Action 2 Impact Podcast with Gwen Jones

Send us Fan Mail We talk cryonics with Charlie Kam and treat it like a serious end-of-life option, not a movie trope. We dig into how cryopreservation works, why the brain is the main focus, and what “plan B” means if future medicine can repair what killed you.  • what cryonics is and why “legally dead” matters  • cooling, cryoprotectant, and vitrification in liquid nitrogen  • why speed after dea...

Send us Fan Mail We sit down with David Muhindo, founder of Be Well Child Care Initiative in Uganda, to talk about protecting vulnerable children and using soccer as a doorway into healing, mentorship, and life skills. We also trace David’s path from making bricks to pay school fees to leading a growing effort to build safety, dignity, and opportunity for kids who have nowhere else to go.  • David...

Send us Fan Mail WE ARE HEADING WAY, WAY ,BACK TO SEASON 3 FOR THIS MONTHS ENCORE   What's it like to be the president at one of the oldest Rotary groups in the world? Meet the President of Seattle 4, Jeff Borek, this week on the podcast Support the show Join me as I talk to those "amazing people turning their Actions 2 Impact all over the world. #BE THE CHANGE

Send us Fan Mail We test a big idea for Rotary district conferences by bringing together four district governors who combine four districts into one event to grow fellowship, strengthen networks, and raise the bar on programming. We share what worked, what cost more than expected, and why collaboration may be the future for district-level gatherings.  • why four districts decide to merge one confe...

Send us Fan Mail We talk dirt with Eric Gardner from Loaves and Fishes and Chuck Corrigan from Rotary, digging into how food waste can become soil instead of methane. We walk through the real numbers, the grant that funded an industrial composter, and the simple composting habits that make the “full circle” possible.  • Loaves and Fishes growth from a church closet pantry to a four-county operatio...

Send us Fan Mail We question what “democracy” really means when choices feel filtered and money shapes outcomes more than voters do. We unpack Metin Perkin’s argument that party politics captures democratic institutions and explore a bold blueprint for reform that starts with everyday citizens.  • democracy defined as power resting with the people  • three layers of gatekeeping through candidate f...

Send us Fan Mail MAY ENCORE SHOW: Join me and my new friend Robyn Curtis from the Rotary Climate Change Action Group. We are talking ECO, we are talking big problems, and even some big solutions. We are talking about one of our 7 areas of focus that maybe doesn't get all the love and attention that it should. Support the show Join me as I talk to those "amazing people turning their Actio...

Send us Fan Mail We sit down with Cindy Kish to decode what Rotary Membership Coordinator and International Assembly learning facilitator really mean, and why those roles matter when clubs feel stuck. We wrestle with the hard part of change: keeping people feeling seen while still building a Rotary culture that new members actually want to join.  • Rotary acronyms explained and what the jobs invol...

Send us Fan Mail We talk with Wayne Wasagaga in Uganda about building Changia Africa, a refugee-led nonprofit rooted in education, skills, and human dignity. His story reframes refugee life as a place where purpose, leadership, and real community impact can still grow.  • Wayne’s life path from the DRC Congo to Uganda and the early challenges of displacement  • Rotaract leadership in the Nakivale...

Send us Fan Mail We sit down with Jacob Kirchner, senior strategic advisor for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Washington, DC, to unpack what neutral humanitarian work really looks like in modern wars. We connect the ICRC’s principles and legal mandate to overlooked crises like Sudan and to the human need for dignity, closure, and peace.  • Jacob’s path from Rotary World Peace Fell...

Send us Fan Mail APRIL ENCORE SHOW: Can we find Peace though music? Can we find understanding? Can music be a bridge to understanding the world we live in...why not. This week meet Rotarian Peace Fellow Diego Carneiro,as we ask some of these questions and more. Support the show Join me as I talk to those "amazing people turning their Actions 2 Impact all over the world. #BE THE CHANGE

Send us Fan Mail Soccer becomes a practical pathway to peace when we pair skills training with family-focused lessons on respect, safety, and belonging. Ron and Marcos share how a “Soccer Plus” model that began in 1994 now scales through Rotary to serve kids from Cabo San Lucas to communities across Africa.  • defining Harmony Through Soccer as peace building through football  • tracing the origin...

Send us Fan Mail We meet four first-time district governors stepping into leadership across the Northeast and hear what they want clubs to feel when the year is done. Then we check back in with the outgoing “delinquents” to learn what their big swing for change actually looked like after twelve exhausting months.  • introducing the incoming district governors and what they represent for 2026-2027 ...

Send us Fan Mail We hit the road to Northeast PELS and hand the mic to presidents-elect, district leaders, and longtime Rotarians who are stepping into big roles. The stories range from hilarious name-tag moments to serious talk on membership, global service, and leading from peace instead of chaos.  • Live voices from President-Elect Training and why it matters for Rotary leadership  • What assis...

Send us Fan Mail We get honest about why the arts feel easier to ignore than roads or schools and why that choice costs us empathy, creativity, and shared community life. Brian Rodolfo, president and CEO of The Cabot, explains how a historic theater stays open by blending commercial shows with mission-driven arts education, outreach, and affordable access.  • the arts as a tool for empathy, creati...

Send us Fan Mail  Encore Presentation — March Join us for a special encore: an intimate conversation with Past RI President Gordon McInally, recorded before his term. Hear his vision to spotlight mental health and inspire global hope. Listen to Gordon McInally today on the podcast. Support the show Join me as I talk to those "amazing people turning their Actions 2 Impact all over the world. #...

Send us Fan Mail We talk with Eduardo Tavar Lopez from the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project in Beverly about how new farmers get trained and why sustainable farming depends on real systems like land access, education, and distribution. We also connect the dots between organic standards, food literacy, and food security through New Entry’s incubator farm and Food Hub.  • New Entry’s origins th...

Send us Fan Mail We talk with Larry Strober about why Peace Poles still matter in a world full of conflict and how Rotary can turn a simple public marker into real peacebuilding momentum. We trace the movement back to Hiroshima in 1955, then follow its evolution into the Oregon Peace Trail, the Peace Game, and a bold moonshot for peace by 2030. • the origin story of “May Peace Prevail On Earth” an...

Send us Fan Mail We sit down with Celia Cruz de Shi to trace a life of service shaped by family, faith in community, and bold leadership, from a childhood moment of empathy to steering Rotary’s first global virtual convention. Two new books capture three decades of women’s impact and the path ahead to a more diverse, agile Rotary. • early service sparked by a simple act of compassion • partnership...

Send us Fan Mail THIS MONTHS ENCORE SHOW :  Out of 1.4 million Rotarians six were chosen by RI as "People of Actions, Champions of Inclusion" and one of those six Rotary members is our friend Anderson Zerwes. join us as I talk to Anderson about how winning this award  has changed his life and how being a "Rotarian of inclusion" is something he truly is proud of. Support the sho...

Send us Fan Mail Time to learn about "Bedlessness" maybe a made up word, but it's not a made up problem, kids with no beds, or safe places to sleep. Luke joins me to tell  of how a simple project in his garage turned into a program that made more then 90,000 beds just last year for kids. www. SHPbeds.org Support the show Join me as I talk to those "amazing people turning their...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to Season Two of the Action 2 Impact podcast and round two for 2024/25 RI President Stephanie Urchick. She's BACK! Stephanie is back to talk about her life as RI President, what Impacted her life the most, and where she is going from here. It's a wonderful chat with Stephanie and i'm so glad you could join us. Support the show Join me as I talk to those &quo...

Send us Fan Mail  Rotary is Growing in Africa...WHY?  Well let's head to Nigeria to talk to my friend and Rotary Foundation Trustee Pearl Okoro. Pearl has some real straight forward talk about why Rotary is growing in her country, and slipping in others. But before you rolls your eyes about another chat about membership, check this one out,I think Pearl may really be on to something. Support...

Send us Fan Mail Get your Rotary history geek on as we talk to the Chair of the Paul & Jean Harris Home Foundation Cheryl McIntyre. We talk about the restoration of the Harris's house, how you and your club can be a part of this amazing project, and even how Paul and Jean met. So join us for a bit of wonderful Rotary history. Support the show Join me as I talk to those "amazing peopl...

Send us Fan Mail Rotary has Rotary clubs and Rotarians in Russia? Yes,Yes we do! And they are doing great work all over the world. Today meet Anna Tumanova, as she tells me about all thge wonderful work being done by Russian Rotarians. Support the show Join me as I talk to those "amazing people turning their Actions 2 Impact all over the world. #BE THE CHANGE