Being the first person to do something isn’t easy. There’s no blueprint for what you are doing, no conventional wisdom to fall back on when all else fails. There is also the pressure of expectations and all the people who are counting on your success. But it’s a way to show people what is possible. Being first means being a pioneer. And here in Connecticut, people are pioneering a wide range of fields every day.

GUESTS:


Shelly Carter: Fire Chief at the Hamden Fire Department. She is the first woman and first person of color to serve in that role.


Dawn Leaks Ragsdale: Inaugural Executive Director of the Center for Inclusive Growth, a group created through a partnership between Yale and the city of New Haven that seeks to build opportunities for economic growth for allNew Haven residents.


Shiang-Kwei Wang: Campus President at CT State Gateway. She’s the first person to hold the title of “Campus President” and the first Asian American leader of Gateway.

Being the first person to do something isn&rsquo;t easy. There&rsquo;s no blueprint for what you are doing, no conventional wisdom to fall back on when all else fails. There is also the pressure of expectations and all the people who are counting on your success. But it&rsquo;s a way to show people what is possible. Being first means being a pioneer. And here in Connecticut, people are pioneering a wide range of fields every day.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>
Shelly Carter: Fire Chief at the Hamden Fire Department. She is the first woman and first person of color to serve in that role.
</li>
<li>
Dawn Leaks Ragsdale: Inaugural Executive Director of the Center for Inclusive Growth, a group created through a partnership between Yale and the city of New Haven that seeks to build opportunities for economic growth for all New Haven residents.
</li>
<li>
Shiang-Kwei Wang: Campus President at CT State Gateway. She&rsquo;s the first person to hold the title of &ldquo;Campus President&rdquo; and the first Asian American leader of Gateway.
</li>
</ul>

Disrupted is about the changes we all encounter and the forces driving those changes. Some disruptions spark joy and possibility. Others move us to take action and re-evaluate our world. But the show isn't just about those disruptions; it’s about embracing them, exploring new perspectives, and feeling more connected to ourselves and our communities. Host and political scientist Khalilah Brown-Dean creates a place where changemakers come together to help us see the world differently and challenge us to grow together.

Visit ctpublic.org/disrupted for more! 

Disrupted is about the changes we all encounter and the forces driving those changes. Some disruptions spark joy and possibility. Others move us to take action and re-evaluate our world. But the show isn't just about those disruptions; it’s about embracing them, exploring new perspectives, and feeling more connected to ourselves and our communities. Host and political scientist Khalilah Brown-Dean creates a place where changemakers come together to help us see the world differently and challenge us to grow together.
Visit <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/disrupted">ctpublic.org/disrupted</a> for more!

Disrupted

Connecticut leaders breaking barriers with historic firsts

In Unrig the Game: What Women of Color Can Teach Everyone About Winning, author Vanessa Priya Daniel writes about the challenges that women of color face. She includes a satirical section formatted like a job description, where she details the duties of women of color leaders. They include “Be likable at all costs,” “Work with zero margin of error” and “Be a willing screen onto which your staff can project the other women authority figures who ever disappointed them in life.”

These are just a few of the barriers that women of color in leadership deal with. But despite these barriers, Daniel also points out that women of color are also often drivers of change.

GUEST:


Vanessa Priya Daniel: Principal at Vanessa Daniel Consulting, LLC. She has worked in social justice movements for 25 years, and her book Unrig the Game: What Women of Color Can Teach Everyone About Winning came out in March, 2025.

Vanessa Priya Daniel will be speaking at the Community Fund for Women & Girls' 30th Anniversary Celebration on November 13th in New Haven. You can find out more at this website.

In <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/721759/unrig-the-game-by-vanessa-priya-daniel/">Unrig the Game: What Women of Color Can Teach Everyone About Winning</a>, author <a href="https://www.vanessapriyadaniel.com/">Vanessa Priya Daniel</a> writes about the challenges that women of color face. She includes a satirical section formatted like a job description, where she details the duties of women of color leaders. They include &ldquo;Be likable at all costs,&rdquo; &ldquo;Work with zero margin of error&rdquo; and &ldquo;Be a willing screen onto which your staff can project the other women authority figures who ever disappointed them in life.&rdquo;
These are just a few of the barriers that women of color in leadership deal with. But despite these barriers, Daniel also points out that women of color are also often drivers of change.
GUEST:
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.vanessapriyadaniel.com/">Vanessa Priya Daniel</a>: Principal at Vanessa Daniel Consulting, LLC. She has worked in social justice movements for 25 years, and her book <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/721759/unrig-the-game-by-vanessa-priya-daniel/">Unrig the Game: What Women of Color Can Teach Everyone About Winning</a> came out in March, 2025.
</li>
</ul>
Vanessa Priya Daniel will be speaking at the Community Fund for Women &amp; Girls' 30th Anniversary Celebration on November 13th in New Haven. You can find out more at <a href="https://manyvoicesonevision.org/vision-in-action/">this website</a>.

Vanessa Priya Daniel on the three superpowers women of color bring to their leadership

The United Nations General Assembly is celebrating the 80th anniversary of its founding this month. This hour we look at the status of the organization today, and the challenges it faces.

Plus, historian Thant Myint-U has a new book out about his grandfather, U Thant, who was the UN’s first non-European secretary-general, and a leading ambassador of peace during the Cold War. Myint-U joins us to talk about his grandfather's role in the history of the United Nations and the lessons we can take from his example for the present.

GUESTS:


Thant Myint-U: Author of Peacemaker: U Thant and the Forgotten Quest for a Just World. He is an Honorary Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, a Senior Fellow at UN Foundation, and he formerly served on three UN peacekeeping operations


Eugene Chen: Senior Fellow at the United Nations University Centre for Policy Research. He is a former UN official

The United Nations General Assembly is celebrating the 80th anniversary of its founding this month. This hour we look at the status of the organization today, and the challenges it faces.
Plus, historian Thant Myint-U has a new book out about his grandfather, U Thant, who was the UN&rsquo;s first non-European secretary-general, and a leading ambassador of peace during the Cold War. Myint-U joins us to talk about his grandfather's role in the history of the United Nations and the lessons we can take from his example for the present.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>
Thant Myint-U: Author of <a href="https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324051978">Peacemaker: U Thant and the Forgotten Quest for a Just World</a>. He is an Honorary Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, a Senior Fellow at UN Foundation, and he formerly served on three UN peacekeeping operations
</li>
<li>
Eugene Chen: Senior Fellow at the United Nations University Centre for Policy Research. He is a former UN official
</li>
</ul>

Pushing for peace: A look at the past and future of the United Nations as it marks 80 years

This hour, we’re talking to a journalist and a member of the Biden administration to try to understand both sides of the press briefing podium.

CNN Senior Writer Matthew Vann tells us about how D.C. journalists are covering the current presidential administration. And former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre's new book is Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines. She talks about the challenges she faced as she broke barriers to become the first Black person, first openly queer person and first immigrant to serve as White House Press Secretary. She also discusses why she's leaving the Democratic Party.

GUESTS:


Matthew Vann: Senior Writer at CNN and Adjunct Professor of Journalism Ethics and First Amendment Law at NYU’s Washington D.C. campus.


Karine Jean-Pierre: White House Press Secretary in the Biden Administration. She was the first Black person, first openly queer person and first immigrant to hold that role. Her new book is Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines.

This hour, we&rsquo;re talking to a journalist and a member of the Biden administration to try to understand both sides of the press briefing podium.
CNN Senior Writer Matthew Vann tells us about how D.C. journalists are covering the current presidential administration. And former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre's new book is <a href="https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/karine-jean-pierre/independent/9781538777084/">Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines</a>. She talks about the challenges she faced as she broke barriers to become the first Black person, first openly queer person and first immigrant to serve as White House Press Secretary. She also discusses why she's leaving the Democratic Party.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>
Matthew Vann: Senior Writer at CNN and Adjunct Professor of Journalism Ethics and First Amendment Law at NYU&rsquo;s Washington D.C. campus.
</li>
<li>
Karine Jean-Pierre: White House Press Secretary in the Biden Administration. She was the first Black person, first openly queer person and first immigrant to hold that role. Her new book is <a href="https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/karine-jean-pierre/independent/9781538777084/">Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines</a>.
</li>
</ul>

Connecticut leaders breaking barriers with historic firsts

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