Wilmette Institute

Wilmette Institute

Changing Course Labcast is a podcast series from the Wilmette Institute exploring the core themes of the Social Transformation Certificate program. Through conversations with students, scholars, and changemakers, the series engages topics such as race unity, education, environmental stewardship, and social change. Each episode reflects on how knowledge, values, and action come together to foster more just, inclusive, and flourishing communities. Subscribe and join the conversation on building capacity for meaningful social transformation.

  1. Jul 1

    4. Learning as a Mode of Operation

    In this episode of the Wilmette Institute’s Changing Course Labcast, we explore what it means to see learning as a mode of operation—not simply as something that happens in classrooms, but as a way of navigating life itself. Host Emily Chou sits down with Gelareh Eslami—curriculum development specialist and educator—to reflect on how transformative learning reshapes the way we approach relationships, service, work, and personal growth. Together, they discuss learning through action and reflection, the importance of reciprocal relationships, and how embracing a learner's mindset can lead to lasting individual and social transformation. This episode is part of our ongoing exploration of the themes at the heart of the Social Transformation Certificate program. Subscribe and join the conversation.

    4. Learning as a Mode of Operation

  2. May 18

    3. Multiple Ways of Knowing and Being

    In this episode of the Wilmette Institute’s Changing Course Labcast, we explore multiple ways of knowing and being through a thoughtful and reflective conversation. Host Emily Chou sits down with Julia Berger—curriculum development specialist, educator, and researcher—to reflect on transformative education, relational learning, and research as a sacred act. Together, they discuss how knowledge can emerge through the heart, relationships, lived experience, and community, and how these perspectives can reshape education and social transformation. This episode is part of our ongoing exploration of the themes at the heart of the Social Transformation Certificate program. Subscribe and join the conversation.

    3. Multiple Ways of Knowing and Being

  3. Apr 7

    2. Oneness and Justice: Love in Practice

    In this episode of the Wilmette Institute Podcast Series, we explore the relationship between Oneness and Justice through a rich and reflective conversation. Host Emily Cho sits down with Chloé Greene—liberation historian, cultural worker, and “love sower”—to reflect on love as an active practice that can transform how we relate to one another and build more just communities. Together, they discuss the power of connection, the role of the soul in social change, and how practicing love can deepen our understanding of unity across difference. This episode is part of our ongoing exploration of the themes at the heart of the Social Transformation Certificate program. Subscribe and join the conversation.

    2. Oneness and Justice: Love in Practice

  4. Mar 3

    1. Universal Participation: A Teacher’s Reflection

    In the first episode of the Wilmette Institute Podcast Series, host Emily Chou sits down with educator Nika Esmailizadeh to explore the meaning of universal participation in education and community life. What does it truly mean to create spaces where every voice matters? How can teachers cultivate classrooms in which students are not passive recipients of knowledge, but active contributors to learning and collective progress? Drawing from lived experience and reflection, this conversation examines participation not simply as inclusion, but as a shared responsibility — one that calls forth the capacity of every individual to contribute to the advancement of a more just and unified society. This episode is part of our ongoing exploration of the themes at the heart of the Social Transformation Certificate program. Subscribe and join the conversation.

    1. Universal Participation: A Teacher’s Reflection

  5. 05/31/2025

    199 Social Transformation: The Evolving Challenge of Racial Inequality

    This webinar will offer insights into evolving efforts to address racial inequality in the US, comparing sixty years ago (during the Civil Rights era) to the present day. Dr. Thomas, who has written about her family’s lived experiences during the civil rights era, established an academic career based on training urban planners who were socially aware and capable of supporting community development, and she has written extensively about these topics and the need for racial and social justice in U.S. cities. In a question-and-answer discussion with an interviewer, Dr. Chitra Golestani, she will consider how the challenge of racial inequality has evolved over the last decades, and how Bahá’í teachings offer important insights into possible strategies for the present and the future.

    199 Social Transformation: The Evolving Challenge of Racial Inequality

  6. 04/20/2025

    198 How Bahá’í Teachings on Racial Unity Influenced My Academic Focus

    A conversation with Dr. Richard Thomas on his recently published book chapter “How the Bahá’í Teachings on Racial Unity Influenced My Academic Focus on Race Relations in the United States.” The Bahá’í Faith and African American Studies: Perspectives on Racial Justice, edited by Loni Bramson and Layli Maparyan – Contributions by Layli Maparyan; Richard Hollinger; June Thomas; Richard W. Thomas; Loni Bramson; Michael McMullen and Gwen Etter-Lewis

    198 How Bahá’í Teachings on Racial Unity Influenced My Academic Focus

  7. 03/31/2025

    197 Erased but Not Forgotten: Reclaiming North Nashville’s Legacy (Part 2)

    From the 1800s through the 1950s, North Nashville’s 37208 zip code flourished as a vibrant Black community. Despite systemic segregation and redlining, residents established institutions, including schools, businesses, historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), and a lively entertainment scene that attracted renowned Black artists. In the 1960s, federal and local policies resulted in the construction of Interstate 40, which bisected this thriving neighborhood, leading to the demolition of homes and businesses. This disruption transformed a once-prosperous area into one plagued by poverty—a condition from which it has yet to recover. Today, North Nashville faces challenges such as high child poverty rates, food insecurity, and mass incarceration and confronts the additional threat of gentrification, further endangering its rich cultural heritage. In the face of crises, there must always be hope. This presentation highlights North Nashville’s legacy of resilience in the face of structural racism and explores how community building restores that legacy. This two-part webinar will engage participants in thinking about the power of race unity and justice, community building, and insights from the Bahá’í framework for action. Note: This is part two of a two-part series.

    197 Erased but Not Forgotten: Reclaiming North Nashville’s Legacy (Part 2)

  8. 02/22/2025

    196 Erased but Not Forgotten: Reclaiming North Nashville’s Legacy

    From the 1800s through the 1950s, North Nashville’s 37208 zip code flourished as a vibrant Black community. Despite systemic segregation and redlining, residents established institutions, including schools, businesses, historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), and a lively entertainment scene that attracted renowned Black artists. In the 1960s, federal and local policies resulted in the construction of Interstate 40, which bisected this thriving neighborhood, leading to the demolition of homes and businesses. This disruption transformed a once-prosperous area into one plagued by poverty—a condition from which it has yet to recover. Today, North Nashville faces challenges such as high child poverty rates, food insecurity, and mass incarceration and confronts the additional threat of gentrification, further endangering its rich cultural heritage. In the face of crises, there must always be hope. This presentation highlights North Nashville’s legacy of resilience in the face of structural racism and explores how community building restores that legacy. This two-part webinar will engage participants in thinking about the power of race unity and justice, community building, and insights from the Bahá’í framework for action. Note: This is part one of a two-part series.

    196 Erased but Not Forgotten: Reclaiming North Nashville’s Legacy
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

Changing Course Labcast is a podcast series from the Wilmette Institute exploring the core themes of the Social Transformation Certificate program. Through conversations with students, scholars, and changemakers, the series engages topics such as race unity, education, environmental stewardship, and social change. Each episode reflects on how knowledge, values, and action come together to foster more just, inclusive, and flourishing communities. Subscribe and join the conversation on building capacity for meaningful social transformation.

Information

  • Creator
    Wilmette Institute
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    158
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    Wilmette Institute

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