At The Root Of It

At The Root of It: Resilience with Hanisha

Resilience is often praised, but rarely examined for what it costs. In this final episode of Season One, Hanisha turns the tables and becomes the guest, sharing how resilience was shaped through childhood trauma, survival, and early responsibility. Together, Hanisha and Jared explore how resilience can begin as a necessity, how it evolves over time, and what it looks like when survival is no longer required. This conversation unpacks dissociation, emotional regulation, leadership, immigrant identity, and the slow, intentional work of healing. It closes with a reflection on perseverance, belief, and what it means to choose resilience with softness instead of armor. * 00:00 Introduction to Resilience * 02:29 Childhood Trauma and Resilience * 15:48 The Evolution of Resilience * 18:51 Disassociation vs Resilience * 22:30 Emotional Resilience via Processing Your Emotions * 28:10 Resilience as an Adult * 36:30 What is Soft Resilience? * 42:14 Leading with Resilience * 48:14 Jumpstarting Resilience and having Role Models * 52:39 Do immigrants have natural resilience? * 56:58 The Cost of Resilience * 01:06:34 Personal Evolution and Navigating Therapy * 01:14:59 Reflecting on the Season and What is at the Root of Resilience?

At The Root of It: Growth with Rolando

In this conversation, Hanisha and Rolando talk about growth as something that unfolds over time, often in ways we don’t immediately recognize. They reflect on how growing up with immigrant parents shaped their early understanding of success as survival, stability, and hard work, and how that definition slowly expanded once they entered the professional world. Rolando shares how discomfort, feedback, and eventually therapy helped him recognize when he was stuck, burnt out, or outgrowing a role. Hanisha explores how much of her own growth showed up quietly, through patience, emotional regulation, and learning to pause instead of pushing harder. Together, they unpack how growth can feel uncomfortable, nonlinear, and sometimes even like loss, while still being deeply meaningful.

At The Root of It: Truth with Jared

Truth is often framed as something fixed. A fact. A moral rule. Something you either tell or avoid. But lived truth is far more complicated. In this episode, we explore how our relationship with truth is shaped early in life, through family dynamics, cultural expectations, and the environments that taught us what was safe to say and what needed to stay hidden. We unpack how curiosity creates room for understanding, while certainty can shut conversations down. And we examine the tension between honesty and discernment, especially in relationships, leadership, and work. We talk about the cost of truth. When telling it damages trust. When withholding it erodes integrity. And how delivery, timing, and audience matter just as much as the truth itself. The conversation also turns inward. Toward body awareness, self reflection, and the quiet signals that tell us when something is misaligned. Toward the challenge of being honest with ourselves, especially when past truths no longer fit who we are becoming. This episode invites listeners to reflect not just on what they believe is true, but how those truths were formed, whose expectations they carry, and what context they may be missing. 1. 00:00 Exploring the Concept of Truth 2. 01:36 Childhood Perspectives on Truth 3. 06:16 Family Dynamics and Truth 4. 11:29 Curiosity and Understanding 5. 18:09 Navigating Relationships and Truth 6. 23:58 The Role of Vulnerability 7. 30:37 Trust and Its Impact on Truth 8. 36:38 The Cost of Truth 9. 43:57 Body Language and Communication 10. 50:23 Self Reflection and Honesty 11. 57:11 The Intersection of Truth and Context

At The Root of It: Forgiveness with Brittany

Content warning: this episode includes discussions of trauma, abuse, and mental health. Please listen with care. Forgiveness is complicated. In this episode, we explore what it really takes to move through anger, grief, and the stories we carry from childhood into a place of freedom and self-compassion. Hanisha and Brittany share how forgiveness has evolved for them, shaped by trauma, agency, boundaries, and the unexpected clarity that comes with distance and perspective. Together they explore what many of us quietly wrestle with: • What do we do with the parts of childhood we wish we could rewrite? • How do we navigate forgiveness when no apology is coming? • What does self-forgiveness look like when our own patterns hurt us most? • How does discernment grow out of painful experiences? • Why does forgiveness sometimes feel like betrayal of our younger selves? This conversation asks us to slow down, look inward, and honor the hard-earned wisdom that comes with surviving, reframing, and ultimately choosing what to carry forward. CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction to Forgiveness 02:47 The Evolution of Forgiveness 06:54 Agency and Forgiveness 08:19 Complex Relationships and Forgiveness 12:34 Lessons from a Difficult Past 19:22 The Journey of Self-Discovery 24:43 Reframing Trauma and Forgiveness 30:00 Finding Freedom in Forgiveness 33:10 Embracing Life’s Challenges 34:50 The Impact of Childhood Experiences 36:44 Understanding Burnout and Workaholism 38:41 The Importance of Self-Compassion 40:43 Forgiveness and Personal Growth 45:28 The Complexity of Forgiveness 49:40 Learning Through Mistakes 52:16 Self-Compassion in Neurodiversity 57:06 Finding Freedom in Forgiveness

At The Root of It: Feedback with Mike

In this episode of At the Root of It, Mike joins to explore how feedback shapes us in the workplace and at home. Together we talk about the moments that felt abrasive, the patterns we carried from childhood, and the cultural and gender dynamics that make feedback feel complicated. We unpack why some feedback stings, how trust and psychological safety transform the way we hear it, and why vulnerability sits at the core of giving and receiving feedback. Mike shares stories from design critiques, mentorship experiences, and the influence of his own upbringing. Hanisha reflects on navigating feedback as a woman of color in tech, being labeled aggressive, and learning to ask clarifying questions and regulate emotional reactions. If you have ever struggled with the delivery of feedback, the silence after feedback, or the internal voice that feels like old conditioning, this conversation brings clarity and compassion to one of the most universal human experiences. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Feedback Dynamics 03:00 The Role of Feedback in Professional Growth 05:40 Navigating Personal Feedback and Relationships 08:50 The Art of Delivering Feedback 12:03 Gender Dynamics in Feedback Reception 14:47 Building Trust for Effective Feedback 17:52 Feedback and Personal Growth 20:41 The Impact of Upbringing on Feedback Reception 23:59 Emotional Intelligence in Feedback 26:47 Conclusion and Reflections on Feedback 32:42 Navigating Feedback: The Art of Receiving and Giving 39:40 Trust and Vulnerability: Building Connections in the Workplace 45:59 Cultural Dynamics: Communication Styles Across Borders 52:27 The Importance of Detailed Feedback 57:54 The Root of Feedback