Our Bench

Angela Akinyemi

My main life project right now is all about authenticity.

Because who can be a better me than me? Sometimes it looks like making small shifts to feel a little more at ease when I notice that I’m off balance. Other times it looks like making big life decisions that scare me. On my good days I spend at least 5 minutes in meditation before starting my day, which helps me through it all.

Checking identity boxes on forms has always been a struggle.

I grew up near San Francisco in a French-Nigerian household. I was a biracial kid in a very homogenous suburb. I now consider myself an East Coaster and (mostly) embrace the richness of my background.

Organized religion never spoke to me but there was always something spiritual in me. I’ve practiced yoga for almost 10 years and it opened the door to a deeper exploration of my belief system.

I’ve accepted my “nerdhood.”

As a kid, a part of me hated skirts and regularly ripped my jeans climbing trees. An equally defining part of me gravitated toward stories. I would leave the rest of the family in front of the TV to find a cozy spot to dive into the pages of a book and be swept into another world.

I wish I had infinite lifetimes to learn and experience everything.

I can seriously geek out in any of these sections in a bookstore: anthropology, sociology, psychology, philosophy. I am fascinated by how emotions are stored in the body and by the power of healing intergenerational trauma.

I have a next-life dream of being a writer. Or a photographer. Something artsy. Oh and an Alvin Ailey dancer. They blow me away every time I see them.

I’m grateful for my journey.

My career trajectory has been winding, from a degree in Physics to investment banking to non-profit market research. When none of that felt right I left everything and went traveling solo. Now I’m in graduate school and learning to combine two things that I care deeply about: holding space for healing and fighting systems of oppression.

I’m glad you’re here.

I can’t wait to see where this journey takes us.

Angela resides in Washington DC and uses she/her pronouns. Learn more about Angela on LinkedIn.

Aray M. Till

I am a mother, a daughter, a wife and a friend. I am a photographer, stylist, copywriter, creative director and visual storyteller. 

I am a white-passing bilingual soul, black beans and white rice with platanos maduros feign and a flan connoisseur. The smell of guava instantly transports me back to the good side of childhood, back in Cuba, where the colorful ecosystem—whether it be the music, food, art—weaved the fibers of my creative life. 

By my own words, I am a failure, a success, a “got her shit together” and barely “keeping all the balls in the air” in the same breath kind of person. I am incredibly conscious of the privilege that comes with forging my own path forward. 

In my work as a raven, a coach, a mirror and flashlight, I often give myself the permission to be a work-in-progress; to recalibrate often with intentionality. The octopus—interested, engaged, curious and intelligent—is my Patronus. The eight-armed cephalopod, although inquisitive, also lacks healthy boundaries which is something apparent in my “all or nothing” mindset. 

I am a color-seeing synesthete and it is Pantone 10-8C that I experience when I hear my own voice. It is a shade that is best described as a brighter sunflower yellow. Coincidentally enough, a sunflower is the only tattoo that I have and it is my favorite flower. From an early age Orisha Oshun, a Yoruba river deity has been my quiet influence and who I seek spiritual guidance from. 

I am acutely aware of the narrative behind each role I play, day in and day out. 

I am continuously working on not being “dark-skinned enough” to be accepted as a Caribbean immigrant yet also not “white enough.” I am often compelled to add labels, identities and narratives after I am. I am working on putting a full stop after saying the phrase and just simply being. 

Aray resides in New York and uses she/her pronouns. Aray is fluent in Spanish. Learn more about Aray on LinkedIn.

Kaig Lightner

I am an athlete and a coach. Well, at least those were the first identities that I felt strongly connected to by the time I was 15 years old. I am also a queer, transgender person, and growing up I was constantly asked if I was a boy or a girl. It was exhausting and left me feeling just pure rage often.

I played on my first softball team at age 8: the Peppermint Patties. I was totally hooked the moment I hit the ball. Sports saved my life. I went to the field to burn off the anxiety, stress and anger that boiled underneath from the bullying and teasing. When I began coaching soccer at age 15, I knew that sports would forever be part of my life.

My family also saved my life. They have consistently been there for me, reminding me I am worthy of love. I didn't always believe them, but the message seeped into my psyche. It has allowed me to find myself. I know how incredibly privileged I am in having that kind of family.

I am someone who values integrity, compassion and self-reflection. I am obsessed with learning about our universe and trying to wrap my mind around the ways that humans interpret reality.

I majored in Philosophy and fell in love with the concept of searching for new and different answers. It guided me as I transitioned from a body that looked neither male nor female into a body that is always assumed to be cisgender male. It is only after I tell people I am trans that anyone has a clue.

The fact that I can choose to be seen or not as trans or queer is an immense privilege, but it has also left me invisible within the queer community. It means I choose to come out... a lot! Luckily, I like to tell people (most of the time) and have a conversation about it.

One of my greatest joys in life is connecting with new people and sharing stories. I hope I get that opportunity with you.

Kaig resides in Oregon and uses he/him pronouns. Learn more about Kaig on LinkedIn.

Rebecca Channer

I am an independent thinker, tender-hearted human and ‘cool’ nerd who sees the soft gray in everything. I am queer, gender fluid and pansexual. I resist binaries, shoulds, woulds and coulds.

I haven’t yet discovered a pronoun that accurately reflects the expansiveness of my gender identity. They/them will do until I do. I love it when people call me Beck or dream up an endearing nickname. One of the kids in my ‘chosen’ family calls me MaBecca and my spirit brightens up every time.

As a visionary, dreamer and social entrepreneur, I often obsess over the future. I am learning to stay present and notice what is right in front of me, especially if it contains unambiguous delight.

After high school I attended three colleges and graduated from none. I am intensely curious and passionate about education, but I learn differently. As a teenager I was also sorting my gender and sexual identities, and I was enduring the emotional stress of a chaotic home. Depression and anxiety surfaced. I longed to pursue my own path forward and to show up fully as me, shame free.

I am a child of divorced parents, one of whom died when I was a young adult. I am a sister to a brother who struggles with addiction and is currently incarcerated. I am a loyal friend and I was a loving caregiver to my mom during her long illness.

I am a Peace Corps alum who lived in rural Namibia. I am a risk taker who wandered solo through Southern Africa for many months. I am heavy-hearted and filled with despair at times. I am doing what I can with what I have to make the world a better place.

For so much of my life I tried to mimic what other people did to be ‘successful.’ Today I follow my own path and find comfort (finally) in simply being me. I can’t wait to meet you being you.

Rebecca resides in California and uses they/them pronouns. Learn more about Rebecca on LinkedIn or by listening to their recent podcast interview about the evolution of CodeBreakers.

Rick Kitagawa

I am an Inner Monster Wrangler, a creative maker of things, a Skee-Ball champion, and a cis-, abled-bodied, heterosexual, 4.5-generation American of Japanese Ancestry. 

I am also someone who believes that our wounds can be our biggest strengths, and strive to live that life every day. 

I was constantly bullied for my speech impediment as a child, but now a majority of what I’ve done in my career is based on speaking, whether coaching, consulting, teaching business to university students, or as a demonstration artist.

I’ve struggled (and still struggle) with impostor syndrome so I’ve built a coaching practice that focuses on it. 

I’ve been a part of toxic, cut-throat organizations so I co-founded Spotlight Trust to empower leaders and organizations to reap the rewards of being more trusted.  

I also create monsters of my own.  I design and sculpt art toys, paint creepy portraiture, and write both short horror fiction as well as a podcast that mixes all of the above into one amalgamation called the Inner Monster Podcast.  

I’m also someone who believes in you.  So go make some great stuff happen.

Rick resides in California and uses he/him pronouns. Learn more about Rick on LinkedIn.

Yash Tekriwal

I am Resilient. Depressed. Grateful. Lost. Caring. Stubborn.

I was on the "advanced math" track for years before I failed calculus.

My brother and I almost died in a car accident. I was driving. My face is surgically constructed as a result.

I believe in embracing the moments that break us down just as much as the moments that build us up.

I believe success is more than a 4.0 GPA or a six-figure salary.

I believe we can do whatever we want when we put our mind to it.

I am frustrated that school teaches us that the world is black and white when life after graduation is nothing but infinite shades of grey.

In my search for "answers" after school, I constantly sought the advice of friends and mentors.

Every answer was different. Many were directly contradictory. My search for clarity left me more lost than before.

Since then, I've learned that in a world with no "right" answers, we have to create our own answers.

I am constantly creating my own answers. Day by day. Moment by moment. Question by question.

I can't promise answers, but I can promise to listen with care and question with concern.

Yash resides in Virginia and uses he/him pronouns. Learn more about Yash on LinkedIn.