Beyond the Boundaries: A Group Relations Podcast beyondtheboundariespodcast

This episode features an interview with the AKRI Reparations Committee. Isabelle Reiniger is a licensed clinical social worker in full-time psychotherapy and consulting practice in Evanston, IL. Janice Wagner, LICSW is in Private Practice offering Psychotherapy, Consultation and Clinical Supervision in Boston. Minnie Tao is a therapist in a group private practice. In addition to being AKRI members, Isabelle, Janice and Minnie are also GRI Co-Creators. In this interview, Isabelle, Janice, Minnie and I discuss their group relations origins, the impetus for the formation of the Reparations Committee, and their committee work and interpersonal dynamics as they relate to work styles, gender, race and culture. The conversation is introspective, lively, fun, and interesting and it offers our listeners insight into the important work that the Reparations Committee has done on behalf of AKRI.

mak wemuk (he/him) operates and owns Luna Consulting & Coaching and consults and coaches in a variety of domains related to health and racial equity and social justice. He is a Co-Creator of GRI and is VP of the Washington-Baltimore Center and a member of centers in Boston and Chicago. mak wemuk has staffed over 60 conferences, directed 8 and is the weekend conference director for the Boston Center. He is also the Associate Director for the 2024 AKRI National Conference.  mak wemuk and I talk about his group relations work origins and his hiatus from and return to conference work. We discuss the complexities of leadership, the impact of ego and ambition and our shared history of the Northwestern University group relations conferences. He also has a very interesting metaphor for his relationship to group relations work!

The guest interview for this episode is with Evangeline Sarda, JD. Evangeline (she, her, hers) is an Associate Clinical Law Professor at Boston College Law School. She is a co-creator of Group Relations International (GRI) and a Fellow of the A. K. Rice Institute for the Study of Social Systems (AKRI) and she was also a guest on Season 1 of the podcast. Evangeline has directed and consulted at many group relations conferences and will be directing the A. K. Rice institute's 2024 National Conference. In our conversation Evangeline and I discussed her group relations origins and influences, her personal narratives regarding race and culture, and her continued commitment to doing group relations work.  

For this episode our guest interview is with Dr. Mary B. McRae. Mary is a retired New York University (NYU) professor of Applied Psychology. She developed the "Working with Differences" group relations conferences at NYU and has directed and worked on staff at group relations conferences in the US and internationally. Mary is also a psychoanalytically oriented psychotherapist, consultant, executive coach and author. in this interview Mary and I have a meaningful conversation about her group relations work origins, her innovations/adaptations in conferences, our connections, and the importance of expanding the group relations work model to incorporate a focus on race, culture, social identities and authority and power.

The guest interview for this episode is with Charla Hayden, M. A. Charla is a freelance organizational consultant with many years of experience. She has also been on the Boards of the A. K. Rice Institute (AKRI) and GREX (an affiliate of AKRI). Charla has a long and distinguished career in group relations work; she has consulted on and directed many group relations conferences. In this interview Charla and I have an interesting and lively discussion about her origins in group relations work, her philosophy about conferences and directing, and how group relations has impacted her life.

In this first guest interview of Season 2, I have an interesting and insightful conversation with Dr. Kathleen Pogue White, who is an Educator, Reflective and Group Relations Practitioner, and a Clinical Psychologist and Psychoanalyst. In this interview, Kathy shares her group relations origins and lineage, including our connections and her reflections about the work and creativity.