Dialogue Lab

-- DIALOGUE LAB PODCAST EPISODE 015 - Sameena Mustafa Helped Build the Blue Wave I talked to Sameena Mustafa -- former candidate for Congress -- a few weeks before the midterm elections. Sameena is a progressive who aimed to unseat centrist Democrat Mike Quigley in the Democratic primary back in March 2018. Her bid was impressive, if ultimately unsuccessful, and shone a light on how out of step Quigley’s voting record has been with his very progressive district. And in the context of the “Blue Wave” of Democratic victories coming to light since last Tuesday, the big message I take from my conversation with Sameena is this: There’s lots more where that came from. The victories we are seeing now are the tip of the iceberg, And they are the result of work being done by progressives -- many women of color -- all over the country. And Sameena was one of those women, getting out in front, and insisting on a new direction. Listen to our conversation here: https://www.dialoguelab.org/podcast-episodes/ep015-sameena-mu

Every. Vote. Counts. And as it turns out, that is often felt most keenly from the perspective of people who are not allowed to vote. That what motivates Esther de Rothschild & Aicha Cherif in their work running the Love Vote, an organization that amplifies the voices of people who can’t vote -- either because of youth, citizenship, or disenfranchisement. And they are doing it to move people who can vote, to vote. Esther -- the Love Vote’s founder -- is a high school teacher and filmmaker. Aicha is the Love Vote’s outreach director. Aicha’s also a high school senior whose citizenship status means she won’t be eligible to vote, even after she turns 18 next year. We also talked about their experiences at the helm of a social impact startup, as well as their insights on leading, collaborating, and learning in the social impact space. Here’s a highlight: 42:26: “I remember when I first met with a tech person about a website… and I said, ‘can you let me know what you see as the greatest potential weakness, both

-- DIALOGUE LAB PODCAST EPISODE 013 - Kat Calvin: Spread the Vote -- After the 2016 presidential election, Kat Calvin took a hard look at the state of voting rights in this country, and did not like what she saw. Like the fact that in 34 states, eligible voters are being turned away from polling stations because they don’t have a state-issued ID. So Kat founded Spread the Vote, which is working to get people their IDs, so they can vote. As well as find jobs, apply for housing -- all sorts of essential things. I talked to Kat about what motivated her to build Spread the Vote from scratch, and about her leadership and life at the head of an ambitious effort to secure people’s voting rights in advance of these critical midterm elections. -- One of the things we talked about was how successful social impact leaders don’t try to go it alone. They check their egos at the door, so they can prioritize what’ most important: their missions. And Kat talked about how you can usually tell when someone is letting their ego

This week, I speak with Kishshana Palmer, a brilliant trainer, speaker, and thought leader when it comes to management and leadership in the nonprofit sector. I have spent 2 decades working in the nonprofit and social impact sectors, and I’m in love with these people. You work hard, you are smart, dedicated, and incredibly resourceful. And it drives me up the wall that the people in this sector are so often underpaid, and instead of being treated like the resourceful humans they are, they often are treated like machines who are expected to churn out social impact non stop. Kishshana and I delved into this dynamic at length, and talked about what gets in the way of us celebrating and cultivating the excellence that is right here in this sector. Kishshana is a captivating speaker. She is funny, wise, and bold in her declarations of where she thinks this sector needs to be heading. Towards the end of my conversation with Kishshana, we talked about how in the nonprofit space, we often see our colleagues as more t

This week, we go on a deep dive with the brilliant Melanie Dewberry, a coach, speaker, author, and indigenous ceremonialist. This was a very different kind of conversation for this podcast. Melanie gets real, and she gets deep down to the gritty, unpolished truth here. And honestly, this ended up being one of the most valuable conversations to me personally, that I’d had in a while. We talked about what it means to advocate for change, w/o being trapped inside the very system you are trying to change. We talked about the harm we do to ourselves when we are always reacting to what the system throws at us. And we talked about accessing a place of greater truth, stillness, and love, that’s inside of all of us, and learning to act from there. --- I’ve been distilling every interview I do on this podcast into tips that any nonprofit leader or social entrepreneur can use in their work, and I’ve been sharing it in an email to my subscribers. For instance, the week after this episode comes out, I’ll be sharing an ema

This week, a conversation with Rebecca Aced-Molina, an amazing coach and facilitator who is a faculty member with Leadership That Works, a school for coaches who want to be effective in social impact spaces. Rebecca shared her journey as someone making her way in the nonprofit space, from her early disillusionment in nonprofits, to finding her unique way of making an impact as a coach. We also talked about the double-bind -- that special way that women, people of color, and people with marginalized identities find themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place -- and what to do to navigate your way out of it. I distill the top 3 lessons for social impact leadership from every interview I do in an email I send to my Lessons from the Lab subscribers. For instance, the week after this episode comes out, I’ll share an email that digs deep into what to do when the nonprofit double-bind strikes you. I’ll share some of the tools I’ve offered to my one-on-one clients, on how to recognize and navigate your way out,

This week, I speak with Sarai Johnson, a speaker, coach, author and founder of Lean Nonprofit. When I first encountered Sarai, it was through a blog post she’d written about how nonprofits and foundations often unwittingly use management and funding practices that perpetuate the very culture of poverty and oppression they are fighting against. Sounds like serious stuff, but what I so appreciate about Sarai is her ability to tell it like it is with humor and empathy. Empathy that comes from the fact that she’s been there too. We talked a lot about about how nonprofit work can feel like a grind. And we also talked some things we can all do to do better. I distill the top 3 lessons for social impact leadership from every interview I do in an email I send to my Lessons from the Lab subscribers. For instance, the week after this episode comes out, I’ll be sharing an email based on my conversation with Sarai that delves more deeply into the topic of overwork in the nonprofit space. I’ll be unpacking what mindsets f

This week, I speak with Daisy Ozim, founder of Resilient Wellness, a nonprofit that builds community-based solutions to address intergenerational trauma. We talked about how building resilience as a leader -- especially if you are a woman of color -- means learning not to internalize the negative messages we get when we don’t fit a traditionally white male template of leadership. I distill the top 3 lessons for social impact leadership from every interview I do in an email to my subscribers. Lessons from the Lab is filled with immediately applicable, imminently usable, highly relevant takeaways for your work on the front lines of social impact. Subscribe here: https://www.dialoguelab.org/lessons Grab a free copy of Talking Politics on Facebook: A guide to having social change conversations that are liberating, make an impact, and won't drive you crazy. Get it here: https://www.dialoguelab.org/talking-politics/

How a concern for the emotional well-being of kids caught up in the criminal justice system led an Assistant District Attorney to seek out alternatives to prosecution and incarceration. You can find Daphne Robinson at http://daphnerobinson-jd.com/ I distill the top 3 lessons for social impact leadership from every interview I do in an email to my subscribers. Lessons from the Lab is filled with immediately applicable, imminently usable, highly relevant takeaways for your work on the front lines of social impact. Subscribe here: https://www.dialoguelab.org/lessons Grab a free copy of Talking Politics on Facebook: A guide to having social change conversations that are liberating, make an impact, and won't drive you crazy.  Get it here: https://www.dialoguelab.org/talking-politics/  

A conversation about how nurses can be transforming health care by adopting a coaching, anti-racist, and social justice mindset.

A conversation about reproductive justice, speaking race to power, collaboration across difference, and innovation in social movements. 

A conversation about how to access and build local power to create positive change in your city. New episodes every other Tuesday! Subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play, or your favorite podcatcher. 

A conversation about finding the courage and compassion to stand up -- even when courage comes at a price. And on his work to encourage that capacity in others as well. 

A conversation about taking care of yourself while reaching out to others, and what happens when two connected but disparate worlds (coaching and activism) collide. 

A conversation with Brigette Iarrusso about politics, anger, and love. We talk about her family's experiences since the hurricane in Puerto Rico, being a mom, and lessons learned.