Welcome to this week's episode of the Modern Mentor Podcast. I'm your host, Rachel Cook.

In today's episode, I sit down with Irshad Mahjee, recipient of Oprah Winfrey's first chutzpah award for boldness.

Irshod is the founder of Moral Courage College, which teaches people how to do the right thing

in the face of fear. She's also the director of courage, curiosity, and character for Let Grow,

a New York-based organization that helps students build their resilience. A prize-winning professor,

Irshod currently lectures with Oxford University's initiative for global ethics and human rights.

Her book, Don't Label Me, How to Do Diversity Without Inflaming the Culture Wars, lies at the

heart of today's conversation. I learned so much from her, and I wish you the same

experience. Well, hi, Irshad. Thank you so much for joining me for today's conversation.

It's a pleasure. So I had the great privilege of reading your book. Don't label me how to do

diversity without inflaming the culture wars.

I have to commend you on your phenomenal timing. I can't imagine just a more necessary and

appropriate moment for this book to hit the world. I've been thinking about these issues for years,

Rachel, and a lot of my research comes from

direct experience, so I'm rearing to share it with your listeners. Would you tell us a little bit

about yourself? Introduce yourself and tell us how your experience kind of plays into the work you do.

Well, you know, I've been referred to as the poster child of multiculturalism. I don't like labels, so I will contradict

myself now and give you some of the labels that have been attached to me. You know, woman,

queer, Muslim, person of color, immigrant or migrant, refugee, and so forth.

And by the way, all of those labels are factual.

They are all true.

The issue that I have with labels is that they come with baggage, any label,

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