The Gap Minders

In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Johnny Garcia, the Impact Manager at United Way of San Diego County. At 26 years old with a degree in criminal justice and a minor in leadership development from San Diego State University, Johnny reflects on the challenges and disparities he witnessed in his community. Listen as Johnny discusses his transformative experience at...

In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by H. Puentes, the co-founder President and CEO of San Diego Squared. Puentes started as a management consultant after grad school and worked with a tech company on a university-related project. Burnt out from constant travel, Puentes took a two-year break, during which he worked with a fraternity and found a passion for guiding yo...

In an episode which features a turn of the tables, Nancy L. Sasaki interviews her co-host, the inimitable Jose Cruz, the CEO of the San Diego Council on Literacy, a model urban literacy coalition. He has 38 years of experience in the literacy field and is known for his accomplishments in supporting collaborative literacy efforts on national, statewide, regional, and local levels. He was the recipi...

In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Jasmine LeFlore, the co-founder and executive director of Greater Than Tech. Greater Than Tech is a nonprofit dedicated to fostering the next generation of innovative tech leaders, particularly focusing on girls and underserved youth by teaching them STEM and entrepreneurship. Hear about LeFlore's personal journey into aerospace...

In this excellent episode, Nancy and Charles are joined in the studio by Moises Baron, the President and CEO of the San Diego Center for Children. The center provides a wide range of mental health and educational services to children and youth with mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders, spanning ages from 4 to 22, and includes support for families. Hear Moises talks about his nine-year tenur...

In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by author Matt Quirk. Some recent highlights in Matt's career include "The Night Agent," which was adapted into a Netflix TV show, and "Inside Threat," a thriller set in the White House during a crisis. Hear Matthew discuss the intensity of writing and how it compares to a "real job." Matthew expresses his passion for writing, desp...

In an episode which features a turn of the tables, Jose Cruz interviews his co-host, the one and only Nancy Sasaki, the CEO of the United Way of San Diego County. Nancy, who has spent her entire career in the non-profit world, has been leading United Way San Diego for just over five years. During these five years, Nancy has managed to find new ways to serve San Diego, particularly communities whic...

In an episode touching upon an issue so broad and little understood, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Derek Danizger, the President of OPR Communications. But it is not this title which brought Derek to the show. It's the title called, :Father, autistic child." Derek, a life long storyteller, with dreams of being Spielberg, or a sportscaster, and who became a successful public relations...

In this excellent episode, Nancy and Alicia are joined in the studio by Dr. Ben Maxwell, the Division Chief of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at Rady Children's Hospital. Rady Children's Hospital is the largest children's hospital in California and plays a crucial role in addressing pediatric mental health. Hear Dr. Maxwell highlight the significant increase in psychiatric emergencies in recent...

In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Cathryn Nacario, CEO of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, covers San Diego and Imperial Country and has three main pillars: support, education, and advocacy for individuals affected by mental health concerns. The organization is peer-led, with staff members having live...

In yet another outstanding episode, Nancy and a guest co-host, Charles Parisi, enjoyed a broad conversation with Najla Ibrahim, the Director of Health & Wellness for Somali Family Service. Helping the many refugees from Somalia and other countries is embedded deeply in her soul, all inspired by her personal journey. Having to leave war-torn Somalia 30 years ago when she was a toddler, Najla, a...

In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Walter Philips, the CEO of San Diego Youth Services. San Diego Youth Services was founded in 1970 by John Whittemier and his wife. John, a graduate student of the Master's in Social Work program, saw the need to provide shelter to homeless youth in San Diego and opened his own home as the city's first runaway and homeless shelte...

In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Tamara Craver, the CEO of Reality Changers. Reality Changers is an organization dedicated to helping first-generation students become first-generation college graduates. Listen as Tamara explains that they primarily work with students starting in the 8th grade who often have lower GPAs. Their goal is to provide support, mentorsh...

In this episode's great conversation, Nancy and Jose are joined by Ed Becerra, the Founder of Education Begins In The Home, a non-profit started in 2015 to improve latino literacy by providing free books to familes. Eight years later, they have provided free books to over 54,000 children! Fueled by a belief that opening a book changes lives. To say the least, Ed is a man of passion and commitment....

In this episode's great conversation, Nancy and Jose are joined by Sara Boquin, the CEO of the nationally renowned Barrio Logan College Institute. BLCI has created a college readiness model that has positive, proven outcomes in enrolling students in college and helping them be successful while there. To date, 100% of BLCI students enroll in college. A statistic like that is almost impossible to ac...

In this special episode celebrating books, Nancy and Jose are joined by Dorcy Rose, the Manager of Events & Programming, and Fiona Leung, the Director of Events, for the San Diego Union- Tribune. Dorcy and Fiona joined the show to discuss the upcoming Festival of Books on August 19th at the University of San Diego. During the episode you'll hear about the over 80 local and national authors app...

In another excellent episode focused on food insecurity, Nancy and Jose are joined by Vince Hall, the Chief Government Relations Officer for Feeding America. As Chief Government Relations Officer, Vince Hall leads the development and execution of Feeding America’s public policy, legislative and advocacy strategies to empower communities and improve food security. He helps lead efforts to end hunge...

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...