The Illuminate Podcast

Can you imagine going to school with no electricity? Or quitting your job at Google to move to Uganda?  Today’s guest took a sabbatical from working for Google in ads sales to move to Uganda and had a vision to bring light to rural communities without electricity. Jay Patel is social entrepreneur who co-founded two startups: Enlight Institute, which provides solar recruitment, training, and a...

Adrianne Haslet just completed the Boston Marathon! Adrianne is a Boston bombing survivor and has had an incredible journey to get to the start line of the 2022 Boston Marathon healthy. Though she lost her leg in the bombing she set out with determination and perseverance to one day complete the Boston Marathon. This was her second time completing the race but the first time completing it with a f...

Your eyes really are the window to the soul…and your overall health…and this episode explains why! Join passionate eye-care specialist, Optometrist, Dr. Erika Morrow as we talk all things eye health.  In this conversation, you’ll learn how your eyes can give you clues for bigger health issues as well as how to take care of your eyes after hours in the sun or in front of computers. Having issues wi...

Shiri Reuveni-Ullrich is the founder of Rising Above Bakery in New York. Shiri is a speech therapist and an avid baker and noticed the dramatic effect that baking cookies had on her nonverbal, autistic young adult students. The kitchen filled with chatter, singing, laughter, and verbalizing as students became more comfortable with the work. At that moment, she knew that a bakery must be created to...

Let’s celebrate Women’s History Month by highlighting a woman-owned business, Third Monday in April and creator Amie Kurian.  Amie is the Founder and Designer of Third Monday in April, which is an online run shop created to spread the joy of running and grounded in the belief that running should be a path open to all. She proudly claims her company seeks to put “equality running gear into the...

Hey friends!! Today we are re-airing our very first episode. If you missed this episode or haven’t listened in awhile I assure you that it will drum up some inspiration for your day today! We hope you enjoy this re-air with social entrepreneur George Srour! George Srour is the Chief Dreamer for Building Tomorrow, a non-profit organization bringing access to inclusive, transformative educatio...

How you can find good reviewers online for any product you’re thinking about buying?  This episode shares the story of Drew Whitcomb, cofounder of WearTesters, a leading shoe, apparel and sporting goods review website and YouTube channel. Before WearTesters, Drew worked in sales and marketing at various startups, PayPal and General Mills.  In this conversation, we talk about how to...

Kalela Williams is the Director of Writing at Mighty Writers. Mighty Writers is a nonprofit organization where they work with more than 3,500 kids annually to write with clarity. All of their programs are free to the kids that they serve. Kalela has worked with non-profits for more than a decade, instituting literary, artistic, cultural and civic engagement programs for organizations such as Virgi...

Sarah Lacey is the founder of Linking Indy Women which is an amazing community and networking group where each month men and women gather to hear inspiring women in business around the city share the story. You leave all of these events feeling connection, encouragement, having advice and strategy and most importantly you leave inspired.  Sarah is also the mother of four, she works full time...

Molly Lieberman is the Founder and Executive Director of Loop It Up Savannah, a community arts and enrichment non-profit which provides art, STEAM, yoga and mindfulness, gardening, cooking, and other enrichment workshops and experiences to children and families throughout Chatham County. Loop it Up programs give young people opportunities to explore and express who they are, both as individuals an...

Composer, conductor, equity coach, and nonprofit strategist committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging – meet this week’s guest and Black History Month episode, Arreon A. Harley-Emerson. Mr. Harley-Emerson is the Director of Music and Operations of the Choir School of Delaware where he is responsible for the musical components of the renowned Choir School program as well as the...

Sara Miller is an education advocate and has spent the majority of her career serving high school kids as they apply to college. She worked in the admissions department for Purdue University for five years before shifting to working for a tutoring company. She now works for Green Halo Scholars and that tutoring company is one of the community partners for the nonprofit organization! Sara now serve...

Brittani Hunt is the Co-Founder and Creative Director for HerSpace Co. HerSpace Co. is a lifestyle brand for the modern woman who desires to live and evolve intentionally. They create a beautiful annual planner called the Layered Living Planner. It is a tool designed to challenge the modern woman to make her whole self – her layers – a priority. Brittani shared in this episode about se...

Show notes Today’s guest is Jane Houng. Jane is an author, classically trained viola player, former teacher, and most of all mother-determined to build her daughter’s legacy. Jane’s daughter was murdered while working as a humanitarian in Lebanon in 2017. Through this unimaginable tragedy Jane decided to build her daughter’s legacy and continue her work to give back to refu...

What better time than the start of a new year than on some personal development! In this episode, speaker, trainer, facilitator, coach, and author/poet, Carrie Addington, shares the four skills of “Daring Facilitation” based on Brene Brown’s Daring Leadership.  As we explore vulnerability, values, trust, and failure related to facilitation, life, and work, we get the opportunity to really def...

Today’s guest is Neelab Yousafzai. Neelab was born in Afghanistan and shares what life was like under the Taliban rule for her family and as a woman. Neelab and her family (which includes 6 kids!) fled the Taliban, eventually making their way to the US. She shares of the harrowing journey, not only of escaping Afghanistan, but it what it was like to end up in a new country, with nothing and no fam...

Becca Stevens is an author, speaker, priest, social entrepreneur, and mom of three boys. After experiencing the death of her father and subsequent child abuse when she was five, Becca opened a residential community, which offers women survivors of trafficking, prostitution, and addiction the time, space home and community they need to heal. She founded Thistle Farms , which is a social enterprise...

Katherine Furman is a writer and editor. She co-founded Tandem Books, a publishing studio, where she was the editorial director. She has recently moved away from that space to focus more on writing and is currently writing a novel. She has published several journals, including The Gratitude Journal for Women and Progress Not Perfection. In this episode, we talk about her journey as an entrepreneur...

Ready to talk about Dr. Maya Angelou, Ben and Jerry’s, and Patagonia all in one dynamite conversation? In this conversation with Rachelle Kuramoto, a brand and content guru who is committed to “bring out the best in other people” through brand development, innovation, and leadership, we explore how to tell your story, why it is important, and how it ties to purpose-led branding and skill-based vol...

Hi friends! In this episode of the Illuminate Podcast your hosts are bringing you a book club discussion on the book “ Educated ” by Tara Westover. We are really excited to bring you this monthly book club series that will be published on our new patreon page and wanted to give you a taste of it here first! To learn more about supporting our show on patreon you can head over to patreon...

In 2016, Ellie’s world was forever changed when her daughter was born without the chromosomal disorder doctors had told her to expect. When her second daughter was 6 months old, Ellie and her husband began the adoption process to adopt a child with Down syndrome. A little while later, they adopted their son, Finn, who has Down syndrome. Ellie now has written the children’s book, Image Bearer which...

Dr. JB is a board-certified emergency medicine physician who recently started Hope4Med , a private membership company to combat burnout among healthcare professionals. Through her YouTube channel and podcast , she seeks to educate anyone who has visited or may visit an emergency room for themselves or a loved one – helping to illuminate the lives of others during particularly difficult times...

Make-A-Wish Georgia grants life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. As the Southeast Development Director, today’s guest, Meghan Lowe, is responsible for fundraising, relationship building, and assisting with wish-granting in the Chatham, Effingham, and Bryan Counties.  In this episode, you will learn more about the Make-a-Wish mission and how you can help their cause, but also h...

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Pam Ahern is the founder and director of Edgar’s Mission. Edgar’s Mission Farm Sanctuary is a not-for-profit farm sanctuary in Australia. Pam is a lifelong animal lover and started the sanctuary in 2003, starting with her first rescue animal – Edgar Alan Pig. From there, the sanctuary grew as Pam created outreach and education programs.  In this episode, Pam shares all about how Edgar’s Miss...