In the first episode of Dig Deep with Dr. Yolie, Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz begins where so much of her story began: the Bronx. Joined by her hermano and collaborator, Dr. Angel Acosta, Dr. Yolie invites listeners into a powerful conversation about memory, place, history, healing, and the future of racial literacy. Together, they reflect on the Bronx as the teacher, the roots of Archaeology of Self®, and the urgent need to dig beneath the surface of who we are, what we’ve inherited, and how we imagine what comes next. From mindfulness and ancestral intelligence to artificial intelligence and critical love, this episode is an invitation to excavate the self, interrupt harm, and dream toward healing-centered futures.

In this episode of Dig Deep with Dr. Yolie, Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz sits with her brother, educator, counselor, poet, and holistic wellness practitioner, Dr. Marcellues Hall. Together, they move through brokenness, breath, fatherhood, nervous system regulation, racial literacy, and the ongoing work of liberation. Rooted in Chapter 2 of Archaeology of Self®, this conversation reminds us that the journey to racial literacy is not only intellectual. It lives in the body. It lives in memory. It lives in what we inherit, what we practice, and what we are brave enough to heal. In this second offering, Dr. Hall invites listeners to consider what becomes possible when we love ourselves enough to regulate, reflect, release, and become more free.

In this episode of Dig Deep with Dr. Yolie, Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz sits with Amy Elizabeth Fox, co-founder and CEO of Mobius Executive Leadership and co-author of Leading in Chaos. Together, they enter a tender and profound conversation about love in action, trauma-informed leadership, spiritual intelligence, psychological safety, and the courage it takes to heal what has been hidden. Rooted in Chapter 9 of Archaeology of Self®, this offering asks what leadership can become when we stop performing care and begin practicing love with honesty, presence, and integrity. Amy reminds us that the future of work — and the future of humanity — must be rooted in love.

In this final episode of Dig Deep with Dr. Yolie, Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz sits with Dr. Joy Wright for a conversation that brings the spirit of Archaeology of Self® into full view.
Together, they explore Black archaeology, poetry, grief, beloved community, liberatory teaching, and the sacred work of honoring stories that have been erased, distorted, or left untold. Dr. Joy invites us to think deeply about artifacts, the body, the classroom, and the everyday practices that can either reproduce harm or build freedom. This conversation is a reminder that joy is not simply something we feel. Joy is something we practice, protect, and make possible.

This episode explores hope and healing with Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz. Yolanda is a Professor of English Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Yolanda is former Research Associate with the NYU Metropolitan Center for Urban Education, and has worked for Business Week, The New York Times, and New York University in Marketing and Promotion positions.

Her research interests include racial literacy development in urban teacher education (with a specific focus on the education of Black and Latino males), literacy practices of Black girls, and Black female college reentry students.

Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz, an award-winning Professor at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research focuses on racial literacy in teacher education, Black girl literacies, and Black and Latinx male high school students. A sought-after speaker on issues of race, culturally responsive pedagogy, and diversity, Sealey-Ruiz works with businesses, K-12 and higher education school communities to increase their racial literacy knowledge and move toward more equitable school experiences for their Black and Latinx students.

Sealey-Ruiz appeared in Spike Lee’s “2 Fists Up: We Gon’ Be Alright”, a documentary about the Black Lives Matter movement and the campus protests at Mizzou. Her co-authored book, Advancing Racial Literacies in Teacher Education: Toward Activism for Equity in Digital Spaces was published in May 2021. Her first full-length collection of poetry Love from the Vortex & Other Poems was published in March, 2020, and her sophomore book of poetry, The Peace Chronicles was released in July 2021.

In this conversation with Cyndi Suarez, NPQ’s president and editor in chief, and Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz, professor of English education at Teachers College, Columbia University, the two leaders talk about what it takes for Black women to rise in systems that seek to suppress their progress and success.

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Editors’ note: This article is from Nonprofit Quarterly Magazine’s winter 2023 issue, “Love as Social Order: How Do We Build a World Based in Love?”