A podcast by Sebastian White, founder of The Evolved Network.
This is a space for thoughtful conversation, quiet disruption, and the kind of reflection that transforms. Join Sebastian as he sits down with mentors, friends, and changemakers from Chicago’s food, education, and nonprofit communities. Together, we explore how the invisible shapes us — how we learn, grow, and heal — sometimes by accident, sometimes by choice… and sometimes, by grace.
Explore the podcast: https://theevolvednetwork.org/by_accident_choice_or_grace (https://theevolvednetwork.org/by_accident_choice_or_grace)
Learn about our fellowship: https://theevolvednetwork.org/the_evolved_way (https://theevolvednetwork.org/the_evolved_way)
Support our work: https://theevolvednetwork.org/donate (https://theevolvednetwork.org/donate)
Follow along: https://instagram.com/the.evolved.network (https://instagram.com/the.evolved.network)
Ep 9. The Flavor of Familiarity and the Risk of Openness
“When I hear culturally relevant food, I hear what can you make at home that grandma made.” – Janelle St. John
Sebastian White and Janelle St. John, Executive Director of Growing Home, reflect on memory, identity, and the tension between familiarity and openness. Together, they explore how culturally relevant food can both root us in belonging and challenge us to grow beyond what feels known, using food as a pathway to dignity, imagination, and shared humanity.
30 Jan 2026
Ep 8. Where Healing Grows: The Intersection of Farming and the Human Spirit
“I never want someone to feel like our relationship is just a transaction.” – Letisha Steele
Sebastian White and Letisha Steele, Executive Director of Green City Market, reflect on farming, food, and what it means to build spaces rooted in care rather than efficiency. Together, they explore land and markets as places of relationship, vulnerability, and healing, where slowing down and staying connected can reshape how we relate to food, community, and one another.
Explore the podcast: https://theevolvednetwork.org/by_accident_choice_or_grace (https://theevolvednetwork.org/by_accident_choice_or_grace)
Learn about our fellowship: https://theevolvednetwork.org/the_evolved_way (https://theevolvednetwork.org/the_evolved_way)
Support our work: https://theevolvednetwork.org/donate (https://theevolvednetwork.org/donate)
Follow along: https://instagram.com/the.evolved.network (https://instagram.com/the.evolved.network)
17 Jan 2026
Ep 7: The Classroom
“If you have a sharp knife in your hands, you can’t be doing a bunch of things… it really forces you to stop, focus, and be in that moment.” — Anna Erickson
In this episode, Sebastian White sits down with fifth-grade teacher Anna Erickson of William Ray Elementary to reflect on their work together through The Evolved Network, classroom culture, and how structure, joy, and reflection help students feel capable, connected, and seen.
Explore the podcast: https://theevolvednetwork.org/by_accident_choice_or_grace (https://theevolvednetwork.org/by_accident_choice_or_grace)
Learn about our fellowship: https://theevolvednetwork.org/the_evolved_way (https://theevolvednetwork.org/the_evolved_way)
Support our work: https://theevolvednetwork.org/donate (https://theevolvednetwork.org/donate)
Follow along: https://instagram.com/the.evolved.network (https://instagram.com/the.evolved.network)
2 Sept 2025
Ep 6: Soul Food, Community, and The Wretched
“The land carries memory — of pain, but also of possibility.” – Nick Davis
Sebastian White and Nick Davis, a local farmer organizer, explore the historical roots of American agriculture, the displacement and resilience of Black farmers, and how land and food remain sites of struggle, healing, and liberation.
Explore the podcast: https://theevolvednetwork.org/by_accident_choice_or_grace (https://theevolvednetwork.org/by_accident_choice_or_grace)
Learn about our fellowship: https://theevolvednetwork.org/the_evolved_way (https://theevolvednetwork.org/the_evolved_way)
Support our work: https://theevolvednetwork.org/donate (https://theevolvednetwork.org/donate)
Follow along: https://instagram.com/the.evolved.network (https://instagram.com/the.evolved.network)
18 Aug 2025
EP 5: The Tragedy of Philanthropy
“Philanthropy is not a dream scenario. The dream is a world where it isn’t needed because resources are equitably shared.” – Jessyca Dudley
In this episode, Sebastian White sits down with Jessyca Dudley, CEO of Bold Ventures, to explore the paradox of philanthropy — how it’s rooted in extraction yet essential to nonprofit survival. Together, they discuss history, proximity, and what it means to reimagine philanthropy as repair rather than transaction.
Explore the podcast: https://theevolvednetwork.org/by_accident_choice_or_grace (https://theevolvednetwork.org/by_accident_choice_or_grace)
Learn about our fellowship: https://theevolvednetwork.org/the_evolved_way (https://theevolvednetwork.org/the_evolved_way)
Support our work: https://theevolvednetwork.org/donate (https://theevolvednetwork.org/donate)
Follow along: https://instagram.com/the.evolved.network (https://instagram.com/the.evolved.network)
9 Aug 2025
Ep 4. The Etiquette of Care
“It [the dining experience] not only feeds them, but it should feed their soul as well.” In this episode, Sebastian White sits down with two-time James Beard Award–winning chef Sarah Stegner to explore hospitality as care, the meaning of etiquette, and what it looks like to create spaces of belonging — for everyone.
Explore the podcast: https://theevolvednetwork.org/by_accident_choice_or_grace (https://theevolvednetwork.org/by_accident_choice_or_grace)
Learn about our fellowship: https://theevolvednetwork.org/the_evolved_way (https://theevolvednetwork.org/the_evolved_way)
Support our work: https://theevolvednetwork.org/donate (https://theevolvednetwork.org/donate)
Follow along: https://instagram.com/the.evolved.network (https://instagram.com/the.evolved.network)
28 Jul 2025
Ep 3: The Myth of the Food Desert
“We call it a desert, but I see people growing food, exchanging recipes, feeding each other.” In this episode, Sebastian White sits down with Selma Sims, CEO of Gardeneers, to unpack how language shapes power—and how community-grown care is already transforming what food access and liberation look like.
Explore the podcast: https://theevolvednetwork.org/by_accident_choice_or_grace (https://theevolvednetwork.org/by_accident_choice_or_grace)
Learn about our fellowship: https://theevolvednetwork.org/the_evolved_way (https://theevolvednetwork.org/the_evolved_way)
Support our work: https://theevolvednetwork.org/donate (https://theevolvednetwork.org/donate)
Follow along: https://instagram.com/the.evolved.network (https://instagram.com/the.evolved.network)
18 Jul 2025
Ep 2: The Invisible in Food Education
“Food is the way I speak care.” In this episode, Sebastian White sits down with Alexandra DeSorbo-Quinn, Executive Director of Pilot Light, to explore the invisible layers of food education — how nourishment becomes a language of love, resilience, and liberation when taught with intention.
8 Jul 2025
EP 1: The Evolved Network Way
What if healing isn’t something we do to others, but something we create together? In this premiere episode, Sebastian White and co-author Dr. Todd DuBose explore The Evolved Network Way—where food, care, and presence become quiet disruptions that open space for belonging, healing, and transformation.
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