The DaliTalks Podcast

In this episode, Safrianna Lughna, shares her honest and grounded career story, from the expectations she grew up with to the pivots and discoveries that shaped her path. She opens up about choosing a major, navigating grad school decisions, and realizing that careers aren’t always linear (and that’s okay). This episode is perfect for students and early-career professionals figuring out their next steps.

We explore:

• What influenced her early academic choices

• Why she first leaned toward psychology and what made her reconsider

• How she handled pressure around picking the “right” career

• What she wishes students knew about degrees, timelines, and career flexibility

• Common misconceptions about working in her field

• Her advice for anyone who feels behind or lost

• Whether she would choose the same path again

Tune in and gain clarity, comfort, and confidence from Safrianna’s story. Share this with anyone exploring their own career direction!

Connect with Safrianna

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/safrianna-lughna CanvasRebel Feature: https://canvasrebel.com/meet-safrianna-lughna-2

Connect with me:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/dalitalks

Facebook: https://facebook.com/dalitalks

Website: https://www.dalitalks.com

In this episode of the DaliTalks Podcast, Dali explores the inspiring story of Nury Castillo Crawford, a Latina educator whose journey shows the true meaning of teaching with purpose, connection, and heart. Nury shares how her early childhood dreams led her into the field of education, the defining moments that shaped her teaching philosophy, and the tools and mindset that fuel her growth as a lifelong learner.

This powerful conversation highlights the realities of the teaching profession — from navigating challenges to building meaningful relationships with students. Whether you’re a parent, educator, aspiring teacher, or someone who values personal development, Nury’s story brings encouragement, wisdom, and clarity to anyone exploring education as a calling.

In this episode, you’ll learn:
• How Nury’s childhood dreams guided her toward a career in education
• The pivotal moments that shaped her teaching philosophy
• The mindset, tools, and self-awareness practices she uses to overcome challenges
• Her advice for students and families considering teaching as a career
• Why teaching is more than a profession — it’s purpose in action

This episode is perfect for listeners interested in education, teacher inspiration, Latina educators, career journeys, lifelong learning, and personal growth. Tune in and get inspired by Nury’s story of passion, purpose, and perseverance.

Connect with Nury

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nury-crawford-5420171

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nury.castillo.crawford/

Connect with me: https://www.dalitalks.com/linktree

In this episode of the DaliTalks Podcast, I sit down with DeAnna Pursai, Co-Founder and Director of Development & Outreach at the College of Adaptive Arts.

DeAnna is a CNN Hero, a Women Making Herstory award recipient, and a Golden State Warriors Impact Warrior. Her mission is powerful: making sure adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities have ongoing access to real, meaningful, lifelong learning.

We talk about what happens after students age out of the K–14 system, why traditional higher education often leaves disabled adults behind, and how CAA built an adaptive college model that centers community, creativity, leadership, and belonging.We also dig into the overlap between disability, bullying, and digital citizenship.

DeAnna shares the urgent need for workshops, tools, and education that protect vulnerable students both online and offline. This conversation bridges disability justice, parent advocacy, and bullying prevention in a way every community needs to hear.

In this episode:

• The story behind the College of Adaptive Arts

• Why disabled adults deserve lifelong education

• How CAA created an inclusive, community-driven college model

• The realities families face after age 21

• How DeAnna’s sister Angel inspires everything she does

• The connection between bullying, disability, and trauma

• How parents, educators, and organizations can support neurodivergent adults

• Upcoming CAA tours (online + in-person)

• DeAnna’s TEDx experience and what she learned from it

Connect with the College of Adaptive Arts:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deannapursaicaa/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/collegeofadaptivearts/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/collegeofadaptivearts/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@collegeofadaptivearts

CAA Student-Led Tours:Fridays when school is in session1 pm PST online2:30 pm PST in-person at West Valley College (Saratoga, CA)

Work with DaliTalks:

• Bullying prevention workshops

• Parent coaching

• School staff trainings

• Books, courses, and free resourcesVisit: https://www.DaliTalks.com

In this episode of DaliTalks Podcast, I chat with Dr. Jen Rafferty, an educator, author, and founder of Empowered Educator, about her inspiring career journey from music teacher to business owner, and the importance of prioritizing educator well-being. We explore:

• Insights about her career as a music teacher

• How Jen transitioned from teaching to empowering educators worldwide

• The role of self-awareness and mindset in creating lasting change in education

• Why teacher well-being is essential for generational transformation

• Insights from her TEDx Talk: “Generational Change Begins with Empowered Teachers”
  

  🎧 Tune in and get inspired by Jen’s story of leadership, resilience, and purpose! Don’t forget to subscribe and share this episode with anyone passionate about education and personal growth.

Connect with Dr. Jen Rafferty

Website: https://www.empowerededucator.com

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

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

Connect with me:

https://www.dalitalks.com/LinkTree

What would you do if you discovered your child was the bully? In this episode of The DaliTalks Podcast, I, Dāli Rivera—parenting coach, bullying prevention educator, and founder of the Diversity & Anti-Bullying Academy, share how to respond when you discover your child is bullying others.You’ll learn:✔️What to do the moment you find out your child is the bully✔️How to uncover the real reasons behind their behavior✔️Types of bullies and what drives them✔️How to teach accountability and empathy through honest conversation✔️The role of social-emotional learning and regulation✔️Corrective actions that actually help your child grow✔️How to build a support system for both you and your child✔️Resources from my book “Confident, Bully-Proof Kids” (pages 4–6)Remember, perfect parenting doesn’t exist, but intentional parenting does.If this episode helps you, please like, subscribe, and share it with other parents or educators. Your engagement helps spread awareness and build safer, kinder communities for our kids.Learn more about how DaliTalks can help: https://www.dalitalks.com

Get my book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CGKVFW8V?...Follow on Instagram:   / dalitalks  #parentingtips #bullyingprevention #bullyingawareness

In this episode of the DaliTalks Podcast, Griselda Provencio shares her professional journey — from her first job after college to the lessons she learned along the way. She answers questions about her career path, education, and experiences in the field of communication. We explore:

• What career she first worked in after college and what her title was

• What attracted her to that field

• What education, certifications, or courses she had to earn

• How much the education investment was

• How long it took and how the income looked

• How easy it was to get a job in her field

• What obstacles one can expect to overcome

• Whether she would do it again

Tune in now and get inspired by Griselda’s story! Don’t forget to subscribe and share this episode with anyone exploring their own career path.

Connect with Griselda Provencio LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/griselda-provencio-aa5837340

Connect with me: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dalitalks

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

Website: https://www.dalitalks.com

Based on Dr. Olatunji’s new book, this topic provides a powerful overview of why a new paradigm in education is needed. Many youth underachieve because we focus on making them skillful but not willful. This insightful and engaging presentation leaves audiences with a new sense of clarity and conviction about the need to align education with students—not just standards—so that they will thrive!

In this episode, Dr. O speaks to us about his book “Don't Let School Get in the Way of Education: How to Improve the Performance and Well-being of Our Nation's Youth.”

If your child is stressed by grades, bored by worksheets, or just “over it,” this episode will flip the script. Dr. O breaks down the “broccoli model” of school that kills joy, the “pumpkin muffin” approach that fuses rigor with fun, and his FACES framework that gets kids engaged fast. 

What you’ll hear

• How schools accidentally train kids to detach from learning and what to do instead

• The “pumpkin muffin” method that keeps rigor and adds relevance

• FACES, explained: Fun, Affirmation, Challenge, Expression, Success

• Easy swaps that boost curiosity without letting grades slide

• A start-of-year student interest survey that powers lesson design

• Dinner table prompts that open up real conversations and critical thinking

• Why leadership support and teacher PD make or break culture change

• Success skills you can teach inside any subject, without a new curriculum

Quick wins you can try today

• Ask: “What do you want this school year to feel like?” Follow with “What was missing last year that we can change now?”

• Teachers: run a simple interest survey, then plug those interests into math, reading, and science tasks

• Pair content with real life. Example: use a car payment scenario to teach division and budgeting

• Speak strengths out loud. Create a one-page “Gifted and Talented Declaration” at home to build confidence

Highlights

• The core problem is not kids; it is a tired paradigm that values test scores over well-being and purpose

• When students see themselves in the lesson, engagement rises and behavior issues drop

• Fun is not the enemy of learning; it is rocket fuel

• Aim for willful and skillful. Kids need both

Call to action

If this conversation helped, share it with one teacher and one parent. Tag @DaliTalks and tell us which FACES element you’ll try first.

Get the book at: 

https://www.droinspires.com/coming-soon-02o 

Follow Dr. O on Instagram @ananeolatunji 

Connect with him on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/droinspires

Visit his website a https://droinspires.com 

Follow Dali at https://instagram.com/Dalitalks

Visit her website at https://www.dalitalks.com

In this episode of DaliTalks Podcast, I chat with Luz Nazario, a dedicated teacher, about her career journey and professional growth. We explore:

• How she began her journey in teaching

• What a typical day in her life looks like

• The importance of fostering critical thinking in children

• Advice for parents supporting kids who aspire to become teachers
  

🎧 Tune in now and get inspired by Luz’s journey! Don’t forget to subscribe and share this episode with anyone passionate about education.

Connect with Luz Nazario

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luz-m-nazario/ 

Connect with me:

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

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

Website: https://www.dalitalks.com 

In this episode, Nury Castillo Crawford, owner of 1010 Publishing, speaks to us about her mission to encourage Latinos to write their own stories.

As an immigrant from Peru, Nury’s own journey to publish a children’s book inspired her to create a publishing house when she was asked to change the character she had written—one that was a true reflection of herself, from her skin tone to her experience growing up as a young brown Latina in the U.S.

She opens up about:

• The “whitening” of the Latino experience in mainstream publishing

• How families can think like authors and honor their lived experiences

• The importance of writing down legacy and preserving cultural identity

• The process of writing a book from start to finish

• The books she wished existed when she was younger

Ready to be inspired? Hit play now and join us as we explore representation, legacy, and the power of telling your own story. Don’t forget to subscribe and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it!

Connect with Nury Castillo Crawford

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

Connect with me:

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

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

Website: https://www.dalitalks.com 

In this episode, we sit down with Melissa Bird (Democratic Party), who is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Oregon's 4th Congressional District in the 2026 election. 

Melissa shares:

• Her lifelong love for politics, a topic that has always been a conversation at the dinner table in her household.

• Her important work supporting homeless LGBTQ youth, highlighting the challenges they face, and how she’s making a difference.

• What lobbying actually is 

Tune in for an engaging conversation about politics, advocacy, and making an impact in your community.

Connect with Melissa Bird

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

Connect with me: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dalitalks?igsh=MTJtcnNoMnFjNzh1bA== 

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

Website: https://www.dalitalks.com