In this episode, we are talking with Effie Parks, creator and host of Once Upon A Gene. As a parent of a child with special needs, Effie’s cause is to help other families navigate their new realities by sharing stories, creating a community of support. After months of doctor’s visits and tests, Effie shares the emotional road to her son’s rare genetic syndrome diagnosis, CTNNB1. Effie goes into detail about what CTNNB1 is, what the symptoms are and how it can be different in each case. As Effie ...
May 07, 2020•27 min•Ep. 43
During these trying times, it’s great to see companies step up and offer positive solutions to a crisis. One of the first headlines I saw in the podcasting space was when Podnews reported that Buzzsprout was giving away free Pro podcast accounts for educational, government, and research groups aiding in the spread of reliable information about COVID-19. To understand why they made this decision and what it means for you, we are joined by Alban Brooke, head of Marketing for Buzzsprout . Thanks fo...
Mar 19, 2020•18 min•Ep. 42
Today, we talk with Al Levin, creator and host of The Depression Files podcast. On his podcast, Al touches on the topics of mental health and depression, but more specifically as it relates to men. While working as an assistant principal, Al went through two major bouts of depression. The second was severe enough for Al to check himself into a partial hospitalization program for 3 weeks. He goes on to give sound advice on warning signs and what to look for when dealing with stress and depression...
Mar 12, 2020•36 min•Ep. 41
Joining us on the show today, we have Ellen Weatherford, the creator of Just the Zoo of Us Podcast. Along with her husband, Christian, Ellen’s focus is to educate people on topics relating to wildlife, threats to endangered species and biodiversity, threats posed by invasive species, and what we can do to help. Ellen starts by recounting the story of how the amazing name for her podcast came about. From there she explains the layout of her creative show. Ellen and Christian research a different ...
Mar 05, 2020•27 min•Ep. 40
Today on the show we have Alina Boyte, the creator of The Heart Centered Life Podcast. Alina is committed to being a social entrepreneur, encouraging others to live a more heart centered life and in turn creating a positive change in our world. Her company partners with people with the same commitment. Trained as a law professor, Alina realized through her years of research that if we want to see social change in the world, the answer will not come from laws and regulations. We discuss how most ...
Feb 27, 2020•20 min•Ep. 39
The issue of homelessness is one that is gaining more and more attention in mainstream media but not something that we have touched on here at Causepods yet. Today we are joined by Russell Clair to talk about his new podcast called the Homeless Podcast, in which he interviews and shares the stories of people who are currently living on the street for a variety of reasons. Russell's goal with the show is to share the lives of people who are so often forgotten and ignored. Russell emphasizes the c...
Feb 20, 2020•31 min•Ep. 38
Our guest today is Jason Jacobs, host of the podcast, My Climate Journey. Jason led a long career as the (former) Co-Founder and CEO of the popular fitness app, Runkeeper (acquired by ASICS). Like many of us, Jason always had a strong conviction to care for the environment and after his app was sold, he decided he wanted to do more, but didn’t know how. So, he began making his private climate journey public and soon enough, My Climate Journey emerged. As you can tell by the podcast name, Jason’s...
Feb 13, 2020•18 min•Ep. 37
Today on the show we have Brian Dunning, the creator of the Skeptoid podcast, join us to talk about their non-profit mission and, more specifically, the evolution of their podcast. What started in 2006 as a hobby soon developed into a serious source of information that quickly gained considerable traction from teachers. Brian started hearing how educators were using their podcast to facilitate learning in the classroom, which inspired him to get more scientific and formal in his approach. Their ...
Feb 06, 2020•25 min•Ep. 36
The journey a person who suffers from bipolar disorder inevitably has with the condition is a challenging one. Diagnosis can often be postponed until late in life because telltale behaviors get mistaken as symptoms of different root causes. Our guest on the show today is Dawn Sherine Bernard, and while she knew from a young age that her mental health was not optimal, she was only finally diagnosed at age 40. The lessons she learned from the battle she fought have inspired her to start a podcast ...
Jan 30, 2020•24 min•Ep. 35
Rhys Mathews created the podcast Queer Margins to give a voice to members of the LGBTQ+ community who are rarely heard from. In its first series of the podcast, Rhys interviewed Old Queens to hear their stories and experiences. The result has been a catalyst for connecting members of the LGBTQ+ community of different ages as well as giving deeper context to the changes in the political landscape. In this episode, Mathew discusses how Rhys developed the idea for the podcast and the challenges of ...
Nov 14, 2019•20 min•Ep. 34
Dave Gardner is the director of the documentary, GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth and host of the GrowthBusters podcast which is a part of GrowthBusters project, which promotes sustainable living (perpetual growth in the scale of the human enterprise is physically impossible, and our pursuit of continued growth of our economy and human population is stressing and injuring Earth\'s life-supporting ecosystems). Project began as a documentary (GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth) released in 2011. Key T...
Sep 19, 2019•24 min•Ep. 33
You may have recently found out you are celiacs, gluten intolerant or have an allergy to gluten. You may be feeling frustrated, sad or even depressed that gluten can no longer be a part of your life! When Elikqitie first found out that she wasn't able to eat gluten, she felt like my life was over, that she couldn't eat anything and that enjoying going out to eat was a thing of the past. After months of research and gathering the right tools and information, Elikqitie figured out how to enjoy lif...
Sep 05, 2019•26 min•Ep. 32
In this episode I sit down with Ricky Pallay , Operations Manager for the F5 Project a non profit set up to help coordinate services and provide personal support in order to deter repeat offenses. He got involved with F5 to keep himself accountable for recovery from his gambling addiction, he was at rock bottom with nothing left when he decided to get his life right. He is coming from a place that a lot of these inmates are, he finds that it is easy for them to relate to him. They started the po...
Aug 29, 2019•24 min•Ep. 31
What is The Power Project Podcast? The Power Project is a platform and online community created by Brandi Voth to build awareness of the issue of human trafficking. Brandi interviews survivors and soldiers in the fight against human trafficking, in hopes to inspire women to lead purposeful lives and take back their god-given power. Origins of The Power Project As an entrepreneur, Brandi was working with a team of women who were training women to build sales teams for a skincare franchise. She en...
Aug 22, 2019•26 min•Ep. 30
What is the Mo Sybil Show? The More Sibyl Podcast show is a platform born out of a place of growth and struggle for Blacks and Asians, and those who care about and love them. Mo looks at cultural issues that are important to Blacks and Asians including acculturation problems, travels, preserving cultural values, the relationships between African Americans and West Africans, developing resilience, using emotional support, mental health issues, surviving graduate school, and so much more! As a Nig...
Aug 15, 2019•26 min•Ep. 29
Our guest this episode is Jenna Spinelle, she is the host and producer for Democracy Works a podcast that is dedicated to bipartisan discussions about important issues like democracy. With the last presidential election, there seemed to be a renewed interest in discussing democracy, people wanting to be more informed about what it meant to live in a democracy. There were a lot of books being written but not a lot of conversations happening in the podcast space so they took a chance. They knew th...
Aug 08, 2019•20 min•Ep. 28
In today's episode we are talking to Sandy Joy Weston she is the author of Train Your Head & Your Body Will Follow and the host of the podcast Let’s Keep It Real. Her podcast is all about hearing from amazing people around the world who are making a positive impact and spreading joy. She has been fortunate enough to be able to travel the world and do speaking engagements. The people she talked to had stories that she wanted to tell so she decided to do a podcast to talk about their positivit...
Aug 01, 2019•24 min•Ep. 27
In today’s episode, I sit down with Beth O’Connor, Executive Director of the Virginia Rural Health Association. She has a degree in Health Education and has worked diligently for the last 13 years to focus on healthcare in rural America. When talking about rural health there are many different aspects to consider, from how hospitals and clinics run, to getting transportation to people who need it, to the opioid crisis, and obesity the list is seemingly endless. Starting a podcast wasn’t on Beth’...
Jul 25, 2019•17 min•Ep. 26
Simma Lieberman remembers bits and pieces from that iconic day in Washington, D.C. She was young, and faintly recalls Martin Luther King giving his world-famous speech, “I Have a Dream”. But what she remembers most about that day are the people. People from different families, different backgrounds, all united by the shared belief that equality is integral to a better life for all people. She knew then that she wanted to devote her life to this cause. Starting her work in New York, Simma was fir...
Jul 18, 2019•18 min•Ep. 25
One could say Dr. Richard Shuster has lived many lifetimes. A successful tech consultant in his 20’s, Richard thought he had it all – cool car, cool toys, vacations to Europe. He didn’t mind the fact that he made a lot of money and spent it on himself. Richard might very well have grown into an even wealthier bachelor, living a comfortable life on his own terms. But all that changed the day he was in a car accident that nearly left him lifeless. Self-described as a near death experience, Richard...
Jun 20, 2019•31 min•Ep. 24
It’s nothing new to complain about the government. It seems everywhere you go someone has a bone to pick with the way Politician X is handling Issue Y. Grumbling about politics is a hobby for some. But what if, when you looked at your representatives, you couldn’t find a single person who looks like you? Would that not fuel the concern that maybe it’s not all in your head, that maybe, perhaps, “your” politicians don’t have your best interest at heart, because they don’t share the same background...
Jun 06, 2019•32 min•Ep. 23
Link to Podcast: https://engendered.us/ Social Media https://twitter.com/engenderedpod https://www.facebook.com/engenderedpodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/engenderedpodcast/ https://medium.com/@engendered Charity Link https://fundraising.fracturedatlas.org/engendered-podcast Domestic violence murders are on the rise. After nearly four decades of decline, the past four years have revealed a disturbing trend. Murder at the hands of a romantic partner or ex has increased by 26%, and the overwhelm...
May 23, 2019•24 min•Ep. 22
Imagine that you have your dream job. It utilizes your natural abilities, is dynamic, interesting, and pays well. It’s a career you are truly passionate about. What happens, then, when you meet your dream person, the perfect fit for you in another human being, only their job requires that you sacrifice yours? For partners of those in the military and similar jobs this is a real question to be faced. How does a person find time for personal pursuits, and possibly a way to continue that career, wh...
May 09, 2019•30 min•Ep. 21
Most of us know at least one person with a serious illness, and wish we could do something so they didn’t have to suffer. We think about the ways in which we can help, from taking them to doctor’s appointments to researching treatment options, to simply holding their hand. We care about them, and want to do whatever we can to support them in their health and wellbeing. When Nathaniel Chin, already a doctor in emergency medicine, found that his father had received a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disea...
Apr 25, 2019•19 min•Ep. 20
Sebastian Velona is a happy kid. He is tough and resilient in the face of adversity, something many kids his age struggle to embody. Sebastian has it especially tough, however. He was diagnosed at a young age with the CLN8 variant of Batten Disease, a rare genetic condition that causes seizures, blindness, and cognitive decline. After Sebastian received the diagnosis, his father, Christopher, did what any caring parent would do: he exhausted all avenues in search of treatment options, and when h...
Apr 11, 2019•24 min•Ep. 19
Welcome to another episode of Causepods! Today on the show we’re joined by Dr. Jen Stansbury Koenig, creator of HSCT Warriors Podcast, who is going to be defining for us what exactly autoimmune disease is and the role that hematopoietic stem cell transplants (HSCT) can play in the healing process. She discusses her own experience of being diagnosed with two serious illnesses, how she approached treatment and what it was that made her decide to start a podcast to advocate the cause for HSCT. Jen ...
Mar 28, 2019•36 min•Ep. 18
Welcome back to Causepods everybody! Today our guest is Chris Lanphear, the founder and brains behind NoCo FM, a network of radio and podcast shows with a focus on inclusivity, diversity, and causes that need a voice. With a longish career in radio and media, Chris slipped nicely into the world of cause based radio and podcasting when the opportunity arose. They started with just one show and have quickly grown to a wide ranging and interesting roster of hosts and topics. Like many others on thi...
Mar 14, 2019•25 min•Ep. 17
Welcome back to Causepods everyone! Today our guests are Lara Heacock, who is a leadership coach with a personal development blog at kindover.com and Kelly Stewart, who is a positive business consultant at the positivebusiness.com who are going to tell us their journey since starting a podcast called Doing (Good) Business. For Lara and Kelly, the podcast is a great way to pass on information and underline the work and lessons that friends and guests can share. In our conversation we discuss the ...
Feb 28, 2019•24 min•Ep. 16
Today on Causepods we are switching the format up a little bit and are lucky enough to be recording live from the Spice of Life charity event hosted by Forgotten Boardwalk in New Jersey! This annual event is all about celebrating life, organ donation, living donors, and great tasting beer! During the episode we chat to a number of organizers and attendees about their part in the day’s proceedings as well their experiences with organ donation. We hear from Sharon and Seth Dolled, the mother and s...
Feb 14, 2019•53 min
Welcome back to Causepods everyone! Today our guest is Carolyn Kiel, who is the host of Beyond 6 Seconds and she is here to tell us all about her own journey since starting a podcast just over a year ago. Beyond 6 Seconds is focused on showcasing people’s unique stories and how they have learned from their situations. For Carolyn, the podcast is a great way to pass on information and underline the work and lessons that her circle of friends and guests can share. What started as a way to bring to...
Jan 31, 2019•27 min•Ep. 15
