What if love isn’t just something we feel—but the truth of who we are?

In this episode, Cynthia Marks explores the idea that beneath trauma, conditioning, and societal pressure, every human being is rooted in love. Through deeply personal stories and powerful reflections, she challenges the systems and beliefs that disconnect us from that truth.

From the role of women in shaping future generations to the consequences of emotional suppression, this conversation connects inner healing with the future of society itself. Cynthia shares insights on trauma, identity, relationships, and the unseen patterns that keep us repeating cycles—personally and collectively.

This episode is an invitation to look inward, reclaim what has been buried, and recognize that healing the individual is the foundation for healing the world.

In this episode of Reset Critical, Niaz sits down with Marcie Gilbert and Marcos L. Vann of Calibrate, a Los Angeles nonprofit that helps young people and communities heal through a powerful practice called Connections. They explain how creating safe, structured spaces for people to speak from the heart and listen without interruption can build resilience, strengthen communication, and foster genuine human connection across differences. The conversation explores trauma, shared humanity, emotional safety, and why so many people live in a constant state of vigilance, with far too few spaces where they can truly exhale. Marcie and Vann also reflect on the long-term impact of this work, from students who carry these skills into adulthood, college, marriage, and leadership, to communities learning to move beyond tribalism and toward deeper empathy. They discuss the challenges of doing healing work amid political attacks on mental health, equity, and community support, and explain why demand for this work continues to grow. Along the way, Niaz shares her own experience participating in a Connections circle and why it felt so unexpectedly powerful. This is a moving conversation about healing, listening, community, and what it means to become human again in a world that often pulls us apart.

In this episode of Reset Critical, Niaz sits down with scholar and filmmaker Rudy Mondragón to explore boxing as far more than sport. They discuss how boxing has long been a site of political struggle, self-expression, and resistance — especially for people from marginalized communities. Rudy explains how ring entrances can function as powerful acts of identity, solidarity, and advocacy, from Indigenous representation to statements on Palestine and immigration. The conversation also traces the racial history of boxing, including Jack Johnson, the “Great White Hope,” and the ways whiteness still shapes the sport today. Beyond symbolism, they examine the brutal economics of boxing and why so many fighters are treated as exploited laborers with few protections. Rudy breaks down how matchmaking, pay structures, and the independent contractor model keep most boxers underpaid and vulnerable, even while the sport generates major profit. At the same time, he makes the case that boxing is also a deeply human community, full of stories of dignity, agency, and survival. This is a rich conversation about sports, race, labor, power, and why athletes should never be told to “shut up and dribble”.