Bring Your Own Chair

Dhayana is a Dominican writer, poet, and spoken word artist. She started to write around the age of nine when she lived in the Dominican Republic, then continued after moving to the United States in 2009. She explores different topics such as growth, love, loss, sexuality, healing, and spirituality. Her work has been published on the Soul Candy Anthology by Writer’s Pocket, Issue 5 of the International Magazine Potted Purple, The Dominican Writers Collective Newsletter, Robert Writes Production, and the Kindness Book by UNESCO MGIEP and Penguin India Publishing. Dhayana hopes to continue to share her words with the world and create a space where people feel safe with their emotions. Her first poetry collection Agridulce was published in Fall 2021 and it is a combination of emotions, thoughts, and experiences. Social Media: Instagram: @dhayanalejandrina [https://www.instagram.com/dhayanalejandrina/] https://dhayana-alejandrina.square.site/ [https://dhayana-alejandrina.square.site/] --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app [https://anchor.fm/app]

Jay Davis is a writer, designer, and illustrator based in Brooklyn, NY. She has done work for NPR, Malala Fund, Nasdaq, and Glastonbury Music Festival. Her debut children's book, GIRL DAD is scheduled to be released March 29, 2022, with the subsequent BOY DAD releasing that summer. Social Media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wooloverwater/ [https://www.instagram.com/wooloverwater/] Ginger [https://www.ginger.com/] (a mental health app) KRSN studio [https://twitter.com/KRSNStudio] (jewelry company) Jay’s upcoming line, Wool Over Water, dropping summer 2022! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app [https://anchor.fm/app]

Ashika Kalra is currently Chief of Staff at First Round Capital, an early-stage venture fund in New York where she has the opportunity to meet the game-changing entrepreneurs of our generation and collaborate with them as they launch their vision from the ground up. Prior to First Round, Ashika worked at the Zuckerberg Institute, where she supported the founding team’s mission of democratizing access to entrepreneurial education for innovators around the world. Ashika also has a deep interest in public policy and education. She launched a non-profit, The Vidya Project, focused on integrating action-oriented learning and high-impact mentorship in classrooms across India and West Africa. She is a Tedx Speaker and has been recognized as a Global Shaper at the World Economic Forum. She recently released her first book, Behind Her Vision: Women of New York City, co-authored with her dear friend, Jade Chen. Social Media: Order Behind Her Vision Here! [//bit.ly/behindhervision] www.behindhervision.com [http://www.behindhervision.com/] Instagram: Behind Her Vision [https://www.instagram.com/behindhervision/] www.thevidyaproject.org [http://www.thevidyaproject.org/] Instagram: The Vidya Project [https://www.instagram.com/projectvidya/] --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app [https://anchor.fm/app]

Hanieh is a senior user experience researcher and designer at YLabs, a non-profit design studio working to improve health and economic opportunity for youth. She uses Human-Centred Design to solve complex social challenges to produce impactful and equitable outcomes for communities. She is also the co-founder of Thousand&One, a social enterprise that supports women of colour to thrive in their professional lives, through community, healing, and growth. With a background in the arts and journalism, and an MSc in Human-Computer Interaction from the University of York in England, she approaches design challenges through an inter-disciplinary and equity-focused lens. She is a UX instructor at Juno College of Technology and a design mentor at Springboard. She runs on coffee, enjoys climbing peaks, and reading a good book. Website: https://hanieh.me/ [https://hanieh.me/] Hanieh’s Twitter: @hfkhosroshahi [https://twitter.com/hfkhosroshahi] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haniehk/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/haniehk/] SSIR Article: https://ssir.org/articles/entry/the_concrete_ceiling# [https://ssir.org/articles/entry/the_concrete_ceiling#] Thousand&One: thousandone.org [https://thousandone.org/] --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app [https://anchor.fm/app]

Jaycina Almond is mom to a spirited 4 year old named Syx and founder of Tender - a nonprofit bridging the financial gap and providing a safety net for single mamas living on the margins in Atlanta. In 2020, Tender was able to distribute over $83,000 to mothers across the city - keeping 78 families in their homes, paying 41 utility bills, providing 38 mamas with grocery store gift cards, and delivering diapers + wipes to 183 families. Jaycina can be found reading in the corner somewhere most days, will happily admit she has absolutely zero rhythm, and is a baby abolitionist. Social Media: Website: https://www.thetenderfoundation.com/ [https://www.thetenderfoundation.com/] Tender Instagram: @tender [https://www.instagram.com/tender/] Jaycina’s Instagram: @jaycina [https://www.instagram.com/jaycina/] --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app [https://anchor.fm/app]