Mission Forward with Carrie Fox

Resilience as a Muscle and a Mindset with Phil Weinberg

TruStory FM — Thu, 07 May 2026 03:00:00 -0700

Every generation inherits a story about how people move up in the world. Go to college, the story goes. Get the degree. Climb. It's a story that has shaped policy and philanthropy for three generations running, and for tens of millions of Americans, the story does not describe reality. What remains is a gap. Not a talent gap, as this week's guest is careful to distinguish, but an opportunity gap.

Two populations standing on opposite sides of a chasm, motivated people looking for a path, and employers who cannot find workers. This chasm is not bridged by ambition alone. It has to be built.

Phil Weinberg has spent fourteen years at STRIVE building exactly that kind of bridge, and what makes his account worth hearing is the architecture underneath it. This week, Carrie Fox talks with Weinberg about what it takes to grow a nonprofit through three successive crises without losing the thread, why he draws a sharp line between individual resilience and the organizational kind, and how the conventional wisdom American philanthropy has held about nonprofit overhead may have had it backwards the whole time.

It's a conversation about consistency as a form of leadership, about the unglamorous decisions that compound into durable institutions, and about what happens when an organization stops apologizing for the infrastructure that makes its mission possible.

This week also marks the debut of a new recurring segment on Mission Forward: Research Briefs, a short conversation tucked into the end of each episode for the next three months, featuring Mission Partners' Researcher in Residence Matt Price. In each brief, Matt connects the themes of the week's conversation to what the latest data is telling us about the field. This first installment puts Phil Weinberg's reflections in context with new Gallup data on how American workers are feeling about the job market — and what the numbers reveal about resilience, leadership, and the gap between struggling and thriving. Stay tuned at the end of the episode.

Links & Notes

STRIVE
STRIVE's Story (40-year history, founded in East Harlem, 1984)
STRIVE Programs (Career Path, Future Leaders, Fresh Start)
STRIVE Network (directly operated sites in Atlanta, Birmingham, New Orleans, and New York, plus affiliate partners)
Phil Weinberg on LinkedIn
Mission Partners' 2026 Insights on Purpose™ Report
Matt Price, Researcher in Residence at Mission Partners
Gallup: U.S. Worker Thriving Declines as Job Market Pessimism Grows (March 2026 release)
BDO's Ninth Annual Nonprofit Standards Benchmarking Report

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(03:09) - Leading through Turbulence
(06:32) - Building Resilience Across the Team
(12:42) - The Non-Profit Business
(21:34) - Demand versus Capacity
(30:49) - Research Briefs

How to Respond in Times of Uncertainty with Amanda Kwong + Part 2: Key Takeaways

TruStory FM — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 03:00:00 -0700

In this week's reflection, Carrie draws out three lessons from her conversation with Amanda Kwong, director of the Public Health Communications Collaborative. The throughline: when your goal is building trust, the words you choose — and the ones you're willing to let go of — matter more than most of us realize. It's a short but worth-your-time listen before you head into your week.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(00:40) - Changing Words Does Not Mean Changing Values
(01:36) - Plain Language is NOT Dumbing Down
(02:33) - Trust is Cumulative

How to Respond in Times of Uncertainty with Amanda Kwong

TruStory FM — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 03:00:00 -0700

There's a version of this conversation that could feel heavy — a public health communications director navigating a moment when national guidance has gone quiet, trust in federal institutions is eroding, and the very words her organization was built around have become politically radioactive. That version exists. But it's not the one Amanda Kwong, from the Public Health Communications Collaborative (PHCC), shows up to tell this week.

In this conversation, Amanda shares the philosophy that powers PHCC, the initiative Amanda directs, which has grown to a community of 40,000 health communicators across the country. Together, Carrie and Amanda examine why the communicators doing the most important work right now aren't the ones broadcasting the loudest. In fact, they are the ones listening the most carefully.

This episode provides a framework to evaluate whether the language you're using is still doing what you think it's doing. Words shift. Culture moves. A phrase that once built credibility can quietly become a barrier, and the communicators who don't notice are the ones who lose their audience without ever knowing why.

As Amanda reminds us, the organizations that will come out of this moment with their credibility intact are the ones that kept asking the harder questions. They didn’t continue asking “what do we say?” but instead asked, “What does this actually mean to the person we're trying to reach?”

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(02:21) - Introducing PHCC
(13:33) - Making the Complex Approachable
(18:08) - Resources found at PublicHealthCollaborative.org
(22:13) - Dancing Apolitically
(31:19) - Finding the Good, Celebrating the Hope

Leading Beyond Resilience with Tonia Wellons + Part 2: Key Takeaways

TruStory FM — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 03:00:00 -0700

Tonia Wellons became president and CEO of the Greater Washington Community Foundation thirty days before COVID-19 shut down the world — and her first major move was to build a ten-year strategic framework.

Not because the future was predictable. Because it wasn't. A plan, she understood, is not a forecast. It is a fixed point, and fixed points are most valuable when everything else is in motion.

Six years later, 100% of her staff report clarity on the organization's mission; six years earlier, that number was 39%. The lesson Carrie draws from Tonia's leadership runs deeper than planning: resilience is not a reserve you stockpile — it lives in the relationships you build, in the honest conversations between funders and partners that no grant agreement can manufacture. And holding steady, Tonia proves, is not the same as standing still.

In this week's reflection, Carrie revisits three lessons from her conversation with Tonia that every leader navigating sustained uncertainty needs to hear. Learn more about the Greater Washington Community Foundation.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward

Leading Beyond Resilience with Tonia Wellons

TruStory FM — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 03:00:00 -0800

In a recent staff survey at the Greater Washington Community Foundation, 100 percent of employees said they were clear on the organization's mission and vision.

Six years ago, that number was 39 percent.

That gap is what happens when an organization decides, at the height of a pandemic, to stop thinking in three-year cycles and commit to a ten-year framework instead. Tonia Wellons was thirty days into her role as president and CEO when COVID hit — canceling a 600-person gala, sending staff home, building a crisis response from scratch. And then, as the uncertainty stretched on, she and her board planned further out, not less. Because the plan isn't a prediction. It's a fixed point. And fixed points are most valuable when everything else is moving.

What's moving right now is almost everything. In 2020, the crisis had a shape — federal resources flowing outward, community energy concentrating around visible needs. Now the disruption comes from a different direction. What Wellons calls "dispersed energy" has replaced collective momentum: people still care, but without a center of gravity, that care is very hard to organize — and very hard to sustain.

Nonprofit leaders are resilient by training. But resilience and endurance are different capacities. Over ten consecutive years of crisis, the sector has been asked to sustain both, and the cumulative cost is real. Boards that aren't actively asking how to lighten that load are going to lose people — not in a single wave, but in quiet rolling exits. Some of those, Wellons is careful to note, are the right response. A thoughtful departure or sabbatical isn't failure. It's a sector populated by human beings.

The same honesty shapes how she talks about the foundation-nonprofit relationship. The power dynamic is real, she says. But the way through it is relational, not structural — funders explaining why they stopped doing something, nonprofits naming the blind spots that foundations can't see from where they sit. The alignment the sector keeps reaching for will arrive person to person, or not at all.

Last fiscal year, the Greater Washington Community Foundation granted approximately $70 million — a record — while donor giving and national philanthropic support both reached new highs. None of it happened because the environment got easier. It happened because the foundation had a fixed point, and a leader who understood that holding steady and standing still are not the same thing.

Links & Notes

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:22) - Introducing Tonia Wellons and the Greater Washington Community Foundation
(08:12) - Making Room for Planning
(13:52) - On Resilience
(28:04) - A Spotlight on the Good

Insights on Purpose + Part 2: Key Takeaways

TruStory FM — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 03:00:00 -0800

Something we've learned about good conversations is that they don't end when the recording stops. The best ones keep working on you — in the car, in the shower, in the middle of a meeting about something else entirely. That's the idea behind this episode, and behind a new format we're trying this season. After each full-length interview, Carrie is coming back with a shorter solo reflection — a chance to sit with the conversation, pull out what matters most, and share what's still turning in her mind. Think of it as a companion piece. The interview gives you the full picture. This gives you the underlines.

And there's a lot worth underlining from the season 12 premiere. In that episode, Carrie sat down with Stacy Palmer of the Chronicle of Philanthropy and Brian Fox of Mission Partners to dig into the 2026 Insights on Purpose™ report, a national study drawing on more than 400 nonprofit and foundation leaders. The findings are striking, and Carrie walks through the ones she can't stop thinking about.

What comes through most clearly in this reflection is something Stacy and Brian both named in the original conversation: that reports like this only matter if they spark real dialogue. Carrie closes by offering two questions for leaders to carry into their week.

Where do you need fresh creativity? And...
Who do you need to invite into the conversation?

They sound simple. They're not. And that's the point.

If you haven't listened to the full interview with Stacy Palmer and Brian Fox, start there. Then come back to this one. The two episodes are designed to work together — the conversation and the reflection, side by side.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward

Insights on Purpose with Stacy Palmer and Brian Fox

TruStory FM — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 03:00:00 -0800

What if the defining feature of nonprofit leadership right now isn’t burnout or bravery, but a kind of double vision—an ability to stare straight at worsening conditions and still believe, perhaps stubbornly, that impact can grow?

As we launch season twelve of Mission Forward, Carrie Fox sits down with Stacy Palmer (CEO of the Chronicle of Philanthropy) and Brian Fox (Chief Strategy Officer of Mission Partners) to unpack the 2026 Insights on Purpose™ Report, built from interviews and a national survey of nonprofit and foundation leaders.

The numbers land with a thud: nearly everyone says the environment is harder than it was a year ago, and yet large majorities still think their organizations can increase impact over the next five years. This is not optimism in the syrupy greeting-card sense. It’s optimism as a job requirement—paired with a private ledger of worries about cash on hand, staff departures, restructuring, and the creeping sense that “resilience” is something we describe more easily than we actually feel.

So this week, we look at what nonprofit and foundation leaders are really carrying right now—what they’ll say out loud, what they’ll admit in private, and why the gap between those two versions matters. This is the story of confidence and strain living in the same institutional body. About “resilience” as something everyone invokes, but fewer people can define in a way that survives contact with payroll, boards, and the calendar. About why planning feels harder when the ground won’t stop shifting—and why the answer probably isn’t a bigger plan, but a different relationship to planning altogether.

If you’re leading an organization, funding one, serving on a board, or simply trying to understand why so many leaders sound calm while feeling anything but, this episode gives you a lens—and a few powerful questions worth keeping close. The report, in their telling, isn’t a stack of charts. It’s a set of voices—unfiltered—trying to say what’s happening before the sector pays for it in closures, mergers, and communities left without the organizations they rely on.

Our great thanks to the Chronicle of Philanthropy for their partnership in bringing this report to life. We hope you’ll take the time to read and share it broadly.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(02:30) - The Importance of the Report
(03:41) - Doing the Research
(13:51) - Risks Ahead in the Demand Experience
(18:39) - Foundation Optimism
(21:04) - Strategic Planning
(23:54) - The AI Divide
(27:42) - Looking Ahead

Season 12: A Season of Change

TruStory FM — Thu, 15 Jan 2026 03:00:00 -0800

Nonprofits and foundations have always done the quiet, essential work of holding communities together. Season 12 starts with the premise that the work hasn’t changed—but the conditions have. The pace is faster, the decisions are knottier, and “resilience” is being redefined in real time.

This season, Mission Forward goes behind Mission Partners’ new research report to surface what leaders are seeing on the ground and how they’re responding: navigating financial strain while demand rises, filling emerging gaps, and leaning harder on collaboration, community, and responsible uses of AI to scale impact without losing the plot. It’s less a tour of what’s shifting than a close listen to the choices leaders are making inside the shift—so you can carry what’s useful back to your own mission.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward

Super Human • Finding the Words

TruStory FM — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 03:00:00 -0800

Leaders want to bring more compassion into the culture of work, yet many wrestle with how to do it in a way that feels both authentic and respectful.

The answer lies in the simple act of looking out for one another.

This short-form episode is part of the Finding The Words column, a series published every Wednesday that delivers a dose of communication insights directly to your inbox. If you like what you read, we hope you’ll subscribe to ensure you receive this each week.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(02:23) - Super Human

_____
This episode is supported by The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread. At their Frank Lloyd Wright–designed campus, Wingspread brings leaders and communities together to turn dialogue into action. Learn more at johnsonfdn.org or wingspread.com.

This episode is also brought to you by Positively Partners. When HR starts to slow down your mission, it’s time for a better solution. Positively HR is the fully outsourced HR partner that understands nonprofits—and acts like part of your team. Learn more at PositivelyPartners.org.

A Good Hard Listen • Finding The Words

TruStory FM — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 03:00:00 -0800

The volume of one-way communication is ramping up everywhere we turn—our feeds, inboxes, meetings, and media. All that noise leads to an increased feeling of distraction but rarely an increased sense of connection or understanding.

All that noise affects our ability to listen to one another, too.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward

How to Lead Through Change with Intention with Dr. DeRionne Pollard

TruStory FM — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 03:00:00 -0800

When Dr. DeRionne Pollard talks about leadership, she doesn’t begin with titles or institutions. She begins with memory: a two-year-old child clapping cymbals in a community college classroom, a six-year-old sitting outside a glass-paneled door while her aunt trained to open an in-home childcare center, a young girl learning generosity from neighbors who showed love through casseroles and practicality through labeled Tupperware. These early stories might be sentimental details—but even more important: they form the foundation of a life devoted to service, community, and purpose.

This week, Carrie welcomes Dr. Pollard at a moment of meaningful transition. After leading Nevada State University through a period of growth and change, she has stepped into a national role as President of the American Association of Community Colleges. The shift has asked her to reflect on the shape of her career, the communities that raised her, and what it means to lead with intention in a system that touches every corner of the country.

Dr. Pollard shares how she prepared herself for the move—literally mapping out her goodbyes and thoughtful introductions on a whiteboard—and why leaving a campus was both a professional milestone and a personal test. She speaks openly about legacy, shaped in part by the loss of her mother at a young age, and how that experience continues to guide her toward work that feels both meaningful and deeply human.

As she steps into this new chapter, her perspective on community colleges offers both clarity and optimism. She describes these institutions as engines of opportunity: responsive, resilient, and built to serve learners across every age, background, and ambition. Her vision for their future isn’t theoretical—it’s grounded in lived experience and in the communities that shaped her.

Closing out the season, Carrie reflects on the generosity woven through this conversation. The entire arc of “hellos, goodbyes, and the space between” comes into sharper focus through Dr. Pollard’s story—one that reminds us that intention, humility, and connection can shape the work long before strategy ever appears on a page.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward

How to Live Your Values When Pressures Rise with Amy Gross

TruStory FM — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 03:00:00 -0800

Some stories begin with a single alarm bell. This one begins with dozens of small ones—nonprofit leaders quietly signaling the same thing at the same time: the ground under them was shifting, and shifting fast. Because the France-Merrick Foundation funds discrete, one-time capital projects across Baltimore, they hear from an unusually wide cross-section of organizations. And in early 2025, all those cross-currents pointed in the same direction: instability, delays, burnout, and a crisis arriving faster than anyone had planned for.

France-Merrick chose to act. In this conversation, Amy Gross walks Carrie through how her foundation made the rare choice to increase its payout and launch the Meet the Moment Fund, dedicating 40% of their annual giving to rapid-response support. The board shifted from quarterly to monthly meetings. The application process was streamlined to a single stage. And the goal was simple: respond before inaction made the moment worse.

Along the way, Amy offers a window into the larger questions philanthropy is wrestling with this year—how nonprofits survive when government contracts become unpredictable, why earned revenue has gone from “nice to have” to essential, and what it means for funders to collaborate when the sector is feeling squeezed from all sides. Her own hope rises and falls with the day’s news, she admits, yet intention and community remain steady guides.

This episode makes a perfect connection to this season’s theme of hellos, goodbyes, and the space between. Amy’s answers—focused on connection, recognition, and leaving behind an impact that outlives her—echo the very principles her foundation brought to its decision: see people clearly, respond with purpose, and do the most good you can with the moment you’re given.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(04:45) - The Meet the Moment Fund
(10:35) - Meeting the Moment Collectively in Baltimore
(14:56) - The Volatility of Now
(18:46) - Meeting the Moment

Purpose Under Pressure • Finding The Words

TruStory FM — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 03:00:00 -0800

Twenty-one years ago, when I started my first communications firm, a mentor offered a warning I’ll never forget: “Starting a firm focused on nonprofits is bound to fail. There won’t be enough work to sustain you.”

Twenty-one years later, and we’re still here.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward

How to Build Community by Design with Anne Kerns

TruStory FM — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 03:00:00 -0700

It starts with a handful of seeds.

When Mission Partners’ design director Anne Kerns shows up at a civic rally with paper packets filled with flowers, herbs, and vegetables, she’s there to share. To spark a conversation. To see what happens when you hand a stranger something living. That image—Anne with her seeds—is at the heart of this week’s conversation. Because design, as she tells Carrie Fox, isn’t only what you make; it’s what you grow. It’s an act of attention, of cultivating curiosity in yourself and in others.

From the geometry of a Frank Lloyd Wright logo at Wingspread to the exacting hues of red that pulse with both passion and danger, Anne reveals the hidden life inside design decisions most of us overlook. Every line has intention. Every color has memory. Every choice says something about who we are and what we value.

Together, Carrie and Anne trace the invisible thread between creativity and community: how a refreshed logo can honor history without erasing it, how accessibility transforms good design into inclusive communication, how technology—from PageMaker 1.0 to AI—tests our understanding of what it means to create with soul.

In the end, Anne circles back to red—the color she’s loved since childhood, the color that announces her presence to the world. For her, design isn’t a product; it’s a legacy of connection. The mark we leave behind isn’t ink or pixels—it’s how we made others feel seen.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward

How to Build a Life, and a Legacy with Pete Wright

TruStory FM — Thu, 23 Oct 2025 03:00:00 -0700

Pete Wright has spent decades amplifying other people's voices. As a producer, he's an invisible architect of countless conversations, the one who shapes stories without telling them, who creates space for others to shine while remaining carefully out of frame. But what happens when the producer becomes the protagonist?

In this episode of Mission Forward, Carrie turns the tables on her own show's producer—a role reversal that reveals something unexpected about the nature of legacy, presence, and the stories we tell ourselves about who we are.

Pete's journey from behind-the-scenes collaborator to solo podcaster with "Headstone" represents more than just a podcast pivot. It's a confrontation with what he calls a "terrifying hello"—the moment when there's no net, no team, no one to blame or credit but yourself. For someone who has made a living being the essential person nobody sees, stepping into the spotlight requires a fundamental reimagining of identity.

The conversation that emerges between Carrie and Pete is intimate in the way that only comes when two people who've worked together closely finally sit down to really see each other. They explore the deaths that shaped them, the hellos that changed them, and the space between where presence lives.

"Saying hello is an act of courage because it implies change," Pete says, getting to the heart of why so many of us struggle with transitions. Every hello promises that something about us will be different on the other side. Every goodbye demands we let go of a version of ourselves we've grown comfortable being.

In an industry obsessed with personal branding and thought leadership, Pete has built a career on making other people's ideas more powerful. His new solo podcast isn't an abandonment of that philosophy but an evolution of it—using his platform to explore how ordinary people create extraordinary legacies through the simple act of being present for one another.

As Pete and Carrie navigate questions about presence, legacy, and the space between hellos and goodbyes, they reveal something essential about how change actually works: it's not in the dramatic moments but in the daily practice of showing up, of choosing courage over comfort, of saying yes to the person you're becoming while honoring who you've been.

Links and Notes

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(04:38) - The Story of Headstone
(25:38) - The courage of Hello
(30:54) - Enough is Enough

How to Set the Foundation for Community with Peter Panepento

TruStory FM — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 03:00:00 -0700

This is a story about invisible infrastructure—the kind you only notice when it's gone.

Peter Panepento started his career covering planning board meetings for a weekly newspaper in upstate New York, watching in real time as the binding agents of community life dissolved. Now he runs a communications agency working with community foundations, institutions that have operated in nearly every American community for over a hundred years but remain mysterious to most people. The puzzle he's trying to solve: How do you create recognition for something designed to fade into the background?

Panepento's solution was counterintuitive. Instead of emphasizing how different each of the 900 community foundations is, he found the common thread: they all "Make More Possible." It's a template simple enough to be universal but flexible enough to contain multitudes. His team also conducted the first field-wide benchmarking survey of community foundation communications and found something troubling—93% lack adequate budgets, half expect resources to decrease, and most have no crisis plans. At the exact moment when clear communication has become existentially important, the people responsible for it are being asked to do more with less.

Peter joins Carrie this week to explore two models of community-building that work precisely because they're ordinary. The Chicago Community Trust hosts "On the Table"—thousands of simultaneous conversations over meals where neighbors discuss what matters. The Black Belt Community Foundation in Selma, Alabama, has moved over $100 million in 20 years by giving actual grant-making power to local volunteers in each county. They were practicing trust-based philanthropy before anyone coined the term. These aren't flashy programs—they're deliberately low-tech interventions designed to restore something simple: the habit of looking your neighbors in the eye and finding common ground.

The broader lesson isn't really about community foundations at all. It's about the challenge of making essential infrastructure visible. Whether it's local journalism, public health systems, or civic institutions, the things that hold society together tend to be the things we notice only when they break. We're living through what might be called the great unbundling of American civic life—the institutions that once created shared spaces have either disappeared or fragmented into a thousand digital pieces. Community foundations are one of the few remaining institutions with the potential to be what Panepento calls "community conveners." But they can only play that role if people know they exist.

Links & Notes

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:59) - Introducing Peter Panapento
(05:39) - The Role of the Community Foundation
(12:07) - "Make More Possible"
(15:01) - Survey Results
(27:09) - A Community Foundation in Action

How to Build Community, Inside the Box with Lisa Snowden

TruStory FM — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 03:00:00 -0700

What happens when a community refuses to let its story be told from the outside in? In this conversation, Carrie Fox sits down with Lisa Snowden, Editor-in-Chief of Baltimore Beat, to explore what it means to build journalism as a thriving business model and an act of community care. Born out of the ashes of the Baltimore City Paper and shaped by the unrest following Freddie Gray’s death, Baltimore Beat has never been about neutrality—it has been about presence, about listening, and about amplifying voices too often ignored.

Lisa traces her journey from courtroom reporter to newsroom leader, revealing how perspective and personal truth can reshape the role of journalism itself. She describes the radical choices that have guided the Beat: shifting from for-profit to nonprofit after early financial collapse, accepting a transformative million-dollar grant at the height of the pandemic, and creating “beat boxes” that don’t just hold newspapers but double as neighborhood resource hubs. Inside those boxes, you’ll now find Narcan, notebooks, water bottles, or even hand warmers—small objects that together become an expression of community solidarity.

Even the act of delivering the paper has become something larger than distribution. By replacing outside delivery contractors with local community members—drivers who know every street and corner—the Beat stumbled into a model of journalism that is participatory, intimate, and trusted. Today, those same drivers are welcomed by shopkeepers and seniors waiting for the latest issue, reinforcing a sense of belonging that no algorithm or national newsroom can replicate.

What emerges from Lisa’s story is a portrait of local journalism as a lifeline. In her telling, journalism cannot be sterile or detached. It must be human. It must show up. And in the Beat’s case, it must be willing to save lives, as when a box outside their office provided the Narcan that brought a neighbor back from an overdose. This is the work of journalism that doesn’t just inform a city—it sustains it. And it is proof that local news is not dying, but thrives in reinventing itself as the heartbeat of a community.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(03:01) - Lisa Snowden and the Birth of Baltimore Beat
(14:27) - The Beat Boxes
(24:26) - Finding the Pulse of Local News
(27:35) - Support Your Local News

How to Begin Again with Michael Bolden

TruStory FM — Thu, 02 Oct 2025 03:00:00 -0700

Here’s what we know: journalism in America is in upheaval. Free speech is under attack. Trust is being challenged, and reporters are under siege. And yet—walk onto a college campus today and you’ll find students running toward journalism, not away from it. Why?

That paradox is at the center of today’s conversation between Carrie Fox and returning guest Michael Bolden, the newly appointed Dean of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Michael has spent decades wrestling with the structural problems in media—first at the American Press Institute, and now inside one of the country’s most storied journalism schools. For him, the decision to move wasn’t about retreat. It was about running toward the hardest questions: How do we prepare journalists for a world where technology outpaces ethics? How do we rebuild trust in an age of fractured attention? How do we turn a profession under siege into one that still holds possibility?

In this wide-ranging dialogue, Carrie and Michael explore what it means to train truth-seekers in a time of disinformation, how to balance innovation with enduring values, and why collaboration across disciplines may hold the key to journalism’s renewal. Michael’s optimism is striking: he doesn’t see students discouraged by the obstacles; he sees them galvanized by them.

At a time when the story of journalism is often told as decline, this episode offers a counter-narrative—one rooted in resilience, curiosity, and the conviction that media’s future, though uncertain, is very much alive.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward

How to Restore Our Belief in One Another with Rich Harwood

TruStory FM — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 03:00:00 -0700

Here’s what we know about political violence in America: it’s getting worse. Here’s what we think we know about why: polarization, social media, extreme rhetoric. But what if we’re looking at this all wrong?

Rich Harwood has spent the last 30 years in the places many of us have written off—communities fractured by poverty, loss, and division. What he’s found in those places challenges our assumptions about where progress begins. It’s not happening in Washington. It’s not playing out on cable news. It’s emerging, quietly but powerfully, through a reawakening of what Harwood calls civic culture—the often-invisible fabric of how we live together, trust each other, and shape the future we want.

Rather than simply addressing polarization as a political problem, Harwood argues we’re living through something deeper: a crisis of belonging. His book, The New Civic Path, maps out a way to reverse that trend—not by starting with grand unifying movements, but by starting small, building momentum, and restoring belief in what’s possible together.

In this conversation—recorded just a day after a harrowing act of political violence—Harwood offers a rare kind of clarity. Not a feel-good story, but a practical invitation to shift how we work, lead, and rebuild. For anyone seeking a way forward in a time of fracture, this episode offers something even more vital than answers: it offers a way to begin.

Links and Notes

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(03:44) - How do we process... the moment?
(08:49) - The Factors of Civic Culture
(25:46) - Putting a New Civic Path into Practice
(30:45) - Enough is Enough

How to Say Hello with Michael Pope and Elisa Pupko

TruStory FM — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 03:00:00 -0700

Every ending carries within it the seed of a beginning. To leave something behind—whether it’s a beloved job, a familiar city, or the comfort of a community—requires not only courage but also an embrace of uncertainty. In this first episode of Season 11, we step directly into that tension: the sacred space between goodbye and a new hello.

Carrie Fox sits down with nonprofit leader Mike Pope and theater founder Elisa Pupko at the very edge of a new chapter. Together with their two young children, they’re leaving behind steady careers, a home in Brooklyn, and the familiarity of everyday life to embark on a yearlong journey around the world. It’s a leap that began with a fleeting thought on a run and grew into an intentional act of re-imagining what family, leadership, and community might look like.

As Mike reflects on stepping aside from his nonprofit after 15 years, he asks what it means to honor an organization by knowing when to let go. Elisa, meanwhile, navigates the delicate balance of letting her company grow stronger in her absence while choosing presence with her family. And together, they invite us to consider what it means to say yes—not when the plan is complete, but when the possibility feels alive.

Their story is not only about travel; it’s about perspective. About the way children learn to smile at strangers on playgrounds in foreign cities. About how leaders discover strength in stepping back. About how the question “what if?” can open doors we didn’t realize were waiting.

With this conversation we invite you to wonder what might happen if we—all of us—leaned into the space between goodbye and hello, and allowed it to teach us something new.

Follow along with Elisa and Mike and their whole family at https://twokidsoneworld.com/.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(04:24) - "What would happen if we just ... left?"

Rebroadcast • Bridging Divides and Building Back Better with JustFund’s Iara Peng, Interfaith America’s Eboo Patel and Chronicle of Philanthropy’s Stacy Palmer

TruStory FM — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 03:00:00 -0700

Two builders walk into a podcast studio… no, seriously. This isn’t the start of a joke, but the beginning of a deeply fascinating exploration into the very architecture of social change. We’re talking about the kind of change that doesn’t just rearrange the furniture, but rebuilds the house from the foundation up. And that, my friends, is a far more intricate and precarious undertaking.

This week on Mission Forward, we’re joined by not one, but two remarkable individuals who embody this spirit of courageous construction. Stacey Palmer, editor of The Chronicle of Philanthropy, sets the stage introducing Eboo Patel, founder of Interfaith America, and Iara Peng, the visionary behind JustFund.

Together, Eboo and Iara paint a vivid picture of what it truly means to build a more just and equitable world. They share their hard-won wisdom, gleaned from years of experience battling bureaucratic inertia and challenging deeply ingrained biases. Eboo recounts his early struggles navigating the labyrinthine world of philanthropic gatekeepers, a story that resonates with anyone who’s ever dared to dream big. Iara, meanwhile, offers a glimpse into the future of giving, where technology empowers donors to align their actions with their values, transforming philanthropy from a passive act of charity into a dynamic force for change.

This episode is a call to action, a reminder that we all have a role to play in building the world we want to see. Grab your metaphorical hardhat and join us as we architect social innovation with two of the most inspiring builders of our time.

Links & Notes

(00:00) - Sponsor: Reconsidered Change Hub
(01:24) - Welcome to Mission Forward

Rebroadcast • Communicating Through Volatility with Hearken’s Jennifer Brandel and Mission Partners’ Brian Fox

TruStory FM — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 03:00:00 -0700

It's election season. The air crackles – a strange cocktail of anticipation and apprehension. We’re drowning in pronouncements, predictions, and the ever-present din of commentary. But what if the key to navigating this volatile landscape isn’t about shouting louder but listening deeper?

On this episode of Mission Forward, we explore that very question with Jennifer Brandel, a process innovator and co-founder of Hearken. Hearken helps institutions truly hear their audiences. Brandel's background, spanning from NPR to the New York Times, gives her a unique vantage point. She’s not just a theorist; she’s wrestled with these challenges in both her professional and deeply personal life. Our host this week is our own Brian Fox, chief strategy officer at Mission Partners, a native at navigating volatile landscapes himself.

Together, they unpack the surprising power of curiosity and deep listening, especially when the stakes are high. Think of a surgeon in the operating room: skilled hands guided by intense focus and precise observation. Or a negotiator: not bulldozing, but listening, seeking the subtle cues that can de-escalate a challenging conversation. In the chaotic aftermath of a natural disaster, it's the quiet acts of empathy and connection that rebuild shattered communities.

So why, when it comes to the equally turbulent terrain of politics, do we so often resort to the verbal equivalent of a sledgehammer?

Brandel and Fox share how we can move beyond the echo chambers and engage in meaningful dialogue, even – perhaps especially – with those with whom we vehemently disagree. They explore the difference between listening to respond and listening to understand. They shine a light on the subtle art of “looping,” a technique that can transform heated debates into opportunities for genuine connection, and reveal how organizational values, when they’re more than just empty slogans, can serve as a compass in moments of uncertainty.

This isn’t just about surviving the election; it’s about building a more resilient, empathetic, and ultimately, more democratic society. Join us as we uncover the hidden power of listening in a world that desperately needs to hear.

Links & Notes

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(02:01) - What to Say
(05:25) - Curiosity and Depp Listening

Rebroadcast • Information We Can Rely on with American Press Institute’s Michael D. Bolden

TruStory FM — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 03:00:00 -0700

In a world drowning in information, where every click and scroll can lead us further down a rabbit hole of misinformation, what is our cultural and intellectual lifeline?

This week on Mission Forward, Carrie Fox swims the turbulent waters of local news with Michael D. Bolden. He serves as the Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer at the American Press Institute, and he's not here to talk about headlines and deadlines. He’s here to talk about the very oxygen of democracy – the free flow of information and how we've let ours become polluted.

Bolden shares his deeply personal journey, from a childhood steeped in the wisdom of diverse media sources to his current mission of rescuing local journalism from the clutches of apathy and distrust. But this isn't just another lament for the dying days of print. This is a call to arms. Bolden throws down a gauntlet, challenging the very notion of "audience." He speaks of forging genuine connections, of weaving newsrooms into the very fabric of the communities they serve. He paints a picture of journalists not as detached observers but as engaged citizens, listening intently to the whispers and shouts of the people they represent. It's a radical shift, reimagining the relationship between the informed and the informers.

The American Press Institute, under Bolden's leadership, isn't just patching up the cracks in the foundation of local news; they're rebuilding it from the ground up. He reveals their secret weapon: a laser-focused mission to create news organizations that are not just surviving but thriving. He speaks of resilience, of adaptability, of the courage to pivot in the face of relentless change. Along the way, he hints at exciting new initiatives, veiled in a touch of journalistic mystery, promising a future where local news is not just relevant but essential.

As the looming shadow of a pivotal election descends, Bolden offers a glimmer of hope. He sees newsrooms embracing flexibility, thinking beyond the immediate frenzy, and laying the groundwork for a future where trust is not a luxury but the bedrock of our democracy. He reminds us that the work doesn't end on election night; it's a continuous conversation, a constant striving to build bridges and illuminate the path forward. This episode is a stark reminder: we cannot afford to be passive consumers of information. The future of our communities—and our democracy itself—depends on it.

We are grateful to Michael and the American Press Institute for their generosity in making this conversation possible.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(06:38) - Local News and Democracy
(08:34) - What is The American Press Institute?
(11:15) - Change, Challenge, and Opportunity
(15:26) - The Relationship Gap
(18:46) - A Focus on Mission
(20:32) - Hope
(22:56) - Closing Thoughts

Rebroadcast • A Recipe for Cooling Down American Politics with Peacebuilder Dr. John Paul Lederach

TruStory FM — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 03:00:00 -0700

In this rebroadcast, we ask a difficult question: Is civil war inevitable, or can we talk our way back from the brink?

In a world increasingly fractured, whispers of civil unrest grow louder. Dr. John Paul Lederach, a veteran peacebuilder with decades of experience in global conflict zones, offers a stark yet hopeful message: the antidote to escalating tensions lies not in grand pronouncements but in the quiet power of human connection. This week on Mission Forward, Lederach shares insights from his new book, Pocket Guide for Facing Down a Civil War, a timely and urgent call to action for a nation teetering on the edge.

Lederach's work isn't about predicting the future; it's about recognizing the patterns of the past. He draws parallels between the volatile political climate in the US and the conflicts he's witnessed around the world, highlighting the insidious nature of dehumanization and the urgent need for rehumanization. He argues that we must move beyond "listening with our eyes," judging individuals based on their affiliations, and instead engage in deep, radical listening that acknowledges the shared humanity beneath the surface of disagreement.

Lederach introduces the concept of "watching our pockets," a metaphor for cultivating local, grassroots movements for peace. He argues that lasting change emerges not from top-down decrees but from the interconnected web of relationships within our communities. He challenges listeners to consider: who do we know? How can we connect with those just outside our comfort zones? How can we build alliances around shared values and goals?

The conversation isn't about finding easy answers or quick fixes. It's about cultivating the courage to start, the willingness to listen deeply, and the perseverance to stay engaged, even when the path forward seems uncertain. Lederach’s message is a potent reminder that the future of our democracy rests not in the hands of politicians or pundits, but in our own capacity for empathy, connection, and the unwavering belief in the possibility of a more peaceful future. In a world where division seems inevitable, Lederach offers a powerful alternative: the possibility of building peace, one conversation, one relationship, one pocket at a time.

Don’t forget, you can download Pocket Guide for Facing Down a Civil War free on his site, or pick it up on Amazon right here.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward

Rebroadcast • How to Keep Your DEI Policies Moving Forward with Edelman’s Faith McIver and Mission Partners’ Nimra Haroon

TruStory FM — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 03:00:00 -0700

In this rebroadcast, we address the Supreme Court's decision on affirmative action which sent shockwaves through institutions across America, leaving many wondering about the future of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Is DEI dead? Or is it simply evolving?

On this episode of Mission Forward, Carrie Fox dives into this complex landscape with communications experts Nimra Haroon and Faith MacIver. Nimra, a cultural strategist and communications manager for Mission Partners, and Faith, Senior DEI Manager at Edelman, unpack the nuances of recent legislation and its impact on the workplace. They dissect the tension between a widespread commitment to DEI values and the growing anxieties around legal risks.

This isn't just a legal issue; it's a communication challenge. Carrie, Nimra, and Faith explore how companies are responding to criticism and offer actionable strategies for moving forward. They delve into the critical distinction between "risky" and "safe" DEI practices, providing a framework for organizations to navigate this uncertain terrain.

This conversation goes beyond buzzwords and platitudes. It's a pragmatic and insightful discussion about building truly inclusive workplaces that benefit everyone. Tune in to discover how to keep DEI initiatives alive and thriving in a post-affirmative action world.

Links & Notes

Mission Partners: Equity Action Plan
Ditch the DEI Speak • Finding the Words
Advancing DEI Initiative • Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging

Rebroadcast • From Missions to Movements with Dana Snyder

TruStory FM — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 03:00:00 -0700

In this rebroadcast from season 9, Carrie Fox sits down with Dana Snyder, a digital strategist for nonprofits and the CEO and founder of Positive Equation. Snyder, who has supported organizations like Movember, Dress for Success, and American Idol, shares her insights on how nonprofits can effectively reach new audiences in the ever-evolving digital landscape.

Consider, for example, the importance of strategic investment in social media. How are organizations to determine which channels to focus their resources on based on their values and target audience? Snyder emphasizes the significance of data-driven decision-making, recommending tools like Google Analytics and Microsoft Clarity to understand how visitors interact with an organization's website and social media channels. But more importantly, she highlights how most individuals are tilted toward good, and that your audience might just be comfortable in large numbers on platforms you personally find misaligned with your own values.

Throughout the episode, Snyder stresses the importance of being genuinely social on social media platforms, creating platform-specific content, and fostering meaningful connections with followers. She suggests that organizations consider hiring virtual assistants to manage their social media presence if it aligns with their budgets and priorities.

The conversation also touches on the role of artificial intelligence in content creation for nonprofits. Snyder offers practical advice on how to train AI tools to generate relevant and engaging content while staying true to an organization's mission and values.

For nonprofits looking to make the most of their social media efforts, this episode of Mission Forward offers valuable insights and actionable tips from a seasoned digital strategist. Our great thanks to Dana for helping us to navigate the digital landscape authentically.

(00:00) - Summer at Mission Forward
(00:45) - Ask Carrie!
(01:54) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(02:39) - Introducing Dana Snyder
(09:10) - Is the wide net a positive strategy?
(14:29) - The AI Challenge
(18:37) - Revenue v Values
(20:46) - Making the Most of Social
(24:38) - Getting Closer to Your Audiences

What We Have Learned • Finding The Words

TruStory FM — Thu, 29 May 2025 03:00:00 -0700

What if the most powerful lesson of leadership isn’t taught in a seminar, but whispered between breaths of reflection? What if the path forward isn’t paved in bold declarations, but in quieter questions — the kind that disarm the default and ask, instead, “How’s your heart?”

This week, we close the chapter that was Season 10 of Mission Forward. And with it, we offer a mosaic — not of data or doctrine, but of moments. Diane’s reframing of curiosity. Mitch’s uncomfortable truths. Leonard’s candlelit resolve. Rob and Mariah’s pivot from righteousness to relationship. Nadine’s open-book approach to trust. Erica’s devotion to the sacred smallness of daily practice.

Beneath the jargon of strategy and the armor of professionalism lies a simple human truth: communication is an emotional transaction. This season, that transaction yielded six deposits of wisdom — all interest-bearing, if we’re bold enough to invest.

Let this be a lamplight flickering on your path — as a leader, as a communicator, as a human being. A chance to reflect on how we lead, how we relate, and the stories we choose to carry forward. Because leadership isn’t a title. It’s a practice. A practice of showing up. Of listening deeply. Of lighting candles when the power fails.

Season 10 has ended. The journey has not. We’ll see you this fall — for another season of listening, learning, and moving the mission forward.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(02:04) - Ask better questions
(02:50) - Let go of comforting lies
(03:26) - Light candles
(03:58) - Move from righteousness to relationships
(04:28) - Transparency builds trust
(05:00) - Little leadership practices have big impact
(05:36) - Protect the truth

On Taking Your Soul to Work with Dr. Erica Brown

TruStory FM — Thu, 22 May 2025 03:00:00 -0700

What does it mean to lead with conviction in a time of crumbling certainties?

This week, Carrie sits down with Dr. Erica Brown, Vice Provost for Values and Leadership at Yeshiva University and a scholar whose work resides at the intersection of ancient wisdom and modern workplace complexity. At first glance, this conversation seems to orbit around the familiar themes of leadership and purpose—but as with the best questions, the conversation keeps opening, folding in questions of identity, grief, joy, legacy, and resilience.

Erica’s latest book, Morning Has Broken: Faith After October 7th, blends the structure of spiritual meditation with the shock of collective trauma. Today, she offers a theory of leadership that begins not with bullet points or quarterly goals, but with the inner life. It’s about leading with a fully intact spiritual core, one that serves as a center of gravity that steadies you when your compass fails. And in a world where the compass seems to fail more often than not—politically, environmentally, interpersonally—her framework feels not only restorative but essential.

Together, they wrestle with one of the most slippery questions of the modern age: What is truth? Not in a postmodern, navel-gazing way—but practically. Tangibly. What truths do we inherit, and which do we pass on? How do we train ourselves to see the people in our offices, our communities, even our inboxes, not as roles but as souls? And what practices—tiny, daily, almost invisible—actually hold us together?

For anyone who has ever asked: am I doing enough—am I doing the right kind of enough—we encourage you to engage in this conversation. Through Erica’s deeply generous lens, we’re reminded that sometimes leadership is not about standing out but standing firm. It's not about clarity but conviction. It is not about knowing the answer but having the courage to ask a better question.

Links & Notes

Learn more about Dr. Brown and her books

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:07) - Introducing Dr. Erica Brown
(05:50) - Truth, Trust, and Core Conviction
(12:48) - Feedback
(18:14) - Stamina
(22:34) - Morning Has Broken
(29:30) - On Practice
(31:50) - Voices of Insipiration

On Another Note... • Finding The Words

TruStory FM — Thu, 15 May 2025 03:00:00 -0700

Earlier this week, I asked my colleagues at Mission Partners, “What song do you put on repeat when you need some calm, comfort, or renewed energy?”

The responses were fabulous and included everything from A to Z—literally, ABBA to The Zombies.

I collected the songs into a Spotify Playlist and shared it back with the team, with a simple request: Take 10 minutes today with this playlist. Sit on the ground or get out in the fresh air and find a song that speaks to you. Tune out the chaos of the world if just for a few minutes and let music do what it does best...

Let the music ground you. Let it calm you. Let it meet you wherever you are.

Most importantly, let it be your good excuse for a break today.

Enjoy the Playlist

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(00:53) - On Another Note

The Impossible Equation of Philanthropy and Learning to Fill Mission Gaps with Nadine Gabai-Botero

TruStory FM — Thu, 08 May 2025 03:00:00 -0700

Imagine you’re running a nonprofit. You’ve got a mission that matters, a staff that believes in it, and a community that depends on you. And then, without warning, a key piece of funding evaporates. Not because of anything you did—or didn’t do—but because the world shifted, policy changed, or a budget line disappeared in Washington. The grant is gone, the plan is upended, and suddenly the future isn’t just uncertain—it’s fragile.

This week, Carrie welcomes back strategist and fundraising expert Nadine Gabai-Botero to sit with the discomfort of our shared reality. Together, they offer a framework, a way to think, respond, and lead in a moment where so many nonprofit leaders are quietly asking themselves: How do I move forward when I can barely hold ground?

Nadine shares stories from the field, insights from decades of advising nonprofit leaders, and practical tools for reframing your fundraising case—not just to reflect the urgency of the moment, but to invite donors in as collaborators. From building “resilience funds” to quietly rethinking the purpose of your gala, to using technology to remove friction from giving, Nadine offers a way forward that is both pragmatic and deeply humane.

Along the way, they challenge the idea that scarcity must lead to silence. They talk about the courage to be transparent when things aren’t perfect, about engaging lapsed donors as latent allies, and about why resilience isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a posture, a practice, and a way of holding steady in the storm.

Somewhere between budget cuts and hopeful pledges, between the noise of a turbulent news cycle and the stillness of a personal letter from a nonprofit director who’s never asked before, this episode becomes what so many leaders are craving: a companion in asking the hardest questions.

In the end, this is a conversation about values, vulnerability, and the belief that missions—when stewarded with clarity and courage—do more than survive hard times. They rise to meet them.

Links & Notes

(00:00) - The Impact on Non-profits
(01:21) - Transparency
(05:49) - Managing Risk
(08:08) - Movements & Pledges Toward Generosity and Action
(11:22) - Donor Action
(22:14) - Market Impact and Donor Heistance
(24:42) - Lessons for your Notes
(27:30) - The Mission Partners Commitment to Give

Keep the Light On • Finding The Words

TruStory FM — Thu, 01 May 2025 03:00:00 -0700

These days are hard, for all of us, in many different ways. The best we can do is hold the light we have up for others. Because I promise you this: when you hold your light up for others, you will also feel the benefit of its glow.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(00:47) - Keep the LIght On

Bonus • How to Make Headway in a Polarized World from Nonprofits Now

TruStory FM — Sat, 26 Apr 2025 03:00:00 -0700

We love sharing good finds with you, our listeners. And today, we’re super excited to bring you this bonus episode from our friends at the Chronicle of Philanthropy, who have just launched their own podcast called Nonprofits Now—Leading Today. We want to give you a listen to their first episode, which features Tim Dixon, co-founder of More in Common, who joins our friend and colleague Stacey Palmer, to offer smart and research-based strategies that leaders like you can use to bridge divides in the workplace and in your community. So enjoy this special episode in which Stacey will ask Tim to walk listeners through his approach, and then meet us back here next week for an all-new episode of Mission Forward!

Tim Dixon, co-founder of More in Common, joins Chronicle CEO Stacy Palmer to offer research-based strategies leaders can use to bridge divides in the workplace and in their communities. More in Common helps political leaders and social-change movements strengthen their coalitions by including unlikely allies.

Bridging divides is top-of-mind for nonprofit leaders today. Nearly two-thirds of nonprofit executives say the nation’s divisions are making their jobs tougher, according to an exclusive Chronicle of Philanthropy survey.

Dixon shared solutions to overcome entrenched division. Among his key points:

Coalitions of unlikely partners are a key to success.
Leaders must manage divides within their organization — not ignore them.
Focus on shared values to build consensus.

You can connect with Dixon on LinkedIn. And dig into More in Common’s research here.

Further Reading:

“Born of Political Violence, This Group Helps Nonpr…” by Drew Lindsay
“A Really Tough Job: Nonprofit CEOs Work to Make Th…” by Ben Gose
“To Hell and Back: Polarization and the Nonprofit” by Ben Gose
“A Polarization Expert on What Nonprofits Need to D…” by Chronicle Staff
“‘It’s Hard to Hate Up Close’: Philanthropy, Polariz…” by Eden Stiffman
“Leadership at the Crossroads” by George Anders

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward

Pursuing a North Star Through Cloudy Skies with Leonard Burton

TruStory FM — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 03:00:00 -0700

Let’s begin with a middle school stage play in Detroit. The lights are dim, the demerits are high, and a boy named Leonard has just been kicked off the production. Enter Miss Liggins, a teacher with a different script. She doesn’t erase the consequences—she rewrites the role. “You’ll be our stage manager,” she says. And with that, a seed is planted: that someone’s belief in you, especially when you don’t believe in yourself, can change everything.

This is how Leonard Burton’s story begins. But it’s hardly where it ends.

This week, Carrie Fox sits down with Leonard—now President and CEO of the Center for the Study of Social Policy—to trace the arc of a life lived in service to justice, from the east side of Detroit to the deserts of Saudi Arabia, from family hardship to national leadership. It’s a story that defies neat narrative structure. Because Leonard’s journey isn’t linear, it’s layered—built on memories, mentors, and moments of moral clarity that refuse to fade.

Leonard talks about the indignity of a two-tiered chemotherapy room—one for Medicaid patients, one for the privately insured. He recounts the sounds of Scud missiles in Desert Storm, and the sight of a paraplegic neighbor who gave him his first view of the world outside his block. He shares the transformative experience of sitting in a village in apartheid South Africa, watching democracy unfold not with slogans or soundbites, but with silence, patience, and consensus.

And through it all, he makes the case—not with urgency, but with gravity-that that justice is not an abstraction. It is food on the table. It is health care with dignity. It is family autonomy and the freedom to imagine a better future.

Now, as the leader of CSSP, Leonard is advancing a bold North Star strategy grounded in three pillars: health justice, economic justice, and family autonomy — all threaded through with racial justice. His is a call to hold fast when others are retreating, to keep the lights on when the grid is under attack.

Leonard’s message is clear: This is not the time to shrink. This is not the time to compromise on values in exchange for comfort. This is the time to light candles if the power fails, to widen the circle, and to remember — in the words of his mentor, Collins Ramusi — “Forward ever, backwards never.”

Links & Notes

Learn more about the Center for the Study of Social Policy

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(02:36) - Introducing Leonard Burton
(12:46) - Center for the Study of Social Policy
(17:28) - The Tides of Injustice
(23:54) - The Preemptive Pull-back
(29:14) - Call to Action

Get out of the (Dam) Way. • Finding The Words

TruStory FM — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 03:00:00 -0700

There’s been a lot of talk in recent weeks about cutting costs, building efficiencies, and reducing wasteful spending. Some extreme examples of this are playing out in real-time in the U.S. Administration, with the true impact of those actions yet to be realized. Which brings me to an article featured last week in The Guardian. It’s a tale of some eager beavers and the power of listening to those closest to the problems we set out to solve.

Because no matter the industry or the discipline, whether you work on issues of healthcare or housing, problem-solving is best done when it involves those closest to the problem. And yes, sometimes, the best action is to simply get out of the “dam” way.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:06) - Get Out of the Dam Way

From Conflict to Convergence with Mariah Levison and Robert J. Fersh

TruStory FM — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 03:00:00 -0700

Two daughters. One orange. Conflict. Their mother, seeking peace, cuts it in half — a classic compromise. What mom doesn’t know? One wants the juice, the other the zest. Yet there they are: nobody gets what they need.

It’s a parable that is often told in conflict resolution circles. But in the hands of Mariah Levison — CEO and President of the Convergence Center for Policy Resolution — it is an elegant metaphor for the missed opportunities that happen when we rush toward solutions without first understanding our problems.

This week, Carrie sits down with Mariah alongside Convergence’s founder and Senior Advisor, Robert J. Fersh. They are collaborators in mission and architects of a process that helps unlikely allies find common ground. Together, they’ve worked across some of the most polarized issues of our time: education, healthcare, criminal justice, and beyond.

Their approach isn’t about compromise. It’s about something more ambitious and, paradoxically, more human. It’s about convergence: the point where stories intersect, values overlap, and relationships begin to matter more than ideology.

They unpack how durable policy solutions emerge not from debate, but from curiosity. How listening — real, intentional, difficult listening — can transform even the most entrenched opponents into collaborators. And how the secret to solving today’s toughest challenges asks all of us to move away from righteousness, and toward relationship. After all, what divides us often pales in comparison to what we all want — fairness, belonging, safety, and dignity.

If you’ve ever wondered what it would take to really change the tone of a divided room—or a divided nation—we want this episode to leave you with more than hope. It will leave you with a blueprint.

Links & Notes

Learn more about Convergence Center for Policy Resolution
Explore the book: From Conflict to Convergence by Rob Fersh and Mariah Levison
Read Mariah’s column on 10 Shared Beliefs Most Americans Hold

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(02:37) - Introducing Rob Fersh & Mariah Levison
(06:46) - "Confilct to Convergence"
(12:08) - Grounding Togetherness
(16:36) - Mindset
(21:00) - Truth
(26:22) - Where do you find Hope?

Have Mercy • Finding The Words

TruStory FM — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 03:00:00 -0700

As my wise teacher Don Foley reminded me this week, learning to be brave isn’t just in what we say; it’s also in how we listen. It's in what we take to heart.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:22) - Have Mercy

Truth Be Told with Mitch Albom

TruStory FM — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 03:00:00 -0700

What if truth could speak? Not metaphorically, not through human interpretation, but as its own entity—indignant, unyielding, and, above all, betrayed?

This week on Mission Forward, Carrie Fox sits down with bestselling author Mitch Albom in front of a live audience to examine the anatomy of truth—how it bends, how it breaks, and how, in the hands of history’s most cunning deceivers, it can be weaponized.

Mitch, known for Tuesdays with Morrie and The Five People You Meet in Heaven, takes us behind the curtain of his latest novel, The Little Liar, a story where truth itself is the narrator. He unpacks the moment of inspiration—standing in Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, listening to a survivor’s voice echo through time. He shares his research journey from the streets of Thessaloniki to the darkest corners of human deception.

And he pulls no punches about the world we live in today—where lies are not just believed but preferred.

As much as this is a conversation about literature, history, even philosophy, it is just as much a conversation about faith—not the quiet, passive kind, but faith in action. Mitch talks candidly about his work in Haiti, the children he has come to love as his own, and the moral weight of decisions that shape their futures. He even gives us a glimpse into his next book, Twice, a whimsical yet profound meditation on second chances and their unintended consequences.

How do we cultivate truth? How do we resist the seduction of comforting lies? And, perhaps most poignantly, what does faith look like when it moves beyond words? In a world where deception is currency, the real question isn’t whether truth exists—it’s whether we have the courage to hear it.

Links & Notes

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward

On Words and Onwards • Finding the Words

TruStory FM — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 03:00:00 -0700

We like to think of lies as small, inconsequential things. A white lie told to spare someone’s feelings. A harmless exaggeration to make a story more compelling. But what if the smallest lies weren’t so small after all? What if they were the building blocks of something far more dangerous—something that could shape history itself?

Regardless of what you believe, where you live, and what you do, you will likely agree that these are tumultuous times in America. Now, more than ever, is the time for Truth.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:14) - On Words and Onwards

Owning Our Story with Dianne Myles

TruStory FM — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 03:00:00 -0700

What happens when a single act of courage alters the trajectory of a life—not just for one person, but for an entire community? What if the stories we tell about ourselves—about our struggles, triumphs, and histories—aren’t just personal narratives but blueprints for something greater?

In this, our premiere episode of season 10 of Mission Forward, Carrie sits down with Dianne Myles, a documentarian, storyteller, and the newly appointed Social Entrepreneur in Residence at Mission Partners. But Dianne’s journey is not the one you expect. It’s one of movement—between communities, between identities, between imposed limitations and self-defined futures.

Born and raised in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Dianne learned early the subtle, unspoken art of code-switching—navigating between affluent white spaces and vibrant Black and Latino communities. But it wasn’t just about survival. It was about adaptation, about connection, about the power of story to bridge divides. At 26, a moment of reckoning: the sudden loss of her mother. A life recalibrated. A decision to abandon a stifling corporate path. A leap into the unknown, driven by an insistence on joy, on purpose, on owning the narrative.

Carrie and Dianne are in a conversation that is as much about storytelling as it is about agency. It’s about why AI will never replace the human voice. It’s about the questions we ask—and the ones we don’t. And, ultimately, it’s about what happens when we decide—fully, unapologetically—to take hold of the pen.

Links & Notes

Explore Human Focused Media

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:16) - Introducing Dianne Myles

Rebroadcast • Human-Centered AI in the Workplace with SHRM’s George Rivera

TruStory FM — Thu, 20 Feb 2025 03:00:00 -0800

In this week’s rebroadcast from Season 8, we ask an important question: How should your organization thoughtfully adopt artificial intelligence (AI) in ways that enhance instead of displace the human workforce? Carrie sits down with SHRM’s George Rivera, a person uniquely qualified to take on these questions as we look out on the horizon toward the future of work.

“AI plus HI equals ROI,” says George Rivera, Senior Vice President of SHRM Enterprise Solutions, "The magic lies in working together. And, frankly, it's not just us that believe it. If you really look back at any of the AI advancements we've had over the last 20 or 30 years, that concept has always shined through."

Rivera stresses the importance of aligning an organization's AI strategy with its culture. Rather than wholesale technology replacement of workers, Rivera advocates an "augmented intelligence" approach where AI supplements and supports employees. "We believe every organization has a unique culture to them and so each organization has to determine how AI is going to play and should play a role within that culture."

Key themes discussed in this wide-ranging conversation include using AI ethically, with Rivera noting the risk of perpetuating bias and emphasizing customizing implementation around an organization's unique culture. Rivera also talks about how AI can increase productivity and strengthen relationships by streamlining tedious tasks and providing insights into employee engagement. Additionally, he covers how AI can reinforce skills training and institutional knowledge, acting as a tool to augment human intelligence.

Rivera shares valuable perspective on both the promise and pitfalls of workplace AI. He advocates thoughtful adoption focused on enhancing human potential. Organizations must approach AI as a tool, not a panacea, and remain vigilant about its risks. "Ultimately, we find that it's important for organizations to be good stewards of their capital and make sure that they're getting the best impact or the best out of their employees that they possibly can."

This is just part one of Carrie’s conversation with George Rivera. Our great thanks to him, and the SHRM team, for making this set of conversations possible.

Sponsor: SHRM

SHRM provides solutions for 95% of Fortune 500 companies to transform talent management, accelerate executive development, elevate workplace culture, and build inclusive workplaces. SHRM promotes diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging while advancing women leaders to construct better workplaces. Mission Partners routinely consults SHRM first when facing HR and best practice challenges and we're thrilled to be able to work with SHRM as the sponsor of this week's episode. Learn more at SHRM.org.

(00:00) - We're on a break!
(00:43) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(04:47) - AI in the Workplace
(09:43) - SHRM's Latest Research
(12:04) - AI, Biases, and Equity
(15:37) - Four Ways Companies can Benefit from AI
(23:02) - Resources ... and a cinematic call to action

Rebroadcast • Communications to Bridge Divides

TruStory FM — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 03:00:00 -0800

Michael Gordon Voss is publisher at Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR), and in this week’s rebroadcast from Season 6, the conversation is all about trust.

See, Micheal has spent the last few decades building relationships of trust between his publications and his reading public. That experience has made him an expert in a few key areas we're eager to explore this week. What is the role of curation when it comes to using news and information in building and maintaining trust with your audience? How does the broader social sharing economy impact our ability to impact change? What is the value of a publication in an information economy that is so challenged for trust between publisher and reader right? We explore those areas and more this week.

A little about Michael: before joining SSIR, Michael was Vice President, Associate Publisher, Business Development & Marketing for Scientific American, based in New York City, where he drove commercial marketing and brand strategy, strategic partnerships, sponsorships, and new product development. His career in digital and traditional media has spanned nearly two decades and a wide array of titles and companies, including Newsweek, Meredith Corporation, and George magazine.

Over the course of the show, we make reference to a few stories that make for appropriate follow-up from the pages of SSIR.

If you've never had the opportunity to hear from Michael directly, we're honored and thrilled to bring him to you this week. His work is the foundation for thought-provoking exploration for our growth as communicators while guiding organizations to move their missions forward. Our great thanks to Michael for joining us this week on the show.

(00:00) - We're on a break!
(00:42) - Sponsor: Unit Of Impact – Promo Code EARLYBIRD2024
(01:23) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(02:58) - Introducing Michael Gordon Voss
(08:50) - Understanding Social Innovation
(11:42) - Weighing in on "Expertise"
(14:38) - Innovation Across Communities
(21:32) - Communications Challenges
(27:21) - Measuring Impact
(32:17) - Finding Hope
(36:14) - Learn More
(37:38) - Special Interview: Unit of Impact

Rebroadcast • Communications to Power Public Opinion

TruStory FM — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 03:00:00 -0800

If you’re a regular listener to this show, you know that our conversations run the gamut; from interpersonal communications to corporate communications, we’re interested in communications that change lives. In this rebroadcast from season six, we’re going even bigger.

Jeff Caporizzo is Senior Partner and Executive Creative Director at ICF Next, an agency dedicated to “Next-level participation.” That sounds like a big promise in today’s connected communications economy, but take a look at some of their work and you’ll see just how action backs the language.

Jeff joins Carrie Fox today to talk about the power of mass communications and advertising to inform viewpoints, behaviors, and narratives, and even disrupt false or negative narratives. No time like the present, right?

Jeff is a creative storyteller. He has used his craft for good over the years, and in campaign after campaign, he’s helped his clients grow through challenging — even uncomfortable — lessons about the way they use language, image, and spokesvoices to tell the stories of their brands for the better.

So, welcome to this conversation about message, power, and justice, all seen through the lens of the ad. Thanks to Jeff for his time and contribution to this conversation. We can’t wait to see what he creates next.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:11) - Making Time • Finding The Words
(07:06) - Introducing Jeff Caporizzo
(16:30) - Understanding Design and How it can Change Narrative
(19:42) - Designing Across Cultures
(23:18) - Finding Your Spokesperson
(31:26) - Power of Real Voices
(33:26) - Finding Hope

Good Change

TruStory FM — Thu, 12 Dec 2024 03:00:00 -0800

Change. Enigmatic. Unpredictable. These days, it feels like the uninvited guest that overstays its welcome, disrupting our carefully constructed routines. But what if, hidden within the debris of the familiar, lies the seed of something truly remarkable?

In this season finale of Mission Forward, Carrie explores the often-uncomfortable reality of transformation. She shares the story of a non-profit CEO whose outward success masked a period of intense internal change, illustrating a powerful truth: sometimes, detours and unexpected roadblocks are precisely what propel us forward. Think of Bob Ross and his "happy accidents"—those unexpected brushstrokes that transform a canvas. It’s this same wisdom that, when applied to organizational change, suggests that seemingly negative events can be remarkable catalysts for growth.

So, embrace the fork in the road. Embrace the unknown. The most rewarding journeys are often the ones for which we never prepared a brief.

Thank you for joining us this year and this season, and from all of us here on the Mission Forward team we wish you a rich, rewarding, and restful holiday. See you in 2025!

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward

Preparing Employers for What’s Ahead with Edgility Consulting’s Allison Wyatt

TruStory FM — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 03:00:00 -0800

This episode is brought to you by Edgility Consulting.

Imagine this: a workplace where every decision is transparent, every policy is fair, and every employee feels like they belong. Sounds utopian, doesn’t it? Yet, this isn’t a fiction—it’s a framework, one that Allison Wyatt is helping organizations build. This week, Carrie sits down with Allison for a journey through the mechanics of equity in the workplace, and the surprising ways clarity, consistency, and inclusion can shape not just organizations, but entire sectors.

Allison is co-founder of Edgility Consulting and has spent years unraveling what makes workplaces thrive, and what makes them falter. Her findings? They’re as provocative as they are practical. From the hidden power dynamics of HR to the unspoken biases baked into holiday calendars, Allison reveals what most leaders miss: that equity is a disciplined practice requiring honesty, humility, and a willingness to embrace complexity.

Carrie and Allison explore the emotional glue that holds employees to an organization—and the bug repellent that drives them away. Why do compensation policies, even when competitive, often leave staff feeling dissatisfied? How can leaders balance the chaos of today’s world with the need for stability? And what happens when you bring faith into the diversity, equity, and inclusion conversation?

So join us this week as Carrie and Allison unpack the hidden architecture of equitable workplaces. Whether you’re a CEO, an HR manager, or simply someone who cares about building better organizations, this conversation is important. Because in a world of uncertainty, one truth remains: when you prioritize clarity, fairness, and belonging, you don’t just improve your workplace—you transform it.

This episode is sponsored by Edgility Consulting. Learn more about their incredible work in team development, compensation planning, and beyond at EdgilityConsulting.com.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:20) - Introducing Allison Wyatt from Edgility Consulting
(03:14) - Organizational Trends From Edgility
(07:28) - Leadership Responsiveness
(10:02) - Best Practices: HR
(14:01) - DEI
(19:14) - Impact
(21:35) - Pillars of Equity
(27:25) - What comes in the new year
(31:44) - Sponsor: Edgility Consulting

Today's show is brought to you by Edgility Consulting, your compass for building equitable organizations where all staff thrive. Their talent management experts empower you to break free from traditional hiring, compensation, and talent management norms that often perpetuate inequality and prevent you from hiring and retaining great staff.

Put your values to work, act on equity, visit Edgility Consulting and talk to a consultant about upgrading your talent systems to attract and retain top talent and ensure equity at your organization today.

Looking Back to Look Forward with the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s Stacy Palmer

TruStory FM — Thu, 28 Nov 2024 03:00:00 -0800

It's the season for gratitude and reflection. But also, a day for taking stock. As we gather with loved ones, it's worth considering the subtle shifts happening beneath the surface of our communities. The connections that bind us, the acts of generosity that fuel positive change—these are the things that deserve our attention.

Ten years ago, nonprofits, the tireless champions of our communities, began to sense a change in the air—a moment of pause, a desire to understand the evolving landscape before taking the next step, a perfectly reasonable response to a world in constant flux.

This week, Stacy Palmer, CEO of The Chronicle of Philanthropy, sits down with Carrie to explore the evolution of this space. They explore the findings of the Generosity Commission, acknowledging the dip in traditional giving and volunteering while also recognizing the rise of new forms of engagement. The landscape of giving is changing, and that presents both challenges and opportunities.

Amidst this evolution, inspiring figures like Melinda Gates and MacKenzie Scott emerge as trailblazers, reshaping the philanthropic landscape with their bold and transformative giving. They shine a light on the often-overlooked, demonstrating that philanthropy can be a powerful catalyst for positive change, especially when it embraces innovation and challenges traditional norms.

How do we ensure that positive momentum continues? Stacy offers a balanced perspective. She celebrates the progress made while also encouraging us to remain vigilant and adaptable. The insights from 1989, when the Chronicle of Philanthropy first highlighted the need for philanthropy to embrace a multicultural America, still resonate today.

Carrie and Stacy explore the delicate balance between thoughtful planning and decisive action. They discuss the All In By April campaign, a compelling example of how accelerating philanthropic giving can empower positive change, particularly in support of democracy. This story of proactive engagement is a testament to the power of foresight and collaboration.

This week invites you to reflect on each of our own contributions to the story of generosity. Are we building meaningful connections or simply going through the motions? Are we embracing new approaches or clinging to outdated models? The answer, as Carrie and Stacy reveal, lies in the power of relationships, the courage to speak up, and the unwavering commitment to move missions forward together.

Links & Notes

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:58) - Introducing Stacy Palmer
(04:28) - Journey into Non-Profit
(09:51) - The Generosity Crisis
(18:04) - Is Philanthropy Ready for Multi-Cultural America?

Going Where the Mission Requires with Solutions Journalism Network’s Tina Rosenberg

TruStory FM — Thu, 21 Nov 2024 03:00:00 -0800

This week on the show, Carrie sits down with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Tina Rosenberg for a third time to assess the surprising power of solutions journalism. Of course, it wouldn't be a conversation about the news media if it didn't discuss the curious patterns of polarization, exploring how our perceptions of division might be more amplified than reality indicates. Tina, co-founder of the Solutions Journalism Network, argues that the news, in its relentless focus on the negative, can actually distort our understanding of the world. It's a paradox: the very medium meant to inform us contributes directly to our skewed perspectives.

Through her own work, Tina is actively reshaping the narrative. With tens of thousands of journalists now trained in solutions reporting, she and her colleagues are pioneering a new approach – one that investigates what works rather than solely focusing on what's broken. It's not about Pollyannaish optimism or ignoring bad news; it's about rigorous reporting on solutions, examining their effectiveness with the same scrutiny typically reserved for exposing flaws.

Carrie and Tina discuss the unexpected ripple effects of this shift, from happier journalists to a renewed sense of purpose in the newsroom. They explore the subtle art of listening, the power of asset-based framing (championed by Solutions Journalism Network board chair, Trabian Shorters), and the vital role of community engagement. This isn't just about journalism; it's about how we understand and address the challenges facing our society. Tune in to discover how a different kind of storytelling can lead to a more nuanced, and ultimately more hopeful, view of the world.

Links & Notes:

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:32) - Introducing Tina Rosenberg
(02:02) - Polarization
(05:04) - Solutions Journalism Network
(14:23) - Going Where the Mission Requires

Bridging Divides and Building Back Better with JustFund’s Iara Peng, Interfaith America’s Eboo Patel and Chronicle of Philanthropy’s Stacy Palmer

TruStory FM — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 03:00:00 -0800

Links & Notes

This episode is brought to you by Reconsidered Change Hub. You don't have to go it alone.

(00:00) - Sponsor: Reconsidered Change Hub
(00:37) - Welcome to Mission Forward

Communicating Through Volatility with Hearken’s Jennifer Brandel and Mission Partners’ Brian Fox

TruStory FM — Thu, 07 Nov 2024 03:00:00 -0800

So why, when it comes to the equally turbulent terrain of politics, do we so often resort to the verbal equivalent of a sledgehammer?

Links & Notes

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:14) - What to Say
(04:38) - Curiosity and Depp Listening

Activating Mission to Navigate Societal Changes and Business Challenges with B Lab’s Sarah Schwimmer and Mission Partners’ Bridget Pooley

TruStory FM — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 03:00:00 -0700

In a world grappling with declining trust in institutions, businesses face increasing pressure to become agents of societal change. This episode of Mission Forward explores this evolving dynamic with Sarah Schwimmer, co-lead executive at B Lab Global, the non-profit behind the B Corp movement. Host Carrie Fox cedes the interviewing chair to her colleague, Bridget Pooley, Mission Partners' chief operating officer, for a deep dive into the forces reshaping corporate responsibility.

They explore the Edelman Trust Barometer’s findings, revealing a fascinating dynamic: as trust in traditional institutions wanes, the pressure mounts on businesses to step up. Sarah highlights the B Corp movement's explosive growth as evidence of this trend, with thousands of companies seeking ways to balance purpose and profit. She shares compelling examples of B Corps actively engaging in their communities, like Legacy Vacation Resorts' efforts to empower employee voting.

The conversation also touches on the crucial issue of shareholder vs. stakeholder capitalism. Is simply declaring a commitment to all stakeholders enough? Sarah and Bridget discuss the importance of accountability and the role of B Lab's rigorous B Impact Assessment in driving real change.

Finally, they explore the age-old tension between mission and profit. Can businesses truly prioritize both? Sarah showcases Patagonia as a shining example of a company successfully integrating purpose and profitability, highlighting innovative ownership models that prioritize long-term mission. The landscape for businesses is complex, but there is always room to become true forces for good.

Identifying and Addressing Election Related Chaos Factors with Democracy Fund’s Joe Goldman and Crystal Hayling

TruStory FM — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 03:00:00 -0700

As Election Day looms, anxieties run high. How can we navigate the uncertainty and potential chaos surrounding this pivotal moment for American democracy? Carrie Fox, CEO of Mission Partners, sits down with Joe Goldman, president of Democracy Fund, and Crystal Hayling, Democracy Fund board member, to explore these critical questions.

Drawing on their recent paper, "On Black Swans, Gray Rhinos and the 2024 Election," Joe and Crystal offer a framework for resilience in the face of unpredictable events. They emphasize the importance of listening to frontline communities, who often recognize the warning signs of looming threats – the "gray rhinos" – long before they reach the mainstream, highlighting the overturning of Roe v. Wade as a prime example, noting that activists on the ground had foreseen the danger and stressed the critical link between voting rights and reproductive rights.

The conversation turns toward the concerning rise of political violence, a potential gray rhino demanding attention. Joe and Crystal underscore the importance of heeding the alarms raised by those most vulnerable to such threats, emphasizing that preparedness is not about predicting the future, but about empowering communities to respond effectively.

They discuss the crucial role of philanthropic funding in supporting these efforts. Crystal advocates for general operating support, giving organizations the flexibility to adapt to evolving challenges. They champion the "All By April" campaign, which encourages early funding disbursements to maximize impact, and introduce a new initiative, "Election Day to Every Day," aimed at providing sustained support beyond the election cycle. This sustained support is vital, they argue, particularly given the possibility of delayed election results and the need for ongoing work to protect democratic integrity.

Finally, the fundamental question: Is American democracy possible? They agree that its survival depends on active engagement and a commitment to building a more inclusive and just system and urge listeners to join the fight. The responsibility for safeguarding democracy rests with all of us.

Links & Notes

How to Keep Your DEI Policies Moving Forward with Edelman’s Faith McIver and Mission Partners’ Nimra Haroon

TruStory FM — Thu, 17 Oct 2024 03:00:00 -0700

The Supreme Court's decision on affirmative action sent shockwaves through institutions across America, leaving many wondering about the future of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Is DEI dead? Or is it simply evolving?

Links & Notes

Mission Partners: Equity Action Plan
Ditch the DEI Speak • Finding the Words
Advancing DEI Initiative • Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging

A Recipe for Cooling Down American Politics with Peacebuilder Dr. John Paul Lederach

TruStory FM — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 03:00:00 -0700

In a world increasingly fractured, whispers of civil unrest grow louder. Dr. John Paul Lederach, a veteran peacebuilder with decades of experience in global conflict zones, offers a stark yet hopeful message: the antidote to escalating tensions lies not in grand pronouncements but in the quiet power of human connection. This week on Mission Forward, Lederach shares insights from his new book, Pocket Guide for Facing Down a Civil War, a timely and urgent call to action for a nation teetering on the edge.

Don’t forget, you can download Pocket Guide for Facing Down a Civil War free on his site, or pick it up on Amazon right here.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward

Common Ground • Finding the Words

TruStory FM — Thu, 03 Oct 2024 03:00:00 -0700

Last week, I joined dozens of university leaders as they honed skills to navigate political conflict on campus. It was a preventative measure, really, to support their soon-to-return students through the remainder of this election season, and to help one another maintain open and peaceful dialogue across contested issues.

We learned a very powerful lesson.

This short-form episode is part of the Finding The Words column, a series published every Wednesday that delivers a dose of communication insights directly to your inbox. If you like what you read, we hope you’ll subscribe to ensure you receive this each week.

(00:00) - Join us for Mission Forward Live! October 9, 2024 • missionforward.us/live
(01:05) - Common Ground

Information We Can Rely on with American Press Institute’s Michael D. Bolden

TruStory FM — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 03:00:00 -0700

In a world drowning in information, where every click and scroll can lead us further down a rabbit hole of misinformation, what is our cultural and intellectual lifeline?

We are grateful to Michael and the American Press Institute for their generosity in making this conversation possible.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(05:52) - Local News and Democracy
(07:47) - What is The American Press Institute?
(10:28) - Change, Challenge, and Opportunity
(14:40) - The Relationship Gap
(18:00) - A Focus on Mission
(19:46) - Hope
(22:10) - Closing Thoughts

Rebroadcast • Civility in Focus with SHRM’s Jim Link

TruStory FM — Thu, 05 Sep 2024 03:00:00 -0700

This week, Carrie Fox sits down with Jim Link, Chief Human Resources Officer for SHRM, to discuss the growing issue of workplace incivility and how to foster a culture of respect and inclusion.

Link shares startling statistics from SHRM's research, revealing that two-thirds of employees have witnessed acts of incivility in the workplace within the last six months, with 50% experiencing it in the last week alone. He emphasizes the importance of creating a balanced "four-legged stool" of workplace cultures: collaboration, learning, innovation, and inclusion.

To combat the rise of incivility, SHRM has launched the "1 Million Civil Conversations" initiative, aimed at encouraging respectful dialogue and interactions among colleagues. Link discusses the overwhelmingly positive response to the campaign and the creative ways organizations are implementing the "Cards Against Incivility" toolkit to promote civility.

Tune in to learn more about how you can contribute to a more civil and inclusive workplace, one conversation at a time. SHRM's resources and toolkits are available for download at SHRM.org. Join the movement by using the hashtag #CivilityAtWork.

(00:00) - Summer at Mission Forward
(00:58) - Sponsor: SHRM.org
(01:45) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(03:16) - Introducing Jim Link
(07:01) - DEI
(19:39) - Trust
(31:05) - Extreme Listening
(35:55) - Sponsor: SHRM — Civility is a Cornerstone of Workplace Culture

Rebroadcast • Stories that Shape Us with Nicole Lynn Lewis

TruStory FM — Thu, 22 Aug 2024 03:00:00 -0700

Nicole Lynn Lewis is the founder and CEO of Generation Hope and an incredible leader in the fight against poverty and the stigma surrounding it. Her specific area of focus? Teen mothers.

You see, Nicole is a former teen mother herself, rocked by this sudden life change that upended her life at a young age. But she was able to rebound, to put herself through college with a three-month-old daughter along for the ride.

"... across higher education, about one in five undergraduate students across the country are parenting. It's almost five million students," she says. "It is an invisible population ... a population more likely to be women and women of color, particularly black women."

Nicole decided to do something. She wrote a book, Pregnant Girl: A Story of Teen Motherhood, College, and Creating a Better Future for Young Families, and Generation Hope was born. It's a nonprofit dedicated to supporting teen parents and their children through mentorship, emotional support and guidance, and financial resources they need to thrive through college and kindergarten, a two-generation solution to poverty.

Nicole's story is amazing, inspiring, and challenging all at once. Join us and hear how her story truly shaped the future of this movement. Our deep thanks to Nicole for joining us on Mission Forward.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(03:24) - A Story that Launched a Movement
(11:12) - Exploring Champions
(14:16) - The Invisible Common
(16:50) - Making the Story Real for Those who can Make Change
(21:03) - Pressing Issues
(24:01) - Moving Through Urgency, With Urgency, and not Against Urgency

Rebroadcast • Navigating the Way Forward: What We’ve Done and Where We Go From Here with Dr. John Izzo

TruStory FM — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 03:00:00 -0700

What does it mean to orient your life around your mission? We talk about mission all the time around these parts, but when was the last time you stopped, took a deep breath, and embarked on the discernment journey around not just what you do in the world but what you want to leave behind when you're gone from it?

This week, kicking off the eighth season of the Mission Forward podcast, Carrie sits down with Dr. John Izzo, author, and advisor who has dedicated his mission to helping companies and individuals find theirs. This conversation is a masterclass in vulnerability; Dr. Izzo shares how experiences from his childhood, growing up without his father, shaped his desire to help people live more purposeful lives. This led him to become a minister, get a Ph.D. in organizational psychology, and eventually advise companies on creating positive cultures for themselves.

He's also a leading trend-spotter and shares with Carrie major trends he sees in business and society: rethinking our relationship to work and seeking more meaning, the growing divide between the wealthy and others, and more. We're at an inflection point, he says, where we could create a more regenerative society or head down a darker path. The choice is made by the cultures we create.

The bottom line, according to Dr. Izzo, is this: "Ultimately, the only thing that's going to matter to you is what you wound up giving the world, not what you wound up taking from it."

We're deeply grateful to Dr. Izzo for sharing his time and attention with our Mission Forward community.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(02:34) - The Life and Good Work of Dr. John Izzo

Rebroadcast • Succession Planning with Edgility Consulting's Christina Greenberg

TruStory FM — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 03:00:00 -0700

This episode is brought to you by Edgility Consulting.

This episode is sponsored by Edgility Consulting.

How can leaders of social impact organizations build equitable pipelines of leadership to sustain their missions? That is our central question this week as Carrie Fox sits down with Christina Greenberg, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of diversity-focused talent management firm Edgility Consulting. It’s a question that begs us to examine all our best practices for succession planning and talent development to ensure organizations stay true to their values over time.

When most organizations start planning for succession, it is often too late, Greenberg explains. Succession planning must start years in advance with strategic talent management - identifying core competencies for roles at every level and systematically developing staff. Just as we plan for communications risk scenarios, leaders should have multiple potential successors identified by giving them concrete experiences to demonstrate readiness. With an intentional focus on competency gaps and development areas, organizations can build diverse benches of potential leadership.

How can social impact organizations close skills gaps in order to nurture well-rounded leaders? Where are potential successors today, and what experiences do they need to get them ready? How can succession planning apply to all levels? True succession planning requires looking beyond ego to the future health of the institution and its social mission. As Greenberg says, “What I would just tell people about this process is it’s hard and daunting and scary, but just take it in bite-sized pieces."

We just scratch the surface of Christina’s expertise in nonprofit succession planning and talent development. The bottom line: building an equitable leadership plan for the long term requires leading with values first, and letting the right people with the right skills rise to meet them. Our great thanks to Christina and Edgility Consulting for their partnership in this conversation!

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:31) - Introducing Christina Greenberg
(11:13) - The Boomerang CEO
(19:00) - Succession
(25:59) - What are the Next Steps?
(29:08) - A final note of Hope
(30:26) - Sponsor: Edgility Consulting

Rebroadcast • Courageous Conversations with Ronnie Galvin

TruStory FM — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 03:00:00 -0700

We're revisiting one of our favorites this week as Reverend Ronnie Galvin discusses the importance of community and how it is not a physical place but a set of practices. He shares his journey through social change and community building, and highlights the role of community in fostering justice, equity, and sustainability.

Community, says our guest this week, is not a place. It's a practice.

It is a practice of authenticity, vulnerability, mutual support, and accountability in creating meaningful connections between each and every one of us. And he should know. He's dedicated his life and career to helping others challenge assumptions and daring to dream of a new future together.

We welcome Rev. Ronnie Galvin to the show this week to share his journey through social change and community building. He's an incredible advocate and change agent, and, in spite of the challenges and strife he sees around us today, he's also an optimist: "I fundamentally believe that our capacity to solve the biggest problems in front of us is directly related to the experience and the practice of community that we engage in with each other in a world where it feels like everything is falling apart."

His current enterprise, Communivation, is an embodiment of his passion for aiding people, organizations, and movements to convene and generate transformative ideas for community experience and practice. Despite the despair and angst felt in these challenging times, Galvin expresses his firm belief in the power of community to solve the biggest problems faced by society and "to interrogate our current reality fiercely and lovingly, but also dream about and reimagine and practice the future that we want together." The conversation is a powerful reminder of the role of community in fostering justice, equity, and sustainability.

Thank you, Reverend Galvin, for joining us on Mission Forward.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:33) - Introducing Reverend Ronnie Galvin
(07:45) - The Possibility of Community
(11:05) - Sponsor: CommonHealth ACTION EDI Training Institute
(12:20) - Communivation
(21:27) - Values & Beliefs

Find the Good • Finding The Words

TruStory FM — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 03:00:00 -0700

It's natural to bend toward hopelessness in heightened moments of stress and uncertainty. In those moments, I invite you to seek solid grounding in the things that you know for sure.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward

Bridging Divides with Brian Fox and Bridget Pooley

TruStory FM — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 03:00:00 -0700

Polarization. It’s all around us. Humans are feeling less connected to their neighbors and more attached to their screens and data. Political affiliations have created new divides, and even as workplaces become more diverse, many report feeling lonelier than ever. We at Mission Forward believe there's another way.

This week, Carrie Fox sits down with Mission Partners' Chief Operating Officer Bridget Pooley and Chief Strategy Officer Brian Fox to explore how connections can be strengthened in the workplace and beyond. Recorded in front of a live audience, they discuss practical strategies for bridging divides and leading by example.

The conversation covers the importance of shifting perspectives, building empathy, and finding common ground—without necessarily seeking 100% agreement. Pooley and Fox share examples of facilitating understanding across age groups and challenging communication norms to foster more inclusive cultures.

They also highlight the power of storytelling as a tool for connection and the need for leaders to create spaces for people to share their experiences. Ultimately, this is a conversation about hope that we can bridge the gaps that divide us with intentional adjustments to how we engage with one another.

Links & Notes

Digital Body Language: How to Build Trust and Connection, No Matter the Distance by Erica Dhawn

(00:00) - The Mission Partners Team
(00:58) - Welcome to Mission Forward

Be the Leader You Need Now • Finding The Words

TruStory FM — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 03:00:00 -0700

Whether you lead an organization, a team, a project, or a phone call, your behavior sets the tone. Practice showing resilience, staying calm under pressure, and demonstrating care for others, even in challenging times, as those leadership skills can inspire others to do the same. But if you lament your current-day leadership, ask yourself: Who is the leader you really need right now?

This short-form episode is part of the Finding The Words column, a series published every Wednesday that delivers a dose of communication insights direct to your inbox. If you like what you read, we hope you’ll subscribe to ensure you receive this each week.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward

From Missions to Movements with Dana Snyder

TruStory FM — Thu, 06 Jun 2024 03:00:00 -0700

This week on Mission Forward, Carrie Fox sits down with Dana Snyder, a digital strategist for nonprofits and the CEO and founder of Positive Equation. Snyder, who has supported organizations like Movember, Dress for Success, and American Idol, shares her insights on how nonprofits can effectively reach new audiences in the ever-evolving digital landscape.

(00:00) - Ask Carrie!
(01:09) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:54) - Introducing Dana Snyder
(08:25) - Is the wide net a positive strategy?
(13:44) - The AI Challenge
(17:52) - Revenue v Values
(20:01) - Making the Most of Social
(23:53) - Getting Closer to Your Audiences

Civility at Work • Finding The Words

TruStory FM — Thu, 30 May 2024 03:00:00 -0700

“Only the soul that ventilates the world with tenderness has any chance of changing the world.”

Those are the words of Father Greg Boyle, a Jesuit priest and founder of Homeboy Industries, the largest gang intervention, rehabilitation, and re-entry program in the world. If you’re not familiar with Father Boyle or his remarkable collection of books, watch this 11-minute video of him addressing the students of Notre Dame in 2017. As Stephanie Bai of The Atlantic wrote recently, “Boyle’s singular gift is his ability to see—and communicate—the best of humanity in those who are often considered the worst of it.”

Incivility at work is an intensifying reality. It can get the better of us and bring out the worst in us. This week, practice “ventilating your soul with tenderness” and work to create spaces that foster civil conversation and muscle building. I think you’ll find the whole team gets stronger as a result.

This week’s episode comes from the Finding The Words column, a series published every Wednesday that delivers a dose of communication insights directly to your inbox. If you like what you read, we hope you’ll subscribe to ensure you receive this each week.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:13) - Civility at Work
(05:40) - Sponsor: As a Chief of Staff

Civility in Action with SHRM’s Tina Beaty

TruStory FM — Thu, 23 May 2024 03:00:00 -0700

According to SHRM research, there are over 67 million acts of incivility happening at work every day. Our guest this week argues that the fabric of how we treat each other is starting to unravel - with serious consequences for employee mental health, productivity and company culture. But there’s hope: change can start with each of us, one interaction at a time.

Tina Beaty is Chief Brand and Marketing Officer for SHRM and this week, she sits down with Carrie to dive into SHRM's new civility index and campaign aimed at empowering managers and employees with the tools to handle uncivil behavior and engage in respectful dialogue, even on controversial topics. They explore how generational differences, polarizing political issues, and the stresses of the past few years are playing out at work.

Rather than waiting for elected officials or senior leaders to set the tone, Beaty encourages listeners to take ownership of their own conduct. "Every single interaction is a decision," she reminds us. With empathy, positive intent, and a commitment to open and honest communication, Beaty believes workplaces can become a model for the civil society we wish to see.

This is a discussion on the small choices that can make a big difference in transforming workplace culture. Disagree better, assume positive intent, and be the civility we seek - it may be the solution we need to create more productive, psychologically safe, and human-centered places of work.

This episode is sponsored by SHRM.org.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(03:22) - Introducing Tina Beaty
(05:45) - About The Civility Campaign
(17:02) - Connecting Across Divides

Civility in Practice with SHRM’s Emily Dickens

TruStory FM — Thu, 16 May 2024 03:00:00 -0700

In a world where incivility seems to be on the rise, both in our personal lives and in the workplace, how can we, as individuals, make a difference? Emily Dickens, Chief of Staff, Head of Government Affairs, and Corporate Secretary for SHRM, believes the answer lies in practicing civility—one conversation at a time.

This week on Mission Forward, Carrie Fox delves into the power of civility with Dickens. They explore how simple acts of kindness, empathy, and grace can transform workplace cultures and why HR professionals play a critical role in driving this change.

Dickens shares personal anecdotes from her unconventional career journey, highlighting how access to education and mentors who believed in her potential shaped her mission to elevate the HR profession. She discusses SHRM's recently launched Civility Campaign and why leading with a "care for others" approach is far more effective than the all-too-common "self-serving" leadership style.

Fox and Dickens also tackle tough questions about navigating the post-COVID workplace, balancing empathy with accountability, and the dangers of labeling others based on limited interactions. Dickens emphasizes the importance of recognizing that "we are all more than our worst thing" and giving others the grace to evolve.

This is a conversation that can challenge the way you think about your daily interactions and inspire you to strengthen your own "civility muscle." As Dickens notes, even the smallest gestures can spark a ripple effect, empowering us all to build more respectful, inclusive, and thriving workplaces.

This episode is sponsored by SHRM.org.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:44) - Introducing Emily Dickens
(07:28) - The Power of Communication and the Civility Campaign
(19:37) - Transparency
(21:51) - Dignity and Respect
(25:48) - Civil Impressions
(27:56) - Action Steps
(33:30) - Learn More
(36:20) - Sponsor: SHRM

Civility in Focus with SHRM’s Jim Link

TruStory FM — Thu, 09 May 2024 04:07:00 -0700

This week, Carrie Fox sits down with Jim Link, Chief Human Resources Officer for SHRM, to discuss the growing issue of workplace incivility and how to foster a culture of respect and inclusion.

This episode is sponsored by SHRM.org.

(00:00) - Sponsor: SHRM.org
(00:47) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(02:18) - Introducing Jim Link
(06:03) - DEI
(18:41) - Trust
(30:07) - Extreme Listening
(34:57) - Sponsor: SHRM — Civility is a Cornerstone of Workplace Culture

Polarization at Work • Finding The Words

TruStory FM — Thu, 02 May 2024 03:00:00 -0700

After Super Tuesday polls closed as expected for a U.S. presidential election cycle dominated by a set of expected frontrunners. However, it's not particularly what's in the headlines this morning, as what is absent from them: the increasingly sharp polarization among U.S residents and the effect it is beginning to have in our workplaces.

Links & Notes

Science is revealing why American politics are so intensely polarized

This episode is sponsored by AskAChiefofStaff.com.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(07:03) - Sponsor: Ask a Chief of Staff

Closing the Wage Gap with Edgility Consulting’s Allison Wyatt

TruStory FM — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 03:00:00 -0700

This episode is brought to you by Edgility Consulting.

This week, Carrie Fox sits down with Allison Wyatt, co-founder of Edgility Consulting, to discuss the persistent wage gaps that plague our society and the bold steps required to build intentional equity in the workplace.

Wyatt, whose childhood straddling two vastly different economic realities inspired her passion for social justice, shares how her firm disrupts the status quo of compensation practices by engaging entire organizations in the design process, pushing for radical transparency, and looking beyond imperfect market data. Edgility Consulting is helping clients close wage gaps and put upward pressure on salaries for undervalued roles disproportionately held by marginalized groups.

However, as Wyatt notes, achieving pay equity is just one piece of the puzzle in an inherently inequitable society. Biases, stereotypes, and inflexible work cultures continue to impede advancement opportunities, especially for women. Truly sustaining progress, she argues, requires tackling these systemic barriers head-on.

For organizations planning to hire this year, Wyatt offers specific recruiting advice: do your research to ensure fair offers, consider your existing staff to maintain internal equity, and, above all, strive for clarity and consistency in your compensation philosophy.

Our hope, when you’re finished listening this week, is that you’re questioning long-held assumptions about "the way things are done," inspired to reimagine a more equitable future—one organization at a time. Join us for an unflinching look at the challenges we face and the potential for transformative change.

Our great thanks to Allison Wyatt for joining us for this conversation.

This episode is sponsored by Edgility Consulting. Learn more about their incredible work in compensation planning and beyond at EdgilityConsulting.com.

Links & Notes

Learn more about Edgility Consulting
Allison is the Founding Partner and head of Edgility’s compensation practice
Succession Planning with Edgility Consulting's Christina Greenberg

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:07) - Introducing Allison Wyatt
(02:20) - Allison's Story
(07:14) - Closing the Wage Gap
(16:08) - Diversity and Equal Pay
(18:30) - Where do we start?
(21:42) - What does change look like?
(24:39) - What if?
(29:16) - Sponsor: Edgility Consulting • EdgilityConsulting.com

The State of Welcoming in America with Rachel Perić

TruStory FM — Thu, 18 Apr 2024 03:00:00 -0700

In a nation increasingly riven by polarization and mistrust, the spirit of "civitas"—the collective body coming together for good—can feel like a distant dream. But amidst this bleak landscape, rays of hope shine through in the form of organizations like Welcoming America.

This week, Carrie Fox sits down with Rachel Perić, Executive Director of Welcoming America, to discuss their new report, "The State of Welcoming." Perić shares her powerful personal story and sheds light on how creating a culture of belonging for immigrants and refugees can strengthen the social fabric of entire communities.

From the economic benefits to the democratic necessity, Perić outlines the "five whys" that underscore the vital importance of the welcoming movement. She cites success stories like Dayton, Ohio, a Rust Belt city that reversed a 50-year population decline by becoming a leader in immigrant inclusion.

This work is not without its challenges. Perić candidly discusses the dehumanizing narratives that scapegoat newcomers and the global forces displacing people at an unprecedented scale. Yet through it all, her message is one of determined hope: with intention and infrastructure, we can build welcoming communities equipped to meet the defining challenges of our time.

Anyone yearning to rekindle the spirit of civitas in an age of division, this is your episode. It will leave you inspired by the power of human connection and moved to join the growing chorus of upstanders working to ensure that everyone—no matter their origins—can belong and thrive in the place they call home.

Our great thanks to Rachel Perić for joining us for Mission Forward this week.

Links & Notes

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(03:14) - Introducing Rachel Perić
(04:08) - Rachel's Story
(07:20) - The State of Welcoming in 2024
(09:36) - Do I live in a welcoming community?
(14:05) - Dayton, Ohio, 2011
(16:15) - The Five Whys
(18:52) - What's in the way of welcoming work?
(21:26) - Onramps to Welcoming Work

Courageous Leadership • Finding The Words

TruStory FM — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 03:00:00 -0700

Taking action seems more complicated than in years past. As we dive into 2024, leaders are facing greater threats and barriers to change, particularly to advancing social change: from policies and lawsuits that threaten DEI practices, technological innovations that threaten workforces, political elections that threaten democracy, and extreme weather that threaten our existence. Where, then, to begin with a reinvention?

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(04:46) - Sponsor: Ask a Chief of Staff

Purpose at Work with Nestlé’s Lisa Gibby

TruStory FM — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 03:00:00 -0700

In a world grappling with complex challenges, corporations have the potential to be powerful forces for good. But it takes courageous leadership to set audacious goals and rally entire organizations to drive meaningful change.

On this episode of Mission Forward, Carrie Fox sits down with Lisa Gibby, Deputy Executive Vice President and Chief Communications Officer at Nestlé. As the first person to hold this role, Lisa is responsible for building and maintaining trust in Nestlé's global brand across 186 markets - no small task.

Lisa shares her journey from running her own small communications firm to leading anti-poverty efforts at Bono's ONE Campaign to now sitting on Nestlé's executive board and ESG council. Her story is one of pursuing purpose at every scale.

Under Lisa's leadership, Nestlé has made bold moves—like being one of the first companies to publish a roadmap to reach net-zero emissions. Setting such ambitious public goals created some organizational nervousness, but it also rallied and engaged employees in a shared mission.

The conversation touches on navigating complex social issues as a global company, the importance of humility and embracing failure as part of the process, and how a new generation of consumers passionate about sustainability gives hope for the future.

At its core, this is a discussion about the power and responsibility of communications to drive positive impact. It's about having the courage to set big goals, the focus to build alignment and momentum, and the wisdom to know you can't do it alone. Lisa leaves us with an empowering message - that everyone has an opportunity to contribute as a force for good, and even failure is part of the journey forward.

Tune in for an inspiring look at purpose-driven leadership and the role we can all play in building a better world, one bold goal at a time. Our great thanks to Lisa for joining us for this conversation.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(00:58) - Introducing Lisa Gibby
(08:20) - Changing the Face of Board Leadership
(12:10) - The Fine Line of Communicating Progress
(18:50) - Lessons Learned
(21:06) - The World Around Us, and hope for the future

Regenerative Agriculture and the Future of Business as a Force for Good with Ryan Pintado-Vertner

TruStory FM — Thu, 28 Mar 2024 03:00:00 -0700

We are what we eat. It's an axiom. We take it as a great truth that the better the food we take on to fuel our human engines, the better those engines shall hum. Our guest this week asks us to both embrace that truth and expand it one further: we are what our food eats.

This is just one of the core principles of regenerative agriculture, a practice celebrated by our guest today. Ryan Pintado-Vertner is an activist and a strategic marketing impact expert who helps purpose-driven founders, CEOs, and their teams stay true to their mission through thoughtful marketing and business growth strategies. Ryan has also spent a good part of his career working in natural foods and consumer packaged goods and works at the intersection of what we consume and how that consumption affects our planet and our bodies.

Ryan is also a noted enthusiast for the transformative potential of regenerative agriculture. Far from a niche concept, regenerative practices offer a powerful trifecta of benefits: sequestering carbon to combat climate change, producing more nutritious food, and fostering healthier ecosystems.

As Ryan explains, the health of the soil is the cornerstone that enables plants to convey the best nutrient benefits to both humans and animals. He illuminates how regenerative agriculture's focus on building healthy soil can allow agriculture to become a net negative contributor to atmospheric carbon. While still in the early stages, hundreds of organizations worldwide are pioneering regenerative practices at various scales.

However, regenerative agriculture is about more than just farming techniques. Ryan emphasizes how it represents a broader approach to life and relationships, one that honors the sacredness of every part of the ecosystem. Embracing regenerative principles means adding value rather than extracting it and recognizing that diversity is inherently essential for any system to thrive.

As awareness of regenerative agriculture grows, it has the potential to not only heal our planet and nourish our bodies, but to profoundly reshape how we relate to one another and the natural world we inhabit. This week's show invites each of us to plant the seeds of a regenerative future, one nutrient-rich carrot at a time. Our great thanks to Ryan for joining us this week on Mission Forward.

Links & Notes

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:46) - Introducing Ryan Pintado-Vertner
(05:18) - Regenerative Agriculture
(13:13) - The current landscape... of the landscape
(17:04) - The Challenge of Defining Terms
(23:48) - How can we help the journey

Character Building • Finding The Words

TruStory FM — Thu, 21 Mar 2024 03:00:00 -0700

Character building may not help you in the moment of crisis. But, what could it could do for you if you started investing back into your own character-building today? Because character-building may be the very best way to maintain your reputation for the long term.

The Purpose Economy with Laurence Evans

TruStory FM — Thu, 14 Mar 2024 03:00:00 -0700

Laurence Evans is the CEO of Reputation Leaders and a global thought leader in building trust and reputation. This week on the show, he joins Carrie for a conversation that challenges long-settled leadership assumptions.

Laurence's journey into purpose-driven work began early, inspired by his father's example as a mayor who made a significant difference in their community. His experiences at Edelman, working on groundbreaking projects like the Dove Report on Real Beauty Self-Esteem and the "Dirt is Good" campaign, solidified his belief that companies can pursue a purpose while also benefiting their brand. This realization led him to establish Reputation Leaders, with the aim of helping companies build positive reputations that create a virtuous circle.

Carrie and Laurence delve into the challenges CEOs face in speaking out on important issues without alienating key audiences. Laurence shares fascinating research revealing that while conversations around diversity, equity, and inclusion have increased since George Floyd's death, many CEOs lack a plan for addressing these topics. He emphasizes the importance of listening to employees, board members, and customers, as well as setting clear values and commitments to sustainability and DEI.

"Diversity is good for business," he says. "Why do I believe that?"

First, embracing diversity opens up new, underserved markets. Second, bringing together people from diverse backgrounds leads to different perspectives and better decision-making.

"We rush into the emotional side of it, and we don't actually say, 'You know what? There's a very good reason why we're doing this. It's just good for business.'" The lesson, then, is that by framing DEI as a strategic business imperative rather than a moral obligation, we can more effectively communicate the value and necessity of our DEI initiatives to a broader set of stakeholders.

For Laurence, leadership lessons boil down to the wisdom of everyday Americans, who increasingly believe CEOs should speak to environmental issues, refrain from taking sides on geopolitical issues, and address social issues that relate to their company's values. Put simply: "When we asked people back in November, 'What do you want companies to do most in 2024?' The answer was integrity. We just want them to do what they say."

This week's show brings invaluable guidance for purpose-driven CEOs navigating a polarized world. The issues we face are many and they are significant. But if we learn anything from Laurence's experience, sometimes simple statements of authenticity—repeated clearly—are the most valuable in building trust that lasts. Our great thanks to Laurence and Reputation Leaders for making this conversation possible.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:06) - Introducing Laurence Evans
(09:00) - The Duality of Character and Charisma
(10:50) - The Data Supporting Corporate Good
(23:54) - Who's doing it well?

What If? • Finding The Words

TruStory FM — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 03:00:00 -0800

Have you ever questioned the impact you can make as one person? What If you have a far greater influence and impact than you realize? And what if your micro-level decisions can result in powerful and positive macro-level changes?

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward

Navigating the Issues with Carol Cone

TruStory FM — Thu, 29 Feb 2024 03:00:00 -0800

In the face of global challenges and societal shifts, Carrie sits down with Carol Cone, a pioneer in social purpose, to explore the critical role of courageous leadership in navigating the complexities in the year ahead.

The imperative for companies to adopt a holistic approach that integrates business strategy with social impact initiatives is at the forefront. For Cone, that comes in the form of the "power of and" – the ability to simultaneously pursue short-term value while investing in long-term sustainability. It’s an example of cognitive dissonance, sure, but with examples like Eli Lilly's commitment to affordable insulin and Macy's alignment with diverse suppliers, it’s clear: the approach can work.

Carrie and Carol delve into the rapidly evolving storm of artificial intelligence (AI). While AI holds immense promise for augmenting human capabilities, what should we be concerned with when it comes to the potential for deep fakes and the need for ethical guidelines in this space? What happens when organizations approach the tools with training and understanding rather than fear?

Climate change remains a pressing issue, and Carol highlights the growing number of companies investing in sustainability. She cites IBM's Sustainability Accelerator as an example of how large organizations are leveraging their resources to support innovative climate solutions. At a smaller scale, she emphasizes the need for collaboration between businesses and non-profits to address supply chain issues and promote social justice.

As the demand for skilled labor grows, Carol discusses the importance of new skills development. She applauds IBM's commitment to "new collar jobs" and their recognition that college degrees are not the only pathway to successful careers. Organizations like Per Scholas are bridging the gap by providing certification programs and job placement assistance at scale.

At a time of growing polarization, this week’s conversation is a reminder that complex challenges require nuanced solutions. By spotlighting leaders who hold long and short-term needs in careful balance, Carrie and Carol offer hope in the power of business to drive social progress when rooted in purpose. With care and conviction, they compel us to expand our perspectives, collaborate across sectors, and activate our highest values in service of the greater good. Our great thanks to Carol Cone for joining us this week.

Links & Notes

Subscribe to Purpose 360 with Carol Cone

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:36) - Introducing Carol Cone
(09:53) - A Focus on the Long Game
(16:11) - AI
(21:09) - Climate
(28:48) - The Social Impact Career

Where Will This Year Take You? Welcome to Season 9

TruStory FM — Thu, 15 Feb 2024 03:00:00 -0800

The headlines say it all. We’re living in complicated times. As threats to our economy, democracy, public health, humanity, and the planet all converge, how in the world are we as leaders meant to navigate through it?

Will you do right by your public commitments to DEI or walk them back? Will you lead through your values or your bottom line? Will you stand by while the world changes, or will you be the change?

Hey, I’m Carrie Fox, host of the Mission Forward podcast and a firm believer in the power of communications as a force for good.

Whether you’re working to address climate change or public health, DEI, or AI, communications matters. Courage, care, and civility matter, too. How you practice those three C’s will directly affect your future, too.

On this 9th season of Mission Forward, we’ll introduce you to a host of global thought leaders who will share their take on this consequential year and how they navigate the issues ahead. We hope you’ll come along because there’s too much ahead to navigate alone, particularly as the headlines are breaking all around you.

We’ll see you on February 29th for our first episode of Season 9.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward

Rebroadcast • Why Curiosity Will Save Us All with Jennifer Brandel

TruStory FM — Thu, 08 Feb 2024 03:00:00 -0800

Jennifer Brandel is a co-founder of Hearken, which she’ll talk about extensively today, but she’s also behind Zebra's Unite, Civic Exchange Chicago, Democracy SOS and WBEZ Chicago's Curious City. She joins Carrie Fox for a conversation on approaching the most challenging problems with an open and curious perspective in this rebroadcast from season 7.

She is a serial entrepreneur and innovator who works between industries to address how to design better systems for listening, responding, and evolving with their stakeholders. She is a co-founder of Hearken, which she’ll talk about extensively today, but she’s also behind Zebra's Unite, Civic Exchange Chicago, Democracy SOS and WBEZ Chicago's Curious City.

Now that we have her bona fides out of the way, here’s the real reason Jennifer is special to us: there are so few people able to clearly create an environment that makes the complicated approachable, and the messiest of problems solvable. Even the problems we face today, problems many believe to be impossible.

“We're coming to a moment in which many more people are recognizing that collaborations and the interdependencies of sectors, of organizations, even departments within a company need to be in better and closer communication with one another. And the more we divide and silo ourselves and separate the work, it's at our peril. We're missing insights. We're missing opportunities to leverage one another's work. We’re being less efficient. All of these things translate into the workplace of making our lives harder and also making us keep doing things the same way over and over again, rather than evolving at the speed at which we could be.”

How does she approach these intractable problems at Hearken? Curiously. She’s an enthusiastic observer with inexhaustible energy to face hard things and try to make them better. If you’ve never heard of Jennifer or her work, we’re thrilled and honored to be able to present her worldview to you on this show. Thank you to Jennifer for joining us on the show this week.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(03:40) - Introducing Jennifer Brandel
(09:55) - Hearken
(13:02) - Addressing Systems & Institutions
(19:40) - Name and Ideal System
(25:21) - Addressing Division
(28:57) - Hearken's Next Steps

Rebroadcast • George Jones on Building Antiracist Cities

TruStory FM — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 03:00:00 -0800

George Jones is the CEO of Washington, DC-based Bread for the City, which supports people living with low incomes to develop their power to determine the future of their own communities. They provide food, clothing, medical care, and legal and social services to reduce the burden of poverty. And in working to solve some of the city’s most pressing challenges, George Jones is one of the very best.

That’s what you get when you discover your calling at 12 years old, as George did, realizing early on that his journey was one rooted in justice and equity. Today, he lives at the intersection of race, racism, and poverty, and through Bread for the City and his work as an evangelist for equity, he carries his belief that DC can be not just an antiracist city but a beloved city of peace and equity.

In this rebroadcast from season 7, George sits down with Carrie to talk about the root causes that exist around poverty, homelessness, and food insecurity in DC, but we hope you learn, too, that missions can come from anywhere, at any age, and his is a model and inspiration for us all. Our great thanks to George Jones for his wisdom this week.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(02:13) - Introducing George Jones
(10:40) - Journey to Bread for the City
(19:08) - Creating an Anti-Racist City
(26:51) - Relationships
(28:40) - Trust
(34:05) - Learn More

Rebroadcast • Communications to Power Mental Health

TruStory FM — Thu, 11 Jan 2024 03:00:00 -0800

There's a superhero origin story in all of us. We're convinced of it. But it's not the story you might think — learning how to fly, or figuring out how to lift cars over our heads. No, the real superhero story is the story we each carry in our hearts that reminds us of the first time we learned compassion, the first time we learned how to feel for another human being, and the first time we learned to love unconditionally.

In this rebroadcast from season 6, we present Schroeder Stribling, President, and CEO of Mental Health America. She's with us to talk about mental health, the narrative we've written around it as a society, and why it's time to get serious and teach one another to approach trauma with compassion. Along the way, you're going to hear Schroeder's superhero origin story. We hope it triggers something for you that reminds you of your own.

Because we contend that it's only by reminding one another — and ourselves — of our ability to love that we'll be able to reduce barriers and increase access to mental health care that is increasingly critical to so many of us. Achieving practical, boots-on-the-ground success in meeting the mental health needs of our peers, colleagues, and strangers alike will require us to believe in our ability to bring change to their lives and our own in so doing.

Schroeder is an incredibly powerful individual and if you have never crossed her path, we're thrilled to be the show to do it for you today. Our deepest thanks to Schroeder Stribling for her time and friendship.

(00:00) - Season 9 Announcements!
(01:21) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(03:25) - Introducing Schroeder Stribling
(12:22) - A Trauma-Informed Approach to Communications
(17:15) - Post-Covid Communications
(21:39) - Assessing the Time We're In
(32:24) - Leading Mental Health Awareness from the Top
(34:36) - Parting Thoughts, Finding Hope

Lesson Learned • Finding the Words

TruStory FM — Thu, 21 Dec 2023 03:00:00 -0800

We can’t turn back time, but we can progress forward. So, if there is a person you believe you’re done learning from, I invite you to reach out to them today. Tell them that you were thinking about them. And then listen closely to whatever they have to share. You may be surprised by how much there is left to learn.

This week’s essay comes from the Finding The Words column, a series published every Wednesday that delivers a dose of communication insights directly to your inbox. If you like what you read, we hope you’ll subscribe to ensure you receive this each week.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:07) - Lessons Learned

The Business Case for Health Equity with Dr. Jean Accius

TruStory FM — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 03:00:00 -0800

According to this week's guest, there is a direct and unbreakable connection between the time we have as individuals to use each day and the broader health of our communities. All right, that doesn't sound like an earth-shattering observation, especially to listeners of this show.

But, if that's the case, if we understand clearly that our communities are only as healthy as the members who contribute to it, then why are so many of our communities sick?

This week, Carrie Fox sits down with Dr. Jean Accius, President and CEO of Creating Healthier Communities (CHC), to discuss just what it means to build healthier and more equitable communities. As Dr. Accius notes, “The work that we’re doing is about addressing these gaps because what it means is that it’s shortening people's ability, their time to contribute to their family, to their communities, and to our broader economy."

And make no mistake, it is the broader economy that is at stake. Social determinants of health and our ability to address them connect every one of us to keystone issues: who gets access to affordable health care? How do we approach the pressing mental health crisis facing our youth? What do we do when we look at communities directly impacted by climate change without access to health resources?

Carrie and Dr. Accius explore strategies for assessing and responding to the unique needs of different communities through strategic partnerships and deep listening. “Let’s take the time to get close and understand what our people are saying ... in terms of to what extent we are supporting their total well-being,” explains Dr. Accius.

We face challenges. But we hope you find after listening to this conversation that there is hope. There is hope for cross-sector collaboration and truly human-centered innovation across the healthcare landscape. There is hope for connection between and across communities to lift one another toward change. There is hope that the louder organizations like CHC call for change, the more we will rise to the challenge of building community health improvements through connection, compassion, and collective action.

Our great thanks to Dr. Accius and CHC for making this conversation possible.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(03:19) - Introducing Dr. Jean Accius
(08:22) - Learning Where to Start
(11:54) - The CHC Evolution
(15:38) - The Most Pressing Health Issues
(19:37) - Getting Involved with CHC
(23:06) - The Stakes of Public Health
(28:42) - Where do we find hope?

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Now Available! More Than Words: Communications Practices of Courageous Leaders by Carrie Fox, founder and CEO of Mission Partners, is available. You're invited to join an emerging community of practice and become a positive and powerful agent of change.

You’re Saying it Wrong with NY Times Bestselling Authors Kathy and Ross Petras

TruStory FM — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 03:00:00 -0800

We often talk about the challenging ideas that come with a career in communication. We even talk about the words behind the ideas, which words conjure explicit experiences across cultures and communities, and we try our best to assess how we, as communicators, can face those challenges and adapt toward a space of understanding. But rarely do we talk about words in quite the way our guests this week have built their careers talking about words.

Kathy and Ross Petras are the New York Times bestselling authors of You’re Saying It Wrong, That Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Means and Awkword Moments, A History of the World Through Body Parts, and numerous other non-fiction books. And for podcast fans just like you out there listening right now, you’ll want to check out their award-winning NPR.org podcast, also called You’re Saying It Wrong (awarded first prize for podcasts by the Public Media Journalists Association) about word histories, language controversies, grammar, and all things word-related.

This week, we’re clearing the air on the words that trip us up the most. From affect to effect to impact, our most common pronunciation peccadillos (go ahead, say “quay” aloud right now before you listen!), to the most important point of all: relax, and keep talking.

Our greatest thanks to Kathy and Ross for joining this week on Mission Forward!

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:38) - Introducing Kathy and Ross Petras
(02:25) - First, a little literary background
(08:49) - Coding
(12:12) - Pronunciation
(19:03) - "Impact"
(26:11) - What's next?

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Succession Planning with Edgility Consulting's Christina Greenberg

TruStory FM — Thu, 30 Nov 2023 03:00:00 -0800

This episode is brought to you by Edgility Consulting.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(00:34) - Introducing Christina Greenberg
(10:16) - The Boomerang CEO
(18:03) - Succession
(25:02) - What are the Next Steps?
(28:11) - A final note of Hope
(29:28) - Sponsor: Edgility Consulting

Fact Check • Finding the Words

TruStory FM — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 03:00:00 -0800

This week, the story of a quote. This quote is among the most well-known and widely shared of the words of Nelson Mandela. It’s been used by well-established thought leaders, in scholarly publications, books, and presentations, with thousands of references to this quote across social media. The problem is Mandela never said it.

Ready to take your leadership communications practice to the next level? Join the More Than Words Book Club!

Join an upcoming cohort of the More Than Words Book Club for courageous leaders. We begin new cohorts of the book club each month. Each cohort consists of 6-8 participants who meet 3 times over a 3-month period. The book club is free to join, we simply ask that your purchase a copy of the book to participate.

✍️ Click here to sign up today!

Equitable Hiring Practices with Edgility Consulting's Jonathan Howard

TruStory FM — Thu, 16 Nov 2023 03:00:00 -0800

This episode is brought to you by Edgility Consulting.

This week, Carrie Fox sits down with Jonathan Howard, Associate Partner at Edgility Consulting, about the importance of building equitable hiring practices to create a truly inclusive workplace. "Our goal is to create the expectation and the conditions for collective responsibility for equity in our search process. So it's on us as facilitators of the process, but it's also on the committee and the organization."

Carrie and Jonathan dive into how to write thoughtful, inclusive job descriptions. They discuss removing coded language that may deter certain groups from applying. For example, describing the workplace as "competitive" and "fast-paced" can imply a male-dominated culture. Jonathan emphasizes carefully considering the words used in postings to make them as equitable as possible.

According to Jonathan, effective succession planning is crucial for identifying and developing a diverse pipeline of future leaders. He advises organizations to proactively assess internal candidates, nurture leadership potential, and fill skill gaps well in advance of transitions. "I would just really encourage folks to think about succession planning. If you're talking to me or if you're talking to Edgility about a key leadership role when the need is imminent, I would call it imminent, like you need somebody in the next six months or I could even argue a year, it's too late."

What’s clear is that building an equitable, inclusive workplace takes continuous, intentional effort across all talent management processes. But as Jonathan emphasizes, organizations genuinely committed to equity can achieve meaningful progress through thoughtful, disciplined hiring practices. His passion shines through as he shares hard-won best practices in equitable recruiting. Our thanks to Jonathan and Edgility Consulting for making this conversation a reality.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(02:12) - Introducing Jonathan Howard
(13:48) - Coded Language
(27:20) - SPONSOR: Edgility Consulting • https://edgilityconsulting.com

Exploring Trends Versus Fads in Workplace Strategy with SHRM's George Rivera

TruStory FM — Thu, 09 Nov 2023 03:00:00 -0800

This week’s episode is brought to you by SHRM. Read on to learn more.

How do we build workplaces that work for all of us? That's the central question of this week's conversation, one that serves to anchor a narrative around workplace trends and fads and all shades of work between. Carrie Fox continues her conversation with George Rivera, Senior Vice President of SHRM Enterprise Solutions.

Rivera believes the workplace provides an invaluable opportunity to foster human connection and purpose. With over 15 years of experience in people-focused business leadership, he recognizes work environments as a chance to create positive change in society. As he says, "If we can create workplaces that work for all, we can create a society and world that works for all."

Throughout their discussion, Fox and Rivera examine key forces shaping today's workforce strategy that begins with the heart of the organization itself, its culture: "Do we have a culture plan? As an organization, do we have the ability to map where we are culturally today and where we want to be two or three years from now?"

Rivera peels back the four forces shaping workforce strategy: workforce planning, skills building, culture creation and technology integration. Along the way, he emphasizes thoughtful flexibility, sustainability, and aligning business practices with a company's culture and values.

"The perfect answer is what's perfectly aligned to your culture. Having a defined culture is the prerequisite to build the north star that you actually can then go after."

So, how can organizations develop an intentional culture strategy? What is the right balance of upskilling versus reskilling? And how can AI and technology be deployed thoughtfully? For leaders aiming to elevate their organization's impact, this week's conversation provides perspective on constructing genuinely human-centered workplaces.

Our great thanks to George Rivera and the SHRM team for making this conversation possible.

Sponsor: SHRM

(00:00) - Sponsor: SHRM
(01:08) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:52) - Shaping Workforce Strategy
(03:18) - Fads & Trends
(07:26) - Culture
(11:26) - Workforce Planning
(14:14) - AI & Tech
(15:51) - Learn More

Human-Centered AI in the Workplace with SHRM’s George Rivera

TruStory FM — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 03:00:00 -0700

This week’s episode is brought to you by SHRM. Read on to learn more.

How should your organization thoughtfully adopt artificial intelligence (AI) in ways that enhance instead of displace the human workforce? It’s a staggeringly important question that is looming over us as the nature of work evolves before our very eyes. In the face of this extraordinary time-innovation compression, Carrie sits down with a guest uniquely qualified to take on these questions as we look out on the horizon toward the future of work.

This is just part one of Carrie’s conversation with George Rivera. Our great thanks to George and the SHRM team for making this set of conversations possible.

Sponsor: SHRM

(00:00) - Sponsor: SHRM
(01:08) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(05:07) - AI in the Workplace
(10:02) - SHRM's Latest Research
(12:24) - AI, Biases, and Equity
(15:56) - Four Ways Companies can Benefit from AI
(23:22) - Resources ... and a cinematic call to action

Finding, Keeping and Promoting Women in the Workplace with SHRM’s Jennifer McCollum

TruStory FM — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 03:53:00 -0700

This week’s episode is brought to you by SHRM. Read on to learn more.

Jennifer McCollum has driven a long and winding road to her position in the C-suite. Today, she leads Linkage, a SHRM company, where she oversees the strategic direction and global operations of this leadership development firm.

This week, Carrie Fox sits down with Jennifer to talk about, well, a lot. In addition to her work as CEO, Jennifer has become an inspiring voice in the realm of women's leadership. Her book, "In Her Own Voice: A Woman's Rise to CEO: Overcoming Hurdles to Change the Face of Leadership," is a definitive take not only on what it takes for women to advance their careers but for any organization eager to improve gender equity at every level for this generation, and the next.

As McCollum explains, while women represent half the workforce, a stark drop-off occurs in the executive ranks. "When we look at the C-suite specifically, about 70% is still the leadership majority of white men," she says. McCollum's mission is to change that status quo.

The data is out and shows clearly the positive impact of women in leadership roles. What are organizations doing to help women face the unique challenges, societal expectations, and work-life pressures they face, while enabling these same women to do the best work? "To drive change, we must encourage women to bring their full, authentic selves to work," she says.

Through Linkage, McCollum has empowered thousands of women. Now, with her book, she hopes to reach women at all career levels with research-backed insights on overcoming hurdles and help them to truly thrive.

Our great thanks to Jennifer McCollum for joining us this week.

Sponsor: SHRM

SHRM provides solutions for 95% of Fortune 500 companies to transform talent management, accelerate executive development, elevate workplace culture, and build inclusive workplaces. SHRM promotes diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging while advancing women leaders to construct better workplaces. Mission Partners routinely consults SHRM first when facing HR and best practice challenges and we're thrilled to be able to work with SHRM as the sponsor of this week's episode. Learn more at SHRM.org.

Can AI Make Us More Human • Finding the Words

TruStory FM — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 03:00:00 -0700

AI is an important tool and an indelible part of our future. But we don't need to lose our humanity in the process of using it.

✍️ Click here to sign up today!

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward

Courageous Conversations with Ronnie Galvin

TruStory FM — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 03:00:00 -0700

Community, says our guest this week, is not a place. It's a practice.

Thank you, Reverend Galvin, for joining us on Mission Forward.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(00:34) - Introducing Reverend Ronnie Galvin
(06:46) - The Possibility of Community
(10:06) - Sponsor: CommonHealth ACTION EDI Training Institute
(11:21) - Communivation
(20:28) - Values & Beliefs

Mind Over Machine • Finding the Words

TruStory FM — Thu, 05 Oct 2023 03:00:00 -0700

The memory we carry in our pockets directly affects the memory in our heads—and that impacts how we communicate. So, what are you doing to protect that precious time you have ... to think

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(00:58) - Mind Over Machine

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Say it Simply: The Power of Plain Language in Advancing Health with Dr. Katelyn Jetelina

TruStory FM — Thu, 28 Sep 2023 03:00:00 -0700

Dr. Katelyn Jetelina has taken her modest public health email for friends and family and fashioned it into a public health powerhouse of a newsletter and significant force of influence for millions. Yes, that little newsletter, "Your Local Epidemiologist," grew from a personal email list to over 330 million followers seeking clear guidance amid uncertainty during the pandemic.

Dr. Jetelina sits down with Carrie to reflect on how we had to learn to navigate the firehose of pandemic information. She turned that effort toward teaching, translating complex science for diverse audiences through an empathetic and apolitical lens. No, she's not trained in communications. Dr. Jetelina is a professor, and embracing that role free of judgment set the stage for her personal rise to prominence.

As culture continues to evolve, Jetelina argues public health must improve its communications capacity and community engagement. She's doing her part to move the discussion forward; she now tackles more ideologically charged topics like gun violence, though still approaches these issues through her solutions-focused, nonpartisan lens.

Throughout the tumult, Jetelina has stayed anchored by her commitment to equip trusted messengers and meet people where they are. Her trailblazing work shows scientific facts alone don't shape opinions; we must appeal to shared values. She calls us all to reimagine public health as a collective mission vital to our shared future. Our great thanks to Dr. Jetelina for joining Mission Forward this week.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:22) - Introducing Dr. Katelyn Jetelina
(02:18) - Delivering News of the Pandemic to the World
(04:31) - Translating Complexity in Public
(08:35) - Sponsor: CommonHealth ACTION EDI Training Institute
(09:32) - Challenging Entrenched Fields
(12:48) - "The Revisionist Phase of the Pandemic"
(21:55) - Expanding Public Health Horizons
(23:28) - Closing the Gap of Understanding

Can You Reframe That? • Finding the Words

TruStory FM — Thu, 21 Sep 2023 03:00:00 -0700

The most compelling stories for social change break stereotypes and build new ways for us to understand issues and each other. Start by looking for stereotypes in your communications, and then practice some reframing. As we learn this week, the story will be even better as a result.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:04) - Can You Reframe That?

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Navigating the Way Forward: What We’ve Done and Where We Go From Here with Dr. John Izzo

TruStory FM — Thu, 14 Sep 2023 03:00:00 -0700

The bottom line, according to Dr. Izzo, is this: "Ultimately, the only thing that's going to matter to you is what you wound up giving the world, not what you wound up taking from it.”

We're deeply grateful to Dr. Izzo for sharing his time and attention with our Mission Forward community.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:36) - The Life and Good Work of Dr. John Izzo

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Start Where You Are • Finding the Words

TruStory FM — Thu, 24 Aug 2023 03:00:00 -0700

In the fast-paced nature of time, where it’s all too easy to get caught up in what’s coming next (vs. what’s happening now), where we want to be (vs. where we are), and how we get there (vs. what we’ve accomplished to date), it’s good to pause and remember that life is fast, and it’s short. Wherever you are, may you find something wonderful worth holding onto in this present moment.

This week’s essay comes from the Finding The Words column, a series published every Wednesday that delivers a dose of communication insights direct to your inbox. If you like what you read, we hope you’ll subscribe to ensure you receive this each week.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:00) - Start Where You Are

Rebroadcast • Digging Deeper on DEI with Art Taylor

TruStory FM — Thu, 10 Aug 2023 03:00:00 -0700

So much of the success of any of our DEI work is rooted in our ability to communicate vision through metaphor. It is, after all, a metaphor that connects to emotion, to our human ability to find empathy and build affinity between us. Vision, often, starts with a metaphor built with the heart in mind.

In this rebroadcast episode, we are talking about the role of storytelling in social change. And today’s guest has a natural gift for uplifting powerful and personal stories of impact from some of the nation’s most effective charities to build a more trusted charitable sector.

Art Taylor is president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance. As head of the Alliance, he oversees the organization’s work, which includes setting standards, evaluating charities in relation to those standards, publishing the Wise Giving Guide, and promoting charity accountability, plus a whole lot more. Art led the Wise Giving Alliance to introduce the accredited charity seal, a symbol of trustworthiness used by national and local charities that adhere to the Better Business Bureau standards for charity accountability, and it’s estimated that more than a billion impressions of that charity seal exist in the public domain. This is the bellwether that indicates to donors whether an organization is trustworthy.

At the foundation of all this success, however, is Art’s vision of success. This is the story — the metaphor — that touches us, too. “America is a very competitive place. And there are always ten chairs and 15 people. But I believe that we can take those ten chairs, and if 15 people get together, we can rework those chairs and make a bench, a place for us all to be able to sit down. And that’s how we have to view the world. We keep viewing the world as a zero-sum game. It’s not. There’s always more that we can produce if we work together.”

This is a conversation not about building bridges between communities but building a bench and offering those with opposing views the opportunity to sit together on it in the greater spirit of charity, impact, and trust. We thank Art Taylor for joining us on this show this week.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(03:55) - Introdcing Art Taylor
(13:51) - Institutional Trust
(17:58) - Standards Revisions
(20:06) - Presenting Goals around DEI

The Letter in Question • Finding the Words

TruStory FM — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 03:00:00 -0700

Earlier this month, I gathered with colleagues to review updates to a brand guide. We were deep in the language preferences section of the guide when the team came upon a point of tension. All agreed to capitalize racial, ethnic, and cultural identities such as Black, Asian, Latino, and Navajo. Still, there was disagreement among those who wished to capitalize White and those who wanted to lowercase white.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(00:56) - The Letter in Question

Rebroadcast • Storytelling for Social Justice

TruStory FM — Thu, 13 Jul 2023 03:00:00 -0700

November 17-19, 2022, thousands of people gathered for Facing Race: A National Conference, produced by Race Forward, to explore new and powerful ways to advance racial justice. It is, in a word, extraordinary in the way this conference offers advocates of all stripes to connect, to learn, and to love the work we all do, in our own ways, furthering the conversations of racial justice together.

In the lead-up to the conference, we hosted our own forum with two very special people in our lives — and in the conference itself. What you're about to hear is a conversation with Glenn Harris, President of Race Forward and host of the Facing Race Conference, and Ashton Lattimore, editor-in-chief of Prism, a valued partner in this year's conference.

This is a timely conversation, not just for its proximity to the conference itself, but for its resonance to the public discourse. We're in the run-up to another election in a contentious political environment. How do we find hope and possibility in the face of what we have lost through division and partisanship? How do we remember the value of speaking truth to power with love in the face of eroding rights in this country? How do we confront the disenfranchisement of public education and the inequality of our efforts in climate legislation with strength, compassion, and faith that people of good will, will do good things?

We don't offer answers in this episode. But we hope that our efforts to showcase these voices and perspectives, voices of two people we believe offer good faith and goodwill in a marketplace of communication challenged by both, can give you a glimpse of how you might mount your own efforts for advocacy, and find a little hope in a brighter future, too.

Our deepest thanks to Glenn Harris and Ashton Lattimore for joining us this week.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(02:31) - About Facing Race
(04:48) - Why do you believe in this work?
(09:51) - Painting the Picture of Possibility in the Coming Election
(15:43) - "Everyone is an organizer"
(19:18) - Speaking Truth to Power with Love
(20:32) - Erosion of Rights
(25:12) - Education Justice
(31:44) - Climate Justice

All Access. • Finding The Words

TruStory FM — Thu, 29 Jun 2023 03:00:00 -0700

Last November, Apple released a short film titled "The Greatest," which follows seven people throughout what is considered an average day, with an all-disabled cast, representing the authentic experiences of each cast member as they engage in various daily tasks, showcasing how Apple's suite of accessibility tools enables them to, as Forbes writes, navigate a world that wasn't designed with their needs in mind. It gives us a lot to thinking about.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:00) - All Access

What We Do With the Power We Have: A conversation on the impact of the Social Entrepreneur in Residence program with Ryan Pintado-Vertner

TruStory FM — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 03:00:00 -0700

In 2020, Mission Partners was exploring the launch of an apprenticeship program to advance leaders in the communications and PR field with a specific and public race equity action plan to invest $2.5 million in Black and women-led organizations over five years.

As we started on that journey, we discovered some troubling data: 8% of agency leadership identified as Black, while 89.8% identified as White. During the period of February to April 2020, there was also a 41% drop in the number of active Black business owners, compared to a 22% drop in business owners overall and a 14% drop in White business owners.

That inspired us to create the Mission Partners Social Entrepreneur-in-Residence Program. This nine-month executive program is open to any Black communications agency leader with five years of business leadership. It provides executive coaching and a five-figure stipend to support their business giving back to the communities most important to them through their leadership and expertise.

Now, as we’re nearing the end of the first year of the program, we’ve invited Ryan to share his experience and guidance as we share our collected insights to those considering a similar program. Our great thanks to Ryan for his contributions and incredible insights as we have learned together on this journey.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(05:46) - Introducing Ryan Pintado-Vertner
(08:10) - Why the Social Entrepreneur Role?
(13:38) - Kick-starting the Idea
(17:42) - Seeking Mutual Benefit
(23:52) - The Win-Win-Win
(24:54) - Lessons Learned

Can I Trust You? • Finding the Words

TruStory FM — Thu, 08 Jun 2023 03:00:00 -0700

You probably know the name Craig Newmark. You probably know his name as the founder of Craigslist, a web pioneer, a philanthropist, and—depending on your line of work—a staunch advocate on behalf of trustworthy journalism. (Learn more about that in our conversation on the Mission Forward podcast.) But there’s one equally important part of his bio you may not know: Customer Service Representative.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(00:48) - Can I Trust You?

Learning from Our Losses • Finding the Words

TruStory FM — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 03:00:00 -0700

A couple of years ago, a well-known and well-loved nonprofit organization contacted our team with a bit of a problem. The organization had been sustained by a loyal following of recurring donors, but their leadership had noticed a concerning trail off in contributions. They had lost some of their most important donors and they needed to figure out why.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(00:44) - Learning from our Losses

Owning Our Truths with Master Sergeant (Ret.) Erinn Watkins

TruStory FM — Thu, 25 May 2023 03:00:00 -0700

The role of Army Pathfinders originated with the U.S. military during World War II. These specialized soldiers were parachuted into Europe ahead of the D-Day invasion. Their mission: establish and operate drop zones, pickup zones, and landing sites for airborne troops and air supply operations in support of ground unit commanders. They were the first soldiers deployed into enemy territory and the last to leave.

Our guest today is one of the first female Army Pathfinders.

Master Sergeant (Ret.) Erinn Watkins served in the U.S. Army for 29 years. She's an accomplished pilot, having flown and tested some of the most advanced Army helicopters in operation. She's also an esteemed administrator, having helped to build, develop, and implement the Human Resources Management System used to track Soldier and civilian data for the National Guard Bureau.

Working across such a diverse functional spectrum requires an incredible set of skills. She joins Carrie Fox to lay out just a bit of the history that has led her to writing her new book, "PathfYnder: How I Use Emotional Control to Build Success and Get What I Want.”

Learn more about the book and pre-order today, and connect with Erinn on LinkedIn right here. Our great thanks to Erinn for joining us this week on the show!

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(00:42) - Introducing Master Sgt Erinn Watkins
(12:00) - Emotional Control
(16:49) - Body Language
(23:05) - About the Book

More Than Words: A Conversation on Social Impact Communications with John Trybus

TruStory FM — Thu, 18 May 2023 03:00:00 -0700

John Trybus is a professor at Georgetown University and Director of the Georgetown Center for Social Impact Communication. He sat down with Carrie Fox for a conversation on the role and power of social impact communications on the cusp of the release of her book, More Than Words: Communications Practices for Courageous Leaders.

John is a generous interviewer and host and opens the conversation on a point we think of often around the halls of Mission Partners: "Think about how the social impact sector is evolving. How can it evolve if we think about doing our work a little bit differently?" It's a powerful question and one that drives so much of our work. What if, when we evaluate how we navigate our work in strategic communications, we were able to shake ourselves free of the increasingly artificial structures of all the communications work that has come before us?

We don't claim to have the definitive answer to that question. But we're proud to be on the journey toward it and honored to be in the conversation with John this week. Our great thanks to the University for offering the event to us to share with you.

Your Invitation to "More Than Words" • An Audio Preview with Carrie Fox

TruStory FM — Thu, 11 May 2023 03:00:00 -0700

This week, we offer a preview of Carrie’s new book, an excerpt from chapter one, and an invitation to explore what it means to use communication to drive change in the world.

With over twenty years as a social impact communications consultant and a leader in the B Corporation movement, Carrie Fox takes to heart the role—and the responsibility—that leading communicators hold in shaping how stories are told, how narratives are shaped, and how decisions are made.

More than Words: Communications Practices of Courageous Leaders is an invitation to join an emerging community of practice and become your own positive and powerful agent of change. With lessons and insights from some of the brightest minds in social impact communications and tools to help you practically apply these lessons to your work, More Than Words will meet you where you are in your quest to become a more authentic, inclusive, and connected communicator.

(00:00) - More Than Words • A Sneak Preview

Stories that Shape Us with Nicole Lynn Lewis

TruStory FM — Thu, 04 May 2023 03:00:00 -0700

Nicole Lynn Lewis is the founder and CEO of Generation Hope and an incredible leader in the fight against poverty and the stigma surrounding it. Her specific area of focus? Teen mothers.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(02:26) - A Story that Launched a Movement
(10:14) - Exploring Champions
(13:18) - The Invisible Common
(15:52) - Making the Story Real for Those who can Make Change
(20:04) - Pressing Issues
(23:03) - Moving Through Urgency, With Urgency, and not Against Urgency

Stories for Environmental Justice with Shilpi Chhotray

TruStory FM — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 03:00:00 -0700

Shilpi Chhotray is the co-founder and executive director of People over Plastic. This week, she joins Carrie to share a story of waste colonization, social divides, and the work her team is doing to lift the intersectional stories of environmental racism.

People over Plastic is something truly special. On one level, it is a platform, the only multicultural media platform of its kind, publishing stories by BIPOC for BIPOC, uplifting environmental justice stories of the people who are living them in a way that is nuanced, sensitive, and in-depth.

But they have also developed expertise in events, creating safe spaces for frontline leaders to share their lived experiences in an unfiltered context. These storytelling salons are like nothing we've ever seen: creative, powerful, and made so much more potent in the vulnerability and courage that comes when facing the truths of shared narratives aloud, in public, and raw.

We are deeply impressed by what Shilpi and her team are doing at People over Plastic and we couldn't imagine this season of Mission Forward without her. And make sure to subscribe to the People over Plastic podcast to hear Shilpi in action!

Our great thanks to Shilpi Chhotray for joining us this week.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(00:28) - Introducing Shilpi Chhotray
(07:05) - Environmental Racism
(10:08) - Free Your Voice
(12:58) - Reactions to Story Salon
(18:48) - Coming in Season Four
(20:00) - Injustice and Overwhelm
(24:07) - Stories of Hope

Wired for Story with Lisa Cron

TruStory FM — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 03:00:00 -0700

"If you can't see it, you can't feel it. And if you can't feel it, you won't be inspired to take action.”

So says our guest this week, Lisa Cron. Lisa is a story coach, a teacher, a speaker, a former literary agent, and the author of many books, including "Wired for Story," "Story Genius," and most recently "Story or Die: how to use brain science to engage, persuade, and change minds in business and in life.”

Her decades in publishing, exploring the universe that exists in the craft of putting words to story, has illuminated so much more brightly the value of the stories that exist between each of us as complex human organisms. "All stories are actually about the cost of human connection," she says. "In order to connect with someone else, you have to be vulnerable.”

We are communicators. We hold as truth that our power to craft a story is directly connected to our power to bring about change. If you've ever been moved to change something in your own life after watching a movie, or episode of your favorite show, or even a podcast, then you'll understand just how important Lisa's craft is to our own industry, and our own craft as communicators in mastering the power of story

Our great thanks to Lisa for joining us this week on Mission Forward.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:27) - Introducing Lisa Cron
(05:58) - Science and Story
(09:09) - What works in storytelling?
(14:28) - Validation
(21:39) - Stories as Protection
(31:12) - Story and the Self

Why Curiosity Will Save Us All with Jennifer Brandel

TruStory FM — Thu, 13 Apr 2023 03:00:00 -0700

Jennifer Brandel is a serial entrepreneur and innovator who works between industries to address how to design better systems for listening, responding, and evolving with their stakeholders. She is a co-founder of Hearken, which she’ll talk about extensively today, but she’s also behind Zebra's Unite, Civic Exchange Chicago, Democracy SOS and WBEZ Chicago's Curious City.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(02:15) - Introducing Jennifer Brandel
(08:31) - Hearken
(11:38) - Addressing Systems & Institutions
(18:16) - Name an Ideal System
(23:57) - Addressing Division
(27:33) - Hearken's Next Steps

Digging Deeper on DEI with Art Taylor

TruStory FM — Thu, 06 Apr 2023 03:00:00 -0700

On this season of the show, we are talking about the role of storytelling in social change. And today’s guest has a natural gift for uplifting powerful and personal stories of impact from some of the nation’s most effective charities to build a more trusted charitable sector.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(02:57) - Introducing Art Taylor
(12:53) - Institutional Trust
(17:00) - Standards Revisions
(19:08) - Presenting Goals around DEI

Land the Plane • Finding the Words

TruStory FM — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 03:00:00 -0700

In flying, the takeoff and the landing are critical to success. Everything in between is coasting. It matters in the sky, and it matters in our speech. In this week’s Finding the Words, Carrie Fox explores how landing the plane helps her, and the Mission Partners team, when it counts.

This is week 4, in the second year, of the Finding The Words column, a series published every Wednesday that delivers a dose of communication insights direct to your inbox. If you like what you read, we hope you’ll subscribe to ensure you receive this each week.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(00:33) - Land the Plane

Poetry for Public Health with Tyler Meier

TruStory FM — Thu, 23 Mar 2023 03:00:00 -0700

Tyler Meier is the director of the University of Arizona Poetry Center and the co-editor of Dear Vaccine: A Global Vaccine Poem, a project that invited anyone to share experiences of the pandemic and vaccination through poetry.

What business poetry, you might ask? Because poetry, as Tyler says it, is marching away at the atomic level of our communication.

“Our lives are shaped by the language around us and the language that we choose to use. As beings based in language, poetry, I think, is the opportunity to teach us each day new ways of thinking about the language that we use to describe the things that matter greatly to us, the challenges that vex us enormously. We know that the future is one that we're going to share, regardless of what connects us or keeps us separate from each other. And we know that language is something that forms us and that gives us the sort of power to think in new ways about the challenges that we share.”

Dear Vaccine is an outgrowth of the Global Vaccine Project launched in March 2021 by the University of Arizona and Kent State University. In sum, it features selections from over 2,000 poetry submissions from all fifty states and more than 150 countries. And while the project features incredible global voices speaking to the pandemic, it serves the dual purpose of uniting us, filling in the holes that form through the haze of memory, a reminder that pandemic history is our history, and that if we can come through that, then we can come through anything together.

Our great thanks to Tyler Meier for joining us on the show this week. Pick up your own copy of the book and learn more about the project at GlobalVaccinePoem.com.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:26) - Introducing Tyler Meier
(08:30) - Filling in Holes in History
(17:50) - The 6-Word Memoir and the Pandemic Time Capsule
(22:16) - The Question of Platforms
(24:46) - Learn More

Banking on Trust • Finding the Words

TruStory FM — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 03:00:00 -0700

On Monday, March 6, Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) tweeted that it was “proud to be on Forbes’ annual ranking of America’s Best Banks.” Three days later, that very same bank was at the center of the largest U.S. bank failure since the global financial crisis. This week, Carrie Fox dissects the communications troubles at the center.

This post is part of the Finding The Words column, a series published every Wednesday that delivers a dose of communication insights direct to your inbox. If you like what you read, we hope you’ll subscribe to ensure you receive this each week.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(00:44) - Banking on Trust

George Jones on Building Antiracist Cities

TruStory FM — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 03:00:00 -0800

George Jones is the CEO of Washington, DC-based Bread for the City, which supports people living with low incomes to develop their power to determine the future of their own communities. They provide food, clothing, medical care, and legal and social services to reduce the burden of poverty. And in working to solve some of the cities most pressing challenges, George Jones is one of the very best.

That’s what you get when you discover your calling at 12-years-old, as George did, realizing early on that his journey was one rooted in justice and equity. Today, he lives at the intersection of race, racism, and poverty, and through Bread for the City and his work as an evangelist for equity he carries his believe that DC can be not just an antiracist city, but a beloved city of peace and equity.

Today, George sits down with Carrie to talk about the root causes that exist around poverty, homelessness, and food insecurity in DC, but we hope you learn, too, that missions can come from anywhere, at any age, and his is a model and inspiration for us all. Our great thanks to George Jones for his wisdom this week.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(00:51) - Introducing George Jones
(09:20) - Journey to Bread for the City
(17:48) - Creating an Anti-Racist City
(25:31) - Relationships
(27:20) - Trust
(32:45) - Learn More

A Better Roadmap • Finding the Words

TruStory FM — Thu, 02 Mar 2023 03:00:00 -0800

Whether we’re planning a road trip or a change of course in our organization’s strategy, the clearer the roadmap, the better the outcome.

This is week 3, in the second year, of the Finding The Words column, a series published every Wednesday that delivers a dose of communication insights direct to your inbox. If you like what you read, we hope you’ll subscribe to ensure you receive this each week.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(00:32) - A Better Roadmap

Public Speaking the Actor’s Way with Buzz Mauro

TruStory FM — Thu, 23 Feb 2023 03:00:00 -0800

Our guest today is focused on objectives.

We get it. We're all focused on objectives. Why should this episode be any different? Here's the trick: much of our advocacy and change efforts are centered in who we are. That's at the core of so much of our diversity and equity work, after all. Today, we ask what happens when we focus our advocacy, our engagement, and our public speaking on what we want, augmenting the message of who we are?

Buzz Mauro is the founder and co-director of the Theater Lab School of the Dramatic Arts in Washington, DC and a Helen Hayes Award nominee. He's also the founder of Center Stage Communications, a consulting firm specializing in the application of acting techniques to the business world. He's the author of three books on applied acting and he's a composer and lyricist who counts among his many works, Alex in Wonderland: A Gender Journey Down the Rabbit Hole.You can find Buzz on his podcast, Public Speaking the Actor's Way.

Approaching the larger questions of advocacy and change from an actor's perspective offers insights into the method and craft of engaging emotion. As you'll hear this week, Buzz is as much about engaging minds as he is about engaging hearts, and we're thrilled he's agreed to share some of his wisdom with us on the show.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(03:01) - Introducing Buzz Mauro
(15:55) - Share your story, change the ending
(19:51) - Teaching Togetherness
(23:01) - The New Podcast
(24:31) - Pushing Boundaries in Storytelling
(27:15) - On Optimism

Did That Go OK? • Finding the Words

TruStory FM — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 03:00:00 -0800

Have you ever had one of those moments, maybe after a big presentation or an important conversation with a loved one when you’ve wondered, “did that go OK?” In this week's Finding the Words, Carrie explores our universal quest to be heard.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(00:39) - Did that Go OK?

Reconnecting with the Roots of the Black Press with Brandon Nightingale

TruStory FM — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 03:00:00 -0800

We are just five years from the bicentennial anniversary of the Black press.

Freedom’s Journal was founded March 16, 1827 in Lower Manhattan, New York by John Brown Russwurm, the first African American graduate of Bowdoin College, and the third Black person to graduate from the halls of an American college or university.

Our guest this week refers to the Journal as a mouthpiece of the Black movement, an artifact of Black history that not only represents the place of the movement that has been in motion for hundreds of years in this country, but a marker of just how far that movement has come in the many years since.

Brandon Nightingale is a historian and the Black Press Archives digitization project manager at the Moorland Spingarn Research Center at Howard University. Brandon's project: to research and document the history of the Black press.

The Black Press Archive was started at Howard in 1973, donated by the National Newspaper Publishers Association. Now, fifty years on, the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation has gifted the Archive $2 million to digitize the historic collection. Brandon kicks off season 7 of Mission Forward with a conversation on the importance of protecting the voices of the Black press and sharing them with the world. Our great thanks to Brandon for sharing his experience and enthusiasm with us this week.

(00:00) - 200 Years of the Black Press
(01:51) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(03:29) - Introducing Brandon Nightengale

Rebroadcast • Communicating for a Movement with Houston Kraft, author of Deep Kindness

TruStory FM — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 03:00:00 -0800

Houston Kraft is a professional speaker, author, curriculum designer, and kindness advocate whose book, Deep Kindness: A Revolutionary Guide for the Way We Think, Talk, and Act in Kindness, has inspired millions to examine the difference between niceand kind and why specifically deep kindness is not only a revolutionary act, but a necessary one.

Kraft is also the co-founder of Character Strong, which develops training programs and curricula for effective, sustainable school culture change. To date, his work has reached more than 1 million students and their teachers.

There is something special at the intersection of Houston Kraft’s initiatives, something we’ve forgotten along our journey toward building bigger, better, faster organizations and teams. To us, it appears that Houston has given us a profound reminder that social-emotional learning benefits the whole person; at Character Strong, it’s for the school kids, and with
Deep Kindness, we realize it’s for us big kids, too.

Thanks to Houston and his team for creating the time for this conversation. We’re honored to offer it to our Mission Forward community.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:50) - Introducing Huston Kraft
(07:51) - Nice v. Kind
(12:56) - The Vitamin Concept
(19:22) - The Power of Habit
(23:48) - The DEI Kindess Question: Circles of Care

Rebroadcast • Communicating for Life with Blue Zones author Dan Buettner

TruStory FM — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 03:00:00 -0800

Dan Buettner is a National Geographic Fellow and multiple New York Times best-selling author and joins us this week to share his work researching and documenting Blue Zones around the world.

A Blue Zone is a geographically-defined and confirmed area of extreme longevity. Specifically, Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy, Nicoya, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece; and Loma Linda, California, boast populations that live the longest and are the healthiest people in the world. What makes them live so long? Dan and his team of demographers have spent years researching these Blue Zones, documenting how these populations live and work.

“We're spending $18 trillion a year on largely avoidable diseases. That number just keeps going up,” says Buettner. “We know these populations have a fraction of the heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and dementia. “Why don't we focus on trying to set up our cities and our workplaces so they look more like a Blue Zone?”

That’s precisely what he and his team are doing now, working to create healthy communities across the United States, beginning with Albert Lea, Minnesota, where they built the foundation for the Blue Zones Projects.

The Blue Zones books are inspirational for crafting better, healthier homes and workplaces, and we're thrilled to have Dan Buettner on the show this week to talk about his latest book, The Blue Zones Challenge: A 4-Week Plan for a Longer, Better Life.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:19) - Introducing Dan Buettner
(02:28) - The Blue Zones Journey
(07:54) - A Different Approach to Journalism
(11:01) - How Does Communications Impacts Public Health?
(16:32) - The Barriers to Systems Change
(20:40) - Building a Blue Zone in Places of Limitation
(26:51) - Ikigai
(29:34) - What's Next?

Come Closer • Finding the Words

TruStory FM — Thu, 15 Dec 2022 03:00:00 -0800

To many people, narrative change is just another jargon term that gets tossed around in politics and philanthropy. To me, it’s a powerful tool to shift how we interpret and understand the world around us, with the goal of making the spaces between us smaller.

This is week 48 of the Finding The Words column, a series published every Wednesday that delivers a dose of communication insights direct to your inbox. If you like what you read, we hope you’ll subscribe to ensure you receive this each week.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(00:37) - Find Your Core

Communications to Power Knowledge

TruStory FM — Thu, 08 Dec 2022 03:00:00 -0800

Craig Newmark calls himself an “old-school nerd.” The way he frames his work is simple and modest: “doing what I can to support the people who fight to protect the values that America aspires to: fairness, opportunity, and respect.”

His work is, at its core, about connection. In fact, many of his efforts today in philanthropy stem from lessons clearly learned in his earlier outings. As founder of craigslist.com, he brought people together in an unprecedented fashion, paving the way for communities of exchange that still thrive to this day.

Through Craig Newmark Philanthropies, he’s become an outspoken advocate for trustworthy journalism, voting rights and access, countering efforts to destabilize our country through disinformation, protecting local, community, and ethnic media, battling food insecurity and fighting for teachers. The list goes on and on and on.

He joins Carrie this week to discuss many of these efforts and how his experiences as a technologist, connector, and influencer positioned him as a perfect vessel for doing good in the world. He is among the most thoughtful and humble folks we have met, and we’re thrilled to bring him to the show this week.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(02:24) - About a guy named Craig...
(05:42) - Flooding the Zone with Facts
(10:54) - What do we Trust?
(16:06) - Spreading Power
(18:03) - The Cybersecurity Nutrition Label
(20:32) - Learning to be a Philanthropist
(22:26) - Areas for Improvement to Support Philanthropy

Find Your Core • Finding the Words

TruStory FM — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 03:00:00 -0800

We can’t have it all. We can’t expect that strong body without putting in the work, just like we can’t commit to a bold plan or a set of clear values and then decide to compromise them. But how do you know, clearly and definitively, who you are, and who you are not, at your core?

This is week 47 of the Finding The Words column, a series published every Wednesday that delivers a dose of communication insights direct to your inbox. If you like what you read, we hope you’ll subscribe to ensure you receive this each week.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(00:29) - Find Your Core

A Special Faith in Action Conversation with Mitch Albom

TruStory FM — Tue, 22 Nov 2022 03:00:00 -0800

Mitch Album is the author of Tuesdays with Morrie, which, if you have heard of none of his other books, you've likely heard of that one. His collected works have sold over 47 million copies and have been translated into 45 languages and if you've only read Morrie, you owe it to yourself to pick up his others. Check out Have a Little Faith or The Stranger in The Lifeboat to get started.

This week, we present a special live conversation between Albom and Carrie Fox, recorded November 2022, on the heels of the book's 25th anniversary. We've been talking about the power of communications to make change this season, and this week, we invite you to think in terms of simplicity. To wit: "[In Morrie] people substitute themselves into the story. They're me, or they're Morrie, or their person is Morrie. If I had a nickel for every time someone would stop me and take out a wallet and say, 'let me show you my Morrie', and they would take out a picture. A teacher, a parent, a grandparent, or something like that. I think there's a universality to it, and that's why it's been picked up around the world the way it has."

This is one of Albom's true gifts: to tell stories so deeply personal, so easy to project ourselves into, that we can't help but see ourselves in them. And once we're able to see ourselves in a story, or a pitch, or a release, we capture a spark of empathy to light the flame of change.

We're thrilled to be able to share this conversation with you here. Our great thanks to Mitch Albom and Grace United Methodist Church for allowing us to share in the experience.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward

Communications to Bridge Divides

TruStory FM — Thu, 17 Nov 2022 03:53:00 -0800

This episode of Mission Forward is sponsored by Unit of Impact, a powerful new platform created for small businesses interested in measuring and sharing their social and environmental impact. Listen in for a brief interview with co-founder Polina Pinchevsky at the end of this week's show. For listeners of Mission Forward, visit https://unitofimpact.com and start a free trial with 20% off any annual plan and enter the promo code EARLYBIRD2022 at checkout. Offer good through December 31, 2022.

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Michael Gordon Voss is publisher at Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR), and this week’s conversation is all about trust.

Over the course of the show, we make reference to a few stories that make for appropriate follow-up from the pages of SSIR.

(00:00) - Sponsor: Unit Of Impact – Promo Code EARLYBIRD2024
(00:42) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(02:17) - Introducing Michael Gordon Voss
(08:09) - Understanding Social Innovation
(11:00) - Weighing in on "Expertise"
(13:57) - Innovation Across Communities
(20:51) - Communications Challenges
(26:40) - Measuring Impact
(31:36) - Finding Hope
(35:33) - Learn More
(36:56) - Special Interview: Unit of Impact

Communications to Power Public Opinion

TruStory FM — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 03:00:00 -0800

Jeff Caporizzo is Senior Partner and Executive Creative Director at ICF Next, an agency dedicated to “Next-level participation.” That sounds like a big promise in today’s connected communications economy, but take a look at some of their work, and you’ll see just how action backs the language.

Jeff joins Carrie Fox today to talk about the power of mass communications and advertising to inform viewpoints, behaviors, and narratives and even disrupt false or negative narratives. No time like the present, right?

Jeff is a creative storyteller. He has used his craft for good over the years, and in campaign after campaign, he’s helped his clients grow through challenging — even uncomfortable — lessons about how they use language, image, and spokesvoices to tell the stories of their brands for the better.

So, welcome to this conversation about messaging, power, and justice, all seen through the lens of the ad. Thanks to Jeff for his time and contribution to this conversation. We can’t wait to see what he creates next.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:18) - Introducing Jeff Caporizzo
(10:42) - Understanding Design and How it can Change Narrative
(13:54) - Designing Across Cultures
(17:30) - Finding Your Spokesperson
(25:38) - Power of Real Voices
(27:38) - Finding Hope

Watch For The Signs • Finding the Words

TruStory FM — Thu, 03 Nov 2022 03:00:00 -0700

In 2020, the video game world learned something special about Marvel’s newest Spider-Man character, Miles Morales. Turns out he’s pretty good at American Sign Language (ASL). Superfans already knew the character to be bilingual from the animated film “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.” But trilingual?

This is week 39 of the Finding The Words column, a series published every Wednesday that delivers a dose of communication insights direct to your inbox. If you like what you read, we hope you’ll subscribe to ensure you receive this each week.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(00:30) - Watch for the Signs

Communications to Power Mental Health

TruStory FM — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 03:04:00 -0700

This week, we present Schroeder Stribling, President, and CEO of Mental Health America. She's with us to talk about mental health, the narrative we've written around it as a society, and why it's time to get serious and teach one another to approach trauma with compassion. Along the way, you're going to hear Schroeder's superhero origin story. We hope it triggers something for you that reminds you of your own.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(02:07) - Introducing Schroeder Stribling
(11:05) - A Trauma-Informed Approach to Communications
(15:57) - Post-Covid Communications
(20:22) - Assessing the Time We're In
(31:07) - Leading Mental Health Awareness from the Top
(33:19) - Parting Thoughts, Finding Hope

Storytelling for Social Justice

TruStory FM — Thu, 20 Oct 2022 03:00:00 -0700

This November 17-19, 2022, thousands of people will gather for Facing Race: A National Conference, produced by Race Forward, to explore new and powerful ways to advance racial justice. It is, in a word, extraordinary in the way this conference offers advocates of all stripes to connect, to learn, and to love the work we all do, in our own ways, furthering the conversations of racial justice together.

In the lead-up to the conference, we thought we'd host our own forum with two very special people in our lives — and in the conference itself. What you're about to hear is a conversation with Glenn Harris, President of Race Forward and host of the Facing Race Conference, and Ashton Lattimore, editor-in-chief of Prism, a valued partner in this year's conference.

Our deepest thanks to Glenn Harris and Ashton Lattimore for joining us this week. Please check out the Facing Race conference and join us in Phoenix in November!

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(02:31) - About Facing Race
(04:48) - Why do you believe in this work?
(09:51) - Painting the Picture of Possibility in the Coming Election
(15:43) - "Everyone is an organizer"
(19:18) - Speaking Truth to Power with Love
(20:32) - Erosion of Rights
(25:12) - Education Justice
(31:44) - Climate Justice

No Apology Needed • Finding the Words

TruStory FM — Thu, 13 Oct 2022 00:00:00 -0700

Our words and our actions matter. This week, if you’re serious about what you say, make sure your actions reflect it. Otherwise, you may be the one apologizing.

This is week 38 of the Finding The Words column, a series published every Wednesday that delivers a dose of communication insights direct to your inbox. If you like what you read, we hope you’ll subscribe to ensure you receive this each week.

(00:00) - Welcome to Finding the Words
(00:31) - No Apology Needed

Communications to Power Better Business

TruStory FM — Thu, 06 Oct 2022 00:00:00 -0700

As of this writing, 5,852 companies, representing 471,095 workers across 85 countries, carry the “Certified B Corporation” badge. Our firm, Mission Partners, is one of them. But broadcasting this label is more than just surface branding.

This week on the show, our Chief Operating Officer, Bridget Pooley, sits down with Carrie Fox to discuss purpose. Why does purpose matter? How does a business build a culture that embraces the question, “What If?” And for all the challenges that achieving B Corp Certification may pose, is it worth it?

Before Mission Partners, Bridget worked at the Center for Social Impact Communication at Georgetown University. The Center works to advance the field of social impact by educating and inspiring marketers and communicators, fundraisers, and journalists. She served on the corporate partnerships team at Share Our Strength, which many listeners might know by their No Kid Hungry Campaign.

Ours is an organization that has embraced the objectives of the B Corp Certification wholly; we wear this accomplishment with pride, including how we intentionally use our business as a tool to advance communications. Bridget’s incredible experience and leadership as a B Corp champion have taught us much about how we present ourselves to our clients, peers, and the world. This week, we dig in on that intentionality and share how we at Mission Partners lead through our core values.

Thank you, Bridget Pooley, for joining us for this week’s conversation.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:46) - Introducing Bridget Pooley
(03:38) - Exploring the Power of Purpose
(06:55) - What if?
(13:26) - About the B Corp Model
(15:36) - Uncovering what you stand for
(24:59) - Finding hope

Finding the Words • Set Change

TruStory FM — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 00:00:00 -0700

The stories we pass down need not limit the stories we are capable of writing for our future selves. Two little words have the power to change HOW we communicate and HOW we connect with and understand one another as a result. Those two words? This week we offer a lesson in what if.

Thanks for listening. This is the 29th article in a year-long series called Finding the Words. If you liked this week's essay, we hope you'll forward it along. And a reminder that your family, friends, and colleagues can subscribe to Finding the Words too — along with every episode of our podcast — simply by clicking this link.

Communications to Power Healthy Outcomes

TruStory FM — Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:00:00 -0700

This season, we’re looking closer at you how you can use communications as a tool for systems change and social justice. Our first guest, Mark Miller, along with his colleagues, has just written the book on the power of public health communications, Talking Health: A New Way to Communicate about Public Health. Carrie Fox sat down with Mark at an event hosted by the University of Nebraska Medical Center and, with our great thanks to that amazing organization, we offer the interview to you, listeners of the podcast.

Mark Miller serves as Vice President of Communications at the de Beaumont Foundation. His career started in public and civic service before moving to children’s health and now public health. To all these roles, he brings a rich perspective to the challenges that face many front line communicators, including those who are needing to relay critical communications in real time, even as the science is still informing the message. This conversation includes Carrie and Mark in conversation, plus the insightful questions from an audience of invested communicators honing their craft. Our great thanks to Mark Miller and the team at the University of Nebraska Medical Center for making this conversation possible.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:36) - Introducing Mark Miller
(03:42) - What drives your passion for public health?
(04:56) - What is the value of talking about public health, in light of a global pandemic?
(06:20) - Challenging ... and embracing ... the assumptions of public health?
(09:07) - How did the book come about?
(10:52) - Trust and Clarity
(12:49) - Finding a shared understanding of public health
(18:23) - What are the essential elements of communications that everyone should practice?
(20:55) - How can practitioners evaluate effectiveness?
(22:58) - What jargon traps should we avoid?
(25:16) - While writing the book, did you have any epiphanies?
(26:49) - What clever solutions have you seen for engagement?
(28:42) - What tools do you employ to visualize complex data successfully?
(30:41) - What is the fine line between tailoring messages and making it clear?
(34:01) - How do I talk to professionals who want to use jargon?
(36:01) - To tailor or not to tailor?
(38:56) - Inclusion and "Us vs. Them"
(41:50) - How long should an infographic be?
(44:44) - Learn more... and buy the book!

Rebroadcast: Communicating Through Digital Divides with Anthony Shop

TruStory FM — Thu, 08 Sep 2022 00:00:00 -0700

How do you define power in your brand’s social media? In this climate of mis- and disinformation, navigating a brand's path across the internet means facing difficult conversations head-on. How do you forge ahead, craft an image and perspective that is authentic to the culture of your team, and place it online in a way that aligns with your values?

Our guest this week is Anthony Shop. Anthony is co-founder and Chief Strategy officer of Social Driver, an agency dedicated to building brand image online for their clients. He's also Chairman of the National Digital Roundtable, a DC-based group whose mission is to educate and inform professionals about the technology, trends, and tactics that are transforming how society interacts with the world around them. In short, Anthony Shop knows of what he speaks on this subject.

This is a conversation about trends, but not the trends defining what we're wearing or listening to. We're talking about the choices brands are making as they choose how to show up online, to live their values on digital channels, navigating the heated rhetoric that dominated so many spaces this election year. Are brands stepping back, or digging deeper into their social strategies?

Anthony's answer may surprise you. It all starts with people. "If CNN calls, you can't send your logo, you have to send a person! More companies are embracing using their people," he says. "Social media policies used to be about what not to do. Now, companies are helping leaders to build their presence," as individuals.

Agencies are carrying heavy baggage right now. Shaking free of white-dominant norms and toxicity can go a long way toward allowing more individuals the freedom to share new ideas for their clients, but our field has a long way to go. Taking Social Driver as an example gives us a light, a model that Anthony and team have created together of an intentional culture built on values and partnership inside the agency and beyond it. We're so grateful Anthony is here to teach us today.

Links & Notes

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:27) - Introducing Anthony Shop
(05:31) - Where does power come from?
(11:12) - Re-thinking Teams
(14:22) - National Digital Roundtable
(16:40) - The Digital Landscape: The Underinvestment in People Profiles
(20:05) - Broadcasting vs. Narrowcasting
(22:35) - Platform vs. Values
(27:05) - Inspirations

Finding the Words: Dare to Ask

TruStory FM — Thu, 01 Sep 2022 00:00:00 -0700

Two little words have the power to change HOW we communicate, and HOW we connect with and understand one another as a result. Those two words? What if?

Thanks for listening. This is the 32nd article in a year-long series called Finding the Words. If you liked this week's essay, we hope you'll forward it along. And a reminder that your family, friends, and colleagues can subscribe to Finding the Words too — along with every episode of our podcast — simply by clicking this link.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(00:39) - Dare to Ask

Rebroadcast: Communicating the Counter Narrative with Ashton Lattimore

TruStory FM — Thu, 25 Aug 2022 00:00:00 -0700

Our guest today is someone who is actively rethinking, rewriting, and redefining the status quo media landscape. Ashton Lattimore is Editor-in-Chief at Prism, an independent, nonprofit newsroom led by journalists of color, and as she says, “Prism was founded because mainstream media wasn’t reflecting enough of the truth—and it wasn’t bringing us closer to our vision of collective liberation and justice.”

Through in-depth and thought-provoking journalism, Prism reflects the lived experiences of people most impacted by injustice. Journalists tell stories from the ground up at Prism: to disrupt harmful narratives, and to inform movements for justice. Prism launched in August of 2020 and has quickly provided an important lens through which to report on issues such as electoral justice, racial justice, economic justice, gender justice, climate justice, and more—all through an essential and intersectional lens of racial justice

Prism is, as you’ll hear her describe it, a newsroom with a point of view, but one with a keen eye on the center of the story: the subject with the most at stake. And in a media ecosystem in which stake is too often defined by wealth and power, re-defining the concept in terms of justice and equity is a refreshing turn.

Lattimore is a former lawyer and accomplished writer and editor. She’s also a Maynard Institute Fellow whose work focuses on this intersection of race, culture, and law. We thrilled to have her on the show this week.

(00:00) - It's Summer at Mission Forward!
(00:22) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:44) - Introducing Ashton Lattimore

Finding the Words • Bit By Bit

TruStory FM — Thu, 18 Aug 2022 00:00:00 -0700

Have you ever told yourself that you were going to do something — maybe launch a new initiative at work, make something of that hobby you’ve always loved, or take on a lofty personal goal — but found that something gets in the way of your progress?

Thanks for listening. This is the 28th article in a year-long series called Finding the Words. If you liked this week's essay, we hope you'll forward it along. And a reminder that your family, friends, and colleagues can subscribe to Finding the Words too — along with every episode of our podcast — simply by clicking this link.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward

Rebroadcast: What We Owe Each Other: At the Heart of Community with Mia Birdsong

TruStory FM — Thu, 11 Aug 2022 00:00:00 -0700

According to this week's guest, "the word community has been co-opted to something that is a lie." While we might have a shared convention of community, when we use the word, our differences begin to rise to the surface. Our language is littered with words like this — family, culture, and yes, community — words that require us to stop, reflect, and ask: "when you use these words, to whom are you referring?"

We're talking about Mia Birdsong: pathfinder, community curator, and storyteller, who steadily engages the leadership and wisdom of people experiencing injustice to chart new visions of American life. You may have seen her TED Talk ('The Story We Tell About Poverty Isn't True'), or read her book (How We Show Up: Reclaiming Family, Friendship, and Community), or listened to her podcast (More than Enough), but if you haven't, you will surely want to after listening to this week's conversation. She has an extraordinary gift for leveraging the brilliance of everyday people so that our collective gifts reach larger spheres of influence, cultural and political change, and create well-being for everyone.

We take on the concept of community, and the challenges and lack of clarity in the words we use. We talk about how a culture of self-reliance and a system of oppression have become hurdles for forming community. We talk about the differences between independence and interdependence. We talk about the dangers of whiteness in society, and why now, more than ever, we need a new white culture to prevail.

As much as this is a dialogue about the disparity between bodies, it is also a celebration of potential. The pandemic has done much to pull back the veil on the inherent lack that exists in communities adjacent to privilege. As Mia says, while there is a pull to revert to whatever we experienced as "normal" before the pandemic, we have an opportunity and an obligation to one another to test our understanding of our language of community, of family, of culture, of friendship, all in an effort to balance the scales long tilted against color and poverty.

Our thanks to Mia Birdsong for her courage, her activism, and her time to share with us this week.

Links & Notes

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(02:11) - Mia Birdsong

The Space Between • Finding the Words

Carrie Fox — Thu, 04 Aug 2022 00:00:00 -0700

Years ago, my dear friend and mentor Don Foley shared a story about Isaac Stern that I’ve never let go. The great violinist (1920-2001) was often asked why the music sounded so different when Isaac played it on his violin versus when the same song sheet was followed by others.

“Anyone can play the notes,” he would tell students; “music is what goes on in between the notes.”

Thanks for listening. This is the 15th article in a year-long series called Finding the Words. If you liked this week's essay, we hope you'll forward it along. And a reminder that your family, friends, and colleagues can subscribe to Finding the Words too — along with every episode of our podcast — simply by clicking this link.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward

Rebroadcast: When Equal is Not Equitable with Linda Villarosa

TruStory FM — Thu, 28 Jul 2022 00:00:00 -0700

Linda Villarosa is a brilliant storyteller. In addition to her work as a journalist, author, editor, and educator, she's a New York Times Magazine contributing writer where she covers race, inequality and health. You may have come across her 2018 cover story for the magazine titled 'Why America's Black mothers and babies are in a life or death crisis,' which was nominated for a national magazine award.

It was that article that first prompted us to reach out with Linda to participate in a Mission Forward. She returns to us today because of a story she recently published called 'Black Lives are Shorter in Chicago: My family's history shows why.' Reading that story, a very personal account of her own family's journey through Chicago transports the reader through time, while reinforcing some of the most essential public health issues of our time.

As you'll hear in this episode, this country has turned an important corner on the fight against COVID, a fight to return some semblance of life as we once knew it, with an approach of equality. But we do not suffer, nor do we heal equally. This is a fight which must be waged equitably, acknowledging the decidedly unequal contributions to our collective suffering shouldered by Black and Brown people in this country.

Linda Villarosa is uniquely experienced to help Carrie Fox and Natalie S. Burke navigate this conversation, confronting just how far our public health system has to go on issues of equity and inclusivity.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward

Finding the Words • Back to the Basics

Carrie Fox — Thu, 21 Jul 2022 00:00:00 -0700

Have you ever been given an assignment so daunting that it made you wonder, “How in the world will I ever do this?” Those responsible for communicating during the most uncertain times of COVID-19 surely know the feeling.

Thanks for listening. This is the 16th article in a year-long series called Finding the Words. If you liked this week's essay, we hope you'll forward it along. And a reminder that your family, friends, and colleagues can subscribe to Finding the Words too — along with every episode of our podcast — simply by clicking this link.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward

Rebroadcast: Culture School with Amira El Gawly

TruStory FM — Thu, 14 Jul 2022 00:00:00 -0700

Amira El-Gawly believes love is making a comeback at work.

That's a pretty heady statement, and one you might be tempted to dismiss. What's love got to do with work? you might say. We're about engagement and KPIs and customer data you might say. Here's the thing: Amira El-Gawly co-founded her first company at 27 and across the arc of her myriad careers — journalist, marketer, designer, speechwriter, operations executive — she has focused a keen eye on her people, their relationships, and what leads to better results.

As it turns out, work has changed. Our people have different expectations of one another and their leaders today than they did five years ago, and the last twelve months has only accelerated the trend. Her firm, Manifesta, specializes in helping organizations unleash potential through the relationships and experiences of their people. Collaboration across the workforce thus becomes an exercise in "alignment, joy, and humanity." Today, as Amira says, "investing in people is investing in performance."

This week on the show, we're talking about the nature of work, how work has changed in the last twelve months, and how those expectations of stronger, richer relationships can bring more love back to the workplace. People who love their work, and love the people they work with, love succeeding together.

Thanks to Amira El-Gawly for her participation on the show this week. She's an aspirational figure and a dear friend of Mission Forward.

Links & Notes

Learn more about Manifesta

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(03:17) - Introducing Amira El-Gawly
(08:07) - How has the work changed in the last 12 months?
(13:39) - Investing in people is investing in performance
(16:11) - Why invest in teams now?
(20:21) - Sponsor: Audible
(20:58) - Being a Leader Today
(24:34) - Caring for people versus driving performance
(29:05) - Becoming antiracist leaders in inclusive organizations

Finding The Words • Picture This

Carrie Fox — Wed, 06 Jul 2022 23:00:00 -0700

Our words and our actions matter. The effect they can have on others is enormous. This week, a reminder to come at your conversations — with your employees, your colleagues, your children, your neighbors — with love.

Thanks for listening. This is the 20th article in a year-long series called Finding the Words. If you liked this week's essay, we hope you'll forward it along. And a reminder that your family, friends, and colleagues can subscribe to Finding the Words too — along with every episode of our podcast — simply by clicking this link.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward

Rebroadcast: Decolonizing Wealth in Big Philanthropy with Edgar Villanueva

TruStory FM — Wed, 29 Jun 2022 23:00:00 -0700

Edgar Villanueva is a southerner. He’s a North Carolinian. He was raised in the church. He’s also a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, and as such, was the only Native American in his K-12 education experience.

“When I got to the University of North Carolina, I was so hungry to connect with other native students. I began to understand there that there were things about my world view and my perspective that were unique to being Native American.”

Somewhere between his Native heritage and his disarming Southern charm, Edgar has developed a muscle for speaking truth to power with love (his fantastic words, not ours), and no where is that more apparent than in his work in institutional philanthropy, an industry ripe for change.

In his best-selling book, Decolonizing Wealth: Indigenous Wisdom to Heal Divides and Restore Balance, Edgar takes us on tour of the philanthropic industry that carries the baggage of colonial structures designed to stifle the voices of equity through a veneer of altruism. Philanthropy is an exercised of "dividing Us from Them and the haves from the have-nots," says Edgar.

This week on the show, Edgar shares with us 14-year exploration of Big Philanthropy, and his healing and compassionate solutions to an industry mired in systemic imbalance. He shares the experience of grappling with issues but not having language to have the conversations we need to have, and his work to help others develop vernacular to help and to heal.

Most important, he offers us insight to his efforts not just to discuss these issues, but to change an industry through Liberated Capital: A Decolonizing Wealth Fund.

Rooted in relationships of mutuality and equity, Liberated Capital gives through a reparations model that trusts and supports the leadership of those most impacted by historical and systemic racism. The fund welcomes support from individuals at all levels of giving who are committed to collectively healing the wounds of colonialism and white supremacy by using money as medicine to shape an equitable future.

Anyone can join and take part in the mission of Decolonizing Wealth through Liberated Capital, and we here at Mission Partners are proud to be a part of this movement through our own donation this month. Our great thanks to Edgar for his time and support of this show. We’re proud to be in orbit of the work of this organization.

Links & Notes

Decolonizing Wealth
Decolonizing Wealth: Indigenous Wisdom to Heal Divides and Restore Balance — by Edgar Villanueva
Liberated Capital
Follow Edgar on LinkedIn

(01:17) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:52) - Edgar Villanueva
(02:37) - Roots to Leading Decolonizing Wealth Movement
(07:33) - Realizations Through Time in the Philanthropy Sector
(11:32) - Taking on the Philanthropy Industry
(17:41) - Response to His Book
(23:31) - Shifting to Thoughts About Corporate America
(25:45) - Authentic Conversations
(31:34) - Making Sure People Are Ready to Do the Work
(35:25) - Liberated Capital
(37:43) - Self-Healing
(39:38) - Wrapping Up

Finding the Words • Wait For It

Carrie Fox — Thu, 23 Jun 2022 00:00:00 -0700

Have you ever experienced a moment that made you feel strong, maybe even capable of great things? Perhaps it was a big goal accomplished, an affirmation from someone you admire, or a time when you helped someone who really needed it?

Thanks for listening. This is the 21st article in a year-long series called Finding the Words. If you liked this week's essay, we hope you'll forward it along. And a reminder that your family, friends, and colleagues can subscribe to Finding the Words too — along with every episode of our podcast — simply by clicking this link.

(00:00) - Finding the Words • Wait For It

Rebroadcast: Empathy as a Force-Multiplier with Ryan Pintado-Vertner

TruStory FM — Thu, 16 Jun 2022 00:00:00 -0700

Ryan Pintado Vertner is founder of Smoketown, and a brand strategy expert. We had him on the Mission Forward podcast a year ago, but his message is as powerful today as it was then. It is one of our favorite episodes and we’re glad to be able to serve it back up to you today as a part of our summer session.

It was his experience in the consumer packaged goods industry that taught our guest this week how to channel his empathy. He found it by way of the institution’s appreciation for Design Thinking in product development. “One of the things that you do in design thinking very explicitly is that you obsess over the problem that you’re solving in people’s lives. ... They name that empathy.”

For Ryan Pintado-Vertner, that experience connected a new vernacular to something he’d known all along. Empathy — that sensitivity to others’ experience — described both his expertise in product development and his desire to change the world through his activism.

And thus, Smoketown, LLC was born. The name? A callback to Louisville’s oldest African-American neighborhood founded by emancipated slaves after the Civil War. To Pintado-Vertner and team, “it represents extraordinary potential hiding in plain sight.”

This week’s show goes straight to the heart of the dynamics in entrenched business processes that serve to stifle innovation through diversity and limit opportunities for marginalized communities. The opportunity, says Pintado-Vertner, lies in demography.

“They are more likely to lean into progressive expectations for how the economy should work better,” he says of recent generations. “What that means for us, how we think about this moment, is that this is not a moment at all. It is a building up of increasing power and influence of generations who do not share our expectations of the corporations they interact with; what we’re seeing right now is simply going to accelerate.”

Smoketown is an incredible operation with a powerful team shepherding its legacy. Ryan’s insights on that legacy and the historical events that shape our collective outlook today make him the perfect guest to take on such challenging conversations.

Links & Notes

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(21:05) - The Black Recession

Finding The Words • Test Your Boundaries

Carrie Fox — Thu, 09 Jun 2022 00:00:00 -0700

Learning, practicing, and excelling at anything requires that we start somewhere. This week on Finding The Words, Carrie explores the journey from there... to here.

Thanks for listening. This is the 23rd article in a year-long series called Finding the Words. If you liked this week's essay, we hope you'll forward it along. And a reminder that your family, friends, and colleagues can subscribe to Finding the Words too — along with every episode of our podcast — simply by clicking this link.

Welcome to Summer at Mission Forward

TruStory FM — Wed, 08 Jun 2022 00:00:00 -0700

A brief note on our plans for the coming summer months with Carrie!

Nonprofit Fundraising Trends with Nadine Gabai-Botero

TruStory FM — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 23:00:00 -0700

We spent this season talking with a great mix of nonprofit and foundation leaders, and we can think of no better guest to wrap up our fifth season than our guest today: Nadine Gabai-Botero, President of Focus Fundraising.

Nadine has an incredibly diverse background in fundraising. Prior to establishing Focus Fundraising, she supported culture and arts organizations toward community development, and led capital campaigns and branding projects for clients across the spectrum. Her firm is only the latest chapter in a career dedicated to leading innovation in donor engagement and results.

Along the way, she earned her credentials as a Certified Fundraising Executive and serves as the Secretary of the Board and Development Committee chair of the Catalogue for Philanthropy in DC. Originally from Lima, Peru, she is a proud Latinx fundraiser and brings her diverse background to our conversation as we try to pin down trends driving nonprofit giving after a tumultuous few years.

Nadine is a cherished member of our community and we're honored to have her on our last show of the season to help us set the stage for what's to come.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(02:35) - Introducing Nadine Gabai-Botero
(06:21) - New Barriers
(11:38) - Staffing
(17:01) - Challenging a White Field
(19:26) - Demographics
(23:17) - Forrecasting Year-End

Giving for Good with Nicole Engdahl

TruStory FM — Wed, 20 Apr 2022 23:00:00 -0700

Nicole Engdahl is a park person.

In January of 2015, Nicole joined the National Parks Foundation charged with formalizing the organization’s planned giving department. By 2016, she was tapped to lead the efforts of three major fundraising groups all under one big umbrella including direct response giving, mid-level giving, and estate gifts. That means her department is responsible for all park giving from the nickle in the point-of-sale jar to bequests.

See? Nicole Engdahl is a park person.

She’s been practicing her nonprofit fundraising craft for over twenty years having helped grow the domestic estate giving program for Special Olympics International and planned giving for the National Geographic Society. It takes an extraordinary set of communications skills to navigate nonprofit giving in our current global context. How do you communicate your mission in such a way as to inspire and connect with donors, motivating them to generosity and benevolence for your organization when there is so very much need in the world all around us?

We love Nicole’s exuberance for her work, her passions for the parks and all the things we do there, and her love of telling the National Parks Foundation’s stories in a way that inspires us all. Thank you, Nicole, for sharing your wisdom with us this week.

The Corporate Civic Playbook with Steven Levine

TruStory FM — Tue, 12 Apr 2022 23:00:00 -0700

Did your workplace offer paid time off for the first time on election day in 2020 so that you could be free to navigate the polls without worry? Then you have today's guest to thank.

Stephen Levine is co-founder of Meteorite, a social impact firm that builds coalitions and campaigns that drive social transformation. Among those coalitions is the Civic Alliance, which together with its 1,200-plus member companies, rallied to champion civic participation leading to historic engagement in the 2020 elections.

Steven is a bona fide expert in social impact and corporate communications. He's held prominent positions at the White House where he as the White House Associate Director of Communications under President George W. Bush, where he was responsible for executing every single presidential media event held on White House grounds.

This week, Steven introduces us to his work, and how he channels his experience in media toward driving participation, access, and pride in every American's access to free and fair elections at every level. Their efforts have brougt about the Civic Alliance and the Corporate Civic Playbook, and tool to help every company and organization empower employees and customers to be active and engaged in civic life.

Thank you Steven, for joining us on the show and sharing your work with our community. Connect with Steven on LinkedIn to learn more.

(00:00) - First: A request...
(00:32) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:07) - Introducing Steven Levine
(03:21) - The Founder's Journey
(16:27) - The correlation between engagement and retention

Giving Meaning to the Word Justice with Jim Knight

TruStory FM — Wed, 06 Apr 2022 23:00:00 -0700

Jim Knight has led Jubilee Housing since 2002 and joins us this week to share their commitment to building compassionate communities for everyone to thrive.

(00:00) - "Justice Housing"
(25:41) - Finding the Words: Make a Run

Branding to Break Stereotypes with Temi Bennett

TruStory FM — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 23:00:00 -0700

This week, we’re talking to someone with big ambition who recognized the greatest change started small.

Temi Bennet, Esq. is Director of Policy for if: a foundation for radical possibility, where she is responsible for engaging local government in the DC metro region in developing racially equitable policies that enable Black people and people of color to thrive.

It was her influence and leadership at if that moved the organization to take a distinctly different approach in their own branding. What was formerly known as the Consumer Health Foundation evolved into a new, provocative name and brand, bold and explicit in its mission to eliminate systems of oppression in favor of racial justice.

Temi is in a position to make big change, and if is an example of an organization working diligently, showcasing the impact of brand in clear and powerful advocacy. But we hope you’ll take another message from our conversation with her, too. She went to Washington looking to influence change from the top. What she learned is that the real power to make change started locally, right where she was. Thinking small to make big waves. And today she’s moving a big mission forward, removing barriers all along her way.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(00:53) - Introducing Temi Bennett
(03:27) - Policy Change at the Local Level
(04:24) - About Consumer Health Foundation Origins
(10:25) - Affecting Deep and Meaningful Change at the Roots
(11:30) - The Strategic Plan
(17:14) - On Mission and Vision

No Words

Carrie Fox — Wed, 23 Mar 2022 23:00:00 -0700

We’re taking a break from our longer-form interviews for reflection. This week, we offer a selection from Carrie’s column, “Finding the Words,” in which we explore the space that emerges when there are no words to be found.

We’ll be back next week. Until then, we hope you find peace in the quiet.

(00:00) - Finding the Words: No Words

Storytelling for Good with Kerry-Ann Hamilton

TruStory FM — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 23:00:00 -0700

Welcome to this 50th episode of the Mission Forward Podcast! It's been a true joy sharing these conversations with you all on the power of communcations, this field we love so much.

Our guest this week is Kerry-Ann Hamilton, a communications strategist with decades of experience in media relations, cause communications, and crisis management. She serves as principal consultant at KAH Communications where she brings her experience to bear for nonprofits and cause-related organizations and, for us, her work is a shining example of the balance of ideals, values, goals, and mission.

In fact, we want to amplify this statement — which you'll hear when you listen to the show — because we've been repeating it like a mantra all week. When asked why she started her own firm, she replied, "I was excited to work at scale with organizations and bold change-makers who want to create the world they want, and are restless about the world we have."

We create the world we want because we're restless about the world we have.

Kerry-Ann's experience in nonprofit communication is extensive, and you'll hear how easily she's able to disabuse us of our misunderstandings about the work and power of the nonprofit in the hands of the passionate and engaged leader.

She shares her own inspirations this week: Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown and The Trusted Advisor by David H. Maister.

You can learn more about Kerry-Ann Hamilton and the work her team is doing at KAH Consulting. We're honored to amplify her experience and expertise on the show this week!

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:23) - Introducing Kerry-Ann Hamilton
(05:46) - Addressing the March 2020 Pivot
(13:25) - The Unhealthy Momentum of 2022
(16:11) - Communications Bridging Information Divides
(23:44) - Nonprofits Learning to Lead Their Values
(29:58) - What inspires Kerry-Ann Hamilton?
(33:05) - Finding Your Words: Check Your Light

Reinventing a Brand from the Inside Out with Justin Pasquierello

TruStory FM — Wed, 09 Mar 2022 23:00:00 -0800

"Joy can be a matter of life and death."

So says our guest this week, Justin Pasquierello. You could say his career started as a child, in a townhouse, meeting a team of paramedics on his stairs. His birth mother had a reaction to her medication. That was the last night he had lived with her, and the night that set him off on his career working in nonprofits on behalf of children.

We first met Justin Pasquierello when he was serving as executive director of Children's HealthWatch working with leaders around the country to improve children's health in America. From there, he's moved to East Boston Social Centers, taking the reins as Executive Director serving not just the diverse residents of East Boston, but the powerful legacy of 104 years the organization has served its community.

And Justin has done it all with joy.

"Joy lives in community," he says. "It is literally contagious, and so we can most effectively pursue our own happiness, and that of our society, together. Recognizing when all give, all gain, we can collectively make the world a better place by pursuing what matters most for joy: long and strong relationships, purpose, physical fitness, meditation, and fun."

He is a relentless and visionary thinker, working tirelessly to make the world a more peaceful, joyful, and sustainable place. We're honored to have Justin with us today to talk a bit about his work, his love, and some of our past work together.

Learn more about the work of East Boston Social Centers, and if you haven't had the opportunity, make sure to watch his TEDx Talk, "Why Joy is Not a Solo Sport", today.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:34) - Introducing Justin Pasquierello
(05:40) - Community Leadership
(09:17) - Broading the community for changing demographics
(11:39) - The Value of the Cookie
(12:58) - Consistency in Messaging
(15:35) - Addressing JEDI in Community Initiatives
(19:49) - Coming Attractions at East Boston Social Centers
(23:59) - Checking In On You

Be Mindful of Power with C.Marie Taylor

TruStory FM — Wed, 02 Mar 2022 23:00:00 -0800

When we started this season, we told you we would be talking to a mix of our favorite leaders in our field who are facing our challenges and barriers to moving their missions forward. This week on the show, we're talking to someone we can only rightly characterize as a leader of leaders.

C.Marie Taylor is a role model and mentor to us, a leader herself with a distinguished CV as executive director of respected non-profits. In 2018, she started her own consulting practice, Equity Through Action, leveraging her skills as a leader and communicator to build her own team dedicated to helping clients transform their environments into safe, inclusive, and people-focused spaces.

Anyone in agency space will know: accomplishing anything near that sort of goal requires a leader unafraid to speak truth — sometimes uncomfortable truth — to entrenched power. And that is not just C.Marie's great gift, it is her passion.

This week, we'll be specifically tackling the challenges of entrenched power in non-profit boards and offer solutions toward resolving conflict, overcoming obstacles, and generating action. We're thrilled that C.Marie has so generously given of her time and expertise to join us for this conversation.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:21) - Introducing C.Marie Taylor
(03:44) - Power in the Workplace
(07:12) - A Board Value Proposition for Black Women
(11:15) - See it, Say it, and C.Marie's Acronyms
(13:21) - Sharing and Distributing Power
(14:35) - Board Blocks and Self-Work
(18:05) - Cultivating a Diverse Board
(19:26) - Resources for Board Members to Better their Performance
(22:18) - The Transformation on the Other Side
(26:22) - Finding The Words: What would it hurt to ask?

Communicating Through Digital Divides with Anthony Shop

TruStory FM — Wed, 23 Feb 2022 23:00:00 -0800

Links & Notes

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(05:27) - Where does power come from?
(11:08) - Re-thinking Teams
(14:19) - National Digital Roundtable
(16:37) - The Digital Landscape: The Underinvestment in People Profiles
(20:01) - Broadcasting vs. Narrowcasting
(22:32) - Platform vs. Values
(27:01) - Inspirations

What does love have to do with it? The Power, Privilege, and Responsibility in Communicating with May Medallada Robinson

TruStory FM — Wed, 16 Feb 2022 23:00:00 -0800

Welcome to this first episode of season five of the Mission Forward podcast. We come together this week in the spirit of love, with a provocative conversation on the love we have in our work, shared with one of our favorite people.

May Medallada Robinson is a communications and marketing consultant and she has spent her career at the intersection of communications and equity. She is a professor at Towson University, a Senior Strategist here at Mission Partners, and she is a deeply involved and engaged member of the community.

Let's set the stage with May's purpose: "to use communication, education, and multiracial experience to bridge gaps and increase empathy, humanity, and love in the world."

Notice any words in there that you might not find on the standard comms CV? We did, too. And those words are at the heart of why May starts the season with us this Valentine's day week.

We ask each other — and each of you — what does it mean to show love in the work we do, the work of our agencies, and for those who come after us in our field? What does it mean to employ our love of this work toward love of one another in such a way that nurtures those around us, that lifts those beneath us, and heals divides rather than creates them?

We are navigating challenging seas together as we help our clients to tell their stories and educate our communities through our words, our pictures, and our campaigns. If there are better ways to operate that contribute to a more inclusive and multiracial society, we're lucky to have May with us to share her experiences toward that end through her own love of the field, with lessons we may use to lift all our boats together.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(00:51) - Introducing May Robinson
(04:50) - Agency Urgency
(12:32) - What does Love have to do with it?
(14:50) - Challenging Culture ... "Paying Dues"
(26:21) - For Future Inspiration...

How Racism Harms All of Us with Natalie S. Burke • Rebroadcast

TruStory FM — Wed, 02 Feb 2022 23:00:00 -0800

Way back in season one, we introduced you to Natalie S. Burke, founder of Common Health Action. This week, we want to amplify that conversation.

Natalie has a way of incisively approaching the most challenging questions that fuel her advocacy. She is a leader in an incisive, aware, and focused journey toward equity, diversity, and inclusion. But it is a disruptive journey, and wherever we’re going, we have to reckon with a central question: how does racism harm us all?

We reference this episode often around Mission Partners with our clients and colleagues, and given how relevant it remains in today's world, and just how precise Natalie is in her approach to the work ahead for all of us, we thought you might appreciate hearing it with fresh ears, too. Natalie’s efforts to create what she calls “constructive discomfort” go a long way toward helping us all adapt to the pain that can come through learning and change. When we can face our discomfort in trust, we all win through transformation.

New for 2022

You will find all past episodes and new opportunities to become founding members of Mission Forward, along with early access to future shows at missionforward.us. You can also find us sharing highlights and some cool behind-the-scenes content from shows over on Twitter @missionfwdshow.

Links & Notes

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward

Breaking Bias in Storytelling with Ed Yong and Liz Neeley • Rebroadcast

TruStory FM — Wed, 26 Jan 2022 23:00:00 -0800

We're just a few weeks out from releasing our first episodes of season five of Mission Forward. Until then, we're continuing our tour of past guests in an effort to elevate a few of our favorite conversations to welcome new listeners the best way we know how. This week we bring you Ed Young and Liz Neely in our 2018 conversation live on the Mission Forward stage.

Ed and Liz are two of the smartest and sharpest minds in science, communications, and EDS reporting on COVID earned him a Pulitzer Prize for explanatory journalism in 2021. Back in 2018, Ed had just written a story in The Atlantic titled, "I Spent Two Years Trying to Fix the Gender Imbalance in My Stories Here’s What I’ve Learned, and Why I Did It." The lessons he and Liz articulate in this conversation continue to be relevant as we continue to crest this pandemic wave. We hope you enjoy this conversation and learn as much from it as we did.

Since starting the Mission Forward conversation series in 2014, we’ve had the opportunity to interview some amazing folks: Pulitzer Prize-winning writers, MacArthur Genius grantees, media entrepreneurs, and philanthropists. One of our favorite conversations to date has been with Ed Yong and Liz Neeley. It took place in 2018, shortly after Ed wrote a story in the Atlantic titled: “I Spent Two Years Trying to Fix the Gender Imbalance in My Stories Here’s What I’ve Learned, and Why I Did It.”

As an acclaimed author and science writer, Ed was a big deal then, but he’s had quite a run these last few years. This past September, his story on the COVID-19 pandemic, “How Did it Come to This?” took the cover spot of The Atlantic magazine, and since that time, he’s published several other articles on COVID 19 including his most recent: “America Is About to Choose How Bad the Pandemic Will Get.”

Given how much we value Ed Yong — and how straightforward he can make even the most complex science story — we decided to resurface this great conversation from a few years back, about building equity and breaking bias in storytelling.

In that 2018 story about gender imbalance in his reporting, Ed found that only 24 percent of his last 23 articles quoted sources that were women. And of those stories, 35 percent featured no female voices at all. As Ed shared in his article:

“I knew that I care about equality, so I deluded myself into thinking that I wasn’t part of the problem. I assumed that my passive concern would be enough. Passive concern never is.”

Yong’s heartbreakingly honest revelation, and several others like it, spurred our desire to dig in on ways that writers, marketers, and communications directors can build equity and break bias in their storytelling, and his story has stuck with us for many years.

But it wasn’t just Ed who we spoke with back **in 2018. We were joined by his partner, the brilliant Liz Neeley, founder and principal of Liminal Creations, where she focuses her time and talent on science communication. Liz served as Executive Director of The Story Collider through August of this year, shepherding real and deeply personal stories of science and living through on-stage events and their eponymous (and extraordinarily popular) podcast. Together, they had a lot to say on the topic of equity in storytelling.

Liz Neeley and Ed Yong are extraordinary people and exceptional journalists and communicators. We love this conversation and we’re sure that you will, too.

Links & Notes

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(04:53) - Introducing Ed Yong and Liz Neely
(24:42) - How do you think about testing your ideas for cultural bias
(35:24) - Being open — and budgeting appropriately — for diverse guidance
(38:24) - Audience Question: How do you measure your personal goal toward improvement?
(40:58) - Audience Question: How do you advocate for a marginalized population when you can't find their representatives?
(45:37) - Audience Question: Should we assume you tried to find women in leadership or were you interviewing junior positions?
(49:15) - Audience Question: What reactions are you getting from your organization?
(54:00) - Wrapping up: We don't owe anyone our whistle

The Reinvention of Higher Education with Dr. Robert Kelly • Rebroadcast

TruStory FM — Sun, 16 Jan 2022 23:00:00 -0800

In honor of Martin Luther King Day, we want to highlight one of our favorite conversations and past episodes featuring Dr. Robert Kelly of Loyola University Maryland. He shares how putting the students at the center of every decision he makes and rising to meet the hunger that these students have for connection is what drives the charge for him, the faculty at the University, parents, and other engaged adults to create a culture celebrating reconciliation, curiosity, joy, and hope.

This is a conversation about responsibility; taking responsibility for crafting the future for those in our care. Rob shares how he is helping Loyola to build according to their mission: pressing forward on issues of culture, climate, race, and inclusion in the face of obstacles of our own creation.

Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, subscribe, leave us a review and share the podcast with family and friends. We'll back in February with new conversations and episodes to help you keep moving your mission forward.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:30) - Meet Rob Kelley
(03:08) - Obstacles in Higher Ed Now
(05:22) - Hope in 2021
(08:39) - How Are the Kids Doing?
(10:56) - How do you press forward?
(14:13) - Equity in Higher Ed
(23:30) - What's Inspiring Rob
(24:38) - Wrapping Up

A Season of Communicators: Mission Forward Season Four Recap with Nimra Haroon

TruStory FM — Sun, 19 Dec 2021 23:00:00 -0800

When we started this season of Mission Forward, we wanted to go back to our roots. We are, after all, a communications firm. It seems only right that we spend a little time talking about communications.

And so, we began our journey to meet ten people influencing and shaping how we communicate at scale for social change. Authors, journalists, and designers sat down with us to share their journey against the headwinds of change, illuminating how they use the tools of their craft to change minds and influence markets for action.

This week on the show, producer Nimra Haroon joins Carrie Fox to review lessons learned over the course of this season, distilling for you the highlights of ten interviews that plumb the depths of our field. It is a bittersweet close to this chapter of the podcast as we break the holidays and the new year, but we will return in 2022 with season five, and a new collection of conversations to help you move your mission forward.

Our cup runs over with gratitude to Ashton Lattimore, Tim Hykes, Najma Robers, Greg Galle, Grady Powell, Houston Kraft, Eleni Stamoulis, Rae Oglesby, and Dan Buettner, along with each representative of their teams who helped to bring this season of interviews to fruition. Thank you to all — guests, production partners, and listeners alike — for making this podcast such a rewarding journey for us to undertake.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward

Communicating for Life with Blue Zones author Dan Buettner

TruStory FM — Sun, 12 Dec 2021 23:00:00 -0800

Dan Buettner is a National Geographic Fellow and multiple New York Times best-selling author and joins us this week to share his work researching and documenting Blue Zones around the world.

The Blue Zones books are inspirational for crafting better, healthier homes and workplaces, and we're thrilled to have Dan Buettner on the show this week to talk about his latest book, The Blue Zones Challenge: A 4-Week Plan for a Longer, Better Life.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(00:58) - Introducing Dan Buettner
(02:08) - The Blue Zones Journey
(07:34) - A Different Approach to Journalism
(10:40) - How Does Communications Impacts Public Health?
(16:12) - The Barriers to Systems Change
(20:20) - Building a Blue Zone in Places of Limitation
(26:31) - Ikigai
(29:14) - What's Next?

Communicating for Impact with Rae Oglesby at UpTogether

TruStory FM — Sun, 05 Dec 2021 23:00:00 -0800

This week on the show, we welcome a storyteller with a passion for social justice, equity, and service. That makes her a triple threat with a particularly astute eye on how the stories we tell can unintentionally move to separate us. Rae Oglesby started her career in broadcasting, working at CNN producing stories across Atlanta and South Carolina, before transitioning to non-profit marketing and communications.

Today, Rae is VP of Communications at UpTogether, a poverty-focused non-profit dedicated to lifting those in underrepresented communities in poverty into the middle class by helping families to invest in themselves. It is a movement, a platform, and most importantly accelerates the initiative that people in historically undervalued communities are taking to improve their lives and to move up together.

“It’s not about us as, as an organization,” says Rae. “It's not about what we are doing, but it is about the community. It is about our members. We're very much focused on relationships and not transactions. We understand that we need to take the time to get to know people who we are engaging with. We need to talk to them. We need to also recognize that communication is a two-way street, which means that we need to listen as well.”

This is not a story about charity. It’s a story about empowerment, about allowing communities to stop seeing themselves as others, but as valuable contributors in the effort to lift one another out of poverty. Rae offers powerful insights into how other non-profits might paint a stronger picture of those they serve by communication with intention. We’re honored to have this time with her and to share her story with you this week.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(04:40) - About UpTogether
(07:32) - Not Charity, Choice
(10:57) - Who are we marketing for?
(17:02) - Changing the Math on Giving
(19:17) - How UpTogether Thinks Differently
(23:12) - Perceptions versus Policy

Communicating For All with Eleni Stamoulis

TruStory FM — Sun, 28 Nov 2021 23:00:00 -0800

We welcome one of our own to Mission Forward this week: inclusivity advocate and graphic designer, Eleni Stamoulis. She joined the Mission Partners team in 2017 and since that time, she has been involved in an extraordinary array of client and partner projects. In brand refreshes and rebrands, website redesigns, and all kinds of mission-critical campaign elements, her voice has become welcome counsel for ensuring that the projects that we take on at Mission Partners are as inclusive and accessible as possible.

We talk about Eleni’s journey as a designer and the traumatic brain injury that sent her on her path of growth and life-long learning. We talk about the power of design to transform ideas and beliefs. As she says, design isn’t just about what’s on the page. It’s about everything around us that is designed to affect change. We’re grateful that Eleni is using design to affect change for good.

She is deep into the final stages of her own MFA, where her thesis is focused on the experiences of Black, Brown, and Latinx students in design education. As such, she’s currently performing a research project that aims to understand the role race plays in the educational experience of graphic design students in the United States. Are you a design student or educator? Visit EleniStamoulis.com today and submit your response. She promises it won’t take more than 10-15 minutes of your time. Click the link to learn more!

Along the way, Eleni recommended some fantastic resources we’d like to amplify:

The Black Experience in Graphic Design: A Diasporic Anthology of Design Practices & Experiences by Anne H. Berry on Kickstarter — The project has just reached its goal, but the resource will be incredible and we encourage support of the work!
extra bold: a feminist, inclusive, non-racist, non-binary field guide for graphic designers — You can get it from the usual places, but buy from your local bookstore if you can!)
Design Explorr — “DesignExplorr’s goal is to create opportunities that allow underrepresented youth to participate in design activities.”
Creative Reaction Lab — “Our mission is to educate, train, and challenge Black and Latinx youth to become leaders in designing healthy and racially equitable communities.”

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(00:29) - Introducing Eleni Stamoulis
(01:45) - Investing in Design
(06:29) - The Communications Equity Gap
(10:28) - Empowering Designers Across Generations
(16:32) - Thematic Reflections on Non-Profit Brand Design
(22:36) - Who's doing it well?
(29:12) - What goes into a thriving design team?

Communicating for a Movement with Houston Kraft, author of Deep Kindness

TruStory FM — Sun, 21 Nov 2021 23:00:00 -0800

Houston Kraft is a professional speaker, author, curriculum designer, and kindness advocate whose book, Deep Kindness: A Revolutionary Guide for the Way We Think, Talk, and Act in Kindness, has inspired millions to examine the difference between nice and kind and why specifically deep kindness is not only a revolutionary act, but a necessary one.

There is something special at the intersection of Houston Kraft’s initiatives, something we’ve forgotten along our journey toward building bigger, better, faster organizations and teams. To us, it appears that Houston has given us a profound reminder that social-emotional learning benefits the whole person; at Character Strong, it’s for the school kids, and with Deep Kindness, we realize it’s for us big kids, too.

Thanks to Houston and his team for creating the time for this conversation. We’re honored to offer it to our Mission Forward community.

(00:00) - Get Your Free Copy of Deep Kindness!
(00:33) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(02:05) - Introducing Huston Kraft
(07:22) - Nice v. Kind
(12:27) - The Vitamin Concept
(18:53) - The Power of Habit
(23:19) - The DEI Kindess Question: Circles of Care

Communicating The Possible with Open Fields’ Grady Powell

TruStory FM — Sun, 14 Nov 2021 23:00:00 -0800

This week we welcome Grady Powell, founder of Openfields, a social impact consulting firm committed to helping leaders imagine and implement a more creative and just future. He is also co-founder of Capita, a nonpartisan think tank working to build a better future for children and families.

Following up on last week’s conversation with Greg Galle about communicating the impossible, this week, we take on the world of what’s possible in communications and strategy. We talk with Grady about what it means to work in social impact, how he helps leaders think differently about the actions of their organizations, and how to take ideas to the next level for a more just business environment.

Grady’s work at Openfields and Capita sits at the intersection of research, public policy, social innovation and design and we’re thrilled to be able to bring this conversation to you all this week. Our deepest thanks to Grady Powell and his team for making this conversation happen.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:35) - Introducing Grady Powell
(05:46) - What needs to be in place for innovation to happen?
(11:17) - Diversity in the creative process and communication
(13:52) - People ... first?
(21:36) - What's Next?

Communicating the Impossible with Think Wrong Author Greg Galle

TruStory FM — Sun, 07 Nov 2021 23:00:00 -0800

Greg Galle comes to us this week with an approach to addressing culture that begins with our brains. We live with certain neurological realities, he says, “these are how we learn things, the synaptic connections that are created, and that has sort of trapped us.”

In his book Think Wrong, Greg argues that the way we solve problems is broken. The extent to which they’re broken depends on our cultural realities. “How do we disrupt culture?” He asks. “Because cultures are self-preserving and that's great if you have a good, healthy culture, but if you're trying to create change, or even trying to improve or strengthen a culture, there will always be a natural resistance.”

Greg is the co-founder of strategy firm Solve/Next. As author of the book Think Wrong, he celebrates over 30 years of experience thinking wrong about leadership, planning, and decision-making. His book is used around the world and across all sectors, from global corporations to individuals running local non-profits.

This week on the show, we talk to Greg about how we trick our brains, and how we trick our cultures and our communities, into exploring new possibilities and departing from the status quo. We’re so grateful to Greg for his participation this week as we all continue to move our Mission Forward.

(00:35) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:17) - Introducing Greg Galle
(05:48) - How to break away from the status quo
(15:29) - Designing for the Edge
(21:36) - Inspiring and sustaining creativity in diverse teams
(24:03) - Developing transformational energy in your organization

Communicating The Hard Truths with Najma Roberts

TruStory FM — Sun, 31 Oct 2021 23:00:00 -0700

On this week’s show, we are thrilled to introduce you to Najma Roberts, Senior Director of Communications and Equity at Democracy Fund, a private foundation that champions the people and organizations who defend democracy, while challenging our political system to be more open and just. Najma joined the organization in 2018 and ever since, she’s been guiding this powerhouse philanthropy to be even more intentional and direct in its own commitments to justice and equity, while helping advance the organization’s mission and vision. But Najma brings more to the conversation than just her last several years. She’s well aware of the responsibility that a communicator has to speak truth to power, with love. Having worked with her now for more than 10 years, I can say honestly that leading with love is one of her greatest strengths.

In every stage of her career, Najma has been strong advocate for communications and the role that communicators play in how organizations demonstrate collective values, commitment to equity and justice. She is an expert when it comes to engaging institutional leaders, created trusted and open spaces, and challenging the status quo in favor of fresh thinking. And this week on Mission Forward, she’s going to help the rest of us do the same. We’re honored to welcome her to the show.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(02:02) - Introducing Najma Roberts
(04:41) - Meanwhile... at Democracy Fund
(06:22) - How do we demonstrate our values?
(11:37) - At the intersection of communications and power
(15:22) - Equity
(24:22) - Looking Forward

Communicating by Design with Tim Hykes

TruStory FM — Sun, 24 Oct 2021 23:00:00 -0700

Design “is an art form that allows us to tell stories,” says Tim Hykes. “These stories allow us to connect with each other and allow us to see the other side.” It is with that spirit that Tim performs his craft as a UX designer at WorldWide Technology and visual scientist. Tim joins us this week to help us unravel how design can be a tool for justice and equity.

Want to know how serious Tim is about his work? Look no further than his conference, Design+Diversity, where Tim and team bring together professionals across industries to push the boundaries of design and communication toward change with a keen strategic eye on social justice, equity, and inclusion. As a matter of disclosure, Mission Partners was an Industry Sponsor of the conference in 2021.

As you’ll hear Tim say of the conference, “this is a safe space. This is the area. This is the place where you ask all those questions, because the best thing that could ever happen to you, is you could be corrected.” At a time when so many organizations are looking out for tools and strategies to sell, to engage, to communicate to their assorted publics, there is no better resource than Tim Hykes to demonstrate the power of bringing communicators together to for good.

We are honored to have a bit of his time on Mission Forward this week.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:38) - Introducing Tim Hykes
(12:15) - Design, Communication, and Culture
(22:02) - Building Purpose in Gathering
(24:30) - Design for Building Bridges

Communicating the Counter Narrative with Ashton Lattimore

TruStory FM — Sun, 17 Oct 2021 23:00:00 -0700

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:22) - Introducing Ashton Lattimore

Power, Privilege, & Responsibility: Communications to Bridge Divides

TruStory FM — Sun, 10 Oct 2021 23:00:00 -0700

That’s the voice of Nimra Haroon, senior strategist at Mission Partners and a partner in the production of the Mission Forward podcast. Nimra brings a set of foundational insights that help us to set up the key themes we’ll be talking about this season. She’ll be back with us at the end of the season to reflect on what we learned.

Here’s what we’re looking forward to exploring this season:

Themes like the role of power in communications…the role of the storyteller, and the main character in how we interpret and understand the world around us.
Themes like the role of communication to close gaps, across digital divides and the need to explore some of the ways we communicate by default through an ableist lens. What would happen if in every communication we developed, we asked 'how accessible is my message?' This season, we’ll take that on.
We’ll explore themes like communications as a tool to advance social justice, and how inherently the more inclusive a message, the more socially just it is.
And we’ll touch on the importance of specificity in our words and messages, and that a lack of communication, especially in heightened moments, is still communication.

There is so much good conversation ahead, and it’s clear in this first episode that we’re just getting started. Join us next week as we sit down with Ashton Lattimore, editor in chief of Prism, an independent, nonprofit news outlet led by journalists of color who together are challenging the way we get our news and the perspectives in which it’s told.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward

Bonus: Carrie with Tim Hykes on Unconference by Design + Diversity Podcast

TruStory FM — Sun, 26 Sep 2021 23:00:00 -0700

**Just a few more weeks! **

Season four of Mission Forward is right around the corner and we can't wait to share the slate of guests we have on deck. This season, every conversation is designed to help you learn the tools to be a communicator for change. But, since we're a few weeks out from releasing this new season, we wanted to share a bonus episode with you today featuring an awesome communicator in his own right, Timothy Hykes.

Carrie joined Tim on his show, Unconference by Design + Diversity, earlier this year we loved hearing these two talking about the power of communication. Tim graciously agreed to allow us to re-post this episode for you, our Mission Forward community. And rest assured, we will absolutely have him back on to keep this conversation going later in the season. Make sure to head over to Tim's show and subscribe for more great conversations just like this one, and learn more about the Design+Diversity event!

Looking Back, Pushing Forward: A Season 3 Recap

TruStory FM — Mon, 30 Aug 2021 23:00:00 -0700

When we set out to produce season three of Mission Forward, we wanted to document this season of what we called perspective-shifting conversations. We wanted to touch on faith. We wanted to touch on media. We wanted to touch on the economy and the role of philanthropy in building back from a period of such damage from the impact of COVID-19. Right now, we're seeing members of our own communities acting out, engaging in behaviors that are disheartening, partly as a manifestation of what we have all had to sacrifice to the pandemic, partly in fearful anxiety of sacrifices yet to come.

And yet, through it all, we leave this season in a spirit of optimism. It's the same optimism that comes from having conquered a hard thing, having wrestled with difficult ideas and made it to the other side. We have we have explored such difficult ideas this season and we are buoyed with the energy our guests bring to their own efforts for change.

This week, we share a review of lessons learned from each of these guests as reflected by hosts Carrie Fox and Natalie S. Burke. If you haven't had the opportunity to listen to these conversations in full, we encourage you to do so, and to share with your communities broadly.

Our deepest thanks to Natalie Burke for her participation this season, leveraging her experience as a leader in public health to guide and frame our discussions in this space. She is a tireless advocate and we are exceptionally lucky to be in her orbit. Please click through to learn more about her and the work of CommonHealth ACTION — this is an organization worth knowing.

To all, thank you for subscribing, downloading, listening, and sharing this show. It is our great honor to produce it and to play even a small part in your podcast universe and we'll be back next season for more Mission Forward.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward

Rewriting the Future of a Free and Just Press with Media 2070's Alicia Bell

TruStory FM — Sun, 11 Jul 2021 23:15:00 -0700

We've talked at some length this season about the role of the media — all kinds of media — in fostering hate and division, and the massive opportunity that exists in our communication spaces to lift one another, to repair, to rebuild. Our guest this week is someone whose steeped in a major movement to rewrite media's story in our society.

Alicia Bell is director of Media 2070. What started as a research essay detailing the role that media has played in anti-Black racism and harm has grown into a growing consortium of media makers and activists, collectively working toward media reparations. What does Media 2070 say about themselves?

This work is an effort to radically transform who has the capital to tell their own stories by 2070 — 50 years from today. This work is an idea, welcoming critique and feedback. It is liberation work within a lineage of civil-rights activism, racial-justice organizing and calls for reparations. This work makes visible the ways in which the media have taken part in and supported state violence and harm against Black people.

Anti-Blackness is a global issue and we will never build the critical mass to transform our culture if we don’t marshal the political and cultural resources required to address it in our media, first. Alicia and her team are not just talking and writing about the need for reparations, they're actively working on that change. They partnered with more than twenty lawmakers to call on the FCC to examine how media-related policies have harmed black communities and other people of color. They’ve created tools for newsrooms and journalists to assess their own cultural norms, and pledge to build more radically inclusive practices. They’ve presented the need for culture change in a way media itself never could have done.

Alicia is at the heart of this reckoning, one designed to move newsrooms to a place that can care for and support all people in the community and finally address the issue of anti-Blackness that has been present in our media for hundreds of years.

We can't wait to introduce you to this powerful force standing up for the future of a free and just press, Alicia Bell of Media 2070.

Links & Notes

(00:01) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(05:13) - Alicia Bell and the Transformation of Media
(09:08) - Vision
(14:38) - The Fifty Year Cycle
(19:23) - Delving into the History the "Multi-Racial Democracy"
(25:49) - What do media reparations look like?

What We Owe Each Other: At the Heart of Community with Mia Birdsong

TruStory FM — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 00:00:00 -0700

Our thanks to Mia Birdsong for her courage, her activism, and her time to share with us this week.

Links & Notes

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(03:25) - Introducing Mia Birdsong

Standing Up to the Algorithm: Rebuilding our Communities with Andre Banks

TruStory FM — Sun, 27 Jun 2021 23:05:00 -0700

Our digital universe was intended to close divides between time and space, to allow us to communicate more clearly and more often. But there is a situation in this digital universe that actually limits our ability to connect. External forces make us question what is true and false. We are at the mercy of algorithms created to shape our opinions and actions online.

Our guest this week has done extensive work on these issues and is here to help us understand the landscape, and the implications of our actions. Andre Banks is the founder and CEO of A/B Partners. Andre works at the top of his field on political communications and digital organizing and serves as the current chair of the board at Color Of Change.

This season, we continue to dig in to all the ways that we come together as a society. But we can’t speak authentically about people in connection to one another without talking about the role that social media plays in how we come to understand one another, and how we push each other apart in the process. Our conversation today takes on the role that mis- and dis-information plays in activism online and in the media, and how it is weaponized to further disenfranchise marginalized communities.

For many, we are inseparable from our digital connections. What role do those connections play in our physical and mental well-being? And how do we build a space for authentic, constructive dialog in the face of external forces? We are grateful for Andre this week, for sharing such extensive experience and giving us all a foundation for our own work as we reclaim and grow our digital universe.

Links & Notes

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(02:54) - Welcome Andre Banks
(07:12) - Let's talk about the campaign
(15:02) - How has COVID changed the way we form communities?
(22:56) - What do we need to stay connected in the future?
(26:20) - What do Black people want in information?

Why Public Health Matters to Private Lives with Emily Howell and Todd Newman

TruStory FM — Mon, 14 Jun 2021 00:00:00 -0700

"COVID-19 is not just a medical issue. It is also a social justice, economic, and political issue. That makes it hard to figure out how best to share information about it, especially since messages come from a range of communicators—including elected officials, journalists, scientists, physicians, and community leaders—and are delivered to diverse audiences."

Such is the foundational position in a recent piece published in Fast Company. Our guests this week, authors Todd Newman and Emily Howell (together with Dominique Broussard), present their insights into the messengers and their messages that constellate to keep us unhealthy.

This is a conversation about trust, and it brings with it some extraordinarily difficult questions. Does the public understand the role of public health? Has our model of health broken its promise of healthy communities across racial and economic boundaries? Has the media lived up to its obligation to truth in a public health crisis?

Objectively, the answer has to be a resounding no to these and so many more. Which opens to the door to our conversation this week in which we examine the opportunities before us to build trust, to cement community, to broaden the reach of our most critical messages, and to do so clearly. As Natalie so aptly says, "to engage in the production of the public's health is actually a patriotic act." So how do we make it clear that public health truly matters to private lives?

Our deep thanks to Todd and Emily for joining us this week. Please visit the link below to read the original article. Thank you for listening, and for sharing with your communities, too.

Links & Notes

'COVID-19 public health messages have been all over the place — but we can do better' • by Todd Newman, Dominique Broussard, and Emily Howell — Fast Company

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward

Philanthropy’s Power Problem with guest Iara Peng

TruStory FM — Sun, 06 Jun 2021 23:00:00 -0700

"We believe that philanthropy shouldn't be about barriers and bottlenecks." So says the About page of JustFund, the grant platform transforming giving. But removing bottlenecks is just one way that Just Fund is changing the game. Getting resources to organizations truly doing front line work involves challenging entrenched ideologies and engaging leadership often marginalized in philanthropy: people of color. And so it is a group of funders and organizers of color who founded the organization, those who know best how to poke at philanthropy's power problem.

And leading the charge is our guest today: Iara Peng, founder and CEO of JustFund.

JustFund brings a new approach to philanthropic grant-making and challenges existing systems in what she calls, "an intervention into the antiquated systems that grant makers have inherited."

Instead, JustFund offers a trust-based, values-aligned approach that can fuel the movement for social and racial equity and they've done it in a very short time. The platform is already being used by more than three thousand organizations and is coming up on its first major milestone: moving $100 million in grants from funders to organizers.

It's easy to call out what is not working about philanthropy. It's another to build a tool from scratch to address the collective opportunity to transform philanthropy. That's what JustFund is all about, and that's why we can think of no better guest to talk about this big idea, and how leveling the philanthropic playing field is not only better for people regularly marginalized in the conversation, but for all of us.

Links & Notes

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward

Reclaiming News as a Public Good

TruStory FM — Mon, 31 May 2021 00:00:00 -0700

"Journalist interested in what works and why." So reads the Twitter bio of this week's guest, Tina Rosenberg. She is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, in fact. She is a co-writer of the New York Times Fixes column which, according to the masthead, "examines solutions to social problems and why they work," and she is a co-founder and VP for Innovation at Solutions Journalism Network.

It is through this last initiative that she thoroughly shares her passion for rigorous reporting, educating future journalists, and reclaiming the news as an agent of public good.

"America is actually not that polarized," says Rosenberg. "We think we're a lot more polarized than we are because the media just shows the extremes on both sides. And I think that's had a big effect on turning what should be a straightforward public health issue into a political issue."

How heavily should the media shoulder the responsibility of the erosion of trust in journalism itself as an industry of fact and truth? How significant is the block toward our efforts to heal?

Tina has taken broad steps to change perception of the public in her field. She joins us this week to share her work, and to help us better understand how we can follow in her footsteps in building a healthy foundation of trust in journalism's future.

Links & Notes

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(02:23) - On Solutions Journalism
(06:27) - Rethinking Language
(12:16) - How are newsrooms responding?
(15:48) - Cultivating Engagement
(21:16) - Solutions Journalism in the J-School Classroom
(22:15) - The Intersection of News and Public Health
(30:10) - How can we be better news consumers?

When Equal is Not Equitable with Linda Villarosa

TruStory FM — Mon, 24 May 2021 03:00:00 -0700

(00:01) - Welcome to Mission Forward

The Writing on the Wall

TruStory FM — Mon, 17 May 2021 03:00:00 -0700

“It was an experience that we could never have imagined…”

That's been a consistent refrain in and around our country since the early days of this COVID-19 pandemic. "I could never have imagined living through COVID.” “I could never have imagined the number of lives that would be lost.” “I could never have imagined the toll this pandemic would take on Black lives."

And yet, the writing was on the wall. As our world has become increasingly global, the spread of disease has become more likely, and the effects were bound to hit the most under-resourced communities the hardest. Add to that the role that social determinants play in the health of our communities, and we have to ask, “how could we not have seen this coming?”

There’s an old saying that “when white folks catch a cold, Black folks get pneumonia.” It’s often shared in the context of economic health, but in the time of COVID, it is even more resonant. And so this season, we’re digging in to how COVID-19 has affected us; how it’s affected our communities, our relationships, our understanding of the world around us, and of each other.

Along for our journey this season is the brilliant Natalie S. Burke, founder of CommonHealth ACTION and a true equity evangelist. Together, Carrie and Natalie will dig in to issues of public health through the lens of communication, connection, and of course, equity. We’ll explore how COVID has changed us, and where we go from here.

This is going to be a season of perspective-shifting conversations that will touch on faith, media, the economic recovery, and the role of philanthropy. We start this week with a big picture conversation with Natalie.

You won’t want to miss this one.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:29) - Introducing Natalie Burke
(04:31) - Managing COVID around the world
(06:02) - Learning to trust
(12:55) - Movement, moment, or evolution?
(17:30) - Returning to normal
(24:44) - Our elders
(28:39) - Social determinants of health

Anti-Racism Work + Commitments: A Mission Forward Business Leaders Roundtable

Mon, 29 Mar 2021 03:00:00 -0700

A few weeks back, we reached out to a group of CEOs and business leaders with a very big request: join Carrie and Alex Orfinger, publisher of the Washington Business Journal, for an honest, on-the-record, uncomfortable conversation about the anti-racist commitments and statements we have made over the last twelve months, and assess our progress against those commitments.

The conversation comes at an interesting moment. Just days after the one-year anniversary of COVID-19 being declared a pandemic, and as hate crimes against the Asian American and pacific islander community and, in particular, hate crimes against Asian American seniors have been on the rise. What’s more, the conversation was recorded just hours before a gunman killed eight people, including six Asian American women in Atlanta, Georgia.

Our framework: We have each carried a unique responsibility during this time; to care for the health of our employees, while managing and protecting the health of our businesses. The intertwined nature of events from this past year have meant that we must consider the culture of business differently. We must think about the weight of the world’s events on our teams in ways we likely haven’t considered them before.

This was an actionable conversation and not a comfortable one. It is not comfortable to be called to grow. It is not comfortable to stretch beyond the habits and tendencies with which we have become complacent. It is not comfortable to go beyond ourselves. Each guest this week came into this space with a spirit of self-examination, accountability, and a willingness to examine how businesses like ours can contribute to more inclusive, and equitable workplaces for all people.

Participants:

David Simnick
CEO & Co-Founder at Soapbox + Managing Partner at Impact Driven Brands
Lidia Soto-Harmon
CEO, Girl Scout Nation's Capital
Karen Wawrzaszek
Principal, Financial Planning Strategist and Lead Impact & ESG Investment Specialist at SBSB, LLC -
Raj Agrawal
President, Provoc
Tim Wang
Founder and Principal, TDW+Co
Elizabeth Yan
Head of Business Development, 1623 Capital
Michael Akin
President, LINK Strategic Partners
Frederique Irwin
Founder & CEO of Her Corner
Alex Orfinger
Market President and Publisher at Washington Business Journal
Carrie Fox
Founder and CEO, Mission Partners

Here we are, to think about where we are, where our sectors are, and where we must go to ensure that the racial reckoning so many business leaders are engaging isn’t a fleeting moment, but a movement for justice. With that, you’ve made it to the final episode of our second season. We hope this conversation, like others this season, gets you thinking, acting, and pressing forward.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(04:09) - A Poem
(06:03) - Changing Leadership Style
(13:36) - Specific Adjustments to Policies & Procedures to Address Inequities
(25:55) - Reactions to Violence
(41:27) - Where Do We Need More Change?

Culture School with Amira El Gawly

TruStory FM — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 03:00:00 -0700

Amira El-Gawly believes love is making a comeback at work.

Thanks to Amira El-Gawly for her participation on the show this week. She's an aspirational figure and a dear friend of Mission Forward.

Links & Notes

Learn more about Manifesta

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(02:02) - Introducing Amira El-Gawly
(06:52) - How has the work changed in the last 12 months?
(12:24) - Investing in people is investing in performance
(14:56) - Why invest in teams now?
(19:06) - Sponsor: Audible
(19:43) - Being a Leader Today
(23:19) - Caring for people versus driving performance
(27:50) - Becoming antiracist leaders in inclusive organizations

Equity Through Action with C.Marie Taylor

TruStory FM — Mon, 15 Mar 2021 03:00:00 -0700

C.Marie Taylor is a role model and a mentor. We have to get that out of the way right up front because this is one of those conversations that makes us proud; proud of our place in history that allows us to watch people such as her evolve as thought leaders and mentors far beyond us, our community, but to business and leaders around the country.

Her new company is Equity Through Action and through that organization, C.Marie leads leaders through active coaching, equity training, leadership development and recruitment focused on building equity into the very fabric of those with whom she works.

Talking with her this week, Equity Through Action seems to have been an inevitability. At the same time, it is an artifact of our pandemic; a vessel through which she was able to accelerate her work as an advocate and leader at a time so many businesses have been forced to look inward and see themselves and their organizations in truth for the very first time.

We're honored to have C.Marie Taylor with us on the show today to help us understand what an equity engagement looks like, and how others can raise the bar in their own efforts for change.

Links & Notes

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:25) - C. Marie Taylor on Transformation for Better
(05:54) - Talking about, and acting on Equity
(09:33) - Sponsor: Audible
(10:15) - Focusing on What Could Be
(12:42) - Examples of Impact
(16:13) - Becoming an antiracist organization
(18:48) - COVID Lessons Learned
(23:29) - Solution-Based Privilege and Readiness for Change
(27:02) - Inspirations

Ultra Endurance with Marisa Forti

TruStory FM — Mon, 08 Mar 2021 03:00:00 -0800

Marisa Forti is an ultra endurance athlete, entrepreneur, fitness and wellness coach, and certified FST trainer. She’s a two-time Ironman, along with having many marathons and long-distance bike rides in her rear view. She has traveled the country working with everyone from weekend warriors to professional athletes across the NFL, NBA, PGA, Olympic training program, right alongside musicians and television personalities.

Her entire career is based on pressing through obstacles for herself, and with those she trains. She uses the science of movement and the human body to set audacious goals and help her clients crush them. While the work Marisa does is at the elite level, we hope you take away a few key lessons from this episode.

First, the journey is everything. Facing down obstacles is principally an exercise in perseverance and patience. Just keep swimming, so to speak.

Second, inspiration might be closer to you than you think. Case in point: Marisa Forti happens to be our own Carrie Fox’s sister.

There is much we can learn from the mindset of athletes and their trainers that applies directly to our efforts to press forward our initiatives elsewhere. Our obstacles are obstacles up to the point that we overcome them, and no further. We hope you enjoy this conversation with our own powerful Marisa Forti.

Links & Notes

Find Marisa at Fortified Performance
Marisa’s new apparel line — Endurfins!
Dream Big: A True Story of Courage and Determination by Dave McGillvray
Sponsor: Adventures in Kindness, written by a kid and her mom, for kids and their families. Adventures in Kindness is filled with 52 fun, practical, and world-changing adventures. With big ideas, little ideas and everything-in-between ideas, this action/adventure book has a lot of ways to keep you kind and busy—and nearly all adventures can be completed even while our communities are social distancing. Learn more and order your copy today!

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:34) - Introducing Marisa Forti
(02:40) - Pressing Forward
(08:54) - Sponsor: Adventures in Kindness
(09:20) - The First Iron Man
(13:43) - Training and Motivation
(14:44) - Staying Centered
(17:51) - Innovations and Ah-Ha Experiences
(23:49) - Sharks

The Future of Gathering with Corey Briscoe

TruStory FM — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 03:00:00 -0800

What’s the purpose of events?

It’s a big question, and heavy is the weight on those whose industry shifted overnight in the era of COVID. Opportunity might be too generous a word for the experience, and pivot too slight. What happened in our efforts to understand gatherings during the pandemic marked a transformation in how we as human organisms express our desires to connect with one another. We could have simply walked away when events were canceled. We could have gone into social hibernation.

But we didn’t. Because we need one another.

Our guest today is a testament to that. Corey Briscoe serves as managing partner and chief operating officer for ABCD and Company. Their work is rooted in bringing people together. They’re based in Rockville, MD, and, as it is written on their website, are a “national, award-winning, full-service marketing and events firm specializing in stakeholder engagement and multicultural communications.” That line might be true in practice but in spirit, it serves to minimize so much of the hard work of change Corey and his team experienced in the last year as their entire world shifted.

So, what is the purpose of events? When we gather, we express and engage in our own purpose. We elevate one another toward a higher good. We organize. We transform. We lift and inspire. As you will hear in this conversation, the practical aspects of managing an events business might have changed dramatically. But when we remember why events exist, we weather change, level up, and press forward.

Links & Notes

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:22) - Corey Briscoe
(03:32) - Pressing Forward in the Event Management Industry
(07:21) - Innovating in How to Engage with the Audience
(10:20) - Sponsor: Audible — audibletrial.com/missionforward
(11:01) - Shifting to Online Events
(14:25) - Foundation of Faith and Family
(18:16) - Creating Routines
(23:07) - How Do Nonprofits and Causes Shift to Fit in Today's World?
(26:42) - Don't Take for Granted What's There Now
(28:49) - Something Inspiring Corey
(31:49) - Wrapping Up

Food for All with Jackie DeCarlo

TruStory FM — Mon, 22 Feb 2021 03:00:00 -0800

Essential.

No, says Jackie DeCarlo, her people aren’t front line nurses and doctors, but they’re nothing if they are not essential.

DeCarlo serves as CEO of the Manna Food Center in Montgomery County, Maryland and 2020 was a year to test their vision like no other: Our community is a place where all people at all times have access to safe, sufficient, nutritious food in order to lead fulfilling lives and contribute to making Montgomery County, Maryland a place where all live in dignity.

The pandemic forced a renewed examination of that vision as issues of equity and justice in our national healthcare system put outsized pressure on food distribution. And yet, Manna was already positioned to fill gaps where others struggled.

Leveraging their network of government agencies, corporations, nonprofits, schools, medical professionals, employee assistance programs, and faith-based associations, Manna has cultivated a network capable of responding to the most vulnerable in the community, when they are in the greatest need.

DeCarlo’s leadership is a model of adaptability. The COVID-19 crisis called on skills beyond those of daily operations. This week on the show, she joins us from the Manna administrative offices in Silver Spring, Maryland, to share the leadership lessons that helped her guide the organization.

Hers is the story of family, generosity, and hospitality that is modeled with grace for thousands of families each month—tens of thousands of people in need many times over each year. Manna's actions are ripples felt far beyond their community.

Essential, indeed.

Links & Notes

(03:00) - Drive
(26:02) - Inspiration
(22:10) - Bright Spots
(12:10) - The Power of Community
(05:45) - Facing Obstacles Head-on
(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:19) - Jackie DeCarlo... Where are you?
(14:23) - Questions of Justice and Equity in Leadership
(11:18) - Sponsor: Audible — www.audibletrial.com/missionforward

From Real-Time to Future Focus: A Conversation with Futurist Eric Meade

TruStory FM — Mon, 15 Feb 2021 03:00:00 -0800

Eric Meade is a futurist. That’s what he calls himself, at least. But when you get him talking about it, it becomes clear all too quickly that this work as a futurist is far more rooted in the past and present than the actual future.

“In college I studied history, so I think I probably just have an inherently long-term perspective looking both ways,” he says. “That has advantages and disadvantages. One is, I quickly adapt to changes in situations that I can point to precedents for.”

If there was ever a time to thoroughly examine precedent, it is right now.

Today’s show is all about grounding our reality here and now in the footprints of our mothers and fathers, and those of their mothers and fathers before them. Politics, public discourse, and the pandemic? They each have roots in modern history of our planet and that history provides a frame through which we are able to press forward.

Today, that frame is caked with misinformation, mistrust, and misunderstanding. But we have missions to serve and causes to advance. The more quickly we can cleanse ourselves of recent history and rebuild trust and understanding, the more quickly we can get back to doing the work our constituencies count on us to deliver.

That’s why Eric Meade is with us today; his grounding as a historian and futurist, his award-winning authorship of two perspective-changing books, and his work as an organizational facilitator all help us to reframe current issues in a deep well of perspective. We’re thrilled to welcome Eric to the show and deeply grateful for contributions to this work.

Links & Notes

Visit EricMeade.com
Reframing Poverty: New Thinking and Feeling About Humanity's Greatest Challenge by
Whole Mind Facilitation: How to Lead Workshops That Change People, Organizations, and the World by Eric Meade
Learn about Eric’s Beyond Covid program for community rebuilding
Subscribe to the Beyond Covid • Apple Podcasts

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:04) - Introducing Eric Meade
(03:44) - What did 2020 teach you? A discussion on "pressing forward" and the mirror of history
(12:58) - Sponsor: Audible
(13:46) - Purpose & Planning

The Reinvention of Higher Education with Dr. Robert Kelly

TruStory FM — Mon, 08 Feb 2021 03:00:00 -0800

Dr. Robert Kelly serves as Vice President and Special Assistant to the President at Loyola University Maryland. As we catch up with Rob, he’s doing the deep work of reintroducing students to campus. He does so under the shadow of a pandemic, only just now meeting the tease of a vaccine and a general misimpression that all colleges and universities are potential super-spreading elements of national concern.

The field of higher education is already carrying unchecked baggage. Higher education is expensive. The burden of those costs on families is extraordinary for many, and questions about the use of funds dampens the delivery of services. The digital divide is not closing as quickly as it must, particularly if institutions are genuinely looking to face diversity and inclusion challenges — black and brown students and families are increasingly falling behind. And did we mention the “enrollment cliff” that was already on the horizon? All this was facing our higher ed institutions before the COVID contraction and is still there, brewing, growing.

That’s what makes higher education such an exceptional example of institutions pressing forward.

“Students have a hunger that we need to meet,” says Rob. “We have to hold on to that.”

We open our conversation with Rob with a question that comes to us courtesy of the Masai people who open conversations by asking, “how are the children?” They measure the health of their culture by the health of their children. For Rob, they’re not doing great right now. As you’ll hear from our conversation, this drives the charge for him, the faculty at the University, parents, and other engaged adults to create a culture celebrating reconciliation, curiosity, joy, and hope.

Links & Notes

Sponsor: Today’s podcast is brought to you by audible - get a FREE audiobook download and 30-day free trial at audibletrial.com/missionforward. Over 180,000 titles to choose from for your iPhone, Android, Kindle or mp3 player.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:16) - Meet Rob Kelley
(02:54) - Obstacles in Higher Ed Now
(05:08) - Hope in 2021
(08:24) - Sponsor: Audbile — www.audibletrial.com/missionforward
(09:04) - How Are the Kids Doing?
(11:21) - How do you press forward?
(14:38) - Equity in Higher Ed
(23:55) - What's Inspiring Rob
(25:03) - Wrapping Up

Causes Pressing Forward with Carol Cone

TruStory FM — Mon, 01 Feb 2021 03:00:00 -0800

Carol Cone is an incredibly generous person. To hear her talk about what she does from day to day, she says her super power is connecting people, but that minimizes her story by a country mile.

Her brand of generosity has brought to fruition iconic projects and teams to create products and campaigns that have — by all objective measures —changed the world since she started building brands in the 1980s. She was behind Rockport’s Walking Movement, positioning the company for growth and eventual acquisition by Reebok; she created and grew the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade to span 50 countries, raising $1 billion; and with My Special Aflac Duck, she brought a team together to create a social robot that comforts children fighting cancer through their average 1,000 days of chemotherapy. Her accomplishments over her legendary career have well-earned her the industry moniker: “Mother of Social Purpose.”

Even after a career of accomplishment, she’s far from finished. Now at the head of Carol Cone ON PURPOSE, she continues to push the field forward. Her work has built global movements, garnered hundreds of awards, and raised billions of dollars for a variety of worthy causes. This week, we went back to where it all began for Carol, how her values have shaped her career path, and the opportunity she sees as we crest 2020 and move into whatever comes next.

She stands atop a bold mission. We’re honored to have her join us for this first conversation of season two of the Mission Forward podcast.

Links & Notes

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward

Business Beyond Business: At Home at the Washington Business Journal with Publisher Alex Orfinger

TruStory FM — Mon, 14 Dec 2020 03:00:00 -0800

The business of Washington D.C. is government, so the saying goes. But sayings aren't sayings for nothing. And if we take ourselves through the WayBack Machine to the halcyon days at the end of the 20th century, the reputation of the city as the hub of national leadership brought with it the perception that the business community was a distant other. Then, in 1996, Alex Orfinger took on the role of publisher for the Washington Business Journal. Driving to change that perception became his mission.

For over two decades as publisher, Alex worked to develop a strong identity for the region's business sector. After a brief stint away, he is now back at the publication as Market President and Publisher, leading the paper and doubling down on the city that he loves. In the face of great local and national challenges alike, he sees a role for the Journal.

"What we need is to help businesses grow and proper, and particularly give them the tools they need to get through the pandemic," he says. "We need to do that in a way that addresses systemic racism and income inequality ... If we, as a community, can come together and change that trajectory, it'll be a better community for everybody."

Alex's ties to the Greater Washington business community are stronger today than ever. You'll hear him share his experience as chairman of Jubilee Housing, enjoining their efforts to fight for affordable housing for all. He's served as a board member for the Greater Washington Board of Trade, United Way of the National Capital Area, and the Washington Area Women's Foundation. Plus, he's the former chairman of the D.C. Chamber of Commerce. He is home here, and the Journal has a particular role in his care.

"Coming back at this moment for me was different. It's very complicated. What I think the Business Journal's role can be is to show — to lead — the business community and demonstrate that it's in their long term best interest. ... If we increase the economic pie, it is better for everyone."

As you will hear, Alex is passionate about justice, equity, and impact, and the role the business community plays in advancing all three. He works and lives at the intersection of business and community and we know you'll appreciate what he has to say.

Links & Notes

'Alex Orfinger named new publisher of the Washington Business Journal' — Washington Business Journal
Jubilee Housing — What is Justice Housing?
AlexOrfinger.com
Connect with Alex Orfinger on LinkedIn

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(00:41) - Introducing Alex Orfinger
(04:43) - Thinking about Business Beyond Business
(09:53) - The Fear of Getting it "Wrong"
(13:29) - The DC Story
(21:21) - Affordable Housing
(25:58) - The Corporate Social Justice Shift
(28:38) - Signals

Reimagining a Non-Profit Model: Inspiring Innovation at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital with Ken Zakalik

TruStory FM — Mon, 07 Dec 2020 03:00:00 -0800

More than 70 years ago, Danny Thomas dreamed the idea of a hospital that would operate in segregated South, where patients of all races would be treated together by physicians of all races. Thanks to that history of radical inclusion and innovation, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital has moved the childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to more than 80% today.

Many organizations have perfected their large annual giving events—usually fundraising galas—that contribute as much as 60% of their annual revenue. St. Jude has proved to be a stunning producer of such events in the spirit of the children they serve. The hospital is funded in large part by its donors who have ensured that no family should ever pay for travel, treatment, housing, or food; that all they should worry about is helping their child live. But when COVID-19 hit and large in-person gatherings became impossible, organizations who were not able to quickly innovate faced major setbacks in recovering from this loss. Stories of stresses on these organizations are legion.

Given the St. Jude legacy of innovation and good work, it should come as no surprise that the institution was named Fast Company’s #1 Best Workplace for Innovators in 2020. Despite the challenges of this year—and years past—St. Jude continues to raise more than $1 billion per year. In full disclosure Mission Partners has been a proud partner and donor to St. Jude for many years.

If there’s one thing that 2020 has taught us, it's that dual transformation is key to sustaining organizations in 2021 and beyond. This week, Ken Zakalik, Director of Innovation at ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, joins us to share how his team looks into the future in the spirit of constant innovation in three core areas—culture, strategy, and opportunities. Listen in and learn more about what has worked for St. Jude to continue service through crisis and discover how innovation has become imperative to driving business into the future.

Links & Notes

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(02:44) - The Passion for Innovation
(10:04) - Mission Partners Virtual Visioneering Sessions
(10:50) - The disruption of COVID-19
(16:02) - How do you learn to devine the trends?
(20:24) - Funding St. Jude
(26:37) - The Silver Linings

The Economics of Inequality with Karen Wawrzaszek

TruStory FM — Mon, 30 Nov 2020 03:00:00 -0800

By title, Karen Wawrzaszek is Principal and Senior Director of Financial Planning at Sullivan Bruyette Speros & Blayney (SBSB). But that’s hardly enough to understand what she does and the impact she’s making in the world.

Karen is an expert on socially responsible and impact-oriented investing and financial planning. She’s led impact initiatives for two privately-held family offices. She’s the former chair of the Washington Area Women’s Foundation. She is the Pomona Society founder, a collective of women in impact who come together to effect systemic change for women and families in the district of Columbia. In full disclosure, she was also our advisor in restructuring the company’s 401K offering to be aligned with our mission and values and remains our closest advisor on all things related to impact investing.

For today’s conversation, we’re building upon the conversation we had with Carolyn Lowery in which we focused on the inner work that is required to understand how privilege, power, and racist systems and structures play out in today’s society. And as Natalie Burke discussed earlier in the season, before we can dismantle those white supremacist systems, we must understand our roles in these systems.

So, to help us along this journey, we’re heading back to June when Carrie interviewed Karen as part of our virtual community conversation series. In light of the wide and growing inequalities across our society, many of which COVID has only further intensified, we wanted to explore the role that business leaders and philanthropists play — in how they use, spend, and save money— that either drive principles of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion forward or perpetuate harmful inequities.

They begin by defining what it means to be an impact investor, and then dig into the issue, by the end having shared some practical tips that we can all take — business owner or not — to drive a more equitable and inclusive economy.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(00:34) - Introduction to Karen Wawrzaszek
(06:06) - Her Personal Journey to Her Perspective
(11:04) - Where Has Investing Gone Wrong
(18:50) - Challenging the Business Structures
(23:09) - The Triple Threat of Inequality
(32:44) - Availability of Choice
(35:07) - Workforce
(40:46) - Apprenticeships
(44:53) - How Will Four-Year Universities Adapt?
(48:20) - Access to Healthcare
(55:06) - Things We Could All Do

Empathy as a Force-Multiplier with Ryan Pintado-Vertner

TruStory FM — Mon, 23 Nov 2020 02:00:00 -0800

Links & Notes

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(21:14) - Let's Move Your Mission Forward Together.
(22:03) - The Black Recession

Modeling Conversations about Race with Carolyn Lowery

TruStory FM — Mon, 16 Nov 2020 02:00:00 -0800

This week, we invite you into a conversation with someone we admire very much who has taught us a lot this year.

Carolyn Lowry is a racial equity professional with a focus on cultural competence facilitation and relationship-building. We’ve crossed paths many times with Carolyn over the years, but it was this year that we got to learn from her up close. Carolyn has an incredible gift for teaching. She can make people feel at ease, even when the topic is a complicated one.

Carolyn sat down with Carrie Fox earlier this year to discuss race in the workplace as part of our virtual community conversation series. The goal was to model a conversation on race and racism to show that while these conversations may be challenging, they don’t have to be intimidating.

If you’ve been following our work, you know our team has been engaging in conversations like this one for a few years. We do this work in the spirit of continuous learning and then thoughtfully applying those learnings to build and maintain an actively anti-racist workplace.

We have all made our share of mistakes on this journey. We will make more in the future. But those mistakes are a crucial part of the fabric we create as we learn together, moving together toward a more just and equitable future.

We start this conversation with three questions inspired by our friends over at leadership Montgomery: why did you show up for this conversation? Why does this moment in history feel different? And what will you do about it?

As you listen to our explorations on these issues, we hope you lean in and answer each for yourselves.

Links & Notes

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(02:29) - Welcome Carolyn Lowery
(11:05) - The Inner Work
(15:43) - Intentionally Inspiring Racial Consciousness
(18:19) - Mission Partners Signature Visioneering Sessions
(19:09) - At Work
(29:35) - Do The Work
(31:45) - How are Companies Acknowledging Juneteenth?
(34:32) - How do you become a change-maker when your organization is not prepared for change?
(43:54) - Glimmers of Hope

Decolonizing Wealth in Big Philanthropy with Edgar Villanueva

TruStory FM — Mon, 09 Nov 2020 02:00:00 -0800

Most important, he offers us insight to his efforts not just to discuss these issues, but to change an industry through Liberated Capital: A Decolonizing Wealth Fund.

Links & Notes

Decolonizing Wealth
Decolonizing Wealth: Indigenous Wisdom to Heal Divides and Restore Balance — by Edgar Villanueva
Liberated Capital
Follow Edgar on LinkedIn

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(00:34) - Edgar Villanueva
(01:19) - Roots to Leading Decolonizing Wealth Movement
(06:15) - Realizations Through Time in the Philanthropy Sector
(10:14) - Taking on the Philanthropy Industry
(16:23) - Response to His Book
(23:22) - Shifting to Thoughts About Corporate America
(25:36) - Authentic Conversations
(31:25) - Making Sure People Are Ready to Do the Work
(35:15) - Liberated Capital
(37:33) - Self-Healing
(39:28) - Wrapping Up

Breaking Bias in Storytelling with Ed Yong and Liz Neeley

TruStory FM — Mon, 02 Nov 2020 03:00:00 -0800

“I knew that I care about equality, so I deluded myself into thinking that I wasn’t part of the problem. I assumed that my passive concern would be enough. Passive concern never is.”

But it wasn’t just Ed who we spoke with in 2018. We were joined by his partner, the brilliant Liz Neeley, founder and principal of Liminal Creations, where she focuses her time and talent on science communication. Liz served as Executive Director of The Story Collider through August of this year, shepherding real and deeply personal stories of science and living through on-stage events and their eponymous (and extraordinarily popular) podcast. Together, they had a lot to say on the topic of equity in storytelling.

Liz Neeley and Ed Yong are extraordinary people and exceptional journalists and communicators. We love this conversation and we’re sure that you will, too.

Links & Notes

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(05:35) - Introducing Ed Yong and Liz Neely
(25:25) - How do you think about testing your ideas for cultural bias
(36:07) - Being open — and budgeting appropriately — for diverse guidance
(39:06) - Audience Question: How do you measure your personal goal toward improvement?
(41:40) - Audience Question: How do you advocate for a marginalized population when you can't find their representatives?
(46:20) - Audience Question: Should we assume you tried to find women in leadership or were you interviewing junior positions?
(49:58) - Audience Question: What reactions are you getting from your organization?
(54:42) - Wrapping up: We don't owe anyone our whistle

Modeling the Future of News with The Markup’s Nabiha Syed

TruStory FM — Mon, 26 Oct 2020 02:00:00 -0700

Nabiha Syed is the President of The Markup. Just what is The Markup, you ask? If this is your introduction to The Markup, we stand as both disheartened that you’re not already a regular reader, yet delighted that we may serve as your guide by way of this week’s show.

The Markup, an investigative journalism startup that explores how powerful actors use technology to reshape society, which, if you’ve never explored the pages of the publication, might sound like a bite far too big for any publication to take. And yet, what we hope you discover in our conversation this week, this approach is not only a standard readily achievable, but with the right tools and an eager team, it can serve as a standard bearer for other institutions of the fourth estate to follow.

It turns out that beyond the top notch journalistic chops, central to The Markup’s DNA is a dedication to developing and releasing the same data analytics investigative tools used by their reporters. This transparency in the process allows the publication to report news that is, as Syed calls it, “bulletproof.” And you can get in on the action.

Take Blacklight, for example. This Markup service asks you to input any website address you frequent and will report back the user-tracking technologies at work on that site that are accessing information about you through your computer and your behavior while using it.

Why would they need such a tool at the news site? Because data — and how it moves through our economy — is part of the central story of the anthropocene. The Markup has invested as heavily in technology tools and journalists as it has in traditional journalism and the results show in every story.

That’s why we’re so lucky to have Nabiha Syed on the show this week. We talk about what it means to exist in the journalism space, and about building a news organization bespoke for us, our modern age, and dedicated to the modern information perils that stand before us.

Links & Notes

About Nabiha Syed
Previously, she was Vice President and Associate General Counsel at BuzzFeed. As the company’s first newsroom lawyer, she oversaw litigation, including the “Steele Dossier” litigation, as well as select intellectual property, security, international, and cross-company strategic initiatives. Nabiha has been described as “one of the best emerging free speech lawyers” by Forbes magazine.

Before BuzzFeed, Nabiha was an associate at Levine Sullivan Koch & Schulz, a leading media law firm, and the First Amendment Fellow at The New York Times. She has worked on legal access issues at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; represented asylum-seekers in south Texas; counseled on whether to publish hacked materials; and spoken about misinformation at the inaugural Obama Foundation Summit. For her work, Nabiha was named a “40 Under 40 Rising Star” by the New York Law Journal in 2016, a finalist for the Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year Award from the International Bar Association in 2017, and received an inaugural Reporter’s Committee for the Freedom of the Press award in 2018. She holds a law degree from Yale Law School and from Balliol College, Oxford University, which she attended as a Marshall Scholar.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(00:49) - Introducing Nabiha Syed
(05:20) - Modeling the Future of Journalism
(13:14) - On Bias in News... and our News Organizations
(22:29) - Interogating the Future of Journalism
(24:59) - The Toolset
(28:30) - Join the Markup

Narrative Change with Anand Giridharadas

TruStory FM — Mon, 19 Oct 2020 01:00:00 -0700

Anand Giridharadas is a writer who walks headlong into the storm of corporate institutional power. His latest book, “Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World,” is a rebuke of the “unelected upper crust” and their efforts to lobby and influence in the face of our public institutions.

It is not a particularly rosy portrayal of the function of our institutions.

In so writing, however, Giridharadas has become something of a cheerleader for the systems and services institutional wealth has eroded. His call for corporate citizens to stop thinking in terms of doing good, and instead focus on doing less harm is one that the next generation appears to be internalizing. For that, he has hope.

Even as this conversation was recorded three years ago, it could have been held today. To hear just how consistent — and doggedly persistent — Giridharadas is, we invite you to read this piece from Business Insider documenting a recent talk for which he served as a keynote. The audience, the National Association of Corporate Directors. His talk, according to the writer in his newsletter The Ink, “went very well or very badly depending on whether you’re a corporate board member.” In short:

A lot of your children and grandchildren do not respect your work. Some of them say this to you, some of them don't. But we know this from public attitudes. You know this from survey data. There is a sense among younger people coming of age in the most diverse, open-minded generation in American history that what their parents and grandparents did in corporate boardrooms near broke America.

And if for no other reason than to have a less awkward Thanksgiving this year with your relatives, try to get on the right side of history.

Read the whole thing here. But first, please join us for this conversation on the challenge — and yet the inevitability — of serving our collective civic duty if we’re to navigate our way through this generational challenge toward equity.

Links & Notes

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(02:21) - A Reading: From "Winners Take All" by Anand Giridharadas
(05:26) - Doing Less Harm
(09:19) - The War on Government
(13:38) - The Philanthropists Addiction to Charter Schools
(21:16) - The Non-Optional Civic Life

How Racism Harms All of Us with Natalie S. Burke

TruStory FM — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 03:00:00 -0700

Last week, we introduced you to Natalie Burke, founder of CommonHealth ACTION, by way of a three-year-old interview on health equity. Since then, her advocacy has taken many turns and become more incisive, more aware, more focused on the disruptive journey toward equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Natalie is back with us today for a conversation that addresses one central question: how does racism harm us all? It’s a deceivingly simple question that is achingly difficult to answer. Natalie’s efforts to create what she calls “constructive discomfort” goes a long way toward helping us all adapt to the pain that can come through learning and change. When we can face our discomfort in trust we all win through transformation.

Links & Notes

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward

The Language of Equity with Mauricio Lim Miller & Natalie Burke

TruStory FM — Mon, 05 Oct 2020 02:00:00 -0700

This week on Mission Forward, we bring you a conversation from 2017 with two guests who boldly challenge assumptions we hold in our everyday lives. They stand unafraid to say the things many of us think, using their words and ideas as waves cresting in and over us, then receding, laying bare our understanding of ourselves and how we relate to the world around us a little more clearly.

We start with a reading from The Alternative: Most of What You Believe About Poverty Is Wrong by the author, Mauricio Miller. Miller has leveraged his experience in poverty — and as founder of the Family Independence Initiative — into a book that addresses the issues of poverty with audacity and courage and we love that we captured some of the words from the author’s mouth.

Natalie S. Burke is the founder of CommonHealth ACTION and if you aren’t following her writing on Medium, then you’re not following her writing yet. Since this conversation in 2017, her work has only become more incisive, more aware, more focused on the disruptive journey toward equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Join us for this conversation that presses on our existing charitable organizations, privilege, and oppression, and what we can do together to change our values.

Recorded live at our 2017 April Mission Forward Convening.

Links & Notes

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(02:50) - A Reading: The Alternative

Reclaim Our Vote with Andrea Miller

TruStory FM — Mon, 28 Sep 2020 01:00:07 -0700

We’re exploring the work of the Center for Common Ground this week with founding board member, Andrea Miller. When it comes to racial justice and equity, she’s an incredible fighter, a noted leader in Virginia working to turn the tide on compressed voter access, and a firebrand when it comes to elected leaders working against the will of the people of her state.

With the Reclaim our Vote campaign, the Center for Common Ground demonstrates their incredible focus:

Eligible voters of color are being purged from voter rolls at a much higher rate than white voters. People in minority communities were already struggling to reach the voting booth in voter-suppression states, due to the implementation of strict new voter ID laws, a reduction in polling places and/or early voting days, and many other tactics.

Andrea tells us how Reclaim Our Vote is working to expand their volunteer base across for key states specifically, and more nationally. She outlines the tools and techniques her organization is counting on to spread the world of voter disenfranchisement, calling on all of us to gear up, get out, and vote.

Links & Notes

About Andrea Miller

Andrea Miller is Founding Board Member, Executive Director, People Demanding Action, Founding President, National Women’s Political Caucus of Virginia, Founding Tri-Chair Virginia Poor People’s Campaign and a member of the Democracy and Governance working group of the Virginia Green New Deal. Andrea is an IT and Political Director, a digital and elections strategist. She designs and administers digital phonebanks and texting programs. From 2013 to 2015 she led the Progressive Round Table on Capitol Hill bringing together members of Congress, activists, and non-profit leaders. Her expertise is in voting rights, climate, and the Equal Rights Amendment. She has successfully advocated for legislation on both the Federal and State level. In 2008 she was the Democratic nominee for the Virginia 4th Congressional district.

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(00:43) - Introducing Andrea Miller and Center for Common Ground
(03:37) - Are we moving in the right direction this election season?
(10:23) - Communicating for Change • a new course from Mission Partners
(11:44) - Taking Action
(23:03) - See Something, Say Something
(25:39) - "We are one year away from losing our Democracy."
(29:32) - Where can you get involved?
(30:26) - CenterForCommonGood.org
(30:49) - ReclaimOurVote.org
(32:11) - Democracy Centers