Bridges Unbuilt with Dr. Jenn Wells and Sharon Chia Claros
Release Date: 07/24/2023
First-Gen Professional: Negotiating Identity, Power, and Belonging
Do Better with Debra
What does it really mean to be first-generation after college ends? In this episode of Do Better with Debra, I’m joined by Dr. Bryan Rojas-Araúz for a powerful, deeply human conversation about what it means to be first-gen forever. Together, we explore the reality of moving through professional and leadership spaces without a blueprint, negotiating identity, belonging, and authenticity in systems that were never designed with us in mind. Bryan shares his journey from being an undocumented, first-generation college student to becoming a licensed psychologist, professor, and scholar-activist....
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The Pivots and the Boundaries: The Truth About Betting on Yourself
Do Better with Debra
In this episode, I’m joined by two incredible women, Monica Varela, owner of The Brow Foundry in Old Pasadena, and Kalei Mahi, Chief Legacy Officer of NextGen Legacy NIL. Both of them took the leap from stability into the unknown, building businesses rooted in integrity, purpose, and a deep commitment to the people they serve. Together, we talk about the truth behind betting on yourself, the pivots you don’t expect, the boundaries you learn to hold, the imposter syndrome that creeps in, the intuition that guides you, and the courage it takes to walk away from the safety of an 8-to-5 to...
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The Space Between the Dream and the Doing: A Conversation About Starting
Do Better with Debra
So many of us hold ideas we love, a script, a podcast, a book, a creative project that keeps tapping us on the shoulder but something gets in the way of actually beginning. Fear. Perfection. Comparison. Not knowing the “how.” Or simply believing we need everything in place before we take the first step. In this episode, I sit down with Valerie Frugé, an actor, audio producer, and creative who is developing a limited series rooted in history and storytelling, and Steve Moreno, a music enthusiast and host of the upcoming podcast Nostalgic Jamz, who brings a deep passion for the songs that...
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The Courage to Rest: Redefining Strength
Do Better with Debra
Jasmine Brett Stringer, MAPP, is a dynamic keynote speaker, award-winning author, television personality, and Founder & CEO of Carpe Diem with Jasmine LLC. Known for her vibrant presence and grounded wisdom, Jasmine blends the science of positive psychology with real-world experience to help individuals and organizations flourish. In this episode, Jasmine and I talk about the R.E.S.T. framework she created, born out of one of the hardest seasons of her life, while studying positive psychology and caring for her father through illness. Her framework, designed especially with Black women in...
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Trust, Generosity, and the Work That Matters
Do Better with Debra
Rodolfo “Rudy” Elizondo is an equity-driven leader who has spent more than two decades in public education and the nonprofit sector. Recently appointed Chief of Education at College Track, Rudy brings deep experience as a system-level strategist, a champion for first-generation scholars, and a leader whose philosophy centers real-world problem solving, collaboration, and trust. In this episode, Rudy and I reflect on our rare partnership as two Chiefs working side by side one grounded in data and analysis, the other in intuition and human connection. We talk about what it takes to build...
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Leading with Love: Dr. Jonathan Grady, Healing, Hope & The Helpers Story
Do Better with Debra
Dr. Jonathan Grady is an influential leader, scholar, and equity strategist whose work centers transformative justice, radical imagination, and leading with love. As Senior Associate Vice President for Equity & Belonging at Cal Poly Pomona, he brings more than 17 years of experience driving systemic equity strategies, cultivating holistic workplace cultures, and building communities where people can recognize their inner strength, brilliance, and magic. In this episode, Jonathan and I talk about what it means to lead with love inside systems that often strip away humanity, and how his...
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Truth, Power & Patriarchy
Do Better with Debra
Anna Malaika Tubbs is a bestselling storyteller and truth-teller whose work pulls back the curtain on the erasure of Black women and the systems never built for us. Her latest book, Erased: What the American Patriarchy Has Hidden From Us, is part manifesto, part mirror, helping us see the system clearly and reminding us that our stories matter. In this episode, Anna and I talk about what it means to live and lead boldly inside structures designed to silence us, and how she turns painful erasure into powerful storytelling. We talk about joy, creativity, and faith as acts of resistance, and...
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The Courage to Choose You with Maria Elena De Guevara (Part 2)
Do Better with Debra
The Courage to Choose You with Maria Elena De Guevara (Part 2) In Part 2 of our conversation, Maria Elena introduces the ACE framework a powerful tool she’s used throughout her life and leadership journey to navigate hard choices with clarity and intention. We talk about knowing when to accept what is, when to push for change, and when to make the brave decision to walk away. Maria shares how she used this framework during one of the most demanding seasons of her life, and how it helped her hold onto her values while navigating toxic systems. We also get into salary negotiation, advocating...
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The Courage to Choose You with Maria Elena De Guevara (Part 1)
Do Better with Debra
The Courage to Choose You with Maria Elena De Guevara (Part 1) My friend and former colleague, Maria Elena De Guevara, is someone I’ve admired for years. She’s a brilliant HR leader whose career spans higher ed, government, and county leadership but what makes her unforgettable is how she’s navigated those spaces with courage, heart, and honesty. In this episode, Maria shares how she learned to walk away from environments that demanded everything and gave little back. We talk about what it means to reclaim your power, protect your peace, and decide that choosing yourself isn’t selfish...
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Don’t Wait to Hit Empty with Lindsey Fuller Burnout, Boundaries & Microdosing Wellness
Do Better with Debra
Don’t Wait to Hit Empty with Lindsey Fuller: Burnout, Boundaries & Microdosing Wellness What if you didn’t wait until you were completely depleted to take care of yourself? In this episode of Do Better with Debra, Lindsey Fuller, Executive Director of Teaching Well shares why she’s committed to healing out loud and how microdosing wellness has become her way to stay grounded, present, and whole. We talk about: The real cost of burnout — emotional, financial, and relational Why rest is not a luxury, but a daily practice The power of trusted confidants in your healing journey ...
info_outlineIn this episode, I sit down for a discussion with two inspiring leaders in the world of education, Dr. Jenn Wells and Sharon Chia Claros. Be prepared to take notes, friends. This is a meaty conversation where we excavate leading edge approaches and insights on cultivating a truly equitable and inclusive workplace. We also lift up an absolutely essential conversation around building a community where women of color are nourished through one another’s support.
In this episode, we discuss:
- Assumptions we often make about workplace allyship.
- Building relationship-rich community that fosters safety through visibility.
- The generational factors that continue to frame how we interact as professionals.
- Debra’s intrinsic “do no harm” leadership style.
- The capitalist and class motivators that continue to be pervasive in the workplace.
- Dismantling the conformity and “not enoughness” that emerges from archaic workplace structures.
- How to create a truly inclusive workplace.
Learn more about my guests and the heart-centered purpose-work they’re doing in the world:
Jenn Wells, Ed. D.
Website: jwchange.design
Connect: linkedin.com/in/jennlwells
Jenn Wells, Ed. D. owner of JW Change Design, Dr Wells is an experienced professional with over 12 years in the field of education, holding her Bachelor of Arts degree in American Literature and Culture with an Education Studies minor from UCLA and her Master of Arts degree in Higher Education/Student Personnel Administration from New York University.
Jenn’s approach to consulting is grounded in the belief that “the knowledge is in the room” and utilizes the lived experiences of participants to give life to theories and conceptual frameworks of inclusion, equity, and justice. She values authenticity, an ethic of care, and individual efficacy in order to move toward and sustain change.
Sharon Chia Claros
Connect: linkedin.com/in/sharonchiaclaros
Sharon Chia Claros (she/her/siya) is an accomplished Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion educator and practitioner-scholar with close to a 20-year proven track record for delivering sustainable and thoughtful change to in the field of education and beyond. She has been a trusted partner to senior faculty and leadership for bringing DEI initiatives and promising practices to promote cultures of inclusion, belonging, trust, authenticity and accountability. Sharon has also presented numerous workshops in national conferences such as ACPA, NASPA and NCORE. She is proud to be a collaborative, inclusive and empathetic leader known for bringing holistic and nuanced perspectives to various facets of the organizational cultures. She currently serves as the inaugural Director for DEI at Rolling Hills Prep and prior to that role she served as the Assistant Dean of Students and Director for the Queer Resource Center at the Claremont Colleges. Lastly, Sharon recently launched Mabuhay with Love LLC where she is committed to collaborating and being in community with individuals and organizations who are committed to the ongoing and life-long journey of living out and actualizing DEI.
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