Curated Conversations: A Podcast on Inclusive Leadership & DEI
Season 3
Season 2
Curated Conversations is Curated Leadership's podcast on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, where founder Sheliza Jamal sits down with leaders, activists, educators, entrepreneurs, and community builders to explore what inclusive leadership looks like in real life.
Each episode dives into lived experience, from intercultural leadership and anti-racist education to disability justice, food justice, ethical tech, and healing-centred practice — offering practical insights for organizations working to build psychological safety, strengthen employee engagement, and create collaborative cultures grounded in equity.
If you're interested in sharing your story or aligning your brand with these conversations, we'd love to connect. Apply below to become a guest or sponsor an upcoming episode.
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In this episode “A Therapist’s Blueprint to Humanizing Therapy”, we are joined by Sarah Ahmed, The POC Therapist, and founder of Leena, a mental health service by people who look like you.
Sarah speaks about culturally relevant therapy, the humanization and decolonization of therapy practice, the importance of humour in life, and finding joy from our younger selves.
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In this episode, we are joined by Nadine Woods, Creative Director and CEO of Mayana Genevière™ Inc, the founder and executive director of Maternal Goddess® and developer of the patented ALUXTRA™.
Nadine gives insight on the changes and challenges that women experience post-birth. She speaks on the transition from birthing to motherhood and how there is a lack of focus on a mother’s needs. She also explains the stigma behind breastfeeding in public.
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In this episode we are joined by Sandra Helou, CEO and Co-Founder of MetaMinds Group, a pioneering Metaverse and spatial web company. Sandra talks about all things tech! Listen to hear her thoughts on accessibility of technology, end-user awareness and responsibility, and self-governance of identity on the internet. Find out what web3 actually even is!
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In this episode, we are joined by Beisan Zubi, founder ofantipalestinianracism.com. As an advocate of anti-Palestinian racism in public education, Beisan discusses liberation, equality, futures, and hopes of Palestininans, anti-Semitism and active Jewish voices in the struggle, the current growing movements, and the importance of solidarity.
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In this episode, we are joined by Pardeep Singh Nagra, a multi-hyphenate Canadian. As a lover of sport, human rights advocate, and action-based volunteer, Pardeep discusses his personal value as a citizen of Canada, responsibility towards civic engagement and reconciliation, human rights and racism in sports, and other topics important to all Canadians. Pardeep also connects his Sikh heritage and faith to what it means to be “Canadian”.
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In this episode, we are joined by Omme-Salma Rahemtullah, Executive Director of FoodShare South Carolina. In this podcast, Omme discusses how food system are created, who has access to healthy choices, food apartheid, and how our grocery stores affect us without even knowing it! Omme works on building advocacy and energy around state-wide policies such as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) expansion and Healthy Bucks and assists regional Hubs to engage with their elected officials at all levels.
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In this episode, we are joined by Faiza Venzant, Executive Director of the Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration. Faiza talks about who gets to volunteer, what it means to be able to give your time and resources to others, and at what cost!
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In this episode, we are joined by Nadia Bennett, the founder and CEO of When Brown Girls Lead. She talks about the importance of leadership in developing anti-racist educational programs and schools. This conversation dives into Nadia's lived experiences as a student, educator and black woman. It raises many questions: how we can challenge the status quo in education, create psychologically safe and brave workplaces for women of colour, and what the future of equity, diversity, and inclusion in education could look like?
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In this episode, we are joined by Tristan Mohamed, a qualifying registered psychotherapist and founder of Life Transitions Therapy. He shares his personal journey of healing and self-discovery, and his unique approach to therapy, which combines relational embodiment and spiritually integrated psychotherapy. Tristan also explains some of the complexities of working with developmental trauma and emphasizes the need for culturally responsive understandings and approaches to mental health in communities of colour. Listeners will gain insights and practical tips on how to navigate their own healing journeys, and will be invited to participate in a brief but effective grounding exercise.
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In this episode, we are joined by Narmin Ismail, the founder of The Spark of Hope Foundation. She discusses her organization's efforts to empower young women in developing countries through education. Narmin shares inspiring stories of students who pursued their academic aspirations and went on to become leaders in their fields and communities. She also explains how igniting hope in young women and investing in their education can help combat gender-based inequality, strengthen local communities and be the key to creating long-term transformational change.
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In this episode, we are joined by Jan Frolic and Jennifer Johnson, co-founders of Captains and Poets, both of whom share their passion for social emotional learning and discuss how it can help young people develop a positive sense of agency and self-discovery. They discuss the importance of bridging the gap between social emotional learning and equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging and how systemic change can be achieved by involving all community partners in supporting young people. Tune in to learn more creating safer and more inclusive learning environments, and join us as we explore how self-awareness, creativity, vulnerability, and resilience can empower young people to be their best selves!
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In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Ardavan Eizadirad and Dr. Njoki Wane. They tell us about the power of oral culture in education as they launch and discuss their recent co-edited book, “The Power of Oral Culture in Education: Theorizing Proverbs, idioms, and Folklore Tales.”. In this conversation, we delve into the limitations of colonial education and suggest ways to become more inclusive of oral cultures, including those of equity-deserving, and deaf and hard of hearing communities.
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In this episode, we're joined by Eloise Tan, Ogho Ikhalo and Shelli Karamath as they bring together their diverse experiences as leaders and educators in the DEI space to talk about what radical self-love and healing mean for them. They discuss how, in a society that often tries to define our worth for us, practicing self-love, recognizing the importance of healing and knowing your self-worth are deeply radical acts.
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In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Arlo Kempf, a prominent scholar and educator in anti-racism, anti-colonialism, and critical Whiteness. He talks to us about the role White privilege plays in our educational system and how his background and relationship with schooling led him to study implicit race bias. He also shares strategies for how we can start to work toward dismantling White supremacy through meaningful allyship and action.
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In this episode, Curated Leadership's founder and Executive Director, Sheliza Jamal, takes the hot seat to answer questions from our listeners, talk about what day-to-day entrepreneurship looks like, and debunk common misconceptions about DEI work. She delves into how her background as a theatre artist and educator eventually led her to curate unique experiences and apply them to the world of diversity, equity and inclusion.
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In this episode, we are joined by Jothi Saldanha, founder of Jothi Creative Wellness. She discusses curating a holistic wellness journey using various healing modalities. An artist educator, Jothi talks about her own journey as well as some of the obstacles and roadblocks faced by marginalized groups when pursuing their healing.
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In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Jamel Adkins-Sharif. He talks about the history of bias in the school system and how it manifests today. Using critical and decolonial lenses, his approaches his work through racial and social justice, leadership, and coloniality in schools.
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In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Naheed Dosani. He delves into palliative care for the houseless and broadens the definition of homelessness by highlighting that it is a public health issue and is often caused by structural factors. He also talks about the impact of COVID-19 on houseless communities and discusses how harm reduction in palliative care is a form of radical love and care.
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In this episode, we are joined by Phil Jang, founder of The Red Dot Project. Phil talks about menstrual equity, the stigma around menstruation, and the intersectional aspects of menstruation that are so often left out of the conversation.
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In this episode we are joined by 17-year-old disability rights activist Isabel Mavrides-Calderon. She talks about her experience with disability rights in the education system, ableism and misperceptions about disabled folks, and the disability justice movement.
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In this episode, we are joined by Mallory Nezam, Creative Consultant at Justice + Joy and a strong advocate of incorporating play into your everyday life. Mallory shares her work embedding artists into all levels of government, and using art to reflect and meet the needs of different communities. She talks about how play is beneficial to us at all stages of life and how it can be used to break down social barriers and release creativity.
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In this episode, we are joined by Javier Davila (he/him), a queer Latine award winning educator from Toronto. The conversation covers the facilitation of safe spaces for students of all identities in the education system, how to introduce equity into school environments, and the creation and sharing of equity resources. Javier also discusses his work in designing policies that center student voices and support BIPOC and 2SLGBTQ+ youth.
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In this episode, we are joined by Heather Watts to discuss Indigenous rights, treaty responsibility and highlighting truth and healing in Reconciliation. Heather also addresses ways to understand and participate in the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30th, and the upcoming federal election.
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In this episode, we chat with Samanta Krishnapillai, founder of The ON Canada Project. Samanta discusses her Instagram page, which has accumulated over 100k followers and seeks to provide accessible education about COVID-19 and other social equity issues. She also talks about how to mobilize communities, particularly Gen Z and Millenials, to seek change and social impact. Finally, Samanta discusses Canada's upcoming federal election, critical issues for Canada's communities, and about how you can get involved and contribute to the causes you care about.
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In our inaugural podcast episode of Curated Conversations, we we are joined by Tristan Mohamed, Gilary Massa, and Shafik Kamani to debunk the myth of the Muslim monolith. These guests share their personal experiences, and discuss the harmful impacts of the Muslim tropes in the media.
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Season 1
