Voices That Propel Us: Stories of Justice, Action, and Community

Eric Robinson spent a dozen years in Christian ministry, leaving the pulpit of his Baptist church to spend the next 24 years with the FBI, where he investigated drugs, gangs, crimes against children, and counterterrorism, among other violations. He has written a book detailing his experiences, to be published in the Fall. Want to be a guest on Voices That Propel Us: Stories of Justice, Action, and...

Genevieve works as a facilitator to social justice organizations across the power-holding spectrum, from foundations to intermediary funders to nonprofits to collaboratives and collectives. Genevieve loves art, gardening, being alive, and riding bicycles across New York City and State. She wants to live in a world where philanthropy doesn’t need to exist and people have what they need to thrive an...

Medical Meal Specialist | Private Chef | Founder, Real Medical Meals Thankfully Local Private Chefs and The Resort Chef Chuck Hayworth is a private chef and medical meal specialist recognized for delivering precision-driven nutrition through elevated, chef-crafted cuisine. As the founder of Real Medical Meals and its sister brand, Culinary Wellness Collective, Chuck bridges the gap between clinica...

Sneha Gandhi White is a passionate Empowerment Coach dedicated to helping women reconnect with their inner strength, voice, and purpose. With a deep belief in the power of healing, authenticity, and conscious growth, Sneha creates brave, inclusive spaces for individuals to unlearn limiting beliefs and step into their full potential. Drawing from her lived experience, cultural wisdom, and training...

Tara Mae Temple has over fifteen years of success in advertising, communications, and healthcare fundraising and marketing. She holds an honors Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Communications, reflecting her lifelong interest in human behavior from a sociological perspective. Tara is dedicated to finding evidence-based strategies to help people navigate life’s challenges. A nonfiction writ...

Alicia Gregory is a San Jose native currently serving as the Director of Fiscal Services at Monterey Peninsula College, following her role as Interim Vice President of Finance and Administrative Services at Cabrillo College. Her work centers on strengthening institutional operations with a focus on improving systems and reducing obstacles that can get in the way of student success. She holds both...

Allen aka The Paraclete has always been a very curious person. The most mysterious thing he has ever encountered is us Humans and the world which lives within us. Want to be a guest on Voices That Propel Us: Stories of Justice, Action, and Community? Send Danise Sugita a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1763751693205864f9876416e

Gabrielle Antolovich is the Board President, CEO of the Billy DeFrank LGBTQ+ Community Center. Founded in 1981 in response to the repeal of LGBTQ+ housing and employment protections in Santa Clara County, the Billy DeFrank Center began as a two-room storefront in downtown San Jose and quickly became a beacon of possibility for the South Bay’s LGBTQ+ community. More than four decades later, the DeF...

Matthias Biehl has spent the last eight years driving inclusion and diversity initiatives and helping organizations build healthier, more empathetic working cultures. His work focuses on how people connect across differences, address bias, and create environments where psychological safety and belonging are possible. A large part of his perspective is shaped by lived experience, not just framework...

Lourdes M. Medina is an Advocacy and Communications Associate at the Services, Immigrant Rights, and Education Network (SIREN). Based in Fresno, California, she brings a strong track record of championing immigrant rights, shaping immigration policy, and advancing community empowerment. She has been a key voice in regional and statewide efforts to expand equity, access, and justice for marginalize...

Ken Kunken broke his neck playing football for Cornell University in 1970, leaving him almost totally paralyzed from the shoulders down. After a lengthy hospitalization, Ken returned to Cornell where he completed his undergraduate degree in engineering. Ken then earned a Master of Arts degree at Cornell in education, as well as a Master of Education degree at Columbia University in psychology. Ken...

Amani Roberts,award-winning music business professor, international keynote speaker and global performer, is a renowned DJ, entrepreneur,, and USA Today’s best-selling author of “The Quiet Storm.” and “DJs Mean Business”. With over 30 years in hospitality and 17 years in the music industry, he’s worked with global brands like Marriott, 7-11, Calendly, and Chartmetric while generating millions of d...

Known as The Blind Blogger, Maxwell Ivey is a serial online entrepreneur with almost 2 decades experience educating people about the need for and benefits of improving accessibility.  He has been working with clients for 5 years including serving as the accessibility advisor to PodMatch.  He has been published in Consumer Reports, writes a regular column for PHP Architect called Barrier Free Bytes...

Maya Lilly is a producer, speaker, and climate storyteller leading The Years Project, the Emmy-winning media nonprofit redefining how the world understands climate change. With a background spanning documentary filmmaking, environmental science, and performance, Maya brings a rare blend of creative direction and scientific insight to climate communication. Her mission is bold and clear: to use sto...

Ben Zingos (he/him) is a multidisciplinary theatre artist who studied at San Francisco State University where he earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s in Theatre Arts. His main focus is working in found spaces, using an immersive design methodology he codified during his thesis work, that asks designers to find real world spaces that naturally cry out for a specific play to be brought to life in them...

Melanie Buford, Ph. D. (she/her) is a Harvard-trained author, consultant, and organizational social scientist. She is committed to making theory useful for leaders, teams, entrepreneurs, and individuals looking to make changes in their careers. She has worked for a variety of non-profits and universities, including University of Minnesota - Twin Cities , University of Cincinnati , Wesleyan Univers...

Clifford Brown graduated with honors from Whitman in Economics in 1972, having started in late 1967 but also having taken one year off between his sophomore and junior years. During that year, he worked for the Northern Pacific Railway, as a deckhand on a tugboat on the Columbia river, and as a clerk/typist on an USG oceanographic ship (of the Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA),...

Rev. Dr. Michael Woolf is the Senior Minister of Lake Street Church of Evanston and Co-Associate Regional Minister for the American Baptist Churches of Metro Chicago. A pastor, scholar, and activist, he works at the intersection of faith, justice, and interreligious solidarity. His forthcoming book, Confronting Islamophobia in the Church: Liturgical Tools for Justice (Judson Press, 2026), co-autho...

Empowering artists to create theatre that sparks social change—one performance, one audience, one ripple effect at a time. For 16 years, Jessie Fahay has been proving that theatre isn’t just entertainment—it’s a catalyst for justice. As Founder and Executive Director of Ripple Effect Artists, she has produced dozens of original productions addressing LGBTQ+ rights, racial justice, gender-based vio...

Steven Cong is a queer Chinese American emcee and a West Coast native. He found a love for rap as someone who was an "outsider" in every way during his teenage years. Music became a safe haven to share his truths and center his voice. By extension, his songs center the voices of those who are often pushed to the margins, even though our experiences and perspectives can be just as universal. Steven...

David Homan is the founder and CEO of Orchestrated Connecting, a global community of connectors; Orchestrated Opportunities, an impact-focused advisory firm; and SOAR CONNECT, a start-up focused on the strength of authentic relationships. He hosts a podcast called Orchestrated Relationships focused on developing relationship value, is an active classical composer, and is a proud father of two. Fro...

David Beckemeyer is a retired tech executive and founding CTO of EarthLink who now hosts the Outrage Overload podcast. He blends tech insight, social science, and real-world experience to help people understand polarization and find healthier ways to connect, communicate, and stay grounded in a noisy world. Want to be a guest on Voices That Propel Us: Stories of Justice, Action, and Community? Sen...

Shivani Malik was born and raised in India. She immigrated to the US to pursue her PhD and completed her training at Stanford University and University of California San Francisco. As a mirror of her own journey, she has authored The Sky is Different Here (February 17, 2026), a poignant exploration of grief, identity, and belonging that will resonate with anyone who has ever questioned their place...

Diana Colleen is a Canadian, Seattle-based psychedelic facilitator and writer whose work blends consciousness, healing, and social change. After profound transformation through psychedelic-assisted therapy, she developed a deep commitment to storytelling as a tool for challenging entrenched systems of power. Her work explores what humanity could become if empathy, contribution, and accountability...

Jenna Udenberg is a lifelong resident from the Northshore of Minnesota and is a former music educator of 19 years. She has used a manual wheelchair since the age of 8 due to Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. Jenna is a 2017 Blandin Foundation Community Leader, a 2020 Bush Fellow, and a 2025 Shannon Leadership Institute Fellow. Writing for the Lake County Press in her column, Local View from 4 foot 2,...