Affinity groups are often misunderstood as divisive, emotional, or “extra.” But what if they’re actually one of the most powerful leadership tools we have?

In this episode, Sangita Kumar and Fong Marcolongo unpack why affinity group work isn’t just an equity strategy; it’s a core leadership competency. They explore how identity, difference, and discomfort shape workplace culture, and why leaders who can sit with complexity are better equipped to build trust, connection, and belonging.

They dive into:

The four stages of affinity work, from self-awareness to co-creating organizational culture

Why discomfort is not a failure, but a critical leadership skill

How affinity spaces help people practice truth-telling, listening, and empathy

The difference between fitting in and truly belonging

How cultural competency is less about knowing facts and more about curiosity and relationship

Why affinity work strengthens, not fragments, organizational culture

Through personal stories and practical frameworks, they challenge the idea that leaders must always have the right answers. Instead, they offer a new vision of leadership rooted in authenticity, humility, and connection across difference.

If you’re a leader, facilitator, or culture-builder navigating diversity, conflict, or change, this episode offers both clarity and courage for the work ahead.

🎧 Listen in and discover why affinity group work may be one of the most essential leadership skills of our time.

What happens when a supervisor genuinely wants to give feedback—but fear gets in the way? In this honest and practical episode, Sangita Kumar and Fong Marcolongo unpack a listener’s comment: “I’m afraid to give my employee feedback because I don’t want to be called racist.”

Through real examples and clear frameworks, they explore what’s actually happening beneath that fear—and how identity, power, and organizational culture all shape the feedback experience.

They break down:

Why identity-neutral approaches backfire

How to distinguish preference from expectation

How dominant culture shows up in feedback, even unintentionally

What it looks like to be identity-forward without being clumsy

How co-creating expectations can prevent harm and build trust

The role of relationship, clarity, and human-centered leadership in giving equitable feedback

They offer a step-by-step way to prepare, deliver, and follow through on feedback—especially when racial or cultural dynamics are in play. For anyone supervising across lines of difference, this episode offers both courage and concrete tools.

🎧 Listen in and learn how to give feedback that supports growth without causing harm.

Show Notes:

White Dominant Culture Papers discussed at the end of the episode:

When tension arises across lines of race, culture, and identity, how do we know what we’re really seeing? And does the distinction even matter?

In this new episode, we unpack how power, history, and communication styles shape our interpretations of harm and difference in multicultural workplaces.

We explore:

✨ Why “calling it racism” isn’t always the full story

✨ How cultural differences can both explain and mask harm

✨ What it takes to name impact without losing connection

✨ How cultural humility can transform conflict into learning

If you work in diverse teams, facilitate hard conversations, or just want to lead with more nuance and empathy—this episode is a must-listen.

What happens when equity work falls out of fashion—but injustice remains?

In this episode, we unpack the shifting climate for equity, inclusion, and justice inside organizations. From federal rollbacks to corporate retreats, they explore what it means for leaders and teams when DEI budgets shrink and visibility fades, but the need for change is as urgent as ever.

This conversation is both a reality check and a call to courage: equity work isn’t a trend—it’s a necessity.

🎧 Tune in for strategies, solidarity, and radical care in uncertain times.

In this episode, Sangita Kumar and Fong Marcolongo explore what it really takes for facilitators to feel grounded, safe, and effective while holding space for others. They dig into the hidden fears many facilitators face, like being asked a question you can’t answer, running out of time, or losing control of the room, and how those fears shape agendas, design, and even power dynamics.

They share:

Why facilitators need safety just as much as participants

How overpacked agendas and rigid timing become “shields” for insecurity

The balance between being a content expert and a process guide

Practical tools for building confidence, flexibility, and co-created learning

If you’ve ever led a workshop, meeting, or training and felt the pressure to be perfect, this episode offers both compassion and concrete strategies for facilitating with courage and authenticity.

🎧 Listen now and discover how safety supports liberation for you and your group.

Even the most equity-minded leaders can slip into old patterns. In this episode, Sangita Kumar shares a vulnerable story about catching herself replicating dominant culture behaviors like urgency, perfectionism, and unilateral decision-making, while facilitating a client session.

Fong and Sangita unpack what happened when a moment of “efficiency” became a moment of exclusion, how defensiveness can block learning, and why repairing relationships is more powerful than getting it “right.”

You’ll hear:

This honest conversation is a reminder that mistakes are inevitable—but what matters is how we own them, learn, and grow.

🎧 Listen in and explore how to lead with courage, humility, and a willingness to repair.

Change is constant—but that doesn’t make it easy. 

In this episode, Sangita Kumar and Fong Marcolongo get real about how organizations navigate change, and the messy, human emotions that come with it. From strategic pivots to leadership transitions to cultural shifts, they unpack the tension leaders feel between being transparent and protecting their teams, and the impact of both silence and oversharing.

You’ll hear:

How storytelling builds trust, even when decisions are tough

Why vulnerability must come with boundaries, not fragility

What it means to lead with self-awareness, transparency, and a deep respect for your team’s intelligence

This episode offers practical strategies for managing organizational change without power hoarding, paternalism, or performative “clarity.” If you’re navigating uncertainty and want to lead with integrity and care, this one's for you.

🎧 Tune in now and learn how to hold people and progress at the same time.

How do you lead with heart, without losing yourself?

In this vulnerable and powerful episode, Sangita Kumar and Fong Marcolongo explore what it means to hold emotional boundaries while leading in turbulent times. As political, social, and organizational tensions rise, leaders are often pulled into emotional caretaking roles—expected to absorb the weight of their team’s feelings while managing their own.

They offer:

Strategies for supporting teams through emotional dysregulation

Tools to help newer and seasoned teams build relational trust

Equity-based approaches to naming differences in needs without judgment

A reminder that human-centered leadership includes your humanity, too

Whether you're a supervisor, facilitator, or people-powered changemaker, this episode is a permission slip to stop carrying it all—and start leading from a place of balance, process, and truth.

🎧 Listen now and learn how to lead without losing yourself.

You’ve invested in the training. You’ve named the values. And yet… problematic behavior persists. Now what?

In this timely and candid episode, Sanita Kumar and Fong Marcolongo tackle a tough and common question in the DEI world: Why doesn’t equity training automatically lead to equity-aligned behavior, and what can we do about it?

They explore:

Why training is only one step in a longer change process

The three types of staff responses to equity work: aligned, uncertain, and resistant

How lack of accountability undermines even the best training investments

What leaders must do to shift culture, not just check a box

How to break change into small, coachable steps that build trust and long-term impact

Whether you’re a DEI leader, HR professional, or just someone tired of performative gestures with no follow-through, this episode offers clear insight—and real tools—for moving beyond intention and into transformation.

🎧 Tune in now and learn how to make equity work stick—for real.

In this uncensored and deeply curious episode, Sangita Kumar and Fong Marcolongo ask a provocative question: why does inclusion feel so threatening to many teams and organizations?

They dive into how “inclusion” runs up against the norms and unspoken rules of dominant culture—the system that defines who belongs, who’s seen as “normal,” and whose ideas are considered credible .

Inside the episode, they explore:

How to move from symbolic representation to structural change that actually centers marginalized voices

With candid stories from real consulting work, tools to identify hidden cultural norms, and practices that help build psychological safety, this episode challenges listeners to shift from performative gestures to transformational inclusion.

If you’ve ever been stuck in the tension between wanting inclusion and feeling overwhelmed or unsafe, this one is for you.

🎧 Tune into Liberated AF—available on all major podcast platforms.