Fierce Compassion

In this episode of Fierce Compassion, we explore the intricate relationship between spontaneity and anti-oppression with psychotherapist, author, and educator, Dr. Leticia Nieto. We learn how Dr. Nieto’s work with psychodrama has helped cultivate a deep understanding of the role of spontaneity in breaking down entrenched social patterns and contributing to anti-oppression practices. Dr. Nieto shares a richly nuanced picture of the dynamics of power and privilege, and we are delighted to soak up and share her insights with you on fostering an environment of genuine, compassionate change. Join us!

Dr. Leticia Nieto was born in Puebla, Mexico, and moved to the US in 1978. She began working in social justice action with people who experienced incarceration, addiction, and displacement.  Her focus was anti-racism, economic, immigrant, and disability justice. Leticia holds degrees in theatre, human development, and clinical psychology. For 33 years she worked as a professor with Masters and Doctoral students using an intersectional model she developed to train counselors and leaders in anti-oppression theory and reflective practice. Her content incorporates gender justice, indigenous self-determination, children and elder rights, and queer justice.  She now works primarily using action methods (psychodrama and expressive arts) and maintains a counseling practice.

Follow Leticia at https://beyondinclusionbeyondempowerment.com

You can find transcripts and more episodes of Fierce Compassion at ⁠http://antiracistconversations.com/fierce-compassion-podcast⁠.

Stay current with Roxy and Sarah's personal work at ⁠roxannemanning.com⁠ and ⁠sarahpeyton.com⁠.

Like this podcast? Leave a rating and review, and share the podcast with your friends!

Podcast Manager: Talli Jackson

Audio Editor: Brendan Youngquist

On this episode of Fierce Compassion, we welcome Lillian Hsu, a school designer, teacher, coach and education innovator. Hsu shares her insights on integrating empathy into the foundations of educational methodologies and the profound impacts this can have on students’ engagement and sense of belonging. We’re offered a unique perspective on how compassion and community-focused learning can nurture future leaders with empathy, passion, and commitment to the common good. Join us for an enlightening conversation at the forefront of education’s evolution, bringing together classrooms and communities.

Lillian Hsu’s work is rooted in the belief that all students are capable of incredible things when given the right opportunity and support. Hsu was recently honored with a Jefferson Award for her work co-founding and leading Latitude High School in Oakland. Hsu has worked in a variety of educational settings, including Teacher Magazine, Sesame Street, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She has provided coaching to principals through Stanford d school’s School Retool program and Educate78’s School Design Lab. Hsu was a founding teacher at Oakland Unity High School and was a pioneer School Leadership Resident at High Tech High, where she earned her M.Ed. in School Leadership. As Director of High Tech High Chula Vista, Hsu advocated for projects with authentic community connections, such as students designing and building affordable live-work units and reviewing legal cases for the California Innocence Project. As a Deeper Learning Equity Fellow with Big Picture Learning, Hsu documented efforts to bring project-based learning to SDCOE’s Juvenile Court and Community Schools.

Follow Lillian:

- Latitude High School

- LinkedIn

- Facebook

- Instagram

You can find transcripts and more episodes of Fierce Compassion at ⁠http://antiracistconversations.com/fierce-compassion-podcast⁠.

Stay current with Roxy and Sarah's personal work at ⁠roxannemanning.com⁠ and ⁠sarahpeyton.com⁠.

Like this podcast? Leave a rating and review, and share the podcast with your friends!

Podcast Manager: Talli Jackson

Audio Editor: Brendan Youngquist

In this Fierce Compassion episode, we explore connections between nonviolence, decolonization, and intergenerational healing with Meenadchi, a somatic healing practitioner, communications expert, and author. We delve into Meenadchi's work, Decolonizing Nonviolent Communication (DNVC), and discover the ways her heritage has shaped her approach to healing intergenerational trauma and promoting authentic communication. The episode highlights the integration of Family Constellations with DNVC, and emphasizes the importance of connection to the body and self-compassion in healing and transformative communication.

Meenadchi is a somatic healing practitioner, TEDx speaker, and communications expert whose work centers social change and embodied transformation. Using a blend of Family Constellation Therapy and Nonviolent Communication, Meenadchi supports inquisitive individuals and entrepreneurial changemakers in reconnecting with the intuitive wisdom of our bodies so that we can co-create intergenerational healing by changing the way we speak to ourselves, each other, and the universe. Meenadchi holds a clinical license in occupational therapy and has historically served communities impacted by gender-based violence, complex trauma, and serious mental illness. She is the author of Decolonizing Non-Violent Communication (2019). 

You can find transcripts and more episodes of "Fierce Compassion" at ⁠http://antiracistconversations.com/fierce-compassion-podcast⁠.

Stay current with Roxy and Sarah's personal work at ⁠roxannemanning.com⁠ and ⁠sarahpeyton.com⁠.

Like this podcast? Rate "Fierce Compassion" on this podcast app, leave a review, and share it with your friends!

Podcast Manager: Talli Jackson

Audio Editor: Brendan Youngquist

In this episode of Fierce Compassion, we're joined by Rajkumari Neogy, an expert in using neurobiology and empathy to cultivate inclusion, safety, and community in the workplace. Neogy discusses the vital role of self-compassion and authentic self-expression in the corporate world. Together we explore the profound impact of epigenetics on executive functioning and the importance of inclusivity for creating anti-racist and liberatory environments. Neogy's innovative approach to inclusion, safety, and community in the workplace illuminates the path to a more connected, creative, and effective leadership paradigm. Join us to understand how embracing our full selves fosters a more compassionate and inclusive corporate culture.

Rajkumari Neogy (she/he) is the CEO of ibelong, a platform offering on-demand resources for workplaces dedicated to building inclusive and resonant cultures. With more than two decades of experience as an epigenetic coach and executive consultant focusing on the intersection of neurobiology, culture and empathy, Neogy combines a rare blend of scientific prowess and emotion to reimagine leadership. Specializing in the technology sector, Neogy has worked with high-powered organizations throughout the world, training leaders at Google, Facebook, Adobe, Indeed, Slack, Salesforce and more. Neogy holds a master’s degree in transformative leadership from the California Institute of Integral Studies, and is the author of “The WIT Factor: Shifting the Workplace Paradigm by Becoming Your Optimal Self.” Neogy is based in San Francisco and enjoys cooking, venturing to three-star Michelin restaurants and attending the opera and symphony.

You can find transcripts and more episodes of "Fierce Compassion" at ⁠http://antiracistconversations.com/fierce-compassion-podcast⁠.

Stay current with Roxy and Sarah's personal work at ⁠roxannemanning.com⁠ and ⁠sarahpeyton.com⁠.

Like this podcast? Rate "Fierce Compassion" on this podcast app, leave a review, and share it with your friends!

Podcast Manager: Lily Huang

Audio Editor: Brendan Youngquist

In this Fierce Compassion episode, we welcome Kobe Skolnick and Aziz Abu Sarah, friends and colleagues from Israel and Palestine, discussing their journeys from radicalization in youth to embracing peace. They share their personal experiences and transformations, touching on topics like self-compassion, storytelling, and understanding the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Their work highlights the role of personal narratives and empathy in peacebuilding and conflict resolution, through education, dialogue, and promoting mutual understanding.

Kobi Skolnick specializes in leadership development, crisis management, and organizational change. Fueled by a passion for creative problem-solving and unlocking human potential, he equips businesses, governments, and organizations to tackle complex challenges. Skolnick’s expertise includes building strong teams and capable leaders who navigate obstacles and advocate for social change, peacebuilding, and transformational change through empathy, negotiation, and conflict resolution.

Aziz Abu Sarah is an author, cultural educator, entrepreneur, and peacebuilder. He is the co-founder of MEJDI TOURS and InterAct International 501c3 nonprofit. He is a Nat Geo and Ted Fellow. His latest book is Crossing Boundaries: A Traveler’s Guide to World Peace (2020). Sarah has worked in over 60 countries, including Afghanistan, Colombia, Syria, and the Balkans. He has served as Executive Director at the Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University. Sarah won the Intercultural Innovation Award from the UN Alliance of Civilizations and the BMW Group. 

You can find transcripts and more episodes of "Fierce Compassion" at ⁠http://antiracistconversations.com/fierce-compassion-podcast⁠.

Stay current with Roxy and Sarah's personal work at ⁠roxannemanning.com⁠ and ⁠sarahpeyton.com⁠.

Like this podcast? Rate "Fierce Compassion" on this podcast app, leave a review, and share it with your friends!

Podcast Manager: Talli Jackson

Audio Editor: Brendan Youngquist

In this Fierce Compassion episode, we welcome Jennifer Esteen, a nurse, mom, and community activist. Esteen shares her journey from New Orleans to California and how it shaped her into a powerful advocate for working families. We learn how self compassion and empathy informed and motivated her transition from healthcare to political candidacy. Join us to discover Esteen’s deep commitment to advocacy for safe, healthy communities and compassionate government as she reflects on her personal and professional challenges, triumphs, and her inspiring approach to service.

Jennifer Esteen is a registered nurse, mother, and community leader who previously served as Vice President of the Alameda Health System Board of Trustees and is currently a member of the Eden Municipal Advisory Council.

She has spent her career delivering care to the most vulnerable, first working as a psychiatric nurse in the San Francisco General Hospital Psychiatric Emergency Room, where she saw firsthand the vicious cycle that people experience from diminished funding for mental health care. After Esteen successfully led the fight to preserve funding for permanent housing for her clients, she was appointed to the role of Vice President of Organizing for SEIU 1021. Esteen continues to work with San Francisco residents who have severe mental illness and need supportive housing and help managing activities of daily living.

Esteen is running for Alameda County Supervisor because she wants to deliver for her community. She is a champion for working families who advocates for policies that ensure her community has access to affordable housing, preventative healthcare, jobs that pay a living wage, and the justice we all deserve.

You can find transcripts and more episodes of "Fierce Compassion" at http://antiracistconversations.com/fierce-compassion-podcast.

Stay current with Roxy and Sarah's personal work at roxannemanning.com and sarahpeyton.com.

Like this podcast? Rate "Fierce Compassion" on this podcast app, leave a review, and share it with your friends!

Podcast Manager: Lily Huang
Audio Editor: Brendan Youngquist

In this episode of Fierce Compassion, we talk with Mary-Frances Winters, founder and CEO of The Winters Group and author of seven books on antiracism, diversity, and inclusion. During our conversation, Winters shares her journey of self discovery with us: one that spans over 40 years of diversity and inclusion work within organizations and corporations across America. Despite her seniority in the field, Winters repeatedly directs us to the wisdom and learnings brought to her by her younger staff members, and invites us into the elements of white supremacy culture that she, as a member of the Baby Boomer generation, continues to unlearn. Winters discusses the difference between kindness and toxic niceness, and how centering niceness in our relationships can actually impede equity work. Together, we talk about strategies for inviting curiosity and openness within people who hold dominant culture identities, and the magical work that the question "How would you know?" can do when trying to call someone back in. Join us for an episode brimming with deep self-reflective questions, a report-back on how things are faring in the Diversity & Inclusion field, and practical steps for prioritizing Beloved Community in your workplace and relationships. 

Mary-Frances Winters is the founder and CEO of The Winters Group, Inc., a 39-year-old global organization development and diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice consulting firm, who truly believes that diversity and inclusion work is her “passion and calling.” Named a thought leader in the field, for the past three decades she has impacted over hundreds of organizations and thousands of individuals with her thought provoking message, and her approach to diversity and inclusion. Ms. Winters is a master strategist with experience in strategic planning, change management, diversity, organization development, training and facilitation, systems thinking and qualitative and quantitative research methods. She is the author of seven books on antiracist conversations and on the impact of racism, including the books Black Exhaustion and We Can’t Talk about That at Work!

You can find transcripts (posted midday) and more episodes of "Fierce Compassion" at antiracistconversations.com/fierce-compassion-podcast. For more information about our Antiracist Conversations book series, visit antiracistconversations.com

Stay up to date with Sarah and Roxy's personal work at Sarahpeyton.com and Roxannemanning.com

Like this podcast? Rate "Fierce Compassion" on this podcast app, leave a review, and share it with your friends!

This episode was produced by hannah rubin.

In our twelfth episode, we talk with Dr. Báyò Akómolàfè, the widely celebrated international speaker, posthumanist philosopher, and author who, despite all his accolades, defines himself primarily as a father and husband. A Yoruban public intellectual known for his intricate narratives on identity, change, and interdependence, Dr. Akómolàfè challenges us to explore how western conceptions of the "self" reinforce our separation from the flows and fields of life. It is by continuing to live in the field of this disconnection, he argues, that we continue to repeat the crises that we attempt to solve.

Dr. Akómolàfè offers us poetry, imagination, history, and heart as we discuss compassion as the space of hyphenation, capitalism as a sensorium, and whiteness as a web of world-making intensities. Together, we attend to the wonderings at the root of Dr. Akómolàfè’s politics: what is the world opening up space for? And how can we gather there together? Dr. Akómolàfè ultimately proposes that staying with the cracks--the openings, the places that we fail--can be our portal into different ways of being in the world. Join us for a beautiful and challenging conversation that might just radically shift your relationship to the ways in which we are in relation.

Dr. Báyò Akómolàfè, rooted with the Yoruba people in a more-than-human world, is the father to Alethea and Kyah, the grateful life-partner to Ije, son and brother. A widely celebrated international speaker, posthumanist thinker, poet, teacher, public intellectual, essayist, and author of two books, These Wilds Beyond our Fences: Letters to My Daughter on Humanity’s Search for Home (North Atlantic Books) and We Will Tell our Own Story: The Lions of Africa Speak, Dr. Akómolàfè is the Founder of The Emergence Network and host of the postactivist course/festival/event, ‘We Will Dance with Mountains’. He currently lectures at Pacifica Graduate Institute, California. He sits on the Board of many organizations including Science and Non-Duality (US) and Ancient Futures (Australia). In July 2022, Dr. Akómolàfè was appointed the inaugural Global Senior Fellow of University of California’s (Berkeley) Othering and Belonging Institute. He has also been appointed Fellow for The New Institute in Hamburg, Germany, and Visiting Critic-in-Residence for the Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles (2023). He is the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) and has been Commencement Speaker in two universities convocation events. He is also the recipient of the New Thought Leadership Award 2021 and the Excellence in Ethnocultural Psychotherapy Award by the African Mental Health Summit 2022.

You can find transcripts (posted midday) and more episodes of "Fierce Compassion" at antiracistconversations.com/fierce-compassion-podcast. For more information about our Antiracist Conversations book series, visit antiracistconversations.com

Stay up to date with Sarah and Roxy's personal work at Sarahpeyton.com and Roxannemanning.com

Like this podcast? Rate "Fierce Compassion" on this podcast app, leave a review, and share it with your friends!

This episode was produced by hannah rubin.

In our eleventh episode, we explore the inspiring journey of Dr. Rosa García, a Chicana educator and activist passionately dedicated to social justice and educational equity. García, the Executive Director of the Community Learning Partnership and the California Youth Leadership Corps, joins us to share her life story, starting from her roots in a large, working-class Mexican immigrant family in East Los Angeles. García  talks about how her parents' ethos of care, community, and support, despite limited resources, shaped her worldview and commitment to advocacy.

García  delves into her path to becoming an influential figure in community college education and advocacy, highlighting her experiences with systemic barriers like racism and sexism. She reflects on her roles in various capacities, from college admissions advocating for students of color to working in Congress, and how these experiences fueled her drive for creating equitable educational opportunities. We discuss her innovative work in building cohort-based models for community college students, fostering a beloved community of support and empowerment, particularly for marginalized and first-generation students.

As we navigate through García’s journey, she emphasizes the importance of self-compassion, mentorship, and the empowerment of young leaders. Join us to hear about Dr. García’s relentless pursuit of social change, her advocacy for immigrant rights, language justice, and her vision for a more inclusive, equitable educational landscape. This episode is a testament to the power of passion and the impact of nurturing community-based leadership in the fight against systemic inequality.

Rosa M. García, Ed.D., is a prominent figure in the field of education and social justice. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the California Youth Leadership Corps (CYLC) and the Community Learning Partnership (CLP), where she plays a pivotal role in collaborating with public institutions, nonprofits, social justice organizations, and community partners. Her work focuses on promoting an equitable and inclusive democracy in California and nationwide, primarily by expanding innovative community change career pathways for historically marginalized college students, turning them into community organizers, change agents, and local leaders.

Previously, she was the Director of Postsecondary Education and Workforce Development at the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), a national anti-poverty policy organization, where she  advocated for equitable access to education for underrepresented groups. García has also held various roles in policy and higher education, including senior positions at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, HACU, and the Maryland State Board of Education. Her academic background includes degrees from Wesleyan University, Columbia University, UCLA, Baruch College, CUNY, and an Ed.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. A committed advocate for education and social justice, García, a Los Angeles native and daughter of Mexican immigrants, has dedicated her career to empowering diverse communities.

You can find transcripts (posted midday) and more episodes of "Fierce Compassion" at antiracistconversations.com/fierce-compassion-podcast. For more information about our Antiracist Conversations book series, visit antiracistconversations.com

Stay up to date with Sarah and Roxy's personal work at Sarahpeyton.com and Roxannemanning.com

Like this podcast? Rate "Fierce Compassion" on this podcast app, leave a review, and share it with your friends!

In our tenth episode, we talk with Jackson Lima, a Brazilian diplomat with a specialization in conflict coaching and resolution. Jackson talks with us about the concrete practices that make compassion and self-compassion possible: something he has a lot of personal experience with, given his experience growing up in the poorest majority Black region of Brazil, and becoming, at 38, a diplomat serving in communities around the world. The depths of Jackson's self-compassion are felt throughout the conversation, as we discuss the racial history of Brazil, the practices of Buddhism, expanding our cultural and personal understandings of success, and his experiences navigating our self-critical culture of excellence and over-achievement. Lima volunteers as a conflict coach, and he shares what his work with narrative conflict coaching looks like, and the ways he is able to support people in transformative deescalation even when both parties are not present. Join us to learn more about global efforts in antiracism and the role that self-compassion plays in those efforts.

Jackson Lima has been a diplomat for almost 15 years and holds a master’s degree in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University, in Washington, D.C. He also acquired a Master’s in Political Science from the University of Brasília and a Master’s in Diplomacy from the Rio Branco Institute - Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil. He has a certificate degree in Conflict Transformation and Peace Studies with an emphasis on emotional balance, from the Peace and Mind Institute, in partnership with the University of Innsbruck (Austria). He attended courses in negotiation and mediation at Harvard and MIT. He is currently the First Secretary of the Permanent Mission of Brazil to the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington DC. For 4 years, he served at the Brazilian Embassy in Nigeria, and for almost 4 years, he worked in the Brazilian mission in Zambia and was an advisor in the Department of Africa in Brazil.

You can find transcripts (posted midday) and more episodes of "Fierce Compassion" at antiracistconversations.com/fierce-compassion-podcast. For more information about our Antiracist Conversations book series, visit antiracistconversations.com

Stay up to date with Roxy and Sarah's personal work at Roxannemanning.com and Sarahpeyton.com

Like this podcast? Rate "Fierce Compassion" on this podcast app, leave a review, and share it with your friends!