m joined at the campfire by Jen Liwanag, certified professional trainer, certified nutrition coach, and now pre- and post-natal coach. Today Jen will be sharing her story of breaking societal & cultural expectations of her to follow her own path into coaching & entrepreneurship. In another story, Jen generously shares with us her journey into motherhood including her experience...

This week I sit down with Ph. D., Associate Marriage & Family Therapist specializing in Birth, Pregnancy, and Postpartum Trauma, Activist, Mother, and now Romantasy Novelist, KATE STAHL-KOVELL. Kate narrates her path to creating her first novel Mor and we discuss the theme of giving ourselves permission to be creative. Kate also shares her story of surviving trauma and channeling this experien...

This week I sit down with professor, elected official, and activist Dr. Paolo Magcalas. Paolo brings the theme of love in his story of activism, tracing his days from the high school classroom all the way to the board room as an elected official. In his second story, Paolo candidly shares experiences of growing up in America as an immigrant and the effects of colonization on his life and his commu...

This week I sit down with best-selling author, business owner, educator, and leadership coach AliceAnne Loftus. AliceAnne generously shares her story of resilience, teaching us a powerful lesson on taking responsibility for one’s own life through the good and the bad. In her second story, AliceAnne shifts her exploration to love, particularly how understanding love languages empowers how we give a...

This week, I sit down with masterful storyteller, educator, and researcher, Charlotte Achieng-Evensen. Charlotte transports us her very personal “Coming to America” story, where she explores the theme of loss– loss of the familiar, aspects of identity, and even a sense of freedom. Her second story explores her journey through grieving and the ways that she moved through that grief to peace and joy...

This week I sat down with Anabel Munoz, the wonderfully talented TV news journalist at ABC 7 Los Angeles. In her stories, Anabel explores the ideas of giving herself permission to change and to not have everything figured out. A story that begins with hair uncovers the symbolic shift to explore the tensions of who we are expected to be, versus who we allow ourselves to be as we experiment and grow...

This week I sat down with Sabian Zein, an amazingly successful entrepreneur with a heart of gold, who happens to be my former student and now a close family friend. Sabian explores themes of taking action and responsibility for creating his fullest life and becoming the person he wants to be. He gives valuable insight into how he elevated 3 areas of his life: mindset, body, and finances. In a...