Forged in Fire: LGBTQ+ Leadership

• From Hair to Eternity with Kai Hong

  In a candid conversation that swings from folk music to family, Kai Hong names the hard parts—culture clash at home, years of silence after coming out, and the slow repair that followed—and the habits that keep her grounded: walks, journaling, Disney days, and deep time with her partner and siblings. She refuses the “therapist behind the chair” label, choosing instead to be a great listener and a better friend, the kind who cheers your weird haircut idea and your bigger life. Her leadership lesson is deceptively simple: curate a space where people don’t have to hide, keep the standards high and the humanity higher, and let inclusive design (right down to the service menu) do quiet, daily work for dignity.

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• Representation Quest with Ray Lancione

  With humor and candor (yes, including gardening victories and “how the meat is made”), Ray reflects on identity—nonbinary pronouns, breaking gender norms—and on the power of digital spaces where people “just get you.” They share hard-won lessons from building Queerty Gamers through COVID, boosting talent like Twitch partners from 17 followers to thousands, and holding the line as censorship pressures rise. The leadership takeaway is simple and tough: protect your energy, invest in people, and build communities resilient enough to outlast the backlash.

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• Uncomfortable on Purpose with Blakely Hunze-Austin

  Licensed professional counselor Blakely Hunze-Austin joins to explore why purposeful discomfort can be a path to authenticity—and better leadership. Blakely traces a journey from tamped-down identity in the Tennessee church pews to building affirming community in Colorado Springs—and what those different contexts teach about safety, vulnerability, and leadership. We discuss tools for lowering defenses and integrating hard truths, plus the power of consultation among leaders to fight isolation. Blakely’s charge: find your huddle, have the uncomfortable conversations, and “get up and feel brave.” Leadership, she reminds us, is just advanced relationship work.Guest BiographyBlakely Hunze-Austin is a licensed professional counselor in the state of Colorado and Tennessee who specializes in sex therapy, eating disorders, OCD, and trauma. She enjoys working with LGBTQIA, kink, and polyamorous or ethically non-monogamous clients. She is a trained psychedelic assisted therapist. She now owns her own private practice and is a clinical director for a treatment center. Blakely volunteers for the Academy for Eating Disorders and is currently pursuing her certified sex therapist designation. 

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• Leadership Isn’t a Role with Lynn Vidler

  To paraphrase Lynn: Leadership isn’t a role—it’s a thing you do when the challenge is too big to face alone.What happens when a former ballet dancer, West Point professor, and nonbinary academic challenges the way we think about leadership? In this episode, Lynn Vidler discusses the failures of higher education’s leadership pipeline, the transformative power of authenticity, and what it means to lead with empathy in a world shaped by systemic expectations. With humor and insight, Lynn reflects on the harm of abusive leadership, the healing found in self-awareness, and their mission to reshape leadership culture in academia.Notes:Photography website is https://lynnvidler.photography/Lynn is on Instagram handle at @profefotogThey can be reached at  [email protected] for executive leadership/performance coaching.To schedule a 30-min exploratory coaching session with them: https://scheduler.zoom.us/lynn-vidler/hello-i-am-an-event-card-ifkpb2he

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• A Boy's Life with Chris Douglas

  Chris Douglas has worn many labels—veteran, businessman, activist—but the throughline of his story is moral seriousness. Seriously. Listen to find out what that means!In this episode, Chris unpacks what it means to live with integrity in business and life, to come out publicly when silence would be safer, and to keep working toward justice even when the tide turns. His philosophy of "we do what we can" is both a call to arms and a balm for those feeling overwhelmed by today's politics. You’ll walk away challenged, heartened, and renewed.

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