Greetings everyone! It has been quite the journey. The journey cannot fully be captured in one episode. This is a whole book *wink wink*. I wanted to provide an opportunity for supporters to hear some tidbits of what has been at work behind the scenes and what is underway. Very much aligned with the charge to highlight the voices of 40 women, this episode is entitled "Tested, Tried & True". Some of the tests and trials I share include: starting, time, "culture" and purpose. I also speak to t...
Apr 13, 2021•40 min•Ep. 42
Nicole Lynn Lewis is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Generation Hope , a nonprofit that provides direct service support to young parents earning their college degrees, advocates nationally for the unique needs of student parents and their families, and partners with colleges and universities to provide technical assistance in order to advance student parent success in higher ed. A former teen mother who put herself through William & Mary with her young daughter in tow, Nicole now ...
Feb 22, 2021•37 min•Ep. 41
Latanya Devaughn is a mother of 3 and the Founder of Bronx Bound Books - a bookstore on wheels & community hub that aims to leave no community behind as it travels throughout the borough--especially to neighborhoods where access and transportation pose barriers . A lifelong resident of the Bronx, Latanya is shunning the brick-and-mortar model and taking her bookstore to the people. Latanya has a background in human resources, business management and community arts and engagement. Combining h...
Feb 08, 2021•37 min•Ep. 40
Jessica Huang was trained as an environmental engineer, and then moved into environmental and health education, before finding her current path as a public health professional. While her journey wasn't the most straightforward, in hindsight, she's grateful for what she learned along the way because of the many interconnections between this work. Fun fact: In the field of public health, some of the earliest work in epidemiology (which is the study of distributions, causes, and effects of health a...
Jan 25, 2021•31 min•Ep. 39
Janeen Brown is the Executive Director and Founder of EmpowHERto , a Toronto-based nonprofit dedicated to helping 14 to 21 year-old women and girls reach their fullest potential through three pillars: Independence, Leadership, and Confidence. Previously, Janeen spent time managing a team for an entertainment company, but felt she had a greater purpose to help improve the prospects for female leaders. She became an entrepreneur in 2018, and has started and scaled three other companies in the hosp...
Jan 11, 2021•41 min•Ep. 38
Sam Johnson was born and raised in Tacoma, Washington and spent her childhood exploring and kayaking along the Puget Sound. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Biology and minor in Chemistry from the University of Portland where she fostered her love of all artisanal ice cream and baked goods Oregon had to offer. She then did a year of post-graduate service with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps NQ/AmeriCorps where she was placed with the American Red Cross of Alaska and served as the Preparedness an...
Dec 28, 2020•39 min•Ep. 37
Meenakshi Menon is Groundswell Fund’s Chief Development Officer. The daughter of immigrants from India and Malaysia, over the last 14 years, she has worked in 30 countries across 5 continents, advancing sexual health and reproductive rights, peace and security, and racial justice. Meenakshi began her career as a community organizer and health and human rights field researcher, working with diverse organizations and stakeholders in the US and abroad, including MassPIRG, Physicians for Human Right...
Dec 14, 2020•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 36
Tabitha Mpamira is a therapist, activist, motivational speaker, and consultant on sexual and gender-based violence with a long working history in the mental healthcare industry. In 2015, Tabitha founded EDJA to provide free medical, legal, and mental health services to survivors of sexual assault in East Africa. EDJA, now a program offered by an organization in Uganda, has sparked rapid change in rural Uganda by supporting hundreds of survivors and bringing perpetrators to justice. Tabitha’s wor...
Nov 30, 2020•56 min•Ep. 35
Colleen Echohawk is the Executive Director of the Chief Seattle Club . She is an enrolled member of the Kithehaki Band of the Pawnee Nation and a member of the Upper Athabascan people of Mentasta Lake. As the founder of the Coalition to End Urban Indigenous Homelessness , Echohawk is committed to homeless advocacy and changing the trajectory of Native American and Alaska Native people living away from reservations in urban places and experiencing homelessness. Recognizing a lack of equity in hou...
Nov 16, 2020•29 min•Ep. 34
JoRee LaFrance is Apsáalooke and comes from the Greasy Mouth clan and is a child of Ties in the Bundle clan. Her Apsáalooke name is Iichiinmáatchilash/Fortunate with Horses and she is a seventh generation direct descendant from Chief Pretty Eagle, the last principle chief of the Apsáalooke Nation. She comes from the Crow Reservation located in southcentral Montana but currently resides in Tucson, AZ. She graduated in June 2017 from Dartmouth College with a B.A. in Earth Sciences and Native Ameri...
Nov 03, 2020•38 min•Ep. 33
Christine Edwards is a civic firebrand that has immersed herself in the art of helping urban communities reach their highest levels of growth, empowerment, and success. A speaker by profession, leader by vocation and entrepreneur by passion, Christine’s work involves using her voice to foster civically engaged communities through collaboration, partnership and digital communication. Embodying the essence of her core message she founded Amplify Community Consulting, that delivers community engage...
Oct 19, 2020•40 min•Ep. 32
Brandy Grant was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She holds a Masters from the University of Oklahoma in Human Relations and Organizational Development with an emphasis in Counseling and Pre-Law certification from the University of Tulsa. Brandy and her family moved to Seattle to bring 20 years of mental health and community programming to Washington. She was sworn in, in April 2019 for the Seattle Community Police Commission (CPC) and recently became the Interim Executive Director of the Com...
Sep 29, 2020•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 31
Mrs. Karla C. Boldery (Cárdenas-Álvarez), is currently the Cincinnati Market Manager for La Mega Media, Inc . La Mega Media, Inc. is the largest Hispanic media platform in the state of Ohio. It operates 3 radio stations in Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati and publishes 4 newspapers, spanning the state of Ohio and reaching Pittsburgh and Northern Kentucky readers. La Mega Media provides news, music, information, entertainment and education for the Hispanic market and through it's advising and c...
Sep 14, 2020•31 min•Ep. 30
Amina is an African-Caribbean feminist and women’s rights activist, her work is centered around raising awareness for social justice through movement-building, and innovative approaches to philanthropy. Through actively supporting transformational work – from artists, dreamers, activists and organizations that strengthen social change – Amina is focused on helping to build a more colorful, equal and just world. Amina is currently the Program Director for the Caribbean Women’s Voice and Leadershi...
Aug 31, 2020•45 min•Ep. 29
Shonah Jefferson began her culinary career at the tender age of 11 – by helping her dad at his local Houston restaurant. After spending many years in business and as a practicing attorney, she returned to her culinary roots by managing the family restaurant for a few years while obtaining a degree in Culinary Arts from San Jacinto College. Shonah has always had an interest in giving back to others because “to whom much is given, much is required.” Being a Chefs for Seniors owner and personal che...
Aug 13, 2020•57 min•Ep. 28
Dr. Angelica Hardee (affectionately known as Dr.gelz) is a native of Cleveland, Ohio. She currently leads strategy and advocacy as the VP of Health Strategies at the American Heart Association and also the President of the National Urban League Young Professionals of Greater Southwest Ohio. Dr. Hardee is a three-time alumna of the University of Cincinnati (UC) where she received her Bachelors, Masters and Doctorate in Public Health. At UC Dr. Hardee’s studies focused on global health systems and...
Aug 13, 2020•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 27
Noella Moshi joined Future Fund for Education (FFE) with a strong passion for education and workforce development. Since graduating with a Master’s in Clinical Science from the University of Cape Town, Noella has worked on projects that provide scalable solutions to problems within health and education across Africa. Noella previously led operations at West Africa Vocational Education (WAVE) in Nigeria. She was on the founding team of African Leadership University in Mauritius and the co-founder...
Jul 13, 2020•47 min•Ep. 25
Valerie Red-Horse Mohl, of Cherokee ancestry, is the Executive Director/CEO of Social Venture Circle , a nonprofit leading the way in the field of social impact; building and galvanizing the business world to create social, economic, and environmental change. She is also the owner/founder of Red-Horse Native Productions, Inc ., a film and television production company primarily focused on bringing important documentaries to the screen for which Red-Horse Mohl directs, produces, and writes. Addit...
Jun 29, 2020•38 min•Ep. 24
Leonette Henderson is a native of Clarksdale, MS and serves as the Director of Development and Partnership for Higher Purpose Co. (HPC). HPC is a 501c3 economic justice nonprofit, building community wealth with Black residents across Mississippi by supporting the ownership of financial, cultural, and political power. Leonette has a fervent desire to propel economic and social justice. This desire is rooted in a genuine concern for the overall well-being of people and community as well as a predi...
Jun 15, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 23
Indrani Goradia is the Founder of RAFT Cares (formerly Indrani’s Light Foundation), a philanthropist, and an advocate for women’s health and empowerment. She leads empowerment trainings in several countries around the world. She is also a board member of Everywoman Treaty and Think Equal. In 2013, Indrani joined forces with the global health organization PSI and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to transform the lives of girls and women and lift them out of poverty. In partnership with PSI...
Jun 08, 2020•51 min•Ep. 22
Irene Franco Rubio is a social justice activist and media professional committed to advocating for her Latinx community and historically oppressed populations in her hometown of Phoenix, Arizona and across the world. Growing up in the West Phoenix Valley in Arizona and recognizing the social and racial injustices present within economically distressed communities, Irene made it her mission to advocate for not only her Latinx community but for systematically oppressed populations on an all-encomp...
May 25, 2020•35 min•Ep. 21
Ateira Griffin is a life-long Baltimore City resident, educator, facilitator, and community organizer. She is the founder of BOND - Building Our Nation’s Daughters, Inc. which mentors single mothers to cultivate positive mother-daughter relationships and increase their economic mobility 2 generations at a time. Ateira earned a Bachelor's in Civil Engineering from Morgan State University and a Master’s in Secondary Education along with a Certificate in School Leadership and Administration from Jo...
May 10, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 20
Cyndi Mendoza is originally from Southern California, the epicentre of women's football. She is passionate about equaling the playing field for women and girls and believes in transforming data into a language that organisations can understand. She has a Masters in Programme Evaluation and an Honours in Social Development from the University of Cape Town. Cyndi leads Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) and a Sport for Good Community of Practice at Laureus and is also an Emerging...
Apr 27, 2020•34 min•Ep. 19
Chloe Lander is an entrepreneur and philanthropist from Houston, TX. Her company, One Love Travel Club , organizes group trips for its members to the world's most beautiful and sought-after travel destinations. Each experience focuses on diving into the authentic culture, engaging in "off the beaten path" excursions, and volunteering or giving back to the local community in some way. Being of Caribbean descent, with a family that immigrated to the United States, Chloe was exposed to travel at a ...
Apr 20, 2020•31 min•Ep. 18
Amy Elizabeth Paulson is a mental health advocate, facilitator, writer, speaker, trauma survivor, and the co-founder and CEO of Gratitude Alliance , a global nonprofit working to democratize access to mental health and healing by building the capacity of everyday community leaders around the world to break individual, collective, and generational cycles of trauma and violence. As an orphan and survivor of gender based violence and child sexual abuse, Amy is passionate about healing and transform...
Apr 13, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 17
Amber is on a mission to leverage the energy and potential of all Latinxs to create a more equitable society. Her goal is to use storytelling to help shape a new narrative about Latinxs in California and across the country. In her current position as Senior Program Manager at the Latino Community Foundation , Amber executes and manages the strategic vision of their core initiatives – the Latino Giving Circle Network and the Latino NonProfit Accelerator . In this role Amber supports LCF’s philant...
Apr 06, 2020•38 min•Ep. 16
Liz Rebecca Alarcón is a communicator and social entrepreneur. She leads Pulso , a digital organizing platform that reaches almost 1 million Latinos in the US via Facebook Messenger with the mission of increasing this community's political power. Liz comments and writes on Latin America, Latino issues and current events. She has been featured in The New York Times, USA Today, Time, Buzzfeed, The Miami Herald, and the World Economic Forum blog, among others. Liz is a former Fulbright Scholar and ...
Mar 23, 2020•39 min•Ep. 15
Isabel Coronado is a citizen of the Mvskoke (Creek) Nation. Her clan is the Wind Clan, and her Tribal Town affiliation is Thlopthlocco Tribal Town. Ms. Coronado witnessed the effects of mass incarceration on Indigenous people and decided to help create the American Indian Criminal Justice Navigation Council (AICJNC). The AICJNC is a non-profit in Oklahoma aimed to reduce recidivism among tribal members and help facilitate the trauma family members endure as a result. In 2019, Isabel stepped down...
Mar 02, 2020•26 min•Ep. 14
Suki Terada Ports is a well-known social justice activist and community organizer who has dedicated her life to fighting for issues of school integration and community empowerment to ensure that public spaces were protected from institutional expansion to quality health care access. A child of parents directly affected by U.S. policies against Japanese Americans during World War II, Suki grounded her early activism on behalf of those that were not treated fairly. Suki attended Smith College (Cla...
Feb 19, 2020•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 13
Syrita Steib co-founded Operation Restoration (OR) in 2016 and serves as the Executive Director. OR was started to eradicate the roadblocks she faced when returning to society after incarceration. The organization specializes in creating opportunities for formerly incarcerated women through college courses, a women first clinic, clothing supply closet, case management services, advocacy programs and more. At the age of 19, Syrita was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison. After serving nearl...
Jan 27, 2020•33 min•Ep. 12
