If you are a changemaker focused on creating more equity in the spaces you occupy and looking to better embody your voice, find ways to increase your impact, and get empowered to keep going, then you are in the right place.

Trailblazing in Color is a movement born out of a need to create community and a support system for those focused on creating positive change in the world.

The Trailblazing in Color Podcast is an intentional space for changemakers: leaders and innovators hell-bent on amplifying our collective impact.

In this podcast, I’ll be interviewing innovative equity builders: Trailblazers, often assumed underdogs, succeeding beyond anyone’s wildest dreams, including—sometimes—their own and blazing trails for those who will follow.

They’ll share their stories and we’ll learn from one another. Some of the things we’ll talk about include:

1. Outcomes-driven community building and its critical importance to anyone who’s working to disrupt and change systems. 
2. How we can apply lessons learned from one area of practice and apply it directly to another, creating shortcuts to equity from which we can all benefit.
3. How our identities are both intrinsically connected to the communities we belong to and how difficult it can still be to find the characteristics that belong uniquely to us.

All the while, centering our four values of self-connection, tradition, joy, and future generations. 

Hi! I’m Sarah Chapman Bacerra. For the past decade, I have had the privilege of working with some of the world’s leading organizations through leadership program development, workshop facilitation, strategic planning, coaching, and culture design. I’ve also been a community organizer for a global movement, serving in a leadership capacity for the past five years and learning about what it takes to start and sustain a movement…without losing yourself along the way. 

I’ve learned a lot and met a lot of incredible people on this journey. And I’ve realized how imperative it is that we spread the collective wisdom of the innovators and thought leaders, because only then can we all grow. 

If you want to tune into the conversation, be sure to hit Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can also subscribe to our newsletter to make sure you don’t miss an episode. Thanks, Trailblazer!

www.trailblazingincolor.com

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Today’s guest, Gary Ware, is trailblazing a path to influence people and organizations to infuse more play in order to evoke more creativity, innovation, and joy, and he gives us the necessary tools and frameworks to do so. Gary was my level 2 improv teacher back in 2018 and the time spent doing something fun just for myself was life changing.

Play isn’t something just for kids. As adults, it’s easy to dismiss the idea of play as a waste of time, or something that needed to be earned by productivity. Why do we lose our playfulness and how do we get it back?

• Give yourself permission to be playful, even at work
• Don’t treat play as an escape from the things that need to be done
• Play is a state of mind that you jump into freely and if you can’t get there easily, start finding more ways to rest
• Create a “recipe” and a “play list”
• See everything as an offer - create a space for everyone’s voice

If you’d like to explore more of the playful facilitation that Gary offers, connect with him:

Online: https://www.breakthroughplay.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garyware/

IG: @garyware

Gary Ware, the Founder of Breakthrough Play, is a corporate facilitator, keynote speaker, certified coach, and author of the book Playful Rebellion: Maximize Workplace Success Through The Power of Play. Gary has over 14 years of experience in the corporate world holding various leadership positions. Being a multifaceted individual Gary also comes with nearly a decade of experience as a performer in improv theatre. After experiencing burnout in his pursuit for success and happiness, he realized that what was missing was play. Committing to a life of play is what led Gary to discover his passion for facilitating. Gary uses the power of applied improvisation and other playful methods to assist people in unlocking creativity, confidence, and better communication. Gary was recently featured as one of the Top 100 HR influencers of 2021 by the Engagedly HR software platform. When Gary isn't leading workshops or speaking, you can find him learning magic or off on an adventure with his wife Courtney and sons Garrett and Cameron. 

Connect with Gary: www.breakthroughplay.com

Be sure to hit Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can also subscribe to our newsletter to make sure you don’t miss an episode: www.trailblazingincolor.com/join

Thanks for your ongoing commitment to keep...

Today’s guest is Lola Adeyemo, a dear friend of mine and entrepreneur, scientist, speaker, and author. We both live in San Diego and I can count her among my “water cooler” friends that are always around to listen and help. In this episode, we’ll talk about her journey as a Nigerian immigrant making a life in America and how she uses her expertise to help businesses build a more inclusive culture.

Culturally in Nigeria, Lola was raised to always respect and listen to everyone older than her. As she experienced college and corporate culture, that line got blurrier. She eventually learned that not everyone is looking out for your best interest, and it’s not always best to bend to those above you.

Lola’s brand new book is called Thriving in Intersectionality: Immigrants, Belonging, and Corporate America. Her goal was to make people rethink how we purposefully foster inclusion in the workplace. In her work, she helps companies support their DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) policies by creating Employee Resource Groups that support fulfilling and outcomes-driven communities.

Connect with Lola: https://eqimindset.com/

Immigrants in Corporate: https://www.immigrantsincorporate.org/

IG: @immigrantsincorporate

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Thanks for your ongoing commitment to keep knowing better and doing better!

Be sure to hit Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can also subscribe to our newsletter to make sure you don’t miss an episode: www.trailblazingincolor.com/join

Trailblazing in Color

Podcast Intro/Outro Music composed by Troy Chapman

A Podcast Launch Bestie production

On today’s episode, our guest is Kim Desmond. She is trailblazing paths as the City of San Diego’s first Chief of Race and Equity. Prior to this appointment, Kim served as the Director and Interim Chief Equity Officer for Mayor Michael B. Hancock, overseeing the Mayor’s Office of Social Equity and Innovation within the City and County of Denver.

This conversation is a powerful one, as Kim has a way with storytelling, connecting dots, and role-modeling what it means to be intentional and care-driven in this work. 

Kim shares the winding, but ultimately, very aligned road that brought her to this work and how the intersection of all that she’s done makes her uniquely equipped for the work she does. 

She talks about the mindsets she’s adopted in order to what to do when everyone is looking to you to solve one of the most deep-rooted problems: systemic racism.

I hope you are as inspired by this conversation as I was while having it!

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Be sure to hit Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can also subscribe to our newsletter to make sure you don’t miss an episode: www.trailblazingincolor.com/join

Thanks for your ongoing commitment to keep knowing better and doing better.

Trailblazing in Color

Podcast Intro/Outro Music composed by Troy Chapman

A Podcast Launch Bestie production

Today's guest is Desiree Aspiras, founder of Deep Breath Network, a diverse and welcoming space to share creativity, mindfulness, and embodied practices with changemakers around the globe.

Desiree is trailblazing paths as an educator, therapist and facilitator focused on integrating these practices into her arenas of mental health, higher education, and social justice. Infused in all of her work is a belief that inspiring individuals to find hope, meaning, and courage is essential to creating change.

In our conversation, we talk about:

• Her journey to integrating mindfulness and contemplative practices into her work as an educator and therapist.
• What it means to reject the established and conditioned norms, particularly in the higher education space, and make the choice to authentically show up differently.
• How we avoid replicating oppressive systems in the spaces we occupy.

Desiree and I have known each other for over 12 years and today we’ll chat about evolutions we’ve seen each other through that have shaped the experiences that made us who we are today. Thanks for tuning in!

Connect with Desiree on her website, deepbreathnetwork.org or on IG @deep_breath_network

Be sure to hit Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can also subscribe to our newsletter to make sure you don’t miss an episode.

www.trailblazingincolor.com

A Podcast Launch Bestie production

Today’s guest is Tania Bhattacharyya, founder of Lumos Marketing, a thought leadership consultancy for social impact entrepreneurs ready to stand out as they stand up for their mission.

In our conversation, we chat about:

• Strategies she uses to overcome imposter syndrome and other challenges that get in the way of women taking up more space.
• How to stand up and stand out as an expert with clarity and intention.
• The power of authentic storytelling and building your campfire circle.
• Helping social impact leaders attract their dream allies and build movements.

Above all, Tania shares her hard-won wisdom and vision for raising the resources we collectively need to create positive change. Thank you for tuning in!

Connect with Tania at https://lumosmarketing.co/

Be sure to hit Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can also subscribe to our newsletter to make sure you don’t miss an episode.

www.trailblazingincolor.com

A Podcast Launch Bestie production

Hi, everyone! Our guest today is an Emmy-award-winning Distinguished Software Engineer passionate about encouraging more young women to enter the tech field. Leslie Chapman is an Engineering Fellow for Comcast, a sought-after speaker, and an advocate for young women to pursue careers in technology.

I am lucky enough to call her my Aunt Leslie and, throughout my life, she has served as a huge inspiration for me. Even so, like so many of us, she still struggles with imposter syndrome and believing she deserves a seat at the table. Over the course of our conversation, Leslie shares:

• How her intersectional identities of being Black, biracial, and a woman have impacted her experiences in the tech field
• How she’s learned to embrace her identities as an integral part of her story and personal brand
• What's needed to create sustainable mentorships
• How we can still influence significant change as individual contributors

If you want to tune into the conversation, be sure to hit Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can also subscribe to our newsletter to make sure you don’t miss an episode.

www.trailblazingincolor.com

A Podcast Launch Bestie production

Today’s trailblazing guest is my long-time friend, Kyle Ali. Kyle is an advocate for equal educational and workforce opportunities and has led several large-scale initiatives to attract and develop Black talent at Google and through his work as Global Chairperson for the Black Googler Network.

In so many of the arenas in which Kyle serves, his focus is on creating ripple effects of long-term impact and lasting change.

Over the course of our conversation, Kyle shares how during his work with Teach for America, witnessing the lack of opportunities, particularly for young Black, Brown, and Native youth, shaped his focus on educational and workforce advocacy. We examine the work of building leadership that is reflective of the communities served and moving towards building prosperity for all.

In all of his work, Kyle is focused on maintaining alignment with what matters most: fulfillment and impact.

If you want to tune into the conversation, be sure to hit Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can also subscribe to our newsletter to make sure you don’t miss an episode.

www.trailblazingincolor.com

A Podcast Launch Bestie production