Let's Give A Damn

My guests this week are two truly remarkable women. I met Sophia and Patricia at the Clinton Global Initiative 2023 meetings a few weeks ago.  Read more about Sophia Kianni’s work here. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter. And make sure to check out Climate Cardinals!  Follow Patricia Velásquez on Twitter and Instagram. Consider getting involved with the Wayuu Taya Foundation. ---

“All that the sun shines on is beautiful, so long as it is wild.” — John Muir Barbara Jo Jenkins co-authored The Walk West (William Morrow), which became an international bestseller and part of the permanent White House Library. A nonfiction blockbuster, it sold 15 million copies, became a Reader's Digest condensed book, and was chosen as one of the most influential bestsellers related to American culture in the last 100 years. Jenkins' three-year, 3,000-mile walk across America with her former husband became one of the most popular stories in the National Geographic Magazine, (Cover story, August, 1979).  She co-authored The Road Unseen, (Fawcett) a number one mass paperback bestseller and winner of The Gold Medallion Book Award. Jenkins wrote I Once Knew A Woman (Wolgemuth and Hyatt) and Wit and Wisdom for Women (Thomas Nelson). 40 years later, Barbara is ready to tell her side of the story. And, believe me, it’s a damn good story. Her brand new book, So Long As It’s Wild, is out today and you need

From their website: “Rise & Shine TN believes every Tennessean should enjoy a free, safe, and vibrant life. Rise & Shine was started as a home for those who want to harness their hope, anger, sadness and fear and use it to build change. This is more than meetings with legislators who won’t hear us. This is more than calls that won’t be answered. This is more than business-as-usual. We draw from our training and experiences as parents, organizers, entrepreneurs, educators, healthcare providers, artists, non-profit experts, small business owners, corporate managers, musicians, native Tennesseans and new transplants who all agree that more must be done to protect our communities.” Donate online and follow them on Instagram and Twitter/X. ---

Flamy Grant is a shame-slaying, hip-swaying, singing-songwriting drag queen from western North Carolina. Her 2022 debut record, Bible Belt Baby, was nominated for Best Pop Album at the San Diego Music Awards, and she is a winner of the 2023 Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk Competition. Both a powerhouse vocalist and an intrepid songwriter, Flamy blends the art of drag with her iconic folk/rock sound to create a memorable musical experience. Flamy has collaborated with Adeem the Artist, Jennifer Knapp, Semler, and Derek Webb. In addition to playing the New Folk winner's showcase at the 2023 Kerrville Folk Festival, she has played Wild Goose Festival in North Carolina, San Diego Pride's SheFest, and is headlining Blount County Pride in East Tennessee this September. Much of Flamy’s music centers on the queer spiritual journey, telling stories of resilience and recovery from religious trauma in a world where LGBTQ+ people are frequently ignored by, harmed in, or ejected from religious spaces. NEXT STEPS

I met my Natalia Antelava about a month ago in Tbilisi, Georgia, at the storytelling festival she co-founded that I spoke at. At this festival, I spoke alongside Sean Penn, Armando Iannucci, Aaron Rasmussen, Joe Sabia, Sarah Natochenny, and 70 others. I was impressed by her then and I am much more impressed with her now! She’s an incredible human that has gone through so much, been to so many places, and continues to give a damn in very beautiful and meaningful ways.  A co-founder of Coda, Natalia is an Emmy-nominee and award winning journalist. Originally from Tbilisi, Georgia she started her career freelancing in West Africa. Since then, she had been BBC’s resident correspondent in the Caucasus, Central Asia, Middle East, Washington DC and India. She has covered the Russian invasion of Georgia in 2008, the war in Eastern Ukraine and reported undercover from Burma, Yemen and Uzbekistan. Her investigations into human rights abuses in Central Asia, Iraq and the United States have won her a number of awards. In

It's Megha Desai Day is on the podcast! Megha is a corporate advertising powerhouse turned President of The Desai Foundation. After years working at some of the top advertising agencies—like BBH, Anomaly, and Wieden & Kennedy—Megha decided to join her family's foundation to help them grow and increase their reach in meaningful ways. The Desai Foundation is an organization that empowers women and children through community programming to elevate health, livelihood and menstrual equity in rural India. They inspire women and children to dream beyond! NEXT STEPS: — Follow Megha on Instagram. — Follow The Desai Foundation on Instagram. — Learn more about The Desai Foundation on Youtube. — Watch the Heroes for Humanity Film. ___________________________________________ Reach out to us anytime and for any reason at hello@letsgiveadamn.com. Follow Let’s Give A Damn on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter to keep up with everything. We have so much planned for the coming months and we don’t want you to mis

If you don’t already know who Matt Bernstein is, where the hell have you been? Living under a rock somewhere? Matt is a content creator, a makeup artist, and a self-described “queer jew with very long nails.” Matt uses a simple and unique design style to create infographics and other images that are meant to raise awareness around LGTBQ+ issues, antisemitism, bigotry, and so much more. Matt is also incredibly gracious and puts up with a tremendous amount of shit from trolls.  Matt doesn’t like being called an activist (you’ll hear more about this in our chat) but there is no doubt that Matt is an effective builder of community. We have so much to learn from Matt in this conversation and on social media.  NEXT STEPS: — Follow Matt on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. — Keep an eye out for Matt’s brand new podcast, A Bit Fruity, which will release soon on all podcast platforms. ___________________________________________ Reach out to us anytime and for any reason at hello@letsgiveadamn.com. Follow Let’s Give A D

I don’t need to tell you about Rainn Wilson. You know about Rainn Wilson. He’s one of the best fucking humans out there. I’m so glad he’s a friend of mine and a friend of the show. His words and wisdom are needed so badly right now and I’m pumped that we get to hear from him again right here on the podcast. Soul Boom! Spirituality! Happiness! And so much more! NEXT STEPS: — Follow Rainn on Instagram and Twitter. — Buy Soul Boom! — Watch The Geography of Bliss on Peacock! — Support Rainn and Holiday’s nonprofit, Lidé Haiti! ___________________________________________ Reach out to us anytime and for any reason at hello@letsgiveadamn.com. Follow Let’s Give A Damn on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter to keep up with everything. We have so much planned for the coming months and we don’t want you to miss a thing! If you love what we’re doing, consider supporting us on Patreon! We can’t do this without you. Lastly, leave us a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Have an amazing week, friends! Keep giving a

Benjamin Perry is a minister at Middle Church and an award-winning writer whose work has appeared in outlets like The Washington Post, Slate, Sojourners, and Bustle. With a degree in psychology from SUNY Geneseo and an MDiv from Union Theological Seminary, Perry has worked as an organizer with the New York chapter of the Poor People’s Campaign and as an editor at Time, Inc. Perry has appeared on MSNBC, Al Jazeera, and NY1, and is the editor of the Queer Faith photojournalism series. He and his spouse, Erin Mayer, live with his best friend and brother in Maine, nurturing a small apple orchard. NEXT STEPS: — Follow Benjamin on Twitter and Instagram. — Check out Benjamin’s website. — Order your copy of Cry Baby: Why Our Tears Matter today! ___________________________________________ Reach out to us anytime and for any reason at hello@letsgiveadamn.com. Follow Let’s Give A Damn on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter to keep up with everything. We have so much planned for the coming months and we don’t want you to

During this Black History Month, we’re bringing you some snippets from conversations we have had over the past few years with incredible Black writers, speakers, professors, preachers, actors, and artists. “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” — Barack Obama After you listen to the incredible clips in this episode, make sure you listen to the full conversations: Episode 27 with Clint Smith Episode 143 with Lisa Sharon Harper Episode 163 with Eddie S. Glaude Jr. Episode 169 with Chloé Valdary Episode 182 with Colman Domingo  Episode 210 with Joél Leon ___________________________________________ Reach out to us anytime and for any reason at hello@letsgiveadamn.com. Follow Let’s Give A Damn on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter to keep up with everything. We have so much planned for the coming months and we don’t want you to miss a thing! Lastly, leave us a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts

Simran Jeet Singh, Ph.D., is the Executive Director of the Religion & Society Program at the Aspen Institute and the author of the national bestseller The Light We Give: How Sikh Wisdom Can Transform Your Life. Simran's thought leadership on bias, empathy, and justice extends across corporate, university, and government settings. He is an Atlantic Fellow for Racial Equity with Columbia University and the Nelson Mandela Foundation, a Soros Equality Fellow with the Open Society Foundations, a Visiting Lecturer at Union Seminary, and a Senior Advisor on Equity and Inclusion for YSC Consulting, part of Accenture. Simran is the author of an award-winning children's book titled Fauja Singh Keeps Going: The True Story of the Oldest Person to Ever Run a Marathon (Kokila, Penguin Random House). He earned graduate degrees from Harvard University and Columbia University. Simran is a recipient of the Peter J. Gomes Memorial Award from Harvard University and, in 2020, TIME Magazine recognized him as one of sixteen peo

Welcome to the first episode of 2023! We have an incredible year ahead for you. We're just getting started! This week's guest is the incredible Nazazin Ash. Nazanin is the CEO of Welcome.US—a new national initiative built to inspire, mobilize, and empower Americans from all corners of the country to welcome and support those seeking refuge here. This organization is led by a truly incredible team and is co-chaired by President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush, President Clinton and First Lady and Secretary Hillary Clinton, and President Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter.  Welcome.US is only 16 months old but they have already accomplished so much: — 800 organizations and 221 leaders make up the welcome coalition and council — The Welcome Fund, in partnership with GoFundMe.org, has raised more than $20M, supporting resettlement agencies and 180 frontline organizations, nearly 70% of which are refugee, diaspora, veteran, or faith-led. — Welcome.US CEO Counci

I can’t believe this is the last episode of the year! We hope you’ll stick around and get more involved in what we're doing and building here at Let’s Give A Damn in 2023. We have so much that we’re planning on rolling out next year. This Best of 2022 episode features clips from some of our favorite moments during our conversations with the following incredible guests in 2022: — Episode 219 with Jacqui Lewis — Episode 222 with Rachelle Lefevre — Episode 225 with Tyler Merritt — Episode 227 with Hillary McBride — Episode 228 with Andy Grammer — Episode 232 with Frederick Joseph — Episode 233 with Alok Vaid-Menon — Episode 236 with Pádraig Ó Tuama — Episode 243 with Anand Giridharadas  Reach out to us anytime and for any reason at hello@letsgiveadamn.com. Follow Let’s Give A Damn on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter to keep up with everything. We have so much planned for the coming months and we don’t want you to miss a thing! If you love what we’re doing, consider supporting our nonprofit foundation! We

Detra Denise is a woman determined to tell her heartbreaking and hopeful story to as many people as possible in as many ways as possible. NEXT STEPS: — Follow Detra on Instagram and Facebook. — Follow Detra’s Story on Instagram. — Visit the brand new Detra’s Story website. — Buy her limited edition, 5-pack cigar sampler! ___________________________________________ Reach out to us anytime and for any reason at hello@letsgiveadamn.com. Follow Let’s Give A Damn on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter to keep up with everything. We have so much planned for the coming months and we don’t want you to miss a thing! If you love what we’re doing, consider supporting us on Patreon! We can’t do this without you. Lastly, leave us a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Have an amazing week, friends! Keep giving a damn. Love y’all!

Tom Fishman is the CEO of Starts With Us. Starts With Us is a movement to foster curiosity, compassion, and courage as daily habits to overcome the polarization, blind tribalism, and dehumanization threatening the social fabric of our communities. NEXT STEPS: — Follow Starts With Us on Twitter and Instagram. — Visit their website and join the Starts With Us movement today! ___________________________________________ Reach out to us anytime and for any reason at hello@letsgiveadamn.com. Follow Let’s Give A Damn on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter to keep up with everything. We have so much planned for the coming months and we don’t want you to miss a thing! If you love what we’re doing, consider supporting us on Patreon! We can’t do this without you. Lastly, leave us a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Have an amazing week, friends! Keep giving a damn. Love y’all!

Good+Foundation is a leading national nonprofit that works to dismantle multi-generational poverty by pairing tangible goods with innovative services for low-income fathers, mothers and caregivers, creating an upward trajectory for the whole family. NEXT STEPS: — Follow Good+ Foundation on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. — Visit Good+ Foundation’s website to learn more and to donate. — Follow Jessica Seinfeld on Instagram. ___________________________________________ Reach out to us anytime and for any reason at hello@letsgiveadamn.com. Follow Let’s Give A Damn on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter to keep up with everything. We have so much planned for the coming months and we don’t want you to miss a thing! If you love what we’re doing, consider supporting us on Patreon! We can’t do this without you. Lastly, leave us a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Have an amazing week, friends! Keep giving a damn. Love y’all!

Russell (aka Jolly Good Ginger) was raised by racist and bigoted parents and now educates white people to eradicate bigotry in all of its ugly forms. He shares his message with almost 2,000,000 people on social media. Russell is a damn good human and I can’t wait for you to meet him and learn from him today! NEXT STEPS: — Follow Jolly Good Ginger on Tiktok, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitch. — Watch his TEDx talk on breaking the cycle of white supremacy. ___________________________________________ Reach out to us anytime and for any reason at hello@letsgiveadamn.com. Follow Let’s Give A Damn on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter to keep up with everything. We have so much planned for the coming months and we don’t want you to miss a thing! If you love what we’re doing, consider supporting us on Patreon! We can’t do this without you. Lastly, leave us a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Have an amazing week, friends! Keep giving a damn. Love y’all!

Anand Giridharadas is a writer. He is the author of The Persuaders: At the Front Lines of the Fight for Hearts, Minds, and Democracy (2022), Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World (2018), The True American: Murder and Mercy in Texas (2014), and India Calling: An Intimate Portrait of a Nation’s Remaking (2011). A former foreign correspondent and columnist for The New York Times for more than a decade, he has also written for The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and Time, and he is the publisher of the newsletter The Ink. He has spoken on stages around the world and taught narrative journalism at New York University. He is a regular on-air political analyst for MSNBC. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, he was raised there, in Paris, France, and in Maryland, and educated at the University of Michigan, Oxford, and Harvard. He has received the Radcliffe Fellowship, the Porchlight Business Book of the Year Award, Harvard University’s Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award for Humanism in Culture, and the New York

Early on, Josh Tetrick worked with the United Nations, President Clinton, and the President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. Throughout his career, he has always worked to help organizations to work in purposeful ways. In 2011, Josh Co-founded Eat Just, Inc., which makes JUST Egg and GOOD Meat. Since 2011, they have been working non-stop to change the way the world eats one cell and one bean at a time. NEXT STEPS: — Follow Josh on Twitter. — Learn more about JUST Egg and GOOD Meat. — Watch Josh’s TEDx talk on The Future of Food. __________________________________________________________ Reach out to us anytime and for any reason at hello@letsgiveadamn.com. Follow Let’s Give A Damn on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter to keep up with everything. We have so much planned for the coming months and we don’t want you to miss a thing! If you love what we’re doing, consider supporting us on Patreon! We can’t do this without you. Lastly, leave us a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Have an amazing week, f

It’s an honor to have Mosheh Oinounou join us on the podcast this week to discuss and navigate all things news and media. Mosheh Oinounou (Wah-Noo-Noo) is an Emmy, Murrow and Webby Award-winning Executive Producer. Mosheh was the youngest-ever executive producer of the “CBS Evening News” in 2018 and 2019, where he led more than 150 personnel and coverage of everything from the war on ISIS to natural disasters, mass shootings and presidential interviews. Before that, he worked at Fox News and Bloomberg TV. Presently, Mosheh is runs Mo Digital, Mo News, Mo News Newsletter, and Mo News Podcast. Learn more about Mosheh by clicking on the links below. NEXT STEPS: — Visit Mo Digital’s website to learn more about Mosheh’s work. — Follow Mosheh on Instagram and Twitter. — Use All Sides Media and Adfontes Media to help you navigate our media landscape __________________________________________________________ Reach out to us anytime and for any reason at hello@letsgiveadamn.com. Follow Let’s Give A Damn on Facebook, I