From Sparks to Light - Inspiring Stories for Challenging Times

“I wanted to work in something that could better the lives of my community,” says Mariana Incarnato, an Ashoka Fellow and the Founder of Doncel, an agency in Buenos Aires Argentina that focuses on changing the way youth who leave residential care are supported as they find their way into adulthood.  A clinical psychologist, she worked in Spain for a few years before returning home to her native Argentina.  “My sense of belonging was very deep,” she says of her desire to return home.  “And my sense of working for social justice was very deep as well.”That injustice motivated her. “Almost  50% of the people live below the poverty line so when you feel you belong to a community, that sense is very strong —that commitment is very strong, if you’ve had more opportunity than others.” She founded Doncel, an organization dedicated to fighting for the rights of children who were timing out of residential care. Faced with the end of care at the age of 18, young people who have been in the foster care system face an uphill battle. Without family to support them, many end up on the streets, struggling to find their way.  Armed with the knowledge that youth leaving care had knowledge to share, Mariana Incarnato and her band of activists fought to create laws that would put in place supports that would give them the help they needed to take their place in society.Mariana Incarnato is the founder and former director of Doncel (The word means maiden in Spanish and refers to a noble young man who is not ready to leave the castle for war), In 2012 she was chosen as an Ashoka fellow, an organization that celebrates global change makers.As you listen to this episode, consider:Each of us have an opportunity to create a community where we all belong. Which are the communities where you feel a sense of belonging?Mariana believes that if we are fortunate enough to have opportunity, we can do something that could better the lives of others. Where have you been given opportunity?  Is there something you can do to share what you have been given?Who are the voices that need to be heard in society?  What might we learn if we could take the time to listen?Learn more about Mariana’s work here.Visit her Ashoka Fellows page here.To learn more about Robert Maggio, the composer of "Where Love is Love," our theme music, please check out his website.To learn more about Suzanne, visit her website. To learn more about the inspiration for this podcast, please check out Suzanne's memoir, Estrellas - Moments of Illumination Along El Camino de SantiagoFollow Suzanne on Social Media Instagram @suzannemaggio_author Facebook @ Suzanne Maggio author Twitter @ bottomofninth

Florencia Lalor’s adopted family always spoke openly of her adoption. “It was one of the things they did right,” she says. And if she ever wanted to search for her birth mother, she always knew she would have their support. That moment came in 2004, when curious about the mother that gave her up, she grabbed the phone book and began making calls. What she discovered set her on a path that would change her personal and professional worlds.Florencia Lalor has spent her life working to understand the experience of adoption. An adoptee herself, she has spoken to hundreds of adoptees from all corners of the world. “I found one common thing… that we all have in common,” she says of the experience of the adoptee, “And that is that very profound fear of not being loved.”Florencia Lalor is a psychologist and social worker in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is the founder of La Voz del Hijo, a virtual platform for adoptees to bring their voices forward. She is co-author, (Belén López Medus y María Casabal)  of a children’s book, Ojos Color Cafe, Hazel Eyes, that is geared towards helping adoptees speak out about their experience.As you listen to this episode, consider:Florencia says that the early wound created when a child is given up for adoption creates a “fear of not being loved”, a fear that exists, no matter how much they are loved by their new family. How might knowing that help us to understand the journey of friends who are adopted.How does knowing where you come from affect your sense of belonging —or deepen your understanding of yourself?A truth about adoption is that adoptees belong to two families. Creating space for that duality is critical for the adoptee. Think about the “families” that you belong to. How do you integrate them in your own life?You can learn more about Florencia's work here.To learn more about Robert Maggio, the composer of "Where Love is Love," our theme music, please check out his website.To learn more about Suzanne, visit her website. To learn more about the inspiration for this podcast, please check out Suzanne's memoir, Estrellas - Moments of Illumination Along El Camino de SantiagoFollow Suzanne on Social Media Instagram @suzannemaggio_author Facebook @ Suzanne Maggio author Twitter @ bottomofninth

This is part 5 of a special series focusing on the community of Honoring Our Experience, and their work with long-term survivors of the HIV/AIDS virus.Harry Breaux never thought he’d live past 30. His father died of a heart attack at 50. His mother passed away when she was 51. Now, at 79, he’s outlived them both. Being diagnosed with HIV did not come as a surprise. “You can’t play in the water and not expect to get wet,” he says. When he finally grew sick in his early 50s, he battled three simultaneous infections that threatened to take his life. Hospitalized, he found himself forced to make a decision he never expected to make. Would he let the virus take him, or would he figh?. The rest, as they say, is history.There’s something that happens when you accept that this is your life now,” he says. “You can beat it back …but it will never go away.” Now as an “elder” member of the Honoring Our Experience Community he bears witness to the journeys of so many who have come after him, sharing his story and  listening to theirs, holding a deep compassion and empathy for the struggle that unites them.As you listen to this episode, consider:Harry grew up in a small town in Louisiana, where what was acceptable was colored by a very conservative world view. How are you shaped by the culture, environment or community in which you live?When Harry got sick he made a decision that would change his life. What important decision(s) have you made that changed the course of things to come?  What did you learn from those decisions?Sharing our stories help us to recognize we are not alone. Listening to others helps us develop empathy. Who can you listen to this week?  With whom can you share your story?Learn more about Honoring Our Experience here.To learn more about Robert Maggio, the composer of "Where Love is Love," our theme music, please check out his website.To learn more about Suzanne, visit her website. To learn more about the inspiration for this podcast, please check out Suzanne's memoir, Estrellas - Moments of Illumination Along El Camino de SantiagoFollow Suzanne on Social Media Instagram @suzannemaggio_author Facebook @ Suzanne Maggio author Twitter @ bottomofninth

“I knew I wanted to look at things differently,” says Cleveland Harvey, a social worker who works in palliative care with people who are struggling with serious illnesses. “When I interact with people I want to either help or understand them better.” Cleveland Harvey’s journey to social work is rooted in his early experience as a child in South Central Los Angeles during the mid-eighties when the area was steeped in the gang and crack epidemics. As the only black child in the neighborhood, he struggled to find direction. A chance meeting at a local hospital led him to find people who mentored him and nudged him towards social work, encouraging him to commit his life to making a difference for others.March is National Social Work Month. Social workers are professional helpers, people who are committed to  making the world a better place. From the care and protection of children to creating policy that shapes communities for years to come, the work of a social workers is diverse and wide reaching, guided by a set of principles aimed at fighting against discrimination, supporting the disenfranchised and lifting up those who struggle to have a voice.As you listen to this episode, consider:Who are the people who have mentored you?What are the lessons you learned from them? How did they shape your journey?How can you pay it forward? Are there opportunities in your community for you to mentor and guide someone?To learn more about Robert Maggio, the composer of "Where Love is Love," our theme music, please check out his website.To learn more about Suzanne, visit her website. To learn more about the inspiration for this podcast, please check out Suzanne's memoir, Estrellas - Moments of Illumination Along El Camino de SantiagoFollow Suzanne on Social Media Instagram @suzannemaggio_author Facebook @ Suzanne Maggio author Twitter @ bottomofninth

Hi folks,March is national social work month.  Social work is one of many professional helping careers, but it’s also an identity.  I am a social worker, I tell my students with pride.  It’s not my career, its my calling.  A calling to serve others. A calling to raise up the disadvantaged, the voiceless and the marginalized. To walk beside the people who often walk alone.Today I’m sharing an episode from season 2 with my friend and fellow social worker Gary Mallon who reminds us that being seen for who you truly are is one of the greatest gifts we can give one another.To learn more about Robert Maggio, the composer of "Where Love is Love," our theme music, please check out his website.To learn more about Suzanne, visit her website. To learn more about the inspiration for this podcast, please check out Suzanne's memoir, Estrellas - Moments of Illumination Along El Camino de SantiagoFollow Suzanne on Social Media Instagram @suzannemaggio_author Facebook @ Suzanne Maggio author Twitter @ bottomofninth

“I’m very much a proponent of chop wood, carry water. Just do,” says Paula Sheil, an educator, writer, poet and the founder and president of Tuleburg Press. “My sock drawer is incredibly organized.”It’s an old Zen proverb. Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. When it feels like things are tough, we can still wash the dishes. Weed the garden. Clean out our sock drawer.Paula Sheil is a dynamo. As an elementary school teacher she filled her classroom with student created cardboard missions so that they could experience exploring California’s  Camino Real. As a college educator she teaches her poetry students to shift their perspective from their own internal strife to the external world they live in. To begin to notice, to connect with the universal in life’s experience. It is there that true connection happens.  As the founder of Tuleburg Press, she works to bring the voices of Stockton area writers into the world.She’s a learn by doing kind of person, so it’s no surprise that when she was gifted an old fashioned printing press, she used it as an opportunity to create The Write Place, a non profit center where students of all ages can learn the book arts.As you listen to this episode, consider:What does Paula mean when she says “chop wood, carry water”? When you feel stuck, discouraged or frustrated, what  is one simple action you can take?How can you turn your attention outwards?  Can you approach life with an observer's curiousity? You can learn more about Paula, Tuleburg Press and The Write Place here.To learn more about Robert Maggio, the composer of "Where Love is Love," our theme music, please check out his website.To learn more about Suzanne, visit her website. To learn more about the inspiration for this podcast, please check out Suzanne's memoir, Estrellas - Moments of Illumination Along El Camino de SantiagoFollow Suzanne on Social Media Instagram @suzannemaggio_author Facebook @ Suzanne Maggio author Twitter @ bottomofninth

This is part 4 of a special series focusing on the work of Honoring Our Experience, and their work with longterm survivors of the HIV/AIDS virus.It started like a nightmare. Pregnant, in a toxic relationship and far away from the family she loved, Deirdre Johnson learned she’d been infected with the HIV virus. It was December 5th, a day Deirdre now celebrates. The day her life changed forever. On a Christmas Day hike to the top of a nearby mountain, Deirdre asked for guidance. “I was about 5 months pregnant…, and when I got to the top of the mountain I prayed. Wherever you want to send me,” she promised, “I’ll go.”  No longer afraid, she took matters into her own hands and the rest, as she says, is history.She turned her focus to making a difference, not just for herself and her children but for those who would come after. Now, a celebrated public speaker and advocate, she is the co-founder of Ending Criminalization of HIV and Over-incarceration in Virginia (ECHO VA). You can learn more about her work here.As you listen to this episode, consider:In those moments of great challenge, where do you seek answers?What have you learned through those darkest moments?Where are the opportunities for you to share that wisdom so that others may benefit from your journey?You can learn more about the work of Honoring Our Experience here.To learn more about Robert Maggio, the composer of "Where Love is Love," our theme music, please check out his website.To learn more about Suzanne, visit her website. To learn more about the inspiration for this podcast, please check out Suzanne's memoir, Estrellas - Moments of Illumination Along El Camino de SantiagoFollow Suzanne on Social Media Instagram @suzannemaggio_author Facebook @ Suzanne Maggio author Twitter @ bottomofninth

“There is no getting over this. You will find a way to use it,” says Dr. Joyce Mikal-Flynn of the traumatic injury that changed her life. “You will find a way to incorporate this into your life. You will make meaning of this pain and you will find a way to exist —sometimes in the loss.”22 minutes. That’s the amount of time Joyce Mikal-Flynn lay on the pavement beside a swimming pool while friends worked desperately to resuscitate her. She’d just swam the final leg of friendly competition when she sank to the bottom of the pool. Those 22 minutes became the catalyst for a profound life change. The motivation she used to come back stronger. Not just to survive but to thrive. Dr. Joyce Mikal-Flynn is the founder of Metahab, a strength based system to help individuals recover from traumatic events.  She is the author of two books, Turning Tragedy into Triumph: Metahabilitation, A Contemporary Model of Rehabilitation and Anatomy of a Survivor: Building Resilience, Grit, and Growth After Trauma as well as numerous articles about post traumatic growth.As you listen to this episode consider:What is one difficult experience you struggle to recover from?How can you focus on the ways in which this struggle has presented you with gifts you did not expect? (For example, feeling grateful for having survived?)How can you begin to incorporate these gifts into your life?You can learn more about Dr. Joyce Mikal-Flynn here.To learn more about Robert Maggio, the composer of "Where Love is Love," our theme music, please check out his website.To learn more about Suzanne, visit her website. To learn more about the inspiration for this podcast, please check out Suzanne's memoir, Estrellas - Moments of Illumination Along El Camino de SantiagoFollow Suzanne on Social Media Instagram @suzannemaggio_author Facebook @ Suzanne Maggio author Twitter @ bottomofninth

In honor of Black History month, we revisit a conversation from Season 2 with Dr. Samuel Aymer, a professor of Social Work at Hunter College."How do we hold multiple truths?  How do we (as people of color) embrace our humanity when that humanity is not always valued," asks Samuel Aymer, a professor of Social Work at Hunter College.  "It's not the first thing that comes up...  This is difficult stuff to talk about."This is a conversation about the importance of reflection. Of seeing ourselves when we walk through the world. Having role models to look up to who challenge and encourage us to be our best selves. And in the face of difference, to have those conversations that give us a window into experiences we have not lived so that we can learn and grow. Samuel Aymer teaches Clinical Practice with Individuals and Families and Violence Against Women at Hunter College in New York. His scholarly and research endeavors centers on the intersection of masculinity, African American men, race, trauma, intimate partner violence, fatherhood and psychotherapeutic interventions. As you listen to this episode consider:How are you reflected in the community around you?What impact does that reflection have on you? On your sense of belonging? On your understanding of value?How can we work to expand our experiences? Of enhancing the reflections around us? How might that expansion enhance our own growth?To learn more about Robert Maggio, the composer of "Where Love is Love," our theme music, please check out his website.To learn more about Suzanne, visit her website. To learn more about the inspiration for this podcast, please check out Suzanne's memoir, Estrellas - Moments of Illumination Along El Camino de SantiagoFollow Suzanne on Social Media Instagram @suzannemaggio_author Facebook @ Suzanne Maggio author Twitter @ bottomofninth

“Everyone is looking for the same things,” says Catherine Schweikert, a PhD and Physician Assistant who has spent the past few years researching the profound power of compassion. “We are all in search of what makes us feel safe, happy, healthy and free," she says. “What that means to me may be wildly different than what it means to you,”  she adds, but that’s not the point. It is understanding that desire which has the power to heal us.  As different as we may be, we have the potential to hold compassion for everyone we meet, even when we disagree.Catherine has devoted her career to exploring the transformative power of compassion with special emphasis on the medical profession. With a PhD in Psychophysiology, she is the author of The Compassion Remedy, How to leverage the psychophysiological benefits of compassion to beat burnout, renew relationships and enjoy greater well-being.As you listen to this episode, consider:What does it mean to you to feel safe, happy, healthy, and free?How does understanding that others are looking for the same thing shift your experience of them?What is one place where I can practice holding compassion today?To learn more about Catherine’s work, visit her website.To learn more about Robert Maggio, the composer of "Where Love is Love," our theme music, please check out his website.To learn more about Suzanne, visit her website. To learn more about the inspiration for this podcast, please check out Suzanne's memoir, Estrellas - Moments of Illumination Along El Camino de SantiagoFollow Suzanne on Social Media Instagram @suzannemaggio_author Facebook @ Suzanne Maggio author Twitter @ bottomofninth

“I got tired of being tired,” says Ms. Billie Cooper of her life as an addict.  ,Along term HIV survivor and trans activist, she knew she needed to make a change. “I got tired of not being able to eat, of living on top ramen. I wanted a better life.”Ms. Billie has had her share of challenges. But through it all, she has learned to turn pain into purpose. Sober for 23 years, she is a cancer survivor and veteran. HIV positive for more than 35 years, her history with the long term survivor community began many years ago with her involvement with AIDS, Medicine and Miracles. She was in that first healing circle, more than 10 years ago, and she remains a loud and proud voice for everyone who needs someone to stand by their side, to lift them up and to give people a fighting chance.As you listen to this episode, consider:We are all shaped by the paths we’ve walked.  How do the paths you’ve walked shape how you show up in the world?What challenges do you face?  What are the lessons to be learned from them?Ms. Billie talks about a person who challenged her to follow her truth, someone whose support was instrumental to Billie’s life journey. Who is that person in your life? How can you be that person for someone else?You can learn more about the work of Honoring Our Experience here.To learn more about Robert Maggio, the composer of "Where Love is Love," our theme music, please check out his website.To learn more about Suzanne, visit her website. To learn more about the inspiration for this podcast, please check out Suzanne's memoir, Estrellas - Moments of Illumination Along El Camino de SantiagoFollow Suzanne on Social Media Instagram @suzannemaggio_author Facebook @ Suzanne Maggio author Twitter @ bottomofninth

On From Sparks to Light, we hear the stories of people who are making a difference. People who are giving back in various ways. What we don’t often hear, however, is the stories of how their actions impact others. What happens because of that work. In 2024, Honoring Our Experience will celebrate its 10th anniversary. Over the next year we will hear the voices of the people who have become integral members of the long-term survivor’s community that Honoring Our Experience has helped create. People who never imagined they would live long enough to look back and recognize the path they’d walked and discover the new one that stood in front of them. People who have found their spark and are leading the journey forward.This week, Gregg Cassin, the founder of that extraordinary program and I talk to Carlos Ferriera who tells us how important community was in his recovery and learned to forgive himself and find his purpose.Carlos immigrated to America at the age of 4 from the then Portuguese African colony of the Cape Verde Islands. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and fulfilled his parent's dream by becoming the first member of his family to obtain a college degree. In 1982, he left for Southern California as the New York City winters were bleeding him and the pall of death hung heavy.He hoped to escape the ravages of AIDS. But in 1985 he tested positive with a 3-year life expectancy. Fortunately, he turned out to be a long term non-progressor. He survived HIV/AIDS, but  almost did not survive the meth epidemic in the 2010s. He am eternally grateful to SFAF, in particular the harm reduction based Stonewall Project, for helping me turn his life completely around.“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so, with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some STYLE”. - Carlos FerrieraYou can learn more and support the work of Honoring Our Experience here.To learn more about Robert Maggio, the composer of "Where Love is Love," our theme music, please check out his website.To learn more about Suzanne, visit her website. To learn more about the inspiration for this podcast, please check out Suzanne's memoir, Estrellas - Moments of Illumination Along El Camino de SantiagoFollow Suzanne on Social Media Instagram @suzannemaggio_author Facebook @ Suzanne Maggio author Twitter @ bottomofninth

When Sandy Holman was a teenager, she watched as the Klu Klux Klan burned a wooden cross on her high school soccer field. This wasn’t in the deep south, but in the Sacramento, California neighborhood where her family moved when she was in elementary school. It was that experience, as well as several others, that led her to recognize the work she was meant to do in the world. A world that does not treat all people with love, dignity and kindness.Sandy Holman, also known as the Purple Lady for her passionate love of the color purple, has dedicated her life to breaking down the systems of inequality and injustice the poison our communities. As the director of the Culture C.O.-O.P., she travels the country working with organizations to create environments of equity, diversity and inclusion.  "But change is hard," she reminds us.A powerful storyteller, she is the author of several children’s books, including Grandpa, is Everything Black Bad? and We All Have a Heritage.To learn more about Sandy and the Culture C.O.-O.P., visit their website.To learn more about Robert Maggio, the composer of "Where Love is Love," our theme music, please check out his website.To learn more about Suzanne, visit her website. To learn more about the inspiration for this podcast, please check out Suzanne's memoir, Estrellas - Moments of Illumination Along El Camino de SantiagoFollow Suzanne on Social Media Instagram @suzannemaggio_author Facebook @ Suzanne Maggio author Twitter @ bottomofninth

Back on the podcast this week is my dear friend Gregg Cassin. Gregg is an HIV/AIDS activist, a public speaker and someone I’ve known since our college days back in Boston.  He is also someone who has dedicated his life to serving the HIV/AIDS communities, bringing healing to those whose lives are impacted by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The focus is simple. To bring people together to build community because as Gregg knew intuitively from the very first days of the epidemic, community has the power to heal. Gregg works in San Francisco for Shanti Project, an organization that is celebrating it’s 50th anniversary next year, where he leads a program for long term survivors of the epidemic called Honoring Our Experience.    This month on From Sparks to Light we are joining forces to launch a special project, the Honoring Our Experience Series.  Each month on the last Thursday of the month we will introduce you to some of the people who have experienced the epidemic firsthand, people who have found that when we share our stories and build communities, healing happens. Today Gregg joins us to take us back to the early days of the epidemic and the experiences that lead him forward.You can learn more about Honoring Our Experience and Shanti Project, here.You can  support the work of Honoring Our Experience here. To learn more about Robert Maggio, the composer of "Where Love is Love," our theme music, please check out his website.To learn more about Suzanne, visit her website. To learn more about the inspiration for this podcast, please check out Suzanne's memoir, Estrellas - Moments of Illumination Along El Camino de SantiagoFollow Suzanne on Social Media Instagram @suzannemaggio_author Facebook @ Suzanne Maggio author Twitter @ bottomofninth

Bill Glenn, a retired therapist and author, spent 18 years preparing to be a Jesuit priest before he realized he was being called to something else.  “I knew my work was elsewhere," he says, although I had no idea what it was.   Two years later, the AIDS epidemic hit. “It was as if I’d been called out of the Jesuits to be present to this epidemic. He realized this was the work he was trained to do, to attend to the pain in the world. This is the journey he writes about in his memoir, I Came Here Seeking a Person. One Gay Man’s Spiritual Journey.A question I that comes up often when talking to guests on the podcast. How did you get started?  What prompted you to take action? In this powerful conversation Bill Glenn challenges us to attend to the pain around us. “Pain is all around us,” he says. “And each of us is called to bear witness to it. To be present to those in need. That is at the heart of making a difference.To learn more about Bill, or to purchase a copy of his book, I Came Here Seeking a Person: One Gay Man's Spiritual Journey, please check out his website.To learn more about Robert Maggio, the composer of "Where Love is Love," our theme music, please check out his website.To learn more about Suzanne, visit her website. To learn more about the inspiration for this podcast, please check out Suzanne's memoir, Estrellas - Moments of Illumination Along El Camino de SantiagoFollow Suzanne on Social Media Instagram @suzannemaggio_author Facebook @ Suzanne Maggio author Twitter @ bottomofninth

“[The poverty] was a really big shock,” said Koen Van Rompay, an infectious disease researcher who was in India to speak at a conference.  Seeing all the people on the streets of Chennai begging for food was  painful. “I felt very frustrated. Here I was a scientist… trying to do something about HIV, but these people lacked even the basic necessities in life.” He had to do something, but what?He met a social worker named Mr. Selvam, He showed Koen some hand embroidered greeting cards made by the women of his village. He was selling them to make money to support his fledgling nonprofit, one that was focused on giving the children of his small rural community a chance at something better.   Koen bought them all with the pledge to sell them to his friends and family and send the money back to Mr. Selvam.  One small step. This was the humble beginnings of Sahaya International, the nonprofit Koen runs from his kitchen table in his home in Davis, California. Twenty years later, the organization is a 100% volunteer-based network of friends that supports a growing number of programs in developing countries, aimed at helping underprivileged communities by promoting education, health, socio-economic empowerment and conservation.As you listen to this episode, consider:Action begins with one small step. What is one small step you can take today to make a difference?How do you handle adversity. “Don’t give up,” Koen says. Even if you don’t meet your desired outcome, keep going.Who are the organizations in your community that are doing good work?  Consider partnering with them.Dr. Koen Van Rompay is a veterinary doctor, originally from Belgium, who leads a dual life. For the past 3 decades, he has been an infectious disease researcher at the University of California, Davis. Most of his career has focused on studying HIV, which has led to several interventions that are now used globally to treat or prevent HIV infection. In more recent years, he has also done research on the latest pandemics, such as Zika virus, and SARS-CoV-2. In 1997, a trip to an AIDS conference in India inspired Koen to step outside his comfort zone and become more socially engaged. During his spare time, he founded and manages the Davis-based 501(c)3 nonprofit organization Sahaya International (www.sahaya.org). Sahaya International is a 100% volunteer-based network of friends that supports a growing number of programs in developing countries, aimed at helping underprivileged communities by promoting education, health, socio-economic empowerment and conservation.To learn more about Koen and Sahaya international, visit their website.To learn more about Robert Maggio, the composer of "Where Love is Love," our theme music, please check out his website.To learn more about Suzanne, visit her website. To learn more about the inspiration for this podcast, please check out Suzanne's memoir, Estrellas - Moments of Illumination Along El Camino de SantiagoFollow Suzanne on Social Media Instagram @suzannemaggio_author Facebook @ Suzanne Maggio author Twitter @ bottomofninth

“I was in a crisis," said Joey Garcia, author and writing coach. "I’d done all the things I was supposed to do to be successful… but the corporate life was not at all what I imagined it would be.” It was then that she said Yes to an invitation to return to the land where she was born and found herself face-to-face with a people who needed her help. While there, she met the local Catholic Bishop. “If there’s anything I can do for you,” she said, “Just let me know.” “You can put on a teacher training,” he said. She stumbled to respond. Never in her wildest dreams could she have imagined that this would be his request. The next Yes proved to be a transformative one —one that led to the launching the nonprofit Rise Up Belize created to improve the educational opportunities for Belizean children. As you listen to this episode, consider:Are there opportunities  for you to step outside your comfort zone?Have you felt the call to to take a risk? To try something completely new?What holds you back? What keeps you from saying “Yes”?To learn more about Joey Garcia, please check out her website.To learn more about Robert Maggio, the composer of "Where Love is Love," our theme music, please check out his website.To learn more about Suzanne, visit her website. To learn more about the inspiration for this podcast, please check out Suzanne's memoir, Estrellas - Moments of Illumination Along El Camino de SantiagoFollow Suzanne on Social Media Instagram @suzannemaggio_author Facebook @ Suzanne Maggio author Twitter @ bottomofninth

When he was just 23 years old, Juan Pablo Romero Fuentes opened the doors of the family home in his little village of Jocotenango, to give the children of his Guatemalan community a chance at a different life —one beyond the drugs, gangs and crime that were a part of his childhood. After a brief time teaching in a private school, he recognized that education, as he saw it, could be so much more. The concept was simple. “Everyone is welcome, treat the other with respect, lets talk,” he said, and the beginnings of Los Patojos, loosely translated as The Little Ones, was born. Now, seventeen years later, El Patojismo serves more than 500 students each year, with two schools and a style of education that includes programs where creativity, wellness, sports, and job training are an integral part of the regular curriculum.  In 2015 Romero Fuentes was named a CNN hero for his work for the children of Guatemala, an honor that brought well deserved attention and recognition to his extraordinary vision.As you listen to this episode, consider:There are many challenges exist in every community. Which are the ones that matter most to you?Where are the local opportunities to get involved?What resources, talents and skills can bring to  you bting to the table? How can you use your own gifts to make a difference?To learn more about El Patojismo, visit their Global Giving page.Listen to Juan Pablo Romero Fuente’s episode here.To learn more about Robert Maggio, the composer of "Where Love is Love," our theme music, please check out his website.To learn more about Suzanne, visit her website. To learn more about the inspiration for this podcast, please check out Suzanne's memoir, Estrellas - Moments of Illumination Along El Camino de SantiagoFollow Suzanne on Social Media Instagram @suzannemaggio_author Facebook @ Suzanne Maggio author Twitter @ bottomofninth

When her eldest son became a victim of gun violence, Nicole Gardner knew she needed to make a change. She left behind family and friends and the Boston neighborhoods she’d called home and moved with her children to California.But gun violence knows no zip code. A few years after settling in her new community in Marin County, her daughter Ronique was killed in a drive by shooting. Determined to turn her pain into purpose, Nicole joined Moms Demand Action, a national grassroots organization that works to end the epidemic of gun violence through pushing for gun safety measures, political action, and community education. It was there that Nicole honed her public speaking skills and no works to brings her energy and experience to making our communities safe for us all.As you listen to this episode, consider:What issues inspire you to get involved in your community?Where can you find others who share your concerns?Nicole reminds us that everyone is dealing with something we know nothing about. How might this change the way we approach the people you meet each day?You can listen to Nicole’s episode here.To learn more about Moms Demand Action, click here.To learn more about Robert Maggio, the composer of "Where Love is Love," our theme music, please check out his website.To learn more about Suzanne, visit her website. To learn more about the inspiration for this podcast, please check out Suzanne's memoir, Estrellas - Moments of Illumination Along El Camino de SantiagoFollow Suzanne on Social Media Instagram @suzannemaggio_author Facebook @ Suzanne Maggio author Twitter @ bottomofninth

Spending a month volunteering at Mother Theresa’s Home for the Destitute and Dying in Calcutta, India was a life changing experience for Wendy Voet, a public health advocate and professor at the University of Pennsylvania.  The injustice of “watching people die of diseases that could be easily treated in the United States,” had a profound impact on her.  “Everyone deserves the same means to have the human experience they want to have,” she says. Her parents were academics. The academic life was inspiring. It taught Wendy to ask the questions and stay open to learning. In the summer her parents would travel, and the experiences opened the world to her, inspiring her to study abroad in college and then join the Peace Corps where she served in Niger. It was there that she recognized the shared humanity that exists between all people. While the lives of the people she met may have been different than her own, she learned that we all want the same basic things and it inspired her to go about working to make sure that the inequities that exist might be rectified.As you listen to this episode consider:How can you approach the things that are unfamiliar to you with curiosity rather than judgement? Can you listen to different perspectives and see what you might learnWhen faced with people who are different from you, can you focus on the experiences and desires that unite us?Wendy Voet is a non-profit leader and public health professional with over 25 years of experience in the areas of organizational management, fundraising, partnership development and program design. She has worked for a wide range of organizations working to meet the healthcare needs of various communities as well as work towards social justice. Currently, Wendy is a Senior Program Advisor for Jhpiego Corporation where she helps to design and seek funding for programs worldwide in maternal child and newborn health and HIV prevention and management.To learn more about Robert Maggio, the composer of "Where Love is Love," our theme music, please check out his website.To learn more about Suzanne, visit her website. To learn more about the inspiration for this podcast, please check out Suzanne's memoir, Estrellas - Moments of Illumination Along El Camino de SantiagoFollow Suzanne on Social Media Instagram @suzannemaggio_author Facebook @ Suzanne Maggio author Twitter @ bottomofninth