Building Community and Empowering Entrepreneurs with Ronda Jackson
ReImagining Community with Garland
Release Date: 02/19/2025
Solo ReImagining Series EP9: Higher Education as Third Spaces
ReImagining Community with Garland
What if college campuses weren’t just a bridge to adulthood, but living third spaces that teach us how to belong before we carry those lessons into the wider world? In this solo episode of Reimagining Community, Garland Fuller explores higher education as a powerful third space where identity, connection, and transformation unfold. Drawing on her experience as both a student and adjunct professor, Garland examines how campuses can move beyond classrooms to become intentional hubs of belonging—through the people, places, and programs that shape community. Key Conversation Highlights...
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Solo ReImagining Series EP8: ERG as Hidden Third Spaces
ReImagining Community with Garland
What if the most powerful space at work isn’t in the boardroom or the break room, but in an employee resource group over lunch, during a heritage celebration, or even in a Slack channel? In this solo episode of Reimagining Community, Garland Fuller explores Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) as hidden third spaces that cultivate connection, flatten hierarchies, and build belonging inside organizations. From women’s circles and cultural affinity groups to caregiving networks and next-gen cohorts, Garland reveals how ERGs function as more than just side initiatives—they are grassroots engines...
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SoloReImagining Series EP7: Arts and Culture Third Spaces
ReImagining Community with Garland
What if the gallery, the stage, or the mural on your street corner became our new town square? In this solo episode of Reimagining Community, Garland Fuller explores arts and culture spaces as powerful third spaces that spark creativity, foster belonging, and even strengthen civic engagement. From theater and visual arts to dance, film, and public murals, Garland shares how arts and culture function as more than decoration—they are infrastructure for belonging. These spaces invite us to feel, imagine, and connect beyond background or identity. Drawing from personal experience and the...
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SoloReImagining Series EP6: Women Only Third Spaces
ReImagining Community with Garland
What happens when women gather without the male gaze? What shifts when women create spaces where honesty, safety, and creativity can thrive? In this solo episode of Reimagining Community, Garland Fuller explores the history, impact, and future of women-only spaces—from all-girls schools and suffrage clubs to modern coworking collectives and healing circles. These spaces aren’t exclusionary. They’re revolutionary. They’ve always been incubators for change, where women organize, heal, and imagine new possibilities. Through the People–Place–Program framework, Garland unpacks why...
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SoloReImagining Series EP5: Future of Third Spaces
ReImagining Community with Garland
People are craving connection. This is urgent. In the closing episode of the Third Space Academy Solo Series, Garland Fuller brings the lessons full circle—loneliness, hybrid work, green spaces, personal story, and why intentional community design matters now more than ever. This finale is part recap, part reflection, and part call to action. With guided prompts, Garland challenges listeners to identify who in their communities is most at risk, how digital and hybrid spaces can deepen connection, and why every builder needs to know their own why. Key Conversation Highlights Loneliness as...
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SoloReImagining Series EP4: My Story
ReImagining Community with Garland
We spend so much time cosplaying corporate—buttoned-up, polished, leaving parts of ourselves at the door—that we forget who we really are. In this vulnerable solo episode of Reimagining Community, Garland Fuller shares the personal journey that shaped her work in people, culture, and third spaces. From high school track meets to college leadership roles, to a two-decade career in HR and community building, Garland threads together the story of how she learned to design spaces where people can show up as their whole selves. This is her why behind Third Space Academy—and a call to leaders...
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SoloReImagining Series EP3: Outdoors & Green Space as a Place for Wellbeing
ReImagining Community with Garland
Green space isn’t decoration—it’s medicine. In this solo episode of Reimagining Community, Garland Fuller explores how outdoor and nature-rich “third spaces” restore wellbeing, invite belonging, and spark creativity. From morning walks to community gardens, we unpack why designing with nature is not a nice-to-have—it’s a leadership mandate for healthier teams and communities. Research on social connection, mental health, and wellbeing backs it up , , . Key Conversation Highlights Why Nature Matters for Belonging How outdoor third spaces (parks, trails, gardens) counter...
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SoloReImagining Series EP2: Hybrid Workspace
ReImagining Community with Garland
We’re not robots. We don’t show up to work as just one version of ourselves—and in today’s hybrid and remote landscape, engagement and wellbeing don’t always align. In this solo episode of Reimagining Community, Garland Fuller explores why flexibility gets people in the door, but connection is what keeps them in the room. From Gallup’s paradox of remote work (higher engagement, lower wellbeing) to the rising demand for flexibility as currency for retention, Garland dives into what leaders need to understand about designing meaningful connection in hybrid teams. Key Conversation...
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Solo ReImagining Series EP1: Building True Belonging | People, Place & Program | Third Space Academy
ReImagining Community with Garland
Loneliness is rising, even as our world feels more connected than ever. Half of Americans report feeling lonely on a daily basis , and burnout continues to affect nearly two-thirds of U.S. employees . In this solo episode of Reimagining Community, Garland Fuller unpacks what this means for leaders, organizers, and anyone invested in building spaces of belonging. From the People–Place–Program framework to practical examples of inclusive design, Garland breaks down why true belonging doesn’t happen by accident—it’s built with care, intention, and attention to detail. Whether you’re...
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Words of the Year Check-in with Allison S. Weiss and Marissa Garza
ReImagining Community with Garland
We’re back for our quarterly check-in! This episode, Garland, Marissa, and Allison get real about how 2025 is treating them—emotionally, creatively, and professionally. The crew dives into the words of the year they each picked, how those intentions are holding up (or, in some cases, getting a remix!), and the rituals keeping them grounded in these all-over-the-place times. From Topple-inspired metaphors for emotional balance to morning walks and “letting go” as a radical act, you’ll find sharp honesty and truly relatable reflections. We chat about how consuming less (media,...
info_outlineWelcome back to ReImagining Community, the podcast where we highlight the Black and Brown changemakers shaping our communities through bold ideas, collaboration, and intentional action. Your host, Garland Fuller, is here to bring you powerful conversations that inspire action and impact.
This week, we’re sitting down with Ronda Jackson—a powerhouse entrepreneur, community builder, and advocate for personal and professional transformation. From her roots in Chicago to the creation of Paint On Purpose and her impactful third Saturday events, Ronda shares the lessons and insights that fuel her journey. She unpacks the realities of entrepreneurship, diving into her book Stay the Course: Surviving the Nine Hellish Holes of Entrepreneurship, and offers actionable wisdom on mindfulness, resilience, and building community.
In this episode, we explore:
00:00 Welcome to ReImagining Community
01:03 Meet Ronda: The Journey Behind the Name
03:55 The Birth of Paint On Purpose
07:40 Supporting Entrepreneurs & Business Owners
10:50 Why Community & Collaboration Matter
14:52 Personal Growth and Ronda’s ‘No H’ Mantra
16:35 Writing Stay the Course & Entrepreneurial Survival
20:08 Balancing Motherhood and Leadership
24:50 Reimagining Community and Philanthropy
27:53 Closing Thoughts & Next Steps
Ronda’s story is a testament to the power of perseverance, purpose, and people. If you’ve ever questioned your ability to stay the course, this episode will give you the encouragement and tools to move forward with confidence.
📌 Stay Connected:
🎙️ Subscribe to ReImagining Community for more transformative conversations
📩 Connect with your host, Garland Fuller: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garlandfuller/
🙌 Get to know Ronda and her work: http://linktr.ee/inthemixinc.org
🔥 Ready to build something bigger than yourself? Let’s reimagine community, together.