In this premier episode, we introduce the core idea behind our podcast and why we want to emphasize and center our “Diverse Joy.” What’s bringing us joy this episode is the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser and the new acronym for diversity work, JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion). We also discuss the widespread issue of non-tested bias and diversity trainings, and how they often make bias problems worse. Answering our first "audience" question, we reflect on "positive biases" and whether bias is always a bad thing. To develop our JEDI skills, we learn about the habit model as a scientifically validated method of cognitive-behavioral change. Our recommendation for something bringing us joy is the NBC show “Grand Crew” starring the hilarious Nicole Byer.

With special guest Sandy Eichel, we share our joy about gardening and working with kids. We discuss ways that stale notions of "professionalism" can stifle authenticity and increase marginalization. People are happier and more productive when they can authentically express themselves through their appearance. In other words, we celebrate Sartorial Joy! We also share our perspectives on how to start diversity discussions in workplaces that aren't talking about diversity issues. To develop our bias habit-breaking skills, we learn to watch out for Norm Enforcement as one way that biases play out. Sandy's joyful recommendation is the fantastic TV show, "Schitt's Creek."

To start off, we explain that, even though we both have doctorates, we describe ourselves as “so-called experts” because diversity and inclusion topics are ever-evolving, and there’s always more to learn. Things bringing us joy this episode are Will’s visits to the Bristol Renaissance Faire in Bristol, Wisconsin and Amber learning to make her Italian grandmother’s recipe for long sauce. Our discussion this episode focuses on our own identities and backgrounds, and we each share our stories of how we came to our career paths. As with many folks, our appearances aren’t complete indicators of our racial/ethnic identities — Amber discusses her Black and Italian heritage, and Will talks about being White and Hawaiian, as well as sharing his story about coming out as gay to his religious, Mormon family. Then we reflect on our answers to the question "Is race a social construct?". To work on our bias habit-breaking skills, we learn to watch out for Impression Justification as one way that biases can influence judgments and decision-making. Our joyful recommendation is the delightfully diverse and absolutely hilarious TV show, “Superstore.”

With special guest Nicki Vander Meulen, we share our joy about the TV show Star Trek: Lower Decks, back to school, and football season! Nicki is a lawyer focused on disability issues and the first-ever openly autistic person to be elected to a school board in the U.S., and she shares her perspectives on disability desegregation in schools. We argue that desegregation is best for not only student with disabilities, but those without disabilities as well. We also discuss language norms around disability (e.g., the difference between "person with autism" and "autistic person"). To develop our bias habit-breaking skills, we learn to Do Perspective-Taking as one powerful way to forge emotional connections to others' experiences that drives our inclusive behavior going forward. Nicki's joyful recommendation is Judy Bloom's amazing novel "Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret".

For this Halloween episode, Will and Amber are dressed up as Captain Christopher Pike (from "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds") and Lucy Ricardo (from "I Love Lucy"). Bringing us joy this October are Will and Eric Roman's annual "Hallow-Crafts Day" and Amber's traditions of visiting pumpkin patches and going apple-picking! Matching our outfits, we discuss representation of interracial relationships and racial diversity in the media, especially "I Love Lucy" and "Star Trek" (and, in true A&W fashion, we go down a rabbit hole of many others, including Brandy and Whitney Houston's "Cinderella", "Black Panther", "Wakanda Forever", "The Princess and the Frog", and "Champions"!). Representation Matters! We also discuss some of the issues surrounding actors being cast to portray people with identities they don't share. This episode's habit-breaking skill is to Broaden Your Input Via the Media, which is something we emphasize every episode, with our media recommendations! Amber's dual media recommendations for this episode are the hilarious and evergreen "I Love Lucy" and the more recent, fantastic Netflix show, "Bridgerton".

For this Trans* Awareness month episode, we bring back special guest Sandy Eichel, who is a transgender nonbinary person themself! We start off addressing notions of tokenism, and specifically discuss the difference between including an underrepresented voice versus tokenizing that person to speak for their whole group. This episode, we share our joy around Will’s costume room, Amber’s holiday sweater collection, and Sandy’s amazing annual Solstice Party! We discuss a variety of trans*-related issues, including pronouns, how to correct yourself if you slip up and misgender someone, and hearing about Sandy’s own journey to understand themself as a transgender and nonbinary person. This month’s habit-breaking skill is learning to Replace Stereotypes, and we learn about using the pneumonic “Detect, Reflect, Reject” as a way to retrain our automatic reactions. Sandy’s joyful media recommendation is the powerful documentary “Paris is Burning”.

Amber's joy this month is everything festive, most especially the ever-expanding array of Christmas movies! Will's joy is his friend group's annual "Krampus and Crafts" tradition, where they watch the holiday comedy/horror movie "Krampus" and do a holiday craft project. This episode's discussion focuses on some common terms used in diversity discussions (cultural competency, cultural humility, and cultural responsiveness), and how to translate those concepts to practical actions. In brief, we recommend learning common ways people may see the world differently from you (cultural competence), but also recognize that we can never have complete knowledge of this (cultural humility), and we should be receptive and thoughtful in our response to listening to others’ perspectives and feedback about their experiences (cultural responsiveness). This episode's question is "What is justice?" and we discuss how to define and think about social justice in our efforts to be more inclusive. This episode's habit-breaking skill is to Consider Situational Explanations for Behavior. Amber's media recommendation for this episode is the touching and fun reality TV show, "We're Here".

In this new year's episode, Will's joy is cozy winter activities, especially his friend group's weekly movie night. Amber's January joy is birthday celebrations, because her family has a lot of birthday celebrations in January. As she does in all things, Amber brings lots of themed, personalized festivity to birthday celebrations! Connecting to new year's traditions of setting new intentions, this episode's discussion topic focuses on how to be intentional in diversity efforts. We don't want diversity efforts to be something we fall backwards into; diversity and inclusion deserves forethought and intentionality. Continuing that theme, we share stories that exemplify unfortunate diversity attempts and some that are more successful. This episode's question is "How do I ask about someone's identity respectfully?", and we discuss bad ways to ask about identity and offer suggestions for more positive and respectful ways to ask about others' identities. This episode's habit-breaking skill is to Think Ahead. Bias is more likely when we're figuring things out spontaneously, and less likely if we've thought things through ahead of time. Will's media recommendation for this episode is the action-packed period piece, "Prey", which is a wildly entertaining sci-fi action flick that also showcases Comanche history, language, and culture.

Will's joy this episode is "Camp Bingo", a local drag bingo event that fundraises for services for people living with HIV/AIDS, and Amber's joy is after-Valentine's candy sales! This month's episode focuses on weight bias, and Amber and Will discuss terminology for people who occupy bigger bodies, and many ways the world isn't set up for fat people, creating challenges for them. Amber shares stories related to being fat when seeking healthcare. This episode's question is "Isn't supporting fat people supporting them being unhealthy?", and in answer to that we unpack the relationship between body positivity and health, specifically challenging the notion that supporting fat people's body positivity is supporting them being unhealthy. In this discussion, Amber talks about the recent movement to champion "Health at every size". This episode's habit-breaking skill is learning to watch out for and disrupt Confirmation Bias, which results in us giving more mental weight to confirmatory evidence over disconfirmatory evidence. Amber's media recommendation is Lizzo's reality show "Watch Out for the Big Grrrls". (We also acknowledge that, after the recording of this episode, some controversy about Lizzo and that show has come to light. As of this episode's release the allegations have yet to be addressed in court.)

In this Disability Awareness Month episode, we invite back lawyer Nicki Vander Meulen to talk about the history of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), especially how other movements, including the Black civil rights movement and the gay rights movement, cooperated to bring about the ADA. Nicki's joy this episode is the Marvel character Rocket Raccoon, who many see as an icon for inclusion, especially among the disability community. Amber's joy is that March is also "Disney Bounding Month", when she dresses up daily as various Disney characters, to the delight of all who know her! Will's joy is his annual tradition of throwing big theme parties for all his friends! We discuss the many protests and sit-ins related to the disability rights movement, including the 504 sit-in and the Capitol crawl, both of which succeeded in part due to solidarity and support from other rights movements. Throughout this discussion, we touch on many issues around disability and accommodations, especially highlighting how accommodations help everyone, not just people with disabilities. Nicki shares several stories related to obstacles she's faced as an autistic person with cerebral palsy, teaching us some ways people fall short in their interactions with people with disabilities, but also giving us guidance on how to do things better! This episode's question centers on why disability is not "just" a feature of people's medical conditions, but of obstacles created by a world that often overlooks differences in ability. Today's habit-breaking skill is learning to catch Untested Assumptions, which, when unchecked, serve to perpetuate biases in our minds. Nicki's joyful recommendation is the amazing "Guardians of the Galaxy" series of movies.

In this early spring episode, Will’s joy is his local Gallery Night, a festive celebration of local art and artists. Amber’s joy is cherry blossom season in the Pacific Northwest. This episode’s discussion topic is “Intersectionality”, a term that had seen widespread attention and some misunderstanding in recent years. Intersectionality is a framework for understanding how our various identities come together (i.e., intersect) in unique ways. For example, the experiences of a straight Black woman and a gay Black man will have some similarities, but also important differences. We have a better understanding of people’s experiences when we consider their many identities that intersect. This episode’s question dispels misconceptions sometimes raised in rude public discourse that intersectionality is just about “adding up” identities for victimization. In story time, Amber shares a couple of powerful stories about difficult and positive interactions she’s had with police officers, and discusses some of the nuances of being Black and dealing with the police. This month’s habit-breaking skill is to Seek Individuating Information. The more you get to know the unique details that make someone and individual, the less likely it is that stereotypes and biases will try to “fill in the gaps” in your perceptions of that person, leading to discriminatory assumptions or behaviors. Will’s joyful recommendation is the hilarious and fun woman-led musical comedy TV show “Girls5Eva”.

Amber shares her joy about attending Portland's Outdoor Market, and Will's joy is his koi pond waking up after winter! This episode discusses a major topic from Will's research career: the notion of "gaydar" as a legitimizing myth that perpetuates stereotyping related to lesbian/gay/bisexual (LGB) folks. Although many people have intuitions that they believe allow them to "tell" that someone is gay/lesbian, research in this area consistently shows that those intuitions most often lead to largely inaccurate conclusions in the real world. Expanding on this notion of LGB stereotyping, Amber and Will discuss many ways this type of stereotyping perpetuates harm, and also unpack the LGB community's multifaceted relationship with its stereotypes and communicating or concealing identity. This episode's bias habit-breaking skill is learning to identify and disrupt "Attentional Spotlight", which draws your attention more strongly to evidence that supports stereotypes (and away from evidence that contradicts stereotypes). Amber's joyful recommendation this episode is the thoughtful and dynamic TV show, "Home Economics", which tackles many issues related to social class and race, while still being wildly entertaining!

In this episode, Will shares his joy about Gay Pride month, and Amber's joy is seeing outdoor movies in the park! They discuss wellness and self-care, both in terms of individual self-care (e.g., rest, getting a massage) and collective self-care (e.g., coming together with community). Considerations of wellness and self-care are important for everyone, but are especially crucial for people frequently disadvantaged by biases and inequities. Amber shares stories about having to maintain work productivity after major collective traumas (i.e., the murder of George Floyd), and how a colleague helped take up burdens during that difficult time. This month's habit-breaking skill is to Speak Up when bias occurs, and we review several key guidelines on how to speak up about bias effectively, to effect change in others' behavior. This skill also provides opportunity to discuss something foundational to the podcast, the notion of adopting a "scientist-practitioner" model, in which we translate scientific evidence and knowledge into practical, concrete skills for laypeople. Will's joyful recommendation this episode is the endearing and heartwarming hit show, "Steven Universe".

In this final episode of Season 1, Amber shares her joy about vacationing in Hawai’i, and Will shares his joy about the Madison Chamber Orchestra’s annual “Concerts on the Square” outdoor concert series. We discuss many different ways that biases can seep into healthcare settings, through the perceptions of medical professionals, treatment plans, policies and procedures in medical offices, and even in the way medical equipment works. During story time, Will shares stories about a doctor jumping to biased conclusions about him, and also about finding a much better, more inclusive and accepting doctor. This month’s habit-breaking skill is learning to disrupt Self-Fulfilling Prophecy, in which our expectations about others bring out the behaviors we were expecting, with people living up to our heightened expectations, or living down to lowered expectations. Amber’s joyful recommendation is the visually and musically stunning masterpiece, “Encanto.”

This episode is the season premier of season 2! Will and Amber share their joy about people's responses to season 1 of the podcast, and also about their recent trip to the Bristol Renaissance Faire! They discuss the core philosophy behind "diverse joy", and why joy is so crucial for diversity work. During story time, Amber's stories touch on the theme of "yucking someone's yum", which can rob joy from others. In response to our audience question, we discuss how to stay motivated in the face of events and movements that oppose justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) work. During the skills segment, we revisit the core idea of how to Approach Bias as a Habit to Be Broken, which involves Motivation, Awareness, Tools, and Effort. We also discuss why and how we focus on developing skills that empower people to make changes to their own behaviors, rather than prescribing or enforcing "rules" about what is or isn't acceptable. This episode's joyful recommendation is the suspenseful and exciting Star Wars TV show, "the Acolyte".

For this Labor Day month episode, Amber and Will are dressed up as Rosie (and Ross) the Riveter! Will's joy is visiting Disney Parks, especially "Galaxy's Edge," which puts you on an immersive Star Wars planet, Batuu. Amber shares her joy about a recent project in which she reads fiction book series then watches their corresponding movies! This episode's discussion topic involves the concept of colonialism and decolonization, in which we seek to understand and examine personal or cultural practices that arise from colonial history. These practices can include things like leadership styles, decision-making procedures, and inherent hierarchies. The goal with this idea is not to necessarily reject "colonialist" ways of doing things, but to examine whether they are the way we want to move forward, or if we're just perpetuating the way "things have always been done" without critical examination. During story time, they share stories related to people falsely adopting identities they do not hold, including the notion of "pretendians", which are people who pretend to have Native American Indian heritage. This month's audience question is about how to speak up for JEDI work when you're a member of spaces that don't have much diversity. This episodes habit-breaking skill is to Question Assumptions, and discussion of that skill taps into many areas, including how more assertive communication styles tend to dominate in science and academic domains. Amber's joyful recommendation is Beyoncé's invigorating and revolutionary album, "Cowboy Carter".

October means it's our Halloween episode! For the occasion, Amber is dressed up as Weird Barbie from Barbie (2023) and Will is dressed up as Quicksilver from X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)! We share joy! Amber's joy is getting together with her family to hand out candy to trick-or-treaters; Will shares his joy about his friends' massive annual Halloween party, with a different theme each year! This episode's discussion topic involves the power of analogy in media representations. Although we talk about how media representation matters in terms of literal portrayals in each episode during our joyful recommendation segment, often the media can provide powerful analogies to teach meaningful lessons, and that's what we dig into during this main topic. This month's audience question asks why dressing in costumes of other cultures is often considered offensive, and we talk about the nuances around this topic. For story time, Will and Amber continue the thread from the question and share anecdotes related to costumes and culture and setting expectations for what costumes are or are not acceptable in a given context. The habit-breaking skill in this episode involves favoring mindfulness over blunt, ineffective approaches to bias reduction. Specifically, Don't Try to Bluntly Suppress Stereotypes! Bluntly pushing thoughts out of your mind actually makes those thoughts have a bigger influence on your subsequent thinking and behavior. And we close out with Amber's joyful recommendation of the heartwarming, insightful, and impactful Disney/Pixar movies Inside Out and Inside Out 2.

In this episode we have a very special guest, Valeria Martinez, Esq., who is an immigration attorney and joins Drs. Cox and Nelson to talk about immigration issues! We share joy! Valeria's joy is that after recently graduating from law school, she has now "made it" and is employed her lifelong goal of being an immigration lawyer! Will's joy is his 40th birthday this month, and being named one of Madison, Wisconsin's "Forty Under 40" class of 2024 by InBusiness Magazine. Amber's joy is her "forty before 40" list of forty new grand experiences she is working on before she turns 40 next year!

This episode's discussion topic involves immigration, especially legal issues related to immigration. With our guest, we talk through some an array of topics and history related to immigration in the United States, including the Chinese exclusion act, the "undesirable aliens act" of 1929, the State Department's Diversity Visa program, country caps on immigration, the role of the law in mandating fairness, asylum seekers, the definition of migrants as compared to refugees, and more!

For story time, Valeria shares difficult stories related to her parents immigrating to the U.S. from Mexico, and more joyous stories related to immigration victories in her legal work today. In response to this month's audience question, Valeria gives you her best advice related to what people should look for in an immigration attorney.

The habit-breaking skill in this episode is to Broaden Your Input via Contact. In other words, seeking more positive, genuine contact with people different from you. Make new friends! Although we often assume someone of a different race or other group status won't have much in common with us, the reality is that you likely share more in common than you think; all you need is one small thing in common as a foundation to build a genuine relationship.

As we build positive connections with people from different groups, those connections and relationships push back against biases in our minds. Genuine relationships then also can serve as resources for helping us to learn more about the experiences and perspectives of people in other social groups. And we close out with Valeria's joyful recommendation of the wholesome and multifaceted K-Drama, "The King's Affection". It was so lovely to have Valeria as our guest this episode.