Simple Acts, Big Impact

April is Earth Month and it is my absolute pleasure to kick it off with this delightful conversation with 14-year-old Cash from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Cash is an award-winning river and ocean conservationist and was named a top 5 Time Magazine Kid of the Year, and his platform is called, appropriately, The Conservation Kid. He cofounded an organization called The CleanUp Kids that engages young p...

My guest today, Emma J. from New York City, took a painful experience - the loss of her father when she was only 13 years old - and turned it into a joyful and impactful nonprofit called Club Care. Now with chapters all over the country and one in Paris, Club Care volunteers fundraise and create care packages for pediatric cancer patients. Learn more at www.clubcare.org

There is a phrase - "home of the free BECAUSE of the brave." My guest today, Ben B from New York, is an impressive young man with a passion for supporting our active duty military, their families and our honored veterans. We're living through a chaotic and divided moment right now and I hope that this conversation will remind us that our service men and women, and our veterans and wounded warriors...

Running is a sport that instills confidence, strength, resilience and a sense of purpose. My guest today, Maya M, from Minnesota, is a first year at Georgetown and a member of the track and field team. During a gap year before starting college, she traveled to Tanzania and launched a special organization called Girls Run Global, which empowers girls and equips them with the skills to succeed throu...

This Friday, the first Friday in March, is National Speech and Debate Day! To amplify the many benefits of this extracurricular activity, I'm excited to share this conversation with Saeed who, along with his cofounder Ammar, launched The Speaking Solution which shares the skills and joys of speech and debate with under-resourced young people in their community. Learn more at https://thespeakingsol...

Tourette Syndrome is a neurological condition that may cause sudden repeated movements or vocal sounds called tics. My guest today, Savannah, was diagnosed with Tourettes when she was 7 years old, and now serves as a youth advocate for the New Jersey Center for Tourette Syndrome. In this role, Savannah speaks to school children about Tourette Syndrome, she helps to raise awareness and organizes fu...

My guest today realized that typical clothing donation drives serve the convenience of the donor instead of the recipient, and decided to do something about that. High school junior JoJo from Los Angeles, along with her sister Brooke, created SheStyles, an organization that elevates the clothing donation process to boost the self-confidence of the young women who need it the most. Learn more @SheS...

Fifteen-year old Legacy from St. Louis has been volunteering with her family since she was born. She started Little Legacies, a kids-for-kids community service organization with a simple three-fold mission - kids service and fun. Legacy has figured out what I tell parents and nonprofit founders all the time - that if you make volunteering fun and encourage young people to engage in service with th...

As we honor Black History Month in February, I'm honored to share this inspiring conversation with a young leader from Georgia named Jayshun, a student at Morehouse College. While he was still in highschool, Jayshun started the Black Youth Empowerment Network, an organization that is dedicated to fostering a sense of community amongst Black youth while providing the opportunities, resources, and t...

Creativity and artistic endeavors (like photography) can be a way of processing grief and isolation. My guest today, Charlotte from the Bay Area in California, knows this very well. She experienced the loss of her father only days before the pandemic lockdown started in the spring of 2020 and turned to photography as a way to get outside and channel her emotions into something positive. Her new ho...

My guest today, Ishani from New Jersey, has always loved math and is fascinated by AI. When she noticed that she was the only girl in a national computer science competition, she created a program called Girls Rule AI which empowers girls from around the world with the foundatonal knowledge and programming skills they need to build solutions using AI. Girls Rule AI offers free courses to small gro...

Sanja J. started Global Visioneers to inspire and empower youth to become global citizens and create a more interconnected future. Global Visioneers is a student-led nonprofit organization empowering global understanding and connectivity through language and cultural exchange initiatives. Learn more at www.globalvisioneers.com or follow at @globalvisioneers

Mila H. is a high school junior from Hoboken New Jersey who has had a passion for rock climbing since she was 7 years old. She turned that passion into a wonderful program called Climbing for Community which partners with the boys and girls club to make the lif-changing benefits of rock climbing accessible and inclusive to underserved young people in her community. Learn more and follow at @Climbi...

Meazi Light-Orr was born in a very remote village in Ethiopia called Kololo and adopted by an American family when she was a young child. After her mother established an elementary school in Kololo, Meazi was inspired to start Kids for Kololo and led an incredible fundraising campaign to improve education access by adding a middle school. Learn more and follow at @kids_for_kololo

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate! I'm delighted to re-share this episode which originally aired in December, 2022. It is a perfect way to remember the true spirit of the Christmas holiday. Ava S. was only 6 years old when a classmate who was fighting leukemia inspired her to launch a project called Ava Claus, providing toys for children in the hospital. The effort turned into Ava Claus and Fri...

A little LIGHT for your holiday season! Amelia from Arkansas started Lisowe's Lights when she was only eight years old, providing nightlights for children who are navigating the foster care system. Lisowe's Lights makes sure that children who need to leave their homes and to be placed in foster care will have a nightlight to help them feel safe in their new home. Learn more at www.lisoweslights.co...

My guests today, Akanksha and Claire from Atlanta, bonded over a shared love of art and a huge heart for the elderly. During the pandemic, they decided to create a free online art program called Sketching with Seniors to bridge the generational gap between young people who want to share their creativity and the isolated and lonely older adults who could benefit from the stimulation and connection....

Henry L. launched his nonprofit Chess Pals when he was only 12 years old as his bar mitzvah project. Chess Pals has grown to serve hundreds of students in 9 public schools in California and 10 chapters around the country. Chess pals serves students in underresourced communities, and also creates intergenerational connections between teens and older adults. Learn more at www.chesspals.org or follow...

Twelve-year-old Peyton starting fundraising and hosting collection drives for people experiencing homelessness in her Wisconsin community when she was only seven. As we kick of the "season of giving" this week, I hope this conversation will inspire everyone to find the time to help those less fortunate to have a bright and joyful holiday season. Learn more at https://www.eyeofachild.org/ or follow...

My guest today, high school senior Ariela from Los Angeles, has a huge heart for rescue animals. In response to the Girl Scouts Gold Award initiative, Ariela created a nonprofit called Reducing Animal Stress, to help provide enrichment for shelter animals, and to help people understand that boredom and stress are triggers that cause rescue animals to act out. Providing handmade pet toys and other...

Skin health is so important. My guest today, high school senior Ellis, created DermaTeens, an international youth-led nonprofit dedicated to educating teens on skin health and promoting sun-safe habits. DermaTeens leads educational initiatives with global reach, provides access to sun protection, engages in health policy activism, and more to prevent skin cancer and promote healthy skin. Learn mor...

Have you ever wondered what happens to "dead" tennis balls, the ones that lose their bounce and are rejected by professional tennis players during their important matches? Well millions of them end up in landfills as non-compostible waste that releases methane into the environment. My guests today, tennis-playing sisters Lily and Maggie from New Jersey, started a nonprofit called Net Love to recyc...

The election is next Tuesday. My guests today, Isaac and Ranen, created an incredibly important organization called OutVote. OutVote is committed to registering and mobilizing LGBTQIA+ voters, partnering with LGBTQIA+ organizations and professionals on voter registration and mobilization efforts, and improving data collection for the LGBTQIA+ communities. Learn more at www.outvotehq.org and follow...

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, so this episode is especially important and powerful. Childhood friends Nadia and Rhea from the Chicago area have created an organization called Safe and Aware to empower women and youth, focusing on safety and well-being, recognizing that everyone has the right to feel hopeful about the future. Learn more at  https://safeandaware.blog/  and follow  @s...