Most conversations about AI are about what it can do. Very few are about who pays when it gets things wrong.

This week on Reframing Perspectives, I sit down with Catharine Montgomery — Founder and CEO of Better Together Agency, creator of TogetherAI, and one of the most important voices in the country on AI bias and inclusive technology. Catharine walks us through the mammy moment — the day she asked ChatGPT to generate content about Black women and watched it return a full historical stereotype — and the structural insight that has guided her entire body of work since: AI doesn't go neutral. It reverts to how it was originally trained.

We talk about the Biases in Generative AI survey she has been leading since 2024, the only longitudinal consumer study of its kind. The framework she calls born-inclusive technology — building with diverse voices from day one rather than auditing for bias after the fact. The creation of TogetherAI, a private AI platform built for nonprofits and mission-driven organizations, trained only on a client's own materials, drafting in their voice, detecting bias before anything goes public.

And we talk about what Catharine herself has carried to build all of this: a childhood of being bullied by her own community in rural Alabama, microaggressions her parents never taught her to name, a colleague who created a racist work environment at a progressive Boston agency, and a March 2022 morning when she woke up in a hospital bed with no memory of how she got there and a partner who, three days later, drove her home and never came back.

This conversation is for every changemaker carrying something invisible while still showing up. Every founder building from scratch in a system that wasn't built for them. And every leader who is finally ready to ask the question Catharine wishes someone would ask out loud: what has this work actually cost — and has it been worth it?

What we explore:

• Growing up in rural Alabama: being bullied by your own community and the long shadow it casts on identity and belonging
• Why Catharine chose PR and communications — and what she eventually learned about the gap between making money and making impact
• Moving to Boston in 2019 expecting progressive — and discovering the gap between liberal language and lived experience
• March 2022: a seizure with no medical explanation, a partner who said goodbye three days later, and the loneliness of carrying something terrifying while performing like you weren't
• Anthropic's Alignment Faking and the Othello reference (I am not who I am): why AI reverts to how it was originally trained
• The mammy moment: when ChatGPT returned a stereotype — and what it taught Catharine about who needs to be in the room
• Born-inclusive technology: why diverse teams must build AI tools from day one, not audit them after the fact
• The annual Biases in Generative AI survey — what consumers actually experience, and why most AI companies aren't yet incentivized to care
• Inside TogetherAI: a private AI platform built for nonprofits, trained only on a client's voice and values, detecting bias before content goes public
• Why every PR agency that doesn't incorporate AI thoughtfully will disappear — and what "thoughtfully" actually requires
• The cost of building: racism at a progressive agency, seizures with no diagnosis, and what Catharine has learned about asking for help as a leadership strength

A question to sit with this week: If someone asked you what your work has actually cost you — and whether it's been worth it — what would you say?

Connect with Catharine and Better Together Agency:

• Better Together Agency: bettertogetheragency.com
• TogetherAI: the private AI platform for mission-driven organizations
• The annual Biases in Generative AI survey

Listen, subscribe, rate, share: If this conversation moved you, the most meaningful thing you can do is share it with one person who needs to hear it. Subscribing and leaving a review helps more changemakers find this space — and that is how this work compounds.

For more on the Relationship Economy, subscribe to my Substack:  https://substack.com/@drpayalberi

Connect with Dr. Payal Beri & Reframing Perspectives:

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What if the most powerful form of capital you could access wasn't sitting in a bank or a VC fund — but in the community already standing around you?

This week on Reframing Perspectives, I sit down with Omi Bell — CEO of Black Girl Ventures, Aspen Fellow, Kennedy Center artist, and the architect of a community-funding ecosystem that has resourced over 550 under-resourced companies and reached more than 20,000 entrepreneurs. Omi walks us through the lesson her grandmother taught her one afternoon at a historic Black-owned bookstore in Durham, North Carolina — a lesson that quietly became the founding thesis of Black Girl Ventures: if nobody else will help you, your community will.

We talk about Omi's path from teen mom on public assistance to building one of the most respected community-funding ecosystems in the country. The first BGV event, where 30 women voted with marbles and coffee mugs at a brunch she cooked herself. The 1900s Harlem rent parties that inspired the crowdfunding mechanism she would build a century later. The framework she names pleasing, appeasing, proving, and adapting — what every founder is doing inside the rooms of power, whether they realize it or not. And the sabbatical that broke her out of the validation race and into the wellness practices that now shape how she leads.

This conversation is a master class in what becomes possible when you stop waiting for the system to recognize you and start building with the community that already does.

What we explore:

• Why Omi's structural reframe — community itself becomes a form of capital — has resourced 550+ founders the traditional system overlooked
• The grandmother story behind Black Girl Ventures: a historic Black-owned bookstore in Durham, an eighth-grade education, and the moment Omi saw what real social capital looks like
• Pleasing, appeasing, proving, and adapting: what every founder is doing inside the rooms of power
• The 1900s Harlem rent parties that became the model for BGV's crowdfunding mechanism
• Why networking is a two-way exchange — and what most founders miss about the long game of relationship building
• The story arc Omi has been quietly rewriting: from this happened TO me to this happened WITH me to this happened FOR me
• The validation race, the sabbatical, and the wellness practices that now sustain how Omi leads
• The pendulum swings back to community — and what the rise of intentional, in-person community means for the next decade of changemaking
• Why "self-made" is a myth — and why community is the only sustainable infrastructure for building anything that lasts

A question to sit with this week: What part of your story is still living in the "this happened to me" phase — and what would it mean to move it into "this happened for me"?

Connect with Omi and Black Girl Ventures:

• Black Girl Ventures: blackgirlventures.org
• Omi's wellness practice + services: omibell.com/services
• Book: Originate, Motivate, Innovate: Seven Steps for Building a Billion Dollar Network

Listen, subscribe, rate, share: If this conversation moved you, the most meaningful thing you can do is share it with one person who needs to hear it. Subscribing and leaving a review helps more changemakers find this space — and that is how this work compounds.

For more on the Relationship Economy, subscribe to my Substack: https://substack.com/@drpayalberi

Connect with Dr. Payal Beri & Reframing Perspectives:

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What if the medicine someone needs isn't sitting in a therapist's office — but inside the music they're already listening to?

This week on Reframing Perspectives, I sit down with Archie Green — Founder and CEO of Peel Dem Layers Back, hip-hop artist, and the creator of the Cope Dealer program that's transforming how Black men and boys are introduced to mental health. Archie walks us through the moment a viral song called Layers changed his life and launched a movement, the day his dad told him he should keep his depression to himself, and the structural insight that has guided his entire decade of work: people heal in community with people who look like them.

We talk about Archie's mom — a 20-year breast cancer survivor whose public vulnerability gave Archie his first model of what it looks like to share your pain in service of others. The first Cope Dealer program at Theodore Roosevelt High School in Kent, Ohio — and the school lockdown that turned day one into a real-time master class in cultural competency. The Campus International student who started the program quiet and neurodivergent and ended it announcing he wanted to pursue a career in mental health. And the personal pivot Archie is now living through — from cope dealer to edutainer, from building from pain to building from purpose.

This conversation is for every changemaker who is pouring from an empty cup, every founder who is wondering what evolution looks like after a decade of carrying others, and every person who has ever doubted that the way they see the world might be exactly what someone else needs.

What we explore:

• The viral 2016 song Layers — and how a song became a movement
• Why Archie became one of the first rappers to publicly say therapy saved my life — and the cultural ground that shifted because of it
• His mother's breast cancer journey and the gift of seeing vulnerability modeled inside his own family
• The story of the very first Cope Dealer program — a school lockdown, a SWAT team, and what it means to hold space in real time
• Why cultural competency is non-negotiable in mental health — and what gets missed when therapists don't share the lived experience of the people they serve
• Words are spells: the science of building playlists as therapy, and why Archie's Crash playlist is his personal SOS
• The Campus International student who came in quiet and left wanting to become a therapist
• The cost of pouring from an empty cup — and why Archie moved to LA to be among people who could pour back into him
• Building from purpose vs. building from pain — and Amina Altai's Ambition Trap
• What's next: the All Due Respect content series and Archie's edutainer era

A question to sit with this week: What part of your story have you been keeping to yourself — that someone else might need to hear in order to feel less alone?

Connect with Archie and Peel Dem Layers Back:

• PDLB: pdlb.org
• Celebrating 10 years of breaking stigma in Black mental health

Listen, subscribe, rate, share: If this conversation moved you, the most meaningful thing you can do is share it with one person who needs to hear it. Subscribing and leaving a review helps more changemakers find this space — and that is how this work compounds.

For more on the Relationship Economy, subscribe to my Substack: https://substack.com/@drpayalberi

Connect with Dr. Payal Beri & Reframing Perspectives:

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What if the most powerful reframe you could offer someone wasn't how to give help — but how to receive it without losing yourself in the process?

This week on Reframing Perspectives, I sit down with Miguel Centeno, the Vice President of Community Engagement at Healthfirst, a son of Bronx public housing, and a man whose entire life has been shaped by guardian angels who chose to invest in him. Miguel walks us through the lesson his parents taught him before he understood what it meant — you don't need dollars to have dignity — and the second half of that lesson he's spent his career trying to teach back to the rest of us: there is also dignity in accepting help.

We talk about the woman named Susan Luger who prepared him and his sister for entrance exams that opened doors his parents didn't know existed. The walk down a steep hill to the public bus while his classmates climbed onto private ones. The high school guidance counselor who told him to "be more realistic" about Columbia — and the family who told him if they accepted you, it's because they believe you can do the work. And the families he later sat across from in a Bronx homeless shelter, where the question "where would you prefer to live?" became an act of dignity itself.

This conversation is for every changemaker who has ever felt the weight of doing the work, and every leader who has ever forgotten that the people on the other side of the work are human first.

What we explore:

• Why Miguel's parents' lesson — you don't need dollars to have dignity — became the foundation of his life and career
• The reframe most of us miss: that there is dignity in receiving help, not just giving it
• Susan Luger, the guardian angel who prepared Miguel and his sister for entrance exams that changed everything
• The two-worlds dance: walking down the hill from Fieldston to the public bus while classmates were chauffeured home
• The high school guidance counselor who told him to be "more realistic" about Columbia — and the family voice that pushed him through
• The Higher Education Opportunity Program: equity in action and the power of having someone tell you you are not alone
• A morning at a family homeless shelter when one question — "where would you prefer to live?" — shifted everything
• Why we do well by doing good — and what AI can never replace
• The leadership principle Miguel lives by: you are not just an employee to me. You are a human being.

A question to sit with this week: Where in your life are you letting pride get in the way of the help that could carry you closer to your purpose?

Connect with Miguel and Healthfirst:

• Healthfirst: healthfirst.org
• Learn more about community engagement at Healthfirst: healthfirst.org/community

Listen, subscribe, rate, share: If this conversation moved you, the most meaningful thing you can do is share it with one person who needs to hear it. Subscribing and leaving a review helps more changemakers find this space — and that is how this work compounds.

For more on the a deep dive from this episode, subscribe to my Substack:

https://substack.com/@drpayalberi

Connect with Dr. Payal Beri & Reframing Perspectives:

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What if the most powerful systems we could build were the ones designed entirely around relationships, not rules?

This week on Reframing Perspectives, I'm sitting down with Dan Zauderer — founder and CEO of Grassroots Grocery, a nonprofit redistributing tens of thousands of pounds of fresh produce across New York City each week through a deceptively simple model: neighbors helping neighbors. Dan walks us through the moment a single refrigerator landed on a South Bronx sidewalk, the unexpected resistance he encountered as an outsider, and the structural insight that changed everything for him — the shift from rules-based systems to relationship-driven ones.

This conversation is for every changemaker who has ever felt the pull to build something meaningful and run headlong into the bureaucracy of "good work." Dan shows us what it looks like when dignity, joy, and trust are designed into the system from the very beginning — and why community isn't downstream of impact. It is the impact.

What we explore:

• Why Dan calls his current work "selling good karma" — and the surprising through-line from cold sales to social impact
• The moment he met Chino, "the mayor of the block," and what it taught him about earning trust as an outsider
• The pivotal shift from rules-based to relationship-driven systems — and why most well-intentioned organizations get this backwards
• How Grassroots Grocery empowers community leaders ("grassroots grocers") to design distribution on their own terms
• Why service has to be essential, not additive — and what changes when volunteers become a community, not a workforce
• The stories of Nate, Jack, and Rob — multi-generational relationships forged through showing up, again and again

Dan's work is a real-life case study in the Relationship Economy: the experiences worth building begin with how you make someone feel — and the systems we design around food, dignity, and community are no exception.

A question to sit with this week: Where in your work are you leading with rules when you could be leading with relationships?

Connect with Dan and Grassroots Grocery:

• Website: grassrootsgrocery.org
• Volunteer at a Produce Party (Saturdays in the Bronx): grassrootsgrocery.org/join-us-saturday
• Host a Great Sandwich Race with your team: grassrootsgrocery.org/deliver-double

Connect with Dr. Payal Beri & Reframing Perspectives:

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In this episode, Kelly Cobb shares her deeply personal story of overcoming challenges in entrepreneurship and how it shaped her approach to purpose-driven business at Bombas. Her journey illustrates how organizations can lead with compassion, purpose, and profitability — proving social good can be essential to success.

Main Topics:

• Kelly Cobb’s personal experience with eviction warning, depression, and debt
• Challenging myths about homelessness and poverty
• How Bombas integrates social impact into its core business
• Building trust and ongoing relationships with community partners
• Corporate responsibility and authentic leadership in social good
• The importance of mindset shifts in creating sustainable change
• The impact of small moments on resilience and self-worth
• Strategies for organizations to embed social responsibility into their culture
• The significance of reframing challenges as opportunities for growth

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction to Kelly Cobb and her impactful story

02:27 - The moment Kelly received her eviction notice and what led up to it

04:11 - The creative process of starting her flower business as an act of liberation

06:18 - The launch of her flower venture: vision, learning, and challenges

08:01 - The importance — and pitfalls — of valuing time and self-care in entrepreneurship

10:03 - Health crises, depression, and the toll of working in excess

12:15 - The emotional weight of facing eviction and economic hardship

15:00 - Reaching out for help: family support and debt relief journeys

17:32 - Challenging societal misconceptions about homelessness

20:00 - The societal impact of stigma, shame, and systemic gaps

23:09 - Financial literacy gaps and how they influence resilience

28:22 - Kelly’s transition from entrepreneur to impact leader at Bombas

30:23 - The power of dignity and community in addressing homelessness

36:22 - Living aligned with mission and integrating social good at Bombas

37:01 - Leadership and organizational commitment to social responsibility

40:03 - The importance of strong corporate impact and community trust

44:01 - Reframing societal issues: myths, realities, and meaningful action

45:26 - The role of continuous relationships and curiosity in social impact strategies

47:55 - Evolving community engagement: beyond transactional interactions

48:42 - Encouraging organizational reflection on social missions and responsibilities

49:04 - Kelly’s closing thoughts on community, support, and collective action

Connect with Dr. Payal Beri & Reframing Perspectives:

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Join Dr. Payal Beri and guest Priya Shah as they explore how small acts of kindness, resilience, and representation can transform lives, communities, and even entire countries. Discover the deep connection between personal stories and collective healing and how embracing the simple good can create impactful change globally.

Main Topics Covered:

• The importance of perception and self-identity, especially in the face of adversity
• How childhood stories shape resilience and personal growth
• The role of representation in media and its subconscious influence on societal views
• The origins and evolution of The Simple Good project—connecting global stories through imagery and art
• Arts and social-emotional learning as tools for healing and self-awareness
• The transformative power of slowing down and noticing everyday moments of kindness
• Priya’s journey from business and accounting into social impact and storytelling
• Initiating community-driven projects in post-genocide Rwanda and East Africa
• Practical strategies for change makers to nurture self-care and sustain their impact

Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction to Reframing Perspectives & the concept of impact through human stories

02:08 - Childhood stories, limitations, and the importance of reframing narratives

04:11 - Overcoming negative societal messages and cultivating inner strength

07:43 - Inspired moments at Mother Teresa orphanage and near-death experience in Spain

09:46 - The critical role of visual arts in emotional expression for children

13:00 - The influence of media stereotypes and the need for representation

15:11 - How near-death clarity fuels purpose-driven work

20:11 - The birth and growth of The Simple Good project as a worldwide movement

23:47 - Transformative impact of arts programs on youth and communities

26:01 - Developing emotional intelligence and social awareness through art

27:08 - Parental observations and the ripple effect of children’s emotional growth

29:21 - Young leaders’ paths toward social justice and community impact

31:18 - Reframing societal narratives around grandeur and the power of small acts

34:43 - The significance of slowing down to notice life’s simple moments

37:13 - Bridging connections across cultures through collaborative art projects in Rwanda and Uganda

40:26 - How everyday kindness influences global interconnectedness

42:24 - The role of small gestures in creating a bigger impact

43:41 - Priya’s personal favorite "simple good" — the sun’s warmth and life’s natural rhythms

Connect with Dr. Payal Beri & Reframing Perspectives:

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Unlock the secret to transforming communities from the inside out with a groundbreaking approach that empowers every individual to be a changemaker. In this episode, Dr. Payal Beri sits down with Ehsan — a visionary leader who has navigated the corridors of Homeland Security, the corridors of power, and now the world of community-driven innovation — to reveal how entrepreneurship and accessible resources are reshaping societal impact.

Discover how Ehsan's life—from arriving as a refugee to shaping policies in DC—embodies a profound lesson: real change happens when we shift from talking about problems to building solutions. You'll learn about the inspiration behind the Difference Engine, a lab that brings together young innovators, mid-career professionals, and seasoned leaders to co-create solutions that matter. 

We break down specific projects like a whistle that alerts communities to ICE presence and an app that makes public transit more affordable and sustainable — projects that are not just ideas, but actionable, scalable products making an immediate impact. You’ll hear about the power of intergenerational collaboration, the importance of transparent metrics like the Women's Power and Influence Index, and how focusing on fairness and profitability can drive corporate change without defensiveness. 

Ehsan shares how her organization has built a pipeline where students become entrepreneurs, leaders, and active participants in community health, safety, and equality, all fueled by optimism and the belief that everyone has a role to play.

This episode is perfect for aspiring change-makers, community leaders, entrepreneurs, and corporate partners eager to make a real difference. If you’re tired of endless conversations about problems and want to learn how to channel your energy into tangible solutions that accelerate societal progress, you can't afford to miss this conversation.

Join us to explore how democratized access to entrepreneurship tools, a mindset of kindness and competence, and collectively passing the baton of leadership can jump-start systemic change. If you’re ready to be inspired, empowered, and equipped to lead with purpose, hit play now — because the next generation of impactful change starts here.

Connect with Dr. Payal Beri & Reframing Perspectives:

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Reframing Grief with Ashley Jones

Discover how love, presence, and innovative tools can transform our relationship with grief. Ashley Jones shares her deeply personal journey of loss, healing, and creating impact through her nonprofit, emphasizing that love persists beyond physical absence.

In this episode:

• Ashley Jones recounts losing her daughter Skylar at 21 months and the societal reactions to grief
• The misapplication of the five stages of grief and the importance of authentic emotional processing
• How photographs serve as safe spaces for healing and continuing bonds
• Exploring the spiritual and energetic aspects of love that transcend physical separation
• The need for societal culture change around grief and loss, including the role of community support
• The impact of COVID-19 in revealing unresolved collective grief and the importance of slowing down
• Practical tools for healing, including boundaries, self-compassion, and creating emotional margin
• The importance of love as a transformative and healing force in personal and societal contexts
• Ashley’s insights on legacy, purpose, and turning grief into impactful action

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction to the podcast and episode overview

01:15 - Ashley shares her experience of losing Skylar and societal responses to grief

02:27 - Challenges of societal support and the importance of presence and love

03:45 - Processing anticipatory grief and the misapplication of grief stages

05:00 - How photographs helped Ashley feel connected and supported her healing journey

06:13 - The spiritual dimension of love and ongoing bonds beyond physical death

07:23 - The evolution of Ashley’s grief and the role of her nonprofit in fostering support

08:57 - The societal tendency to avoid grief and how to give space for feelings

10:12 - Cultural conditioning around grief and transitioning love across different forms of loss

11:33 - The neuropsychological limitations in processing death and grief

12:46 - Reframing grief as a continual process of love’s transition

13:28 - Upcoming book: "When You Can’t See the Light," and practical grief support tips

15:00 - How love persists and changes shape after loss

16:13 - Redirecting love and making it boundless rather than lost

17:18 - Skylar’s influence on Ashley’s purpose-driven impact work

20:16 - The significance of legacy and passing on love and impact to the community

21:45 - Navigating grief and resilience from personal loss and societal conditioning

23:19 - The need to revise societal narratives around grief and love's transformation

25:00 - Healing as integration—embracing discomfort and unresolved wounds

27:04 - The importance of compassion, empathy, and wholeness in healing

28:14 - Impact of COVID on collective grief and societal disconnection

30:12 - How chronic news trauma and societal noise amplify collective grief

33:28 - Recognizing profit-driven narratives that profit from societal unwellness

35:38 - Supporting aging generations with unresolved grief and trauma

37:37 - Healing as a collective responsibility—preventing societal fragmentation

39:12 - The ripple effect of individual healing on community impact

40:21 - Creating space for oneself to hold pain and prevent it from spilling over

42:09 - The importance of self-processed empathy before extending to others

43:23 - Lessons learned from helping families process grief and the importance of love over fear

46:21 - Legacy as love—how unconditional love leaves a lasting imprint

47:12 - Closing gratitude and the transformative power of love as a guiding principle

Resources & Links:

• Ashley Jones

Connect with Dr. Payal Beri & Reframing Perspectives:

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Join us as Dr. Payal Beri, a design strategist and founder of Open House, shares her powerful journey from Brooklyn to becoming a pioneer in inclusive design and social innovation. This episode explores how decolonizing design, embracing marginalized communities, and redefining success can create truly impactful and sustainable change. In this episode:

• Dr. Beri's background as a first-generation Caribbean American and growing up in Brooklyn
• The influence of community, family, and diaspora on her approach to design and impact
• How navigating gifted programs as a Black Haitian girl shaped her understanding of races and biases
• Unpacking the experiences of internalized racism, respectability politics, and belonging
• The transformative power of design as an agent of agency, dignity, and systemic change
• How design can serve marginalized communities, from Indigenous DNA projects to accessibility
• The importance of de-centering capitalism and rethinking economic models for social good
• Practical steps for individuals and organizations to incorporate inclusive design and community-centered strategies
• The role of storytelling, language, and intentionality in building equitable systems

Timestamps:

00:00 - Behind every impact, there is a human story

02:01 - How Brooklyn and Caribbean roots influence perspective

04:23 - Growing up as a gifted Black girl in Brooklyn schools

06:16 - Navigating identity and internalized racism in education

08:17 - Unpacking the pressure to perform and seek approval

10:00 - Immigrant experiences shaping perceptions of safety and community

12:13 - Haiti's history and its influence on dignity and resilience

13:33 - Pairing ADHD with design as a gift for systemic gaps

14:37 - Design as a tool for justice and accessibility

15:07 - Discovering laboratory design and educational equity

17:12 - Challenges of practicing racial equity in mainstream design spaces

18:04 - The dangers of racial bias being seen as a "belief" rather than a systemic issue

19:04 - Empathy as a strategic resource, not just an emotional response

20:30 - Building business models based on dignity, equity, and indigenous economic principles

23:23 - The power of designing from margins to benefit everyone

26:27 - Reimagining capitalism through cooperative and indigenous models

28:37 - How to shift from profit prioritization to profit-making with purpose

30:06 - Case study: Indigenous DNA project balancing sovereignty and innovation

33:54 - Addressing systemic invisibility in data, history, and health

Resources 

Website: https://www.ouropenhouse.co/

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

Connect with Dr. Payal Beri & Reframing Perspectives:

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