In this episode of Everyday Equity, we’re joined by Grace Yung Foster, founder and CEO of The Inclusion Initiative, for a powerful conversation on identity, belonging, and equity through the lens of transracial adoption and foster care.

Grace shares her lived experience as an international adoptee and foster care alum, and how these often-invisible identities shape how people navigate work, community, and belonging. We explore why assimilation causes harm, how systems silence adoptees and foster alumni as adults, and what true inclusion looks like when intersectional identities are acknowledged and supported.

A necessary conversation on equity, identity, and building spaces where people don’t have to disappear to belong

This week, Pooja Kothari sits down with Arianne Hunter author, speaker, and work culture critic for a real talk conversation on workplace inequity, hustle culture, and what “Career liberation” actually looks like.

They dig into why DEI backlash matters, how to handle hard conversations without ego, and the small acts of equity that make a big difference—like passing the mic, using your privilege, and showing up for community care at work.

Sharp, honest, and full of gems you can use today.

In this episode, host Pooja Kothari is joined by Judy Tsuei, author, coach and entrepreneur. Judy brings a thoughtful, human-centered perspective on equity, self-trust, leadership, and the inner work required to create meaningful external change.

This conversation centers on how personal awareness, boundaries and values shape inclusive leadership and why equity work must include reflection, care,and intentional action. Judy shares insights that challenge performative approaches and invite leaders to slow down, listen and lead with clarity and integrity.

A reflective, practical episode for anyone thinking deeply about how change actually happens, starting with ourselves.

In this episode, host Pooja Kothari sits down with Maxine L. Legall, founder and CEO of Thrive Inclusively LLC. With over 20 years of experience across healthcare, nonprofit, and corporate spaces, Maxine shares practical, no-nonsense insights on inclusion, cultural change, leadership, and why resilience and self-care are essential — not optional — for sustainable impact.

This conversation moves past theory and into action. How organizations can do better. How leaders can show up differently and how everyday choices can create real, lasting change.

If you’re looking for grounded, actionable perspectives on equity and inclusion, this episode is a strong place to start.

In Season 3, Episode 1 of Everyday Equity: Everyday ways to Make a Change, Pooja Kothari sits down with Brianne Brinker, a Kent State Hall of Fame hockey player, longtime assistant athletic director at Union College, and author of "Skating Out of the Vault":A Trans Woman's Escape from the Game of Masculinity." Brianne shares her journey of coming out, being true to herself and to the sport she loves. We discuss her motivation to write her memoir and how visibility, belonging and compassion can change lives, especially for young people who feel isolated.

In this episode of Everyday Equity: Everyday Ways to Make a Change, Pooja Kothari addresses a question many adults avoid: when should we start talking to children about white supremacy, race, gender, disability, and power?

Drawing from her experience as a parent, Pooja explains why these conversations don’t start for children, they start as practice for adults. The early years are about building our own language, courage, historical understanding, and habits so we’re prepared to talk honestly when it matters most.

This episode also challenges how we talk about figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and why discussing his legacy without naming slavery, Jim Crow, and white supremacy misses the truth.

A timely conversation about responsibility, preparation, and raising awareness early in ourselves first.