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Do Better with Debra

Do Better with Debra

By: Debra Y. Griffith Ed.D.
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About this listen

 Do Better with Debra is a podcast rooted in real stories about becoming, choosing yourself, and living into your purpose with courage. Through thoughtful, honest conversations, host Debra Griffith sits with leaders, entrepreneurs, creatives, and change-makers to explore the moments that shape who we become, at work, in leadership, and in life. Episodes touch on topics like leadership, psychological safety, identity, boundaries, purpose, and growth, not as theories, but as lived experiences. This is a space for reflection, clarity, and courage, for anyone navigating change and learning how to show up more fully without losing themselves.2023 Personal Development Personal Success Relationships Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Protect Your Energy: Healing Survival Mode, Honoring Capacity, and Learning to Choose Ease

    Protect Your Energy: Healing Survival Mode, Honoring Capacity, and Learning to Choose Ease
    Apr 8 2026

    What does it look like to stop living in survival mode and actually listen to what your nervous system has been asking for all along?

    In this episode of Do Better with Debra, I'm joined by Zabie Yamasaki for a deeply grounding, expansive conversation about healing, boundaries, and learning how to choose ease in a world that rewards overextension. This is a conversation about slowing down, honoring capacity, and remembering that rest is not collapse, it's care.

    Zabie shares her journey as a survivor, healer, educator, and mother, and how her lived experiences shaped the work she now offers to others. We talk honestly about trauma, hypervigilance, and the ways survival mode can quietly become our baseline, especially for women of color, caregivers, and those working in systems that demand constant giving.

    We explore how boundaries live in the body, why "boundary work is nervous system work," and what happens when we stop overriding the signals our bodies send us. Zabie reflects on the moments that led her to write Protect Your Energy, a book that reads less like instruction and more like a restorative inhale, gentle, spacious, and deeply affirming.

    This conversation weaves together stories of loss, resilience, activism, and healing, while naming the exhaustion so many of us carry but rarely say out loud. We talk about toxic work environments, the pressure to overperform, redefining success, and learning to ask for and receive, what we deserve.

    If you are tired, carrying too much, or questioning whether another way is possible, this episode is an invitation to pause. You don't need to fix anything. You don't need to do more. You just need to listen.

    My hope is that you hear something that reminds you that your body is wise, your capacity matters, and you are allowed to choose yourself, without guilt.

    Key Takeaways

    • Survival mode often shows up quietly and can become normalized over time

    • Boundary work is not just cognitive; it lives in the nervous system and the body

    • Rest is not collapse it can be restorative when practiced with intention

    • Honoring capacity requires slowing down and learning to trust bodily cues

    • Healing does not require perfection or completion; it can happen right in the middle

    About Zabie Yamasaki

    Zabie Yamasaki, M.Ed., RYT is the founder of Transcending Trauma through Yoga and a nationally recognized trauma-informed yoga instructor, resilience educator, consultant, and keynote speaker. Her work centers nervous system regulation, embodied healing, and supporting trauma survivors through accessible, compassionate practices.

    Zabie's yoga as healing curriculum is implemented at over fifty college campuses and trauma agencies across the country, including the University of California system, Stanford, Yale, USC, Notre Dame, and Johns Hopkins University. She is the author of multiple books and healing tools, including Protect Your Energy: A Gentle Guide to Nurture Your Nervous System, Cultivate Rest, and Honor Your Needs.

    She lives in Los Angeles with her partner and children and sees her sensitivity and softness as her greatest strength.

    Connect with Zabie:
    Instagram: @transcending_trauma_with_yoga
    Website: zyamasaki.com

    About the Host

    Debra Y. Griffith, Ed.D. is an executive coach, consultant, and the voice behind Do Better with Debra. She currently serves as Chief Equity Programs Officer at Alliance College-Ready Public Schools in Los Angeles, where she leads system-wide equity strategy focused on belonging, college readiness, and postsecondary success.

    With more than 25 years in education and leadership, Debra supports women of color leaders navigating transition, complexity, and change, without abandoning themselves in the process.

    Connect with Debra:

    Website: www.dobetterexecutivecoaching.com

    LinkedIn: Debraygriffith

    Instagram: @dobetterwithdebra

    Subscribe to Do Better with Debra on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
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    56 mins
  • We Were Not Always This Version: Leadership, Cost, and Becoming

    We Were Not Always This Version: Leadership, Cost, and Becoming
    Feb 19 2026
    Episode Description What does it really cost to lead in systems that were never built with you in mind and why do some leaders choose to stay anyway? In this episode of Do Better with Debra, I'm joined by Rachel Camacho, Ph.D. and Armando Madrid, Ed.D., co-founders of Alchemy Blueprint Collective, for a deeply honest conversation about leadership, becoming, and the quiet emotional labor so many mid-level leaders carry. Rachel and Armando are university leaders, educators, and leadership architects who have spent their careers navigating higher education from the margins, building programs, launching inaugural roles, mentoring emerging leaders, and holding systems accountable to their values. In this conversation, they move beyond titles and accomplishments and speak candidly about what leadership has asked of them over time. We talk about the emotional and psychological toll of leading while being watched, questioned, and expected to represent more than just yourself. They reflect on what they had to unlearn to lead with more tenderness and authenticity, why vulnerability can be both powerful and risky in institutional spaces, and how joy, community, and laughter have become essential leadership practices, not extras. Rachel and Armando share what it means to "bet on yourself," including the courage it takes to leave environments that cause harm, the importance of thought partners and community, and how they now pour into others so emerging leaders don't have to figure everything out alone. Together, they name why leadership development is justice work and why building new tables matters just as much as getting a seat at existing ones. This is a conversation for leaders who are tired, thoughtful, and still hopeful. For those navigating complexity, questioning their next move, or wondering if another way of leading is possible, this episode is a reminder that you are not alone, and you are not imagining the weight. My hope is that you hear something that helps you feel seen, steadied, and reminded that leadership is not just about endurance, it's about alignment, care, and becoming. Key Takeaways Leadership in systems not built for us carries an emotional and psychological toll that often goes unnamed Vulnerability and tenderness can be leadership strengths when practiced with intention and discernment Betting on yourself sometimes means leaving, pausing, or redefining success altogether Community, thought partners, and mentorship are essential for sustaining leadership over time Pouring into others is a form of justice and a way to change systems from the inside out About Rachel Camacho, Ph.D. Rachel Camacho, Ph.D. (she/her/ella) is a first-generation, system-impacted Latina scholar-practitioner, leadership architect, and equity advocate. Her work centers educational access, leadership development, and justice-informed practice. She holds a BA from Pitzer College and an MA and PhD in Higher Education and Social Justice from Claremont Graduate University. About Armando Madrid, Ed.D. Armando Madrid, Ed.D. (he/him/él) is a first-generation, Latinx and queer educator, researcher, and leadership coach. His work focuses on social justice–centered leadership, self-advocacy, and creating spaces where historically marginalized staff and students can navigate higher education with clarity and purpose. He holds degrees from UCLA, CSU Long Beach, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. About Alchemy Blueprint Collective Founded by Drs. Rachel Camacho and Armando Madrid, Alchemy Blueprint Collective supports emerging, mid-level, and executive leaders, particularly those from BIPOC and marginalized communities, through equity-centered coaching, leadership development, and strategic consulting. Their work helps leaders align purpose, identity, and impact while navigating complex institutions. Learn more about Alchemy Blueprint Collective Connect with Dr. Rachel Camacho on Linkedin and Dr. Madrid on Linkedin About the Host: Debra Y. Griffith, Ed.D. is an executive coach, consultant, and the voice behind the Do Better with Debra podcast. She currently serves as Chief Equity Programs Officer at Alliance College-Ready Public Schools in Los Angeles, where she leads network-wide equity strategy focused on college readiness, belonging, and postsecondary completion across 25 schools. With more than 25 years in education and leadership, Debra supports women of color leaders navigating transition, carrying a lot, and still committed to leading transformative change in their organizations and in their own lives. Through coaching, consulting, and storytelling, she creates spaces for reflection, clarity, and courage. Connect with Debra: Website: www.dobetterexecutivecoaching.com LinkedIn: Debraygriffith Instagram: @dobetterwithdebra Subscribe to Do Better with Debra on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
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    42 mins
  • First-Gen Professional: Negotiating Identity, Power, and Belonging

    First-Gen Professional: Negotiating Identity, Power, and Belonging
    Feb 5 2026
    What does it really mean to be first-generation after college ends? In this episode of Do Better with Debra, I'm joined by Dr. Bryan Rojas-Araúz for a powerful, deeply human conversation about what it means to be first-gen forever. Together, we explore the reality of moving through professional and leadership spaces without a blueprint, negotiating identity, belonging, and authenticity in systems that were never designed with us in mind. Bryan shares his journey from being an undocumented, first-generation college student to becoming a licensed psychologist, professor, and scholar-activist. We talk about the moments that shaped him, the mentors who helped open doors, and the internal negotiations that followed him from college into professional life. We also name the pressure many first-gen professionals feel to overperform, code-switch, and constantly prove they belong just to earn a seat at the table. This conversation is about more than career paths. It's about reclaiming identity, understanding lived experience as wisdom, and letting go of the need to ask permission to exist. We reflect on imposter syndrome, authenticity, and why belonging doesn't come from institutions, but from clarity about who you are and why you're here. If you are a first-generation professional navigating work, family, leadership, or identity, and feel like you are always negotiating who you can be in different spaces, this episode is for you. My hope is that you hear something that reminds you that you are not behind, you are not imagining it, and you do not need permission to take up space. Key Takeaways: First-gen identity does not end at graduation. It continues throughout professional and personal life.Negotiating systems often begins as a strategy for access, but awareness allows us to choose what we no longer need to negotiate.Overachievement, performance, and constant proving are common responses to navigating spaces without a roadmap.Authenticity is not just personal; it is a leadership practice and a form of resistance.Belonging does not come from institutions that were not built for us. It comes from community, purpose, and self-trust. About Dr. Bryan Rojas-Araúz: Dr. Bryan Rojas-Araúz is a bilingual, bicultural Afroindigenous immigrant of Costa Rican and Panamanian descent. He is a licensed psychologist, educator, and scholar-activist whose work centers trauma, immigration, culturally responsive and decolonial healing, and the social conditions that shape wellbeing. He is the founder of In Lak'ech Counseling, Education, and Consulting, where he provides trauma- and culturally responsive psychological services, immigration evaluations, training, consultation, and speaking engagements. Dr. Rojas-Araúz is also a Clinical Assistant Professor in the International Disaster Psychology: Trauma and Global Mental Health program at the University of Denver, where he facilitates Spanish-language supervision in the Trauma and Disaster Psychology Clinic. His work centers Latine and Indigenous wellness, critical consciousness, and collective care. He is a co-author of the Workbook for Social Action for Counselors, Psychologists, and Helping Professionals and identifies as a scholar-activist, hip hop educator, slam poet, and documentary filmmaker. Connect with Dr. Bryan Rojas-Araúz: Learn more about his work at In Lak'ech Counseling, Education, and Consulting at www.inlakechcec.com About the Host: Debra Y. Griffith, Ed.D. is an executive coach, consultant, and the voice behind the Do Better with Debra podcast. She currently serves as Chief Equity Programs Officer at Alliance College-Ready Public Schools in Los Angeles, where she leads network-wide equity strategy focused on college readiness, belonging, and postsecondary completion across 25 schools. With more than 25 years in education and leadership, Debra supports women of color leaders navigating transition, carrying a lot, and still committed to leading transformative change in their organizations and in their own lives. Through coaching, consulting, and storytelling, she creates spaces for reflection, clarity, and courage. Connect with Debra: Website: www.dobetterexecutivecoaching.com LinkedIn: Debraygriffith Instagram: @dobetterwithdebra Subscribe to Do Better with Debra on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
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    40 mins
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