Expressions

We do ourselves a disservice by limiting cultural expression to the arts. It's in how we speak. What we eat. How we move through the world—even when we don’t realize we’re expressing ourselves.

In this episode, I sat down with Lolis Elie, a New Orleans-born writer, filmmaker, and editor whose work spans journalism, television, and food history, to talk about what it means to resist sameness, hold onto what makes us different, and keep creating—whether or not it pays the bills.

We talk Big Macs and Top 40 radio. Truck drivers and spiritual food. Jazz, joy, and showing up like yourself in a world that asks you not to.

From music to food to television, Lolis has spent a career asking: What does it mean to tell stories that actually reflect the people and places we come from?

This one is full of wisdom. Tune in.

In this episode of Expressions, I’m joined by the incredible Sevval Cira, where we explore what it means to show up authentically online. We dive into Sevval’s journey of finding her “why” and how it’s a fluid, evolving process—one that’s not always linear, and that’s totally okay.

We also chat about how Gen Z is shaking up the professional world, especially on platforms like LinkedIn, where cultural expression and connection are now front and center. Sevval shares some gems on how growth isn’t a one-time thing, but a lifelong journey.

This conversation will leave you feeling inspired to embrace your own journey of self-reflection and authenticity, wherever it takes you.

Check out Sevval's reccomended read here

Connect with Sevval on Linkedin

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When Ashley moved to Portugal from Durham, North Carolina, what she found was the work of writing a new story for herself.  In this episode, we talk about being childfree in the South, finding unexpected belonging abroad, and letting go of the story that says success means exhaustion. From family to identity to the rules we’re handed and the ones we choose, this conversation is full of quiet courage and cultural truth. It’s about the stories we inherit, and what we choose to keep.

What do you do when fear shows up?

Cry? Panic? Hike a volcano and regret every life choice?

(Same.)

In this solo episode of Expressions, I’m digging into personal culture—the kind you build quietly, in between jobs, in new countries, in broken Spanish, in big feelings.

It's about showing up. Even when you're terrified. Especially when you're terrified.

There’s power in learning to do it scared.

“I didn’t feel that Venezuelan until I left.”

In this edition of Expressions, I sit down with Sara Lischinsky—a marketer and storyteller whose life has been shaped by movement. We talk about what it means to build your own personal culture, how language and identity shift across borders, and why kindness is everything when you’re the outsider.

Because sometimes, leaving is what brings you home to yourself.

Connect with Sara

What if you didn’t have to choose between your passions? Trisha Gulati is a singer, a computer science and stats student, a deal-closer, and a mentor in the making. In this episode of Expressions, we talk about bridging worlds—tech and art, tradition and innovation, student life and entrepreneurship—and how mentorship and community are the threads that tie it all together.

It’s a conversation about finding harmony in duality, and building something meaningful from every part of who you are. Check it out!

What if finance wasn’t intimidating, but deeply personal?

In this episode, I sit down with Saanvi Ibrahimpatnam, founder of InkWallet and first-year student at Cornell, who is on a mission to make financial education more accessible. We talk about how culture shapes our relationship with money, the unexpected barriers to financial literacy, and why sometimes the best investment you can make is in who you learn from.

From immigrant family values to rethinking who we trust for financial advice, this conversation explores how money isn’t just about numbers—it’s about community, mindset, and opportunity.

Connect with Saanvi on LinkedIn

Learn more about InkWallet

Stepping into a new country isn’t just about travel. It’s about change—about seeing the world and yourself in a new way.

In this edition of Expressions, I sit down with Kyndall Cox, director of the Douglass-O’Connell Global Internship, the very program that sent me to Ireland years ago and set me on a path I couldn’t have imagined.

We talk about what it means to be comfortable with the uncomfortable, why travel is more than a place, it is stepping into a new home and it is a shift in perspective. Studying abroad challenges you to rethink the world and your place in it.

If you're thinking about studying abroad, DO ITTT!! It will change your life. I mean, it changed mine.

Learn more about CIEE's Douglass-O'Connell Global Internship

Writing can be a solitary act, but it doesn’t have to be. In this episode, I sit down with Madi Baldwin and Sophie Riley, the founders ofNovelBound, a thriving writing community that started as two friends swapping drafts and turned into something much bigger.

We get into the intersection of writing and entrepreneurship, the unexpected lessons from building a creative community, and why the best things often start before we feel ready. Check it out!

Interested in joiningNovelBound? Use code (EXPRESSIONS50) for 50% off your membership!

Some of my earliest memories are of my mom dancing in the kitchen, music filling the room. Sometimes it was go-go, sometimes it was jazz, but no matter the song, she always moved. That’s the magic of jazz—it’s more than music. It’s history, connection, and cultural expression in its purest form.

In this episode of Expressions, I sit down with Sunny Sumter president and CEO of the DC Jazz Festival, to talk about jazz as a cultural bridge, a force for social impact, and a conversation that spans generations. From its deep roots in DC to its global influence, we explore how jazz brings people together, fosters community, and teaches us about collaboration, improvisation, and care.

Whether you’re a lifelong jazz lover or just getting into it, this episode is for you.

Tune in and let’s talk jazz. 🎶

Learn more about the DC Jazz Festival and its all-year-round programming at dcjazzfest.org