The Careers They Didn't Tell You About

In this episode, Mariam sits down with Brittnie Knight (they/them) to talk about the underbelly of philanthropic foundations, burnout in social impact, and the power dynamics of trust-based funding. Brittnie doesn’t shy away from the existential in this interview and asks, should these foundations even exist? How does one navigate a flawed system of inherently linked capital and oppression, with j...

This week Mariam sits down with Elena Fairley, the Programs Director at Mission Asset Fund who oversees MAF's award-winning programs that help people become visible, active, and successful in their financial lives.  In this episode, Elena talks about how MAF’s programs are unique because they center a strengths-based approach that strives to find the good already happening in a community and a...

In this week's episode, Mariam sits down with Andrea Osorio, a nonprofit program manager, grantmaker, and avid storyteller in philanthropy. Andrea delves into how she believes philanthropy can be reimagined to create systems that actively collaborate with the communities it aims to support, as well as her experience advocating for herself and her value in the workplace. Andrea is a California...

This week we’re revisiting another one of our favorite episodes! A few months back Mariam sat down with Elizabeth Park, a long-time partner and supporter of Second Day, to discuss the complexities and power of philanthropy, fundraising, and unpacking the “money is power” dynamic in the nonprofit world. Elizabeth is the Donor Engagement Associate at Brooklyn Community Foundation, the first and only...

Mariam is off this week so we wanted to bring back one of our favorite conversations! Our first ever episode hosted Torey Brown, a Community Organizer at The Black Sheep Agency. The Black Sheep Agency is a brand strategy and creative agency in Houston, TX that specializes in social impact and works with nonprofits, civic entities, and for-profits with an impact-driven focus. Torey was put into her...

This week Mariam sits down with Aayaan Jamwal to explore questions of collective healing and the power of community infrastructure to hold space for the inevitability of harm. Aayaan shares how they make room for finding purpose by recognizing in themself the presence of a unique combination of perception and gift, and asks who truly benefits from the “economy of unworthiness” by which we are so i...

Juan Cardoza-Oquendo is the Director of Policy and Elections at Houston in Action. Before his current role, he worked as a Policy and Community Engagement Coordinator with Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis. He holds a Master of Public Affairs from the LBJ School at UT Austin and a B.A. in Anthropology and Human Geography from the University of Georgia. Juan's policy and advocacy experien...

This week Mariam sits down with Weston Weber, a second-year graduate student pursuing a degree in Global Policy Studies at the LBJ School, to discuss breaking into international government jobs and leveraging the support of his peers, as well as the decision to go to grad school and dealing with imposter syndrome. Prior to joining the LBJ community, Weston received his B.A. in International Relati...

This week, Mariam sits down with Elizabeth Park, long-time partner and supporter of Second Day, to discuss the complexities and power of philanthropy, fundraising, and unpacking the “money is power” dynamic in the nonprofit world. Elizabeth Park is the Donor Engagement Associate at Brooklyn Community Foundation, the first and only public foundation dedicated to Brooklyn's vibrant nonprofit com...

Over the last decade, Kenny Andejeski has applied himself to foster community economic development, stakeholder ecosystems, narrative change, and experiential opportunity, through community building in physical and digital spaces. What does this mean exactly? He’s embraced his curiosity and commitment to understanding what unites and divides us as people, and turned that into his own venture in wh...

This was a special one for us! Mariam sat down with two Second Day alums about their journey from Impact Fellowship to full working professionals in nonprofit consulting. Second Day matched them both to Bell Creek Consulting, a boutique nonprofit consulting firm that supports leaders in government, nonprofits, foundations, and social-purpose private enterprises to achieve and sustain new levels of...

This week, Mariam and Trishla talk about the truths and myths of 'going corporate', the growing popularity of MPH/MBA dual degree programs, and her career in mental health innovation. This is a helpful episode for those who want to learn more about the type of training you can gain from a traditional, large corporation job and graduate school that translate to social impact careers. She al...

Torey Brown is a Community Organizer at The Black Sheep Agency, a brand strategy and creative agency in Houston, TX that specializes in social impact and works with nonprofits, civic entities, and for-profits with an impact-driven focus. With clients like the Harris County Clerk’s Office to the White House, their mission is centered around activating people around things that matter. Torey was put...

Welcome to The Careers They Didn’t Tell You About Podcast brought to you by Second Day! My name is Mariam Matin, and every other week I’ll be sitting down with people who are building careers working on our community’s biggest challenges. From battling the climate crisis to designing innovative solutions for affordable housing, we are so excited to get these conversations going. If you’re a colleg...