The Gap Minders

In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Jen Nation, the Executive Director of Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center. Hear Jen talk about the importance of maintaining good health and environmental stewardship. Jen shares how the organization's programs, such as Cooking for Salud and Kitchenistas, have had a positive impact on the community. Cooking for Salud is an eig...

In this important episode on hunger, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Casey Castillo, the CEO of The Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank, the largest hunger-relief organization in San Diego County. Casey, who has been with this essential social impact organization since 2008, led the team last year to the distribution of over 44 million pounds of food and service to 400,000 people p...

In this eye and ear opening episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Anahid Brakke, the President & CEO of the San Diego Hunger Coalition. Hunger isn't visible. That one point from Anahid is powerful. And it's a point that helps drive the mission of the San Diego Hunger Coalition. Started in 1974 by concerned citizens, the San Diego Hunger Coalition serves as behind-the-scenes backb...

In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Vino Pajanor, the CEO of Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego. Hear Vino discuss a book that impacted him heavily which was, Mahatma Gandhi's autobiography, "The Story of My Experiments with Truth." This read taught him about the evolving nature of truth and inspiring his work. Vino then shares his journey at Catholic Chariti...

In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Sean Spear, President and CEO at Community HousingWorks. Hear Sean discuss childhood memories of memorizing and reciting literature and his background and experience in acting classes and how it helped him with presentations. The Community HousingWorks focuses on providing affordable housing and resident services. These services...

In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Stacey Roberts, the Founder of Stacey Roberts Entertains Kids. Throughout his career, Stacey has had several mentors who have steered him toward the place he is now. Hear Stacey talk about the impact that each one of these people had on his life. Each one of these people instilled in him lessons in the importance of self-respect...

In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Jessica Baron, the Founder, and Executive Director of Guitars and Ukes In The Classroom. Guitars and Ukes in the Classroom is a non-profit organization that aims to blend different areas of education with music. One of the missions of Guitars and Ukes in the Classroom is to bring music and the ability to play music to everyone....

In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Emily Moberly, the Founder, and CEO of Traveling Stories. Traveling Stories is a non-profit organization that aims to spread the passion for reading to children not only in San Diego but also all over the world. Emily grew up loving books. Even before she could read, she always wanted to stay up later to keep reading. When Emily...

In yet another stellar episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Todd Tibbits, the President and CEO of the YMCA of San Diego County. With 31 years of service to the YMCA, Todd became the CEO in 2021, joining what he referred to as the "jackpot" of YMCAs. We learn a great deal from Todd, from the formation of the YMCA in 1844 in London, England, to the evolution of the YMCA here in San D...

In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Ed Hidalgo, the Chief Innovation and Engagement Officer at the Cajon Valley Union School District. As a part of his position, Ed's main responsibility is to help other districts integrate career development frameworks similar to the one pioneered by the Cajon Valley Union School District (CVUSD). CVUSD created its framework base...

In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Nora Briggs, the Executive Director of the Dollywood Foundation. The Dollywood Foundation is a non-profit organization that was created by Dolly Parton. One of the programs that the foundation runs is called the imagination library which aims to spread the love of reading to kids under the age of five. Inspired by her father who...

In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Reem Zubaidi, the co-facilitator of the San Diego Refugee Communities Coalition. Made up of 12 member organizations serving a variety of refugee communities, the San Diego Refugee Communities Coalition aims to address gaps for refugees and new immigrants. Hear Reem talk about some of the biggest gaps in refugee communities like...

In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Sitara Sethi, the CEO of the Foundation for Developmental Disabilities. Starting in 1986, the Foundation for Developmental Disabilities has always worked towards helping those with developmental disabilities. In the past 10 years, they have shifted more towards a nonprofit model to help grow services for those with developmental...

In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Monica Emery, the Executive Director at the Center for World Music. The Center for World Music is an organization that aims to bring musicians to audiences, reaching as many people of all backgrounds as possible. They recognize that there are many musicians in the community who are masters of their craft and who can share their...

In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by James Halliday, the Executive Director of A Reason To Survive (ARTS). This organization aims to use a connection to the arts to foster creativity, resilience, and trust to strengthen the community and the individuals within it. Through ARTS, James has realized the importance of meeting the needs of young people and respecting th...

In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Dr. Emily Schindler, the Director of Education at the Comic-Con Museum. Opening in the summer of 2021, the Comic-Con Museum aims to bring the magic of Comic-Con to the San Diego community throughout the year. How exactly did Emily get involved with Comic-Con? From being a volunteer teacher in Ecuador to working in the Education...

In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Matt D'Arrigo, the Director of Creative Youth Development at the Clare Rose Foundation. The Clare Rose Foundation is a small family foundation that focuses on building up leaders and other non-profits in the community. Hear Matt talk about the importance of the arts and creative youth development. While traditional arts educatio...

In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Charles Parisi, the CEO of Cloudcast Media. Charles is an entrepreneur and change-maker who is constantly working to close the gaps in our community. Hear him talk about the "power of yes" and the importance that it has as a catalyst for innovation. Through their poducation series, Cloudcast Media has been working to help integr...

In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Don Wells, the CEO of Just in Time For Foster Youth. Don is a remarkable person who has had remarkable careers in many fields from teaching to marketing to journalism and now non-profits. But, what has stayed true for him and driven him is his life purpose of making a positive impact in the lives of others. Just in Time For Fost...

In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Dr. Teresa Smith, the CEO and Founder of Dreams for Change. Since her childhood, Teresa has always been interested in human behavior. She knew she was not interested in becoming a counselor or therapist so naturally, she began working in nonprofits. Dreams For Change is a local nonprofit that works to fill gaps in the community...

In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Teresa Siles, the President and Partner at Nuffer, Smith, Tucker. Teresa has worked at Nuffer, Smith, Tucker since the beginning of her career, rising through the ranks to become president. Through her experience, she has learned a lot about how to help steer a firm through drastic changes and blazing new paths forward. Nuffer,...

In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Rachael Orose, the Executive Director of Words Alive. From a young age, Rachael has always been surrounded by books. Through her work with numerous nonprofits aimed at book distribution, she noticed a gap between families, time to read, and access to books. This is where Words Alive comes in. Through book clubs, read-alouds, con...

In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Monica Ball, the Board President of Uplift San Diego. As a community member, Monica is extremely passionate about creating change and improving the lives of those around her by filling gaps. Through UPLIFT San Diego (which stands for Urban People Living in Faith and Trust), Monica has been able to help countless families. Why yo...

In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Cindy Dunlevy, the Coordinator of the Everyone Can Read at the San Diego County Office of Education. Beginning as a kindergarten teacher, Cindy has been working with young children for years. She has brought her passion for reading to thousands of children through her program Everyone Can Read. How does this program help kids? S...

In this very special episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in studio by Katie Ruiz, an incredible artist and author who finds that creation is healing. Whether it is her work in painting or fiber sculpture, she finds solace and comfort. She is most well known for her blanket series in which she portrays couples standing or lying under colorful Mexican blankets. Geometric patterns and bright colors ar...