Revolutionary Leadership with Dr. Kerry Mitchell Brown Podcast By Dr. Kerry Mitchell Brown cover art

Revolutionary Leadership with Dr. Kerry Mitchell Brown

Revolutionary Leadership with Dr. Kerry Mitchell Brown

By: Dr. Kerry Mitchell Brown
Listen for free

Where Black Women's Stories Become Tomorrow's Blueprints. Revolutionary Leadership is a bi-weekly podcast illuminating the visionary leadership approaches Black women have cultivated for generations. This is a place where innovations are rooted in community care, radical self-prioritization, and collective capacity-building. Hosted by Dr. Kerry Mitchell Brown, a cultural architect, racial-equity strategist, and scholar of organizational change, each episode offers intimate, insightful conversations with boundary-breaking leaders across business, politics, culture, and community. Together, they reveal how Black women transform systems not built for them into models of liberation, purpose, and joy. This podcast celebrates brilliance, expands leadership paradigms, and provides actionable frameworks for those ready to lead with courage, care, and clarity. Subscribe now to Revolutionary Leadership where intellectual depth meets authentic storytelling, and where the future of leadership is Black, brilliant, and boldly transformative.2025 Social Sciences
Episodes
  • When to Say No to Your Dream Job (And Why It's Strategy, Not Sacrifice) with Portia Allen-Kyle

    When to Say No to Your Dream Job (And Why It's Strategy, Not Sacrifice) with Portia Allen-Kyle
    Apr 9 2026
    In this episode of Revolutionary Leadership, Dr. Kerry Mitchell Brown is joined by Portia Allen-Kyle, a civil rights attorney, strategist, and organizational architect whose work sits at the intersection of law, policy, race, and power. Together, they explore how Black women can move beyond navigating broken systems to actively redesigning them by using their intersectional identity as a strategic lens. But this isn't just theory — it's lived experience. Portia shares a powerful real-time example: the moment she turned down what most would call a "dream job" to protect her family, her book, and her clarity. What looks like sacrifice from the outside? It's actually strategy. Portia previously served as the interim executive director of Color Of Change and as a senior advisor in the Office of Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Transportation. She is the founder of FuturaBold, a consulting firm focused on equity-centered organizational alignment, and the author of the forthcoming book From Write-Offs to Riches: How Tax Policy Perpetuates the Racial Wealth Gap and Undermines Our Democracy. In this conversation, she offers a blueprint for building authentically Black organizations — not just through staffing, but through values and infrastructure — while sharing powerful personal insights on the necessity of strategic exits and the clarity of non-negotiables. You'll Discover: The Intersectional Strategic Lens: Why being a Black woman isn't a burden to manage — it's a vantage point that lets you see dynamics and read rooms in ways traditional frameworks ignore. Portia breaks down how to USE this advantage, not just carry it. What Breaks When You Copy: Why Black organizations that adopt white organizational models (especially "best practices" around vesting schedules, hierarchies, and performance metrics) end up causing more chaos and harm. Portia names what breaks — and what to build instead. The Power of "No": Portia shares the exact decision-making framework she used to turn down a prestigious role — and why the decision wasn't hard once she had clarity on her non-negotiables. This section alone is worth the listen. Strategic Exits: How to navigate leaving or declining opportunities in a way that honors integrity, manages the narrative, and protects your legacy. Portia gets honest about the emotional labor Black women do even in the exit — and why we can't leave like everyone else. Economic Power as Infrastructure: Why tax policy and the racial wealth gap are fundamental leadership and democracy problems that cannot be solved with individual "hustle" alone. Portia dismantles the myth of individual solutions for systemic problems. Featured Voice: Adureh Onyekwere, Senior Program Associate at the Vera Institute of Justice, shares how Dr. Kerry's leadership frameworks supported Black women prosecutors through identity-affirming strategy, collective wisdom, and sustainable leadership practices—transforming emotional labor into long-term organizational strength. Where to Find Portia Allen-Kyle Website: futuraboldllc.com Substack: Portia Allen-Kyle / Why Race Still Matters LinkedIn: Portia Allen-Kyle Social Media (X/Instagram): @MsPortia Strategic Leadership Reflection This week, sit with the contemplation of your own non-negotiables and strategic advantages: PERMISSION: Where in your leadership have you been waiting for permission to name your non-negotiables? ADVANTAGE: What would change in how you lead or what you say "yes" to if you decided your intersection was your greatest strategic advantage? LEGACY: What are you building today that the next generation of Black women leaders will be able to use as a blueprint? About the Host: This podcast is hosted by Dr. Kerry Mitchell Brown, CEO of kmb Consultancy and cultural architect specializing in revolutionary leadership and organizational transformation, and author of Revolutionary Leadership: A Power Playbook for Black Women (August 2026). Drawing on her entrepreneurial experience and a career spanning nonprofits, academia, and Fortune 100 companies, Dr. Kerry equips leaders across industries to navigate systems not designed for them, amplify their strategic power, and create environments where equity and innovation flourish. Connect with her here. Join the Conversation: Have you been inspired by this episode? Dr. Kerry invites you to: Leave an honest review sharing how this episode impacted you Share this podcast with a revolutionary leader in your life - we all know someone who needs to hear they're building tomorrow's blueprints Let's Connect: 🌐: RevolutionaryLead.com ✉️: DrKerry@revolutionarylead.com Social Media: @RevolutionaryLead Credits: Intro and outro music: "Feeling Free" by Jesse Lawrence (Epidemic Sound) A Crackers In Soup production
    Show more Show less
    40 mins
  • The Power of Peace: Radical Self-Prioritization as Leadership Brilliance with Dr. Zakiya Newland

    The Power of Peace: Radical Self-Prioritization as Leadership Brilliance with Dr. Zakiya Newland
    Mar 26 2026
    In this episode of Revolutionary Leadership, Dr. Kerry Mitchell Brown is joined by Dr. L. Zakiya Newland, a clinical social worker, educator, and mental health advocate with over 30 years of experience. Together, they explore the concept of radical self-prioritization—not as an indulgence, but as a clinically necessary strategy for sustainable leadership power. Dr. Newland is a Full Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Social Work at Molloy University, founder of LZN Consulting LLC, Convener of Black Family Summit Inc., and President of the Nassau Suffolk Association of Black Social Workers. She began her journey in Harlem, serving as a clinical social worker, community liaison, program developer, and mental health clinic administrator. She offers a clinical reframe of self-care—moving it from a luxury or reward to a strategic infrastructure —with frameworks that help Black women leaders move from depletion to sustainable brilliance, including how to recognize when you're overextended, set boundaries without guilt, and think strategically about the fullness of your leadership experiences. You'll Discover: The 4 A's Framework: A clinical process for moving from depletion to restoration—Acknowledge, Awareness, Action, Acceptance—applied to real scenarios when self-care feels "selfish." The "SAS" as a Signal: Why internal irritation and "salty" responses are biological signals of depletion, not personal failure. 8 Dimensions of Wellness: How Physical, Emotional, Social, Intellectual, Spiritual, Occupational, Environmental, and Financial health are interconnected—and which dimensions Black women leaders most neglect. The Fullness of Experiences Framework: How to extract strategic lessons from employment, volunteer work, and contracted roles to build your gifts, skills, and "overall fabulosity." Self-Care as Clinical Necessity: Why rest is strategic infrastructure, not a reward—and how to shift from "should do" to "clinically necessary." Peace as Strategic Positioning: How protecting your peace positions you for sustainable power, not something you earn after achievement. Community Over Google: Why Black-led mental health resources matter more than generic wellness advice—and specific platforms Dr. Newland recommends. Featured Book Dr. Newland highly recommends "Set Boundaries, Find Peace" by Nedra Glover Tawwab, a licensed clinical social worker, for its practical strategies and workbook. Featured Voice Lliane Cannon, a teacher and parent at Deep Root Academy, shares reflections on the impact of equity and fairness teach-ins. She describes how these supportive and intentional conversations create ripple effects, moving students and families from theory to real, actionable dialogue. Mrs. Cannon highlights how centering fairness and inclusion equips children with the tools to navigate the world with empathy and critical thinking. Where to Find Dr. Lisa Zakiya Newland Websites: blackfamilysummit.org | setupthewin.com Instagram: @Educate2ElevateCS LinkedIn: Lisa Zakiya Newland Strategic Leadership Reflection This week, identify one boundary you need to reinforce as strategic protection. Walk through the 4 A's: ACKNOWLEDGE: What is actually happening in this area of your life? AWARENESS: What is the cost of not setting this boundary? ACTION: What is one specific step you can take to reinforce it? ACCEPTANCE: Can you accept that protecting your peace is part of your leadership brilliance? About the Host: This podcast is hosted by Dr. Kerry Mitchell Brown, CEO of kmb Consultancy and cultural architect specializing in revolutionary leadership and organizational transformation, and author of Revolutionary Leadership: A Power Playbook for Black Women (August 2026). Drawing on her entrepreneurial experience and a career spanning nonprofits, academia, and Fortune 100 companies, Dr. Kerry equips leaders across industries to navigate systems not designed for them, amplify their strategic power, and create environments where equity and innovation flourish. Connect with her here. Join the Conversation: Have you been inspired by this episode? Dr. Kerry invites you to: Leave an honest review sharing how this episode impacted you Share this podcast with a revolutionary leader in your life - we all know someone who needs to hear they're building tomorrow's blueprints Let's Connect: 🌐: RevolutionaryLead.com ✉️: DrKerry@revolutionarylead.com Social Media: @RevolutionaryLead Credits: Intro and outro music: "Feeling Free" by Jesse Lawrence (Epidemic Sound) A Crackers In Soup production
    Show more Show less
    46 mins
  • Burnout Is Information: Why Joy Is Your Strategic Leadership Edge with Dr. Kerriann Peart

    Burnout Is Information: Why Joy Is Your Strategic Leadership Edge with Dr. Kerriann Peart
    Mar 12 2026
    In this midpoint episode of Revolutionary Leadership, Dr. Kerry Mitchell Brown is joined by Dr. Kerriann Peart, an international leadership strategist and the founder of Peart Consulting LLC, for a profound exploration of burnout, cultural identity, and the radical reclamation of joy as a leadership necessity—not a luxury. With over 17 years of experience spanning nonprofit HIV/AIDS advocacy, healthcare, education, and corporate leadership, Dr. Kerriann brings a global perspective rooted in her Jamaican heritage and her current work in Barbados. After navigating three distinct cycles of burnout that led to severe self-disassociation, she transformed her approach to focus on emotional intelligence, cultural intelligence, and embodied authenticity. Today, she serves as a part-time professor at the University of the West Indies and consults on regional health initiatives, helping Caribbean and Caribbean American women professionals lead with dignity, wholeness, and authentic presence. Together, Dr. Kerry and Dr. Kerriann examine how traditional leadership playbooks often reward depletion over sustainability, why joy is not something we earn after success but a form of intelligence that reshapes how we lead, and what becomes possible when Black women stop abandoning themselves to succeed. They discuss the "disassociation trap" of performing identities that are not our own, how returning to the body's wisdom acts as a catalyst for transformation, and why Caribbean women's excellence is often exploited rather than celebrated. You'll Discover: Burnout as a Systemic Signal: Understanding that exhaustion is often a sign of a system's incompatibility with your humanity rather than a personal weakness. Dr. Kerriann shares how three cycles of burnout taught her that "I am whole as I am, with my authenticity, given my heritage, identity, and cultural nuances." The Identity Performance Trap: Dr. Kerriann's powerful insight: "I didn't know I was Black until I moved to the United States." How navigating imposed racial identities in American corporate spaces creates specific burnout patterns for Caribbean and immigrant Black women. Joy as Self-Calibration, Not Indulgence: Moving beyond social media versions of "happiness" toward what Dr. Kerriann calls a "yummy space" of internal alignment and responsibility. Joy as a relaxed butterfly feeling—subtle but wholesome—that tells you when you're in authentic alignment. The Exploitation of Excellence: How Caribbean women's high standards and quality work are often misread as an opportunity to overextend and exploit rather than celebrate. "Because we do our work at a particular level and quality, people think that means pile everything on us." The Body's Wisdom - Womb and Gut Intelligence: Why listening to the "womb" and "gut" provides a level of truth that logic often misses, especially for women of the African diaspora. Dr. Kerriann: "My whole womb said no... I bypassed my gut." Heritage as Power Source: How reconnecting with heritage—whether Caribbean roots or more distant African ancestry—provides access to wisdom and practices that sustained our people through impossible conditions. The jihad concept: internal conflict between performing imposed identities versus living in authentic wholeness. The Ripple Effect of One Leader's Calibration: How one leader's shift toward sustainable brilliance and authentic presence creates a beacon of permission for the entire organization. When Black women lead from reclaimed joy, we don't just change how we work—we change what leadership makes possible. Where to Find Dr. Kerriann Peart Website: https://peartconsulting.org/home LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerriannpeart/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.kerri_p/ Email: hello@peartconsulting.org Featured Voice District Attorney in Suburban Georgia shares reflections on working with Dr. Kerry Mitchell Brown. She describes a unique process of drilling down into important issues with mindfulness and productivity, supported by Dr. Kerry's "keeping receipts" to ensure accountability to one's own promises. This District Attorney highlights how this relatable, confident guidance helps groups move from problem identification to being truly solutions-oriented. This Episode Includes a Strategic Leadership Reflection This episode includes a powerful reflection to help you move from burnout to calibration: ✓ Pause and ask: What actually feels good in my body right now, regardless of what "should" feel good? ✓ Identify one decision this week that can be guided by that feeling of alignment. ✓ Examine your leadership culture: Are you rewarding depletion and midnight emails, or supporting wholeness? ✓ Reframe your perspective: Is joy a reward for later, or the fuel that makes your current work possible? If this conversation spoke to you, share it with a leader or professional who is navigating the weight of performance and is ready to trade burnout for ...
    Show more Show less
    52 mins
No reviews yet