We're Not So Different

We talk with Vidal Guzman who is a community activist and part of the Close Riker's Island campaign. After having faced the nightmare of the criminal justice system we focus on Vidal's journey involved with youth leadership, mental health, and fixing the broken correctional system with an emphasis on community programs that are preventative.

We talk with Jasmin Faulk-Dickerson the host of the podcast “I Want You To Meet.” We discuss her background being born in Saudi Arabia, her fight for women, her role as a teacher, our failure to recognize the urgency of education, reframing gender roles in parenting and why we all want to be seen, heard, and loved. Jasminfaulkdickerson.com

We talk with Hassan Al Kontar about what started the 2011 war in Syria, being a refugee, his 7 months in a Malaysian airport, calling Canada home and how he became a voice for Syrians and refugees all over the world.

We talk about the transition from activism to politics and how impact can change. What do we give up of ourselves in these instances? We talk SB-145, Obama, Trump, hate crime legislation, segregation, and making change and keeping your soul. Follow us on twitter and instagram @wnsdifferent Website: www.wnsdifferent.com Email: wnsdifferent@gmail.com

We talk with Savanah Clements about remembering mental health as she explains her fight with depression, anxiety, self-harm, thoughts of suicide, how therapy changed her life and breaking down cultural norms related to mental health. KeepChoosingLife.org is her nonprofit organization connecting people with Talk Space and Better Help providing affordable resources for mental health services. @keepchoosinglife Follow us on twitter and instagram @wnsdifferent Website: http://www.wnsdifferent.com/ (www.wnsdifferent.com) Email: wnsdifferent@gmail.com

We talk Freedom and breakdown what it means using Iran and the United States as examples. Diving more in-depth on how we define freedom, economics relationship with freedom, and if freedom is a figment of our imaginations. Follow us on twitter and instagram @wnsdifferent Website: http://www.wnsdifferent.com/ (www.wnsdifferent.com) Email: wnsdifferent@gmail.com

We talk to Yoel Iskindir of @Yoeliskindirproductions and yoeliskindir.com about #eraofmarincity. Two segregation lawsuits between 2013 and 2019 filed in Marin County for the purposeful segregation of schools. Yoel walks us through democratic liberals hiding behind their political affiliation to further the racial and socioeconomic divide in one of the richest counties in America. Check out United States of Anxiety to hear more about Sausalito, California and Marin County. Follow us on twitter and instagram @wnsdifferent Website: http://www.wnsdifferent.com (www.wnsdifferent.com)

We talk to Alan Marling of @aemarling about what motivated him to start projection activism. His involvement in March for Our Lives and the Sunrise Movement. We talk white supremacy, Trump, Alan's twitter beef, practicing democracy once a week, and a return to an old, but new America. Follow us on twitter and instagram @wnsdifferent Website: http://www.wnsdifferent.com (www.wnsdifferent.com) Email: wnsdifferent@gmail.com

We talk with Gerson Sanchez, a young Ph.D. candidate about being an activist, it's etymology, and what prompts each of us to action. We discuss small things with big impacts, latin history past and present, his dissertation, and the shared histories of Blacks and Latins in America. Follow us on twitter and instagram @wnsdifferent Website: http://www.wnsdifferent.com (www.wnsdifferent.com) Email: wnsdifferent@gmail.com

We talk Civic Duty and engagement. The sometimes hopeless nature of voting at the federal level. Working through local government to impact change. How Samira and Ali see participating in the process versus not. Follow us on twitter and instagram @wnsdifferent Website: http://www.wnsdifferent.com (www.wnsdifferent.com) Email: wnsdifferent@gmail.com

We talk entitlement and arrogance of current occupiers. Why people immigrate to other countries. The contributions of diversity both forced and unforced. The importance of history and educating oneself on who was where and when. Follow us on twitter and instagram @wnsdifferent Website: http://www.wnsdifferent.com (www.wnsdifferent.com) Email: wnsdifferent@gmail.com

We talk assimilating and aligning with the dominant culture. Samira explains the Hijab, why some don't wear it, and Iran's perception of the U.S. Ali explains what human alignment is and the dangers of aligning to specific groups. Follow us on twitter and instagram @wnsdifferent Website: http://www.wnsdifferent.com (www.wnsdifferent.com) Email: wnsdifferent@gmail.com

We talk national holidays. Learning and being open to the celebrations of others. Juneteenth versus Independence Day and what they mean to different citizens. Finding and creating your own culture. Follow us on twitter and instagram @wnsdifferentWebsite: http://www.wnsdifferent.com (www.wnsdifferent.com) Email: wnsdifferent@gmail.com

We talk Covid resurgence. Believers versus non-believers. The response of the government to the pandemic and how capitalism may not be helping us out. Our relatively different paths to educating our children amidst the pandemic and future impacts to this new generation. Follow us on twitter and instagram @wnsdifferentWebsite: http://www.wnsdifferent.com (www.wnsdifferent.com) Email: wnsdifferent@gmail.com

We talk, distinguishing between a sentiment versus an organization when looking at movements. What messages are we missing because of our biases? How a lack of information can change the real narrative. Social media, hate speech regulation, and technology that is being used to push divisiveness. Follow us on twitter and instagram @wnsdifferent Website: http://www.wnsdifferent.com (www.wnsdifferent.com) Email: wnsdifferent@gmail.com

We're Not So Different tackles religion for the first time! Join us as we engage and explore whether or not there is a correlation between religion and supremacy, being religious versus being spiritual, how religion has/can be weaponized, the difference between God and humans, if religion is even a personal choice, and how the game of telephone can be related to religious text. This is one of our more intriguing episodes. Enjoy, subscribe, review, and share!

We talk about the global outcry that has come from racial injustice in America. We take a look at foreigners and their relationship with "The Struggle" of the Black American and escaping their own historical demons. What Samira and Ali are doing to push for change and how you too can support and not let the momentum subside.

This episode is all about relationships with bigots. Samira gives her perspective on coping with family and friends who are or once were bigots. Ali questions his friendships. We discuss how to educate a bigot and taking the desire to just be "right" out of the equation. And we talk about rising tides lifting all ships.

We interview Mandy Ansari, who is a digital marketer, brand strategist, tech nerd and mental health advocate who works with startups to Fortune 500 companies to increase their reach and build their digital footprint through creative marketing. She leads Community Marketing at Bumble and is the Lifestyle Blogger behind www.girlandthe.com, a guide to chasing happiness for the modern girl. She shares daily stories and posts with 300K+ Instagram followers (www.instagram.com/mandy) who know her as their “Virtual BFF”. Mandy is obsessed with the internet’s ability to make the world a smaller and more connected place. She’s dedicated to helping her followers feel more understood and less alone. We talk depression, anxiety, mental wellness and self-care. Mandy shares her tragedies and triumphs with us and spills the tea on authenticity, unconventional therapy and being a Virtual BFF!

With direction from psychotherapist Carmelle Ellison, LCSW, we learn about relational trauma, somatic sensing, and mis-attunement. We discuss the pressure of color and how combating mental stress with a focus on achievement may do us more harm than good.

May is Mental Health month! We join Jewel Love Jr., a licensed psychotherapist as he walks us through the various aspects of mental health, the practice of, mental transformation, corporate mental health, and what we can do as individuals to not only take it more seriously, but how we can get started healing our minds today.

We break down cultural appropriation and its forms based on a listener's question. Global examples of culture vultures. Appropriation vs Appreciation. Learning instead of imitating and having the emotional intelligence to differentiate.

Misplaced aggression and the possessive nature of men. The confusing behavior of women. Youngsters, technology, and adult imagery. Keys for opposite sex communication. The three looks. Oh yeah, Ali hits a high note.

Be A Lady They Said...we watch Cynthia Nixon's video and take a deeper dive into the portrayal and expectations of women, social media's impact, sexual freedom, women using what they have to get what they want, and how traditional values impact perception.

All about our podcast journey. How we met. Our D&I and Affinity Group work. The creative process. What we hope to achieve and our message to listeners.

The benefit of cultural alliances. How to engage other cultural groups you may not identify with. Connecting with your leaders. Samira's 3 tips.

The duality of language. Revisiting that infamous controversial word. Internal vs External dialogues and how exposure shapes them. Balancing love language and sarcasm in the home.

Who and what is an American? Descendants of slaves and American pride. The immigrant perspective and the re-branding of what it means to be American in the current political climate.

An episode on communication and cultural differences at work. Why some groups don't trust others and communicating with those groups. Standing for others in the room. Owning leadership and finding a good leader.

How does environment and external forces shape cultural perceptions? How does media represent me? Do we use anecdotal evidence to support self fulfilling prophecy?

About the creators and origin of the podcast. Differences in cultural upbringings and what shapes a household. Household vs social usage of the N-word.