Well, That Went Sideways!

In this episode, we talk with Rohan Bliss and Jen Sarche about the role media plays in our understanding of conflict and conflict resolution. And we'll hear about their plan to use reality TV to depolarize the country and help people find common ground. Jen Sarche is a media and research consultant. Rohan Bliss directs the Democracy Innovations Program at the National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation. They provide resources, facilitation, and training for people involved in public engagement and conflict resolution work.

In this episode, we talk with Parker McMullen Bushman about environmental justice and building a more inclusive environmental movement. They're the CEO of Eco Inclusive Strategies, which serves environmental organizations and other nonprofit and education groups.

In this episode we talk with Bina M. Patel about how her work as a leadership coach and facilitator combines her decades of policy and non-profit experience with neuroscience and practices like breathwork and mindfulness. She's the author of the book Say the Quiet Part Out Loud: Liberate Your Inner Changemaker.

In this episode we talk with Maria Guajardo about leadership and the value of non-western perspectives in developing leadership skills. She is an author, educator and administrator. Maria spent 12 years as a dean and professor at Soka University in Japan.

In this episode we talk with Dante King about diagnosing whiteness and anti-blackness. He's an academic who has taught at many universities, including the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine. He runs an educational non-profit called Blackcademics and is the author of two books, The 400-year Holocaust and Diagnosing Whiteness & Anti-Blackness. We spoke with him at the 2025 white privilege conference

In this episode, we talk with Azim Khamisa about forgiveness and about his work to create safer schools and communities through restorative principles. He is a speaker, author and consultant. He founded the Tariq Khamisa Foundation after his son was killed in an incident of gang violence.

In this special Conflict Resolution Month episode of Well, That Went Sideways, we talk with with Michelle Noyes and Cheryl Smith to explore how Colorado communities are embracing healthier ways to navigate conflict. They share the history and purpose of Conflict Resolution Month, highlight statewide initiatives, and offer practical tools anyone can use to foster understanding and connection, even in challenging moments.

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Omékongo Dibinga about how individuals can respond to and undo racist stereotypes. He teaches intercultural communication at American University. He's the author of Lies about Black People: How to Combat Racist Stereotypes and Why It Matters. We spoke with Dr. Omékongo Dibinga at the 2025 White Privilege Conference.

In this episode we talk with Prabha Sankaranarayan about responding to conflict through early intervention, trust building, and practical mediation strategies. She is currently the CEO of Mediators Beyond Borders International.

In this episode, we talk with Dr. OiYan Poon about the racial politics of education. She is an education researcher, co-director of the College Admissions Futures Co-Laborative, and the author of Asian American Is Not A Color.

In this episode, we explore the concept of both/and with Beth Yohe and Mina Bradley-Belcaid from our partners at The Conflict Center. From The Conflict Center website: "Both/and is a reminder that multiple things can be true at the same time. For instance, more than one perspective of a situation can be true. Or you personally can feel multiple emotions at one time."

In this episode, we talk with Fatima Hafiz about understanding emotional responses to trauma. Dr. Hafiz is an educator, facilitator, and CEO of The TEA group - Transformative Education Associates. They specialize in bringing transformative practices to under-resourced communities, primarily in Greater Philadelphia.

In this episode, we talk with Curtis Ogden and with Liz Broussard-Red about ways to organize people and strengthen local food systems in Mississippi and New England. This is the second in our two-part series, exploring how to deal with the conflict between a food system that has the capacity to produce enough food to feed everyone, and the fact that 47 million people in the US are food insecure. Liz Broussard-Red is a co-steward of the Mississippi Center for Food Systems. Curtis Ogden is a senior associate with the Interaction Institute for Social Change, and the lead facilitator for Food Solutions New England. We spoke with them at the 2025 White Privilege Conference in Hartford, Connecticut.

In this episode we talk with Alison Cohen about the conflict between a food system that has the capacity to produce enough food to feed everyone, and the fact that 47 million people in the US are food insecure. This is the first in a two part series on Food Justice. Alison Cohen is a co-founder and director of the National Right to Food Community of Practice. We spoke with her at the 2025 White Privilege Conference in Hartford, Connecticut.

In this episode, we talk with Ama Agyapong about how to build authentic relationships in the workplace and in other parts of life. She is a consultant, trainer and facilitator with over 15 years experience in human resources, including work with very large corporations as well as small- and medium-sized organizations. Ama Agyapong is the founder of Inclusion Enterprises.

This is an unedited long-form version of our episode released on April 15th. Please note that the unedited version includes pauses, some up to a minute long, as our team made space to process, listen, and feel during our conversation. If you're a regular listener to this podcast, you know that we often ask our guests to talk about a sideways moment in their life. A time they got into conflict, what happened, how they responded, what they learned. Well, we had one of those moments within our team and we decided to record ourselves talking about it. The conflict arose during final production of our episode with Antonio Williams about the n-word. What happened will be explained here in a moment. All six members of the Sideways team participated in the conversation and we invite you to join us as we work through our own Sideways moment.

In this episode, we talk with Cynda Collins Arsenault about resolving and avoiding conflicts in outer space. And we'll talk with her about the roll of women in driving social change. She is an activist and philanthropist involved a wide range of issues including peace, security and disability. Cinda Collins Arsenault is co-founder and president of Secure World Foundation which promotes cooperative solutions for the secure and sustainable use of outer space for the benefit of humanity.

We have something different for you on this episode. Instead of an interview with a guest, we have a conversation with the whole Sideways team. If you're a regular listener to this podcast, you know that we often ask our guests to talk about a sideways moment in their life. A time they got into conflict, what happened, how they responded, what they learned. Well, we had one of those moments within our team and we decided to record ourselves talking about it. The conflict arose during final production of our episode with Antonio Williams about the N-word. What happened will be explained here in a moment. All six members of the Sideways team participated in the conversation and we invite you to join us as we work through our own Sideways moment.