Simple Acts, Big Impact

When a child is diagnosed with a rare and difficult disease, there is so much chaos and stress. The care that they are given in the hospital and the attitude and optimism of their family and support network are crucial. My guest today, Nell C., was diagnosed with a rare condition at the age of 9. She emerged from that very scary experience and is well and thriving now, with her disease in remissio...

In honor of Eating Disorders Awareness Week, I am honored to share this conversation with Diya- a high school senior who, through her own experience with an eating disorder as a young teen, decided to launch an organization, Eating Disorders Support and Awareness, or EDSA. Partnering with a national ED nonprofit, EDSA is a youth-led organization that raises awareness and provides peer-to-peer supp...

Through his own curiosity, research and interest in giving back to his community in a meaningful way, Brock M from the Boston area figured out that socks are some of the most needed items among people experiencing homelessness. He launched Project Socks in the Fall of 2025 and has already made such a huge impact. This conversation covers so many topics that are foundational to my work and the them...

Showing kindness to our elderly neighbors and those who are confined to facilities is some of the most gratifying and impactful service work we can do. My guest today, Nora P. from the Chicagoland area, created a beautiful organization called Roots and Grounds,a youth-led nonprofit serving seniors in retirement homes, offering complimentary planting and craft workshops.  Learn more at www.roots-an...

My guest today, Brandon, tells us the story of the challenges he has faced in terms of his eyesight and the way that his mother helped him to face this challenge and overcome it, with hard work and optimism. Brandon created the See the World Foundation to help other children who struggle with issues around their sight. See the World empowers young leaders to take leadership roles and it ensures th...

This Friday Jan 23 is National Reading Day, and to celebrate, I have a special episode to share today, featuring Rebecca Y, a high school student from California who created an incredible organization, Read to Respond. Rebecca has always been a voracious reader, and what began as a book club combined with community service has evolved into an international community of readers who are connecting a...

My guest today, 16-year-old Nyla, cares deeply about the mental health struggles of young people in her community. During the pandemic, she realized that she was not the only person who was feeling lonely, isolated, and worried. She created Stillmakers with a grant from the Riley's Way Foundation to help tweens in grades 6 - 8, to use creative expression to share their feelings. She hopes to norma...

Creativity in all its forms can be healing, and can provide a welcome distraction for children going through treatment for pediatric cancer. My guest today, Olivia W, combined her passion for photography and her interest in becoming a pediatric oncologist to create Healing Lens, an organization that helps pediatric patients share their stories through photography. Learn more at @healinglensproject

Happy New Year! At the midway point of Season 4, I continue to be overwhelmed by the kindness, drive, purpose and optimism exhibited by my guests each week. During dark and troubling days in our world, these teen changemakers give me hope for a brighter future. Instead of my usual interview, today, I'd like to share a short essay with you. The Riley's Way Foundation, which I've mentioned on the po...

Happy Holidays to you all, and welcome to this very special Holiday episode! Today I have the pleasure of sharing this conversation with sisters Alexis and Taylor, who started their organization, Bored No More with a simple goal - providing bags of games, toys, and crafts to hospitalized children who are away from their homes over the holidays. It is a perfect reminder that there are so many ways...

Sisters Caitlyn and Chloe K. from Las Vegas, learned about the very troubling issue of period poverty, and decided to do something about it. They created the Wellness Box Foundation which creates and distributes boxes containing feminine hygiene products and other toiletry items to girls and women living in shelter or experiencing homelessness.  Learn more at www.thewellnessboxfoundation.org @thew...

My guest today, 13 year old Divisha from Washington State, is a dog lover and social entrepreneur. As a 9 year old, she created Bow Bow Ties, an Etsy shop which sells hand-sewn bow ties and bandanas and donates the proceeds to help animal shelters in her community. https://www.instagram.com/bow_bow_ties/

Emily B., has a passion for neuroscience and psychology, and is committed to helping other young people with similar interests - especially those from marginalized groups without representation in neuroscience or healthcare. She created the Teen Neuroscience Alliance to help make neuroscience and psychology education accessible to everyone with an interest in the workings of the human brain. Learn...

If you have an older adult in your life, you may know that criminals frequently try various tricks and phishing scams to get them to hand over personal information or to send money. This is a huge problem affecting millions of people around the globe, with billions of dollars being stolen. My guest today, college student Jake, created CyberAware, to train teen volunteers across the country to go o...

As we've discussed on the podcast many times, representation matters, and thats especially true in the medical field. Young black and brown girls need to see people who look like them becoming physicians and taking on other leadership roles in healthcare. My guest today, Sarah, is a recent college graduate who will be attending medical school. Working in partnership with Sneakers to Scrubs, she cr...

Since 2025 began, issues surrounding immigration, naturalization and undocumented citizens has been very much in the news cycle. What can get lost in all of the coverage of ICE raids and deportations are the stories of real people who are pursuing legal avenues to become US citizens. My guests today, Samuel and Julie, are the leaders of CLIP, which stands for Creating Legal Immigration Pathways, a...

Expressing ourselves through art is healing, and it celebrates our cultural heritage, it educates and it connects us to one another, fostering understanding among people from different backgrounds. My guest today, Shriya from Phoenix, understood this, and created Artsphere, which provides programs to boys and girls clubs, schools and camps in her community, to spread cultural awareness through art...

With election day coming up next week, we need every young person to get engaged in our civic discourse, to care about our collective future and to share their talents and skills to make a difference. My guest today, Kayla P. from Illinois, started the Civic Success Project, an organization dedicated to transforming how young people connect with and participate in civic life - centering youth prio...

Title IX is federal legislation that prohibits discrimination based on general in any programs receiving federal funding. My guest today is a young woman who cares deeply about ensuring that everyone in her community understands their legal rights under title IX. Rachel, from Orange County, started the Title IX Advocacy Initiative and speaks passionately about the ways that young people who care a...

There's a common phrase used in mentorship and educational equity circles: You need to SEE it to BE it. My guest today understands the representation matters, and that young people need to see and hear from role models whose lived experiences mirror their own. Munveer S. from Menlo Park, California, started Off the Stage to connect young people to speakers, mentors and role models from diverse bac...

Sophie Szew is an incredible mental health advocate, writer and speaker. As an eating disorder survivor and proud Jewish Latina, Sophie combines their own experiences with injustice brought about by mental healthcare inequity with her passion for writing, advocacy, and leadership to uplift the voices of those with lived experiences and fight for the systemic destigmatization of marginalized bodies...

Pages4Progress is a youth-led organization that is empowering incarcerated voices through literacy and learning. Founders Ranya and Marisa, along with co-founder Matthew, demonstrated incredible patience and perseverance in setting up this incredible effort. Pages4Porgress is helping to end recidivism and improve literacy among incarcerated people in New Jersey. Follow and learn more at @pages4pro...

TW: This episode talks about eating disorders High School seniors from Maryland, Anya and Kendyll, are dancers whose lives have been affected by eating disorders. They bonded over their shared experiences, and joined forces to launch Dancers Beyond Labels, a nonprofit organization which works to address the youth dancer mental health crisis by: engaging with dance company directors, instructors, a...

Intergenerational volunteerism is probably one of the most meaningful types of service. It is literally a win-win. Teens can learn so much from older adults and seniors get a tremendous emotional boost from spending time with young people. My guests today - Lauren and Proksha started ForgetMeNot International, a nonprofit that works to prevent cognitive decline in the elderly through conversation,...

My guest today, Hunter G. from Virginia, is a one-person food rescue warrior. He noticed that food at his local fast food restaurants and cafes was being thrown away, and asked if he could collect the food and get it to a local shelter where it would feed hungry neighbors. His commitment to food rescue - picking up after early morning swim practices - is inspiring, and a perfect example of how one...