What if college campuses weren't just a bridge to adulthood, but living third spaces that teach us how to belong before we carry those lessons into the wider world? In this solo episode of Reimagining Community, Garland Fuller explores higher education as a powerful third space where identity, connection, and transformation unfold.

Drawing on her experience as both a student and adjunct professor, Garland examines how campuses can move beyond classrooms to become intentional hubs of belonging—through the people, places, and programs that shape community.

Key Conversation Highlights
📊 The Loneliness Crisis
Nearly 60% of college students report feeling very or extremely lonely (Harvard Youth Poll, 2022).

👥 The People Lens
Students, faculty, staff, and alumni form one ecosystem—yet silos persist. How cross-disciplinary collaboration can break barriers.

🏛 The Place Lens
From libraries to quads to dorm lounges, everyday spaces can be transformed into intentional third spaces.

📚 The Program Lens
Lectures, student clubs, peer mentoring, activism, and interdisciplinary projects as living laboratories for identity and connection.

💡 Campus as Microcosm
Why higher ed is one of the last curated environments where belonging can be practiced, tested, and carried into the real world.

Reflection Prompt
What third spaces shaped your higher education journey—and how did they prepare you for life beyond campus?

Connect & Keep the Conversation Going
👉 Share this episode with an educator or campus leader who cares about belonging.
👉 Invite Garland to facilitate, speak, or design for your institution: garlandfuller.com

Stay Inspired
"Higher education is more than a classroom—it's a laboratory for belonging." — Garland Fuller

What if the most powerful space at work isn't in the boardroom or the break room, but in an employee resource group over lunch, during a heritage celebration, or even in a Slack channel? In this solo episode of Reimagining Community, Garland Fuller explores Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) as hidden third spaces that cultivate connection, flatten hierarchies, and build belonging inside organizations.

From women's circles and cultural affinity groups to caregiving networks and next-gen cohorts, Garland reveals how ERGs function as more than just side initiatives—they are grassroots engines of inclusion, leadership development, and retention. Drawing on years of experience supporting ERGs, plus the People–Place–Program framework, this episode reimagines how organizations can unlock the true potential of these underutilized spaces.

The Hidden Third Space
Why ERGs are more than "extras" and how they serve as lifelines of visibility and belonging for employees.

A Personal Journey
From participant to ERG leader to advisor—lessons learned about governance, allyship, and grassroots organizing.

The Data Gap
90% of Fortune 500 companies have ERGs, yet only 8% of employees regularly participate (Great Place to Work, 2022). What that means for culture and engagement.

The People Lens
ERGs flatten hierarchy, connect employees across roles, and give underrepresented voices the chance to lead.

The Place Lens
Conference rooms, digital platforms, parades, and volunteer projects—all the ways ERGs carve out micro third spaces.

The Program Lens
How mentorship pipelines, speaker series, and cultural celebrations transform ERGs from potluck gatherings into engines for growth.

Allyship in Action
Why joining an ERG outside of your identity group can deepen empathy, activate upstanders, and strengthen community.

ERGs as Culture Shapers
How well-resourced, well-led ERGs can drive retention, build equity, and shape organizational culture for the better.

If you're in an ERG, what's the one thing you wish leadership understood about your impact?
If you're not, how might you show up as an ally or champion for an ERG in your workplace?

What's your most meaningful ERG experience—or what's holding you back from joining one? Share your reflections in the comments or tag Garland on LinkedIn.

👉 Explore the Community Impact Collective and join the newsletter: garlandfuller.com
👉 Book Garland to facilitate, design, or consult with your ERGs: info@garlandfuller.com

"Employee Resource Groups are the unsung third spaces inside organizations—small communities that make large workplaces feel human." — Garland Fuller

Building legacies, together.

What if the gallery, the stage, or the mural on your street corner became our new town square? In this solo episode of Reimagining Community, Garland Fuller explores arts and culture spaces as powerful third spaces that spark creativity, foster belonging, and even strengthen civic engagement.

From theater and visual arts to dance, film, and public murals, Garland shares how arts and culture function as more than decoration—they are infrastructure for belonging. These spaces invite us to feel, imagine, and connect beyond background or identity. Drawing from personal experience and the People–Place–Program framework, this episode reimagines how arts and culture can democratize community and activate collective change.

Art as Belonging, Not Decoration
Why arts and culture spaces are essential for emotional connection, creativity, and perspective—not just "extras."

A Personal Journey
How theater, dance, and visual arts became sources of joy, inspiration, and family connection.

Civic Engagement Through Art
Why people who attend arts events are 56% more likely to volunteer and 27% more likely to vote (NEA Civic Engagement Report).

The People Lens
Artists as truth-tellers, audiences as participants, and the role of "shadow artists" in sustaining community.

The Place Lens
From galleries and theaters to street corners and cafés—any space can be activated as an arts and culture third space.

The Program Lens
How festivals, open mics, book clubs, and even dance flash mobs create access, joy, and intersection.

Arts & Culture as Resistance
Echoing Nina Simone and Toni Morrison: in times of crisis, artists reflect truth, inspire action, and remind us we're not alone.

When was the last time art made you feel less alone?

What's your favorite arts and culture third space—and why does it matter to you? Share your reflections in the comments or tag Garland on LinkedIn.

👉 Explore the Community Impact Collective and join the newsletter: garlandfuller.com
👉 Book Garland to facilitate, design, or speak with your arts & culture organization: info@garlandfuller.com

"Art is not decoration. It's an infrastructure for belonging." — Garland Fuller

Building legacies, together.