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Today’s conversation is especially powerful because we’re talking about equity beyond the buzzwords—what it really looks like in practice, what leaders often get wrong, and what it takes to sustain meaningful change.

I’m honored to welcome Celeste Warren.

Celeste is a visionary leader with an incredible 28-year career at a global Fortune 100 company, where she rose to the role of Vice President and Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer. Since retiring, she’s continued her mission through Celeste Warren Consulting, helping organizations build fair, equitable systems that actually work.

She’s also the co-founder of Destination STEM, Inc., a nonprofit she launched with her children to support students of color pursuing STEM degrees—because equity doesn’t stop at the workplace; it starts with access and opportunity.

And most recently, Celeste is the author of her new book, The Truth About Equity—a title that says exactly what this conversation is about.

Learn more about Celeste's work here: Website: www.CRWDiversity.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crwdiversity

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@celestewarren-equity

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

Link to book on Amazon: https://mybook.to/TruthAboutEquity

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This week on The Cultural Curriculum Chat™ Podcast, I sat down with leadership strategist and workplace culture expert Ivonne Furneaux for a powerful conversation about something many organizations feel — but rarely name.

Ghost gaps.

These are the invisible divides that quietly undermine trust, engagement, and momentum in teams. They show up in miscommunication. In assumptions. In leadership that says one thing but operates another way.

And they cost organizations more than they realize.

Ivonne brings decades of executive leadership experience to this conversation. But what I appreciated most wasn’t just her corporate insight — it was her human-centered lens. She reminds us that transformation doesn’t stick unless people feel informed, involved, inspired, and invested.

And that’s not just corporate language.

That’s cultural leadership.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What ghost gaps are and how to identify them
  
  
  
• Why most change initiatives fail
  
  
  
• The shift from mentorship to sponsorship
  
  
  
• How leaders can communicate with clarity and care
  
  
  
• What trust actually looks like in action
  
  
  

If you lead a classroom, a nonprofit, a school district, a boardroom — or even your own household — this conversation will stretch you.

Learn more about our guest here: https://www.ivonnefurneaux.com/

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What happens when a child’s identity becomes a target inside the very system meant to protect them?

In this powerful episode of The Cultural Curriculum Chat™ Podcast, host Jebeh Edmunds sits down with scholar and trauma expert Dr. Barbara “Bobbi” Sherrod, a contributor to the new book Identity-Based Mass Violence in Urban Contexts: Uncovered.

Dr. Sherrod shares the heartbreaking and illuminating story of Kelly, a student in Baltimore City Public Schools whose experiences reveal how racial identity, poverty, and systemic neglect collide inside our classrooms. This conversation explores how trauma is often mislabeled as behavior, how identity-based harm hides in plain sight, and what educators can do to intervene before children disappear into the margins.

If you care about trauma-informed teaching, racial equity, or creating safer schools, this is an episode you cannot miss.

Content Notice: This episode includes discussion of trauma and school-based harm.

Listen, reflect, and take action.

Learn more about Dr. Bobbi Sherrod's work here: linkedin.com/in/barbarasherrod

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This week on The Cultural Curriculum Chat™ Podcast, I’m joined by Eugene Manley—a cancer scientist, nonprofit founder, and Black healthcare advocate who helps people make sense of AI, cancer, and health equity without the jargon.

We talk about:

• How AI is already shaping cancer care
• What medical racism looks like in real life
• Why documentation and language matter
• How patients and caregivers can advocate for themselves
• Why STEM careers are part of the long-term equity solution

This is a conversation for anyone who has ever felt unseen in healthcare—or wants to help change the system.

👉 Explore free patient tools at scheq.org

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What happens when a Los Angeles theater commits to inclusion not just onstage, but in leadership, vision, and long-term impact?

In this episode of The Cultural Curriculum Chat™, host Jebeh Edmunds sits down with Ben Zingos to discuss why a Los Angeles theatre is making history in 2026—and what it means for the future of theater, cultural leadership, and representation in the arts.

This conversation explores how theater functions as a space for cultural storytelling, community engagement, and equity-driven leadership. Ben shares insight on moving beyond performative DEI in arts organizations, building trust with communities, and leading cultural institutions with intention during times of social change.

This episode is ideal for educators, artists, nonprofit leaders, and anyone interested in inclusive leadership, arts equity, cultural institutions, and representation in theater.

Topics include:

• Diversity, equity, and inclusion in the arts
• Leadership and governance in cultural institutions
• Representation and storytelling in theater
• Why 2026 marks a pivotal moment for arts organizations

🎧 Listen now to learn how culture, leadership, and community intersect—and why the future of theater depends on who is centered in the story.

Learn more about Space Pirates Theatre Collective Here: https://spacepiratestheatrecollective.org/support/

You can purchase my Lesson Plan: Mister & Lady Day Here:

Mister & Lady Day Grade 1 Lesson Plan - Jebeh Edmunds

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What if burnout isn’t a personal failure—but a cultural one?

In this reflective episode of The Cultural Curriculum Chat™ Podcast, Jebeh Edmunds sits down with Jake Knox, author of Oak Logs & Gasoline, for a conversation many educators, leaders, and creatives didn’t realize they needed.

Jake invites us to slow down and reconsider what we’re building—and how we’re sustaining it. Using the powerful metaphor of starting fires versus tending them, this episode explores why so many capable, hardworking people feel disconnected despite doing “all the right things.” Together, Jebeh and Jake unpack how our culture rewards speed, intensity, and urgency—often at the expense of responsibility, mentorship, and long-term growth.

This conversation moves beyond hype and quick fixes to focus on foundations: the quiet work of leadership, the role of presence in mentorship, and what it means to build something that lasts when no one is watching. It’s a grounding pause for anyone feeling burned out, overextended, or unsure how to lead with more intention.

In this episode, you’ll explore:

• Why we confuse intensity with meaning—and the cost of rushing growth
• The difference between starting something and sustaining it
• How mentorship rooted in presence changes leadership and learning
• What sustainable, values-aligned growth really looks like
• Small shifts you can make to tend what matters most

Whether you’re an educator, leader, parent, or creative navigating a full and demanding life, this episode offers permission to slow down—and a reminder that meaningful work is built over time.

🎧 Listen, reflect, and share this episode with someone who might need the reminder to tend what matters.

Learn more about Jake Knox here at: oaklogsandgasoline.com

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What if the way we teach grammar is actually doing harm?

In this episode of The Cultural Curriculum Chat™ Podcast, host Jebeh Edmunds sits down with Patty McGee — author, literacy educator, and consultant — to challenge the shame-based, punitive ways grammar has been taught for generations.

Patty shares how language is deeply connected to identity, culture, and belonging, and why students from marginalized communities are often made to feel that the way they speak is “wrong” instead of valid. Together, they explore how grammar can be taught through play, curiosity, and multiple “buckets” of language rather than correction and compliance.

This conversation is essential listening for educators who want to build classrooms where students feel seen, respected, and empowered through their words.

You can find Patty’s work and teaching resources by following her on Instagram at @pmgmcgee. Patty McGee | National Literacy Consultant

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Empathy has become one of the most overused—and misunderstood—words in leadership and inclusion spaces. Often framed as a “nice to have” or a soft interpersonal skill, empathy is frequently stripped of its complexity, discomfort, and emotional labor.

In my recent conversation with Matthias Biehl on The Cultural Curriculum Chat™ Podcast, we explored what empathy really looks like in practice—especially when people don’t share the same identities, backgrounds, or worldviews.

Matthias brings over eight years of experience working in inclusion and organizational culture, grounded not only in theory but in lived experience. He challenges the idea that empathy is easy, pointing instead to its emotional cost—and its power.

We discussed why organizations struggle to talk honestly about bias and belonging, how psychological safety is often misunderstood, and what happens when inclusion becomes performative rather than relational.

One of the most powerful takeaways?
Empathy isn’t about agreement. It’s about engagement.

In polarized workplaces and communities, the ability to stay present, curious, and accountable may be one of the most critical leadership skills we have.

If you’re ready to rethink empathy—not as softness, but as strength—this conversation is for you.

🔗 Learn more about Matthias’ work and his startup at https://pool-match.com

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