200 Proof Life

Ginette Rhodes was a senior at The Ohio State University and President of OSU’s NAACP chapter when we found her seated on a panel during a Rosa Parks remembrance event next to a New York Times best-selling author and a university professor. She spoke so eloquently about complex racial issues and shared her personal stories of growing up in St Louis in a predominantly black neighborhood before moving to a new neighborhood in which she was clearly the racial minority. While Ginette is young, her wisdom is deep and rooted in common sense. She challenges you to think hard and gives you a reason to examine your own behaviors in such an inviting way that you want to listen and learn. She’s an accomplished public speaker, an academic scholar, a researcher, historian and recently had the honor of participating in the Congressional Black Caucus’ Boot Camp under-representation of Congresswoman Joyce Beatty. We take on a lot of topics, and you’re going to love her. Grab a beverage and get comfortable. You’re not going to want to miss a word Ginette has to say. Enjoy!

This week we invited Matthew Goldstein, Founder and CEO of Besa, an organization that is re-shaping the way a city thinks about volunteering and community involvement. They are leveraging partnerships and focusing the good people are already doing in a really powerful way. Not only are they able to demonstrate their impact by the number of service hours they’ve tracked, but they see the services that are delivered one project at a time that make a real difference.    This is truly what we’re talking about when we highlight people building community around a common purpose. You’re going to love Matthew and Besa. Enjoy!

Aslyne Rodriguez is the Co-Founder and CEO of EmpowerBus, an organization that strengthens the roads to social mobility by providing dignified, reliable, and on-time transportation to and from employment, education, and healthcare opportunities. They use clustering and strategic partnerships to address the transportation barriers, such as extremely long commute times, that are facing under-resourced communities in Ohio. We sat down in the 200 Proof Life studio to chat with Aslyne about EmpowerBus and her journey as an entrepreneur that led her to this point, and we were really impressed with her approach to living and impacting the communities of which she’s a part. You’re going to love her sense of humor and sense of purpose, and her approach to serving her country really resonated with us. She’s a game changer for sure! Enjoy!

There are some people who make the world better by being in it. They envision what the world could be and make it happen. Quintel Wilson is one of those people. As coach of the Lima Gators, Quin is leading the effort to give boys and young men in his town options, mentors and hope. He uses sports to teach them life skills, build their character and change the trajectory of their lives. We sat down in the 200 Proof Life studio to chat with him about the impact of the programs, the successes of the participants and the challenges he and other organizers face and overcome to change the world they live in. You’re going to love his story! Enjoy!

For this episode, we’re trying something new. We usually tell the story of a guest. But for this episode, our guest is an expert who is helping us tell a much needed story - a story of the growing concern of a mental health crisis. We are talking about suicide prevention. Bernard Williams is the Coordinator of Suicide Prevention for the Veteran’s Health Administration, and he joined us to help inform us and our listeners about the resources available to us, things we can watch out for with our friends and family, and things we should avoid if we find ourselves talking to someone who has had or is having thoughts of suicide. We need to all be better prepared and able to support those around us who are struggling with mental health issues, and Bernard really helped us with tangible actions we can take. We’ll also share some statistics that will blow your mind. It’s a serious topic, but so important. We hope you find something helpful as you listen.

Molly Rampe, President and CEO of Choice Network, a pro-choice adoption agency with a larger purpose. Molly’s heart is so big and her mission is even bigger. She refuses to accept that any child should have to enter foster care. In fact, her adoption agency began when she herself plunged in head first by adopting her daughter, Gia. Now, Molly and her team are trying to create the world they want to live in - a world in which every child is surrounded by love and has a family. Ultimately, they help bring families together. In the process, they’re re-defining what families and adoption look like.

Missy Holliday never expected to be in her current career. She intended to make her career as a Pediatric Nurse. It wasn't until her younger sister passed away from a fatal car accident and her family had a horrible interaction with a doctor regarding organ donation that she decided to explore how she might change that experience for other people. You'll love her story, but you'll also have the chance to learn so much. The statistics will shock you. so, listen and learn from Missy, who currently serves as the Direction Organ Operations for LifeCenter. In this episode, Missy talks about how the experience changed her life, how she's been able to help others experiencing similar situations and how she has been able to transform her career into a living tribute to her sister. Enjoy!

In 2008, they didn't imagine it would grow to be this. It was just a couple of guys riding bikes.. Ten years later, they've raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to end cancer, and they show no signs of stopping now. Each member has a story - a story of how cancer has touched his life - people they've lost, family members still fighting. Each also has stories of their rides - kindnesses shown to them along the way, people they met on their journey, support they received from friends and strangers. Whether cycling enthusiasts or avid bike riders, each is taking the necessary steps to prepare for a 200 mile bike trip this August, and they are pulling no punches. Their stretch fundraising goal is $100,000.00. Along the way, they're raising awareness and building community too. Two of them sat down with us to talk about their experiences, why they ride, what they hope to accomplish and how they plan to get there. It was touching and fun. You're going to love it. Enjoy!

After careers in teaching, training, IT consulting, and real estate, Jim Obergefell is now an LGBTQ activist, speaker, and author. Jim is also the co-founder of Equality Vines, the first cause-based wine label that supports organizations devoted to civil rights and equality for all. Jim is the named plaintiff in the landmark Supreme Court case Obergefell v. Hodges, a decision that brought nationwide marriage equality to the United States on June 26, 2015. Jim and his husband John launched their legal battle with the State of Ohio to demand recognition of their lawful marriage on John’s impending death certificate. John died of ALS three months after their first court hearing, and Jim continued the fight along with more than thirty other plaintiffs from four states. Since the ruling, Jim has continued his work as an activist and as a speaker with Keppler Speakers. Jim co-authored the book Love Wins with Debbie Cenziper, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist with the Washington Post. Love Wins is about the lovers and lawyers in this historic Supreme Court case, and it was published by William Morrow/Harper Collins. Temple Hill Productions. Fox 2000 bought the movie rights to ‘Love Wins’ and will produce a feature film based on the book. Jim is a member of the Board of Directors for SAGE, the nation’s oldest and largest organization devoted to advocacy and services for elder LGBTQ Americans. Jim is also a member of the National Advisory Board for the GLBT Historical Society. Jim has been honored with awards from organizations such as Equality Florida, Equality North Carolina, the ACLU of Southern California, Cleveland Stonewall Democrats, Trinity College (Dublin, Ireland), the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, SAGE, the Ohio Democratic Party, the Santa Clara University School of Law, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, the City of Cincinnati, and more. Foreign Policy magazine named Jim one of its 2015 Global Thinkers, and Out magazine named Jim to its 2015 Out 100 list.

Cheryl Harrison is a writer, marketer and craft beer advocate who opitimizes the phrase ""create the life you love and the freedom to live it."" Cheryl left a stable job and stepped out on her own when she founded speechbubble, a boutique PR agency that specializes in social media community management for badass local businesses. She is also the founder and editor of Columbus’ source for booze news, Drink Up Columbus. These were just a few steps she took to turn her passions into a career. She expanded her efforts when she began organizing the Beers and Board Games Club and co-founded the Columbus Ale Trail, a passport program rewarding visits to local breweries. In this episode Cheryl talks about their growth and what's next, and she offers some advice to others wanting to take the leap. Cheryl has been voted one of the top three bloggers in Columbus for six consecutive years by the readers of (614) Magazine and just this year was honored with the #1 spot. Cheryl has also been featured on 10TV, NBC4, Fox28, The Columbus Dispatch, WOSU, Columbus Alive and lots of other media outlets - all evidence that she is great at what she does and can help you think about how to apply some of the concepts to your own life. Enjoy!

Yohannan “Yogi” Terrell! Yogi has been a staple in the Columbus creative community for some time - an entertainment icon, idea guy, innovator, and super connector. He currently serves as CEO of Warhol & WALL St, a cutting edge marketing and branding firm in Columbus. You can’t help but be infected by his positivity, enthusiasm, creativity and huge smile! Life hasn't always been like this for Yohannan. He grew up in Akron, OH, where he dealt with a mother who had addiction issues and a father who left when he was young, leaving him to find his own way. Relying on his intelligence and few people in his life who were willing to step up and provide some guidance, Yogi navigated high school and made it to college, although he got kicked out of his University three times, which he claims might be a school record. Each time reminded him he didn''t want to return to his former life, so he jumped back in and persisted, graduating from college. Yohannan took both his college education and street smarts and put them to work as he began a series of entreprenneurial efforts, which culminated in Warhol & WALL St. You're going to really enjoy the way he talks about what life gave him and what he has done with it. Check it out! Enjoy!

Terreece Clarke is a wife, mother of three, marketing strategist, plus model and author of the #1 new release on Amazon, Olivia's Potty Adventure. On top of that she's a book reviewer and an artist fellow at the Lincoln Theatre. At first glance, you might think she's scattered or unfocused. but you'd be wrong. In fact, Terreece is laser focused on elevating the conversation about visibility of individuals who often are invisible. Born in Toledo in what she describes as "the middle of the hood," Terreece talks about how her early recognition that she could write led her to a career in journalism, but the media portrayal of places like her neighborhood and people of color, turned her off immediately. A few years later, it was experiences like these that stoked her fire to show brown kids having everyday, normal experiences in books, on tv and in media, in general. Terreece also shares a heartbreaking and eye-opening story about the extra steps she and her family take to avoid negative experiences with law enforcement. It brought everyone in the studio to tears, so you won't want to miss it. Enjoy!

Megan Kilgore grew up in Gallipolis, Ohio, a small Appalachian town on the Ohio River. Her mom, a beloved and distinguished educator, raised Megan single-handedly, and instilled a love of learning, responsibility, and independence that Megan passes on to her constituency every day, now that she is the Auditor for the City of Columbus, Ohio. Prior to being elected the first female City Auditor, Megan spent time working in the private finance sector, where it's no surprise that she could have made a lot more money than becoming an elected official, but she chooses service, and every day wakes up excited about the people she gets to have an impact on. Having spent 11 years working for her mentor, Hugh Dorrian (Columbus' City Auditor for nearly 50 years), she has her own plans for maintaining one of the country's best credit ratings, and continuing to finance the growth and prosperity of the city. Megan is passionate about public service; she often speaks about waking up daily excited to spend the day with the people she does, be it the people for whom she serves on several non-profit boards, her Special Olympics athletes, her family, or the tax payers of Columbus. She describes public finance with the word "euphoria" and when you hear her talk about it's hard not to know exactly what she means.

Andrew Levitt, grew up in a small northeast Ohio town, before attending college at Denison University where he went against all advice and graduated with a B.F.A. in Theatre Performance in 2001. Shortly thereafter, Andrew created the character of Nina West, a caring, intelligent, theatrical, funny, goofy, slighly nerdy drag queen, and developed her to the point where he won the title of National Entertainer of the Year in 2008. Nina has been captivating audiences nationwide ever since! Andrew chose to leverage his success for the good of his community, innovating to raise money for many charities, the most recent of which are: Besa, Kaleidoscope Youth Center, Family Pride Network, Planned Parenthood and Gateway Film Center. Recently, he decided to go all in and leave his steady desk job to work on developing Nina and other projects on a full time basis. Listen to hear some of the items in the pipeline. Enjoy!

Cary Hanosek is a business owner who spends her days helping individuals plan for their financial future. By night, she's a dedicated mom with two girls. One of her girls lives with a rare form of epilepsy that causes her to seize both while she's awake and while she sleeps. With no treatment protocol, she and her husband, Joe, took on the role of researchers and established the standard for treatment, which Cleveland Clinic adopted and now uses regularly. During that same time, they realized their daughter, Madison, faced more challenges than epilepsy. Her treatment required the ongoing use of a medicinal port in her chest, which made clothing difficult to wear. This is when these dedicated parents went to work to create and launch Lotsa Brave People and a line of adaptive clothing that could ultimately affect a billion people worldwide. Listen to the story and hear how larger corporations are coming to the table on this important issue. You will also get an update on Madison and her opinion of the clothing. Enjoy!

Gregg Dodd is the Director of Marketing for the Columbus Metropolitan Library - the #1 library in the country - but he's also a man on a mission. Every other year (in even numbered years), Gregg sets out on a quest to impact his life or world. Whether giving someone a hug every day or checking off all the items on his bucket list, Gregg is committed to seeing it through. Greg came to the studio to discuss his current resolution - The Year of Gratitutde, We also talked about the unexpected and amazing response he has received and how the quests are coming full circle. We'll even hear about kissing in the rain, what he does with the pens when their empty and why people call him "The Senator." You'll want to tune in. Enjoy!

Katie Smith is a 3-time Olympic Gold Medalist, the all time leading scorer in Women's Professional Basketball, a 2-time title holder in the WNBA, a 7-time All Star, a member of the WNBA All Decade Team, one of the Top 15 Players of all time, and a member of the WNBA Top 20@20. She is also the Head Coach for the WNBA's NY Liberty. It would be easy with that resume to let it go to your head, but Katie doesn't. She's so down-to-earth. We talked to her about her fantasy dream team, her influences growing up and what she's looking forward to as she transitions to the Head Coach role. Her Last Call Advice is a game changer, so make sure you hang in there until the end. Enjoy!

Cody Saintgnue, (@CodySaintgnue) American Actor most famous for his role as Brett Talbott in MTV's Teen Wolf, was placed in foster care several times prior to meeting Brenda, the woman he now calls "Mom." Cody talks about the experience, the never before recounted moment he knew he was home, the journey of overcoming adversity and extreme odds to become a model and actor which began for him at the age of 12. You'll hear his initial shocked response to Foster Care statistics, and get an inside glimpse of the profound love and respect he has for his Mom. It was great having him on the podcast and talking with him about how he sees his success, the people in "his Village" that helped him get there - including his first crush - and the support he's had along the way. Cody has also acted on television in House M.D., Southland, Criminal Minds and America's Most Wanted: America Fights back, as well as modeled in several internationally-renown magazines. His fans on social media love him, and we are convinced you will too. Enjoy!