The Perkins Platform

Award-winning Executive Vice President of Communications and Change Management, educator, and globally recognized DEI leader, Amira Barger joins us to discuss her upcoming book, The Price of Nice: Why Comfort Keeps Us Stuck—And 4 Actions for Real Change (out October 28, 2025). In it, she explores how “niceness” can perpetuate inequity and keep us stuck in surface-level comfort and shares four practical steps to help us create real,...

Christian Ortiz, also known as ZacaTechO, is an Afro-Indigenous, neurodivergent visionary whose work fuses ancestral knowledge with transformative technology, and he’s joining us to talk about his groundbreaking project Justice A.I. As the founder, CEO, and developer behind Justice A.I. and the Decolonial Intelligence Algorithmic (DIA) Framework, Christian has created a model that directly confronts and resolves AI bias at its root...

Dr. Pamela Buchanan, a veteran ER physician with over 20 years of experience, joins us to share her personal journey through burnout and work fatigue as a frontline medical professional. Having worked in high-stress environments including during the height of the pandemic, she brings raw insight into the emotional toll of the job and what recovery truly looks like. As the founder of Strong Medicine STL, she now dedicates her work t...

Paul W.M. Fedak, MD PhD, is a cardiac surgeon, scientist, and writer who brings both clinical expertise and emotional depth to the world of modern medicine. Known for his thought-provoking work at the intersection of identity, excellence, and healing, Paul joins us to share his experiences through burnout and professional fatigue. As a leading voice in academic medicine and innovation, Paul has become an advocate for shifting the c...

Principal and global sustainability leader Geoff Tuff and U.S. sustainability practice lead Steven Goldbach join us to share their best leadership practices and why rethinking the rules is often the most powerful move a leader can make. We will dive into Detonate, the bold first book in their bestselling leadership trilogy, and uncover ideas that echo throughout Provoke and their highly anticipated new release, Hone.

Geoff Tuff is a...

Chief Executive Officer of Aetna Better Health of New York, a CVS Health company, Kevin Nelson joins us to discuss healthcare and leadership. With over 30 years of experience in healthcare leadership, Kevin has dedicated his career to advancing health equity and expanding access for underserved communities. Before leading ABHNY, he held senior roles at organizations like the U.S. Fund for UNICEF and Hudson Health Plan, where he com...

Impact investor, educator, and author James Rhee joins us to discuss his new book, Red Helicopter: A Parable for Our Times, a deeply personal and thought-provoking exploration of leadership, trust, and the power of choosing kindness. Best known for his transformative work as CEO of Ashley Stewart, James turned a struggling fashion brand into a thriving business by centering humanity, dignity, and long-term value. In this episode, h...

Two visionary leaders join us for this special episode on reshaping how we think about rest, resilience, and racial equity in professional spaces. Ngozi Cadmus and Ruth Abban—co-creators of The Black Woman’s Rest Revolution—share vital insights into the lived experiences of Black women in the workplace and the radical importance of rest as a form of resistance and healing.

Ngozi Cadmus is a TEDx speaker, psychotherapist, and the fou...

Seasoned Salesforce strategist, thought leader, and Chief Growth Officer at Cloud Giants (a Salesforce consulting firm), Gay Thorne joins us to share her insights on customer experience and business development. With a strong background in customer relationship management (CRM) optimization, she has been instrumental in helping organizations maximize their Salesforce investments. Gay is also a prominent voice in the Salesforce comm...

Licensed psychologist, author, and educator based in Washington, DC, Dr. Samantha Sweeney joins us to share her work and discuss anxiety in children and some of the potential causes behind its rise. Dr. Sweeney has a private practice on Capitol Hill, where she supports children, families, and adults. She holds a Ph.D. in School Psychology from the University of Maryland and a psychology degree from the University of Pennsylvania. H...

Dr. Srini Pillay is a harvard-trained psychiatrist, brain researcher,executive coach and the Chief Medical Officer and Co-Founder of Reulay, a digital therapeutics company that uses AI and neuroscience to enhance well-being and prevent chronic illness. Dr. Pillay joins us to discuss his book, Tinker Dabble Doodle Try: Unlock the Power of the Unfocused Mind. In his work, he explores how strategic "unfocusing" can boost cre...

This is a compelling conversation on the impact of children’s literature on identity formation.

Dr. Ar brings a unique global and cultural lens to the study of literature, having earned her Ph.D. from Ege University in 2025 after completing her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in American Culture and Literature and a minor in Sociology from Hacettepe University. With a deep commitment to interdisciplinary research and teaching, Dr. A...

This is an engaging conversation with Scott Mautz, former senior executive at Procter & Gamble, where he successfully led several of the company’s largest multi-billion-dollar businesses. A renowned thought leader in leadership and personal development, Scott is the author of four multi-award-winning, bestselling books, including his latest, The Mentally Strong Leader: Build the Habits to Productively Regulate Your Emotions, Th...

Educator, author, and race and education scholar, Dr. OiYan Poon joins me to share her insights for engaging in discourse about race, affirmative action and family. She is currently serving as a consultant to Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s office on higher education policy. Dr. Poon is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and co-director of the College Admissions Futures Co-Lab. She h...

Human resources consultant with decades of experience creating and delivering workshops for supervisors on how to manage their employees, Robin Paggi joins me to share her insights on today's HR challenges for leadership managing Gen Z. In 2021, she co-authored the book Managing Generation Z: How to Recruit, Onboard, Develop, and Retain the Newest Generation in the Workplace as a guidebook for understanding and motivating the ...

Tara Furiani isn't just a part of the people business; she defines it, revolutionizing HR and corporate culture with her unique blend of empathy, insight, and leadership. With a career that breaks the mold, Tara's expertise and influence are showcased in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Post, while her dedication to DEI shines through her work with NASA's DEI board. She’s redefining the standards of leadershi...

This is a compelling nutrition conversation with Dr. Uma Naidoo, a Harvard-trained nutritional psychiatrist, as we explore the findings of the latest Gallup report on food satisfaction and mental wellbeing. In this discussion, we dove into the psychological and nutritional science behind how our diets impact emotional health, common misconceptions about "healthy eating," and the cultural influences that shape our food cho...

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Co-Founder and CEO of AI for Education, Amanda Bickerstaff joins us for an exciting conversation sharing her work and insights on the use of AI in education. Amanda is a former high school biology teacher and EdTech executive with over 20 years of experience in the education sector. She has a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities that AI can offer. She is a frequent consultant, speaker, and writ...

This is a special panel episode of the Perkins Platform Podcast with Dr. Janice Gassam Asare and Sara Taylor in an important conversation on the latest on resistance to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives currently underway across industries.  The discussion wraps up with practical strategies for leaders to support what's next in the fight for diversity, equity and inclusion.  A must-listen for leaders in all discipli...