As our first season winds down, we are reflecting on what brought us together and led us to the creation of the shows you’ve seen on our platform. Reset the Algorithm and Artist 2 Artist are both unique shows with specific visions but one consistent throughline can be seen in all that we produce; our dedication to social justice and equity. As queer creators of color, we see the need for change within our communities. Our goal as we built out each episode of season 1 was to see how social justice is being fought for in all different avenues of life. From supporting black female entrepreneurs in venture capital and fighting Gender Apartheid in Afghanistan to speaking with artists who created life-changing music from behind prison walls, every episode showed us the magic that lives within human tenacity - especially when used for the greater good of us all. Learning from the amazing Artists, Activists, Entrepreneurs, and Educators has inspired us in countless ways and we are bringing all of that inspiration and vision into an even more impactful Season 2 this fall. Stay with us as we keep working to ‘Reset the Algorithm’ for all of us!

This week on Artist 2 Artist, Patrisse Cullors joins a discussion of heritage, art and the resistance of reimagination with artists and mother-son duo, Shahla Dorriz and alexandre ali reza dorriz. "You're the only person in the world who could get my mom and I in a room together to do a podcast of all things”, ali reza says to Patrisse… and while that may be true, we are so grateful they came to chat. This episode is an authentic reminder of the importance of personal expression in conjunction with legacy, and how the representation of heritage can transform future generations through art. Shahla, a fashion designer and creative consultant, shares her journey to finding her most authentic artistic medium through fashion, and the importance of the multi-generational approach to her work that centers the inclusion of her Iranian heritage, often in collaboration with her son. Ali Reza, an artist with a research-based practice, sheds light both on his own work with Crenshaw Dairy Mart in Los Angeles, and his work in creating localized hubs for economic, artistic and agricultural autonomy for his community, but on the awe and inspiration instilled in him through both his own experience of his artistic practice and in the one that has been nurtured between himself and his mother. In conversation, the trio explore the waters of storytelling through fabric, the influence of the duo's Iranian heritage on their work, and both the challenges and rewards that arise when one sets an intention to preserve cultural design and promote diverse, unique perspectives within the fashion industry. This mother-son duo are an impactful showcase of how divergent ideas can curate something beautiful, created through that unique channel that each of us has access to; of how that channel becomes ever more powerful the more honest and collaborative we open ourselves to be. This episode reminds us all that artists have the ability to challenge oppressive systems, to create in a way that reminds consumers of times past from which they have the opportunity to learn, and that in embracing ourselves and the roots from which we grew, we become unshakably planted in our identity. "Value your work. If you know what you're working on and if you see that work as valuable, it is valuable."

Our Anon episodes are a direct result of the number of DMs our podcast channel and Moj’s personal channel receive about our content. Hearing your thoughts is vital to us and we read everything you submit via the Anon form as well as in our DMs. We thought now would be a good time to do another one of these episodes since we are seeing the discomfort of our audience in real-time to the types of content we are putting out. What you can always depend on with us, the purpose of this show - is to break us all out of our digital echo-chambers. With that comes being stretched, being exposed to new ideas and at times hearing things you disagree with or that make you uncomfortable. It is hard - but we can all handle it. In this episode we talk through the difficulties of being on socials rn and what you can do to cope, the discomfort you all expressed in response to one of our recent releases and some Iranian Diaspora ☕amongst other things. If you want to share your thoughts with us, you can always submit to our anon form and we hope to read your feedback soon!

In this episode of Artist 2 Artist, Patrisse Cullors sits down with Iranian artist Shahrzad Changalvaee, to explore the role of art in the act of resistance under oppressive powers. Shahrzad shares her background and the experience of realizing one is an artist under the limiting and oppressive demands of the Iranian government during her childhood. In her early years as an artist, she was taught that "limitations beget creativity", and while there is value in those words for many of us who forsake our everyday freedom of expression, Patrisse and Shahrzad discuss the fortitude one must cultivate in order to question the sources that offer the words we internalize as artists, as an important step to individuation and independent expression, especially when art inevitably finds its way to becoming itself an act of resistance. Explore the use of language, in art and beyond, Patrisse and Shahrzad emphasize the power of the artist to build coalition, change, abolitionist practices and challenge the regimes that seek to silence or appropriate the artistic voice. Being an artist from Iran, under a restrictive government, may have been Shahrzad's beginnings, but in her work, she revolutionized her self expression and found the power of her voice and ability to create for not only herself, but the culture she wants to celebrate. In this episode, Patrisse and Shahrzad discuss how background and cultural identity play, effect, and cultivate an artist's identity, and the deeply personal journey of finding mediums and language to ensure that the perception of the art, matches its intent; "The artist is like a shapeshifter. The artist is the through line." Using collage, metal sculpture, photography and beyond, Shahrzad offers her art and story to us as itself an act of resistance, and reminds us that while limitations may present opportunity, the language we use both within ourselves and how we choose to express our unique perspective to others, is truly the choice that translates the most healing and revolutionary power, right from the source.

This week on Reset the Algorithm, we talk with Omar Barghouti, the Co-founder of BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) a Palestinian-led movement for freedom, justice and equality. The clarity and focus with which Omar expresses the goals of Palestinian Liberation is incredibly admirable. With this organization, they aim to utilize peaceful tactics to place pressure on repressive institutions in an effort to end complacency and free the Palestinian people from occupation. From his time at Columbia University in 1985, where he participated in anti-Apartheid protests and encampments to his thoughts on the encampments of college campuses today, Omar and Moj discuss what it means to resist and how we can truly bring about change through nonviolent strategies. It is not lost on us that conversations like this are challenging for some to hear and that those with different lived experiences might find the topics covered to be very difficult to process. Exposure does that. Our goal with this program and the entire mission of our organization is to be in conversation with EVERYONE, to talk through the lived experiences of MANY, and to break out of our algorithmic echo-chambers. This process is inherently uncomfortable and painful. We know, because it is for us too. But now more than ever, we must listen, we must learn and we must show grace, so that we can move forward in building a world that is safe and fair and healthy for ALL OF US. We know it isn’t easy, but we trust that it is incredibly worth it, and we hope you join us in the journey. And if you feel so inclined to give us feedback or just want to share how you feel after listening, if you are proud of us, or mad at us, or want to tell us off…we really really want to hear from you! Use our anonymous link and share your thoughts with us!

This week on Artist 2 Artist, Patrisse Cullors sits down with the team behind the SXSW film, “Songs From The Hole”. JJ'88, richie reseda, and Contessa Gayles offer us a poignant reminder that a commitment to our artistic expression, is a commitment to heal, transform and inform our communities. A documentary visual album, "Songs from the Hole '' made its premiere at SXSW last month. Directed and co-written by Contessa Gayles, the film follows JJ'88 and his innermost experience as he serves a double-life sentence in prison. Introducing the public to the life and music of JJ'88, the film uses imaginative creations of memory, dreams, spiritual experiences, and interviews, set to JJ'88's original music, produced by richie reseda. Exploring the intersection of art and accountability, this weeks’ conversation explores the process by the team collaborated on their film, and the importance of centering the artistic voices and experiences of incarcerated individuals. Through the process of creating his music with richie reseda, and bringing his album to the screen with Contessa, JJ’88 reflects on the power of finding community, and the deeply cathartic, healing and artistically triumphant film they created. Contessa, JJ’88 and richie are a brilliant example of using film as a conscious, authentic medium to highlight a narrative that has the power to re-shape our society. “Songs from the Hole” is currently being shown at film festivals and plans are underway for an impact campaign to bring it to prisons, jails, and communities impacted by state violence and gun violence. Contessa continues to spearhead poignant documentary narratives. JJ’88 has released his fourth single, "Hustla's Lament, and richie reseda serves as the Creative and Political Director of For everyone Collective, a space dedicated to supporting the artistic and economical contributions of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals. This week, we call you to revolutionize your ideas of documentary filmmaking, examine your personal sense of expression, and open your ears to the authentically human, raw, and inspirational journey this film has shared with the world.

In this bonus episode of Reset the Algorithm curated in partnership with Mother Tongue Magazine, Moj Mahdara sits down for an emotional and heart-felt conversation with Rabbi Sharon Brous and Patrisse Cullors. As we see our world more and more divided everyday, the economy of empathy feels in recession. Creating coalition and holding space for one another’s pain feels like the only way forward. In this exchange Rabbi Brous shares how she is choosing to direct the conversation in her community, while Moj shares their hopes and dreams for the people of the Middle East, and Patrisse shares her experience building coalitions and creating intersectional communities. From crying together to laughing together, this powerful conversation shows us what it means to truly see one another’s humanity and reminds us how much we need each other.

This week Moj sits down with Sara Wahedi, Tech-founder and CEO of Afghanistan’s first civic-tech start-up; Ehtesab. In her goal to democratize access to life saving information across the globe regardless of where they live or what they do. Her incredible work with Ehtesab has lent Sara platforms to speak on the injustices faced by Women in Afghanistan and across the Middle East at the hands of extremist governments. Her work on the mission to ‘End Gender Apartheid’ is what brought her and Moj together initially. From working as a full-time CEO and student to speaking on gender-based violence on the global stage, Sara is a true futurist who has taken matters into her own hands. From the explosion that led to the concept of Ehtesab to the business side of creating a start-up in Kabul, Sara takes us into her world and reminds us how important it is to lean on community to achieve massive goals.

EMEL’s new album, available April 19, 2024, is titled MRA, which translates to “woman” from Arabic, and is a physical manifestation of an important aspect of her music and art. This week on Artist 2 Artist, Patrisse Cullors gets to know the narrative behind this international musician, her deeply rooted ethos of feminine power in music, and how she embraced the power of her voice to speak for those that were silenced in the oppressive climate that shaped her early life. Three years ago, Emel Mathlouthi, the New York City-based art-rock musician who simply goes by EMEL, began writing her fourth studio album MRA, a beguiling coalescence of ethereal, hip-hop, and indie-pop sounds that is, at turns, a call to compassion and to action. Created with an entirely woman-identifying team, it fully embodies the core of its title. Growing up in Tunisia, EMEL listened to everything from classical music to Art Tatum to Celine Dion. From diverse inspirations, EMEL believes that her art is the means by which she can impact the culture around her, that the artist does not choose their audience, but instead offers their voice and a revolutionary message, to anyone who may or may not know they need to hear it. Her musical narratives are rooted in the perseverance of human experience, and rouses us from complacency into empathetic action. For EMEL, presenting her music as art, is of core importance to her, reminding us that when we forget the power behind music, and its ability to highly affect the human psyche, we overlook its power to create political and social reimagination. In an intersection of art and abolition, EMEL and Patrisse offer us a reminder of the powerful impact we each hold the power to effect, simply by examining the boundaries by which we currently show up… and breaking them down, one by one. Today, as this episode releases, EMEL performs at Public Records, sharing her voice and story, and daring the women in her life to stand, fully and proud, in their power.

In this conversation with the very funny Alex Edelman, we talked about how comedy can be healing and a way for us to see through our differences. In his latest show, now available on HBO, Alex describes his experience attending a white nationalist meeting in NYC…as a Orthodox Jewish man. The stories that follows shows the brilliance of Alex’s humor. Aside from being hilarious, he is excellent at building bridges and showing us all how much more similar we are than different. In a moment of immense divide, conversations like this one with Alex are a reminder to me of how important it is to build bridges and of course belly laugh together.

It is hard to find an artist more dynamic and embodied than JOJO ABOT. With her interdisciplinary work, she bridges gaps in the art world to bring viewers into immersive experiences that evoke emotion and shift paradigms. In this conversation, JOJO ABOT and Patrisse connect on the importance of one’s message over medium and the challenges and rewards of being an interdisciplinary arts in a world that persuades artists to “stick to their lane”. We also learn of JOJO ABOT’s process, what inspires their work and how they create balance and harmony to stay inspired.

This week we visited the world of entrepreneurship and venture capital with my friend Sophia Amoruso. Sophia has always done things her way and her curiosity and desire to learn are the keys to her success. This makes her latest transition into venture capital an easy one. Supporting founders with advice acquired through lived experiences is priceless. In this conversation we touch on how success and failure shape us and the importance of having freedom to explore and change as you grow and learn. We also talk about poker, taking prozac on social media, and the importance of supporting women in a time where DEI initiatives are under attack. There is no shortage of topics or belly laughs when Sophia and I get together.

The Artist we are in conversation with this week is the fabulous Tricia Elam Walker. Speaking to her about her craft, we are reminded again that the journey of an artist is never linear and looks different for everyone. Growing up in the Roxbury area of Boston, Tricia went on to practice law for 16 years before she became a Novelist and Children's book author, penning Breathing Room Nana Akua Goes to School and Dream Street. In this latest episode she takes us through her journey of self expression from her fashion choices, to the stories she has written. Bringing us along with her on her path to self-actualization, Tricia shares the major influence her mother holds over her ongoing drive to create through literature. Artists like Tricia Elam Walker show us the importance of continued exploration and inspire us all to keep dreaming. She will appear as a featured writer at the 2024 National Association of Black Journalists Convention later this summer and you can catch our conversation with her now wherever you get your podcasts.

Gissou Nia is a human rights lawyer who has dedicated her life to the protection and justice of civilians affected by war and conflict. In a lot of ways, the work she does is as close to a real-life superhero as we get and her work spans across continents around the globe. In this conversation, we speak about her work as a lawyer as well as her work as an activist, a distinction that might be hard for us all to make, but for Gissou it is very clear. All people deserve justice and human rights, but this belief hits even harder for us when we talk about the people of Iran. Gissou’s family is from Iran, and much like many Iranian children raised in the diaspora, Gissou was exposed to the injustice of corrupt governments very early on. This is one of the reasons she says human rights law spoke to her, the need to right the wrongs you see being done to those around you, in your family, or in your community. Examining nuance, championing human rights, and spreading fact-based knowledge has been Gissou’s world; let’s step into it together at a time when justice, safety, and truth have never been more important.

In the debut episode of the Artist2Artist and Reset the Algorithm Collaboration, our NEW host Patrisse Cullors sits down with Lumi Tan for a conversation about the importance of art in today’s world with the backdrop of Lumi’s most recent curatorial project Luna Luna. Luna Luna is an art amusement park, lost after its initial run in 1987. The project was dreamed up by Austrian Pop musician André Heller, whose interest in interdisciplinary art allowed him to explore many mediums beyond music and bring prolific artists of the century together to build something truly revolutionary. From Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring to Salvador Dali, Arik Brauer, David Hockney, and Roy Lichtenstein, the works of Luna Luna are large-scale masterpieces by prolific artistic giants that the world has not seen in nearly 4 decades. With the direction of Lumi Tan, this lost fantasy has been brought back to life. In this interview, we learn that Heller’s experiences as a child in Europe after WWII and his desire to build a space for children to discover and explore art and joy was a direct result of his experience as part of a generation of children who survived the war, but missed out on vital childhood experiences. His goal with Luna Luna as the team puts it was to “use art and imagination to survive and fight back against an endangered world”. There has never been a better time than now for Luna Luna to be rediscovered by new audiences. At a time of global trauma and war, André Heller and the artists who brought Luna Luna to life in 1987, are again bringing art, joy, and imagination to a new generation who desperately needs it in 2024.

This conversation with Elica Le Bon, an Iranian Activist from the UK, was one that was heavily requested by our listeners! As a vocal political commentator on her platforms, Elica has developed a following for her takes on political issues, particularly in the Middle East. In this exchange we speak candidly about our traumas as Middle Easterners, what it is like living in the diaspora, what solutions we hope to see, and how the politics of the region has shaped us and our differing perspectives.

This conversation with Jessica Malaty Rivera is incredibly expansive. From her immigrant story to her perspectives of the Middle East in this moment, we go on a learning journey together that emphasizes the need to hold space for different opinions and grow our understandings of other perspectives; all in an effort to build bridges. Although this episode is a censored version of what we really wanted to share, as it stands, it is still a conversation that is so desperately needed right now.

This first anonymous episode came about because of the immense reaction our audience had to our offer for a digital safe space. Never did we dream of so many form submissions from so many unique backgrounds. This episode is an exact representation of how our audience shapes our work. Reading through your experiences, what has you frustrated, what you are enjoying, what you hated...all of it plays a role in how we produce each episode in real time! Your take is vital; and we are listening.

In this conversation with Patrisse Cullors, an author, an artist, an activist and the co-founder of Black Lives Matter, we explore the role and at times power of trauma in activism; and the dire need for courageous conversations. Speaking through the conflicts plaguing our world today, we delve into the importance of sitting with others and making space for shifting collective shapes to create a new way forward. We also open up about our own challenges as we move through this current moment.

Join Alon-Lee Green, Co-Director of Standing Together, an organization fighting for Palestinian and Israeli peace, as he delves into the heart of the conflict. From dissecting the challenges of Israeli democracy to confronting discrimination, this episode uncovers the layers of complexity often overlooked. Explore the rise of extremism, the urgent call for peace, and the daunting hurdles Israel faces in the Middle East. Alon-lee's vision inspires hope that we can catalyze political change.

In this debut episode, join Moj Mahdara as they provide context to why this podcast came to be. From their experiences as a first-generation Iranian American to navigating cultural and societal expectations as a non-binary individual, Moj reflects on being a disrupter by nature. From the challenges of navigating cultural expectations to confronting societal injustices, Moj's story transcends borders and invites listeners into a raw and unfiltered exploration of the human experience.