Dr Ibram X. Kendi is the award winning author of 14 National Book Awards for adults and children, including nine New York Times bestsellers—five of which were #1 New York Times bestsellers. Dr. Kendi is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Boston University, and the director of the BU Center for Antiracist Research. He is a contributing writer at The Atlantic and a CBS News racial justice contributor. Dr. Kendi is the author of Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, which won the National Book Award for Nonfiction, making him the youngest author to win that award. He also authored the international bestseller, How to Be an Antiracist, which was described in the New York Times as “the most courageous book to date on the problem of race in the Western mind.” In 2020, Time magazine named Dr. Kendi one of the 100 Most Influential People in the world. He was awarded a 2021 MacArthur Fellowship, popularly known as the "Genius Grant. "

This week's guest is, the inimitable, Ms. Panti Bliss. Panti is considered to be Ireland’s foremost drag queen, “gender discombobulist” and “accidental activist.” Panti was the forerunner in Ireland's ‘Yes’ campaign for marriage equality and in February 2015 she took to the stage of Dublin’s Abbey Theatre to deliver a ten minute speech that was described as ""the most eloquent Irish speech"" in almost 200 years. It garnered support from RuPaul, Graham Norton, Stephen Fry, and Madonna. She is the recipient of a host of awards including the Award for contribution to Irish society - at the People of the Year Awards in 2014. In 2015 Panti’s alter-ego Rory O'Neill was awarded an honorary degree from Trinity College Dublin for his contribution to LGBTQ+ rights and marriage equality. In 2016, following a reported 160% increase in HIV positive tests in Ireland between 2005 and 2015, as an advocate for others and small business owner, she turned the basement of her self named Panti Bar into a HIV testing center in a bid to help protect a new generation of young gay men. Panti was most recently on the Irish version of Dancing with the Stars, where Panti, aka Rory, performed out of drag, making Irish TV history with Ireland's first same sex dance couple appearing on screens across the country. Join us where we’ll discuss Panti’s activism, advocacy, and contributions to the LGBTQ+ community in Ireland and beyond. 

In this best of episode of Here to Help, Chris speaks to Katie Schmidt, Quality Assurance Engineer at Indeed. Katie will speak about her career in the gaming industry, how it led to a job in QA and the important role language plays in game design. Katie will also speak about Pride month and the importance of iPride in her journey. If you have ever wondered what we can learn about our own reality through game design or what exactly is the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis then this episode is one worth listening to.

In this week's best of episode of Here to Help, Chris' guest is disability rights and inclusion activist Imani Barbarin. Imani uses her voice and social media platforms to create conversations engaging the disability community. Born with cerebral palsy, Imani often writes and uses her platform to speak from the perspective of a disabled black woman. They discuss the importance of having difficult but necessary conversations, what Covid-19 revealed about ableism and her unwavering belief in what's possible. 

This week’s guest is Johnson Cheng, a Chinese American writer/director from the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles. A member of the Directors Guild of America (DGA), his films have screened in competition at international festivals such as Tribeca, AFI FEST, and Toronto.  Johnson is a recipient of the HBO APA Visionaries Award, the Princess Grace Award (Cary Grant Film Award), and fellowships such as Film Independent’s Project Involve (Writer/Director Fellow). Johnson is also one of the directors chosen for the very first class of Indeed’s Rising Voices and “Only the Moon Stands Still’ is an incredibly moving film about the complexities of intergenerational families and work. It’s a slice-of-life tale of three generations of Chinese women confronting the realities of having to shut down their family’s ballroom dance studio and bid farewell to a life that has defined them for so long. This episode discusses tradition, community, work and the power of story to create opportunity for people. 

This week’s guest is Dr Safiya Noble. Dr. Noble is an internet studies scholar and Professor of Gender Studies and African American Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) where she serves as the Faculty Director of the Center on Race & Digital Justice. In her book ‘Algorithms of Oppression’ Safiya explores the ways in which search engines perpetuate systemic racism and discrimination. Noble argues that these search engines are not neutral, but rather are designed and operated by people with their own biases and values, which are often shaped by broader social and cultural forces. Noble examines the ways in which search algorithms can reinforce and amplify existing biases and stereotypes, particularly against marginalized groups such as women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ individuals. This episode discusses how these biases can have real-world consequences, such as limiting opportunities for employment or housing.

In this best of episode, Chris Hyams talks to social psychologist Dr. Devon Price, about his life, work and latest book "Laziness Does Not Exist" that examines the “laziness lie”—which falsely tells us we are not working or learning hard enough.  Price's research has appeared in Slate, Business Insider, Financial Times, HuffPost, Psychology Today, and on NPR and PBS. Like many Americans, Dr. Devon Price believed that productivity was the best way to measure self-worth. Price was an overachiever from the start, graduating from both college and graduate school early, but that success came at a cost. After Price was diagnosed with a severe case of anemia and heart complications from overexertion, he was forced to examine the darker side of all this productivity.  Using in-depth research, Price explains that people today do far more work than nearly any other humans in history yet most of us often still feel we are not doing enough. If you are looking for advice to overcome society’s pressure to do more and understand the psychological underpinnings of the “laziness lie" this episode is not to be missed.

This week's guest is Julia Hatton, the CEO of Rising Sun. Rising Sun is a non-profit organization that works to create green jobs and provide sustainable energy solutions in underserved communities in California. Under her leadership, Rising Sun has trained over 3,500 individuals in energy efficiency, solar installation, and other green job skills. 

In this episode, we'll be discussing the urgent need for sustainable energy solutions in marginalized communities, and the challenges and opportunities of building a more equitable green economy. We'll also explore Julia's personal journey and what drives her commitment to social and environmental justice.

This week’s guest is the remarkable social scientist and author, Reuben Jonathan Miller. His book, "Halfway Home," is a powerful and insightful examination of the American criminal justice system. Drawing on his own experiences as a researcher and advocate for criminal justice reform, Miller brings a unique perspective to the conversation about the complexities of incarceration and re-entry. His writing is engaging, thought-provoking, and, above all, deeply human, reminding us that those who have been incarcerated are more than just statistics or labels; they are individuals with their own stories, struggles, and aspirations.

April is Second Chance Month, so for this weeks' best of episode and  we revisit a conversation with the incredible Vincent Bragg. After being sentenced to several years in prison, Vincent Bragg quickly learned that some of the most outside-of-the-box thinking happens inside the box. During his incarceration he watched as his fellow convicts were able to make something from nothing—books, music, entire meals—all created between four barren concrete walls. Still inspired by the sheer amount of talent he saw in prison, he founded ConCreates, a creative agency that crowdsources ideas from incarcerated and formerly-incarcerated men and women. Chris and Vincent talk about his mission - to challenge the stigma of how society views people with a criminal history, as well as how people with a criminal history view themselves.  An episode not to be missed.