Podcasts about Peace Corps

In this first guest episode of Hōmish, Anna sits down with her childhood friend Nicole Bryan to talk about what it means to make home in unexpected places, and what it means to come back.Nicole's journey has taken her, quite literally, around the world. From small-town Tennessee to the Peace Corps in Madagascar, a cross-cultural relationship, a season in South Korea, and back again, her story is shaped by the complexities of culture, identity, and belonging. This episode is about becoming someone you're proud to come home to. About the quiet courage it takes to hold life with open hands. About loving deeply, letting go, and trusting that even impermanence can be sacred.If you want to connect with Nicole, she's is also in the middle of a no-buy year where she's documenting her journey toward intentional style, ethical fashion, and mindful consumption. And yes, it is *very* cool. You can follow her on Instagram and TikTok at @foreverabaobab

Feeling stuck planning projects across subjects? It's more common than you think. Without the right structures, interdisciplinary projects often feel messy, disconnected, and overwhelming — for both teachers and students. But what if a few small shifts could lead to more engaged students, stronger collaboration across subjects, and less stress for you? In this episode, I sat down with Ryan Murfield, Coordinator of the Interdisciplinary PRAXIS Program at the International School of Kuala Lumpur, to unpack three simple shifts that make interdisciplinary planning work: Focus planning around real-world problems that drive deeper engagement Build milestone checkpoints that keep interdisciplinary teams aligned Design assessments that capture real learning across subjects—without adding more work If you're ready to plan across subjects with more clarity, connection, and confidence, this conversation is for you. Connect with Ryan: Learn more about the PRAXIS Program: Get the 12 shifts book for student-centered environments: www.transformschool.com/whereistheteacher  Free Interdisciplinary Project Planner Ryan's Bio: Initially from South Dakota, Ryan Murfield  is the coordinator of the 9th grade interdisciplinary program called (PRAXIS) at the International School of Kuala Lumpur.  Prior he taught in the USA and then in Seoul, South Korea. The favourite part of his role is seeing the amazing work students are able to do when given the opportunity to grapple with complex, real-world, authentic problems. He was also a Peace Corps volunteer in Ukraine where he to speak Ukrainian and lived in a small town, teaching English at a local school. He helped organize events promoting leadership and for young people in the region, and also met his wife, Courtney, another Peace Corps volunteer.   

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit andrewsullivan.substack.comEvan is an attorney and gay rights pioneer. He founded and led Freedom to Marry — the campaign to win marriage until victory at the Supreme Court in 2015, after which he then wound down the organization. During those days he wrote the book Why Marriage Matters: America, Equality, and Gay People's Right to Marry. Today he “advises and assists diverse organizations, movements, and countries in adapting the lessons on how to win to other important causes.” We became friends in the 90s as we jointly campaigned for what was then a highly unpopular idea.For two clips of our convo — on the early, fierce resistance to gay marriage by gay activists, and the “tectonic” breakthrough in Hawaii — pop over to our YouTube page.Other topics: raised in Pittsburgh by a pediatrician and a social worker; being a natural leader in high school; his awakening as a gay kid; the huge influence of John Boswell on both of us; working at Lambda Legal; Peace Corps in West Africa; a prosecutor in Brooklyn; the AIDS crisis; coalition building; engaging hostile critics; Peter Tatchell; lesbian support over kids; the ACLU's Dan Foley; Judge Chang in Hawaii; Clinton and DOMA; Bush and the Federal Marriage Amendment; the federalist approach and Barney Frank; Prop 8; the LDS self-correcting on gays; the huge swing in public support; Obama not endorsing marriage in 2008; Obergefell and Kennedy's dignitas; Trump removing the GOP's anti-marriage plank; Bostock; dissent demonized within the gay community; the Respect for Marriage Act; and Evan and me debating the transqueer backlash.Browse the Dishcast archive for an episode you might enjoy (the first 102 are free in their entirety — subscribe to get everything else). Coming up: Claire Lehmann on the success of Quillette, Francis Collins on faith and science and Covid, Stephen Macedo and Frances Lee on Covid's political fallout, Sam Tanenhaus on Bill Buckley, Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson on the Biden years, and Paul Elie on his book The Last Supper: Art, Faith, Sex, and Controversy in the 1980s. Please send any guest recs, dissents, and other comments to dish@andrewsullivan.com.

Ben B. studied International Relations in college. He wanted to get some real world experience in this topic, so joined the Peace Corps as a volunteer. He spent all of his time in a small town in Ethiopia helping out the local community. When he was there he was doing Linchpin workouts & he would have to run 2 miles in order to do pull-ups from a tree. This is his story.

This week we get the opportunity to speak with Daniel, a missionary who has served with the St. Francis Xavier Lay Missionary Society as well as the PeaceCorps.  He bring his unique perspective as an child of both American and Chinese parents, raised in the Catholic faith, who has had the opportunity to observe and serve the church in China and Taiwan.  Don't miss this incredible episode. To learn more about St. Francis Xavier Lay Missionary Society:https://www.laymissionary.org/Click here to learn more about supporting the Pontifical Missions Societies:https://pontificalmissions.orgFollow us on socials!https://x.com/tpms_usahttps://www.instagram.com/tpms_us/

In this episode, The Sun's Tracy Ross sits down with Jessica Moon, a multidisciplinary artist whose global adventures and multicultural heritage shape her vibrant installations. They explore how her Peace Corps experience in Mongolia inspired her to transform waste materials into poignant statements on consumerism, capitalism, and climate change, all while bringing a bright sense of hope to environmental advocacy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Consul General of France meets with military and state officials in Hawaiʻi; Peace Corps braces for the possibility of cuts after DOGE visit

Share your thoughts about our conversation!What does facilitation have in common with quantum physics? What do organisations have to do with molecules? And why when you ask a question, are you playing around with someone's mind?All will be revealed this week with Jimmie White! A seven-times best-selling author, an indomitable facilitator that has trained The Peace Corps and supported NASA with somatic integration, and in a past life, a teacher of ballroom dancing.It's perhaps not surprising then, that Jimmie's facilitation is alive with somatic movement, storytelling - and even neuroscience. It's something Jimmie calls ‘Walking Your Story': a physical navigating of group narratives, helping us to rewrite our stories, explore multiple outcomes, and bond with others in the steps we take.Press play for an incredible, expansive conversation!Find out about:Jimmie's ‘Walking Your Story' method, and how it can foster deep reflection, transformation and connectionThe Observer Effect of Quantum Physics and what it means for facilitationHow physical movement can change our relationship with past storiesThe methods of somatic storytelling and socratic thinkingThe importance of fostering psychological safety in personal storytellingDon't miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.Links:Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.Connect to Jimmie White:LinkedInWebsite"Designing & Leading Life-Changing Workshops: Creating the Conditions for Transformation in Your Groups, Trainings, and Retreats" by Ken Nelson, Lesli Lang, David Ronka, Korabek-Emerson and Jim WhiteSupport the show✨✨✨Subscribe to our newsletter to receive a free 1-page summary of each upcoming episode directly to your inbox, or explore our eBooks featuring 50-episode compilations for even more facilitation insights. Find out more:https://workshops.work/podcast✨✨✨Did you know? You can search all episodes by keyword to find exactly what you need via our Buzzsprout page!

What do archaeology, the Peace Corps, and SaaS revenue architecture have in common? More than you think, especially when Beth Yehaskel is the one connecting the dots. Beth didn't set out to build a career in tech. She started in the dirt (literally) as an archaeologist. But her love of writing and curiosity about people took her from field reports to technical writing, and eventually to customer success, go-to-market strategy, and coaching executives across the globe. In this episode, we talk about how to spot the systems and patterns that hold businesses (and careers) back, and why stepping away after a bad job can sometimes be the best decision you ever make.   We also explore: The red flags she missed and what she learned from a role that didn't work Why consulting helped her rediscover confidence and clarity Why AI is about systems, not shortcuts.   If you've ever felt stuck between “I've worked hard for this” and “I'm not sure I want it anymore,” Beth's story will speak to you.   Connect with Beth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beth-yehaskel-4b71a https://www.elevategtmexecs.com/  

Episode #113 - In this episode of the Awakened Heart Podcast, I sit down with Monica Mangelson, a life-purpose coach, digital nomad, and adventure seeker who turned societal expectations on their head to create a life of freedom and fulfillment. Raised in an orthodox home where marriage and motherhood were the expected path, Monica knew deep down there had to be more. After a canceled Peace Corps opportunity left her feeling stuck, she and her husband took control of their destiny—building an online business that allows them to travel the world. Now, as a certified life-purpose coach with a deep understanding of neuroscience, Monica helps others step into their power and design lives they truly love. Join us as we explore the neuroscience behind personal transformation, overcoming fear, and breaking free from limiting beliefs.TakeawaysThings always work out the way they're supposed to.We can live and work anywhere.I felt a lot of pressure from that side.Everything that I've been through was for this moment.I would have probably been in corporate America today.We have to just be so radically honest with each other.You didn't start this so you can work 24 seven.Our brains are wired for efficiency.A lot of people are afraid of making success.You can design your life.Sound Bites"We can live and work anywhere.""Our brains are wired for efficiency.""You can design your life."Chapters00:00 Introduction and Background Mishap02:39 The Journey to Becoming Digital Nomads05:43 Breaking Free from Traditional Expectations08:22 The Impact of the Pandemic on Their Plans11:10 Finding New Paths and Opportunities14:06 Building a Business as a Couple16:53 Mindset Shifts and Lifestyle Changes19:38 Neuroscience of Change and Overcoming Blocks28:29 Fear of Success: The Hidden Barrier30:44 The Transformative Power of Belief34:11 Redefining Freedom and Life Purpose36:24 Creating a Freedom-Based Lifestyle42:08 Unexpected Lessons from Travel45:55 Embracing Uncertainty and Future PossibilitiesConnect with Monica:WebsitePodcastFacebookFacebook GroupLet's Connect!WebsiteInstagram FacebookYoutubeRumble⁠Tik Tok⁠digital nomad, neuroscience, life coaching, personal growth, mindset, freedom lifestyle, couple goals, entrepreneurship, overcoming fear, community support

Free class on The Great Discover is at www.SallyGimon.comCalander:  https://www.thetrustisyou.com/scheduling https://www.facebook.com/TheTrustisyou/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/sallygimon/ https://www.instagram.com/sallygimon/ https://twitter.com/GimonSally https://www.tiktok.com/@spendthrifttrust https://www.youtube.com/@sallygimon?sub_confirmation=1 www.TheTrustIsYou.comSummaryIn this engaging conversation, host Sam Knickerbocker interviews Sally Gimmon, who shares her vibrant life story, from her early entrepreneurial spirit as a child to her diverse career experiences, including her time in the Peace Corps.Sally discusses her transition into real estate and tax lien investing, providing insights into the ethical considerations of her work. The conversation highlights the importance of financial education and the impact of cultural exposure on personal growth.In this conversation, Sam Knickerbocker and Sally Gimon delve into the complexities of real estate investing, family dynamics, and the challenges of taxation. They explore personal anecdotes, the impact of financial decisions on family relationships, and the intricacies of navigating tax liens and trusts.Sally shares her journey into real estate, highlighting significant profits and the lessons learned from overcoming financial hurdles. The discussion also touches on the skepticism surrounding tax strategies and the importance of understanding legal frameworks in wealth building. In this conversation, Sally Gimon and Sam Knickerbocker delve into the intricacies of grantor and non-grantor trusts, discussing their importance in estate planning and privacy.They explore the ongoing maintenance and costs associated with trusts, as well as resources available for individuals looking to educate themselves on trust planning. Real-life success stories highlight the financial benefits of utilizing trusts, emphasizing the significance of legacy beyond mere wealth. The discussion concludes with final thoughts on taking action towards financial education and planning for the future.TakeawaysSally's vibrant personality and energy are infectious.The importance of financial education is often overlooked.Early entrepreneurial experiences shape future career paths.Traveling can significantly broaden one's perspective.The Peace Corps experience can be life-changing and educational.Understanding tax liens is crucial for real estate investing.Ethics in investing can be complex and subjective.Networking and relationships are key in real estate.Sally's journey reflects resilience and adaptability.Investing in tax liens can be profitable but requires careful consideration. Sally's mother had strong opinions about her real estate work.Navigating family dynamics can complicate financial decisions.Tax liens can be profitable but raise ethical questions.Real estate investing requires understanding local laws and processes.Sally's journey into real estate began with a mentor.Financial challenges can lead to unexpected opportunities.Trusts can provide significant tax benefits if structured correctly.Many people are unaware of their financial responsibilities after a family member's death.Skepticism about tax strategies is common among professionals.Understanding the history of tax laws can empower investors. Grantor Trust means the person setting up the trust has control.Non-grantor trusts provide privacy and prevent beneficiaries from being grantors.Ongoing maintenance of trusts includes tax filings and potential fees for changes.Trusts can save significant amounts in taxes, as shown in real-life examples.Education on trusts is crucial for effective estate planning.Legacy planning involves more than just financial assets; it includes values and behaviors.Trusts can help control how wealth is passed down through generations.Real estate investors can benefit greatly from utilizing trusts for tax savings.Sally offers resources like presentations and articles for those interested in trusts.Taking action towards financial education can lead to significant life changes.

Have you ever felt stuck between two good choices?   Through my personal story of leaving a life I loved to join the Peace Corps, I illustrate how choosing between two good things - while challenging - can lead to profound growth and fulfillment.   If you're struggling with a decision that feels impossible because both options have value, this episode is for you.   Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.mariemurphyphd.com/212

In this Brush Pass episode of Brush Pass, Le Carre Cast and Barbican Station podcast host Jeff Quest, gives us the lowdown on two spy-related theatrical productions: 'Operation Mincemeat' and 'Dakar 2000'. Operation Mincemeat on Broadway John Golden Theatre   252 W. 45th St., New York, NY The stunning true story of a scheme every bit as dicey, daring, and ridiculous as opening a new musical on Broadway! The best-reviewed show in West End history is now on Broadway! 74 ★★★★★ Reviews and Counting! (which, according to our calculations, adds up to 370 stars) SYNOPSIS: It's 1943, and the Allied Forces are on the ropes. Luckily, they've got a trick up their sleeve. Well, not up their sleeve, per se, but rather inside the pocket of a stolen corpse. Equal parts farce, thriller, and Ian Fleming-style spy caper (with an assist from Mr. Fleming himself), Operation Mincemeat tells the wildly improbable and hilarious true story of the covert operation that turned the tide of WWII. SCHEDULE: March 25–30: Tuesday @7pm, Wednesday @2pm and 7:30pm, Thursday @7pm, Friday @7:30pm, Saturday @2pm and 7:30pm, Sunday @2pm Running Time: 2 hours and 30 minutes with one intermission Dakar 2000 In Senegal on the eve of Y2K, an idealistic Peace Corps volunteer survives a mysterious car accident. An imposing State Department operative immediately takes command of the situation and his safety. Though they couldn't be more different, they form an unlikely relationship. But when it becomes clear that they both have secrets, the volunteer is roped into a darker side of public service – one he can't come back from. Unpredictable at every turn, this world-premiere thriller was commissioned by Manhattan Theatre Club. Written by Rajiv Joseph (Pulitzer Prize finalist for Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo; King James at MTC) and directed by May Adrales (Vietgone and Poor Yella Rednecks at MTC).   Have you watched Operation Mincemeat and/or Dakar 2000? What did you think? Let us know in the Spybrary community.

In this episode of the Bench to Bedside podcast, Dr. Roy Jensen, vice chancellor and director of The University of Kansas Cancer Center, hosts Dr. Marc Hoffmann, associate professor specializing in Hematologic Malignancies and Cellular Therapeutics at the University of Kansas Medical Center and medical director of the lymphoma program at KU Cancer Center, where he also serves as medical director for quality improvement initiatives. Beyond his clinical expertise, Dr. Hoffmann has contributed significantly to research in lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and he actively participates in national cooperative group clinical trials. Dr. Hoffmann shares his career path into the field of oncology, innovations in lymphoma and CLL treatments, as well as the unique aspects of KU Cancer Center's lymphoma program. The conversation also covers Dr. Hoffmann's Peace Corps experience in West Africa, his involvement in clinical trials, and advice for medical students interested in hematology and oncology. Do you have questions about cancer? Call our Bench to Bedside Hotline at (913) 588-3880 or email us at benchtobedside@kumc.edu, and your comment or question may be shared on an upcoming episode! If you appreciated this episode, please share, rate, subscribe and leave a review. To ensure you get our latest updates, For the latest updates, follow us on the social media channel of your choice by searching for KU Cancer Center. Links from this Episode: Learn more about the lymphoma program at KU Cancer Center Learn about chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) Learn more about CAR T-cell therapy at KU Cancer Center Learn more about Dr. Marc Hoffmann Watch a video of Dr. Hoffmann explaining how blood cancer is diagnosed  

Join host Peter Pappas and co-host J. Antoine Miner as they discuss pressing topics in politics and international affairs. From the dynamic conversation surrounding the recent "SmackDown" featuring Zelensky and Donald Trump to Pete Hegseth's contentious remarks on transgender military personnel, this episode promises an engaging discussion that pulls no punches. In an insightful segment, Peter Pappas interviews Jenny Haddle, a former aid worker with extensive experience in international humanitarian efforts. Jenny shares her valuable perspective on the effects of USAID and the challenges faced by communities around the world that depend on international aid for survival. Through her personal stories, from the Peace Corps to working with nonprofit organizations, she adds a human element to the often complex subject of foreign aid.Whether you're curious about the intricacies of global aid or the latest in national defense policy, this episode is filled with information and viewpoints that will spark your curiosity and keep you engaged. Get ready for an earnest, no-holds-barred discussion on the Carolina Cabinet!

Lawrence Grobel is the author of 32 books. Among his honors are a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship for his fiction; Special Achievement Awards from PEN for his Conversations with Capote, and Playboy for his interviews with Barbara Streisand, Dolly Parton, Marlon Brando and Al Pacino; and the Prix Litteraire from The Syndicat Francais de la Critique de Cinema for his Al Pacino: In Conversation with Lawrence Grobel. He has been a Contributing Editor for Playboy, Movieline, World (New Zealand), and Trendy (Poland). He served in the Peace Corps, teaching at the Ghana Institute of Journalism; created the M.F.A. IN Professional Writing for Antioch University; and taught in the English and Honors Departments at UCLA. He has served as a jury member at the annual Camerimage Film Festival in Poland and has appeared as himself in the documentary Salinger and Al Pacino's docudrama Wilde Salome. His works have been translated into fourteen languages.

It might not sound like a climate job, but mechanical insulators help make buildings more energy efficient. We head out to meet a young woman who trained in the trade through a program set up by the Youth Climate Corps BC. The group is training young people around British Columbia for a wide variety of good, green jobs and hopes to expand across the country.

Lawrence Grobel is the author of 32 books. Among his honors are a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship for his fiction; Special Achievement Awards from PEN for his Conversations with Capote, and Playboy for his interviews with Barbara Streisand, Dolly Parton, Marlon Brando and Al Pacino; and the Prix Litteraire from The Syndicat Francais de la Critique de Cinema for his Al Pacino: In Conversation with Lawrence Grobel. He has been a Contributing Editor for Playboy, Movieline, World (New Zealand), and Trendy (Poland). He served in the Peace Corps, teaching at the Ghana Institute of Journalism; created the M.F.A. IN Professional Writing for Antioch University; and taught in the English and Honors Departments at UCLA. He has served as a jury member at the annual Camerimage Film Festival in Poland and has appeared as himself in the documentary Salinger and Al Pacino's docudrama Wilde Salome. His works have been translated into fourteen languages.

At age 26, Andy Hilliard had a quarter-life crisis that changed the trajectory of his life. In an effort to find himself, Andy joined the Peace Corps in 1988. On assignment in Costa Rica, he fell in love with the culture—and the woman who became his wife. The experience led Andy to dedicate himself to enriching businesses and individuals through valuable cultural exchange.  As CEO of Accelerance, Andy helps companies find the talent they need to scale high performing, globally distributed software engineering and product development teams.  Andy and Accelerance travel the world, assessing and certifying development partners with a proprietary matching system, so clients can connect with confidence to the top 1% of outsourcing partners worldwide. The Accelerance team also helps clients optimize their outsourcing partner relationships through mutual understanding, communication, and effective management.  Previously, Andy founded the groundbreaking nearshore software development services company, Isthmus Costa Rica. He began his global software services career as a Division Manager at Cognizant Technology Solutions during its formative years.  Currently living in Kenwood, California, Andy has visited more than 60 countries. He holds an MBA in International Business, Finance, and Marketing from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern. 

Our guest this time, Kane Brolin, will quickly and gladly tell you that as a blind person born in Iowa in 1965 he was mightily blessed to be born in that state as it had the best programs for blind people in the nation. Kane was born prematurely and, because of being given too much oxygen he became blind due to a condition known as retinopathy O. Prematurity. In fact I am blind due to the same circumstance. As it turns out, Kane and I share a great many life experiences especially because of the attitudes of our parents who all thought we could do whatever we put our minds to doing. Kane attended public school and then went to Iowa State University. He wanted to be a DJ and had a bit of an opportunity to live his dream. However, jobs were scarce and eventually he decided to go back to school at Northwestern University in Illinois. He formed his own financial and investment company which has been in business since 2002. He is a certified financial planner and has earned the Chartered Special Needs Consultant® designation.   We talk quite a bit about financial matters and he gives some sage advice about what people may realize are good investment ideas. He talks about investing in the stock market and urges investing for the long term. I leave it to him to discuss this in more depth.   Kane is quite committed to “pay it forward” insofar as dealing with blind people is concerned. He is currently the president of the National Federation of the Blind of Indiana. He also serves as a member of the Board of Directors for Penny Forward, Inc., a not-for-profit founded and run by blind people which strives to build a diverse and aspirationally-focused community of blind people who help one another achieve financial fitness, gainful employment, and overall fulfilment in life.   I find Kane quite inspirational and I hope you will do so as well. He has much to offer and he provided many good life lessons not only about financial matters, but also about blindness and blind people.       About the Guest:   Born in 1965, Kane Brolin spent his formative years in the state of Iowa and later went on to earn a Master's degree from the JL Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, which is near Chicago.  Since the year 2002, he has owned and operated a financial planning and investment management business based in Mishawaka, Indiana, located not far from The University of Notre Dame.  Over the years, he has become a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional and has earned the Chartered Special Needs Consultant® designation.  When doing business with his clients, securities and Advisory Services are offered through Commonwealth Financial Network, a Registered Investment Advisor which is a Member of FINRA and SIPC,.   Having been totally blind for all his life, Kane feels indebted to many people who selflessly gave of their time, talent, and resources to help him acquire the education, skills, and confidence that enable him to lead a busy and productive life in service to others.  Many of those who made the biggest impact when Kane was growing up, also happened to be members of the National Federation of the Blind.  So after getting established on his current career path, he increasingly felt the impulse to give back to the organized blind movement which had served his needs from an early age.   Kane co-founded the Michiana Chapter in the National Federation of the Blind in 2012 and subsequently was elected to serve a two-year term as president of the Indiana State Affiliate of the NFB in October, 2022.  He is thankful for the early introduction of Braille, as well as for the consistent drumbeat from parents, peers, and professors which set and reinforced continuously high expectations.     In addition to his work with the NFB, Kane serves as a member of the Board of Directors for Penny Forward, Inc., a not-for-profit founded and run by blind people which strives to build a diverse and aspirationally-focused community of blind people who help one another achieve financial fitness, gainful employment, and overall fulfilment in life.   Kane lives in Mishawaka with Danika, his wife of 27 years, and their four children.  Kane and Danika were active foster parents for 11 years.  The Brolin family have been committed to numerous civic organizations; they and their family are active in their place of worship.  Giving back to the world is a continuously high priority.  They endeavor to teach their children by example, and they impart to them the wisdom of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: “You can all be great, because you can all serve.”   Ways to connect with Rob:   BrolinWealth.com LinkedIn public profile nfb-in.org pennyforward.com   About the Host:   Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/   https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!   Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast   If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset .   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review   Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.       Transcription Notes:   Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:20 Hi, everyone. I am your host, Michael Hingson, or you can call me Mike. It's okay. And this is unstoppable mindset where inclusion, diversity in the unexpected. Meet today. We're going to do a little bit of all. We're inclusive because my guest Kane Brolin, or if you're from Sweden, it's Brolin, and it's pronounced Brolin, not Brolin, but Kane bralin, or broline, is in Indiana, and Kane also happens to be blind, and has been blind his entire life. We'll get into that. He is very much involved in investing and dealing with money matters that I'm interested to get a chance to really chat about it's always fun to talk to people about how they're helping people with finances and money and getting insights. And I'm sure that he has some to to offer. So we'll get to that. Kane also happens to be the president of the National Federation of the Blind of Indiana, and so that keeps him busy, so he deals with money, and he's a politician to boot. So what else can you ask for? I pick on Kane by doing that, but nevertheless, Kane, welcome to unstoppable mindset. We're glad you're here. Thank   Kane Brolin ** 02:34 you. And there are there are times when the politics and the money issues can be a dream. There are other times it can be an absolute nightmare, either one, either one or both and and the thing that ties those together in common ground is that I walk in in the morning, and sometimes they have no idea what I'm about to walk into. So it does make for an adventure. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 02:57 the Fed has lowered interest rates. What do you think about that?   Kane Brolin ** 03:01 Well, there is some ramification for what happens in the consumer marketplace. The main thing that I've been hearing today is that even with those lowering of short term interest rates, you're seeing some long term interest rates go down the mortgage rates, especially, and those two are not necessarily always related. You don't always see the long term interest rates that the market determines through supply and demand. They don't always go in sync with the short term baseline rate that the Federal Reserve banking system sets, but in this particular case, they are, and what I've been reading this morning is that that may be at least good news in the short run for consumers, because they'll be paying Lower interest for new mortgages and also perhaps lower credit card rates or credit card payments. Of course, the downside is that if one invests and is lending money instead of borrowing it, that means sometimes lower rates of income that you can get from things like a certificate of deposit or an annuity. So there's always two sides of the same coin, and then it depends on which side you happen to be looking at. At the moment, right now, the market seems to like this convergence of interest rate activities, and the stock market has generally been up today. So by the time people hear this, that won't matter because it's a whole different day, but, but right now, the early returns coming in are pretty good for the the common human being out there trying to just manage their money.   Michael Hingson ** 04:54 Well, that's not really surprising, in a sense, because rates have been high for a while. Yeah, and things have been tough. So it's not surprising that people have made, and I would put it this way, to a degree, the marketing decision to respond favorably to the rates going down, and I know there's been a lot of pressure for the thread to lower its rate, and so they did. And I think that a lot of different entities kind of had to respond in a reasonably positive way, because they kept saying that it's time that the rates go down. So they had to respond. So we'll see how it it all goes. I   Kane Brolin ** 05:33 think, you know, and there's an issue I think that's salient to people with disabilities, blind people, included, if it's less expensive for the consumer to borrow money, it should follow that in the coming weeks, it should be less expensive for businesses to borrow money if they need some, and they may be more inclined to open up more jobs to people or to not shrink the jobs or The hiring that they have done by laying people off so and that's what I was just about. No one is a recession, and so it may mean that there are openings, there's room in the job market for more of us, because the thing I'm most passionate about in this whole game of helping blind people is getting us access to money and getting us access to gainful permanent work.   Michael Hingson ** 06:24 And that's what I was actually going to going to talk about, or not talk about a long time, but, but mention was that the real test will be how it affects the job market and the unemployment rate and so on. And I hope that that that will go down. I know it's been sort of ticking up a little bit, although in reality, of course, for persons with disabilities, the unemployment rate is a whole lot higher than around 4% so it'll be interesting to see how all that goes all the way around. But even just the national unemployment rate, I would hope that if that has been an excuse because the rates have been high, that now we'll see that start to drop, and, you know, so we'll see. But I think it's a it's going to be one of those waiting games to see how the world responds. Of course, we have a whole political thing going on with the election and I'm sure that some people on the political side like the the drop better than people on the other side do, but again, we'll see how it all goes. So it's it makes life fun. Well, tell me a little bit about you, if you would, sort of maybe the early cane growing up and all that sort of stuff. You were born, according to your bio, back in 1965 so I was 15 at the time, so I remember the year. So you've, you've been around a little while, though, however, so tell us a little bit about the early cane.   Kane Brolin ** 07:54 Yeah, I don't remember too many years, or any years, really, prior to about maybe 1971 or 72 with any degree of real clarity. You know, I would say that my early years were a mixed bag, but in the main they were good, of course, being immediately confronted with rLf, or retinopathy of prematurity, as they call it these days, and being blind from the very beginning, most people would probably out there consider it a tragedy. But if I if I knew that it was my fate to be a blind person, which I suppose it is, then I won the lottery as being a blind person, I think. And that might be a controversial statement, but the truth is that there is no place in the United States, and probably no place in the world that would have been better for me to grow up in in the late 1960s and 1970s than in Iowa, because now there was, there was no other blindness in my family. It's not hereditary. My parents had no idea how to deal with it in the very beginning.   Michael Hingson ** 09:12 Were you born prematurely? I was, yeah, which is why I weigh you have that   Kane Brolin ** 09:16 something like two pounds, 10 ounces at birth. So there is a part of me that realizes that I am very fortunate to be alive, and I'm very fortunate that my brain has functioned pretty well for most of my life. You can't always count on that either, you know, and when you get when you get older, my my father was a very bright person, and yet he lived during the last 10 years of his life, he struggled with dementia and some other problems so but I can say that I've had a good run so far, and you know what they what they didn't know. At least my parents and others in my family knew what they didn't know. And I. But when you don't know what you don't know, you flounder and and settle for almost anything, including fear. But when you know what you don't know, then you understand you need to research things. And I happened to be in a state that had been graced by the presence of Dr Kenneth Jernigan, principally. And of course, other people that I had no idea who they were at that time. You know, folks like James gaschell and James on VIG right, and and others. I think Joanne Wilson came out of that mix. I didn't know her either, but I've read about all these people in the past, but, but first and foremost, my parents found out that Dr Jernigan was number one, very brilliant. Number two did not settle for low expectations. And number three had the advantage of being both the head of the Iowa Commission for the Blind, which was a state sanctioned Agency, and the National Federation of the Blind, which is, or, you know, has been for most of the last 84 years, the leading advocacy organization and civil rights organization of the Blind in in the United States. Now, I'm not here to make a political point about that, but in Iowa, they were definitely more well known than anyone was, and because he could pull strings which influence things like educational budgets, and he also had very much a civil rights mindset and an aggressive mindset of going forward and breaking down barriers, this is a rare combo platter of traits and possibilities that I very much benefited from. And when I say that, I mean that from the very beginning, at five or six years old, I had Braille. I didn't have Braille in the beginning, but, but my parents did and and my dad actually knew enough about it to construct a set of blocks with print lettering on one side, Braille on the other side. And so not only did I have a really good teacher in my first couple of years of public school education named Doris Willoughby, some may be familiar with her. I know Doris will rip she has passed on in the past couple years, but she made a great impact in in my life, and a very deep impact in others lives too. But because of her influence and like minded people, I had access to books. I had access to mostly mainstreamed integrated education, where I was in the classroom with other sighted students, except for certain parts of certain days, you know, I had access to a great big wall mounted tactile map that was like a puzzle. And I understand Dr Jernigan designed that one too, where I could actually feel and take apart the states of the Union. And so I could tell where Oklahoma was, where Massachusetts was, where Indiana is. I could tell the shapes of the various states. I thought it was kind of curious that California, where you are from, Michael, is shaped very much like a banana, or at least that's what occurred to me at that time. I had recorded books. I had talking books. And you know, while there are things I did not get out of a mainstream public education that I kind of wish I had gotten out of it, from a social standpoint, from an athletic standpoint, the academics were on point, and I had access to resources, and I kind of just was living in a in a dream world, in a way, because even through my college days, I thought, Well, gee, it's great that we have all this now. Why is there all this blind civil rights stuff going on now? Because this was solved from the beginning of my childhood. Little did I realize that that is not the case in most other parts of the country or the world, but I got what I needed to at least have a shot on goal at success, and I'm very grateful for that, and it's one of the reasons that I have chosen to dedicate a portion of my life, during my prime working years, even to the National Federation of the Blind, because I want to pay this forward and help out some people that may not have had all the advantages that I had, even, even in the bygone days that I was growing up,   Michael Hingson ** 14:23 sure? So tell me, because I went through some of the same experiences you did in terms of being born premature and becoming blind due to rLf, which stands for retro enteral fibroplasia. And if people want to know how to spell that, they can go by thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog, and the triumph of trust at ground zero. And you can learn how to spell it there, because I don't remember how to spell it. We put it in the book, but that's what I remember. But so when you be when it was discovered that you were blind, how did your parents handle that? What did they say? Right? What did the doctors say to them? Because my experience was and, you know, of course, I didn't know it at the time, but my parents told me later that the doctor said, send him off to a home because he could never amount to anything, because no blind child could ever contribute to society. What was, if, from your understanding from your parents, what was what happened to you? If any   Kane Brolin ** 15:21 doctor ever said that to them? They never told me about it. What I what I do know is that there is an eye doctor that was a part of their lives, who I saw a couple of times, probably in my childhood, who was a a female optometrist or maybe an ophthalmologist in the area, and they really had a lot of respect for her. I never felt marginalized or dismissed. Yeah, as a part of my childhood, part of it is that I don't think my parents would have tolerated that, and my   Michael Hingson ** 15:55 parents didn't, either my parents and my parents didn't either they said, No, you're wrong. He can grow up to do whatever he wants, and we're going we're going to give him that opportunity. And they brought me up that way, which is, of course, part of what led to my psyche being what it is. And I too, believe in paying it forward and doing work to try to educate people about blindness and so on, and supporting and and I've been involved with the National Federation of the Blind since 1972 so it's been a while. Yeah, I would say,   Kane Brolin ** 16:27 I know I remember. I have a very, very fuzzy memory of being four, maybe five years old, and I know that they considered putting me into the Iowa Braille and sight saving School, which was a school for the blind in Iowa no longer exists, by the way, but they did consider it and decided against it. I don't think they wanted me to just go off to boarding school I was five. I know that that does work for some people, and I know that in later years, I've read that in some cases, even Dr Jernigan believed that schools for the blind were better, especially in places where there wasn't a truly sincere effort by public school systems to integrate and set high expectations for blind students. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 17:13 of course, here in California, for example, in the 50s and so on, as the California School for the Blind we had and and earlier, Dr Newell Perry, among others, who was a blind mathematician. Of course, Dr tembrech was was out here, and there were values and reasons why the schools could make a difference. My parents were pushed really hard by my elementary school principal to send me off to that school, and I actually remember hearing shouting matches between them, because parents said ah and and I didn't go to the school. I don't know what it was like by the time we moved out here and we were putting me in kindergarten, first and second grade. So like in 5657 I'm not sure what the school was like, but my parents didn't want me to not have a real home environment. So, you know,   Kane Brolin ** 18:12 yeah, and so, you know, I remember my childhood is, well, it wasn't like everybody else's childhood. One of the the issues happened to be that my the neighborhood that my family lived in, did not have a lot of kids in it that were my age for most of the time I was there, the schools in the early to mid 70s at least that admitted blind students in the town that I grew up in, which was Cedar Rapids, Iowa, there was only one set of schools on the opposite side of town where they were sending blind kids for those resources. Now that later changed and the decision was made. I guess I made the decision to stay out there. So one of the differences was that I was bussed from the southeast side of town to the southwest side of town. So there were kids I got to know through school, but I didn't have any kind of social life with most of them, with a couple different exceptions, through my childhood. So it was a lot of academics, it wasn't a lot of play time, right? That certainly informed how I grew up, and it's made me a little bit struggle to understand and and be a really sensitive, playful, patient type parent, because my my kids and I'll, we'll go there when we get there, but my, my children, I have four, they're all still in home right now, are very normal kind of rambunctious kids that enjoy and struggle with the same things that any other kids do. They are all sighted, but, but my parents were. Was pretty strict. They set high expectations, but some of that was high expectations for behavior as well. So I really wasn't ramming around and causing trouble and getting into mischief and, you know, getting on my bike and riding for miles outside the way kids did in the 70s. So there there were limitations in my childhood, but, but, you know, my parents, too, expected me to utilize and to have the resources that would lead me to be anything I wanted to be. And I honestly think that if I had said, I want to be the President of the United States, they would not have ruled it out. Now, the only thing I've really been president of is several different civic organizations and the Indiana branch of the NFB. You know, that's something not everyone does. I've interviewed a governor before when I was a journalism student. That was fun, and I've met congress people, but they did not set the limitations. You know, sometimes maybe I did, but but they didn't. And so I'm really grateful for that, that as long as I knew what I wanted, they made sure that I had the tools and access to whatever training they knew about that could help me to   Michael Hingson ** 21:18 get there. So you you went through school. And I think our our younger lives were fairly similar, because I also, when I went into fourth grade, and we finally had a resource teacher in the area, I was bused to the other side of town for that. And all of that kind of came together when I started high school, because everyone in Palmdale went to the same high school, so anyone I knew prior to going across town, I got to know again, and still knew as as friends growing up, but we all went to high school together. But you know, I hear exactly what you're saying, and my parents did not impose limitations either, and I'm very blessed for that. But you went through school and then you went to college. Tell me about college.   Kane Brolin ** 22:19 It was a fun experience. Glad that I went through it. I attended Iowa State University for my bachelor's degree. I know that you've never, ever heard this before, but I really dreamed about being a radio personality. And I say that sarcastically. It's what I wanted to be, because I had a cousin that was in the business. But of course, since then, as I've gotten more into blind blindness culture and met many other people that I never knew growing up, I know that that the media and especially radio as a gift, is really fascinating to many of us, and a lot of us have had rotations in different parts of that, especially with the advent of the internet, but this was back during the 70s and 80s, and what I wanted to be at first was a DJ. Used to pretend to be one at home all the time and then, but I also knew where the library was, and I developed a great love of books and information and data. To some degree, I wasn't really a math guy, more of a word guy, but I then developed a deep interest in journalism and investigation and research, and so by the middle to late 80s, what I wanted to be was, let's just call it the next Peter Jennings, if one can remember who that is, right. And I'm sure that there are probably, you know, facsimiles of him today,   Michael Hingson ** 23:50 but it's hard to be a facsimile of Peter Jennings. But yeah, he really is,   Kane Brolin ** 23:55 and that he was great and but you know the disadvantage, the advantage and the disadvantage of going to Iowa State University. I Why did I go there? Because any of my few relatives that had gone to college, including my dad, had had gone there. My dad was very loyal to his alma mater, and he told both myself and my sister, who is a very different person and not blind at all. If it was good enough for me, it's good enough for you, and if you want me to pay for it, here's where you're going to go. Now, Iowa State is mostly an engineering and agricultural school. It's a land grant institution. And I know that land grant institutions are a little controversial in today's climate where there is more of an emphasis on diversity, equity, inclusion and making up for some past societal wrongs, but these are deeply respected institutions that mainly turned out people that ended up well, doing things like building. Bridges and being mechanical engineers and developing new seed corn hybrids and things of this nature. It did have a telecommunicative arts program, and I was in it, but there were very few of us in it, and I did get a chance to get my hands on the equipment. I was a broadcaster, first on a student radio station at Iowa State called K usr. Then I actually did work for pay, sort of for a number of years for w, O I am and FM, which were flagship stations of what we would now call the the NPR network. You know, these were around since the 20s, and I actually did work for them. I was on air a little bit. I ran the control board a lot, and I worked for those two stations on a part time basis, probably about a three quarter time basis, for several years after leaving college, and it was really a student job, but I had trouble finding any other more meaningful work in the industry. What I gradually came to find out is that I loved radio, but radio really didn't love me, and I wasn't really thinking strategically. At that time, I graduated in 1988 it is that very same year that a little known figure from Kansas City named Rush Limbaugh hit the American airwaves like a ton of bricks. And because of him and some other people like him, all of a sudden, local stations realized that they could drop their news and information programming, stop hiring so many people, and because Mr. Limbaugh was as popular as he was, they could basically run a lot of satellite based programming, have somebody sort of halfway monitor the board and hire somebody else to program computer systems that would put automated commercial breaks on and things like this, and they wouldn't really have to produce local content. We also saw the elimination of the equal time standard and the Fairness Doctrine, which required local stations to put on a variety of viewpoints and air programming every week that was in the public interest, that didn't necessarily have commercial value. And so the things I wanted to do became a lot harder to do, because by the time I was ready to get hired to do them, not a lot of radio stations were hiring people to do it, even in the even in the television world, and so strategically, I was buying into a sinking market, and That wasn't a great place to be at that time. And so with some reluctance, after a lot of fruitless job searching, I chose another path, not necessarily knowing where that path would lead. And so the last time I ever got paid to run a shift for a radio station was in late June of 1993 I've been a guest on a couple of different shows and some podcasts like this one. I greatly enjoy it. I've even thought about doing some internet broadcasting. I don't have the time, really to do that now, but, but, and I miss it, but I have found out there are ways of diverting the skill sets I have to another path.   Michael Hingson ** 28:25 And what path did you choose?   Kane Brolin ** 28:28 Initially, the path I chose was graduate school. I was fortunate enough to have gotten good enough grades that I was able to get approved by a number of different business schools. You know, the first path I really wanted to do is be a Foreign Service Officer for the diplomatic corps. I applied for the US Department of State. And I had some hopes in doing that, because around 1990 a gentleman named Rami Rabbi. You may know him, I do did became the first blind person ever to be a Foreign Service Officer. Now, he had advantages. He had traveled the world. I had traveled to Mexico and Costa Rica, and I spoke Spanish, and I was pretty fluent, but he was a little bit more qualified in different ways that they were looking for. So I wanted some international experience. I applied for the Peace Corps, and I had no real shot at that. What they were looking for was something very different from what I was then. But I did apply to the Foreign Service, and I made it almost all the way down the hiring process. I made the final 3% cut among the class they were looking at in 1990 and 91 I went to Virginia to, I think Alexandria and I sat for the last round of interviews and simulations that they did. Unfortunately, I was in the top 3% and they wanted the top 1% so I had a really fun few days out there at the government's expense. But I also found that I was not going to be hired to be the second blind. Foreign Service officer. I later found out that Mr. Robbie had to actually file a lawsuit and win that lawsuit to get his opportunity. So I know that the system were not exactly bought in to blame people doing this on a regular basis. I know there's others that have gotten there since that, and I've met one of them, but but that that wasn't for me, but they also said what I really needed was more management experience. I'd never done anything in management, so I decided to go to management school or business school as graduate school. I got accepted by a few different places. I chose Northwestern University in Chicago. My sister had gone through that program. I guess that's maybe one of the reasons I selected that one. I could have gone to a couple of others that also had accepted me, and sometimes I wonder what would have happened had I done that. But I did spend two years in Chicago land met some of the most impressive people that I've ever met in my life. Figured out train systems and pace bus systems, and went all over the place and had friends in the city, not just in the school. I made the most of that time, and that's what I did from 1993 to 1995 unfortunately, I found out you can get a an MBA or a master of management, but they still, still weren't hiring a lot of blind people out there. And so while my associates were getting jobs at McKinsey and Company, and Booz Allen Hamilton, as it was known at that time, and they were working for Bank of America, doing all kinds of interesting things and and also brand management companies like disco and Kellogg and all that. I got all of one job offer coming out of one of the top 5b schools in the country, and I took that job offer, which led me to Midland, Michigan, where I knew nobody at that time, but I spent about three and a half years doing various types of business research for the Dow Chemical Company, and that did not last as a career, but I got a chance to make the first real money I had ever earned. At that time through another connection that wasn't related to Dow, I happened to meet the woman that I eventually married and am with now, and have had four kids with, and so that was a whole different kettle of fish. But at the end of 98 I was downsized, along with several others in my department, and we decided at that time that entrepreneurship was probably not a bad way to go, or, you know, something that wasn't just strictly speaking corporate. In 2000 I landed in the South Bend, Indiana area, which is where she is from. I had never lived here before. This is where I am now. And while struggling to find a place here, I realized that I could get hired on as what is called a financial advisor. I had no idea what that was. Well, you know, with a business degree, I could probably be a credible hire as a financial advisor. Little did I know that that involved tele sales. In the very beginning, never thought I was a salesperson either. Since then, I have found out that I have more selling ability than I had ever thought that I might and that that is an honorable profession if you're convincing people to do what is right for themselves. And so I've found that over the years, being what I am enables me to, well, in a way, keep my own hours. We've chosen the small business, sort of independent contracting route, rather than the employee channel, working for a bank or for somebody else's brokerage. I get to be a researcher, I get to be a public speaker now and then, and I get to help people problem solve, which is something I would not have had a chance to do on the radio. And when someone comes up to you, as a few people have and have, said, you know, thank you for making it possible for me to retire and to do what I want to do, and to spend time with grandkids and to live where I want to live. You know, that's a that's definitely a hit. That's a great feeling to have someone say, Thank you for helping me to do and to be what I didn't know I could do or be. So   Michael Hingson ** 34:38 investing isn't what you had originally planned to do with your life. So I can't say that it was necessarily a lifelong goal from the beginning, but you evolved into it, and it seems to be going pretty well for you.   Kane Brolin ** 34:51 Well, yeah, I think it has. It's investing means different things to different. People, to some clients, the goal is, I just don't want to lose money. Please put me in something that earns a little bit, but I don't want the chance for anything I'm in to go down for others. What investing means is, I want to be more aggressive. I want to build what I have. What do you think about this or that opportunity? What stock should I be in? Because I really want to grab onto an opportunity and seize the day and have as much as I can have at the end of the day. And you know, For still others, it means, it means giving. It means building something up so I can pass it along, either to a charity, to the kids, to the grandkids, to to my religious institution of choice, whatever that is. So I find that investing is not just investing, the the at the root, at the heart of investing, the heartbeat of it, is really the people that I serve. And you know, I was told early on, hey, you don't have a practice. All you're doing is practicing, unless you have people to be in front of. And so in my mind, you know, and I'm not that much of a quantitative guy. I'm I'm not the person out there working as an actuary for Symmetra Life Insurance Company figuring out how much money has to go in and how much it must earn to be able to give 50,000 people the payouts they want from an annuity till the end of their projected lifespans. That's that's not where I am. I'm not designing a mutual fund that's more like what a certified financial analyst would be. I am a Certified Financial Planner practitioner, and what a CFP does is takes numbers that you see and translates those into action steps that I can explain in plain English terms to a client I'm in front of that can give that individual person, family or small business the kinds of outcomes that they want. So I'm on the retail end of the food chain, and my job is to try to take the numbers that others are generating and boil that down into something that is digestible to the common man and woman, that allows them to, we hope, live the way they want. So   Michael Hingson ** 37:29 I gather from listening to you though, that you enjoy what you do.   Kane Brolin ** 37:36 I do particularly when it works.   Michael Hingson ** 37:39 Well, there's times.   Kane Brolin ** 37:40 There are times it gets a little tricky. 2001 2002 I know that you had a very personal experience that vaulted you, Michael, into this, into the realm of the famous, or the Almost Famous, on 911 I remember what 911 was like as a very small time retail investment person working out of a field office. I was somebody's employee at that point. I was working for American Express financial advisors, and I remember my life was never in danger in 911 but there were a lot of clients that thought their money and their data were in danger, and then the country that the country itself, might even be in danger. And so I morphed during that week from being a telemarketing person trying to set appointments with people I'd never met to being a person who was trying to dole out comfort and a feeling of security and solace to people I had met who the few that I was managing their accounts at that time, calling them and saying, You know what, your money and your data are safe. I'm here. The company that you have your stuff invested with is based in Minneapolis. It's not based in the Twin Towers, the markets are shut down. There will be volatility, but you're not crashing today, just so   Michael Hingson ** 39:08 the other the other side of it, the other side of that, was that during that week after September 11, there were a lot of people who were working and moving, literally Heaven and Earth, if you will, to bring Wall Street back. And I know I'm working with some of those companies and providing them with the backup equipment, or not so much at the time, backup equipment, but the equipment that would be able to read existing tape backups and put that back on computers. And I know, I think it was Morgan Stanley had found an office space sometime during the week after September 11. Then, as they describe it, it was the building with a floor the size of a foot. Football field, and they scrounged and scavenged and got their providers of equipment, like IBM to provide them with computers, even taking them from IBM employees desks to provide enough equipment to be able to set up what was the equivalent to the trading floor that had been in the world trade center that was destroyed on September 11, and literally from Friday afternoon that would have been the 14th to the 16th in 36 hours. They not only reconstructed physically what the trading floor was but because of what we provided them with, they were able to completely reconstruct what everything looked like on their computers. So when Wall Street reopened on the 17th, everything was like it was when everything shut down on the 11th now, I think there's some blessings to the fact that the towers were struck before Wall Street opened. I don't know how much easier that made it maybe some, but the reality is that data is backed up regularly, so they would have been able to to survive, but the fact that the markets hadn't opened in the US certainly had to help. But by Monday, the 17th, they brought Wall Street back, just as if nothing had happened. It was a monumental feat to be able to do that. That is a story   Kane Brolin ** 41:37 that I would love to read, because I've never heard that story before, and that makes me feel very unintelligent. Michael, you know, I can't even imagine the logistics and the people and just even the imagination that it would take to reconstruct that. I'm sure it was 1000s. I'm sure it was 1000s of people. And I'm sure that probably that's something that somebody had thought about even before the 911 incident happened. I don't think that was invented out of whole cloth on Friday the 14th, but that's a story that would be a very captivating book, and if no one's written it, then, gosh, would that be a fun thing to research and write.   Michael Hingson ** 42:21 Well, you know, the reality is, the SEC required that all data from financial institutions had to be backed up and kept available off site for seven years. So first of all, the data was all around and that's why I think it was an especially great blessing that the markets hadn't opened, because all the backups from the previous night, and probably from all the not only the futures, but the sales from foreign markets, were pretty much all backed up as well. So everything was backed up. That, of course, was the real key, because getting the hardware, yes, that was a logistical nightmare that they were able to address, getting the computers, getting everything where they needed it. Then companies like ours providing them with the wherewithal to be able to pull the data from the tapes and put it back onto the computers. It had to be quite a feat, but it all worked. And when Wall Street opened, it opened as if nothing had happened, even though some of the the offices were now in completely different places across the river. But it all worked, incredible. Yeah, I was, it was, it was pretty amazing. I knew people from the firms. And of course, we helped them by providing them with equipment. But at the same time, hearing about the story later was was really quite amazing, and and they did a wonderful job to bring all that back. So it was pretty, pretty amazing that that all that occurred. So that was pretty cool all the way. And   Kane Brolin ** 44:00 of course, the other struggle was in 2007 2008 I remember when I would be sitting at my desk and I'm not a day trader, I'm, I'm, I'm a long term investor. That's what most of my clients want. I'm not in there, you know, trading, trading daily options. I'm not doing inverse leveraged products that have to be bought in the morning and then sold in the afternoon under most cases. But I remember sitting at my desk in 2008 when the great recession was going on with the financial crisis happened and and when banks and huge investment banks, brokerage institutions were, in some cases, completely failing, that's a whole other story that was chronicled in books like The Big Short as an example, but I remember sitting at my desk and timing it and watching in a five minute period of time. As the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which was back in in those days, was, was what maybe 6000 or so as a benchmark. It was going up and down by a margin of error of 800 points in five minutes, it would be 400 up one minute, and then 400 down from that level. In other words, an 800 point swing within a five minute period of time. There was one day I went to take a test, because I have continuing education on a pretty regular basis, had to go to a testing center and take a test that lasted maybe three hours. I got back, and I think the market for at least the Dow Jones had dropped by 800 points during the time that I was in the testing center. And that gives you some stomach acid when that sort of thing happens, because even though it it's, you know, things always bounce back, and they always bounce up and down. Clients call and they say, oh my gosh, what happens if I lose it all? Because people really think that they could lose it all. Now, if you're in a mutual fund with 100 different positions, it's very unlikely, right? All of those positions go to zero. What I found out is that when people's money is concerned, it's emotional. Yeah, it's all rational. They're not looking at the empirical data. They're thinking fight or flight, and they really are concerned with what in the world am I going to do if I go to zero? And   Michael Hingson ** 46:38 it's so hard to get people to understand, if you're going to invest in the market, it has to be a long term approach, because if you don't do that, you can, you can disappoint yourself, but the reality is, over the long term, you're going to be okay. And you know now, today, once again, we're seeing the evidence of that with what the Fed did yesterday, lowering by a half a point, and how that's going to affect everything. But even over the last five or six years, so many people have been worried about inflation and worried about so many things, because some of our politicians have just tried to scare us rather than dealing with reality. But the fact of the matter is that it all will work out if we're patient and and allow things to to work. And what we need to do is to try to make wise decisions to minimize, perhaps our risk. But still, things will work out.   Kane Brolin ** 47:43 Yeah, I remember, I think, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which is what always used to get quoted, at least on the radio and the television. It was somewhere in the somewhere in the 11,000 range, before the 2008 debacle. And it fell to, I think, 6400 right was the low that it reached. Now it's over 41,000   Michael Hingson ** 48:11 closed up above 42 yesterday. I'm not   Kane Brolin ** 48:13 sure it very well may have so you know when you when you really think about it, if you just stayed in and it's more complicated than that. One of course people have with the market is that when the market crashes, they also may need to get their money out for different, unrelated reasons. What if I lost my job as a result of the market crashing? Right? What if? What if there is a need that I have to fulfill and that money has to come out for me to make a house payment. You don't know that. And so that's the unfortunate part, is that a lot of the academic missions don't take into account the real human factor of real people that need to use their money. But if you could stand to hang on and leave it in, it would be worth you know, what would that be like six or seven times more than it was in 2008 but that's not what what clients often do. They they often want to sell out of fear when things are down, and then wait too long to buy back in when the elevator has already made its way quite a ways up, right?   Michael Hingson ** 49:25 I remember once, and I don't remember what the cause was, but Rolls Royce dropped to $3 a share. And there were some people saying, this is the time to buy. It is it's not going to go away. And those who did have done pretty well. Bank   Kane Brolin ** 49:44 of America was $3 a share for quite some time. It was, it was technically a penny stock. This is Bank of America, you know, one of the leading financial institutions in the in the country, which, incidentally, has a very interesting. History. It wasn't born in New York, it was born in the south, right? But, yeah, if you only knew what those trough opportunities were and knew exactly when to buy in and and I'm constantly telling people, look my my goal is, is not so much to figure out what to buy but when to buy in. We're trying to buy low and sell high, and just because something did well last year doesn't mean you have to hang on to it. It might mean we want to trim that position a little bit, take some profit and and pick something that doesn't look as attractive or sexy because of last year's lackluster returns, but maybe this year. It will just due to changing conditions. Financial markets run in cycles. And it's not that some things are inherently good or bad. Some things are in favor now. They were not in favor last year, and they might not be in favor, you know, two years from now, but they are now. So that's the hard part. You're not supposed to really time the market. We can't predict all these things, but that's why you encourage people to diversify and to have some things that are not correlated with each other in terms of doing well or badly at the same time. So you can always sometimes be gaining with in with your left hand, while your right hand is is struggling a bit. Hence,   Michael Hingson ** 51:25 the need for people who are certified financial planners, right? So there you go. So you, you got married, what, 27 years ago, and you married someone who was fully sighted, who probably didn't have a whole lot of exposure to blindness and blind people before. How did all that work out? Obviously, it's worked out because you're still married. But what was it like, and was it ever kind of an uncomfortable situation for you guys?   Kane Brolin ** 51:58 I don't think blindness. Surprisingly enough, I don't think it was super uncomfortable for her. Now, she had not encountered lots of blind people before, maybe not even any before. She met me, but I met her, and this is where I had it easy. She didn't have it easy, but I met her through her family. I knew my wife's name is Danica. I knew her brother before I knew her, because he and I had been buddies. We for a little while. We ended up living in the same town up in Michigan, and it was not here in the South Bend area where she is, but I went home and had a chance to be to tag along as he was doing some some family things and some things with his friends so but, but my wife is a very interesting father. She has a very interesting dad who is no longer with us. May he rest in peace? No, no. Hello. Sorry. My nine year old just made a brief appearance, and she's incorrigible.   Michael Hingson ** 53:00 You wouldn't have it any other way. No, there   Kane Brolin ** 53:03 are days when I would, but I don't. So anyway, the I found out some interesting things raising kids as a blind parent too, but you know, her dad did not see really any kind of limitations when the world around him was racist he really wasn't. When the world around him was ableist. He really didn't. And one of the things he encouraged me to do, they had a little acreage Danika parents did. And he actually asked me one time when it was a leaf blowing or leaf storing season, it was in the fall, lots of oak trees, different things there to drive the garden tractor, as there was a Baleful leaves behind that he was taken to an area where they would eventually be burned up or composted or something. And I did that. He had an old garden tractor with a, you know, his gas powered, and it had pedals and steering wheel, and he would literally run around alongside it, didn't go very fast, and tell me kind of when and where to turn. I'm told that I almost crashed into the pit where the basement of the home was one time, but I didn't. So he was one of these people that like saw virtually no limitations. Encouraged his kids and others to do great things. He didn't have a great feel for people. He would have been an anti politician. He had trouble remembering your name, but if you were a decent person and treated him right, it didn't matter if you were black, purple, green, blind, deaf, whatever. He saw it as an interesting challenge to teach me how to do things. He taught me how to kayak. He taught me how to cross country ski. Back in those days before climate change, we actually got quite a bit of snow in the area where I live, even as early as Thanksgiving to. I'm in November. And so the first couple of winters that we lived here, and we would go to a local park, or, you know, even just out in the in the backyard of where his property was, and, and, and ski, Nordic ski, not downhill ski, really, but it was, it was an amazing exercise. It's an amazing feel to be able to do that, and I have no memory, and I had no relatives that that were in touch with the true Scandinavian heritage, that ancestry.com says that I have, but the act of doing a little bit of Nordic skiing with him gave me a real feel for what some people go through. Because traditionally, skiing was a form of transportation in those countries. In the Larry P you skied to work, you skied to somebody else's house. So, you know, I thought that that was fun and interesting. Now, the last few winters, we haven't gotten enough snow to amount to anything like that, but I do have, I still have a pair of skis. So no, that may be something that we do at some point when given the opportunity, or some other place where we have a bit more of a snow base.   Michael Hingson ** 56:10 Well, I'm sure that some people would be curious to to know this being blind and doing the work that you do, you probably do. Well, you do the same things, but you probably do them in different ways, or have different technologies that you use. What's some of the equipment and kind of technologies that you use to perform your job?   Kane Brolin ** 56:32 Well, you know, I wouldn't say that. I'm cutting edge. I'm sure there are people who do differently and better than I do, but I do most of my work in a PC based environment. It's a Windows based environment at the present time, because the broker dealers and the other firms that I work through, you know, I'm independent, in a way, meaning I pay my own bills and operate out of my own space and have my name of Berlin wealth management as a shingle on my door, so to speak. But you never walk alone in this business. And so I chose, ultimately, a company called the Commonwealth financial network to serve as my investment platform and my source of technology, and my source of what is called compliance, which means, you know, they are the police walking alongside what I do to make sure that I've documented the advice I've given to people, to make sure that that advice is suitable and that I'm operating according to the law and in the best interest of my clients, and not Not taking money from them, or, you know, doing phony baloney things to trade into a stock before I recommend that to somebody else. You know, there's a lot of malfeasance that can happen in this type of industry, but all these securities that I sell and all the advice that I given are done so with the blessing of the Commonwealth Financial Network, which is a member of FINRA and SIPC, I just need to point that out here. But they also provide technology, and most of their technology is designed to work in a Windows environment, and so that's typically what I have used. So I use JAWS.   Michael Hingson ** 58:23 And JAWS is a screen reader that verbalizes what comes across the screen for people who don't know it right, or puts   Kane Brolin ** 58:28 it into Braille, or puts it into Braille in the in the in the early days of my doing the business, many of the programs that we had to use to design an insurance policy or to pick investments, or to even monitor investments were standalone programs that were not based on a web architecture that would be recognizable. And so I was very fortunate that there was money available from the vocational rehab system to bring somebody in from Easter Seals Crossroads here in Indiana, to actually write Jaws script workarounds, that is, that could help jaws to know what to pull from the graphics card on the screen or in the system, to be able to help me interact. Because otherwise, I would have opened up a program and to me, it would have just been like a blank screen. I wouldn't be able to see or interact with data on the screen. Now, with more things being web based, it's a little easier to do those things. Not always. There are still some programs that are inaccessible, but most of what I do is through the use of Windows 10 or 11, and and with the use of Jaws, I do have, I devices. I like Apple devices, the smaller ones. I'm actually speaking to you using an iPad right now, a sixth generation iPad I've had for a while. I have an iPhone so I can still, you know, look up stock tickers. I can send 10. Text messages or emails, if I have to using that. But in general, I find that for efficiency sake, that a computer, a full on computer, tends to work best and and then I use that more rapidly and with more facility than anything else, right? I use the Kurzweil 1000 system to scan PDFs, or sometimes printed documents or books, things like that, into a readable form where I'm trying to, trying to just kind of anticipate what other things you may ask about. But you know, I use office 365, just like anybody else might. You know, I I have to use a lot of commonly available programs, because the people monitoring my work, and even the clients that I interact with still need to, even if they have sight, they need to read an email right after I send it. You know, they've my assistant has to be able to proof and manipulate a document in a form that she can read, as well as one that I can listen to or use Braille with. I'm a fluent Braille reader and writer. So there are some gizmos that I use, some braille displays and Braille keyboards and things of that nature. But, you know, most people seem to be under the misconception that a blind guy has to use a special blind computer, which must cost a king's ransom, not true, if anybody's listening to the program that isn't familiar with 2024 era blindness technology, it's mostly the same as anybody else's except with the modifications that are needed to make stuff accessible in a non visual format, and   Michael Hingson ** 1:01:45 the reality is, that's what it's all about. It's not like it's magically expensive. There are some things that are more expensive that do help. But the reality is that we use the same stuff everyone else uses. Just have some things that are a little bit different so that we are able to have the same access that other people do, but at the same time, that's no different than anyone else. Like I point out to people all the time, the electric light bulb is just a reasonable accommodation for light dependent people. Anyway, it's just that there are a whole lot more people who use it, and so we spend a whole lot more time and money making it available that is light on demand to people. But it doesn't change the fact that the issue is still there, that you need that accommodation in order to function. And you know that that, of course, leads to and, well, we won't spend a lot of time on it, but you are are very involved in the National Federation of the Blind, especially the NFB of Indiana, and you continue to pay it forward. And the NFB has been all about helping people to understand that we're not defined by blindness. We're defined by what we are and who we are, and blindness is happens to be a particular characteristic that we share   Kane Brolin ** 1:03:09 well, and there's a lot of other characteristics that we might not share. As an example, somebody, I don't know that he is involved in the NFB as such, but you know blind, if you're involved in American Blind culture and and that you've probably heard of a man named George Wurtzel. He is the brother of the guy that used to be president of the NFB of Michigan affiliate. But I understand that George is very good at things that I am not at all good at. He, you know? He understand that he almost built his own house from the ground up. His skill is not with computers and email and all this electronic communication that they do today, but he's a master woodworker. He's an artisan. You know, I I'm also involved, and I'd be remiss if I didn't mention it, I'm also involved with an organization called Penny forward, which is, you know, it could be the direction that I ultimately head in even more because it dovetails with my career. It's financial, education and fitness by the blind, for the blind, and it was started by a young man named Chris Peterson, who's based in the Twin Cities, who is not an NFB guy. He's actually an ACB guy, but his values are not that much different, and he's been a computer programmer. He's worked for big organizations, and now he started his own and has made a full time business out of financial fitness, educational curricula, podcasting, other things that you can subscribe to and buy into. And he's trying to build a community of the varied blind people that do all kinds of things and come from all sorts of backgrounds. And in one of the later editions of his podcast, he interviewed a man who's originally from Florida, who. Founded a company called Cerro tech that some might be familiar with, Mike Calvo, and Mike came to some of the same conclusions about blindness that you and I have, except that he's much younger. He's from Florida, and he's a Cuban American. He's a Latino whose first language growing up probably was Spanish, and who actually came out of, out of the streets. I mean, he was, he was in gangs, and did all kinds of things that were very different from anything I was ever exposed to as a young person. So I think in a lot of ways, we as blind people face the same types of issues, but we don't. None of us comes at it from the same vantage point. And, you know, we're, we're all dealing with maybe some of the same circumstances, but many, many, we've gotten there in very many different ways. And so I try to also impose on people. We are all different. We're a cross section. We don't all tie our shoes or cook our meals the same way. We don't want to live in the same environment. We don't want to do the same hobbies. And we don't all have better other senses than sighted people do. I don't know how many times you've heard it. I'd be a very rich man if I had $1 for every time someone said, Well, yeah, but you know, being blind, your hearing must be so much better, your sense of smell must be so much more acute. Well, no, the the divine forces in the universe have not just compensated me by making everything else better. What do you do with someone like Helen Keller, who was blind and deaf. There are people with plenty of people with blindness, and also other morbidities or disabilities, or I don't even like disabilities, different different abilities, different strengths and weaknesses. Along with blindness, there are blind people who also happen to be autistic, which could be an advantage to them, in some ways a disadvantage to others. I would like to go beyond the discussion of disability and think of these things, and think of me and others as just simply being differently able, because, you know, what kinds of jobs and roles in life with people that have the characteristic of autism, maybe they are actually better at certain things than a non autistic person would be. Maybe overall, people who live with the characteristic of bl

Innovation and nonprofits don't always seem like a natural fit—but they should be. In this episode, Rob Harter talks with Leah Kral, author of Innovation for Social Change, about how nonprofit leaders can infuse creativity and innovation into their organizations. Leah shares her insights on overcoming common barriers to innovation, fostering a culture of creativity, and building sustainable systems that support new ideas. Key topics include: Why innovation is often overlooked in the nonprofit sector How Leah's experiences in the Peace Corps shaped her passion for nonprofit strategy Practical ways nonprofits can embed innovation into their organizational DNA The six principles of social change innovation The importance of empowering frontline staff to bring forward new ideas Lessons nonprofits can learn from organizations like Pixar and Mayo Clinic How to embrace experimentation and learn from failure Leah also shares inspiring examples of nonprofits that are leading the way in innovation and offers actionable advice for nonprofit leaders looking to step up their creativity. Mentioned in This Episode: Leah Kral's Website – Learn more about Leah and download her book club discussion guide Innovation for Social Change – Leah Kral's book on nonprofit innovation World Reader – Using digital books to promote literacy worldwide Pixar's Creative Process – How Pixar fosters creativity and collaboration This Episode is Sponsored By: DonorBox – Helping nonprofits maximize their impact with user-friendly donation forms and secure fundraising solutions. Links to Resources: Interested in Leadership and Life Coaching? Visit Rob's website: RobHarter.com Find us on YouTube: Nonprofit Leadership Podcast YouTube Channel Suggestions for the show? Email us at nonprofitleadershippodcast@gmail.com Request a sample coaching session: Email Rob at rob@robharter.com Subscribe and Share Listen and subscribe to the Nonprofit Leadership Podcast on iTunes, Spotify, or Amazon. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share with other nonprofit leaders!

On the women who've designated themselves as voices for the Earth and prioritizing joy amidst the truths of our times.  (0:00) - Introduction to Mallory McDuff and the Podcast (1:52) - Hannah Herman's Connection to Mallory McDuff (4:49) - The Power of Climate Storytelling (6:20) - Colette Pichon Battle's Story (12:03) - Ayanna Elizabeth Johnson's Focus on Ocean Justice (24:50) - Mari Copeny's Activism in Flint, Michigan (36:11) - Kendra Pinto's Fight Against Fracking in New Mexico (44:55) - Conclusion and Call to Action Mallory McDuff discovered the field of Environmental Education as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Central African Republic, where she saw the critical importance of integrating local communities in conservation. She's the author of four books examining the intersection of spirituality and the climate crisis: Natural Saints (OUP, 2010), Sacred Acts (New Society Press, 2012), Our Last Best Act: Planning for the End of Our Lives to Protect the People and Places We Love (Broadleaf Books, 2021), and Love Your Mother: 50 States, 50 Stories, and 50 Women United for Climate Justice (Broadleaf Books, 2023).     She also co-authored a book for practitioners Conservation Education and Outreach Techniques (OUP, 2015) and written more than 50 essays for the New York Times, Washington Post, WIRED, Newsweek, and more.    In this episode, we discuss Love Your Mother.   Much of her writing draws on her life at Warren Wilson College, where she lives with her two daughters. In her classes, students collaborate with diverse community partners—from youth to senior citizens—to teach and learn together using the forests, farms, and fields of the campus.

Send us a textIn this illuminating episode of Roots to Renewal, host Martin Ping engages with Spencer Beebe, a pioneering conservation leader who founded influential organizations including Salmon Nation, Conservation International and EcoTrust.Spencer shares his remarkable journey and the development of his visionary concept "Salmon Nation," which reimagines conservation through the lens of bioregional identity and community empowerment. Throughout the conversation, Spencer illustrates how grassroots leadership is transforming environmental stewardship across the Pacific Northwest and beyond.The discussion explores Spencer's philosophy that true ecological health is inseparable from community wellbeing, emphasizing the importance of empowering local "raven" leaders who understand their regions intimately. His approach focuses on restoring our fundamental connection to place as a critical pathway forward in addressing environmental challenges.Listeners interested in learning more about Spencer Beebe's transformative work can visit ecotrust.org and salmonnation.net.About Spencer Beebe:Spencer B. Beebe, Ecotrust Founder and Board Chairman, earned his MFS (Forest Science) degree in 1974 from Yale University's School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and a B.A. in Economics from Williams College in 1968. He served with the Peace Corps in Honduras from 1968-71 and, after serving 14 years with The Nature Conservancy as Northwest representative, Western Regional Director, Vice President and President of the Nature Conservancy's International Program, he was the founding President of Conservation International in 1987. In February 1991, Spencer founded Ecotrust; with Shorebank Corporation of Chicago he helped found ShoreBank Pacific, the first environmental bank, now OnePacific Coast Bank. In addition to his work with Ecotrust, Spencer serves on the board of Walsh Construction Company and the Ecotrust Board of Directors. He is the author of Cache: Creating Natural Economies. Thanks for listening to Hawthorne Valley's Roots to Renewal podcast. We are an association comprised of a variety of interconnected initiatives that work collectively to meet our mission. You can learn more about our work by visiting our website at hawthornevalley.org. Hawthorne Valley is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization, and we rely on the generosity of people like you to make our work a reality. Please consider making a donation to support us today. If you'd like to help us in other ways, please help us spread the word about this podcast by sharing it with your friends, and leaving us a rating and review.If you'd like to follow the goings-on at the farm and our initiatives, follow us on Instagram!

Send us a textOn today's episode of The “Center” we're joined by Carrie Donaire, the 2024-25 president of the Rotary Club of Clinton, Iowa. Under her leadership, the Rotary Club of Clinton will host its first annual Food Security Summit on Thursday, March 27, 2025. The Food Security Summit aims to bring together Clinton's social service agencies and county organizations to collaborate on developing sustainable solutions to food insecurity, including promoting community planning, and raising awareness about resources available to those who are struggling with food insecurity within the community of Clinton.Carrie's Peace Corps service in Nicaragua focusing on food security and agricultural initiatives has influenced her love and interest for developing this project, and the goal for the project is to “unite local organizations… to influence meaningful progress in the fight against food insecurity in Clinton.” "Sweet Times" is by All Bets Off, and is provided by Adobe Stock.

Peggy's art is generated out of the site of her home studio at Portuguese Bend in Rancho Palos Verdes, California where she has resided since 1996. Her practice has incorporated sculpture, mixed media, drawing, painting, and assemblage across figuration and abstraction. Peggy's body of work utilizes equestrian and architectural motifs as embodiments of memory and lived experience. Peggy has had regular exhibits at Art galleries throughout Los Angeles and internationally in South Korea, Thailand, and Japan. She has been founder, curator and director for several nonprofit art galleries in Los Angeles.The artist also addresses the land movement upheaval where she lives. Her home is adjacent to a nature preserve that is part of an ancient landslide. Overlooking the Pacific Ocean, it is a haven for nature and wildlife and a crisis of broken land. Her work often explores the dichotomy between the broken and the flourishing.The breakdown is where she feels compelled to begin and explore.LINKS to ReviewsIntroducing the artwork of Peggy Sivert, an artist compelled to find meaning of ‘in the broken', through her workPeggy Nichols, Gallery C, Nov. 10, 2024Tijuana Triennial – Exciting International Art Just Across the Border, DiversionsLA review, Jan. 15, 2025~ ‘The Horses' poem: ~https://allpoetry.com/poem/8496359-The-Horses-by-Edwin-MuirWebsite:https://peggysivert.com/ 

  On this episode of Unsupervised Learning, friend of the podcast, Charles Murray returns to chat with Razib again. Murray has been a public intellectual and scholar since the 1970's. He is the author of Losing Ground, The Bell Curve, Human Accomplishment, Real Education, Coming Apart and What it means to be a libertarian and Human Diversity, among others. Born in 1943 in Newton, Iowa, Murray has a BA from Harvard, an MA and PhD from MIT, and did a 1960's stint in the Peace Corps in Thailand. He has held positions at the American Institutions for Research, the Manhattan Institute and the American Enterprise Institute. More than four years after their last conversation, and seven years after his official retirement, Murray reflects with Razib on where he sees America going in the next decade, and what has surprised him about the last 25 years. Razib asks what it is like to be a long-standing “Never Trump conservative” and a libertarian in Trump's populist America. They also discuss the end of the “awokening” that began in the mid-2010s, and whether Murray's long exile from notice and acknowledgement from mainstream opinion-leaders and tastemakers is at an end. Murray also addresses the ideological fractures he sees on the right, and how America will deal with the last generation of mass immigration that has altered the US' demographic balance. They also discuss how taboo it still is to talk about group differences in cognitive performance, and whether America will be able to face the reality of demographics and the social consequences thereof in the 21st century.

In this episode, we dive into the importance of giving back in business and life. Brittni shares her personal journey with service, from her early aspirations of joining the Peace Corps to her transformative experience working with the nonprofit Haitian Roots. Brittni highlights how businesses that prioritize generosity—through charitable donations, community service, or mentorship—can build stronger communities, foster brand loyalty, and create a lasting impact. She also provides actionable ways entrepreneurs can incorporate giving back into their business models, from donating profits to volunteering and supporting local initiatives. Ultimately, she emphasizes that true success isn't just about financial gain but the positive impact a business leaves behind.   Resources: The Meeting Place Membership Rock The Reels 1:1 Coaching Free Client Welcome Guide Additional Trainings and Resources Connect with Brittni: Follow me on the Gram - @brittni.schroeder Join my Facebook Group  Visit my website Subscribe to my Youtube You can find the complete show notes here: https://brittnischroeder.com/podcast/the-importance-of-giving-back-in-your-business  

Humanitarian callings, featuring work by James McGrath, Dian Seidel and Terry S. Johnson.Support the show

The Peace Corps concluded Peace Corps Week over the weekend by observing March 1, 1961, the day that President John Kennedy established the organization. Today, there are more than 3,000 Peace Corps Volunteers working in more than 60 countries in different disciplines. Sarah Morrison, a member of Friends of Liberia, a group of returned Volunteers who once served in the country, tells VOA's James Butty, their work not only helps to improve the countries where they have served but impacts the US as well.

In this episode Bill talks with Mary Mosteller, the Managing Director of the Taylor Foundation. We talk about her love of service work since Catholic School, why she was told not to join the Peace Corps, inheriting her Dad’s gift for gab, caring for loved ones with dementia at a young age, pursuing education and […] The post #334 Today's Boondoggle -Share Healing and High Fives with Mary Mosteller of The Taylor Foundation first appeared on Domain Cleveland.

One of my best friends Kelly Mcardle is moving to Africa for two years to work and live and volunteer with the Peace Corps. To say that I am proud of her would be an understatement. Her and I discuss her post grad adventures and endeavors as the next big chapter of her life is about to start...

Imagine discovering a single plant so powerful it could transform health, fight climate change, and empower communities worldwide. That's exactly what happened when Lisa Curtis tried moringa while serving in the Peace Corps. A decade later, she turned that discovery into Kuli Kuli Foods, bringing this ‘miracle tree' to 11,000 stores across the U.S. In this episode of the Conscious Design Podcast, host Ian Peterman dives into Lisa's journey—from launching her first moringa product to scaling her brand nationwide. Lisa shares how she overcame retail challenges, built an ethical supply chain, and why sustainable superfoods like moringa are the future of nutrition. Whether you're an entrepreneur, a sustainability advocate, or just curious about how food brands grow, this episode is packed with valuable insights. 

Interview with Omar Mahmood on Somaliland - 16:40 This week, Kelly sits down with International Crisis Group Senior Analyst Omar Mahmood for an in-depth look at Somaliland's history and quest for international recognition. Before that, he and Freddie discuss Trump's USAID cuts, political turmoil in the Philippines, and Ecuador's presidential election results. As the senior analyst for Eastern Africa at the International Crisis Group, Omar conducts field research, provides written analysis, proposes policy recommendations and engages in advocacy efforts. Omar has previously worked as a senior researcher focusing on the Horn of Africa for the Institute for Security Studies in Addis Ababa, and as an international consultant covering Boko Haram and the Lake Chad Basin. Prior to that, he obtained his Master's degree from the Fletcher School at Tufts University and served as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in Burkina Faso. Ambassador (ret.) Gordon Gray's article on the impact of USAID in Tunisia: USAID Expertise is a Critical Foreign Policy Tool — https://medium.com/the-diplomatic-pouch/analysis-usaid-expertise-is-a-critical-foreign-policy-tool-bab558a27fb8  The opinions expressed in this conversation are strictly those of the participants and do not represent the views of Georgetown University or any government entity. Produced by Theo Malhotra and Freddie Mallinson.  Recorded on February 13, 2025. Diplomatic Immunity, a podcast from the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University, brings you frank and candid conversations with experts on the issues facing diplomats and national security decision-makers around the world. Funding support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. For more, visit our website, and follow us on Linkedin, Twitter @GUDiplomacy, and Instagram @isd.georgetown

This interview is with Mike Pasquarelli of White Rose Estate. In this interview, Mike speaks about becoming interested in wine while in college at Sonoma State, and starting to work in the industry after a stint in the Peace Corps.Mike talks about working in various avenues of wine, including production, sales, retail, and distribution. He then talks about traveling the world to do wine production, before coming to Oregon and meeting his now-wife while interning at Bergstrom Wines. And he talks about how he came to work at White Rose, how it's gone so far, and what's next.This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at White Rose Estate in Dayton on January 22, 2025.

In October 2024, Thibault sat down with Malado Francine and Kayla Tange to talk with them about moments when life forced change on them. They also talk about past lives, woo woo stories and being careful what you wish for. About Malado Francine Malado Francine (b. Malado Francine Baldwin-Tejeda)  is an American multi-media artist based in Los Angeles.  Her work in multiple media examines the intersection of culture and identity. Outstanding influences in her work include a childhood spent in Dakar, Senegal and Bamako, Mali as the daughter of former Peace Corps volunteers in a mixed-race family of Hispanic descent.  She holds a BA in comparative literature from Swarthmore College, and an MFA in painting from the New York Studio School. She spent more than 15 years living and making art in New York City before moving to Los Angeles in 2013.About Kayla Tange Kayla Tange was born in South Korea and adopted by a Japanese American family. Her love for poetry and photography slowly progressed into a conceptual performance practice which incorporates elements of exotic dancing. Physical and psychic boundaries, sexuality and permanence are also recurring themes. She often uses dark comedy in her performance work to explore love and longing, societal taboos and catharsis. She is the co-producer of Sacred Wounds, a show around ritual, subverting cultural stereotypes and ancestral healing. Show notes: Kayla Tange Vime Page https://vimeo.com/tange Kayla Tange Website https://www.kaylatange.com/ Francine Malado Website http://www.maladobaldwin.com/cv/

In this episode of The Intentional Dad, hosts Jason Hynson and J. Fotsch welcome guest David Anderson, a school counselor, father of three and 2024 Dad of the Year honoree. Together they dive into what it means to instill kindness, responsibility and teamwork in children both at home and in the community. David shares how his experience in the Peace Corps shaped his family's commitment to service, including taking each of his children on a mission trip before they graduate. The conversation highlights how leading by example, fostering gratitude and encouraging responsibility through everyday actions help shape the next generation. Join us for an insightful discussion on how small intentional steps can create a lasting impact on children, families and communities. Episode Highlights [01:50] "My wife is pretty special. She submitted an essay for me, and somehow I got selected as a 2024 Dad of the Year. She probably made me look way better than I really am." [03:41] "When you live in a third-world country for a while, you realize just how blessed you are. It gives you a sense of wanting to spread that and give back." [11:56] "I tell kids if you're only filling buckets when you're doing big grandiose things you're never going to be good at this. It's about the day-to-day small things that make an impact." [13:02] "I think one of the best ways to teach responsibility is to put your kids in sports or activities outside the home. They learn firsthand that hard work and commitment lead to results.” [14:19] "I thought I was helping my sons by making everything a competition, but looking back, I probably created more sibling rivalry than teamwork." Resources Sign up for the Good Dads Newsletter and never miss a podcast! Learn more at gooddads.com Questions or comments? Reach out to Good Dads at info@gooddads.com.    

In this episode of 'Rising Tide, the Ocean podcast,' hosts David Helvarg and Vicki Nichols Goldstein interview Melanie McField, the founder and director of Healthy Reefs for Healthy People. Melanie shares her journey from a childhood interest in marine biology to her work in Belize with the Peace Corps and beyond. She discusses the creation of the world's first science-based coral reef report card, which evaluates the health of the Mesoamerican Reef, the second-largest coral reef system globally. Melanie details the indicators used in the report card, including coral cover, macro-algae levels, herbivorous fish populations, and commercial fish stocks. She explains the impact of COVID-19 on fishing practices and reef health, the importance of protected areas, and the ongoing challenges of pollution and nutrient management. The conversation also touches on global reef stressors like coral bleaching and disease and the potential for coral restoration projects. Melanie expresses cautious optimism for the future, citing the dedication of conservation groups and innovative restoration efforts. ** Links & Resources ** Reef Report: https://www.healthyreefs.org/en/healthy-reefs-data/report-cards Support the Rising Tide and donate to Blue Frontier: bluefront.app.neoncrm.com/forms/donation Your gift of any size will help bring communities together to protect our coasts and ocean. Blue Frontier: bluefront.org Building the solution-based citizen movement needed to protect our ocean, coasts and communities, both human and wild. Blue Frontier on Substack: https://davidhelvarg.substack.com/ Inland Ocean Coalition: inlandoceancoalition.org Building land-to-sea stewardship - the inland voice for ocean protection Fluid Studios: fluidstudios.org Thinking radically different about the collective good, our planet, & the future.

Send us a textFor the first time on Fairfax, northern Virginia criminal / DUI defense lawyer Jonathan Katz's podcast, we have one of his former clients joining us. Susan Crane has engaged in four Plowshares peace actions and calculates that she has spent nearly a total of seven years of her life in jails and prisons. Jon Katz was honored to have co-counseled with Ramsey Clark and Anabel Dwyer in defending Susan, Jesuit Father Stephen Kelly, Elizabeth Walz, and Father Philip Berrigan in Susan's third Plowshares action, in 1999 hammering on two A-10 military aircraft, to convert them due to the depleted uranium missiles they were equipped to fire. Pretrial, Jon convinced the judge to dismiss the sabotage and conspiracy to commit sabotage counts against the defendants, leaving pending property destruction and conspiracy to commit property destruction counts, and an assault count against Susan that she got dismissed when the jury could not reach a verdict on that count. When the judge prevented the jury from hearing testimony from defense depleted uranium expert Douglas Rokke, the defendants dramatically shut down their participation in the trial. When prosecuted, Susan and all other Plowshares activists admit her actions, but insists that they were necessary and permitted under international law. We hear Susan's lessons for beating the prosecution from her heart-centered, engaging approach that cares deeply about everyone, including those who arrest her. She was ready to share information about depleted uranium with a soldier who was exposed to it. When hammering on material at a Lockheed Martin facility, Susan's fellow Plowshares activist Steve Kelly suggested that the employee in the room call security, lest he face job repercussions otherwise. That employee whispered to them that their action was courageous, and a circle of employees arrived and observed their actions, without stopping them, until security arrived. That is engagement. Susan is an active member of the Redwood City Catholic Worker. She has devoted her life to helping others, from peace actions, to Peace Corps work, to helping renovate squats. Jon encourages people to donate to a Catholic Worker center of your choosing. To donate to Susan's Catholic Worker center, select the Catholic Worker House- Redwood City box at this website. This podcast with Fairfax, Virginia criminal / DUI lawyer Jon Katz is playable on all devices at podcast.BeatTheProsecution.com. For more information, visit https://KatzJustice.com or contact us at info@KatzJustice.com, 703-383-1100 (calling), or 571-406-7268 (text). If you like what you hear on our Beat the Prosecution podcast, please take a moment to post a review at our Apple podcasts page (with stars only, or else also with a comment) at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beat-the-prosecution/id1721413675

Send us a textIn this episode of The UMB Pulse, Jody Olsen, PhD, MSW '72, a distinguished leader in global public service and former Peace Corps director shares her journey from aspiring social worker to influential advocate for women's empowerment, cross-cultural understanding, and global citizenship.Olsen, an alumna of the University of Maryland School of Social Work, shares in detail about her experiences leading transformative Peace Corps programs, overcoming challenges, and her ongoing contributions to the University of Maryland, Baltimore community.00:00 Introduction to Dr. Jody Olsen02:37 Early Life and Career Beginnings05:09 Navigating Leadership Challenges09:04 Impact of the Peace Corps in Eastern Europe17:20 Women's Empowerment and Mentorship36:36 Global Community Building and UMB's Role43:33 Memorable Moments and Reflections49:31 Advice to the Younger GenerationListen to The UMB Pulse on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you like to listen. The UMB Pulse is also now on YouTube.Visit our website at umaryland.edu/pulse or email us at umbpulse@umaryland.edu.

How can one “Yes” change the trajectory of your life? In this episode of Transform With Travel, we talk with Stefanie Grassley as part of our Passport To Love series, sharing stories of travelers who fell in love while on the road.Stefanie shares her enchanting story of how she found love in one of Europe's most picturesque cities—Copenhagen. Stefanie shares the magical moments that led her to meeting her Airbnb Host in Copenhagen, and how this quickly turned into the love story of her dreams. Listen as she shares how she navigates the thrills and challenges of an international relationship, and how their love story blossomed in a foreign land. Stefanie gives us an intimate look into her journey of building a life, a family and a love story overseas.Whether you're a travel lover, a romantic at heart, or someone looking for inspiration on how to follow your heart beyond borders, this episode is sure to spark your wanderlust and remind you of the transformative power of love through travel.What We Discuss:The serendipitous moment Stefanie met her partner at an Airbnb in Copenhagen.How saying Yes to his invites helped keep the adventure alive.Meeting his family by surprise in France.Buying and renovating a castle in Italy.The highs and lows of navigating an international relationship.Tips for anyone seeking romance abroad or considering moving for love.Tune in now and discover Stefanie's unique journey, where love and travel intersect in the most beautiful way.Thanks To Our Sponsors:AndBeyond: Check out their collection of sustainable & luxurious lodges, camps and itineraries at here: https://transform-with-travel.captivate.fm/andbeyond Check Out Honeymoons here: https://transform-with-travel.captivate.fm/honeymoon Connect with Stefanie Grassley:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/castelloristonchi Website: https://www.ristonchi.com/ Connect with KellyFollow the Podcast on IG: http://www.instagram.com/transformwithtravel Follow Kelly Tolliday on IG: http://www.instagram.com/kelly.tolliday Transform With Travel Website: https://www.transformwithtravel.co More Episodes Like This? Episode 1: Love At First Sight While TravelingEpisode 34: Volunteering with the Peace Corps and Falling In LoveEpisode 62: Passport To Love - The...

Episode 197: Scribal Networks and Diplomatic Knowledge Production across North Africa What did trans-Maghribi society look like on the eve of colonialism? Who travelled across these spaces and for what reasons? This interview is an early exploration into Dr. Kitlas' second project, which proposes a more attentive engagement with the history of a dynamic and multifaceted eighteenth-century trans-maghrib society. Spanning Tunis to Tangier, this project examines the networks of traders, Sufis, consuls, translators, and court advisors that embedded themselves in Maghribi locales outside their home cities and, in doing so, took part in producing a distinct trans-maghrib socio-cultural sphere. Building on his first monograph that focuses on the layers of diplomatic practice in Morocco, this interview thinks through ways to expand these networks and the knowledge production attached to them across localities in the wider Maghrib. The project questions the historiographical focus on north-south movements, and in its place adds a new east-west perspective that transcends stubborn political divides and sheds light on the ways in which a dynamic cultural and intellectual sphere developed, spread, and was sustained across the Ottoman/Moroccan Maghrib. Peter Kitlas is currently an Assistant Professor of History at the American University of Beirut. His research focuses on the intellectual and cultural history in eighteenth-century North Africa as told through Arabic and Ottoman-Turkish sources. Exploring the intersection of scribal practice and diplomatic knowledge production in Morocco, his first monograph rethinks the influence of Islamic thought on Mediterranean conceptualizations of diplomacy. Peter has served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco and conducted research in North Africa, Spain, Croatia and Turkey through the support of fellowships from SSRC and Fulbright-Hays. His written work has been published in The Journal of Early Modern History, Mediterranean Studies Journal, The Journal of North African Studies, and The Encyclopedia of Islam Three. This episode was recorded via Zoom on the 25th of October, 2023, at the Centre d'Études Maghrébines à Tunis (CEMAT) s with Luke Scalone, CEMAT Chargé de Programmes. We thank our friend Ignacio Villalón for his guitar performance for the introduction and conclusion of this podcast. Production and editing: Lena Krause, AIMS Resident Fellow at the Centre d'Etudes Maghrébines à Tunis.  

Are you tired of the same old dating scene in your local area? Ever wondered why connections made on a journey seem to have more spark? What if I told you the secret to falling in love is off the apps and into the wide expanse of the world? In this episode of Transform With Travel, we're launching our Passport To Love series, sharing stories of travelers who fell in love while on the road.To kick off the series, we're diving into the fascinating research behind why falling in love while traveling feels more natural and authentic compared to dating apps. Whether you're looking for love or already in a relationship, tune in to learn how travel can deepen your connections and create lasting bonds.We explore:The Role of Novelty & ExcitementShared Experiences & Instant BondingGrowth Mindset & OpennessPositive Emotional ContextThe Power of Face-To-Face InteractionsReduced Stress LevelsRomantic EnvironmentsResources in this episode:Episode 1 of Transform With Travel: Falling In Love at First Sight In DublinListen -> https://transform-with-travel.captivate.fm/episode/001-love-at-first-sight-traveling Studies: Nawijn Study, Aron et al Study, Dutton & Aron Study, Forbes HealthThanks To Our Sponsors:AndBeyond: Check out their collection of sustainable & luxurious lodges, camps and itineraries at here -> https://transform-with-travel.captivate.fm/andbeyond Check Out Honeymoons here -> https://transform-with-travel.captivate.fm/honeymoon Connect with KellyFollow the Podcast on IG: http://www.instagram.com/transformwithtravel Follow Kelly Tolliday on IG: http://www.instagram.com/kelly.tolliday Transform With Travel Website: https://www.transformwithtravel.co More Episodes Like This? Episode 1: Love At First Sight While TravelingEpisode 34: Volunteering with the Peace Corps and Falling In LoveDon't forget to subscribe, rate, and review Transform With Travel. Happy travels in 2025! ✈️

Giving Grove uses fruit trees as community engagement toolsIn This Podcast: Ashley Williamson of The Giving Grove discusses her journey and efforts to foster community through the planting of fruit trees. With a background in social work and international experience from the Peace Corps, Ashley co-leads the nonprofit organization that supports the establishment of community orchards in various urban settings across the United States. The Giving Grove collaborates with local nonprofits to initiate orchard programs, providing necessary resources, education, and funding. Ashley highlights their national network of over 630 orchards, emphasizing the transformative impact on local communities and food security. She also shares personal anecdotes and the philosophy driving her commitment to community-centered, sustainable practices.Our Guest:  Ashley brings local and international experience in program development, community engagement, and research. She has a master in social work advocacy Policy and administration from the University of Kansas and is passionate about connecting people, ideas, and policies. Ashley is the co executive director of the Giving Grove non profit organization. They are a capacity building and technical assistance organization that works with existing 501c3s to start orchard programs in their cities. Through working with partner organizations across the country, they help community members start orchards at schools, nonprofits, food pantries, places of faith, neighborhood associations, and wherever else someone can dream about placing an orchard. Ashley is always looking forward to a good podcast book or the next time she can work in her ever expanding vegetable garden.Website - GivingGrove.orgEmail - Ashley@GivingGrove.orgAshley's Recommended Book - What if we Get it Right by Ayana Elizabeth JohnsonVisit UrbanFarm.org/GivingGrove for the show notes and links on this episode! Need a little bit of advice or just a feedback on your design for your yard or garden?The Urban Farm Team is offering consults over the phone or zoom. Get the benefits of a personalized garden and yard space analysis without the cost of trip charges. You can chat with Greg, Janis or Ray to get permaculture based feedback.Click HERE to learn more!Become an Urban Farm Patron and listen to more than 850 episodes of the Urban Farm Podcast without ads. Click HERE to learn more.*Disclosure: Some of the links in our podcast show notes and blog posts are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase, we will earn a nominal commission at no cost to you. We offer links to items recommended by our podcast guests and guest writers as a service to our audience and these items are not selected because of the commission we receive...

In this month's episode, we sit down with Mark Jackson, MBA '11, Co-Founder of Centennial Investment Partners, and operator to several business he acquired through ETA. Mark talks about his journey into acquisition and lessons he's learned along the way. From transitioning out of investment banking to building a self-funded portfolio, Mark shares the challenges, strategies, and key insights that have shaped his approach to acquiring, growing and starting businesses. He also dives into the importance of sourcing tactics, forming strong partnerships, and recognizing new opportunities within existing companies. Whether you're an aspiring searcher or an experienced operator, this conversation is packed with valuable takeaways on scaling through acquisition.

Mary and Mike both teach civics/social students; Mary in a New York high school and Mike in a Virginia middle school. In this chapter they talk about what their kids don't know that they should, about the foolishness of banning books, about violence and guns in schools, about the threat of vouchers to public education, teaching to the test, and other controversial school issues. Our speaker bios this week are purposefully incomplete. Because teachers who speak out publicly are often disciplined by administrators we agreed not to identify the full names or the school districts and schools where the two teachers speaking in this chapter work. Mary has taught for more than 25 years at a small rural district in upstate New York. She has a BA in philosophy from Barnard College and a MA in European intellectual history from the University of Chicago. She has lived in England, Scotland and Switzerland and as a teen she attended five high schools, including a stint at a storefront alternative high school. These experiences have affected her views on education as did raising three sons, one of whom was autistic. Two of her sons work in the tech field. Mike has taught middle school civics and American history for more than eleven years in Virginia. He holds a BA in history and international studies from the University of South Florida and a MA in political science from the University of Missouri. From 2007 to 2009, he served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand teaching English and conducting HIV/AIDS awareness programs. In addition to teaching he coaches his school's wrestling team and summers leads international student tours to significant historical sites, including Auschwitz-Birkenau, Normandy, and the Acropolis. Mike is the father of two daughters who he says continually inspire and scare him with their perspectives on growing up in the digital age—a world vastly different from the one he knew at their age.

Host Tats interviews pro pickleball player Max Manthou ("Purple Jesus"), who shares the story behind his nickname and his transition from college tennis at UW to pickleball after serving in the Peace Corps. Initially self-taught, Max later refined his game under a coach, focusing on deception, space control, and strategic aggression. He discusses adapting as a shorter player, using two-handed counters, and the competitive yet cooperative nature of pickleball. Max also introduces his book, A Pickleball Gospel, an anthropological study on the sport's community, culture, and addictiveness, now available on Amazon.

This week on Tea Talks with Jiling, we are joined by Kat Maier RH, (AHG). Kat is the founder and director of Sacred Plant Traditions, a center for herbal studies in Charlottesville, Virginia. One of her greatest accomplishments has been to train many clinical herbalists who have gone onto to begin other schools, apothecaries or open practices. In clinical practice for over 30 years, Kat teaches internationally at universities, conferences, and herbal schools. She is a founding member of Botanica Mobile Clinic, a nonprofit dedicated to providing accessible herbal medicine to local communities. This grew out of her school's free clinic which was one of the first on the east coast and went on to be a template for other schools. She began her study of plants as a Peace Corps volunteer, and her training as a Physician's Assistant allows her to weave the language of biomedicine into her practice of traditional energetic herbalism.  Kat is coauthor of Bush Medicine of San Salvador Island, Bahamas, as well as the author of the Nautilus Award winning book—Energetic Herbalism: A Guide to Sacred Plant Traditions Integrating Elements of Vitalism Ayurveda, and Chinese Medicine. As a passionate steward of the plants, Kat also served as president of United Plant Savers and was the recipient of the organization's first Medicinal Plant Conservation Award.

In this episode of the Pro Mindset® Podcast our host Craig Doman, former Peace Corps member Jason Kyle, and former guest and Navy Seal Steve Drum delve into the complexities of modern masculinity and the mental challenges men face today. They discuss the importance of balancing toughness with vulnerability, the necessity of embracing discomfort for personal growth, and the role of cold exposure in building mental resilience. The conversation also highlights the significance of preparation, the difference between growth and fixed mindsets, and how to view challenges as opportunities for development. Through personal anecdotes and insights from military training, the hosts provide valuable tools for listeners to enhance their mental strength and navigate life's adversities.Episode Takeaways:● A growth mindset allows individuals to see challenges as opportunities.● Self-perception significantly impacts performance and outcomes.● There is a need for a balance between toughness and vulnerability.In this engaging conversation, Craig, Jason & Steve explore various themes surrounding personal development, humor in communication, the importance of mindset, and the role of community in men's health. They discuss the significance of recognizing blind spots, the necessity of willpower and discipline, and the value of small wins in achieving larger goals. What is the definition of manhood, emphasizing adaptability and emotional awareness, and life's call to action for building connections and supporting one another in personal growth.If you are interested in more tips on improving your mental health, check out their app:http://getmental.com/promindset.Stay in touch by following @thementalapp and @stephen.drum!#getmental #Promindset #Podcast #Mindset #Masculinity #MentalStrength #Resilience #Discomfort #ColdExposure #MilitaryTraining #SelfPerception #Opportunities #Humor #GrowthMindset #PersonalDevelopment #Willpower #MensHealth #Adaptability #CommunityDiscipline #Accountability #MentalHealth #NavySeal @us_navyseals @PeaceCorps

Deb Simmons went studied nutritional science and biology in college and went on to work with Americorps and the Peace Corps. When she left those jobs, she started working in restaurants in the seacoast NH area. She worked for Row 34 and became a GM and then for The Green Elephant, becoming a GM there as well. Then, in 2019, she started cake. vegan bakery. Restaurant Unstoppable - EVOLVE! - Eric of Restaurant Unstoppable is now taking consultation and coaching calls! Book a consultation today! Schedule your call to become UNSTOPPABLE! Check out the website for more details: https://www.restaurantunstoppable.com/evolve Today's sponsors: Meez: Are you a chef, owner, operator, or manage recipes in professional kitchens? meez is built just for you. Organize, share, prep, and scale recipes like never before. Plus, engineer your menu in real-time and get accurate food costs. Sign up for free today and get 2 FREE months of invoice processing as a listener of the Restaurant Unstoppable Podcast. Visit getmeez.com/unstoppable to learn more. Restaurant Systems Pro: When you join Restaurant Systems Pro through February of 2025, They will handle your 2024 books at no charge. Here's what you get: Organization of all invoices and expenses;AI Scanning of products so you know the usage; Reconciling your accounts; Tracking inventory and labor costs; and Providing detailed P&L reports Head to RestaurantUnstoppable.com/RSP and be sure to mention this special offer.   Let's make 2025 the year your restaurant thrives. Contact the guest: Website: https://cakeveganbakery.com Thanks for listening! Rate the podcast, subscribe, and share!  We are on Youtube: @RestaurantUnstoppable

In this episode from 2011 I was joined by Tom Haile to discuss lessons he learned in two years of service with the Peace Corps.  The reality is the 3rd world exists day in and day out in what we in America would call a “survival situation” so there is much we can learn based on how people in this state adapt and even thrive in spite of it. Today’s episode of Friday Flashbacks was originally published on 10-13-11 and was originally Episode-762- Tom Haile on Serving in the Peace Corps. The show notes for the original episode with all … Continue reading →