Brave Space LIVE

In our last episode of Season 3, we are joined by our producers (name of guest & title) in a conversation centering Black & Queer joy. We talk about what it means to be Black and Queer - two targeted identities, and their journey to claim (or reclaim) "radical" self-love in the intersections.

Madison Butler is a New Englander at heart but moved to Austin in 2017. Her work is focused around creating equitable spaces and creating scalable strategies to achieve psychological safety. She is an outspoken advocate for mental health, removing stigma around trauma, DEI and the ability to be "human at work". She is passionate about facilitating hard conversations through storytelling, data and tough empathy. She works with companies to help transform their organization into spaces that are safe for everyone. Through this work she helps embed the principles and practices of equity into the DNA of your business structure and processes. Madison is committed to deconstructing the status quo and rebuilding corporate America, one organization at a time. Her mission is to ensure that no one ever feels like corporate spaces were not made for them, and they can live, work, and exist out loud. She is a start-up enthusiast and is passionate about building inclusive teams from the ground up with early stage companies. Madison is committed to helping change the narrative around what it looks like to be “human at work”, and hoping to help alleviate unconscious bias in corporate America.

You've heard of the glass ceiling, which describes the invisible (are they really?) barriers women face when advancing in their professional careers or organizational hierarchies. But did you know that racialized women (or we can use the term women of color, feel free to change as you see it) face different barriers made up of completely different (and more solid) material? The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the percentage of women participating in the workforce in 2022 was 56.8. This means that women make up more than half of the nation's workforce, and yet the playing field remains unbalanced. In this episode we talk about the concrete and bamboo ceilings for women of color with (name of guest & title), and how we can use our (invisible) sledgehammers to shatter them.

How do we imagine a future where discipline and nonviolence seamlessly coexist? In this week's episode we discuss a more compassionate, radically empathetic and neurodevelopmentally-informed approach to parenting and raising children.

Education expert and former teacher Joy Marilie joins us this week for an all Black-women conversation as we talk about the gentle parenting movement and how we can create safer practices and spaces for our children to learn and grow. Joy Marilie Jackson is a former teacher and school leader with over 20 years of experience in early childhood and elementary education. She now works as an education consultant in NYC schools and non-profit organizations, and as a Conscious parenting coach, as she homeschools her 5-year-old using the Montessori Method.

From the attacks on DEI initiatives to the Supreme Court destruction of affirmative action… how do we process all that is happening in colleges and universities? Tune in this week as talk about justice in higher education with special guests Letitia Tajuba & Qasim Rashid (Qasim joins the conversion at 25:52).

Letitia Tajuba is a former educator (K-12 and higher education) and public servant with a career working in DEIB, Residence Life, Athletics, and so much more. While simultaneously volunteering for political campaigns, nonprofits that benefit the youth, and conservation, Tajuba is enjoying a reprieve from education and working in corporate aviation.

Qasim Rashid is a human rights lawyer who built his career fighting for survivors of domestic violence, asylum seekers, and low income communities. He and his family immigrated from Pakistan to the United States with his family when he was five. As a child, Qasim grew up in Section 8 housing in DuPage county. Qasim’s parents, who were both teachers, instilled in him a deep commitment of service to humanity and upholding justice.

From banning books to anti-LGBTQ laws to the war on "wokism" to defunding DEI - what lengths will today's US politicians go to legislate away our rights and slowly chip away at our freedoms? ...It's Giving Fascism. Join us as we kick off Season 3 discussing the alarming escalation of anti-liberation legislation sweeping the United States.

Also sorry about the low quality of Mel's mic, we fix it about 16 minutes into the show. Cheers!

On our last episode of Season 2, we speak with two of our producers, Darling and Ben, who both identify as LGBTQIA2+. We talk about gender identity, sexual identity, the many forms of attraction, trauma, and radical love and acceptance. Join us for a conversation on what it means to center and celebrate queer voices.

This week, Tychelle and Mel talk about cultural appropriation vs. appreciation: how to spot the difference and what it means to be in relationship instead of commodifying communities who are different from us.