We can all imagine a world where everyone belongs: safe, welcoming communities, inclusive workplaces. The question isn’t what we need to do to make that world a reality — it’s who we need to BECOME. Join Ben McBride, a spiritual leader, activist, and founder/CEO of Empower Initiative, as we explore this question. In every episode, you’ll hear stories from our guests about the moments that defined them and catalyzed their becoming — and find inspiration to continue your own journey of becoming, bridging, and belonging.
How can cities and the people they serve work together to co-create civil rights solutions to root cause issues, and not symptoms? In this illuminating episode, Ben McBride delves into a powerful conversation with Derrick Wheeler-Smith, the Director of the Seattle Office for Civil Rights. Derrick shares his compelling journey from personal experiences of racism to leading transformative civil rights and racial equity initiatives in Seattle. Learn how his values-based leadership and commitment to community investment are driving systemic change and fostering a culture of belonging. This episode is a masterclass in resilience, equity, and the importance of knowing oneself to lead effectively. Guest Bio: Derrick Wheeler-Smith is a native son of the Rainier Valley whose impact as a leader in racial equity and community empowerment in Seattle and King County has spanned more than two decades. Since his beginnings as a youth outreach worker in the streets and schools of Seattle in the late 1990's, through his most recent appointment as the Director of Seattle Office For Civil Rights, Derrick's bold ideas, courageous voice, and ability to empower community action has been a tidal force for countless waves of progress in the Seattle region. Derrick Wheeler-Smith's LinkedIn profile
How can cities and the people they serve work together to co-create civil rights solutions to root cause issues, and not symptoms? In this illuminating episode, Ben McBride delves into a powerful conversation with Derrick Wheeler-Smith, the Director of the Seattle Office for Civil Rights. Derrick shares his compelling journey from personal experiences of racism to leading transformative civil rights and racial equity initiatives in Seattle. Learn how his values-based leadership and commitment to community investment are driving systemic change and fostering a culture of belonging. This episode is a masterclass in resilience, equity, and the importance of knowing oneself to lead effectively. Guest Bio: Derrick Wheeler-Smith is a native son of the Rainier Valley whose impact as a leader in racial equity and community empowerment in Seattle and King County has spanned more than two decades. Since his beginnings as a youth outreach worker in the streets and schools of Seattle in the late 1990's, through his most recent appointment as the Director of Seattle Office For Civil Rights, Derrick's bold ideas, courageous voice, and ability to empower community action has been a tidal force for countless waves of progress in the Seattle region. Derrick Wheeler-Smith's LinkedIn profile
How can curiosity lead us to co-create common ground and a stronger connection to our shared humanity? In this engaging episode of "An Invitation to Become," Ben McBride harvests stories from Jenifer Chao, Director of the Department of Neighborhoods for the City of Seattle. Jenifer shares her inspiring journey from a refugee child to a community leader, emphasizing the importance of fostering belonging and inclusion across diverse neighborhoods. Discover how her personal experiences fuel her commitment to creating resilient relationships and empowering communities to shape their own futures. This conversation is a profound exploration of humanity, curiosity, and the transformative power of intentional leadership. Guest Bio: Jenifer Chao is Director of the Department of Neighborhoods for the City of Seattle, with 23+ years of experience in public service working in key areas of policy development and culturally responsive community engagement. The Seattle Department of Neighborhoods provides resources and opportunities for community members to build strong communities and improve their quality of life. Under Jenifer's leadership, the department's programs and services meet people where they are and help neighbors develop a stronger sense of place, build closer ties, and engage with their community and city government. Jenifer Chao's LinkedIn profile
How can curiosity lead us to co-create common ground and a stronger connection to our shared humanity? In this engaging episode of "An Invitation to Become," Ben McBride harvests stories from Jenifer Chao, Director of the Department of Neighborhoods for the City of Seattle. Jenifer shares her inspiring journey from a refugee child to a community leader, emphasizing the importance of fostering belonging and inclusion across diverse neighborhoods. Discover how her personal experiences fuel her commitment to creating resilient relationships and empowering communities to shape their own futures. This conversation is a profound exploration of humanity, curiosity, and the transformative power of intentional leadership. Guest Bio: Jenifer Chao is Director of the Department of Neighborhoods for the City of Seattle, with 23+ years of experience in public service working in key areas of policy development and culturally responsive community engagement. The Seattle Department of Neighborhoods provides resources and opportunities for community members to build strong communities and improve their quality of life. Under Jenifer's leadership, the department's programs and services meet people where they are and help neighbors develop a stronger sense of place, build closer ties, and engage with their community and city government. Jenifer Chao's LinkedIn profile
Could you offer belonging to a person who is directly dehumanizing you without othering them? In this thought-provoking episode, Ben McBride engages in a deep conversation with Ashlin Malouf-Gashaw, Deputy Director of Strategy and Program at the Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley. Ashlin shares her personal journey and insights on belonging, drawing from her Baha'i Faith and extensive experience in faith-based community organizing. She explores how we can build systems and practices that foster true belonging, and highlights the importance of addressing anger with agency. By the end, she'll uncover practical strategies for creating inclusive, dignified spaces in our communities and organizations. Guest Bio: Ashlin Malouf-Gashaw is the Deputy Director of Strategy and Program at the Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley. She is driven by the growth and development of people, teams, and systems. Whether in the role of mediator, community organizer, coach, executive director, or chief of staff, she has led by inviting people into liberatory practices of dialogue, bridging, authenticity, and power building. From her experience, when courageous conversation, storytelling, vulnerability, and self-reflection are paired with concrete and coordinated strategies, progress is made. Ashlin Malouf-Gashaw's LinkedIn profile
Could you offer belonging to a person who is directly dehumanizing you without othering them? In this thought-provoking episode, Ben McBride engages in a deep conversation with Ashlin Malouf-Gashaw, Deputy Director of Strategy and Program at the Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley. Ashlin shares her personal journey and insights on belonging, drawing from her Baha'i Faith and extensive experience in faith-based community organizing. She explores how we can build systems and practices that foster true belonging, and highlights the importance of addressing anger with agency. By the end, she'll uncover practical strategies for creating inclusive, dignified spaces in our communities and organizations. Guest Bio: Ashlin Malouf-Gashaw is the Deputy Director of Strategy and Program at the Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley. She is driven by the growth and development of people, teams, and systems. Whether in the role of mediator, community organizer, coach, executive director, or chief of staff, she has led by inviting people into liberatory practices of dialogue, bridging, authenticity, and power building. From her experience, when courageous conversation, storytelling, vulnerability, and self-reflection are paired with concrete and coordinated strategies, progress is made. Ashlin Malouf-Gashaw's LinkedIn profile
There's a saying in Texas: use the past as a guiding post, but not a hitching post. So how did an upbringing in 1960's coastal Mississippi inform the becoming of a transformative San Antonio philanthropist? In this enlightening episode, Ben McBride interviews David Rogers, President and CEO of the H.E. Butt Foundation. Discover how David's journey from Mississippi to Texas shaped his commitment to fostering community wholeness. David shares the Foundation's innovative programs, including their transformative Know Your Neighbor initiative and community-building cohorts, which aim to bridge socio-economic and racial divides. Tune in to learn how this unique operating foundation uses its resources and influence to create a more connected, empathetic San Antonio. Guest Bio: David Rogers is the President and CEO of the H. E. Butt Foundation, where his leadership spans three decades. He has led the organization through its transformation from a primarily faith-based, camping-focused culture into a culture-shaping organization known internationally for its commitment to hospitality and excellence. David has led several community engagement initiatives in San Antonio and South Texas, including efforts to support mental health awareness, build capacity for non-profits, develop rural communities, and address the challenge of socio-economic inequity. Under his leadership, the foundation has grown to one of the largest foundations in Texas and one of the largest operating foundations in the United States.
There's a saying in Texas: use the past as a guiding post, but not a hitching post. So how did an upbringing in 1960's coastal Mississippi inform the becoming of a transformative San Antonio philanthropist? In this enlightening episode, Ben McBride interviews David Rogers, President and CEO of the H.E. Butt Foundation. Discover how David's journey from Mississippi to Texas shaped his commitment to fostering community wholeness. David shares the Foundation's innovative programs, including their transformative Know Your Neighbor initiative and community-building cohorts, which aim to bridge socio-economic and racial divides. Tune in to learn how this unique operating foundation uses its resources and influence to create a more connected, empathetic San Antonio. Guest Bio: David Rogers is the President and CEO of the H. E. Butt Foundation, where his leadership spans three decades. He has led the organization through its transformation from a primarily faith-based, camping-focused culture into a culture-shaping organization known internationally for its commitment to hospitality and excellence. David has led several community engagement initiatives in San Antonio and South Texas, including efforts to support mental health awareness, build capacity for non-profits, develop rural communities, and address the challenge of socio-economic inequity. Under his leadership, the foundation has grown to one of the largest foundations in Texas and one of the largest operating foundations in the United States.
As the daughter of an Evangelical Baptist minister, and youngest and only girl of three children, Heidi Brandow's journey to belong began with navigating childhood in a boy-dominated world of brothers, neighbors, and cousins, and exploring what it meant as a white woman to be an ally in melanated countries around the world. Heidi Brandow is VP of Talent & Employee Success at Cohesity, and in this compelling episode she shares her transformative journey from childhood to leading complex mergers, emphasizing the profound difference between inclusion and true belonging. Discover how her unique upbringing and fearless leadership style have shaped her approach to transforming cultures in both the corporate and humanitarian sectors. By the end, you'll gain insights into practical strategies for leading diverse teams and creating environments where every individual can thrive. This conversation is a must-listen for anyone passionate about redefining workplace culture and driving meaningful change. Guest Bio: Heidi Brandow is the VP of Talent & Employee Success at Cohesity, a rapidly growing cybersecurity and data management company. With over 25 years of experience in talent management, leadership development, and coaching, she's held executive roles at Tesla, Palo Alto Networks, and World Vision International. As a learning and leadership expert, she has long been fascinated by what drives ordinary people to deliver truly extraordinary results. She's spent her career working across multiple industries and on the ground in more than 30 countries learning what truly works (and what doesn't) to unleash learning and connect people to what matters most at work and in life.
As the daughter of an Evangelical Baptist minister, and youngest and only girl of three children, Heidi Brandow's journey to belong began with navigating childhood in a boy-dominated world of brothers, neighbors, and cousins, and exploring what it meant as a white woman to be an ally in melanated countries around the world. Heidi Brandow is VP of Talent & Employee Success at Cohesity, and in this compelling episode she shares her transformative journey from childhood to leading complex mergers, emphasizing the profound difference between inclusion and true belonging. Discover how her unique upbringing and fearless leadership style have shaped her approach to transforming cultures in both the corporate and humanitarian sectors. By the end, you'll gain insights into practical strategies for leading diverse teams and creating environments where every individual can thrive. This conversation is a must-listen for anyone passionate about redefining workplace culture and driving meaningful change. Guest Bio: Heidi Brandow is the VP of Talent & Employee Success at Cohesity, a rapidly growing cybersecurity and data management company. With over 25 years of experience in talent management, leadership development, and coaching, she's held executive roles at Tesla, Palo Alto Networks, and World Vision International. As a learning and leadership expert, she has long been fascinated by what drives ordinary people to deliver truly extraordinary results. She's spent her career working across multiple industries and on the ground in more than 30 countries learning what truly works (and what doesn't) to unleash learning and connect people to what matters most at work and in life. Heidi Brandow's LinkedIn profile
Ben McBride is here because an enslaved African woman saw a future beyond the life she was forced into. That's cathedral thinking — envisioning something beautiful you'll never see yourself. A fourth-generation Pentecostal preacher and direct descendent of the Jim Crow era, Ben tells us how love drove him out of his comfort zone and into a life of activism and why we all have to give up power and privilege to create a world where everyone belongs. BIO: Ben McBride, Empower Initiative founder, and CEO, is a spiritual leader and longtime activist for social change. He was instrumental in Operation Ceasefire's violence reduction programs in Oakland, and he was co-director of Faith in Action California, where he represented more than 450,000 people in efforts to dismantle structural inequities and face white supremacy head-on. Today, he leads Empower Initiative full-time, personally delivering keynote addresses and spearheading private consulting engagements in service of EI's mission to create a world where everyone belongs.
At age 5, Jabari Holder stood between his mother and a bullet. Not long after, he lost his mother and became an orphan. Years of bouncing around the foster system hardened him, forcing him to do what it takes to survive in an environment where many Black men like him don't make it past age 25. So how did a man who's been both a victim and perpetrator of gun violence — who's already endured a lifetime of trauma dodging death in the streets — embrace belonging and become a peacemaker and anti-violence activist? Listen to find out. BIO: A product of the unforgiving streets of East Oakland, Jabari Holder became a peacemaker against all odds. Through Oakland Ceasefire, he changed his life and has empowered others through his work. His journey demonstrates what's possible when belonging is put at the center of the story.
How can you protect the community and protect your own family? Can we fight harm and injustice beyond our walls without sacrificing the safety of our loved ones? That's the balance Gynelle McBride fought to maintain as host Ben McBride became more exposed and at risk as an activist. Gynelle talks about her role as a wife and mother as the Black Lives Matter protests in Ferguson ramped up, and tells us about the role restorative justice — not just DEI tools and training — has to play today in fostering belonging in organizations and the world around us. [This is the second part of our two-part interview.] Gynelle McBride is the co-founder and chief operating officer of Empower Initiative. She has been a pillar in the lives of Oakland's underserved youth through her public-education leadership. She is married to Empower co-founder, CEO, and podcast host Ben McBride, and they have three young-adult daughters together.
Gynelle McBride never imagined herself as a married woman — let alone married and raising three young daughters in Oakland's “Kill Zone.” But as her relationship with our host, Ben McBride, evolved, that's exactly what happened. Gynelle tells us about discovering her soft side and her strong side — and feeling a selfless side emerge to care for her family. She also shares one simple piece of advice for anyone looking to become part of making our world better. [This is the first part of our two-part interview.] Gynelle McBride is the co-founder and chief operating officer of Empower Initiative. She has been a pillar in the lives of Oakland's underserved youth through her public-education leadership. She is married to Empower co-founder, CEO, and podcast host Ben McBride, and they have three young-adult daughters together.
An avowed abolitionist and a police chief come face to face: as longtime friends, at a protest on a blocked Oakland freeway, and in our studio. Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong tells us about the deeply personal loss at age 13 that paved the way to his career in public safety, how Black Lives Matter and heightened awareness of police violence has affected his work, and his now-complicated relationship with residents of the poor Black community where he grew up. [This is part one of a two-part interview.] About Chief LeRonne Armstrong: Born and raised in West Oakland, Chief LeRonne Armstrong has worked in public safety for more than 25 years. He was instrumental in creating and implementing the Ceasefire model that reduced homicides nationwide by 50 percent over five years. Committed to building trust between police and community, Armstrong models what bridging looks like when the stakes are high.
There are two things you should know about Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong: He cares, and he's not scared. Armstrong's role has nothing to do with political beliefs and everything to do with preserving Black life. Find out how he keeps showing up for work when so many people see him as a threat, the role of listening in his work, and how he's leading as a bridge between a community impacted by violence and a police force plagued by a history of violence. [This is part two of our two-part interview.]
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