Culture Stew

Gabriela Estrada is a Chicago-based entrepreneur, graphic designer and author. After working as a teacher for 5 years, Gabriela authored 2 autobiographical books and shortly after receiving her 200hr RYT certification, opened The Groove Chicago, a community yoga and art studio that centers all women of color in Avondale. Born and raised in Humboldt Park, Gabriela knows the power of community and giving back and is thrilled to help her community reach their highest potential through curated programming that fits their collective needs.

Chris Haigh is the Founder and Lead Consultant of True Change Associates, where they partner with organizations to build more equitable, inclusive, and socially just workplaces. With more than two decades of experience across higher education, nonprofit, and corporate sectors, Chris specializes in leadership development, organizational change, and team building. They have served in leadership and faculty roles at institutions including Brown University, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Merrimack College, and the Federal Executive Institute, and have presented nationally at SXSW, the Racial Justice Institute at Creating Change, and the White Privilege Conference. Chris holds a master's degree in Social Justice Education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and currently lives in Portugal with their wife, Vanessa. In this episode of Culture Stew, Chris shares their personal journey of activism throughout their life-- from coming out in a small town to their journey of redefining the notion of family. Listen to this powerful conversation and leave feeling inspired to make a difference within your own sphere of influence. 

In this episode of Culture Stew,  we bring you the remarkable Emmy Award-winning journalist and author, Dion Lim. Dion has been known for nearly two decades as a TV news anchor and reporter, most recently with ABC News in San Francisco and the Bay Area. Dion made history as the first Asian American woman to anchor weekday evening newscasts at television stations in multiple major markets, including Kansas City, Charlotte, and Tampa Bay. Her reporting on racism and violence targeting Asian Americans has been featured on Good Morning America, 20/20, Nightline, and ABC News Live. Her work and advocacy have also been highlighted by PBS, NPR, New York Magazine, USA Today, and numerous other outlets.   Dion is also the author of the brilliant book, "AMPLIFY! My Fight For Asian America" (Third State Books). Through deeply personal anecdotes about her own life as a Chinese American, and her groundbreaking work as a journalist bringing forth the experiences of Asians during a time of heightened fear and hate, she provides the very first book to tackle one of the biggest political and social controversies of this century from the perspective of the AAPI community.   In our interview, Dion shared her experience reporting during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially on anti-Asian violence and how it transformed her work into something more personal and impactful. She shares some of the stories that most defined the #StopAsianHate movement, including the killing of Vicha Ratanapakdee, and how these stories forced the country to confront a much bigger and harder truth about who was being targeted and why. Dion also shares her views on the difference between activism and what she calls "activation," explaining why calling attention to undeniable racism isn't advocacy but journalism with urgency and moral clarity. Through her insights, you'll discover how storytelling, and amplifying the voices of those whose stories are often marginalized, can be a tool of empowerment, resilience, and community mobilization.      Connect with Dion at  DionLim.com Follow @DionLimTV on social media:  Facebook | Instagram | TikTok

Lilly Ghahremani is a recovering attorney who now "uses her powers for good!" as the co-founder and literary agent for adult and children's books at Full Circle Literary. She represents a wide range of authors and illustrators, thinking strategically about building lasting careers that are both productive and satisfying in a rapidly-changing publishing landscape. As literary agent, she's spent over two decades advocating for marginalized voices and transforming the publishing landscape. In this episode of the Culture Stew, Lilly reveals how the industry's biases and censorship, both overt and subtle, silence diverse stories and what we can all do to reclaim them. From supporting diverse authors to engaging in meaningful conversations Lilly and Maria explore how activism can be woven into daily life, making it accessible and impactful for everyone. 

Ashley Brown is the Executive Director of Peace of Mind, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. that is on a mission to equip kids with the mindfulness tools they need to manage big emotions, build healthy relationships, and become — in their words — peacemakers. For over a decade, Ashley has championed educational equity and student success across diverse school communities. Whether she's designing curriculum, leading professional development for educators, or facilitating workshops directly with students, her focus has always been the same: creating learning environments where every child can thrive. What Ashley and her team at Peace of Mind do is more than teaching breathing exercises and yoga poses. It's mindfulness woven together with brain science, conflict resolution, and social justice — giving kids not only the tools to regulate themselves, but the courage and agency to stand up for what's right in their communities. Today we're talking about what it really looks like to teach peace, why this work is more urgent than ever, and how one small D.C. nonprofit is quietly building a global movement — one classroom at a time.

Allison Matulli, Ed.D., J.D., M.Ed. is an author, law professor, childhood educator, and Free Speech advocate and Fellow for the First Amendment at the Freedom Forum. Dr. Matulli has dedicated her career to helping communities and their children understand the law, with specific attention to the First Amendment. Combining her legal training and education background, she is also the founder of The Little Lawyers, which empowers communities and children to learn the law. Dr. Matulli recently completed her Ed.D. with a doctorate thesis on Free Speech and Digital Citizenship. She is also a Global Fulbright Scholar focusing on how children experience freedom of speech in various countries worldwide, both online and offline. She is a lecturer at Howard University and serves as a criminal justice adjunct professor at  Florida International University and affiliate faculty at the  Maurice A. Ferré Institute for Civic Leadership.  Her book, Your Freedom, Your Power: A Kid's Guide to the First Amendment (Hachette/Running Press Kids) has garnered broad interest from educators and free speech advocates and was named a  Junior Library Guild Selection and included in the Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best Books of 2023. She is the author of three forthcoming picture books. We Are Free (RISE x PRH) invites the youngest readers to understand how the First Amendment affects their lives and the world around them.  Matulli was named one of Miami's Most Prominent Black Women in Business and Industry by Legacy magazine, among other accolades. 

In this episode of Culture Stew, Maria and Bradley Schurman discuss the complexities of demographics, generations, and the change in social structures. They also discuss his book, The Super Age: Decoding our Demographic Destiny, "A demographic futurist explains the coming Super Age—when there will be more people older than sixty-five than those under the age of eighteen—and explores what it could mean for our collective future." Bradley Schurman is a demographic futurist and opinion maker on all things dealing with the business of longevity. Bradley is a social connector that has built his reputation by helping leading organizations harness the opportunities of our increasingly older and generationally diverse populations. His insights inform national leaders and c-suite executives around the world.Connect with Bradley: The Super Age Looking Toward the Future: Three Big Trends for 2022 The Kids Are Not Alright (But They Are Going to be Just Fine) Bradley Schurman on LinkedIn The Super Age Twitter

From the Archives: Reflecting back on where we were a year ago, I re-listened to this episode from January 2020 with Mary-Frances Winters of the Winters Group about inclusive conversations, Black fatigue, and ways to really engage in the work of allyship. Inclusive Conversations: Fostering Equity, Empathy, and Belonging Across Differences