Into the Mix

Welcome to Into The Mix, a Ben & Jerry’s podcast about joy and justice.  This season, we’re swirling up inspiring stories from progressive heroes. People who didn’t set out to be activists, but found themselves stepping up for something bigger than themselves.  When you think of sustainability and social justice, you might not think of a Vermont soccer team leading the charge. With the professional sports industry generating roughly 350 million tons of carbon every year, most pro teams don’t even put sustainability on the bench. But what if sports could be fun and score big for sustainability and social justice? Not as a tagline or a charitable add-on but structurally: in how it runs, how it travels, what it does with its waste, its relationship with the community it plays for, and what it asks of the people who wear its jersey. Vermont Green Football Club became an answer to those questions. Patrick Infurna, co-founder of the 2025 championship-winning Vermont FC joins Ashley C. Ford on Into the Mix, a Ben & Jerry's podcast about joy and justice to talk about environmental justice, compassionate masculinity, social justice and what it looks like to build true community. Want to support the work of Vermont Green FC? You can follow them here.  Support the Vermont Immigration Legal Defense Fund. And check out Vermont Green FC’s partnership with Vermont Works for Women. Music provided by Shearaton Carter: Slow Season, Epidemic Sound. Custom Music by: Rondell Patterson.

Antonio and other business owners in Florida sued the state after the Stop WOKE Act was signed, and won. What does that mean for the future of the act, and for business owners in the state? In our final episode of the season, we’re taking a deep dive into the fraught conversation of D.E.I., the “war on woke,” and what it really takes to dismantle white supremacy.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is on a mission to curb conversations about race, diversity, and inequity of all shades. He’s banned books, trainings, and classes. He’s introduced laws and attacked businesses of all sizes.  But why? What is the motivation behind the so-called “War on Woke” and where do we go from here?

According to Antonio McBroom, a day without dessert is a disaster. So it makes sense that he’s now an ice cream entrepreneur, slinging scoops of Ben & Jerry’s up and down the Florida coast.  At the core of Antonio’s business model is leadership training and mentorship for all of his scoop shop managers. So when Florida Governor Ron DeSantis introduced the Stop WOKE act in 2021, he had two options: immediately halt training on diversity, equity and bias, or face potential legal action from the state.  In the final mini-series of this season, we’re heading to Florida to learn how the Stop WOKE act has censored businesses, chilled critical conversations about equity, and spurred business owners like Antonio to fight back.

Ms. Livvy’s heroic efforts to protect voting rights have come at a cost. Her health has suffered, and she’s tired. But she knows there’s more work to do, especially with the November election on the very near horizon. In our final episode from Georgia, we’re diving into why your vote matters, why it’s a fundamental right, and the key ingredient to sustaining the fight for voting rights: joy. Learn more at benjerry.com/vote and get involved with Black Voters Matter here.