Liberated AF: The Workplace Revolution

In this episode, Sangita Kumar and Fong Marcolongo explore what it really takes for facilitators to feel grounded, safe, and effective while holding space for others. They dig into the hidden fears many facilitators face, like being asked a question you can’t answer, running out of time, or losing control of the room, and how those fears shape agendas, design, and even power dynamics.

They share:

• Why facilitators need safety ...

Even the most equity-minded leaders can slip into old patterns. In this episode, Sangita Kumar shares a vulnerable story about catching herself replicating dominant culture behaviors like urgency, perfectionism, and unilateral decision-making, while facilitating a client session.

Fong and Sangita unpack what happened when a moment of “efficiency” became a moment of exclusion, how defensiveness can block learning, and why repairing ...

Change is constant—but that doesn’t make it easy. 

In this episode, Sangita Kumar and Fong Marcolongo get real about how organizations navigate change, and the messy, human emotions that come with it. From strategic pivots to leadership transitions to cultural shifts, they unpack the tension leaders feel between being transparent and protecting their teams, and the impact of both silence and oversharing.

You’ll hear:

• Why chang...

How do you lead with heart, without losing yourself?

In this vulnerable and powerful episode, Sangita Kumar and Fong Marcolongo explore what it means to hold emotional boundaries while leading in turbulent times. As political, social, and organizational tensions rise, leaders are often pulled into emotional caretaking roles—expected to absorb the weight of their team’s feelings while managing their own.

They offer:

• Strategies...

You’ve invested in the training. You’ve named the values. And yet… problematic behavior persists. Now what?

In this timely and candid episode, Sanita Kumar and Fong Marcolongo tackle a tough and common question in the DEI world: Why doesn’t equity training automatically lead to equity-aligned behavior, and what can we do about it?

They explore:

• Why training is only one step in a longer change process

• The three types of staf...

In this uncensored and deeply curious episode, Sangita Kumar and Fong Marcolongo ask a provocative question: why does inclusion feel so threatening to many teams and organizations?

They dive into how “inclusion” runs up against the norms and unspoken rules of dominant culture—the system that defines who belongs, who’s seen as “normal,” and whose ideas are considered credible .

Inside the episode, they explore:

• How inclusion fe...

We’ve all felt it—the push to act fast, fix it now, move ahead. But what happens when that urgency undermines the very culture we’re trying to build?

In this reflective and revealing episode, Sangita Kumar and Fong Marcolongo explore how “sense of urgency”—a hallmark of dominant culture—can sabotage belonging, trust, and long-term impact inside organizations. They get real about how this urgency shows up in their own leadership, ho...

Power is always present, but rarely talked about honestly.

In this episode, Sangeeta Kumar and co-hosts dive into the invisible forces shaping our workplaces: power dynamics. They explore how identity, privilege, and positional authority intersect to determine whose voice is heard, whose ideas are valued, and who gets to lead.

From identity wheels and dominant culture norms to the challenges BIPOC leaders face in white-dominant spa...

In this episode, Sangita Kumar and Fong Marcolongo dive deep into a bold and timely question: How much diversity can a space actually hold? They explore the tension between wanting inclusive spaces and building the actual infrastructure needed to support them.

Through stories from their equity consulting work—including a gentrifying neighborhood in San Francisco and schools with mismatched staff and student demographics—they reveal...

In this episode of Liberated AF, Sangita Kumar and Fong Marcolongo unpack the subtle ways power hoarding shows up in leadership—even when we have the best intentions. From setting agendas solo to making “caring” decisions on behalf of others, they explore how false democracy can show up in our teams and organizations.

If you’re ready to lead with honesty, share power meaningfully, and build a workplace where everyone has a voice, t...