Comm Is Hot

As a speaker, Kalilah helps people and organizations improve communication, barriers, and challenges by finding commonality through humor, engagement, and history. Her expertise in politics and advocacy drives her to inspire her audience to create positive change in their communities. She is dedicated to motivating her audience and individuals to better themselves and their environment through human connection. Through her company, K Hud Coaching, she helps aspiring female speakers with the tools, resources, and inspiration needed to create meaningful change in every audience they serve. " Her motto is "No matter where we come from; everyone wants to be seen, heard, and valued. "

Rachel studies Counseling and Applied Psychology with the intention of becoming a sexuality counselor and is the owner of Peachly Sex Shop, a community-focused sex shop made for everyone with a peach. Peachly is here to bring you sex toys and products that increase curiosity, pleasure, connection, and help to keep things groovy in the bedroom. Peachly was designed to give you the permission to explore your sexuality in ways society has never allowed and give back to our community while doing it.

K. Cheng has appeared at the Comedy Cellar, the Comedy Store, and Gotham’s Comedy Club… not to perform, he’s just appeared there. He has, however, performed at NBC Stand Up for Diversity, EDC (Electric Daisy Carnival), and San Francisco Sketchfest. He’s the producer of Crazy Funny Asians, Cosplay Comedy, The Khmers of Comedy, and Cardi Spelling Bee. He’s also a contributor to The Lunar Times, and is a guest lecturer on comedy at St. Mary’s College and Mills College. K. Chengs Socials: TikTok, Twitter and IG: @kchenglol

Kitty KaPowww (they/them) is a fat, nonbinary, Asian American performer in the San Francisco queer nightlife scene. They produce HEX - a cabaret for drag, burlesque, and queer deviancy. They also create erotic entertainment and experiences online for kinky fans. By day, Kitty manages a queer tattoo shop in the East Bay. They received their AA in Queer, Trans, and Feminist Studies from CCSF. They are majoring in Women & Gender Studies and minoring in Queer Ethnic Studies and Sexuality Studies at SFSU.

Dr. Rebecca DiVerniero has 18-years experience teaching public speaking and interpersonal skills in higher education classrooms. She recently started her own company, Relationship-Solutions LLC,  through which she teaches socially anxious adults how to more successfully socialize in a way they enjoy. She can be found on Instagram and YouTube where she shares free advice and speaks about her own struggles with social anxiety as an entrepreneur.

Jayda Shuavarnnnasri is a queer Southeast Asian sexuality & relationship educator. Also known as Sex Positive Asian Auntie, she works to liberate folks from sexual shame by creating space for authentic conversations about sexuality, relationships, identity and healing.

Yodassa Williams is a powerful conjurer of black girl magic. A Jamaican American writer, speaker, and award-winning performing storyteller, an alumna of the VONA/Voices Travel Writing program and the Fortify Writer’s Retreat, and the creator of the podcast The Black Girl Magic Files, Yodassa (Yoda) launched Writers Emerging, a wilderness writing retreat for women of color and non-binary people of color, in 2019. She grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and currently resides in the Bay Area. The Goddess Twins is her debut novel.  Website: https://yodawill.com/  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkpj2X2lDMzTLPllVOUlgLg  Podcast:  https://soundcloud.com/yodassa-williams/tracks

Christina Arias Phillips is a Trans Latina woman originally from Guadalajara Mexico, she has a bachelors degree in Multimedia Engineering from University of Guadalajara and immigrated to the USA in 2016 due to the insecure life conditions that Trans women experience in México. Christina is a TV Host, model, photographer and she’s considered for some people in the community as an activist. She worked at the Sacramento LGBT Center for 3 years and has had many segments and collaborations with Univision 19, Fox40, ABC10, KCRA 3 and currently she’s the co-host of the TV show “Sin Pelos En La Lengua” on The Roku Channel.- Info contact :* instagram.com/bluer_velvet* info@christinaariasphoto.com

Our special guest was born in Uganda but currently teaches at Tangaza University College in Nairobi, Kenya. He is an ordained and practicing Catholic priest with extensive experience in the field of Communication. He has two Masters Degrees – one in Journalism from Makerere University, Uganda’s premier university; and another in Communication Studies from San Francisco State University. He got his doctorate in Communication from the University of Texas at Austin. He is passionate about social justice, and he has published journal articles on the subject. He uses his background in Communication as a ‘public intellectual’ to write and to speak on matters of social justice in Uganda’s secular media. I’ve been asked to protect his privacy from the government in Uganda by omitting his name from the bio.

Sarah Amira de la Garza is a performance ethnographer widely recognized for her ability to integrate research methodologies, social science, spirituality and performance in decolonial/indigenous study of identity, culture, and authentic expression. As a professor of intercultural communication and performance studies, she teaches courses that integrate creativity with social science and critical cultural studies.   She has published many essays, original poetry, and her book, Maria Speaks: Journeys Through the Mysteries of the Mother in My Life as a Chicana. She is currently working on an immersive play, "The Banned Book Salon," and a book of 365 meditations on the theme of her original concept, Mindful Heresy. She is a Southwest Borderlands Scholar in the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication at Arizona State University. Photo Description: performance "Auto de Fe: The Trial of Guadalupe" (Auto de Fe was the name of the trials that were held of heretics during the Inquisition). Amira performed it at Arizona Latino Arts and Cultural Center in Phoenix.

Lynn Brown is a journalist, digital storyteller, and traveler whose work centers on issues of race, place, culture, and history. Her work can be found in GQ, Ebony, Vice, Conde Nast Traveler, and others. For nearly 15 years she’s been creating and promoting work that has the potential to inspire positive change and uplift marginalized voices. Currently Lynn is the Digital Editor of News & Trends at Lonely Planet and an Adjunct Professor of Journalism & Design at the New School in New York.

Join Houston and I for a conversation about his experiences being a real estate agent in San Francisco, CA.  Houstons Bio: Born & raised in San Francisco, Houston epitomizes youthful energy, integrity, diligence, & compassion - all important qualities in the world of real estate. At the age of 21, Houston sold his first listing (which was over $2m). At the age of 25, Houston obtained his broker's license, becoming the youngest real estate broker in the SF Bay Area. Valuing relationships with clients and loyalty are integral to Houston’s business ethics. Houston truly cares about his clients and the high level of service he provides: whether his clients are first-time buyers or seasoned investors, everyone receives white-glove concierge service. Houston is also involved with several Young Professionals Groups, notably with the the Bay Area chapter of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation and the SF Association of Realtors. Youtube recording: https://youtu.be/ijzo4yiqyic If you would like to contact Houston:  IG: Houstonnotfromtexas website: www.houstongarcia.com SF Tenants rights: https://sfrb.org/landlord-tenant-information https://sftu.org/tenants-rights/

Christopher Covington (Pronouns They and He) is a proud product of occupied Tongva Land known as Long Beach, California, today. They are a multiracial, nonbinary person of color with many identities and lived experiences that deeply connects them to intersectional movements and spaces. They are a community organizer and currently serve as a Commissioner for the Long Beach Equity and Human Relations Commission.  They have dedicated their life to a future where all who have historically been marginalized, made invisible, and unheard are uplifted and empowered to challenge and deconstruct systems of oppression.

Lore/tta LeMaster, Ph.D. (Southern Illinois University, Carbondale) lives, loves, and creates on stolen Akimel O'otham and Piipaash land currently called Arizona. She is assistant professor of critical/cultural communication studies in the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication at Arizona State University. Her scholarship engages the intersectional constitution of cultural difference with particular focus on queer and trans of color life, art, and embodiment. She is a full-time caretaker, world-maker, and avid eater of donuts and tacos. Her pronouns are interchangeably she/her/hers and they/them/theirs.

Soh-Yeon (she/they) began experiencing post-viral illness symptoms around 2003. She was formally diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) in 2018. Since, she's been dedicating her free time to advocacy work for the ME/CFS and the Long COVID community. She's a volunteer Community Advisory Council member for Solve ME Initiative and Storytelling & Media Awareness working group co-lead for Long-COVID Alliance. Links/Social Media Instagram: @slee.01190 Resources on ME/CFS or Long COVID Websites: www.solvecfs.org & www.longcovidalliance.org Instagram: @solve_cfs & @longcovidalliance

Marissa (they/she) is a charismatic student affairs professional and proud product of the Central Valley - Merced, CA. Marissa is an advocate for students with marginalized identities and their access to quality higher education. They earned their Master of Science degree in Higher Education Counseling and Student Affairs from Cal Poly SLO and BA in Political Science - Public Service from the University of California, Davis after transferring from Merced Community College.

Mistress Marley aka Chocolate Domme is one of the most prolific dommes in the NYC scene and beyond. Specializing in Findom, She’s also a Sex/Kink Educator, Event Curator, Mogul, Activist, and Guiding Mentor to up and coming Dommes. Mistress Marley was a fashion designer and worked in the fashion buying industry before quitting to become a full-time Dominatrix. In 2019, her video walking a sub on a leash through North Carolina Central University’s homecoming event went viral and put her on the map. Since then, Paper Magazine, NY Times, NY Post, Men’s Health, Playboy, Refinery 29, Fuse TV, Paper Mag, Forbes, Complex, and Buzzfeed have all featured her. Although she’s achieved great success in the past three+ years, Mistress Marley is all about giving back. She runs a mentoring collective, the Black Domme Sorority gf.me/u/xvy9zw, where Black and Afro-Latinas Dommes are welcome in the organization to network, promote their content, reclaim Their power, and be part of a true support system. Mistress Marley also offers extremely affordable courses through her Sexacademy patreon.com/sexcademy, where attendees can learn about BDSM, content creation, sugaring, and vanilla sex at their own pace, and new courses are added multiple times each week. Keep up with everything in Mistress Marley’s universe by following her on Twitter @eyesxonfire, Instagram @mistressofmoneyy, Snapchat @ mistressmarle, and TikTok @mistressmarley. Find out more about her by checking out her official site thechocolatedomme.com. Subscribe to her Official YouTube Channel youtube.com/channel/UCCJFXCChN8VRmcXUoNsPLUA. Join her OnlyFans onlyfans.com/marleythegoddess and let her call the shots in many different fetish realms. Bow down and serve her on SextPanther sextpanther.com/Mistress-Marley and tell her your fantasies for a price on NiteFlirt niteflirt.com/MistressMarley94#. And get all her links in one place at linktr.ee/thechocolatedomme.

Chico Chi (he/they) is a queer and non-binary transmasculine DJ + producer, creative, & fashionistx currently based in the Twin Cities, MN. They are the co-founder of Tender Bois Club, a music & creative production house. He is also ⅓ of Hunnies & Hot Sauce, a DJ crew that creates safe(r) spaces and events that center queer and transgender people of color in the Bay Area, CA. Chico, which means boy in Spanish, is an ode to Chi’s trans identity and Chinese-Cuban roots. This hyphenated identity influences Chi’s eclectic song selection, curating multi-genre vibes that’ll take you on a journey into nostalgia and beyond. Links/Social Media Website: www.chicochi.net Instagram: @_chicochi Facebook: http://facebook.com/thisischicochi Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/chico_chi Twitter: @_chicochi Twitch: twitch.tv/thisischicochi  $$$ Venmo: @elichi Paypal: pay.me/thisischicochi Cashapp: $elichi

Heather is a licensed marriage and family therapist, leader, activist, coach, and online educator. She is also a wife, a mother, and is extremely passionate about using her voice to help and empower others. Heather has always known she wanted to help people through therapy. For the past 10 years, Heather has served as a leader in mental health, connecting with other professionals who deeply care about advancing the marriage and family therapy profession. Heather's websites: HeatherJanz.com ; JanzTherapy.com email: info@heatherjanz.com

Dr. Sarah Blithe, Communication studies Associate Professor at the University of Reno, Nevada shares her research on Nevada's legal brothels, sex work, stigma, and much more!  Dr. Blithe is also the co-author of “Sex and Stigma: Stories of Everyday Life in Nevada’s Legal Brothels.” Purchase the book on Amazon  Contact:  Department Website