Episode 106: Why Welcoming Everyone Gets Complicated with Garland Fuller

What this episode is about:

What does it actually take to build a space where people feel like they belong? Garland Fuller — culture consultant and founder of Third Space Academy — has made it her life's work to answer that question. We get into the gap between what organizations say they value and how they actually operate, why "I want everyone to come" is a lot trickier than it sounds, and what intentional community building really looks like in practice.

This one hit close to home — I share what I've been learning building my pop-up cinema project on Chicago's south side through the Change Collective fellowship, and Garland brings the strategic clarity to help it all click.

Let's get into it:

What is a culture consultant, actually? Garland breaks down the "people, place, program" framework and why culture is often the unseen force shaping how organizations actually operate — not just what's on the mission statement

Values: aspiration vs. reality — Why integrity and service are on everyone's list, what it actually means to walk the talk, and when it might be time to update values that no longer fit who your org has become

Third spaces are disappearing (or getting expensive) — From libraries to record shops to country clubs, Garland explains the spectrum of third spaces and who's really being invited in

The "I want everyone to come" trap — Why all-ages, all-inclusive spaces are aspirational but tricky, with real examples from Stephanie's micro cinema project (Poetic Justice vs. Disney night, anyone?)

Building the Community Impact Collective — Garland's digital sanctuary for femmes who are done fitting into boxes, why she built it for community over solo learning, and the Show and Tell Mondays that keep it real

Adapt or die: organizations that are going stale — A real talk about churches, legacy orgs, and what happens when your next generation isn't in your current membership

Practical strategies: surveying, focus groups, and why anonymous matters

Leadership advice that hits: People are watching you in the small moments more than the big keynotes

Chapters:

• 00:08 - Introducing the Guest

• 07:20 - Understanding Culture and Values in Organizations

• 16:55 - Creating All-Age Spaces: Building Community Connections

• 19:00 - Exploring Community Engagement

• 31:27 - Building Community and Support in Creative Spaces

• 36:14 - Facilitation and Empathy in Group Dynamics

• 44:21 - Facilitation and Engagement in Education

• 48:21 - Creating Third Spaces: Starting from Your Why

Things We Mentioned

Third Space Academy — Garland's coaching program for leaders building intentional community spaces

Community Impact Collective — Garland's digital community for femmes and changemakers

The Change Collective Fellowship — the civic leadership fellowship Stephanie participated in that sparked her pop-up cinema project

Soho House — referenced as an example of an exclusive, membership-based third space

Ray Oldenburg's concept of "third spaces" — the sociological framework underlying this whole convo (optional — confirm

Thank you for listening to noseyAF! So happy to have your ears!

This Conversation was recorded live for Lumpen Radio

Ep #104: Joe Schupbach: Care Is the Curriculum

SUMMARY

What does care really look like — beyond Valentine's Day chocolates and heart-shaped cards? In this episode of noseyAF, Stephanie Graham sits down with Joe Schupbach, a mission-driven educator, theater maker, and instructional coach with over two decades of experience in public education, nonprofits, and community-centered theater. Together they explore care as a daily practice: in classrooms, in collaborative creative spaces, in our neighborhoods, and in ourselves.

Joe shares how he stumbled into creative leadership, what trauma-informed teaching really means in practice, and why experiential learning matters more than ever in today's schools. The conversation moves through faith and identity, the joys of cooking as connection, and ends with a rallying call to get nosy about your local schools — and to support live, in-person art.

WHAT WE GET INTO 💬

You know when a conversation just goes everywhere in the best way? That's this one. Here's a taste of what Joe and Steph cover:

00:26 — Introduction to noseyAF

01:15 — Care as a daily ritual: not just something you perform on Valentine's Day, but how it shows up in classrooms, rehearsal rooms, and community spaces every single day

08:35 — How Joe accidentally fell into creative leadership — starting as a teaching artist right out of college and slowly becoming the person leading the room

18:06 — What trauma-informed teaching actually looks like on the ground, and why instructional coaches like Joe are changing the game in Chicago high schools

27:02 — Art-making during and after COVID-19 — how the pandemic forced a reckoning with what live, communal performance means and why it still matters

32:29 — Faith, identity, and how the personal bleeds into the professional for educators and artists alike

41:43 — Cooking as a love language: a genuinely delightful tangent about how preparing food for people is one of the most caring acts you can do

53:11 — How non-parents and non-teachers can meaningfully support local educators — including the surprisingly powerful role of Local School Councils (LSCs)

THINGS WE MENTIONED 🔗

Embarc Chicago — Joe's organization, working with 17 high schools in the Chicago area → embarcchicago.org

josephschupbach.com— Joe's personal site for artistic work, directing, and collaborations

Change Collective Fellowship — the leadership program Joe and Stephanie both participated in

Looking Glass Theatre — one of Joe's longtime artistic collaborators

PlayMakers Laboratory, The Neo-Futurists, The Ruffians, Salonathon, The Paper Machete — Chicago theater orgs Joe has worked with

DonorsChoose — mentioned as a way to directly support classroom supply needs

Local School Councils (LSCs) — the elected, community-based governing bodies of every Chicago Public School (and yes, you can be on one even if you don't have kids in the school!)

ALL ABOUT JOE SCHUPBACH 🎭

You're gonna love Joe — he's a two-MFA-having, theater-making, trauma-informed teaching wizard who genuinely believes

Ep #103: Mental Health for Expats — Building Community Abroad with Moved With Peace

Summary of the Episode

What really happens after you move abroad and the honeymoon phase wears off?

In this episode of noseyAF, host Stephanie Graham sits down with writer and community-builder Stephanie Rubinato to talk honestly about mental health for expats, postpartum depression, and the emotional realities of building a life far from home. Living abroad is often portrayed as dreamy and effortless—but this conversation pulls back the curtain on what’s usually left out.

Stephanie shares her personal experience navigating postpartum depression after moving to Italy, the isolation many immigrants and expats feel, and why community care is just as important as cultural immersion. Together, they unpack slow living, creative burnout, friendship shifts, and what it really takes to build meaningful support systems abroad.

This episode is a grounding, honest reminder that moving overseas doesn’t magically solve everything—and that seeking help, sharing resources, and building community is part of the journey.

What We Talk About

(aka: the real stuff you don’t see on Instagram 🇮🇹)

1. Mental health challenges for immigrants, expats, and digital nomads
2. Postpartum depression while living abroad
3. The gap between “aesthetic expat life” and reality
4. Building community through Moved With Peace
5. Slow living, self-trust, and creative rhythms
6. Friendship shifts, boundaries, and nourishment
7. Why vulnerability is a form of survival (not weakness)

Chapters

00:08 – Introduction to the Guest

03:07 – Navigating Mental Health Challenges as an Expat

22:32 – Navigating the Creative Chaos

35:51 – Building Community Abroad

39:51 – Navigating Friendships and Family Dynamics

Things We Mentioned

Moved With Peace – Stephanie’s community-centered project for immigrants and expats

Therapy resources & finding culturally aligned mental health support abroad

Slow living, journaling, affirmations, and grounding practices

The upcoming Italian Reset Retreat (launching 2027)

All about… Stephanie Rubinato

You’re gonna love Stephanie Rubinato — she’s a writer, community-builder, and calm-in-the-chaos type of creative.

Stephanie Rubinato is a writer and content strategist living in Italy, creating honest, grounded stories through Moved With Peace and Stephanie Rubinato Media. Her work centers slow living, self-trust, mental health, and building community—especially for immigrants and expats navigating life far from home. Through her writing, video projects, and upcoming retreats, Stephanie reminds us that we don’t have to do it all—we just have to do what’s real.

Connect with Stephanie Rubinato

Instagram: @movedwithpeace

Website: movedwithpeace.com

YouTube: Moved With Peace

Connect with Stephanie