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.

In this episode, we talk with Robin DiAngelo about seeing whiteness. She is an educator, author, and consultant with over 20 years experience working on issues of racial and social justice. She teaches in the education department at the University of Washington. Her 2018 book, White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism, was a New York Times bestseller, and it's been translated into 13 languages. We spoke with Robin DiAngelo at the 2024 White Privilege Conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

In this episode, we talk with Edwin Cleophas about life for people of color in South Africa today, and about the work of his nonprofit organization, the Social Justice Agency. He's a longtime youth development specialist based in the Western Cape region of South Africa. We also welcome guest co-host and Sideways Pod producer Norma Johnson.

The White Privilege Conference (WPC) is a powerful and unique learning opportunity that invites participants to learn about and practice anti-racism. This episode features short conversations with conference participants as well as some highlights from past interviews with WPC founder Dr. Eddie Moore Jr. Sideways Pod is a proud sponsor of the conference and we encourage the Sideways Pod community to check it out! Click here to learn more about the conference and to register. Hope to see you there!

In this episode, we talk with Sarah Leer about belonging and broadening diversity in traditional faith communities. Dr. Sarah Leer is a practical theologian who works with young people in the Presbyterian Church and in other faith-based institutions. Her work focuses on affirmation and deepening of belonging, especially in solidarity with LGBTQIA+ people. We spoke with Sarah Leer at the 2024 White Privilege Conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

In this episode, we talk with Ryan Virden about history and about the wound of whiteness. He's an educator, author, and the founder of LIR Cultural Coaching. We spoke with Ryan Virden at the 2024 White Privilege Conference.

In this episode, we talk with Christian Ortiz about using artificial intelligence to help improve communication and understanding around bias. He's an entrepreneur, founder of Mod Atlas Media, and the developer of Justice A.I.

In this episode, we talk with Heidi Burgess about intractable conflict and the challenges of dialogue. She is the co-founder and co-director of the Conflict Information Consortium. With her partner, Guy Burgess, they started the consortium while at the University of Colorado. Since their retirement, they continue to run it as an independent resource. They also maintain a website called Beyond Intractability.

In this episode, we talk with Mary Zinn about strategies for having difficult conversations and about how engaging in conflict can help us learn and grow. She's been involved in conflict resolution for well over 30 years as an activist, educator, and mediator. Mary Zinn is also a member of the Well That Went Sideways! production team.

In this episode, we talk with Durryle Brooks about centering love in racial justice work, and about how he approaches diversity and social justice learning opportunities for leaders through his organization, Love and Justice Consulting. He's also the author of Reconceptualizing Love: Moving Towards a Critical Theory of Love in Education for Social Justice. We spoke with Durryle Brooks at the 2024 White Privilege Conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

In this episode, we talk with Antonio Williams about the power of the N-word. He is the founder and president of Leaders at Work Consulting. Antonio Williams has worked in education for over 25 years as a teacher, a department chair, and a senior administrator. We spoke with him at the 2024 White Privilege Conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This episode contains the use of the N-word in its entirety, a known racial slur and derogatory language to refer to African Americans or people who are identified as Black. Please note that this racial slur could be potentially disturbing content for listeners. Listener discretion is advised.

In this episode, we talk with Cynthia Pesantez about the https://comadrespeakers.com/. It's a different kind of speakers group. They use speaker events to leverage sustained community action. We spoke with Cynthia Pesantez at the 2024 White Privilege Conference.

In this episode, we talk with Marchell Taylor about his journey through childhood trauma, an undiagnosed brain injury, and incarceration. His story highlights the need for proper diagnosis and treatment for individuals in the criminal justice system. It's a need Marchell Taylor responded to himself by developing programs for inmates and by his work as a screener for TBI, Traumatic Brain Injury, and as a peer specialist for WellPower, a mental health services provider in the Denver, Colorado area.

In this episode, we talk with Natalie Thoreson about centering love in the work of social justice and conflict resolution. They're a consultant and facilitator who works with individuals and organizations to bring about positive social change through love, compassion, and community. We spoke with Natalie Thoreson at the 2023 White Privilege Conference.

In this episode, we talk with Natarsha Prince Sanders about racial justice and spiritual development. She's a speaker, teacher, and community pastor, as well as a doctoral student at Columbia Theological Seminary.

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Shemariah Arki about building community and promoting institutional equity in education. She is an educator, an activist, an organizer. She currently serves as an assistant professor in the Department of Africana Studies as well as the director of the Center for Pan African Culture, both at Kent State University in Ohio. Dr. Arki is also the founder and program director of the Ellipsis Institute for Women of Color in the Academy. We spoke with her at the 2023 White Privilege Conference in Mesa, Arizona.

In this episode, we talk with Debby Irving about white privilege. She's a racial justice educator and author of the book, Waking Up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race. We spoke with Debbie Irving at the 2023 White Privilege Conference in Mesa, Arizona.

In this episode, we talk with Curtis Acosta about conflicts over ethnic studies and about humanizing education. He taught high school for over 20 years in Tucson, Arizona, and developed a groundbreaking Mexican-American studies program. The state of Arizona banned that program in 2010, despite several years of positive academic outcomes. The ban was later ruled unconstitutional. Curtis Acosta currently works as an educational consultant and teaches at the University of Arizona. We spoke with him at the 2023 White Privilege Conference in Mesa, Arizona.

In this episode, we talk with Aaron Stark about his journey from an abusive childhood to almost carrying out a mass shooting, and then becoming an advocate for mental health services and gun control. His TED talk, entitled, I Was Almost a School Shooter, has over 14 million views.

On this episode, we talk with Erin Breeze about navigating conflict in divorce and transforming the way we look at divorce. She is a life after divorce strategist who works primarily with mothers through her program, Happy Home.

On this episode, we talk with Lisa Forbes about how she draws on her personal experience with trauma and incarceration to advocate for others who are struggling to re-enter society as restored citizens. And she also describes a simple technique called Tapping that has helped her deal with the emotional and physical effects of trauma. Lisa Forbes is an author and keynote speaker. Her book is titled, I Can Take it From Here: A Memoir of Trauma, Prison, and Self-Empowerment.

In this episode, we talk with Dante King about the roots of racism in America. Dante King is the author of The 400 Year Holocaust: White America's Legal, Psychopathic and Sociopathic Black Genocide - and the Revolt Against Critical Race Theory. He is also a human resources professional and has taught at the University of California, San Francisco, and will soon be guest faculty at The Mayo Clinic School of Medicine. We spoke with Dante King in April at the 2023 White Privilege Conference in Mesa, Arizona.

On this episode, we talk with Jes Rau about pronouns, why they matter, and how we can respond to some of the common conflicts and apprehensions around using non-binary pronouns. Jes Rau is the Manager of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Training at Well Power, a large mental health service provider in Denver. They are also a member of the production team here at Well, That Went Sideways!

On this episode, we talk with Grace Gee about the healing power of art and storytelling. She is a Colorado-based artist, writer, and teacher, and much of our conversation centers on one of her recent projects called Bubbling Up. It's a public exhibit that invites members of the BIPOC community to write their stories of discrimination and injustice, and then non-BIPOC community members are invited to write a response.

Kimberlee Yolanda Williams is an educator, DEI consultant, workshop leader, speaker, certified life and health coach, and author of the book Dear White Women, Please Come Home. In this episode we talk with Kimberlee about engaging across difference.

Dena Samuels is an author, professor at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, and consultant on mindful inclusive leadership development. In this episode we talk with Dena about the role of mindfulness in addressing conflict and advancing social justice.

René Marie is a Grammy nominated jazz vocalist and songwriter. In this episode we talk with René about music and art as a form of communication and explore the idea of the artist's response to conflict.

Sideways Pod is a proud sponsor of the 2023 White Privilege Conference hosted by The Privilege Institute. To promote this event, we'd like to re-share our interview with Dr. Eddie Moor Jr., founder of The Privilege Institute, where he discusses the conference which has become one of the top national and international conferences for participants who want to move beyond dialogue and into action around issues of diversity, power, privilege, and leadership. For more information, visit https://www.theprivilegeinstitute.com/

Tom Cosgrove is the founder and president of New Voice Strategies and is the co-creator of the documentary film "Divided We Fall." In this episode, we talk with Tom about making human concoctions with people who have different political beliefs and who come from different backgrounds.

In this episode we explore the work of community mediation with Kabrina Bass, the Executive Director of the Midlands Mediation Center, a non-profit conflict resolution organization serving central South Carolina.