Khloe Thompson met a homeless woman on her way to school when she was just 8 years old. After learning about her life, Khloe felt compelled to do something to help her. She sewed together a care bag, filled it with toiletries, and gifted it to her. That simple act of kindness grew into Khloe Kares, a nonprofit organization that serves the homeless and empowers kids to be a force for good in their communities. In this episode, Khloe shares the challenges she experiences as a young changemaker and...
Apr 21, 2022•10 min•Season 6Ep. 89
Abigail Dillen is the President of Earthjustice . For half a century, EarthJustice has provided top-tier legal representation in cases aimed at protecting our environment and people’s health. In this episode, Abbie takes us back to the beginning of her career, when she began to recognize the reality of climate change. Abbie also talks about the ways our laws impact our environment and tells us why she believes the youth hold the key to achieving climate justice. To learn more about EarthJustice ...
Apr 13, 2022•18 min•Season 6Ep. 88
Single-use plastics are one of the major pollutants of our time. Growing up in Bali, Melati and Isabel Wijsen noticed that their environment was becoming increasingly saturated with plastic bags. At 12 and 10 years of age, they founded Bye Bye Plastic Bags , with a vision of ridding the world of plastic bags. In 2019, after six years of advocacy, they were able to reach their goal in Bali. Now 21 years old, Melati shares lessons she learned in her decade-long journey as a climate activist. She a...
Apr 05, 2022•19 min•Season 6Ep. 87
Inspired by Greta Thunberg, Anuna de Wever mobilized thousands of people in her home country of Belgium to protest her government’s inaction on climate change. Then 17-years old, Anuna transformed into a leader and spearheaded the Fridays for Future movement in Belgium. In this episode, Anuna speaks to the importance of Western countries taking responsibility in the fight for our climate. She also tells us about her experience visiting indigenous communities in the Amazon and attending COP, The ...
Mar 29, 2022•18 min•Season 6Ep. 86
At least half of Earth's oxygen comes from the ocean. That is why protecting the health of the ocean is imperative to address climate change. Daniela, a then 19-year-old immigrant, founded Sustainable Ocean Alliance or SOA from her Georgetown University dorm room. Since then, SOA has become the largest network of young ocean leaders in the world with more than 5,000 members in over 165 countries. In this episode, Daniela shares the challenges that she experienced as an entrepreneur and encourage...
Mar 22, 2022•19 min•Season 1Ep. 85
Leah Namugerwa is a 17-year-old activist from Kampala, Uganda. In this episode, Leah tells us about her inspiration behind Fridays For Future Uganda and about the pushback she received as a climate activist. She also speaks about the Birthday Trees Project, where she encourages people to plant a tree to celebrate their birthday, as well as her petition to ban single-use plastics in Uganda. If you want to connect with Leah Namugerwa, you can find her on Twitter and Instagram at @NamugerwaLeah. --...
Mar 15, 2022•14 min•Season 6Ep. 84
Mitzi Jonelle Tan is a climate activist from the Philippines. She is the international spokesperson of Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines (YACAP), part of the global Fridays For Future movement. In this episode, Mitzi talks about her experience meeting indigenous leaders who are fighting to protect their land and how that inspired her to take action. She also speaks of the United Nations Summit COP26 and the importance of including people of the global south in the climate justice co...
Mar 08, 2022•18 min•Season 6Ep. 83
Without having any experience in filmmaking, Kasha Sequoia Slavner took half a year off school when she was 16 to travel the world and make the multi-award-winning documentary The Sunrise Storyteller . In this episode, Kasha talks about how she found her path as an activist, the overlooked contributors to the climate crisis including the military industry, and why we have to center indigenous voices in climate leadership. Learn more about Kasha’s work: www.theglobalsunriseproject.org Learn more ...
Mar 01, 2022•17 min•Season 6Ep. 82
Bullying is an issue that affects millions of children and teens around the world. Almost one in three students globally is bullied in any given month, according to a 2019 UN study. In our season finale, we are sharing the compelling story of Aija Mayrock, an author and poet who has reached thousands of people around the world by speaking out about her visceral and deeply agonizing experience of being bullied, both off and online. When Aija was 19 years old, she decided to self-publish her book ...
Mar 16, 2021•22 min•Season 5Ep. 81
The stigma around periods contributes to what is now known as period poverty. Period poverty is a global issue affecting millions of women and girls who do not have access to menstrual hygiene resources. In India, nearly a quarter of teens drop out of school when they get their periods due to the lack of handwashing or toilet facilities. Breaking the stigma around periods is a key first step in alleviating period poverty. Because if we can’t begin to talk about this issue, how are we gonna solve...
Mar 09, 2021•18 min•Season 5Ep. 80
Despite making up half of the total U.S. college educated workforce, only 1 in 4 STEM jobs in the U.S. are held by women. When it comes to minority women, these numbers go even lower. Black women make up only 2.5% of the science and engineering workforce, while Hispanic women represent 2.3% of science and engineering positions. Anjali Chadha, whose family immigrated from India, was able to merge her interest and passion in STEM and racial inequality at an early age. With the help of her parents,...
Mar 02, 2021•23 min•Season 6Ep. 79
Globally, 130 million girls are out of school. But, with this glaring statistic also comes a mountain of evidence showing that girls' education is the most powerful investment towards eradicating poverty. Educated women are more likely to invest in their families and send their children to school. That meant, educating a girl had a ripple effect that lasted across generations. While working on a documentary film, Christina Lowery came across this data and decided to bring this truth to the broad...
Mar 02, 2021•22 min•Season 5Ep. 78
It’s estimated that as many as 40% of the 4.2 million homeless youth in the country identify as LGBTQ. This is a shocking statistic, especially when considering that only 7% of the overall population in the U.S. come from the LGBTQ community. In this episode, we're sharing the story of Carl Siciliano, a pioneer in fighting for the rights of the LGBTQ homeless youth. Carl is the founder of the Ali Forney Center, the largest program in the nation dedicated to meeting the needs of this population. ...
Feb 16, 2021•27 min•Season 5Ep. 77
When we talk about education, we don’t really highlight how culture impacts it. Did you know that Hispanics have the highest high school and university dropout rate of any other population? Some dropout to work instead and support their families. But there are also cultural factors at play. For Hispanic women, in particular, the macho culture might reinforce the idea that they are supposed to become housewives and mothers instead of focusing on school. Hispanic youth also have the highest teen p...
Feb 09, 2021•20 min•Season 5Ep. 76
Despite the strides women have made in the comedy world, studies have shown women are stereotyped as less funny than men. Female comedians often get less stage time than their male counterparts. And only one female comedian—Amy Schumer—has ever made it to Forbes’s highest-paid comedians list. Lynn Harris, a feminist entrepreneur, journalist, author, and comedian started GOLD Comedy in 2016 with this in mind. GOLD Comedy is a platform for teen girls, young women and non-binary folks who want to t...
Feb 02, 2021•22 min•Season 5Ep. 75
Did you know that 1 in 5 children in the U.S. have learning disabilities like dyslexia? These disabilities have nothing to do with intelligence and yet, students often struggle in school because they fail to get the support they need. Gia Gambino grew up having dyslexia. By middle school, Gia had overcome many of her reading challenges. But, she still had a hard time recognizing her skills. Gia worked hard on herself and slowly became more confident in her ability to speak up on things that matt...
Jan 26, 2021•15 min•Season 5Ep. 74
Season Finale: Today, over 1 billion people live without one of the most basic human needs: adequate shelter. By 2050 this number is projected to rise to 3 billion people — a 200% increase over three decades. In this episode, we are featuring Brett Hagler, a change maker who is addressing this problem through innovation. Brett Hagler is the co-founder and CEO of New Story, a nonprofit organization that pioneers solutions to end global homelessness. They work with nonprofits and governments in th...
Dec 08, 2020•16 min•Season 1Ep. 73
According to a 2019 survey by the Pew Research Center, 64 percent of Americans look up to people who have served in the military, regardless of political support for conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. However, as the new generation of members of the military is much smaller than it used to be, many Americans don’t know a veteran anymore. But, as you may know, serving your country comes in many forms — just like doctors, teachers, first responders, mothers and community leaders who have put the l...
Dec 01, 2020•20 min•Season 4Ep. 72
When people have a troubled past, they often have a hard time shaking off negative stereotypes. For this reason, those coming out of prison, homelessness and foster care have some of the highest unemployment rates in our society. Before the pandemic, these ranged from 27 to 42 percent. And COVID-19 has only worsened these numbers, as we hit the highest unemployment rate since the great depression. Our guest this week is Aviva Paley, co-founder and Senior Director of Kitchens for Good. Aviva not ...
Nov 24, 2020•17 min•Season 1Ep. 71
According to the nonprofit organization Uganda 4 Her, around half of the girls in Uganda between the ages of 15 to 24 are illiterate. Meanwhile, 10% to 25% is how much a girl’s income will increase with every extra year of education. It’s also reported that an educated woman in Uganda will invest 90% of her income into her family. It’s truly admirable when someone sees a huge problem, and takes steps to come up with a solution, even if they have to go on a long winding road to get there. That is...
Nov 17, 2020•23 min•Season 4Ep. 70
The U.S. has the highest prison and jail population in the world, with over two million people serving time in one of the country's correctional facilities. Each year, more than 600,000 people are released from state and federal prisons. These people are often unprepared to overcome the many obstacles they will soon face. During their time in prison, they may have cut contact with friends and family who could have otherwise supported them. Once they’re out, their criminal record also makes it ex...
Nov 10, 2020•21 min•Season 4Ep. 69
The coronavirus pandemic has made existing inequalities in our country even worse. Up to 86% of initial pandemic layoffs were of low wage workers — meaning jobs that pay under $40,000 per year. These jobs have disproportionate concentrations of African-Americans, Hispanics, and people with a high-school education or less. At the same time, the digital revolution is creating a widening skill gap. Many people who are unemployed during this pandemic are now seeking to acquire skills for new careers...
Nov 03, 2020•15 min•Season 1Ep. 68
Did you know that the net worth of a typical White family is nearly ten times greater than that of a Black family? And since the 1970s, this racial wealth gap has grown steadily. In 2016, it was reported that it would take 228 years for the average Black family to build the wealth of an average white family today. Our guest this week, Jonathan Johnson, set out to change that. Jonathan is the founder and CEO of Rooted School, a nonprofit that partners with communities to open charter high schools...
Oct 27, 2020•13 min•Season 4Ep. 67
Did you know that the demand for good news has increased during the pandemic? As reported by the New York Times in April this year, social media accounts and news sites that deliver positive storytelling like Upworthy and the Good News Movement have seen their audience sizes grow. On the first episode of our brand new season, we’re excited to feature Branden Harvey — a storyteller focused on the good in the world. Branden is the host of the podcast Sounds Good, the creator of the Goodnewspaper, ...
Oct 20, 2020•20 min•Season 4Ep. 66
Special Announcement: Listen to our new podcast, Redefining the Influencer. A podcast that shares powerful stories of heroes that don’t typically show up on your feed. Redefining the Influencer introduces you to exceptional people who have followed a call of service—from military veterans, doctors, and teachers to nonprofit leaders, first responders, and mothers. Join Mike Burns, a former Army officer with 13 years of service, as he centers the voices of rarely celebrated individuals. In candid ...
Aug 20, 2020•3 min
Special Announcement: Listen to our new podcast, Made Here. Entrepreneurship is a journey — and not everyone gets a fair shot. Made Here is a podcast about what it means to be an underserved entrepreneur in America and what it takes to turn a small business idea into reality. Join GoDaddy’s Head of Corporate Social Responsibility Stacy Cline as she chats with resilient and driven local entrepreneurs. Listen to how they defied expectations and challenged norms, in order to create businesses that ...
Jul 28, 2020•3 min
Special Announcement: Listen to our new podcast, Finding Humanity. Through real-life stories of courage and purpose, Finding Humanity takes listeners into the heart of the most complex social and political issues facing our world. Each episode puts a human face on a global topic that is overwhelming and difficult to grasp. Our podcast weaves together insights from leading human rights and development experts — while providing listeners with tangible calls-to-action to make a difference. Finding ...
Jun 05, 2020•5 min
Tanya Ramos wasn’t born into privilege and initially struggled in school. It wasn’t until Tanya’s second-grade teacher recognized her promise when she started believing in her own potential. Through the power of education, Tanya was able to change the course of her life and ultimately the lives of so many others. She pursued a mission to improve the lives of students in communities that need it most, and has not looked back ever since. Today, she continues to help kids access quality education a...
May 26, 2020•16 min•Season 3Ep. 65
After the hit web series “Kid President" wrapped up in 2016, its genius creator Brad Montague wanted to continue taking on projects for children in television and books. But, they wouldn’t happen and Brad thought that the world wouldn’t let him make anything else. To ease his pain and depression, Brad started visiting classrooms to hear from kids — tiny humans who inspired Brad with their fascinating, sometimes silly, but valuable thoughts and musings. In his tour, he didn’t make big speeches, b...
May 19, 2020•20 min•Season 3Ep. 64
It’s hard to get away from bad news these days — death, millions of people who lost their jobs and just fear of what will happen in the coming weeks, months, and even the rest of the year. And while it may be difficult to find it, there is a silver lining: more people are helping their neighbors out and demonstrating acts of kindness. In this episode, we’ll be hearing the story of Darleen Santore, the US ambassador of Global Pay It Forward Day. Darlene, better known as “Coach Dar”, helps athlete...
Apr 28, 2020•16 min•Season 3Ep. 63
