Episodes

Living Your Legacy, Not Leaving It: Generational Thinking, Leadership, and the Art of the Handoff with Shawna Wells

Episode 95 · May 27, 2026 · 51:17

Most people think legacy is about dying. Shawna Wells builds her whole life around the opposite idea: legacy is about living, and you are leaving one with every choice you make right...

Trauma-Informed Hospitality: Why Survivors Get Re-Traumatized by the Systems Built to Help Them with Jessica Muñoz

Episode 94 · May 20, 2026 · 53:47

Board-certified psychotherapist Jessica Muñoz calls herself a visible survivor of gender-based violence and an expert in re-traumatizing systems designed to help. She built The Busin...

Community Is Medicine: Healing Schools Project, Trust, and the Three Questions That Change Everything with Wenimo Okoya

Episode 93 · May 13, 2026 · 49:40

In this episode of Ronderings, Ron sits down with Wenimo Okoya, educator, public health scholar, and founder of Healing Schools Project, for a conversation about why community itself...

Safe Rooms for Leaders: Revenue, Emotional Regulation, and the Business You're Growing Into with Amirah Raveneau-Bey

Episode 92 · May 6, 2026 · 57:47

Revenue strategist and third-generation entrepreneur Amirah Raveneau-Bey has spent 25 years inside Citibank, Zillow, Trulia, NerdWallet, and Opendoor. The truth she keeps coming back...

Leading Without Hardening: Identity, Neurodivergence, and Education Leadership with Jameelah Stuckey

Episode 91 · April 29, 2026 · 53:19

Education leader Jameelah Stuckey has built a career across finance, classroom teaching, school founding, and national education research, and she did it without losing the softness ...

Authenticity Is a Privilege: Identity, Gratitude, and Love as Strategy with Dr. Abiodun Durojaye

Episode 90 · April 22, 2026 · 01:04:40

Dr. Abiodun Durojaye arrived in the United States at nine years old from Nigeria, and by fourth grade she had learned two things: she was Black in America, and the name her father ga...

From Special Education Teacher to Corporate Philanthropy: Why Relationships Are the Only Legacy That Matters with Nicholas Pascale

Episode 89 · April 15, 2026 · 58:18

From a special education classroom in West Philadelphia to corporate philanthropy at Vanguard, Nicholas Pascale has spent two decades building his career the same way he builds every...

They Want Your Work but Not Your Voice: Ed Reform, Leadership, and Reclaiming Space with Dr. Maya M. Faison

Episode 88 · April 8, 2026 · 58:49

Leadership coach and former statewide education CEO Dr. Maya M. Faison knows what it looks like when organizations want your brilliance but not your voice, and she is done staying qu...

From Rupture to Aperture: Peace, Justice, and the Art of Community-Driven Education with Hector Calderón

Episode 87 · April 1, 2026 · 01:01:17

Hector Calderón grew up watching the South Bronx burn, taught himself English through Gilligan's Island tapes, and went on to co-found the first Human Rights High School in the natio...

Issues in Our Tissues: Mindfulness, Burnout, and Conscious Leadership with Amanda Muhammad

Episode 86 · March 25, 2026 · 01:01:39

Mindfulness coach and professional development consultant Amanda Muhammad knows what burnout looks like from the inside, and she built a company to help organizations do something ab...

Rethinking the Brain and Human Potential with Ellen Petry Leanse

Episode 85 · March 18, 2026 · 01:06:46

From Silicon Valley innovator to neuroscience educator, Ellen Petry Leanse explores what happens when we stop separating creativity from analytical thinking and begin using the full ...

Faith, Mentorship, and Systems Change in Education with Dr. Natalie Neris

Episode 84 · March 11, 2026 · 01:01:02

What does it take to lead real change inside systems that weren’t built for you? In this episode of Ronderings, Dr. Natalie Neris shares how mentorship, faith, and integrity shaped h...

Say What You Mean: Leading with Clarity, Not Performance - with Danielle Kristine Toussaint

Episode 83 · March 4, 2026 · 55:34

From strategic communication to leadership intelligence, Danielle Kristine Toussaint shares how saying what you mean can transform how leaders build trust, align teams, and lead thro...

From Competitive Drive to Purposeful Leadership in Education with Dr. Chantelle George

Episode 82 · February 25, 2026 · 01:03:28

From competitive dancer to higher education strategist, Dr. Chantelle George shares how discipline, ambition, and identity shaped her leadership journey. Raised in Lafayette, Louisia...

Leading Without the Mask: How Authenticity and Community Transform Education with Nick Freeman

Episode 81 · February 18, 2026 · 51:13

From corporate finance to education equity, Nick Freeman didn’t take the expected path. At 26, with an MBA and master’s in finance in hand, he walked away from the corporate world an...

Crossing Borders in Leadership, Identity, and Equity - with Chris Harley

Episode 80 · February 11, 2026 · 01:00:01

From a student activist placed on a no-fly list to White House policy leader to an equity-driven consultant in Canada, Chris Harley shares how a lifetime of intersectional leadership...

Authentic Connection in an AI World: ADHD at 50, Leadership, and Human Networking with Dave Delaney

Episode 79 · February 4, 2026 · 01:04:16

From broadcaster to ADHD advocate: Dave Delaney shares his journey of turning lifelong curiosity, comedy, and communication expertise into a mission to help others understand and man...

When Your Value Is Overlooked: Finding Your Worth and Creating Impact in Education - with Nautrie Jones

Episode 78 · January 28, 2026 · 01:01:16

From classroom teacher to leadership architect, Nautrie Jones shares her journey of transforming educational systems and workplaces by helping people recognize their value, develop t...

Transforming Broken Systems: Designing Justice Systems That Help Young People Thrive - with Dr. Gisele Castro

Episode 77 · January 21, 2026 · 53:40

From a childhood shaped by crisis in the Bronx to leading one of New York’s most influential juvenile justice organizations, Dr. Gisele Castro shares how lived experience became the ...

Rest as Infrastructure: How Nonprofit Leaders Can Break the Burnout Cycle - with Josh Feldman

Episode 76 · January 14, 2026 · 58:18

From learning differently to leading differently, Josh Feldman shares how a childhood shaped by learning disabilities became the foundation for redesigning work culture around rest, ...

Where You’re Born Isn’t Destiny: How Identity, Privilege, and Relationships Shape Real Impact – with Sana Shaikh

Episode 75 · January 7, 2026 · 47:01

From first-generation Pakistani American immigrant to national leader in educational equity, Dr. Sana Shaikh shares her journey of using identity and lived experience to transform co...

Leadership Lives in the Body: What Endurance Sports Teaches Us About Sustainable Leadership – with Jessica Sutter

Episode 74 · December 31, 2025 · 55:25

From middle school teacher to Ironman athlete and DC State Board of Education president, Jessica Sutter shares how endurance, youth voice, and values-aligned leadership can transform...

From Comfort to Conviction: Leading Education Systems through Identity and Truth – with Jenai Emmel

Episode 73 · December 24, 2025 · 52:33

From educator to organizational designer and education advocate, Jenai Emmel shares how a life shaped by service, spirituality, and public education led her to reimagine leadership, ...

When Being “Cool” Isn’t Enough: The Leadership Shift from Popular Ideas to Real Impact – with Oscar Wang

Episode 72 · December 17, 2025 · 54:33

From first-generation student to transformative education leader, Oscar Wang shares his journey of reshaping college access in Philadelphia while building a life defined by curiosity...

From Loss to Purpose: The Inner Work Behind Sustainable Leadership – with Cecilia Paz Aguilar

Episode 71 · December 10, 2025 · 50:11

From surviving early loss to building mission-driven strategies, Cecilia Paz Aguilar shares how turning pain into purpose shaped her leadership, creativity, and commitment to sustain...

Turning Discrimination into Opportunity: Elevating Leaders and Cultures through Inclusion – with Nicole Smart

Episode 70 · December 3, 2025 · 46:45

From immigrant roots to industry-leading influence, Nicole Smart shares how purpose, identity, and intentional leadership shaped her journey into DEI, executive coaching, and transfo...

Redefining Inclusion: Building Workplaces That Work for Everyone – with Natalie Holder

Episode 69 · November 26, 2025 · 53:54

From journalist-in-training to nationally recognized employment strategist, Natalie Holder shares how a lifelong instinct to protect others evolved into a career dedicated to equity,...

How Ancestral Roots and Harlem Pride Inspire Leadership – with Dr. Rahesha Amon

Episode 68 · November 19, 2025 · 54:24

From fourth-generation New Yorker to nationally recognized education leader, Dr. Rahesha Amon shares how her identity, heritage, and lived experiences shaped her purpose-driven journ...

Game Changer: Turning Basketball into a Mental Health Revolution – with Kashif (Kash) Hameed

Episode 67 · November 12, 2025 · 50:05

From professional athlete to principal to purpose-driven founder, Kash Hameed shares how his journey from basketball courts to classrooms led to creating a movement that’s redefining...

Turning Loss into Leadership and Purpose with Helen Arteaga Landaverde

Episode 66 · November 5, 2025 · 52:01

From immigrant daughter to hospital CEO, Helen Arteaga Landaverde shares her remarkable journey from translating her father’s leukemia diagnosis as a young girl to leading one of New...