Make Room for More: Reservations Welcome

What does meaningful corporate allyship look like in practice? In this episode of Make Room for More, Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative co-founder and CEO Stacy Lentz speaks with Olivia O'Leary, Global Partnership Manager at Jägermeister, about protecting nightlife spaces and supporting the communities that bring them to life.

Olivia shares how Jägermeister’s Save the Night initiative began during the COVID-19 pandemic, how its partnership with the Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative supported nightlife workers, and how the Lesbian Bar Project raised funds and visibility for lesbian bars. She also discusses the project’s creators, Erica Rose and Elina Street, and their continued storytelling work with Save the Night.

The conversation explores what makes a partnership authentic: listening to community leaders, investing for the long term, paying creative partners fairly, and measuring impact through tangible benefits—not just impressions. Olivia also highlights global projects improving nightlife safety and accessibility, and shares why allyship means showing up, listening, and taking action.

What does meaningful corporate allyship look like in practice? In this episode of Make Room for More, Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative co-founder and CEO Stacy Lentz speaks with Olivia O'Leary, Global Partnership Manager at Jägermeister, about protecting nightlife spaces and supporting the communities that bring them to life.

Olivia shares how Jägermeister’s Save the Night initiative began during the COVID-19 pandemic, how its partnership with the Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative supported nightlife workers, and how the Lesbian Bar Project raised funds and visibility for lesbian bars. She also discusses the project’s creators, Erica Rose and Elina Street, and their continued storytelling work with Save the Night.

The conversation explores what makes a partnership authentic: listening to community leaders, investing for the long term, paying creative partners fairly, and measuring impact through tangible benefits—not just impressions. Olivia also highlights global projects improving nightlife safety and accessibility, and shares why allyship means showing up, listening, and taking action.

In this episode of Make Room for More Reservations, host Stacy Lentz speaks with Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), about LGBTQ+ rights, advocacy, and the power of community. Robinson discusses HRC’s election priorities, ways people can get involved, and why showing up for vulnerable communities matters. She also reflects on building connections across political divides, her journey into organizing, the role of faith in her life, and how companies can support LGBTQ+ employees and families. Robinson closes with a message of resilience—and the importance of making room for joy in everyday life.

Where would Pride be without The Stonewall Inn? What does it take to sustain one of the world’s biggest Pride celebrations? Why does Pride still matter? In this episode of Make Room for More, host Stacy Lentz speaks with Im Lynde, executive director of NYC Pride, about the organization’s need for funding and volunteers, the challenges facing Pride events, and the role corporate support can play in supporting LGBTQ employees and community organizations.

Im Lynde reflects on Pride as both a celebration and a protest, the legacy of the 1969 Stonewall uprising, and his personal journey from Illinois into LGBTQ advocacy during the AIDS crisis. He also shares what goes on behind the scenes at NYC Pride, including safety planning, year-round programming, and the Pride Gives Back campaign’s support for smaller nonprofits. The conversation closes with advice for younger generations and smaller Pride organizations, and a personal reflection on making more room for family.

Dr. tara jae, founder and executive director of Youcene and founder of Black Pride Colorado, shares how her organizations support LGBTQ youth and families, with a focus on Black youth and youth of color. They discuss the impact of funding cuts on grassroots LGBTQ organizations, the growing needs for youth mental health and educational resources, and the inequities that leave many community-led nonprofits struggling to survive.

Dr. jae also reflects on navigating political and social divides, approaching difficult conversations with curiosity, and building solidarity through listening, research, and checking in on one another. They close with a reminder to make room for joy and rest while continuing the work of creating safer, more inclusive communities.

Dr. tara jae, founder and executive director of Youcene and founder of Black Pride Colorado, shares how her organizations support LGBTQ youth and families, with a focus on Black youth and youth of color. They discuss the impact of funding cuts on grassroots LGBTQ organizations, the growing needs for youth mental health and educational resources, and the inequities that leave many community-led nonprofits struggling to survive.

Dr. jae also reflects on navigating political and social divides, approaching difficult conversations with curiosity, and building solidarity through listening, research, and checking in on one another. They close with a reminder to make room for joy and rest while continuing the work of creating safer, more inclusive communities.

What does it mean to build real community beyond performative allyship?

In this episode of Make Room for More, host Stacy Lentz sits down with Dr. Terresa Hardaway, abolitionist, graphic design professor, and owner of Blackbird Revolt and Black Garnet Books. Together, they explore how design and counter-storytelling serve as powerful tools for activism, why physical spaces must go beyond rainbow flags to offer safety, and how movements can resist current divestments from DEI by intentionally creating spaces where Black, Brown, and queer community members feel seen and valued.

Make Room for More: Reservations Welcome is a Streamr Studio production supporting The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative.

Raquel Willis joins host Stacy Lentz for an honest conversation about identity, visibility, self-care, and the personal cost of creating change.