Reset the Algorithm

Hungry for More? In this episode, Moj sits down with writer, historian, and thought leader Kate Bowler to explore what it means to live through crisis and still choose joy, ambition, and connection. From a stage 4 cancer diagnosis and unexpected survivorship to diasporic loneliness and cultural upheaval, Kate brings radical honesty to a conversation about faith, resilience, and rebuilding. This is...

Pinky Cole doesn’t do play-it-safe. And in this episode of Reset the Algorithm , she sits down with Moj Mahdara to break down the truth behind her empire - from her car! From restaurant fires and personal collapse to raising five kids and managing a media empire, Pinky opens up about the reality behind the headlines—and how she’s learning to lead without burning out. This episode is about failure,...

We’re back! Season 2 of Reset the Algorithm opens with a bold and unflinching conversation between host Moj Mahdara and ALOK Vaid-Menon —a globally recognized writer, performer, and cultural theorist pushing the edges of identity, grief, and liberation.  This isn’t just an episode. It’s a call to disrupt the algorithm inside all of us. Together, Moj and ALOK challenge binaries—gender, power, polit...

In the season finale episode of Artist 2 Artist, Patrisse Cullors sits down with the outspoken and artistically grounded b. Robert Moore, to discuss his upcoming debut museum exhibition, “In Loving Memory” at the Des Moines Art Center. This achievement is one that Moore, an autodidact visual artist, is humbled to have reached years ahead of what he projected for himself. When so often he hears peo...

As our first season winds down, we are reflecting on what brought us together and led us to the creation of the shows you’ve seen on our platform. Reset the Algorithm and Artist 2 Artist are both unique shows with specific visions but one consistent through line can be seen in all that we produce; our dedication to social justice and equity. As queer creators of color, we see the need for change w...

This week on Artist 2 Artist, Patrisse Cullors joins a discussion of heritage, art and the resistance of reimagination with artists and mother-son duo, Shahla Dorriz and alexandre ali reza dorriz. "You're the only person in the world who could get my mom and I in a room together to do a podcast of all things”, ali reza says to Patrisse… and while that may be true, we are so grateful they...

Our Anon episodes are a direct result of the number of DMs our podcast channel and Moj’s personal channel receive about our content. Hearing your thoughts is vital to us and we read everything you submit via the Anon form as well as in our DMs.  We thought now would be a good time to do another one of these episodes since we are seeing the discomfort of our audience in real-time to the types of co...

In this episode of Artist 2 Artist, Patrisse Cullors sits down with Iranian artist Shahrzad Changalvaee, to explore the role of art in the act of resistance under oppressive powers. Shahrzad shares her background and the experience of realizing one is an artist under the limiting and oppressive demands of the Iranian government during her childhood. In her early years as an artist, she was taught...

This week on Reset the Algorithm, we talk with Omar Barghouti, the Co-founder of BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) a Palestinian-led movement for freedom, justice and equality. The clarity and focus with which Omar expresses the goals of Palestinian Liberation is incredibly admirable. With this organization, they aim to utilize peaceful tactics to place pressure on repressive institutions in an...

This week on Artist 2 Artist, Patrisse Cullors sits down with the team behind the SXSW film, “Songs From The Hole”. JJ'88, richie reseda, and Contessa Gayles offer us a poignant reminder that a commitment to our artistic expression, is a commitment to heal, transform and inform our communities. A documentary visual album, "Songs from the Hole" made its premiere at SXSW last month. Di...

In this bonus episode of Reset the Algorithm, curated in partnership with Mother Tongue Magazine, Moj Mahdara sits down for an emotional and heart-felt conversation with Rabbi Sharon Brous and Patrisse Cullors.  As we see our world more and more divided everyday, the economy of empathy feels in recession. Creating coalition and holding space for one another’s pain feels like the only way forward....

This week Moj sits down with Sara Wahedi, Tech-founder and CEO of Afghanistan’s first civic-tech start-up; Ehtesab. In her goal to democratize access to life saving information across the globe regardless of where they live or what they do. Her incredible work with Ehtesab has lent Sara platforms to speak on the injustices faced by Women in Afghanistan and across the Middle East at the hands of ex...

EMEL’s new album, available April 19, 2024, is titled MRA, which translates to “woman” from Arabic, and is a physical manifestation of an important aspect of her music and art. This week on Artist 2 Artist, Patrisse Cullors gets to know the narrative behind this international musician, her deeply rooted ethos of feminine power in music, and how she embraced the power of her voice to speak for thos...

In this conversation with the very funny Alex Edelman, we talked about how comedy can be healing and a way for us to see through our differences. In his latest show, now available on HBO, Alex describes his experience attending a white nationalist meeting in NYC…as a Orthodox Jewish man. The stories that follows shows the brilliance of Alex’s humor. Aside from being hilarious, he is excellent at b...

It is hard to find an artist more dynamic and embodied than JOJO ABOT. With her interdisciplinary work, she bridges gaps in the art world to bring viewers into immersive experiences that evoke emotion and shift paradigms.  In this conversation, JOJO ABOT and Patrisse connect on the importance of one’s message over medium and the challenges and rewards of being an interdisciplinary arts in a world...

This week we visited the world of entrepreneurship and venture capital with my friend Sophia Amoruso. Sophia has always done things her way and her curiosity and desire to learn are the keys to her success. This makes her latest transition into venture capital an easy one. Supporting founders with advice acquired through lived experiences is priceless.  In this conversation we touch on how success...

The Artist we are in conversation with this week is the fabulous Tricia Elam Walker. Speaking to her about her craft, we are reminded again that the journey of an artist is never linear and looks different for everyone. Growing up in the Roxbury area of Boston, Tricia went on to practice law for 16 years before she became a Novelist and Children's book author, penning Breathing Room Nana Akua...

Gissou Nia is a human rights lawyer who has dedicated her life to the protection and justice of civilians affected by war and conflict. In a lot of ways, the work she does is as close to a real-life superhero as we get and her work spans across continents around the globe.  In this conversation, we speak about her work as a lawyer as well as her work as an activist, a distinction that might be har...

In the debut episode of the Artist2Artist and Reset the Algorithm Collaboration, our NEW host Patrisse Cullors sits down with Lumi Tan for a conversation about the importance of art in political and cultural landscape, amidst the backdrop of Lumi’s most recent curatorial project Luna Luna.    With the direction of Lumi Tan, this lost fantasy has been brought back to life. In this interview we lear...

This conversation with Elica Le Bon, an Iranian Activist from the UK, was one that was heavily requested by our listeners! As a vocal political commentator on her platforms, Elica has developed a following for her takes on political issues, particularly in the Middle East. In this exchange we speak candidly about traumas as Middle Easterners, what it is like living in the diaspora, what solutions...

This conversation with Jessica Malaty Rivera is incredibly expansive. From her immigrant story to her perspectives of the Middle East in this moment, we go on a learning journey together that emphasizes the need to hold space for different opinions and grow our understandings of other perspectives; all in an effort to build bridges. Although this episode is a censored version of what we really wan...

This first anonymous episode came about because of the immense reaction our audience had to our offer for a digital safe space. Never did we dream of so many form submissions from so many unique backgrounds. This episode is an exact representation of how our audience shapes our work. Reading through your experiences, what has you frustrated, what you are enjoying, what you hated...all of it plays...

In this conversation with Patrisse Cullors, an author, an artist, an activist and the co-founder of Black Lives Matter, we explore the role and at times power of trauma in activism and the dire need for courageous conversations. Speaking through the conflicts plaguing our world today, we delve into the importance of sitting with others and making space for shifting collective shapes to create a ne...

In this debut episode, join Moj Mahdara as they provide context as to why this podcast came to be. From their experiences as a first-generation Iranian American to navigating cultural and societal expectations as a non-binary individual, Moj reflects on being a disrupter by nature. From the challenges of navigating cultural expectations to confronting societal injustices, Moj's story transcend...

Join Alon-Lee Green, Co-Director of Standing Together, an organization fighting for Palestinian and Israeli peace, as he delves into the heart of the conflict. From dissecting the challenges of Israeli democracy to confronting discrimination, this episode uncovers the layers of complexity often overlooked. Explore the rise of extremism, the urgent call for peace, and the daunting hurdles Israel fa...