At the center of this episode is a workplace betrayal that still stands out years later. Pamala recounts what happened when a woman in power, someone she had worked with closely and even invited to her wedding, used that access to try to recruit Pamala’s business partner behind her back. What followed was not just a professional rupture, but a deeper lesson in scarcity mindset, power, loyalty, and the ways some people weaponize relationships in business.

Pamala also reflects on the long game, how not every conflict deserves your deepest reaction, how discernment protects your energy, and why some of the most important lessons in work come from learning who people really are.

One of her biggest reminders in this episode:

You do not have to let someone else’s dysfunction define your direction.

This conversation is for anyone navigating difficult workplace relationships, creative industries, business partnerships, or leadership spaces where power and insecurity often collide.

About Our Guest

Pamala Buzick Kim is the founder of Mavenverse, a marketing firm focused on helping brands build authentic relationships with high-trust communities. With a background spanning talent representation, nonprofit leadership, and marketing strategy, she specializes in connecting art, culture, and commerce in ways that feel human, thoughtful, and sustainable.

LinkedIn | Mavenverse

About the Host

Lindiwe is a sought-after speaker, interviewer, and culture strategist across several industries, known for bridging theory and practice through storytelling and lived experience. With over 25 years of experience spanning leadership development, organizational effectiveness, coaching, and media storytelling, she is the founder of FutureState Collective—the culture and media platform that produces They Tried It.

She has interviewed actors, authors, activists, and cultural leaders; has been invited to speak and host conversations across platforms; has been featured by Bloomberg Radio and SAG-AFTRA; and has hosted Google's "Level Up in Tech," to name a few.

Learn more about Lindiwe and view her media kit here.

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Deb shares the experience that changed the trajectory of her career: a toxic workplace situation while working in higher education in Boston that escalated from subtle undermining to retaliation and institutional silence. What began as confusion quickly became a harsh lesson about how workplace power operates, and how organizations often close ranks around leadership rather than protecting employees.

The experience forced her to confront a painful reality: in many cases, workplace bullying itself isn’t illegal.

One message she emphasizes throughout the episode:

Fear doesn’t have to dictate your next move.

Whether that means speaking up, leaving a toxic workplace, advocating for change, or simply learning more about your rights, the goal is the same: reclaim your agency.

If you’ve ever questioned whether what you experienced at work was “serious enough” or felt alone in navigating workplace harm, this conversation offers both validation and practical insight.

About Our Guest

Deb Falzoi is a workplace abuse advocate and organizer who works to raise awareness about workplace bullying and push for stronger legal protections for workers. After experiencing workplace abuse herself, she began advocating for legislative reform, supporting survivors of workplace harm, and helping people understand the systems that allow abuse to continue.

Her work focuses on exposing structural power imbalances in organizations and helping workers make informed decisions about their next steps.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

workplaceabuse.com/options dignitytogether.org

About the Host:

Lindiwe is a sought-after speaker, interviewer, and culture strategist across several industries, known for bridging theory and practice through storytelling and lived experience. With over 25 years of experience spanning leadership development, organizational effectiveness, coaching, and media storytelling, she is the founder of FutureState Collective—the culture and media platform that produces They Tried It.

She has interviewed actors, authors, activists, and cultural leaders; has been invited to speak and host conversations across platforms; has been featured by Bloomberg Radio and SAG-AFTRA; and has hosted Google's "Level Up in Tech," to name a few.

Learn more about Lindiwe and view her media kit here.

Subscribe to They Tried It on all major podcast platforms.

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Sequoyah, also known as “Data Bae,” built a career in data, consumer insights, and marketing strategy. But behind the accolades and professional success was a pattern of being undervalued, underpaid, and underestimated in the workplace.

What followed was a masterclass in strategy.

Sequoyah shares how she learned to read the warning signs of layoffs, why she always had an exit strategy when entering a new company, and how documenting everything, from compensation gaps to workplace behavior, allowed her to negotiate a six-figure exit when corporate leadership tried to limit her growth.

After leaving corporate, Sequoyah founded 924, a marketing consultancy focused on restoring humanity to marketing and building more representative products and campaigns. Since launching, the company has surpassed $2m in revenue while helping brands rethink how they use data and consumer insights.

Sequoyah’s story is ultimately about self-trust, preparation, and refusing to let others define your value.

As she puts it:

“You can’t mess with someone who knows themselves—and knows their numbers.”

If you’ve ever felt overlooked, underpaid, or pushed out in corporate environments, this episode offers both validation and strategy.

About Our Guest

Sequoyah Glen is an award-winning marketing strategist and the founder of 924, a consultancy specializing in market research, consumer insights, and data-driven marketing strategy. With more than 15 years of experience across media, research, and analytics, she helps companies build smarter products and campaigns through data and cultural insight.

She is also the creator of National Black Marketers Day and an advocate for representation and equity in marketing and media.

LinkedIn | 924

About the Host:

Lindiwe is a sought-after speaker, interviewer, and culture strategist across several industries, known for bridging theory and practice through storytelling and lived experience. With over 25 years of experience spanning leadership development, organizational effectiveness, coaching, and media storytelling, she is the founder of FutureState Collective—the culture and media platform that produces They Tried It.

She has interviewed actors, authors, activists, and cultural leaders; has been invited to speak and host conversations across platforms; has been featured by Bloomberg Radio and SAG-AFTRA; and has hosted Google's "Level Up in Tech," to name a few.

Learn more about Lindiwe and view her media kit here.

Subscribe to They Tried It on all major podcast platforms.

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Workplace abuse affects millions of employees every year. Yet most people are told to “toughen up,” stay quiet, or accept toxic behavior as part of corporate culture. Kim pulls back the curtain on what HR is trained to do, where the system fails, and how employees can protect themselves when they realize they are on their own.

She also discusses her work supporting the Workplace Psychological Safety Act and the urgent need for accountability in organizations where leadership protects liability over people.

One of the most powerful takeaways from this conversation:

“It’s only scary the first time.”

Whether you’re navigating a toxic workplace, questioning how to file a complaint, or wondering why nothing seems to change when abuse is reported, this episode offers clarity, strategy, and validation.

You deserve to do meaningful work without fear, retaliation, or harm.

About Our Guest

Kim Williams is the founder of the Fair Path Project, an initiative dedicated to helping employees navigate workplace bullying and abuse. With years of experience in HR leadership and legislative advocacy, she now works full-time to expose systemic failures and provide practical tools for documentation, accountability, and self-protection.

Learn more: www.fairpathproject.com

Explore resources: inworkplaceabuse.org

About the Host:

Lindiwe is a sought-after speaker, interviewer, and culture strategist across several industries, known for bridging theory and practice through storytelling and lived experience. With over 25 years of experience spanning leadership development, organizational effectiveness, coaching, and media storytelling, she is the founder of FutureState Collective—the culture and media platform that produces They Tried It.

She has interviewed actors, authors, activists, and cultural leaders; has been invited to speak and host conversations across platforms; has been featured by Bloomberg Radio and SAG-AFTRA; and has hosted Google's "Level Up in Tech," to name a few.

Learn more about Lindiwe and view her media kit here.

Subscribe to They Tried It on all major podcast platforms.

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📸 Follow on Instagram: @lindiwe_speaks and @theytrieditshow

💼 Follow on LinkedIn

✍🏽 Subscribe to her Substack

The heart of this episode centers on a difficult experience inside a professional program designed to create access to advertising for nontraditional talent. Shakira describes navigating escalating conflict with a teammate, moving from adjusting, to observing patterns, to enduring disruption, until the situation crossed into open hostility and project sabotage. She and Lin discuss the emotional toll of being publicly disrespected, the painful silence of bystanders, and the moment you decide: this is above me, I’m reporting it.

This episode is also about self-advocacy, especially for Black and Brown women who are often conditioned to carry the weight, protect others, or keep the peace at their own expense. Shakira offers practical principles for anyone facing conflict at work, including how to communicate upward when you don’t feel confident in “corporate language,” and why you need a strategy before you speak up.

About Our Guest

Shakira Polite is a strategist and culture researcher working in commercial advertising, corporate branding, and consumer insight. She helps businesses communicate with people in ways that feel human, grounded in reciprocity, cultural intelligence, and a deep understanding of audience behavior. She is also committed to sharing knowledge (not gatekeeping it) and expanding access for people with nontraditional backgrounds.

Find Shakira on LinkedIn and on her Website.

About the Host

Lindiwe is a sought-after speaker, interviewer, and culture strategist across several industries, known for bridging theory and practice through storytelling and lived experience. With over 25 years of experience spanning leadership development, organizational effectiveness, coaching, and media storytelling, she is the founder of FutureState Collective—the culture and media platform that produces They Tried It.

Learn more about Lindiwe and view her media kit here.

Subscribe to They Tried It on all major podcast platforms.

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This conversation gets specific about how toxic environments operate: leaders who confuse authority with leadership, workplaces that protect high performers who harm others, and the quiet ways professionals end up switching jobs for self-preservation. Jenny and Lindiwe also discuss what actually helps you move forward when a manager is blocking you, building visibility beyond your reporting line, expanding your network, and “switching lanes” when you’ve been stuck in career traffic for too long.

Episode 3 is about agency: how to stop shrinking, stop waiting to be chosen, and start making strategic moves toward a workplace where you can thrive. If you’re navigating a toxic boss, stalled career mobility, or bias disguised as “fit,” this episode offers language, perspective, and practical next steps.

About Our Guest:

Jenny Chen is the founder of Catalais Consulting (C-A-T-A-L-A-I-S Consulting). A first-generation Chinese Canadian immigrant and former investment sales leader, she previously led diversity, equity, and inclusion at a global wealth management firm of 6,000 professionals. Today, she works with organizations to redesign workplace ecosystems—building trust, accountability, and inclusive systems that create better outcomes for people and business.

She also hosts the podcast Tuneup Your Warrior and publishes a weekly newsletter grounded in real workplace experiences—focused on repair and redesign, not shame.

Find Jenny and her firm on LinkedIn and Instagram (she’s especially active on LinkedIn).

About the Host:

Lindiwe is a sought-after speaker, interviewer, and culture strategist across several industries, known for bridging theory and practice through storytelling and lived experience. With over 25 years of experience spanning leadership development, organizational effectiveness, coaching, and media storytelling, she is the founder of FutureState Collective—the culture and media platform that produces They Tried It.

Learn more about Lindiwe and view her media kit here.

Subscribe to They Tried It on all major podcast platforms.

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Shenelle shares her journey from teaching into corporate leadership, where her work in people development, training, and DEI repeatedly ran into familiar barriers: being told she wasn’t “ready,” watching promotion goalposts move, and receiving feedback tied more to identity and appearance than performance. From comments about nails and hair to pressure to shrink or assimilate, the conversation names the microaggressions many professionals experience but struggle to label.

Together, Lindiwe and Shenelle explore how fear of retaliation keeps people silent, how to assess whether a situation calls for a hard conversation or formal action, and why listening to your body is often the first signal that something is wrong. They also discuss recovery after workplace adversity—and how grounding yourself in purpose, therapy, spirituality, and support systems can help you rebuild clarity and confidence.

This episode is for anyone navigating workplace bias, stalled promotions, or the emotional toll of being told to “wait your turn” after doing everything right.

About Our Guest:

Shenelle Brooks is a success coach and consultant specializing in DEI, human-centered leadership, and professional development. A former teacher turned corporate leader, she helps individuals navigate workplace culture, career mobility, and boundary-setting—particularly professionals from underrepresented communities.

She is currently developing a Leading With Heart series focused on self-discovery, self-healing, and the ripple effects of purpose-driven leadership.

Follow her on LinkedIn, Instagram, or on her website.

About the Host:

Lindiwe is a sought-after speaker, interviewer, and culture strategist across several industries, known for bridging theory and practice through storytelling and lived experience. With over 25 years of experience spanning leadership development, organizational effectiveness, coaching, and media storytelling, she is the founder of FutureState Collective—the culture and media platform that produces They Tried It.

She has interviewed actors, authors, activists, and cultural leaders; has been invited to speak and host conversations across platforms; has been featured by Bloomberg Radio and SAG-AFTRA; and has hosted Google's "Level Up in Tech," to name a few.

Learn more about Lindiwe and view her media kit here.

Subscribe to They Tried It on all major podcast platforms.

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📸 Follow on Instagram: @lindiwe_speaks and @theytrieditshow

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In the first episode of They Tried It, host Lindiwe Davis sits down with Dr. Anastasia—cultural theorist, lifelong activist, and former corporate leader—to unpack what happens when truth, integrity, and power collide at work.

Dr. Anastasia shares her journey from being classically trained in race and gender studies to applying that knowledge inside organizations and global brands, navigating identity, culture, and responsibility. As an immigrant, she reflects on how education became a tool for survival, self-awareness, and resistance—and how knowledge, when paired with responsibility, shaped her career.

The conversation takes a powerful turn as Dr. Anastasia recounts her exit from corporate America, including being offered nearly $35,000 in exchange for her silence—and her decision not to sign the severance payout. She opens up about being reprimanded for advocating for disabled employees and being reported for speaking out on humanitarian issues.

This episode is about courage, discernment, and refusing to be erased. It’s about choosing self-respect over silence, recognizing when your success becomes a threat to others, and the behavior that follows in professional spaces.

About Our Guest:

Dr. Anastasia Kārkliņa Gabriel is a cultural theorist, social critic, and an award-winning author. A widely regarded commentator on media, marketing, and social change, her insights into contemporary culture have appeared in publications like Forbes, The Guardian, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, and Teen Vogue, as well as on national and international broadcast media, including talk shows such as Piers Morgan Uncensored. Her debut book, Cultural Intelligence for Marketers (2024), explores how organizations can decode sociocultural forces at play to stay ahead of the curve and positively shape the future of business and society. Dr. Gabriel holds a Ph.D. in cultural studies from Duke University.

Follow her journey on LinkedIn and via IG: @anastasiakgabriel

About the Host:

Lindiwe is a sought-after speaker, interviewer, and culture strategist across several industries, known for bridging theory and practice through storytelling and lived experience. With over 25 years of experience spanning leadership development, organizational effectiveness, coaching, and media storytelling, she is the founder of FutureState Collective—the culture and media platform that produces They Tried It.

She has interviewed actors, authors, activists, and cultural leaders; has been invited to speak and host conversations across platforms; has been featured by Bloomberg Radio and SAG-AFTRA; and has hosted Google's "Level Up in Tech," to name a few.

Learn more about Lindiwe and view her media kit here.

Subscribe to They Tried It on all major podcast platforms.

🎥 Subscribe on YouTube

📸 Follow on Instagram: @lindiwe_speaks and @theytrieditshow

💼 Follow on LinkedIn

✍🏽 Subscribe to her Substack

"I wanted to share a little more about what I’ve been working on and what’s coming next. Many of you know I’m building my podcast, 'They Tried It,' and I’m excited to share that our first episodes will begin rolling out in January 2026. It’s been a labor of courage, truth, and storytelling—and I can’t wait for you to hear it."