True Stories of Good People

Schendy Kernizan grew up in a small village in Haiti. He loved it there but had to travel miles away to attend school, and many of his peers did not have the same opportunities. After growing up and becoming the co-director of MIT's self-assembly lab, he wanted to figure out a way to give back. 

Matt Nelson is the face behind the wildly popular Twitter account @dog_rates, which rates photos of dogs on a scale of 1 - 10 (spoiler alert, they always get more than 10). Matt has found a way to use his incredible online community to make a huge impact for dogs & families in need. 

When Jason Parker's beloved dog Gunnar was hit by a truck & lost the use of his back legs, the community came together to support them. This act of kindness inspired Jason to give back & he did so in a big way. Hear the incredible story of what Jason has built, and all od the dogs & families he's been able to help.

Molly Wogan started the PAWS Project when she was just 13 years old. Now, two years later, she has helped hundreds of dogs find their forever homes and is quickly becoming an expert in the animal rescue field.

When Todd Oldfield found out that Wendall Gill, a sweet 85-year-old man who worked at the local Lexington McDonalds for 40 years, had recently lost the love of his life, Todd knew he had to do something to help. He started off with a modest goal of helping Wendall pay off his car. What ended up happening changed both of their lives. 

Have you ever had that feeling that maybe you're supposed to be on a different path in life, but you didn't know exactly what to do about it? Our guests today had that exact same feeling, but they did something drastic - they both walked into work and quit their jobs to search for what that new path might be, and it ended up becoming something bigger than they ever dreamed.

February 14th, 2019, marks exactly one year since the horrible shooting took place at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which killed 17 students and staff members, and injured 17 others. It remains the deadliest high school shooting in United States history. Many family members who lost loved ones that day have spent the past year fighting for change. On this episode, we a...

Mallory Brown is a self-described impact storyteller and travels all over the world meeting amazing people and helping to tell their stories. Her new project, "Walk a Mile" will take her to 26 locations around the globe where she'll amplify the stories of hardworking women, and partner with local charities to raise awareness and support. Hear about miles 1 and 2 on the podcast, and find out why th...

Liam Hannon is an 11-year-old boy who has impacted his community in a profound way. He started a program called "Liam's Lunches of Love", which works to hand out free lunches to the homeless individuals in the city of Cambridge. What started out of a little garden wagon has now grown into an impressive operation, serving thousands of meals to those in need.

Hear a teaser episode for Season 2 of True Stories of Good People, full episodes out February 7th.

When Glenn O'Neill's beautiful daughter, Eliza, was diagnosed with Sanfilippo Syndrome at the young age of 4, he and his wife were devastated. They discovered that there was a gene therapy trial that had been underway for over a decade that might help Eliza, but no funding available for a clinical trial. So, he launched a campaign to raise the money himself, with a goal that seemed nearly impossib...

Taylor Richardson might only be 14 years old, but she has accomplished so much. Aside from training to be an astronaut, she is also a fierce advocate for representation for girls, and particularly girls of color in the STEM field. With the help of her mom, Toni, she launched an effort to help girls realize their dreams in a very impactful way.

One afternoon, Aeric McCoy found a designer purse in an alleyway. He was homeless at the time and addicted to heroin - but a voice told him that he should do the right thing and find the purse's owner. He set off across town on an impossible mission, but had no idea that that day would change his life forever, in more ways than one.

Zavion Johnson was wrongly convicted of a crime he did not commit at the age of 19, and spent the next 16 years in prison. But thanks to the incredible work of the Northern California Innocence Project, he was exonerated in December 2017, and now has a second chance at life.

14-year-old Donovan Smith and his mother, Casey, lived in homelessness for a time, and ran into a lot of hardships. After landing in Albuquerque and getting back on their feet, Donovan starting learning how to make soaps. Little did he know that his budding business would grow into something much larger than he or Casey ever expected.

When Cody Harris saw images of hate and violence start to surface from the alt-right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in August 2017, he was horrified. He wanted to take action in a way that would send a powerful message - so he turned to humor.

Jeff Lew is just a regular dad, but his actions are extraordinary. He noticed an injustice happening in his his son's school, and decided to do something about it, even though it wasn't affecting his son directly. His one small action led to a nationwide trend of others getting involved, and ended up making a huge impact for families in need.

When Sophia Chang stopped at the corner of Sutter and Market in downtown San Francisco for a shoe shine, she had no idea that the kind man running the stand would end up playing a significant role in her life - and vice versa.

Most people know actor Sean Astin from his many lovable roles in film and TV - from Samwise Gamgee in Lord of the Rings, to Mikey Walsh in The Goonies, to Bob in Stranger Things. But when he's not creating memorable characters for viewers to enjoy, he's focusing on another one of his life's passions: running. And, a few years ago, he developed an after-school program that can have a profound effec...

One night, Ricky Mena was visited by his late grandmother in a dream, and she showed him his future: visiting sick children in the hospital while dressed as a superhero. When he woke up, he began Googling Spider-Man costumes... and the rest is history.

When twenty-something Chris Salvatore moved in across the hall from an elderly woman named Norma, he had no idea that she would quickly become one of his closest friends. The story that followed is one of commitment, bravery, and unbreakable friendship.

Khloe Thompson is not only the founder of her own nonprofit organization, a seasoned public speaker, and a visionary forward-thinker... she's also only 10 years old.