Tell Me About X

In this episode X speaks with Art Cai. Art Cai (he/him) is an Asian-American comedian who hails from Nebraska and is now based in Brooklyn. He is the host of the JERRY SEINFELD PRESENTS... show and the award-winning TEACH ME GOOD podcast. He’s performed for Buzzfeed, Vox, all around NYC (including: New York Comedy Festival @ Caroline's, Asian Comedy Festival and Diverse AF Festival), and once in Thailand. But his favorite place he’s performed is Annabella’s House of Mozzarella in East Rutherford, NJ. He also enjoys cooking and drawing.

Connect with Art: 

• IG @fartcai 
• Twitter @fartcai 
• TikTok: @fartcai 
• Website: https://www.artcaistuff.com/teach-me-good 
• Teach Me Good Podcast: Spotify

Resources 

• JERRY SEINFELD PRESENTS… IG: @jerryseinfeldpresents 
• Airstream Comedy IG: @airstreamcomedy 
• Comedians 
  • Fernando Ruiz IG: @oakclifdaddy 
  • Meredith Dietz IG @dietz.m
  • Allie Lawrence IG @allielolrence
  • Caleb Clark IG: @caleb.makes.cents  
  • Hayden Arrington IG: @haydenarrington 

In this episode X speaks with Theresa Watts. Throughout her career, Theresa (she/her) has worked as a Human Resources professional enhancing organizational capabilities for large Fortune 500 and private organizations. She has years of experience designing, developing, and delivering organizational curriculum. In her current role, as the leader of the human resources function, she is responsible for linking HR strategies with organizational and departmental processes and several key organizational development initiatives including: Diversity, Recruitment and Retention Strategies, Initiating Action Learning Paradigms, Designing and Implementing Organizational Culture Shift Strategies, Management Change Initiatives, Leadership Development Initiatives, and Organizational Performance Improvement Strategies.

Theresa was rewarded for her work in leadership by being named one of The 2023 Most Inspirational Women Leaders by WWD Magazine and Berns Communications Group. She was profiled in Forbes Magazine and WWD Magazine regarding the diversity initiatives she has implemented as well as her philosophy surrounding the impact of a diverse workplace on the organization and the surrounding communities. As a keynote speaker, Theresa has spoken at large conferences such as CCW Women, The National Retail Federation, The Lead and many others. As a mentor to many, Theresa is committed to developing, building, and strengthening the leadership abilities of others. 

Connect with Theresa: 

• LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/theresa-w-b9026b1/ 
• IG: @dr.theresawatts 
• Twitter: @dr.theresawatts 

In this episode X speaks with Traunza Adams. Traunza (she/her) is a board member and advisor to startups and early-stage companies. She has over 30 years experience building and leading global People teams, spanning five continents and various industries including enterprise software, ed tech, fin tech, health tech, and social services. She was most recently the Chief People Officer for H1, a pre-IPO health tech company. Prior to H1, Traunza led the People function for numerous early and mid stage companies, including OODA Health (now Cedar), Ginger (now Headspace Health), and AppDynamics. She also led the People function at the non-profit Seneca Family of Agencies for 6 years, as well as spending 5 years at Salesforce. In all her roles, Traunza focuses on creating an inclusive environment where people feel like they belong and can thrive. Traunza holds a BA in French and Sociology from Stanford University. As a plant-based eater, she spends her Sunday afternoons making delicious vegan meals for her friends, family and pets.  

Connect with Traunza: 

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/traunzaadams/ 

Resources

• Mellie: https://www.mellie.com/ 
• Ginger: https://www.ginger.com/ 

In this episode X speaks with Jasmine Francis. Jasmine Francis (she/her) is a dynamic People Leader with 15 years of experience working in both corporate and start-up environments. Best known for her human-first philosophy and unique hands-on approach, she is passionate about building and implementing inclusive strategies that focus on creating a values-driven culture and delivering a world-class employee experience. She is currently the Head of People & DEIB at Pliancy and was most recently the Vice President of People + Culture at Thinx responsible for synergizing business goals and People strategy. Jasmine is also the co-founder of Humanconnexion, a boutique People consulting practice focused on helping organizations humanize their business through various service offerings. As an authentic People thought leader, she has also held key roles at BNY Mellon, Xandr (fka AppNexus), Goldman Sachs and The Carlyle Group. She holds a B.A. in French from East Carolina University, a MSc. in Organizational Development from Catholic University, and a Diversity & Inclusion Certification from Cornell University. Jasmine loves to equally embrace her fun quirks that make her human! One of her favorite go-tos is to cuddle up with her 5 year old terrier rescue (Nova Hudson) and throw herself into a good fictional novel preferably suspense/thriller. You can often catch her packing a travel bag to explore new places and cultures, or diving into her passion for mental health advocacy. 

Connect with Jasmine: 

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jasmine-francis-msc
• Humanconnexion Website: https://www.hconnexion.com/ 

IG Resources 

• @learnaboutbpd
• @overcomingboderline
• @the_aspiringpsychologist

In this episode X speaks with Sara Bokhari. Sara Bokhari (she/her) is a passionate advocate for creating inclusive and supportive workplaces. Her career has taken her into roles ranging from teacher to consultant to executive across a variety of sectors and work environments. Across her winding career she has worked on shaping healthy organizational cultures and enabling leaders to be champions of inclusion. She has recently launched a new business called Fitrah Consulting, which offers innovative strategic consulting and coaching services to meet the demands of the complex world of work and life. She has an intentional focus on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging in her approach and also provides inclusive management training and coaching, primarily aimed at building healthier environments for Neurodivergent Women of Color to succeed in the workplace. 

Connect with Sara: 

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/szbokhari/
• Website: https://www.fitrahconsulting.com/ 

Resources

• The Neurodivergent Woman Podcast

In this episode X speaks with Ricky Sim. Ricky (he/him) is an NYC Queens-based comedian originally from Malaysia. As a stand-up, he has performed at various venues in NYC (e.g., Carolines on Broadway, Broadway Comedy Club, Caveat, Comedy Cellar), LA, Toronto, and Kuala Lumpur. He opened for Marcia Belsky (Comedy Central) as part of the 2022 NY Comedy Festival and was featured in two other showcases at the Festival. He has performed at New York Queer Comedy Festival, Very Big Very Asian Comedy Festival, and Asian Comedy Festival.  

He was selected as a 2021 PIT/SNL scholarship recipient. He is part of the sketch comedy team SponsoredBy which has a monthly show at the Player’s Theater.  He has trained at UCB, The PIT, Magnet Theater, and Squirrel Comedy studying improv, character, and sketch. 

Connect with Ricky: 

• Instagram: @rickeerick
• Website: https://www.rickysim.com/  
• Email: [email protected]  
• Attend one of Ricky's upcoming shows: Comedy Chateau (5/25), Edinburgh Fringe Fest (Aug 3-13, 15-27) 

In this episode X speaks with Kelsea Reeves. As an employee of a DEI solutions company, Kelsea Reeves (she/her) works to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace, believing that everyone deserves a fair shot at success. In addition to her day job, she also serves as a sensitivity reader for written content, offering honest feedback with a kind touch to ensure her clients never feel uncomfortable. With a unique background that includes being biracial, LGBTQ, adopted, and neurodivergent, Kelsea brings a wealth of perspective to her work and a deep understanding of how to navigate complex social and cultural issues.

Connect with Kelsea: 

• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/kelseareeves/
• Medium: https://medium.com/@kelseareeves 
• Instagram: @kelseareeves

In this episode, X speaks with Matt Denney. Matt Denney (he/him) is a mixed race Filipino-American Intimacy Director, Educator, Facilitator and Solo-Artist. Matt is currently located in Tucson, AZ and has worked with many theaters and colleges in the Arizona area as an Intimacy Director. He has collaborated with East West Players: The Premiere Asian-American Theatre in Los Angeles and has been a guest artist for the Ottawa Theatre School. Matt is also a previous High School Drama Teacher and specializes in teaching K-12 educators consent-forward curriculum as well as Asian-American Mixed Race narratives and reclamation of their stories. Matt has presented his work all across the country and in Canada. He currently is a Teaching Artist for Intimacy Directors and Coordinators (IDC) while studying for his PhD in Higher Education in the research area of “Theatre for Social Change” at the University of Arizona. Matt also is the co-founder of Consent Creatives of Arizona which works towards safety, consent, equity, liberation, and healing for rehearsal rooms all across Arizona.

Connect with Matt 

• IG & Twitter: @themattdenney
• IG: @consentcreativesofaz

In this episode X talks with Tida Beattie. Tida Beattie (she/her) MBA, is a peer grief support guide, an end-of-life doula, an immigrant advocate, and a creatrix of extraordinary spaces. Tida is a co-founder of MESO, alongside Soyeon Davis. MESO provides culturally attuned support to immigrants, their caregivers, and their grievers addressing care, loss, and grief.

Tida is the daughter of Thai immigrants, born, raised, and 100% made in America. As a result of Tida’s experiences with sandwich generation caregiving, the complex deaths of her parents in 2019, and the lack of bereavement support through a cultural lens, Tida comprehended too late what she and her family settled for. Tida co-founded MESO as a result of her inability to find culturally attuned resources for herself and her family in their most vulnerable times. She strives to resource immigrants and their next generations so they can have education, information, increased capacity, self-advocacy and personalized support where culture and representation matter. 

Connect with Tida and MESO

• Website: www.mesocommunity.com
• IG: @mesocommunity
• LinkedIn: @tidabeattie

Resources Tida shared

• Work by Victoria Chang
• Work by Nayyirah Waheed
• Death over Dim Sum and Beacon Light Doulas by Elizabeth Wong
• Remembrance and grief work by Roshni Kavate
• Pause by Alica Forneret
• Hello, I'm Grieving by Dr. Julie Shaw
• Mystic Daddē, Vinh Paul Ha
• The Dinner Party by Sundari Malcolm  and Lennon Flowers
• Going with Grace by Alua Arthur
• A Sacred Passing by Lashanna Williams
• Grief Gallery by Charlene Lamb

In this episode, X speaks with Dr. Akilah Cadet. Dr. Akilah Cadet (she/her) is the Founder and CEO of Change Cadet, an organizational development consulting firm that offers services that support embedding belonging into overall organizational identity and strategy. As a Forbes Next 1000 Entrepreneur her work is behind some of the biggest brands you use everyday. Dismantling white supremacy through storytelling is at the core of her work as a leader, speaker, creative director, producer, writer, editor and author. She lives in Oakland, CA, literally has all the degrees, celebrates her disability, is a proud Beyoncé advocate, and has an incredible shoe game.

Connect with Dr. Akilah Cadet: 

• Website: changecadet.com 
• IG: @changecadet