Longtime VISIONS consultant and psychologist Dr. Sarah Stearns shares her story, starting with her rural Connecticut upbringing to becoming a founding consultant with VISIONS Inc. In addition to talking about her personal and professional trajectory, she shares how her own experiences with discrimination fueled her commitment to multicultural work and systemic change.

This is the final episode of Season 1 of Into Liberation. Please make sure you follow us on your favorite podcast platforms, and sign up for our newsletter to stay updated about what we’re doing. 

See what's coming up at VISIONS!

About us
Into Liberation: A podcast about transformative change, equity, and liberation is a production of VISIONS, Inc, a non-profit that offers effective tools that help individuals and organizations communicate and forge connections across differences that drive collective success. 

Since 1984, we’ve offered research-based, time-tested approaches to cross-cultural learning that invite participants to engage in equity and inclusion work, starting at the personal and interpersonal levels and expanding to include changes toward institutional and cultural levels.

VISIONS offers actionable approaches that empower people to identify actions, explore their motivations, and effectively move through complex situations with respect and humanity for others and their differences.

Any opinions and views expressed by the speakers are their own and do not reflect the positions of VISIONS, Inc. 

Follow us!
Instagram: @visionsinc_org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VISIONS.Inc.1984/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/visions-inc.org/

Music credit: Tim Hall @tv_hall

Today I’m excited to introduce you to Terry Berman, a senior VISIONS consultant,  elder, and mentor to many of newer VISIONS consultants as they have come into this work. 

Terry grew up in a politically active Jewish family in South Africa, witnessing firsthand the courageous activism of her parents, whose anti-apartheid work forced the family into exile. Terry shares her story, reflecting on the complexities around her white identity and how her early experiences informed a lifetime dedicated to social justice and activism. 

In this conversation, we talk about Terry's movement from apartheid-era South Africa to the challenges of navigating life in the UK, where she faced deep antisemitism and sexism, to the San Francisco Bay Area where she became deeply involved in women's rights and the LGBTQ community, organizing against police violence and doing solidarity work in Central America before connecting with VISIONS. 

See what's coming up at VISIONS!

About us
Into Liberation: A podcast about transformative change, equity, and liberation is a production of VISIONS, Inc, a non-profit that offers effective tools that help individuals and organizations communicate and forge connections across differences that drive collective success. 

Since 1984, we’ve offered research-based, time-tested approaches to cross-cultural learning that invite participants to engage in equity and inclusion work, starting at the personal and interpersonal levels and expanding to include changes toward institutional and cultural levels.

VISIONS offers actionable approaches that empower people to identify actions, explore their motivations, and effectively move through complex situations with respect and humanity for others and their differences.

Any opinions and views expressed by the speakers are their own and do not reflect the positions of VISIONS, Inc. 

Follow us!
Instagram: @visionsinc_org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VISIONS.Inc.1984/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/visions-inc.org/

Music credit: Tim Hall @tv_hall

Join us for a conversation with Louise Coggins, longtime VISIONS board member and current board chair of VISIONS, who first met the founders of this organization when high schools integrated in Rocky Mount, NC. 

So much of VISIONS history and way of being is rooted in its value of relationality. Louise’s longtime connection and passionate support of VISIONS, and so many other organizations working for justice, is a testament to this. 

We start by talking about what it was like to grow up in eastern NC in the 1960s, and the process of integrating the schools. I want to offer a content note for mentions of threats of a couple of different forms violence a few minutes in.

We then talk about her work with VISIONS, her career as a therapist, what she feels has and hasn’t changed in the last 50 years and what message she has for people who are working toward an equitable and just world now.

2024 is VISIONS 40th anniversary and we’re having a big celebration at the State Room in Boston on September 27th! Our guest speakers include Gloria Steinem, Verna Meyers, and The Rev. Dr. William Jay Barber II. Learn more here and join if you can! 

If you’re interested experiencing our approach, VISIONS offers a 75-minute public workshop teaching our Guidelines for Effective Cross Cultural Dialogue on the last Wednesday of each month at 4pm ET / 1pm PT.  It’s pay what you can, free if you want, and all are welcome. 

See what's coming up at VISIONS!

About us
Into Liberation: A podcast about transformative change, equity, and liberation is a production of VISIONS, Inc, a non-profit that offers effective tools that help individuals and organizations communicate and forge connections across differences that drive collective success. 

Since 1984, we’ve offered research-based, time-tested approaches to cross-cultural learning that invite participants to engage in equity and inclusion work, starting at the personal and interpersonal levels and expanding to include changes toward institutional and cultural levels.

VISIONS offers actionable approaches that empower people to identify actions, explore their motivations, and effectively move through complex situations with respect and humanity for others and their differences.

Any opinions and views expressed by the speakers are their own and do not reflect the positions of VISIONS, Inc. 

Follow us!
Instagram: @visionsinc_org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VISIONS.Inc.1984/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/visions-inc.org/

Music credit: Tim Hall @tv_hall

Join us as we sit down with VISIONS co-founder, longtime consultant, and retired professor public health Dr. John Capitman! Dr. Capitman talks about how he specialized in eldercare and developed community interventions in public health, as well as how his background and the life experiences informed his commitment and his approach, including how a severe car accident and other trials deepened his empathy and understanding of systemic inequalities and the necessity of acknowledging multiple dimensions of oppression. 

We also explore the formation of VISIONS and its mission to combat oppression, including memorable moments of creating VISIONS with his partner Dr. Valerie Batts. Dr. Capitman's story offers insight into the what is needed to continue this vital work in difficult times.

2024 is VISIONS 40th anniversary and we’re having a big celebration at the State Room in Boston on September 27th! Our guest speakers include Gloria Steinem, Verna Meyers, and The Rev. Dr. William Jay Barber II. Learn more here and join if you can! 

If you’re interested experiencing our approach, VISIONS offers a 75-minute public workshop teaching our Guidelines for Effective Cross Cultural Dialogue on the last Wednesday of each month at 4pm ET / 1pm PT.  It’s pay what you can, free if you want, and all are welcome. 

See what's coming up at VISIONS!

About us
Into Liberation: A podcast about transformative change, equity, and liberation is a production of VISIONS, Inc, a non-profit that offers effective tools that help individuals and organizations communicate and forge connections across differences that drive collective success. 

Since 1984, we’ve offered research-based, time-tested approaches to cross-cultural learning that invite participants to engage in equity and inclusion work, starting at the personal and interpersonal levels and expanding to include changes toward institutional and cultural levels.

VISIONS offers actionable approaches that empower people to identify actions, explore their motivations, and effectively move through complex situations with respect and humanity for others and their differences.

Any opinions and views expressed by the speakers are their own and do not reflect the positions of VISIONS, Inc. 

Follow us!
Instagram: @visionsinc_org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VISIONS.Inc.1984/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/visions-inc.org/

Music credit: Tim Hall @tv_hall

What does it mean to embrace a multicultural, democratic society in a nation scarred by Apartheid? Join us for the second part of our interview with Dr. Julian Sonn, who has spent the last thirty years working towards transformational change in South Africa. From the exuberance of the first democratic elections in 1994 to the ongoing quest for inclusivity, Dr. Sonn offers an in-depth look at the power and potential for leadership in bringing about transformation for South Africans.

We recorded this just after a historic election took place here that offers powerful potential for change– if people can learn to work together. Dr. Sonn talks about the legacies of colonialism, fascism, and systemic oppression that has left an indelible mark on the country.  As he reflects on both the progress and setbacks over the last three decades, he underscores the potential of the VISIONS model to overcome barriers and move toward multicultural democracy, which has deep implications for understanding both the stakes and the possibilities of the present moment in South Africa and beyond.

Will we see you in Boston in September 2024 for VISIONS 40th Anniversary Celebration? Learn more here!

Interested in learning more about our approach and model? VISIONS offers a pay-what-you-can (free if you want!) introduction to our Guidelines for Effective Cross Cultural Dialogue on the last Wednesday of every month. All are welcome. Learn more about Guidelines and our other programs here!


Some terms:
Afrikaans - a language spoken in South Africa with influences from the descendants of European (Dutch, German, and French) colonists, indigenous Khoisan peoples, and enslaved African and Asian people in the Dutch colony at the Cape of Good Hope.
Boers/Afrikaaners -Afrikaans-speaking descendants of Dutch, German, or Huguenot settlers in contemporary South Africa.
Broederbond - see Wikipedia.

See what's coming up at VISIONS!

About us
Into Liberation: A podcast about transformative change, equity, and liberation is a production of VISIONS, Inc, a non-profit that offers effective tools that help individuals and organizations communicate and forge connections across differences that drive collective success. 

Since 1984, we’ve offered research-based, time-tested approaches to cross-cultural learning that invite participants to engage in equity and inclusion work, starting at the personal and interpersonal levels and expanding to include changes toward institutional and cultural levels.

VISIONS offers actionable approaches that empower people to identify actions, explore their motivations, and effectively move through complex situations with respect and humanity for others and their differences.

Any opinions and views expressed by the speakers are their own and do not reflect the positions of VISIONS, Inc. 

Follow us!
Instagram: @visionsinc_org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VISIONS.Inc.1984/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/visions-inc.org/

Music credit: Tim Hall @tv_hall

Join us for another VISIONS elder story as we sit down with Dr. Julian Sonn, who has been with VISIONS, quite literally, since its inception. This is another in our series of elder story podcasts that we’re doing in honor of our 40th anniversary, which we'll be celebrating in Boston on September 27, 2024. 

Dr. Sonn is a psychologist and academic, and also worked extensively the VISIONS model while in exile in the US before returning to South Africa in the 1990s as Apartheid was ending. He talks about his early life and the experiences that shaped his outlook, and his trajectory from living in a pretty mixed town pre-Apartheid to experiencing displacement and the impacts of segregation, and how he ended up in the United States as a political exile, which is when he met VISIONS founders Valerie Batts and John Capitman.

Dr. Sonn has spent the last 30 years in South Africa, consulting and in university positions working on transformative leadership, which we talk about that more in the next episode. 

Will we see you in Boston in September 2024 for VISIONS 40th Anniversary Celebration? Learn more here!

Interested in learning more about our approach and model? VISIONS offers a pay-what-you-can (free if you want!) introduction to our Guidelines for Effective Cross Cultural Dialogue on the last Wednesday of every month. All are welcome. Learn more and register here!

Some terms:
Afrikaans - a language spoken in South Africa with influences from  indigenous Khoisan peoples, enslaved African and Asian people, and the descendants of European (Dutch, German, and French) colonists in the Dutch colony at the Cape of Good Hope.
Boers/Afrikaaners -Afrikaans-speaking descendants of Dutch, German, or Huguenot settlers in contemporary South Africa.
Karoo - large, semiarid desert region of the Eastern, Western, and Northern Cape provinces in South Africa.
Broederbond - a secret society open to Calvinist white males that were a driving force behind implementing apartheid in South Africa; see Wikipedia.
Bantustans aka "homelands" - ostensibly independent territories to which black South Africans were displaced as part of Apartheid policy; see Wikipedia.

See what's coming up at VISIONS!

About us
Into Liberation: A podcast about transformative change, equity, and liberation is a production of VISIONS, Inc, a non-profit that offers effective tools that help individuals and organizations communicate and forge connections across differences that drive collective success. 

Since 1984, we’ve offered research-based, time-tested approaches to cross-cultural learning that invite participants to engage in equity and inclusion work, starting at the personal and interpersonal levels and expanding to include changes toward institutional and cultural levels.

VISIONS offers actionable approaches that empower people to identify actions, explore their motivations, and effectively move through complex situations with respect and humanity for others and their differences.

Any opinions and views expressed by the speakers are their own and do not reflect the positions of VISIONS, Inc. 

Follow us!
Instagram: @visionsinc_org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VISIONS.Inc.1984/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/visions-inc.org/

Music credit: Tim Hall @tv_hall

This episode of Into Liberation features the extraordinary Dr. Cassandra Joubert, who starts by sharing her story of growing up in racially segregated Houston and becoming a passionate advocate for maternal and child health. Dr. Joubert talks about how her early life experiences and her time at Howard University in the early 1970s (amid the vibrant activism and Pan-Africanist movement) shaped her understanding of complex social issues, her work in her field, and her consulting with VISIONS.  

Dr. Joubert also talks about how her mother’s advice on financial independence led her to a career in policy advocacy and early childhood development. From research in neonatal intensive care units to leading philanthropic initiatives to ensuring hundreds of people working in early childhood development received VISIONS training, her work has consistently focused on improving the lives of mothers and children. Join us for an episode filled with warmth, wisdom, and inspiration from a formidable person dedicated to making a difference.

See what's coming up at VISIONS!

About us
Into Liberation: A podcast about transformative change, equity, and liberation is a production of VISIONS, Inc, a non-profit that offers effective tools that help individuals and organizations communicate and forge connections across differences that drive collective success. 

Since 1984, we’ve offered research-based, time-tested approaches to cross-cultural learning that invite participants to engage in equity and inclusion work, starting at the personal and interpersonal levels and expanding to include changes toward institutional and cultural levels.

VISIONS offers actionable approaches that empower people to identify actions, explore their motivations, and effectively move through complex situations with respect and humanity for others and their differences.

Any opinions and views expressed by the speakers are their own and do not reflect the positions of VISIONS, Inc. 

Follow us!
Instagram: @visionsinc_org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VISIONS.Inc.1984/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/visions-inc.org/

Music credit: Tim Hall @tv_hall

Join us as we sit down with Vincent Johnson, as he recounts his  trajectory from being a 'third culture kid' to becoming the Director of Equity and Inclusive Excellence at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Growing up as the child of a serviceman who was stationed in Okinawa and Taiwan, as well as Washington, DC, Vincent's immersion in different cultures before attending Harvard University shaped his outlook and his approach to his work as a consultant and board member with VISIONS.

Vincent recounts the major milestones in his life, including how an afro sparked a memorable Harvard application essay and the ways in which his varied experiences shaped his commitment to creating inclusive spaces at the law school. His story is not just one of personal success; it's a model for how learning to embrace our differences can lead to a more empathetic and just society.

VISIONS 40th Anniversary Event is coming up on September 27, 2024! Please join us in Boston to celebrate if you can!

New to VISIONS and want to learn what we're about? Our pay-what-you-can Guidelines for Effective Cross-Cultural Dialogue workshop happens on the last Wednesday of every month at 4pm ET. All are welcome. Come join us! 

See what's coming up at VISIONS!

About us
Into Liberation: A podcast about transformative change, equity, and liberation is a production of VISIONS, Inc, a non-profit that offers effective tools that help individuals and organizations communicate and forge connections across differences that drive collective success. 

Since 1984, we’ve offered research-based, time-tested approaches to cross-cultural learning that invite participants to engage in equity and inclusion work, starting at the personal and interpersonal levels and expanding to include changes toward institutional and cultural levels.

VISIONS offers actionable approaches that empower people to identify actions, explore their motivations, and effectively move through complex situations with respect and humanity for others and their differences.

Any opinions and views expressed by the speakers are their own and do not reflect the positions of VISIONS, Inc. 

Follow us!
Instagram: @visionsinc_org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VISIONS.Inc.1984/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/visions-inc.org/

Music credit: Tim Hall @tv_hall

What do feelings and emotions have to do with anti-oppression work?

Join me as I welcome longtime VISIONS consultant and counselor Felipe Garcia, who specializes in Transactional Analysis, the liberatory psychology framework at the core of our model. Felipe is the author of several articles, including one you may have read if you’ve been part of a longer VISIONS training called "The Role of Feelings in the Workplace." 

This year, 2024, is the 40th year of VISIONS existence, and this is another in our ongoing series of stories from elders in our community. VISION was founded in 1984 by a group of psychologists and others who brought their clinical skills to bear on the problem of racism and other forms of oppression, including the role that emotion and feeling plays in anti-oppression work. Not only has Felipe has not only done extensive work in this area–he still actively teaches what he calls The Responsive Process. 

In addition to Felipe sharing about his background and journey, we talk about what transactional analysis is and why it is so useful in anti-oppression work, and, of course, what the role of feelings in the workplace is!

Read more of Felipe's work at https://www.winningtogether.org/

See what's coming up at VISIONS!

About us
Into Liberation: A podcast about transformative change, equity, and liberation is a production of VISIONS, Inc, a non-profit that offers effective tools that help individuals and organizations communicate and forge connections across differences that drive collective success. 

Since 1984, we’ve offered research-based, time-tested approaches to cross-cultural learning that invite participants to engage in equity and inclusion work, starting at the personal and interpersonal levels and expanding to include changes toward institutional and cultural levels.

VISIONS offers actionable approaches that empower people to identify actions, explore their motivations, and effectively move through complex situations with respect and humanity for others and their differences.

Any opinions and views expressed by the speakers are their own and do not reflect the positions of VISIONS, Inc. 

Follow us!
Instagram: @visionsinc_org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VISIONS.Inc.1984/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/visions-inc.org/

Music credit: Tim Hall @tv_hall

You've probably heard about the importance of mental health, but have you ever considered how it intersects with issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion? Join us for a  conversation with Dr. Haley Sparks, the Director of VISIONS' Mental Health Program, as we explore the terrain of DEI work and mental health. Dr. Sparks, a personality psychologist by training, shares about her journey and offers a preview of her upcoming workshop on rest and sustainability at VISIONS' 2024 Spring Summit.

The revamped mental health program at VISIONS centers around a coaching model, and is designed to help clients engage in exploration of their identities through an anti-oppression lens.  If you've ever found DEI work challenging, you'll understand the importance of unpacking personal biases and negative experiences in a supportive environment, including the value of affinity work and the advantages of working with clinicians who share similar identities and experiences. 

Stay tuned for exciting updates on the Mental Health Program, VISIONS 2024 Spring Summit, and our 40th anniversary event, which will take place on September 27, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts! 

See what's coming up at VISIONS!

About us
Into Liberation: A podcast about transformative change, equity, and liberation is a production of VISIONS, Inc, a non-profit that offers effective tools that help individuals and organizations communicate and forge connections across differences that drive collective success. 

Since 1984, we’ve offered research-based, time-tested approaches to cross-cultural learning that invite participants to engage in equity and inclusion work, starting at the personal and interpersonal levels and expanding to include changes toward institutional and cultural levels.

VISIONS offers actionable approaches that empower people to identify actions, explore their motivations, and effectively move through complex situations with respect and humanity for others and their differences.

Any opinions and views expressed by the speakers are their own and do not reflect the positions of VISIONS, Inc. 

Follow us!
Instagram: @visionsinc_org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VISIONS.Inc.1984/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/visions-inc.org/

Music credit: Tim Hall @tv_hall