How to Change the World

Sean Mendez, Director of Solidarity Sports On June 14, 2017, the Grenfell Tower fire in West London claimed seventy-one lives. It was one of the deadliest fires in Britain over the past century. Sean Mendez has close ties to the community devastated by the fire. He runs Solidarity Sports, a nonprofit that works with at-risk and disadvantaged youth. That night, Sean lost children he worked with and members of their families. Sean talked to us with grace and passion about the devastating impact of the tragedy, fighting for justice for the families affected, and facing the unimaginable.

Rick McCartney, CEO and President of InMedia Rick McCartney came out as a gay man at the age of 47 and it changed his life. We talk about his incredible journey – from what it's like to come out when you have a family to navigating new relationships and the unknown. Rick is President and CEO of InMedia, a multimedia development company, so we talk a little business along the way too.

Debi Chess Mabie, Executive Director for The Dunbar Pavilion: An African American Center for Art and Culture 100 years ago, the Dunbar School in Tucson, Arizona opened its doors as a segregated school. It was the only school in the city that served African-American children up until 1951. As you can imagine, it's a place with a complex history. We dive into that history with Debi Chess Mabie and discuss her work to revitalize the space and elevate the contributions of African-Americans in Tucson. We also discuss her 100-year view, what a legacy means, and how no matter what - our plans are constantly subject to change.

Drena Kusari, General Manager of Southwest Region for Lyft Drena discusses her experience living through the war in Kosovo as a teenager, leaving for the United States for her last year of school, and how it shaped her as a person. Today, she is the General Manager of the Southwest Region for Lyft and she dives into how she got there, what she loves about her job, the change happening in ridesharing, and how Lyft is providing solutions to community challenges to create opportunity.

Grace Gamez, Program Coordinator of American Friends Service Committee One of the biggest life changes anyone can experience is becoming justice system-involved. Going through the system means enduring a broken, confusing process that turns lives upside down and changes people forever. Grace Gámez shares with us her personal story of involvement with the criminal justice system, the changes that need to happen to make improvements, and the impact that opening up to share a personal story has on the storyteller.

Carlos Terrazas, Access Consultant of Disability Resource Center at U of A Change is not always for the better. Change is often thought of as a good thing, new human rights protections or funding for education, but what happens when change is forced upon us that we didn't ask for? Not all change is welcomed. This week on the podcast, Carlos Terrazas talks with us about living with uninvited change when he became paralyzed at 19 years old in a rollover car accident. Hear how he hasn't let that become a negative point in his life.

Tracey Beal, Executive Director of School Connect Jill Hicks, Director of Business Partnerships at School Connect Every community needs connectors. They have superhero-like abilities that allow them to spot and amplify opportunities by connecting the right people at the right times. So this week we're featuring two amazing connectors to pick their brains on how and why they do it. Tracey Beal and Jill Hicks of School Connect join us and share how they help our schools impact lives and form lasting relationships through partnerships. They tell us about the pivotal moments in their lives, how to ensure every partnership is a win-win situation, and how everyone has something valuable to give - no matter how big or small.

Andrei Cherny, CEO and Co-Founder of Aspiration Andrei Cherny has seen, experienced, and been a force for change throughout his life. He joins us this week to share his remarkable story as a son born to immigrants to working in the White House to starting his own socially-conscious banking and investing company, Aspiration.

Nate Rhoton, Executive Director of One N Ten Nate talks about growing up LGBTQ in a Mormon family and coming out in his twenties. He also shares his story about shifting from a corporate background to leading a nonprofit, what he's learned from volunteerism, and how he's gathered mentors to help him in his new leadership role.

Alex Macpherson, International Academy Partnership Executive of Celtic Football Club Alex Macpherson, brother of Catherine Alonzo, joins us to talk about the twists, turns and changes he's encountered from college to his current career. The two siblings also open up about growing up in a grieving family after the tragic loss of their older brother.