After surviving multiple near-death experiences from Castleman disease, Dr. David Fajgenbaum emerged with a profoundly different perspective on life—and on what it means to make the most of the time we are given.

A physician-scientist, founder of Every Cure, and relentless advocate for drug repurposing, David has devoted his life to turning personal adversity into purpose. But his most important role exists beyond the laboratory and the public stage: being a father.

In this conversation with Gordon LaForge, David reflects on how facing mortality has shaped the way he thinks about fatherhood, family, ambition, and presence. He shares what his children have taught him about perspective, how the experience of illness changed his definition of success, and why living with an awareness that time is finite can make us more intentional with the people who matter most.It is a conversation about purpose—not simply as something we pursue, but as something we model for our children. About resilience without romanticizing hardship. And about the responsibility to use the time we have, however much or little it may be, to make a difference.

As a former member of Arcade Fire and CEO of Plus1, Marika Anthony-Shaw has spent her career exploring music’s power to bring people together and inspire action. From performing on the world’s biggest stages to directing millions of dollars toward grassroots organizations, she has built a career around a powerful belief: when people come together with purpose, they can create meaningful change.

In this episode, Marika reflects on her journey from classical musician to social entrepreneur—and the experiences that reshaped her understanding of leadership, philanthropy, and community. She shares lessons from touring with Arcade Fire, working alongside Dr. Paul Farmer, and founding Plus1, while exploring why artists are uniquely positioned to drive social impact, how trust-based philanthropy can empower local organizations, and why culture remains such a powerful force for change.

Marika’s unique journey offers compelling insights into the importance of building relationships before seeking results, particularly in an increasingly fragmented world, and the extraordinary potential of shared experiences to move people beyond awareness toward action. At its heart, the conversation explores what becomes possible when music, community, and purpose come together.

Best known as a political strategist, community leader, and the father of award-winning playwright and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda, Luis A. Miranda Jr. has spent a lifetime building bridges, expanding opportunity, and serving others.

At the heart of that story is something even more enduring: fatherhood.In the inaugural episode of Fatherhood, host Gordon LaForge sits down with Luis Miranda for a deeply personal conversation about the values that shaped his family and the lessons he learned raising children grounded in confidence, compassion, and a strong sense of identity. From his journey from Puerto Rico to New York City to the everyday choices that define parenting, Miranda reflects on the importance of being present, honoring culture and heritage, and leading by example through both triumphs and setbacks.

More than a conversation about raising successful children, this episode explores how fathers shape character, inspire purpose, and nurture a deep sense of belonging. Through stories of family, service, and resilience, Miranda reflects on the quiet, daily choices that shape a child's confidence, character, and sense of purpose.

SALA Series present its new Podcast "Fatherhood" hosted by Gordon LaForge

In the 20th century, if you asked someone to picture the typical American father, they would probably describe a man with a briefcase, a face behind a newspaper. His job was to put food on the table and keep discipline in the home. He might play catch on Saturdays, but he didn't know the pediatrician's name, and he never changed a diaper. At his best, he was Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird. Noble, principled, kind, yet distant. But things are different today. Fathers are spending more time on childcare and housework than ever before. The number of stay-at-home dads has doubled in the last 30 years. Fathers are still providers and protectors, but they are also coaches and teachers, caregivers and nurturers. But while the reality in our living rooms has shifted, our cultural imagination is still catching up. 

To understand fatherhood is to understand the crisis of masculinity in our politics. It's to grapple with the falling behind of boys in education, the rewiring of childhood by social media, and the policy debates over work and childcare that are defining our economy.

On the Fatherhood Podcast, we'll be speaking with experts, leaders, and plain old dads to understand the forces defining us and to ask what it means to be a father in a world that's changing faster than we can keep up.

At a time when disagreement too often becomes division, Rabbi Brad Hirschfield has spent a lifetime demonstrating another path. As President of CLAL (The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership), he has helped leaders across business, government, higher education, and faith communities navigate complexity with empathy, humility, and moral courage.

In this episode, Rabbi Hirschfield reflects on his own remarkable journey—from religious extremism to becoming one of America's most respected voices on pluralism and civil discourse. He explores why listening is an act of leadership, how curiosity can overcome certainty, and why our deepest differences need not become our greatest divides.Among others, key themes include faith, identity, civic life, and the responsibilities of leadership in an increasingly polarized society.

This discussion also offers practical insights for anyone seeking to build trust, strengthen community, and lead with both conviction and compassion.

Stu Jackson has spent decades shaping the game of basketball from nearly every level imaginable — first as a college basketball player, then as one of the youngest head coaches in NBA history with the New York Knicks, later helping launch the Vancouver Grizzlies as Team President and General Manager, and now serving as commissioner of the West Coast Conference and a member of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee.

In this episode, Jackson reflects on the transformation of college basketball during a period defined by conference realignment, NIL, the transfer portal, and the changing structure of amateur athletics. Drawing on experience leading teams, front offices, and major basketball institutions, he discusses what it takes to build winning cultures, navigate uncertainty, and balance tradition with innovation in a rapidly evolving sports landscape.

The conversation explores leadership, talent development, competitive integrity, and the growing intersection of college sports with media, business, and professional development — offering a unique perspective from someone who has helped shape the game at every level.

Marcia Chatelain, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and professor at the University of Pennsylvania, has built her work around uncovering the deeper stories that shape American life. Through acclaimed books like Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America, Chatelain examines the intersection of race, capitalism, and culture, revealing how systems of power influence opportunity, identity, and community in ways that often go unseen.

In this episode, Chatelain reflects on how narratives around economic progress and social mobility are constructed and who gets included in those stories. Drawing on her research, she explores the tension between corporate influence and public responsibility, and how institutions have shaped both the possibilities and limitations experienced across generations. The conversation also examines the role of historians in moments of change, the importance of confronting uncomfortable truths, and why understanding the past is essential to making better decisions in the present.

Jennifer Peter has spent her career leading newsrooms through some of the most consequential moments in modern journalism. From overseeing The Boston Globe’s Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing to now serving as Editor-in-Chief of The Marshall Project, Peter has built a reputation for guiding organizations through complexity with clarity, urgency, and purpose.

The Marshall Project is a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative news organization focused on the U.S. criminal justice system. Through in-depth reporting, data-driven investigations, and partnerships with local and national news outlets, the organization examines issues ranging from policing and prisons to courts, race, and systemic inequities, with the goal of creating transparency, accountability, and public understanding around one of the country’s most consequential - and flawed - institutions.

In this episode, Peter reflects on the evolving role of journalism in a time of institutional distrust, rapid technological change, and growing societal division. She discusses what it means to lead mission-driven reporting at scale, the responsibility of telling difficult stories with integrity, and why accountability journalism remains essential to a functioning democracy. The conversation explores leadership under pressure, the challenge of balancing speed with accuracy, and how the best editors build cultures capable of navigating uncertainty without losing sight of their mission.

Jen Loving, CEO of Destination: Home and one of the nation’s leading voices on homelessness systems change, joins host Jeff Olivet — nationally recognized homelessness policy expert, former Executive Director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness  — for a conversation grounded in what it actually takes to reduce homelessness at scale. With more than two decades of experience across government, nonprofit, and philanthropic sectors, Loving has helped lead some of the most ambitious housing and prevention strategies in the country, including large-scale investments in affordable housing and data-driven approaches to system design.

In this episode, Loving reflects on the real drivers of homelessness and the persistent gap between public perception and lived reality. She discusses why “Housing First” has become a foundational approach, how public-private partnerships can unlock meaningful progress, and what cities often get wrong when trying to address the crisis. Drawing on her work in Silicon Valley, she offers a pragmatic view of what systems-level change looks like in practice and where measurable progress is being made.

Together, Olivet and Loving explore the challenges of leading in a space where success is often slow, complex, and difficult to measure. The conversation examines how leaders build trust across sectors, sustain momentum despite setbacks, and remain focused on sustainable solutions in one of the country’s most urgent public policy challenges.

As America approaches its 250th anniversary, author and scholar Eddie Glaude Jr. asks a deeper question: what stories do we tell ourselves about who we are—and what truths do we leave out?

Known for his intellectual rigor and unflinching honesty, Glaude explores the enduring tension between freedom, democracy, and race that has shaped the nation from its founding to today. Drawing from works including Begin Again, We Are the Leaders We Have Been Looking For, and his forthcoming book America, U.S.A.: How Race Shadows the Nation’s Anniversaries, he examines how national celebrations often expose deeper battles over identity, belonging, and power.

In this episode, Glaude reflects on leadership in an era of polarization, the responsibility of confronting history honestly, and whether America can move forward without reckoning with the myths that continue to shadow its past. A timely conversation about memory, truth, and the unfinished American story.