You’ve heard countless people talking about bias and how it impacts the workplace. But how often do you get to hear about bias from the author of perhaps the single-most influential book on the topic? In this wide-ranging and important episode, Dr. Michael Baran interviews two guests: (1) legendary thought leader, author, and workplace consultant Howard Ross, and (2) his son Jake Ross who is collaborating with Howard to write the second edition of the book, Everyday Bias, to be released in su...
Dec 19, 2025
1 hr 26 min
There is so much misunderstanding and discomfort around people with disabilities. Dr. Cynthia Overton tells about how when she was using a wheelchair, people would lock eyes with her and refuse to break eye contact or even blink so they didn’t look at the wheelchair. In this powerful episode, Dr. Michael Baran interviews Dr. Overton, a fellow social scientist. They discuss Cynthia’s transition from a person without a disability to a person with a disability at age 26 when she was diagno...
Dec 9, 2025
50 min
Black fatigue is not just about Black people being tired. It’s about the real psychological and physical costs of racism, inequity, and exclusion. This is a people issue, and also a business issue. Any organization that ignores Black fatigue is choosing higher burnout, turnover, and reputational risk over trust, innovation, and real performance. In this incredibly relevant and important episode, Dr. Michael Baran interviews two guests: (1) legendary trailblazer Mary-Frances Winters who coined...
Nov 25, 2025
1 hr 4 min
I often recommend documentaries as a good way for people to learn more about others who they might not have a lot of experience with. But not all documentaries are created equal. There are so many decisions involved in ethical and responsible storytelling. In this behind-the-scenes episode, Dr. Michael Baran interviews Oscar, Emmy, and Peabody award-winning documentary film producer Caroline Waterlow. Caroline isbased in New York City and has been working in the documentary film industr...
Nov 18, 2025
56 min
It can be a challenge sometimes to get out of the present moment and take a more bird’s eye view of changes in the workplace through time. How have cultures changed over time, especially in terms of culture, biases, and inclusion? Why is this important for companies to consider, as they plan for the future? In this big-picture episode, Dr. Michael Baran interviews internationally acclaimed strategist, author, speaker Effenus Henderson. Effenus went from working on a tobacco farm in North Caro...
Nov 11, 2025
1 hr 1 min
When you think of being an ally, what comes to mind? Are you thinking that being an ally means being respectful to everyone? Are you thinking about a scenario where someone is being bullied or insulted and you stand up for them or stand with them? While those are both important, they are not enough, if we really want to create cultures of more inclusion and safety for everyone. In this action-oriented episode, Michael interviews highly acclaimed workplace influencer, speaker, and four-t...
Nov 4, 2025
1 hr 1 min
Would you be surprised to learn that over 300,000 Black women were recently pushed out of the US labor force in just three months? Do you know how that impacts all of us? It was Katica Roy’s research that brought this to our national attention, first from her MSNBC byline that broke the story and then from the front-page article about it in the New York Times. In this episode, host Michael Baran asks Katica more about how that is happening and what the implications are for workplaces and for ...
Oct 28, 2025
1 hr 14 min
There’s a lot of misunderstanding about the use of gender-neutral pronouns they/them in the workplace and in the world. Many people in your organization or in your life, especially younger people, would be feeling a lot more inclusion if people used these pronouns correctly. In this episode, Michael Baran delves into the many ways that people are messing up – by ignoring people’s identities, by debating the grammar of it (or some other devil’s advocate position), by rolling eyes or pausing be...
Oct 21, 2025
15 min
If you’ve been working for at least a few years, especially in the corporate world, you’ve probably done an unconscious bias training. These trainings can be frustrating and ineffective! They fail to really provide deep understanding about bias, and they do not usually provide practical solutions. In this episode, Michael Baran provides that deep understanding with some compelling research studies and with a fascinating account of how biases develop, starting in childhood. He also describes w...
Oct 14, 2025
23 min
When people are silent about the subtle exclusions that happen in a workplace, the culture suffers. When people speak up but the feedback is ignored or met with defensiveness, the culture also suffers. In this episode, Michael Baran outlines some of the best practice guidelines for having productive conversations about these insidious interactions. He describes how to “call in” rather than “call out” someone when they inadvertently cause exclusion, a skill especially essential for potential a...
Oct 7, 2025
20 min
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