Cheria sits down with her aunt, Mary Brown, President and CEO of the Sickle Cell Disease Foundation, for a conversation about legacy, advocacy, and what it truly means to serve a community over time.

For Mary, the journey began decades earlier at just six years old when the death of a neighborhood child with a blood disorder left a lasting impression.

Years later, a simple encyclopedia search led Mary to what was meant to be a short-term role at a sickle cell camp. That “temporary” position evolved into a 40+ year commitment to building programming, advocating for families, and expanding access to equitable care across California.

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Grow There With Cheria is back!

Cheria is joined by Juliana Arthuso, Senior Art Director at Ollie, for a thoughtful conversation about the intersection of work, health, and identity. Juliana shares about a time when a concussion forced her to slow down which had disrupted her relationship with productivity and challenging long-held beliefs about performance, self-worth, and success.

Some topics Cheria and Juliana cover in this episode:

• How unexpected life events reshape how we work

• Why empathy and flexibility matter in workplace culture

• The tension between doing more and being present

• What supportive leadership looks like during hard seasons

• How growth can come from listening to your limits, not pushing past them

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Sometimes in order to grow you need to pay attention to what actually sustains you over time.

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Jeff Gelfuso, SVP & Chief Design Officer at Qualtrics, opens up and gives us a candid look at how sudden personal loss shifted his perspective on life and leadership. From stepping into new family responsibilities to rethinking the things that really matter at work, Jeff shares the lessons that helped him grow during one of the most challenging seasons of his life.

Some topics Cheria and Jeff explore:

• How life changes shape leadership behavior

• The importance of presence and trust in team culture

• Why curiosity remains essential in a rapidly changing tech landscape

• How empathy leads to better decisions and better outcomes

If you’re leading teams or leading yourself through a transition, this conversation will help you reflect, recalibrate, and keep growing.

Cheria sits down with one of her favorite former bosses and dear friend, Rachel Russell, to take an adventure through how creativity, community, and grief can shape the way we grow.Rachel opens up about her transition from working with children and families at Camp Laurel to launching her own business, Stitch and Flourish, a creative venture born from resilience and her own self-discovery. Together, Cheria and Rachel reflect on the power of relationships, the courage it takes to start over, and how someone's passing can fuel deeper purpose.

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Cheria sits down with Evan Shapiro, the self-proclaimed “cartographer of the media universe”, for a candid conversation on growth, creativity, and reinvention. Together, they unpack how the archetype of the “villain” can actually be a force for transformation, what it means to continually shed your skin to evolve, and why knowing your superpower is essential to leading with authenticity.

Evan shares stories from his winding journey. He talks about the likes of theater to television to teaching, revealing how embracing discomfort and change can ascend you to new levels of purpose and success. This episode is for the leaders, dreamers, and creators ready to grow through what challenges them most.

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Welcome to Season 3 of Grow There with Cheria! This episode opens with reflection, renewal, and a powerful reminder that growth is never linear. Cheria kicks things off by sharing her September reflections and the idea of “Monday energy”, those moments in life that feel like both an ending and a new beginning.

Joining her is Mita Mallick, bestselling author and corporate changemaker, who shares her deeply personal journey of losing her father in 2017 and how grief reshaped her confidence and leadership. Together, they take a journey through the intersections of loss, resilience, and growth, reminding us that leadership is about humility, vulnerability, and the courage to learn from even the hardest seasons.

This episode invites leaders to reflect not only on how they lead others but also on how they care for themselves, showing that the personal and professional are always deeply connected.

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Welcome Virginia Suliman, EVP and Chief Information & Digital Officer at Invitation Homes, for a raw conversation about what it means to lead with both humanity and heart.Together, they explore the crossroads of professional leadership and personal transformation—Cheria reflecting on her journey from singer to speaker, and Virginia sharing her experience navigating grief, caregiving, menopause, and motherhood while holding executive responsibility.This episode is a powerful reminder that the workplace is not separate from the real lives we lead—and that the strongest leaders are the ones who make space for vulnerability, voice, and compassion. Whether you're at the beginning of your leadership journey or carrying the weight of many seasons, this conversation will meet you right where you are.

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In this episode, we sit down with Puja Vohra—EVP of Ad Sales and CMO at Fox Corporation—for a conversation rooted in grit, growth, and the kind of wisdom only life experience can teach.Puja opens up about starting over in a new country, building a career from the ground up, and holding onto her belief in herself—even when things felt uncertain. From navigating cultural shifts to leading high-stakes teams, Puja shares how confidence, courage, and connection shaped her path.If you’re working to lead with intention, grow through challenges, or simply need a reminder that you are more than capable, this episode is for you!

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