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 diagnosed with a rare spinal cord injury. Cynthia tells the story of what that was like, how people engaged with her, and how she navigates life now. She also provides insights on the health care system, learned from her experiences living in hospitals for seven weeks. This episode will help listeners think more deeply about a wide range of disabilities, think more critically about the health care system, and learn practical strategies to interact with all people and build a culture that is truly inclusive and safe for everyone. We will also discuss more lighthearted topics such as Cynthia’s forays into stand-up comedy and her love for The Golden Girls or K-dramas.

Resources mentioned:

Clear Cane Chronicles book

Crip Camp documentary

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 the term Black Fatigue in her 2020 book of the same name, and (2) her daughter and business partner Mareisha Winters Reese who is collaborating with Mary-Frances to write the second edition of that book, to be released in June 2026. Michael and these guests unpack what Black Fatigue really is and how racism literally erodes the mind, body, and spirit across generations. Mary-Frances and Mareisha share what has changed in the forthcoming second edition of the book, including new chapters on AI, global Black experiences, and their perspective on the deliberate attempts to erase Black people, culture, and history. We also dig into the emotional weight of this political moment, the weaponizing of and co-opting of terms like DEI, “woke,” and Black Fatigue itself! We close with concrete ways to learn, act, and sustain resistance, including their upcoming companion workbook on healing Black Fatigue.

Resources mentioned:

• Black Fatigue book
• Preorder Black Fatigue second edition
• Documentary, 13th
• Podcast, 1619
• Michael’s piece on Frozen II

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 industry for almost 30 years. She produced such award-winning documentaries as OJ: Made in America, STAX: Soulsville, U.S.A, Vow of Silence: The Assassination of Annie Mae, and so many more. In this episode, Michael and Caroline talk about a wide range of fascinating issues: (a) ethical representation in documentary filmmaking, (b) rapidly building a culture of inclusion and safety with project teams, (c) bias and inequities faced by women in this industry, (d) building trust with people, (e) fascinating behind the scenes details about the making of the documentaries, and so much more. She ends by giving us a teaser of her upcoming work, dealing with themes of sex, AIDS, body positivity, and public access TV in New York City.

Resources mentioned:

Caroline Waterlow IMDb page

OJ: Made in America on Netflix

Stax: Soulville USA on HBO

Vow of Silence: The Assassination of Annie Mae on Hulu

Cameraperson on HBO

Subject on Prime Video