Causepods

In this episode, we are talking with Effie Parks, creator and host of Once Upon A Gene. As a parent of a child with special needs, Effie’s cause is to help other families navigate their new realities by sharing stories, creating a community of support.After months of doctor’s visits and tests, Effie shares the emotional road to her son’s rare genetic syndrome diagnosis, CTNNB1. Effie goes into detail about what CTNNB1 is, what the symptoms are and how it can be different in each case.As Effie tried to navigate her new reality, she found herself feeling isolated, scared, and not able to relate to friends with children who didn’t have the same challenges. After searching for some guidance in her journey, Effie found podcasts that became a lifeline, helping her to realize she was not alone. It was then that Effie knew she wanted to help create more of this content in the form of a podcast to help others know that they are not alone.As our conversation goes on, Effie describes the impact she’s seen sinc

During these trying times, it’s great to see companies step up and offer positive solutions to a crisis. One of the first headlines I saw in the podcasting space was when Podnews reported that Buzzsprout was giving away free Pro podcast accounts for educational, government, and research groups aiding in the spread of reliable information about COVID-19. To understand why they made this decision and what it means for you, we are joined by Alban Brooke, head of Marketing for Buzzsprout. Thanks for Listening!Be sure to subscribe on Apple, Google, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. And feel free to drop us a line at mathew@causepods.org.Follow Mathew on Social Media to stay up to date on Causepods - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedInFor help, resources, and community support, please join the Causepods Facebook Group if you are already producing podcasts for a cause or are thinking about launching one.And if you would like t

Today, we talk with Al Levin, creator and host of The Depression Files podcast. On his podcast, Al touches on the topics of mental health and depression, but more specifically as it relates to men. While working as an assistant principal, Al went through two major bouts of depression. The second was severe enough for Al to check himself into a partial hospitalization program for 3 weeks. He goes on to give sound advice on warning signs and what to look for when dealing with stress and depression.Al shares his personal story of depression on every level, from initially recognizing there was a problem, to hitting bottom and seeking help. He speaks candidly about how he dealt with feelings of shame while treating his depression. But stresses the importance to seek help when you need it.The discussion pivots and Al talks about why he decided to start a podcast while at a conference and how it evolved.We also talk about the charity he is promoting: Face it Foundation. He explains how the organization was

Joining us on the show today, we have Ellen Weatherford, the creator of Just the Zoo of Us Podcast. Along with her husband, Christian, Ellen’s focus is to educate people on topics relating to wildlife, threats to endangered species and biodiversity, threats posed by invasive species, and what we can do to help.Ellen starts by recounting the story of how the amazing name for her podcast came about. From there she explains the layout of her creative show. Ellen and Christian research a different animal for each show and give them a rating out of 10 in each of the following categories: effectiveness, ingenuity, and aesthetics.The topic of her podcast seemed like a natural choice. Ellen’s love for animals is deeply ingrained, from her first job working at a pet store, studying to be a zoologist in college, to exploring her talents as a nature and animal photographer and artist. Ellen goes on to explain that in every episode, she and Christian includes each animal’s conservation status, factors

Today on the show we have Alina Boyte, the creator of The Heart Centered Life Podcast. Alina is committed to being a social entrepreneur, encouraging others to live a more heart centered life and in turn creating a positive change in our world. Her company partners with people with the same commitment.Trained as a law professor, Alina realized through her years of research that if we want to see social change in the world, the answer will not come from laws and regulations. We discuss how most corporations are motivated by the bottom line and are not concerned with their impact on the environment and our communities. As a result, we’ve seen a growth of social entrepreneurs who are more socially and environmentally conscious.Alina goes on to explain the difference between corporations whose mission it is to make a social impact and corporations who are more concerned about their profits and make smaller efforts towards helping those in need.Our discussion transitions to thoughts on how to start

The issue of homelessness is one that is gaining more and more attention in mainstream media but not something that we have touched on here at Causepods yet. Today we are joined by Russell Clair to talk about his new podcast called the Homeless Podcast, in which he interviews and shares the stories of people who are currently living on the street for a variety of reasons. Russell's goal with the show is to share the lives of people who are so often forgotten and ignored.Russell emphasizes the common desire of his guests to just be heard and treated like any other human being. The different reasons that people end up without a physical home might come as a surprise to certain listeners and it was only by asking and taking an interest that Russell learned certain things and realized certain truths. These are the things he thinks are worth sharing with the world and he hopes to get out to a larger audience.The love of podcasting has been in Russell for some time now and it suddenly clicked when he saw the need f

Our guest today is Jason Jacobs, host of the podcast, My Climate Journey. Jason led a long career as the (former) Co-Founder and CEO of the popular fitness app, Runkeeper (acquired by ASICS). Like many of us, Jason always had a strong conviction to care for the environment and after his app was sold, he decided he wanted to do more, but didn’t know how. So, he began making his private climate journey public and soon enough, My Climate Journey emerged. As you can tell by the podcast name, Jason’s cause is all about his evolution of getting into the fight to help save the environment, help save the planet, and help make for a better world for the next generation and beyond. What started out a newsletter to a few friends, the My Climate Journey podcast has grown into a thriving community with a strong ethos of collaboration, ambition, determination, and optimism around climate change. Often times, many people care about the climate and want to make a difference, but don’t know where to start! According

Today on the show we have Brian Dunning, the creator of the Skeptoid podcast, join us to talk about their non-profit mission and, more specifically, the evolution of their podcast. What started in 2006 as a hobby soon developed into a serious source of information that quickly gained considerable traction from teachers. Brian started hearing how educators were using their podcast to facilitate learning in the classroom, which inspired him to get more scientific and formal in his approach. Their aim over at Skeptoid is to provide quality edutainment that is based on facts and science and that people of any age can enjoy and learn a great deal from. In addition to providing interesting content for the classroom, they also reach the general public with their podcast, covering popular topics such as UFO stories, global warming, and electric cars. But Skeptoid is not only about the podcast; they also do speaker series, produce documentary films and other educational content, and have a lot of exciting projects in

The journey a person who suffers from bipolar disorder inevitably has with the condition is a challenging one. Diagnosis can often be postponed until late in life because telltale behaviors get mistaken as symptoms of different root causes. Our guest on the show today is Dawn Sherine Bernard, and while she knew from a young age that her mental health was not optimal, she was only finally diagnosed at age 40. The lessons she learned from the battle she fought have inspired her to start a podcast called Dancing with Bipolar, and today she joins us to speak more about it.Dawn never had the privilege of a medical aid and so even scheduling a meeting to get a diagnosis was riddled by obstructions for her. She ended up having to fake a suicide attempt just so that she could get admitted and finally see a healthcare provider.Joining this episode, you will hear Dawn share her experiences living with bipolar disorder and how these have taken her to a place where she felt a calling to become a voice on the matter throu

Rhys Mathews created the podcast Queer Margins to give a voice to members of the LGBTQ+ community who are rarely heard from. In its first series of the podcast, Rhys interviewed Old Queens to hear their stories and experiences. The result has been a catalyst for connecting members of the LGBTQ+ community of different ages as well as giving deeper context to the changes in the political landscape.In this episode, Mathew discusses how Rhys developed the idea for the podcast and the challenges of launching a show without a previous track record. There were times when potential guests were critical and unsure if they should participate in his show.  Sometimes because they were suspicious of his motives or simply because guests were unfamiliar with podcasting as a communication medium.We discuss how Rhys overcame these challenges and the positive benefits that have come from being able to share these stories with a wider audience. Finally, we discuss the benefits of podcasting as a medium to hear personal

Dave Gardner is the director of the documentary, GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth and host of the GrowthBusters podcast which is a part of GrowthBusters project, which promotes sustainable living (perpetual growth in the scale of the human enterprise is physically impossible, and our pursuit of continued growth of our economy and human population is stressing and injuring Earth\'s life-supporting ecosystems). Project began as a documentary (GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth) released in 2011.Key TopicsIntroducing Dave Gardner and his podcast. [00:47]How Dave got into his work on sustainable living [01:12]The reason behind why Dave started a podcast after producing his documentary [03:54]Advantages of audio in conveying a message [05:45]Unique experiences and challenges that Dave encountered in the beginning [07:15]Dave’s advice for cause-based podcast who wants to reach out to community radio stations [11:12]Challenge with radio series [14:21]Dave’s radio special and reusing of content [16:38]Citizen Powere

You may have recently found out you are celiacs, gluten intolerant or have an allergy to gluten. You may be feeling frustrated, sad or even depressed that gluten can no longer be a part of your life! When Elikqitie first found out that she wasn't able to eat gluten, she felt like my life was over, that she couldn't eat anything and that enjoying going out to eat was a thing of the past.After months of research and gathering the right tools and information, Elikqitie figured out how to enjoy life again! Knowing what to eat, how to eat out and feeling safe when you travel. She knows how it feels to wonder if you are going to end up getting sick on vacation.Elikqitie found her calling for health and wellness after having her first daughter 23 years ago. She entered the health and wellness field as a Breastfeeding Counselor with La Leche League, working with other moms to give them support to successfully breastfeed their newborn babies.Fast forward to 2015...Elikqitie decided to try the Adrenal Fatigue diet. Whi

In this episode I sit down with Ricky Pallay, Operations Manager for the F5 Project a non profit set up to help coordinate services and provide personal support in order to deter repeat offenses. He got involved with F5 to keep himself accountable for recovery from his gambling addiction, he was at rock bottom with nothing left when he decided to get his life right. He is coming from a place that a lot of these inmates are, he finds that it is easy for them to relate to him.They started the podcast Eat.Sleep.HUSTLE.Repeat, to let as many people as possible know about the issues inmates face once they are released. “If we are able to provide continued support when they leave confinement, we have a greater chance of positively impacting their lives”. The F5 Project was started in 2016 by Adam Martin a 5 time felon that decided to turn his life around and by doing that help others. He is working to change the lives of inmates while they are still in confinement and prepare them to break the cycle once they

What is The Power Project Podcast? The Power Project is a platform and online community created by Brandi Voth to build awareness of the issue of human trafficking. Brandi interviews survivors and soldiers in the fight against human trafficking, in hopes to inspire women to lead purposeful lives and take back their god-given power. Origins of The Power Project As an entrepreneur, Brandi was working with a team of women who were training women to build sales teams for a skincare franchise. She encountered a lot of women with limited mind sets -- women who had given up on their ability to achieve their hopes and dreams. At the same time, Brandi was getting involved in the fight against human trafficking. In that community, she met some incredible people doing massive things for the cause. She also met trafficking survivors who, despite having lived through horrific situations, were able to find strength and take the steps towards a successful second chance at life.Brandi recognized that the two worlds could ben

What is the Mo Sybil Show? The More Sibyl Podcast show is a platform born out of a place of growth and struggle for Blacks and Asians, and those who care about and love them. Mo looks at cultural issues that are important to Blacks and Asians including acculturation problems, travels, preserving cultural values, the relationships between African Americans and West Africans, developing resilience, using emotional support, mental health issues, surviving graduate school, and so much more! As a Nigerian born-US educated-Korean speaking-struggling intellectual, the podcast is an homage to the different struggles and growing pains and success stories that Mo has encountered since she came to America eight years ago.Building CommunityMo’s goal is to build community and make the world a smaller place, and the response from the African and Korean communities to Mo’s podcast has been great. She is often asked why she cares so much about Korea. She’s Nigerian! Why does she care about Korea?Korea is a second culture for

Our guest this episode is Jenna Spinelle, she is the host and producer for Democracy Works a podcast that is dedicated to bipartisan discussions about important issues like democracy. With the last presidential election, there seemed to be a renewed interest in discussing democracy, people wanting to be more informed about what it meant to live in a democracy. There were a lot of books being written but not a lot of conversations happening in the podcast space so they took a chance. They knew they wanted to start a podcast but none of them knew how to get it started. WPSU Radio, a local public radio station wanted to partner with them which worked out great. They now have an arrangement where their show has a dedicated place on WPSU’s website, Jenna does promo’s for the podcast that air on the radio and some of the interviews they do end up on the radio as well. They take pride in the fact that what they put out on the podcast has led to many comments letting them know that people are listening and thinking

In today's episode we are talking to Sandy Joy Weston she is the author of Train Your Head & Your Body Will Follow and the host of the podcast Let’s Keep It Real. Her podcast is all about hearing from amazing people around the world who are making a positive impact and spreading joy. She has been fortunate enough to be able to travel the world and do speaking engagements. The people she talked to had stories that she wanted to tell so she decided to do a podcast to talk about their positivity and strength and give voice to what they were trying to accomplish. Her career started when she opened her in-home private training company then went on to own three health clubs over thirty years. She was always interested in mental health as much as physical well-being, her main mission was to show clients that they were awesome and worthy right where they were. Her goal was to get people to spend a few minutes every day to get into a positive headspace, because what you think really matters. She now travels the w

In today’s episode, I sit down with Beth O’Connor, Executive Director of the Virginia Rural Health Association. She has a degree in Health Education and has worked diligently for the last 13 years to focus on healthcare in rural America. When talking about rural health there are many different aspects to consider, from how hospitals and clinics run, to getting transportation to people who need it, to the opioid crisis, and obesity the list is seemingly endless. Starting a podcast wasn’t on Beth’s radar. In fact, she’d never really listened to podcasts. Once she started researching the platform as a marketing tool, she realized that she could spark conversation about this very important topic. So she applied for a grant, received seed money, and started her podcast thanks to the National Rural Health Association. She now has over 12 episodes under her belt and has interviewed the keynote speakers from the Annual Education Conference hosted by the Virginia Rural Health Association. She has also interviewed sta

Simma Lieberman remembers bits and pieces from that iconic day in Washington, D.C. She was young, and faintly recalls Martin Luther King giving his world-famous speech, “I Have a Dream”. But what she remembers most about that day are the people. People from different families, different backgrounds, all united by the shared belief that equality is integral to a better life for all people. She knew then that she wanted to devote her life to this cause. Starting her work in New York, Simma was first trained in facilitating dialogue between diverse cultural groups. Eventually she parlayed the knowledge she gained there into work as a “diversity and inclusion/culture change consultant”. In the time since, she has worked as a consultant for Fortune 500 companies and written several books on the topic. Despite her decades of experience, Simma still remains curious. “The best thing for me is when I learn something I didn’t know,” Simma says of conversations with her pocast guests. While Simma has always enjoyed the

One could say Dr. Richard Shuster has lived many lifetimes. A successful tech consultant in his 20’s, Richard thought he had it all – cool car, cool toys, vacations to Europe. He didn’t mind the fact that he made a lot of money and spent it on himself. Richard might very well have grown into an even wealthier bachelor, living a comfortable life on his own terms. But all that changed the day he was in a car accident that nearly left him lifeless. Self-described as a near death experience, Richard says that in the mere three seconds he saw the end of his life approaching, the emotion he was overcome with was guilt. Guilt that his parents would be left without a son, and guilt for the fact that, despite growing a successful company, he had never sought much beyond that. With the desire to make a humanitarian impact in mind, Richard forayed his IT work into internet safety, gaining a Master’s Degree in social work and eventually a Doctorate in clinical psychology. The Daily Helping Podcast was born along the way.