This is Life with Lisa Ling is an investigative docuseries on CNN. Lisa Ling, award-winning journalist and author, immerses herself in extraordinary, unusual, and sometimes dangerous communities across America . What she has learned over several seasons as an executive producer and host has profoundly changes her as a person, as a mother, and perhaps even as an American. Lisa sits with MouthMedia Network co-founder Marc Raco for a special interview, in which she reveals how the stories that her ...
Sep 26, 2019•49 min•Ep. 68
From the NFL to Media Executives to elected office, the trust & faith we have in the very organizations that define American culture is has dwindled. But Dr. Jerry Toomer, a 30 year veteran of behavioral psychology, joins the pod to discuss how a few core principles can be applied to catalyze change in our communities, and build a new generation of American leadership that doesn’t always require a board room or a podium. Dr. Jerry Toomer serves as an Executive Partner and Adjunct Professor i...
Mar 27, 2019•47 min•Ep. 67
While wealth has been used to hack college admissions for generations, the FBI indictment in Operation Varsity Blues underscores vast inequities in higher education. Eric Rath, a 14 year veteran of college counseling & SAT prep, joins the pod to diagnose what’s gone wrong with the admissions process, and steps we need to take to break the caste system of education. Eric Rath is founder of Rath Education Group, a test prep and tutoring firm. Before starting his own firm, Eric’s 14 year tutori...
Mar 16, 2019•53 min•Ep. 66
Emily Cherniack & Micah Scharf of New Politics join the pod to discuss why recruiting service members for a second tour of duty — representing their country, after spending years fighting for it — is more important now than ever. Emily Cherniack, Founder and Executive Director Emily Cherniack is steeped in the traditions of servant leadership. From her service in AmeriCorps and employment with City Year AmeriCorps, to being part of the founding team of Be the Change — where she led a coaliti...
Mar 11, 2019•37 min•Ep. 65
Dr. Ricardo Leite, a Member of Parliament from Portugal, joins the pod to discuss how multilateral relations between traditional allies is shifting in real time; and what those evolutions mean for countries to tackle shared interests (like public health goals) together. Recorded at the Concordia Summit 2018. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 06, 2019•38 min•Ep. 64
Should Amazon Have Invested In Opportunity Zones? And, what do Napster, Cory Booker, and VP Pence have in common? Even though Amazon was pilloried for seeking tax “incentives” from New York, “opportunity zones” offer investors new tax breaks to revitalize traditionally distressed zones. Eddie Cullen, founder of the Border Freedom Fund, joins the pod to describe how these “zones” can create new hopes in overlooked American communities, including the US-Mexican border. See omnystudio.com/listener ...
Feb 25, 2019•45 min•Ep. 63
Why Millennials in America are becoming the face of community organizing, new technologies, and the nation… Founder & Executive Director of the Association of Young Americans (AYA), Ben Brown, joins the pod to discuss why young people in America are increasingly becoming the face of community organizing, new technologies, and the nation. Ben argues how representing their voice in politics will be vital to the growth and competitiveness of the country in the 21st century. Ben Brown started AY...
Jan 29, 2019•51 min•Ep. 62
Showing up at The Women’s March in San Francisco, CA – January, 2019 While 2019’s Women’s March was criticized for size, affiliation, accusations of bigotry and beyond — women and girls and allies of all backgrounds still showed up in cities across the nation. Join American Enough for live dispatches with leaders, organizers and skeptics of this year’s March explaining why it was important for so many to show up. The opinions expressed in this episode do not necessarily reflect those of the host...
Jan 23, 2019•16 min•Ep. 61
Why working families in the United States struggle to spend time with newborns & raise their families… Executive Director of the nation’s leading paid family leave advocacy organization PL+US, Katie Bethell, joins the pod to discuss why working families in the United States struggle to spend time with newborns & raise their families (when the rest of the industrialized world invests in robust parental leave protections) and why hope may be on the horizon in 2019. Katie Bethell is the Fou...
Jan 21, 2019•53 min•Ep. 60
The transforming of creative content in Hollywood… In an era where entertainment increasingly mirrors the despair contained within our daily news cycle, one studio in Hollywood is doubling down on creative content that seeks to unite Americans with hope & inclusivity. Co-Founder of Wayfarer entertainment, Farhoud Meybodi, joins the pod to discuss how their brand of TV, Film, and Web-driven content can both speak to the issues of our time, while using art to galvanize change. BIO Co-Owner of ...
Jan 08, 2019•48 min•Ep. 59
Why Most Americans Can’t Afford a $400 Bill Rachel Schneider (Author of the Financial Diaries, and Entrepreneur in Resident at the Aspen Institute’s FSP) followed 235 American families to understand why so many American’s still feel financial duress even while our economy grows at a rapid rate. She joins to the pod to detail how experimenting with new policies, like short term cash infusions, can address wage stagnation in the country. Rachel Schneider is the Omidyar Network Entrepreneur-in-Resi...
Dec 31, 2018•50 min•Ep. 58
With all the promise & fret of automation, artificial intelligence, and robotics — Karen Bhatia, Vice President of New York City’s Economic Development Corporation, joins the pod to discuss how to leverage private dollars & public curricula to train workers for the jobs of tomorrow, today. Bio: Karen Bhatia is an innovative strategist and vision-led leader at the intersection of technology and entrepreneurship. Over 13 years of experience helping businesses start and scale. Integrate big...
Dec 17, 2018•22 min•Ep. 57
Dealing with changing Federal policy in immigration affairs departments in major US cities… Dr. Linda Lopez, Chief of Immigrant Affairs to LA Mayor Eric Garcetti, joins the pod to discuss how Cities can still connect immigrants to the promise of the American dream at the local level, even while the Administration attempts to water that dream down at the national level. Recorded on location at the 2018 Concordia Summit in New York. Linda currently serves in a senior leadership role with Los Angel...
Dec 10, 2018•25 min•Ep. 56
Lyft’s Head of Social Impact, Mike Masserman, joins the pod to talk about how a tech company can still invest in social good — even in an era of heightened government scrutiny across some of the world’s largest technology corporations. Mike Masserman is currently the Head of Global Policy & Social Impact at Lyft, where he works on initiatives related to civic engagement, autonomous vehicles, opening global markets, and smart cities. Michael was previously the Senior Director for Federal &...
Nov 26, 2018•28 min•Ep. 55
Presidential speechwriters, Pentagon advisors, and the staff who help confirm Supreme Court justices don’t often grace the front pages of newspapers or tabloids. But in their book The West Wingers , 18 former White House staff detail how their own personal stories helped shape the work of the nation. Editor Gautam Raghavan, and contributing writers Aneesh Raman & Stephanie Valencia, join host Vikrum Aiyer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Nov 22, 2018•51 min•Ep. 54
New forms of work, through apps like Uber, and new forms of automation — are sparking both new opportunities and considerable angst among American workers. CEO & Co-Founder of The Workers Lab, Dr. Carmen Rojas, joins the pod to discuss how to build a 21st century set of organizing principles around preparing and protecting workers, while balancing the innovations that are fueling this century’s growth. Dr. Carmen Rojas is the Co-Founder and CEO of The Workers Lab, an innovation lab that inve...
Nov 19, 2018•59 min•Ep. 53
Bush v. Gore Florida recount attorney, and veteran campaign operative, Todd Elmer joins the pod to describe what the chaos inside an election recount looks like, while reflecting on the opportunity America has to protect the voices of voters in Georgia, Arizona, and Florida. Todd Elmer has built a 20 year career at the intersection of politics, law, communications, and artificial intelligence policy. Most recently, he served as part of the DNC’s national Deployment Project, which sent seasoned p...
Nov 15, 2018•46 min•Ep. 52
The first openly transgender staffer to The White House, Raffi Freedman–Gurspan, outlines how Americans can stand up to a White House plan to rewrite definitions of sex in this country, and undercut protections for millions of non-gender conforming citizens. Raffi Freedman-Gurspan is the Director of External Relations at the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE), where she oversees public education and field organizing operations. She was both a Senior Associate Director for Public Eng...
Nov 12, 2018•44 min•Ep. 51
As the nation turned out to the ballot box in record numbers for the November midterm elections… …the world watched in awe as Americans were pitted against each other with threats of migrant caravans and the loss of healthcare. But what does the make-up of the new Congress (and the promise of newly minted elected officials) actually mean for Immigration? Privacy? Infrastructure? Or American civility? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Nov 09, 2018•22 min•Ep. 50
Chicago, immigrants, and American identity… Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has stood up to anyone who tries to point at a finger at an immigrant in Chicago and imply that they’re not welcome in this country. Seemi Choudry , the Director of the Office of New Americans, is the muscle behind that backbone and has built new sources to help anyone afraid of losing their American identity, keep it, and reimagine the promise of this country. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Nov 05, 2018•43 min•Ep. 49
Ahead of the November 6th elections, executive director of the College Republican National Committee ( CRNC ) Ted Dooley joins Vikrum Aiyer. on location at the Concordia Annual Summit in New York City, to discuss how the GOP engages college campuses across the country to be an “R” in the age of Trump. Ted Dooley is the Executive Director of the College Republican National Committee. Prior to that, he served as the organization’s National Co-Chairman, Regional Vice-Chairman, and was a three-term ...
Oct 29, 2018•29 min•Ep. 48
Politico’s Daniel Lippman and seasoned investigative journalist Tim Burger join the pod to discuss what the gruesome death of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi and The White House reaction means for a free & open media at home, and around the world. Daniel Lippman is a reporter for POLITICO and a co-author of POLITICO’s Playbook, the most indispensable morning newsletter for the biggest influencers in politics. He graduated from The Hotchkiss School in 2008 and from The George Washing...
Oct 24, 2018•48 min•Ep. 47
How blockchain could transform the world… As revolutions in technology continue to change the way we interact with the world, perhaps no one tool promises to change the way we move assets around the world other than Blockchain. The mystique of blockchain technologies and cryptocurrencies continue to be investigated by skeptics by are being leveraged by believers to change everything from the way we bank, to the way we vote, to the way we build governments. Sam Cassat, the Chief Strategy Officer ...
Oct 22, 2018•27 min•Ep. 46
Has our broken immigration and criminal justice systems locked too many people out from the American dream? Todd Schulte , President of FWD.us, a bipartisan political organization that believes America’s families, communities, and economy thrive when more individuals are able to achieve their full potential, joins Vikrum Aiyer at the 2018 Concordia Annual Summit in New York City. In this episode: The Trump administration’s political rhetoric vs. policy The objective of drastically fewer immgiran...
Oct 15, 2018•22 min•Ep. 45
Brett Kavanaugh is now Associate Justice Kavanaugh. What does this controversial addition to the Supreme Court of the United States mean for the identity of the court, the country, and consent? Host Vikrum Aiyer offers some perspective, and heads to the streets and subways of the San Francisco Bay Area for public reaction. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 09, 2018•30 min•Ep. 44
How do we train and upscale workers for the 21st Century? And how can an entire pipeline of 7 million formerly incarcerated workers, seeking to be productive in society, “skill-up”. contribute, and fill roles competitively in the labor market, connect with willing and welcoming company? Stanley Richards, Executive Vice President at The Fortune Society, a non-profit organization based in New York City, NY with a mission to support successful reentry from prison and promote alternatives to incarce...
Oct 04, 2018•28 min•Ep. 43
Kumar Garg on whether America can maintain its leading edge in scientific discovery if it routinely bucks the very investments & truths that have been core to American discovery… For nineteen months, The White House has not appointed a science advisor, has dismissed third party research outlining shifts in our climate, and has even entered into nuclear arms negotiations with North Korea without a physicists in the room. Former White House science advisor Kumar Garg joins the podcast to discu...
Aug 13, 2018•53 min•Ep. 42
Mom, Wife, and former foreign policy advisor to the Secretary of State jumps into a race for Congress… Lauren Baer joins the pod to reflect on what it means to be a candidate for office at a time where political divisions are at an all time high, and trust for Congress is at a new low. Lauren Baer was raised in Florida’s 18th Congressional District and calls Palm Beach Gardens home. An attorney and foreign policy expert, Lauren served as an official in the Obama Administration from 2011-2017, ac...
Jul 30, 2018•51 min•Ep. 41
A year of momentum for movements like #MovingForward… If 2017 was the year of revelations that roiled the entertainment, news, and tech industry by way of sexual misconduct & workplace harassment coming to light, 2018 has been a year of momentum for movements like #MovingForward. But the technology community, especially with its inherent power imbalance between startup founders and wealthy financiers, has faced a set of unique problems that plague how young innovative companies get off the g...
Jul 23, 2018•51 min•Ep. 40
For as long as there have been babies, there have been debates over how to feed them… Earlier this week, it was revealed that the Trump administration opposed an international resolution to encourage breastfeeding, stunning maternal health advocates and drawing swift criticism… including from Lucy Sullivan, the Executive Director of 1,000 Days, a non profit focused on maternal health advocacy across the globe. Lucy joins the pod to discuss how corporate interests are reshaping America’s role as ...
Jul 16, 2018•47 min•Ep. 39
