Patricia Schultz is the author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers 1,000 PLACES TO SEE BEFORE YOU DIE and 1,000 PLACES TO SEE IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA BEFORE YOU DIE. She is a veteran travel journalist with over thirty years of experience, writing for Frommer’s and Berlitz travel guides, as well as the Wall Street Journal, Condé Nast Traveler, Travel Weekly, and other publications. Her new book, WHY WE TRAVEL, is available now.

Shauna J. Edwards has a BA in literature from Harvard College and a JD from NYU School of Law. A former corporate lawyer, she now works in diversity, equity and inclusion. Alyson Richman is the USA Today and #1 international bestselling author of several historical novels, including The Velvet Hours, The Garden of Letters, and The Lost Wife, which is currently in development for a major motion picture. Collectively, they co-authored THE THREAD COLLECTORS, a novel set against the backdrop of The Civil War.

Giovanni Ruscitti, Esq., is a first-generation Italian-American who grew up in Frederick, Colorado, a small coal mining town north of Denver that his parents and grandparents immigrated to beginning in the 1950s. His new book COBBLESTONES, CONVERSATIONS, AND CORKS: A SON'S DISCOVERY OF HIS ITALIAN HERITAGE is available now.

Eleonora Bartoli is a consultant and licensed psychologist, specializing in trauma, resilience-building, and multicultural/social justice counseling. Ali Michael is the Co-Director of the Race Institute for K-12 Educators and works with schools and organizations across the country to help make research on race, Whiteness, and education more accessible and relevant to educators. Eleonora and Ali recently co-authored the book OUR PROBLEM, OUR PATH: COLLECTIVE ANTI-RACISM FOR WHITE PEOPLE.

D.J. Vanas is an internationally-acclaimed speaker for Fortune 500 companies, hundreds of tribal nations, and a member of the Ottawa Tribe of Michigan. His new book, THE WARRIOR WITHIN: OWN YOUR POWER TO SERVE, FIGHT, PROTECT, AND HEAL is available now.

Maya Smart is a mother, award winning journalist, literacy advocate, and author of READING FOR OUR LIVES. Her website, MayaSmart.com, provides tips and tools for parents to nurture, teach, and advocate for kids on the road to reading.

W. Kamau Bell is a comedian who was the executive producer of Showtime's WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT COSBY and the Emmy Award Winning CNN docu-series UNITED SHADES OF AMERICA. His new book, DO THE WORK, is an anti-racist activity book which he co-authored with Kate Schatz.

Shayna Hammond is a leadership and life coach who has developed thousands of leaders within the education and nonprofit sectors. She is the founder and CEO of Lead For Liberation and Shayna Renee, a coaching practice dedicated to creating spaces, methods, and conditions for Black women in leadership to thrive. Shayna's book BECOMING AN INDIGO WOMAN is available now.

Camille Baker is an author of two books, HAVE WE MET? and her latest book, THE MOMENT WE MET. In this episode, Camille shares her creative process and describes her journey in becoming a published author.

Mignon Francois is the founder of The Cupcake Collection, a growing cupcake business that started in Nashville, TN and now has a location in Mignon's hometown of New Orleans. Mignon's story and upbeat personality are both inspiring and infectious. She drops gems throughout this episode and I promise by the end, you'll not only want a cupcake (or 3,) you'll hope to one day bump into Mignon personally.