Connect with Dr Ferron Gray today: Dr Ferron Gray

Learn more about Dr Ferron Gray’s Work: Grae Matta Foundation

This episode of Accessible Disruption features Dr. Ferron Gray, a highly specialized forensic psychologist and President of the Grae Matta Foundation. The non-profit organization helps businesses, institutions, and organizations develop mental health standards, policies, and campaigns that are specific to their industry. The foundation’s mission is to improve mental health in both the workplace and higher education. Dr. Gray was inspired to start the foundation after his goddaughter and her father both committed suicide following long waits for mental health services. He realized the core issue was a lack of sufficient policy, and sought to create industry-specific standards to ensure mental health services are fit for purpose.

Dr. Gray is currently working to create a mental health standard for the events industry, which he notes is one of the most stressful in the world. He explains that event professionals, often seen as “dream makers,” face unique stress due to a lack of boundaries with clients, who may not respect their off-hours. He believes a cultural shift is needed, and this can be achieved through policy and targeted public advertising, which would help clients understand and respect these boundaries. In addition to policy, Dr. Gray also discusses the importance of rest and sleep, suggesting that dedicated time off after an event should be built into the event plan to combat the habitual cycle of constantly moving from one project to the next.

When discussing how to create change, Dr. Gray advises that industries should not wait for governments, which are slow to act, but should instead take action themselves by creating their own policies and standards. He says that if enough businesses join a call to action, they can collectively create policies that will affect the entire industry. He also contrasts his work with academia and the events industry, noting that academia can be more daunting to work with because, despite being highly educated, they have mental health services that are “not fit for purpose” and staff who are severely stressed from helping students. He praises the IMEX group as an example of an organization doing well in supporting its staff and guests. For individuals and organizations looking to begin their mental health journey, he suggests small changes such as offering mental health days and encouraging structured breaks throughout the day. Dr. Gray’s final call to action is for organizations to “design resilience into their cultures” because the workforce of today and tomorrow demands it.

Connect with Dr Holinger today: Molly L. Holinger, Ph.D.
Learn more about Dr Holinger’s Work: Creativity at Buffalo State.

This podcast episode of Accessible Disruption features Dr. Molly Holinger, an Assistant Professor of Creativity and Change Leadership at SUNY Buffalo State. She holds a PhD in educational psychology with an emphasis on giftedness, creativity, and talent development from the University of Connecticut, and a Master of Science in Creative Studies from the Center of Applied Imagination at SUNY Buffalo State. Dr. Holinger’s research and teaching focus on the positive outcomes of creativity, such as engagement, meaning, and positive emotions. She also worked as a consultant for the Creativity and Emotions Lab at the Yale Center of Emotional Intelligence.

Dr. Holinger discusses how creativity and well-being can be applied to handle disruption. She highlights cognitive reappraisal as a tool to reframe challenges, citing the example of being late to a party and instead of focusing on the negative, reframing it as an opportunity to avoid small talk. She connects this concept to a creative problem-solving tool called PPCO (Pluses, Potentials, Concerns, and Overcoming concerns), which encourages phrasing challenges as positive questions. The discussion also covers the relationship between emotions and creativity. Dr. Holinger explains that creativity is generally associated with positive emotions, and that high-activation emotions, both positive (like joy) and negative (like anger), can be important for the creative process. She suggests that understanding one’s mood and matching it to the creative task at hand can be beneficial.

The episode also touches on the connection between neurodiversity and creativity, noting a correlation between ADHD and divergent thinking. Ryan Hill, a co-host and former student of Dr. Holinger, describes how the creativity program was “healing” for him, as it allowed him to lean into his neurodivergent traits rather than suppressing them. Dr. Holinger also discusses post-traumatic growth, explaining that while adversity is not something to be invited, it can serve as a catalyst for change, adaptation, and open-mindedness. She concludes by emphasizing the importance of social connection and purpose in navigating hardship. She also stresses the value of collaboration, whether virtual or in-person, highlighting that the core principles of successful collaboration are the same regardless of modality. Finally, she offers a call to action for listeners to embrace an open mindset about science and to have their practices informed by research.

Connect with Degmo Daar today: https://www.linkedin.com/in/degmodaar/
Learn more about Degmo Daar's Work: https://noord-consulting.com/about/

In episode of the Accessible Disruption podcast, the team from Strategy Table welcomed guest Degmo Daar for a deep dive into the current state of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Daar, a DEI Strategist and social entrepreneur, brings extensive experience in using systems thinking to embed inclusive strategies across various industries. Based just north of Stockholm, Sweden, and of Somali heritage, Daar described her work as centring on rethinking structures and challenging assumptions to embed equity into leadership and strategy. Her passion for DEI is deeply personal, stemming from her own experiences as a Black Muslim woman navigating systems not designed for her.

The discussion explored the significant backlash DEI initiatives are currently facing, which Daar interprets as a sign that DEI is succeeding in its ultimate goal: challenging power. While many global companies are rebranding their DEI efforts or cutting roles out of fear, particularly influenced by trends in the United States, Daar emphasizes that the fight for justice has always existed and simply takes new forms. The conversation also highlighted global differences, noting that while the U.S. has an open dialogue about race, other countries like Sweden do not collect race data, which creates systemic issues around ethnicity despite advancements in gender equality. The podcast participants discussed the importance of addressing both apparent and non-apparent differences, such as neurodiversity, advocating for universal design where workplaces are built for everyone to thrive from the outset, rather than as an afterthought.

Ultimately, the episode framed DEI not as a charitable act, but as a fundamental redesign of unjust systems. Daar advised that changing minds requires education and conversation, not confrontation, by seeking to understand the logic behind resistance. A central theme was the idea of "redistributing power," clarifying that sharing power does not mean losing it. The hosts and guests concluded with a call to action for listeners in positions of influence to use their voices, as silence protects the status quo. They stressed that businesses must be willing to tear down and rebuild broken systems with purpose at their core, because in the end, survival is not mandatory for businesses that refuse to evolve.