Leading With Empathy & Allyship

Lydia X. Z. Brown, Policy Counsel for Privacy & Data at the Center for Democracy & Technology, joins Melinda in an enlightening discussion around the impact of surveillance tech on marginalized populations. They address the importance of understanding the threats of surveillance in our daily lives brought on by algorithmic technologies used in education, policing, healthcare, and the workplace, and they discuss how this tech can be disproportionately damaging to people of color and people with disabilities. Lydia also shares what actions are needed to protect health data following the overturning of Roe v. Wade and how individuals and organizations should approach data privacy to protect everyone's rights and advocate for marginalized communities who are harmed by surveillance technologies.


About Lydia X. Z. Brown (they/them)

Lydia X. Z. Brown is an advocate, organizer, attorney, strategist, and writer whose work focuses on interpersonal and state violence against disabled people at the intersections of race, class, gender, sexuality, faith, language, and nation. Lydia is Policy Counsel for Privacy & Data at the Center for Democracy & Technology, focused on algorithmic discrimination and disability; Director of Policy, Advocacy, & External Affairs at the Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network; and founding executive director of the Autistic People of Color Fund. Lydia is an adjunct lecturer in the Women's and Gender Studies Program and the Disability Studies Program at Georgetown University, as well as the Self-Advocacy Discipline Coordinator for the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Fellowship program. They are also an adjunct professorial lecturer in American Studies in the Department of Critical Race, Gender, and Cultural Studies at American University. They are co-president of the Disability Rights Bar Association, a commissioner on the American Bar Association’s Commission on Disability Rights, and Disability Justice Committee representative on the National Lawyers Guild board. Lydia is currently creating the Disability Justice Wisdom Tarot. Often, their most important work has no title, job description, or funding, and probably never will.


To join us for our monthly live event and find educational resources, visit ally.cc


Connect With Lydia

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lydiaxzbrown
Facebook: facebook.com/autistic.hoya
Twitter: twitter.com/autistichoya
Instagram: instagram.com/autistichoya

Connect With Us

YouTube: youtube.com/@empovia
Twitter: twitter.com/empoviaco
Facebook: facebook.com/empovia
Instagram: instagram.com/empovia/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/empovia/

Production Team

Creator & Host: Melinda Briana Epler
Co-Producers: Renzo Santos & Christina Swindlehurst Chan
Creative Director @ Podcast Rocket: Rob Scheerbarth


[Image description: LEA promo and photos of Lydia, an East Asian person with short black and teal hair, glasses, a dark blue suit, and a diamond-pattern tie, and host Melinda Briana Epler, a White woman with red hair, glasses, and orange s

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In Episode 91, Melinda speaks with Matt Landsiedel, Life & Spiritual Coach at Inspired to Be Authentic, about how empathic and highly sensitive people (HSPs) can thrive in the workplace and become some of our strongest leaders. They explore what being "highly sensitive" means, how we can identify individuals with this personality trait, and where there are overlapping characteristics between HSPs and empaths. They also discuss ways for HSPs to support themselves through healing past trauma to become their most authentic selves, and they provide simple approaches for managers to support a highly sensitive team member's valuable contributions and emotional well-being.


About Matt Landsiedel (he/him)

Matt Landsiedel is a transformative life coach, empathic healer, and spiritual teacher from Calgary, Canada.

Matt specializes in teaching people how to heal shame + trauma and embody their authentic selves so they can enjoy meaningful connections in their lives. His areas of expertise are working with highly sensitive people (HSP), empaths, and gay men to develop a stronger sense of self-worth.


Find Leading With Empathy & Allyship useful? Subscribe to our podcast and like this episode!

For more about Empovia, and to join us for our monthly live event, visit https://ally.cc. There, you’ll also find educational resources and highlights from this episode.


Connect With Matt Landsiedel On Social

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/matt.landsiedel.7
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inspiredtobeauthentic

Connect With Us On Social

YouTube: youtube.com/@empovia
Twitter: twitter.com/empoviaco
Facebook: facebook.com/empovia
Instagram: instagram.com/empovia/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/empovia/

Production Team

Creator & Host: Melinda Briana Epler
Co-Producers: Renzo Santos & Christina Swindlehurst Chan
Creative Director @ Podcast Rocket: Rob Scheerbarth


[Image description: Leading With Empathy & Allyship promo and photos of Matt Landsiedel, a Caucasian man with brown facial hair, a cream shirt, tan hat, and teal geometric-patterned scarf; and host Melinda Briana Epler, a White woman with red hair, glasses, and orange shirt holding a white mug behind a laptop.]

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In Episode 90, Katelin Holloway, Founding Partner at Seven Seven Six, joins Melinda in an extensive conversation over the role of venture capital in advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging across the tech industry. They explore how the venture ecosystem can evolve to empower a talented and diverse workforce, create new opportunities and access to wealth for underrepresented founders, increase representation at senior levels within VC firms, and invest in companies that positively shape the future of work. Katelin also shares about their firm’s commitment to diversity and inclusion across all investor roles to address the wealth gap in VC and how investors can build accountability for inclusion and sustainability in Web3.


About Katelin Holloway (she/her)

Katelin is a Founding Partner at Alexis Ohanian’s venture capital firm Seven Seven Six, where she invests in people-first companies and manages the firm’s programs, including the 2% Growth & Caregiving Commitment and Operator in Residence Program. Leading a career as a people & culture executive with previous roles at Pixar Animation Studios, Klout and Reddit, she’s deeply committed to helping founders and the broader venture ecosystem evolve their diversity, equity, inclusion & belonging practices, creating new opportunities and access to wealth for people and products typically underrepresented in the tech industry. As an investor, she is passionate about supporting the companies that will shape the future of work, life, sustainability, and the delicate balance that enables us to thrive.


Find Leading With Empathy & Allyship useful? Subscribe to our podcast and like this episode!

For more about Empovia, and to join us for our monthly live event, visit https://ally.cc. There, you’ll also find educational resources and highlights from this episode.


Connect With Katelin Holloway On Social

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katelinholloway
Twitter: https://twitter.com/katelin_cruse

Connect With Us On Social

YouTube: youtube.com/@empovia
Twitter: twitter.com/empoviaco
Facebook: facebook.com/empovia
Instagram: instagram.com/empovia/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/empovia/

Production Team

Creator & Host: Melinda Briana Epler
Co-Producers: Renzo Santos & Christina Swindlehurst Chan
Creative Director @ Podcast Rocket: Rob Scheerbarth


[Image description: Leading With Empathy & Allyship promo and photos of Katelin Holloway, a White Mom with long blonde hair and black blouse, and host Melinda Briana Epler, a White woman with red hair, glasses, and orange shirt holding a white mug behind a laptop.]

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In Episode 89, Melinda is joined by an incredible panel of executive coaches and DEI practitioners: Rajkumari Neogy, Valentina Jaramillo, and David Ciocca. Throughout the live recording, they discuss how allies and ERG leaders can be the key drivers for creating psychologically safe workplaces for the LGBTQIA+ community. They explore the science and epigenetics behind psychological safety and how it leads to healing our transgenerational trauma. They also share how allies can demonstrate concern and support for LGBTQIA+ folks in remote and hybrid workplaces and ways to cultivate psychological safety through an intersectional lens.

About Rajkumari Neogy (He or She)

Rajkumari has worked with organizations worldwide. In 2013, S/He founded iRestart, which provides expertise in the areas of leadership development and organizational epigenetics. S/He is the creator of the iRestart coaching framework, the Disruptive Diversity Boot Camp, and the author of The WIT Factor: Shifting the Workplace Paradigm by Becoming Your Optimal Self. He/She believes that the qualities of passionate self-reflection and dedicated curiosity define true leadership.

About Valentina Jaramillo (they/them)

Curiosity has fueled Valentina's life, from becoming a key opinion leader for healthcare and social media in Latin America to working with a pharmaceutical company in the U.S.  Valentina's interest in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is infused in all their work. They have served as co-chair of LGBTQIA+ ERGs and been a member of DEI councils. Their experience as a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion workplace champion shape Valentina's language to be non-gendered, inclusive, and empowering.

About David Ciocca (he/him)

David Ciocca is a Learning & Development Partner on Blend’s Global Impact, Equity, and Belonging team. David has over 20 years of experience in employee engagement, learning and development, DEI, leadership development, and mentoring program management. In his current role, David leads the overall design and implementation of DEI learning and development opportunities to enhance the employee experience of belonging and inclusion at Blend. In his spare time, he enjoys live music, theater, travel, film, and teaching Zumba.


For more about Empovia, and to find educational resources, visit https://ally.cc.


Connect With Rajkumari: linkedin.com/in/rneogy

Connect With Valentina: linkedin.com/in/valentinajaramillo

Connect With David: linkedin.com/in/davidpciocca

Connect With Us

YouTube: youtube.com/@empovia
Twitter: twitter.com/empoviaco
Facebook: facebook.com/empovia
Instagram: instagram.com/empovia/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/empovia/

Production Team

Creator & Host: Melinda Briana Epler
Co-Producers: Renzo Santos & Christina Swindlehurst Chan
Creative Director @ Podcast Rocket: Rob Scheerbarth


[Image description: Leading With Empathy & Allyship promo and photos of Valentina, a LatinX, gender non-conforming person; David, a White cis man; Rajkumari, a French-Canadian/ East Indian nonbinary pe

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In Episode 88, Melinda Briana Epler, Founder & CEO of Empovia (formerlyChange Catalyst), shares key learnings in a book reading from a few chapters of her book, How to Be an Ally (McGraw-Hill). Drawing inspiration from her own story of experiencing biases and microaggressions in the workplace, Melinda explains how allyship can create positive change in workplaces and communities. She also presents a comprehensive list of tangible actions we can take to support people who experience microaggressions, systemic inequities, and other barriers to opportunity— specifically by learning to recognize and overcome verbal and nonverbal microaggressions and by counteracting the effects through microaffirmations. 

About Melinda Briana Epler (she/her)

Melinda Briana Epler has more than 25 years of experience elevating brands and developing business innovation strategies for startups, Fortune 500 companies, and global NGOs.

As CEO of Empovia (formerly Change Catalyst), Melinda is a strategic diversity, equity, and inclusion advisor for executives, entrepreneurs, investors, and activists around the world. As part of her changemaking work, she is an inclusive leadership coach, trains executive and management teams, and builds learning and development solutions for clients. 

Melinda is the author of How to Be an Ally (McGraw-Hill) and the host of the popular "Leading With Empathy & Allyship" podcast. She is also a TED speaker, award-winning documentary filmmaker, and former marketing and culture executive. She speaks and writes about diversity and inclusion in tech, allyship, and empathy.

Find Leading With Empathy & Allyship useful? Subscribe to our podcast and like this episode!

For more about Empovia, and to join us for our monthly live event, visit https://ally.cc. There, you’ll also find educational resources and highlights from this episode.

Connect With  Melinda Briana Epler On Social

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melindaepler

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melindabrianaepler

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mbrianaepler

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/changecatalysts

Connect With Us On Social

YouTube: youtube.com/@empovia

Twitter: twitter.com/empoviaco

Facebook: facebook.com/empovia

Instagram: instagram.com/empovia/

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/empovia/

Production Team

Creator & Host: Melinda Briana Epler

Co-Producers: Renzo Santos & Christina Swindlehurst Chan

Creative Director @ Podcast Rocket: Rob Scheerbarth

[Image description: Leading With Empathy & Allyship promo and a photo of host Melinda Briana Epler, a White woman with red hair, glasses, and a black shirt; beside her is the orange book cover of HOW TO BE AN ALLY: ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE FOR A STRONGER, HAPPIER WORKPLACE.]

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In Episode 87, Kudakwashe Mushaike, Founder of Below The Surface, shares a brief and powerful talk from Empovia's (formerly Change Catalyst) third Icon Summit hosted by Icon Project Founder and Empovia (formerly Change Catalyst) Co-Founder, Wayne Sutton. In “Finding Freedom Through Vulnerability,” Kudakwashe tells us how authenticity, freedom, and love play a pivotal role in the journey of understanding vulnerability and how leaning into vulnerability can allow us to experience the world around us more fully. Vulnerability is important as we work to be good allies—and as we ask each other for allyship. We’re excited to share this special session with you.

About Kudakwashe Mushaike (he/him)

Kudakwashe Mushaike is a speaker, poet, software engineer, and the Host and Founder of Below The Surface.

Having lost his father at the age of one, Kudakwashe found himself looking to other men to set an example for him. Challenged by the fact that for most men, conversation merely touches the surface and ultimately, their pain and struggles are experienced in silence, he realized that there was work to be done to shift the culture around conversation amongst men.

Below The Surface was birthed from his mission to build stronger, more vulnerable communities of men through conversation and shared experiences.

In tune with his mission, Kudakwashe speaks to men about vulnerability, growth, and mental wellness

Find Leading With Empathy & Allyship useful? Subscribe to our podcast and like this episode!

For more about Empovia, and to join us for our monthly live event, visit https://ally.cc. There, you’ll also find educational resources and highlights from this episode.

Connect With Kudakwashe Mushaike On Social

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kudakwashe-mushaike-a08a2176

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/belowthesurfacehq

Connect With Us On Social

YouTube: youtube.com/@empovia

Twitter: twitter.com/empoviaco

Facebook: facebook.com/empovia

Instagram: instagram.com/empovia/

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/empovia/

Production Team

Creator & Host: Melinda Briana Epler

Co-Producers: Renzo Santos & Christina Swindlehurst Chan

Creative Director @ Podcast Rocket: Rob Scheerbarth

[Image description: Leading With Empathy & Allyship promo and photos of Kudakwashe Mushaike, a Black man with black hair, black beard, and white t-shirt, and host Wayne Sutton, a bald Black man with salt and pepper beard, glasses, and a dark gray shirt.]

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In Episode 86, Julia Taylor Kennedy, Executive Vice President at Coqual, joins Melinda to discuss key insights from Coqual’s Equity Series that feature insights on racial, ethnic, and gender equity in the global workforce. Julia takes us through her findings on specific differences around workplace equity across various countries. She shares how professionals from underrepresented groups experience inequity in performance evaluations, promotions, and compensation. She also offers a strategic approach for employers, managers, and DEI practitioners to measure and improve equity in global workplaces by identifying marginalized groups, addressing systemic issues, and understanding where there might be gaps in inclusion initiatives.


About Julia Taylor Kennedy (she/her)

Julia Taylor Kennedy is executive vice president at Coqual where she leads cutting-edge research on issues affecting today’s professional workforce with an eye toward solutions for a more inclusive and equitable global workplace and world. Julia holds a mirror to how workplaces work today—and gives companies a way forward.

Julia is a thought leader who has spoken at the United Nations, the Conference Board, the Executive Leadership Council, New York City Bar’s Associate Leadership Institute, and many companies. She’s been featured in Harvard Business Review, Business Insider, Fortune, Scientific American, and The Washington Post; she also has appeared on Bloomberg TV, American Public Media’s Marketplace, Wharton Business Radio, and more.

Find Leading With Empathy & Allyship useful? Subscribe to our podcast and like this episode!

For more about Empovia, and to join us for our monthly live event, visit https://ally.cc. There, you’ll also find educational resources and highlights from this episode.

Connect With Julia Taylor Kennedy On Social

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-taylor-kennedy-893aa25

Connect With Us On Social

YouTube: youtube.com/@empovia

Twitter: twitter.com/empoviaco

Facebook: facebook.com/empovia

Instagram: instagram.com/empovia/

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/empovia/

Production Team

Creator & Host: Melinda Briana Epler

Co-Producers: Renzo Santos & Christina Swindlehurst Chan

Creative Director @ Podcast Rocket: Rob Scheerbarth

[Image description: Leading With Empathy & Allyship promo and photos of Julia Taylor Kennedy, a White woman with short, curly brown hair, amber earrings, and teal blue shirt, and host Melinda Briana Epler, a White woman with red hair, glasses, and orange shirt holding a white mug behind a laptop.]

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In Episode 85, Karla McLaren, CEO of Emotion Dynamics, dives into a conversation with Melinda about how we can approach empathy and shame as a way to create sustainable change in communities and workplaces. They talk about ways to support ourselves through compassion fatigue, which often comes from doing tremendous amounts of emotional labor, emotion work, and empathy work. Karla also shares what organizations can do to protect the well-being of workers engaged in empathy work, such as setting up 'repair stations' and developing emotionally well-regulated social structures in the workplace. 

About Karla McLaren (she/her)

Karla McLaren, M.Ed. is an award-winning author, educator, social science researcher, and empathy expert. Her groundbreaking Six Essential Aspects of Empathy model highlights all of the processes in healthy empathy and makes them understandable, accessible, and attainable.

Karla is the author of many books, online courses, and audio learning programs, and she's the developer of the online learning site EmpathyAcademy.org. Her books include The Power of Emotions at Work, Embracing Anxiety, The Art of Empathy, and The Language of Emotions. She is online at KarlaMcLaren.com.

Find Leading With Empathy & Allyship useful? Subscribe to our podcast and like this episode!

For more about Empovia, and to join us for our monthly live event, visit https://ally.cc. There, you’ll also find educational resources and highlights from this episode.

Connect With Karla McLaren On Social

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/karla-mclaren-m-ed-17b947a2/

Facebook: facebook.com/KarlaMcLarenAuthor/

Twitter: twitter.com/KarlaMcLaren

Instagram: instagram.com/karlamclaren.m.ed/

Connect With Us On Social

YouTube: youtube.com/@empovia

Twitter: twitter.com/empoviaco

Facebook: facebook.com/empovia

Instagram: instagram.com/empovia/

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/empovia/

Production Team

Creator & Host: Melinda Briana Epler

Co-Producers: Renzo Santos & Christina Swindlehurst Chan

Creative Director @ Podcast Rocket: Rob Scheerbarth

[Image description: Leading With Empathy & Allyship promo and photos of Karla McLaren, a smiling, middle-aged, brown-haired, green-eyed, White lady person with glasses and a blue shirt; beside her is the black book cover of THE POWER OF EMOTIONS AT WORK: Accessing the Vital Intelligence in Your Workplace; and host Melinda Briana Epler, a White woman with red hair, glasses, and orange shirt holding a white mug behind a laptop.]

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In Episode 84, Nisha Anand, CEO of Dream Corps, joins Melinda in a reflective conversation about how we can make unlikely allies and find common ground to create large-scale change in our organizations, culture, and legislation. They share their take on the Supreme Court's draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade, its impact on abortion rights across different communities, and the power every individual can have in pushing for an inclusive piece of legislation. Nisha also provides practical steps for creating common ground in communities and workplaces by learning how to have hard conversations, listening to understand, and finding commonalities that can help drive change forward.

About Nisha Anand (she/her)

Nisha Anand is the CEO of Dream Corps, a nonprofit organization that brings people together across racial, social, and partisan lines to solve our toughest problems. She is the Political Director of Rebuild The Dream, an organization fighting for an economy that works for everyone. Her journey from punk-rock protester to common ground champion is documented in her widely-viewed TED talk, The Radical Act of Choosing Common Ground. With her team of storytellers, organizers, and policy experts, Nisha focuses on criminal justice reform, green economics, and tech equity to create a better future for all.

Previously, Nisha served as Chief of Staff to Van Jones, CNN commentator, and NY Times Bestselling Author. Nisha is a senior trainer and consultant with GIFT, the Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training. As a certified coach, Nisha is a pioneer in the field of “fundraising coaching”–providing a unique blend of coaching people through their issues around money.

In 1998, Nisha was arrested while passing out pro-democracy leaflets in the military dictatorship of Burma and was sentenced to five years in jail with 18 other international activists. Her arrest put her on the international stage, delivering speeches at numerous events and conferences and interviewing for TV, radio, and print. Nisha plays soccer and is the mother of two teenagers and a great dane.

To join us for our monthly live event or find educational resources from the episode, visit ally.cc.

Connect With Nisha On Social

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nisha-m-anand

Facebook: facebook.com/nisha.anand.31

Twitter: twitter.com/NishaMAnand

Instagram: instagram.com/nishamanand

Connect With Us On Social

YouTube: youtube.com/@empovia

Twitter: twitter.com/empoviaco

Facebook: facebook.com/empovia

Instagram: instagram.com/empovia/

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/empovia/

Production Team

Creator & Host: Melinda Briana Epler

Co-Producers: Renzo Santos & Christina Swindlehurst Chan

Creative Director @ Podcast Rocket: Rob Scheerbarth

[Image description: LEA promo with photos of Nisha Anand, a South Asian female with long wavy black hair, brown eyes, glasses, and a striped black and white long sleeve; and host Melinda Briana Epler, a White woma

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In Episode 83, Laura Liswood, Secretary General of the Council of Women World Leaders, joins Melinda in a thoughtful discussion about how we can improve workplace diversity faster. They discuss tactics that help leaders address the roadblocks brought by the 'Elephant-Mouse' dynamic between dominant and non-dominant groups in organizations. Laura also addresses some of the key topics from her latest book, The Elephant and the Mouse: Moving Beyond the Illusion of Inclusion to Create a Truly Diverse and Equitable Workplace, such as the meritocracy myth, code-switching, the risks posed by a homogeneous workforce, and the rewards of allyship. Bonus: Laura shares her research findings on what it would take for the US to have a woman President.

About Laura (she/her)

In August 1996, Laura Liswood co-founded the Council of Women World Leaders with President Vigdís Finnbogadóttir of Iceland located at the UN Foundation in Washington, DC. Ms. Liswood is the Secretary General of the Council, which is composed of women presidents, prime ministers, and heads of government. It is the only organization of its kind globally.

From 2001 to 2016, Liswood was also named Managing Director, Global Leadership and Diversity for Goldman Sachs, and later became a senior advisor. She continues to speak to audiences globally on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Liswood holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.A. from California State University, San Diego. She holds a J.D. degree from the University of California, Davis, School of Law, and is admitted to practice law in California and Massachusetts. After the events of 9/11, she became a reserve police officer in the Washington DC Metropolitan Police Department and retired as a sergeant.

Liswood is the author of four books The Loudest Duck-Moving beyond Diversity, The Elephant and the Mouse, Women World Leaders, and Serving Them Right. She is a long time participant in the World Economic Forum and is a Steward of the Forum’s Education, Gender, and Work Initiative.

She is a commissioner for the New Mexico State Personnel Review Board, a board advisor for EDGE, and a member of the Washington DC Metro Transit Police Investigative Review Panel.

To join us for our monthly live event or find educational resources from this episode, visit https://ally.cc.

Connect With Laura On Social

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/laura-liswood-60451924/ 

Connect With Us On Social

YouTube: youtube.com/@empovia

Twitter: twitter.com/empoviaco

Facebook: facebook.com/empovia

Instagram: instagram.com/empovia/

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/empovia/

Production Team

Creator & Host: Melinda Briana Epler

Co-Producers: Renzo Santos & Christina Swindlehurst Chan

Creative Director @ Podcast Rocket: Rob Scheerbarth

[Image description: LEA promo and photos of Laura, a White woman with short blonde/brown hair, glasses, pearl earrings, and a white/black polka dot suit; beside her is the book cover of The Elephant and the Mouse; and host Melinda Briana Epler, a White woman with red hair, glasses, and orange shirt holding a white mu

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