Mercy Kafotokoza is a Malawian nurse, midwife and public health professional with a Master’s in Public Health. She is also a mother of three and a passionate advocate for equity, compassion and the power of proximity.

As a young girl, Mercy experienced the heartbreak of losing her uncle to a preventable condition. She is now the founder of Wandikweza, a community-led organization delivering health with dignity directly to people’s doorsteps. At Wandikweza, no community is too remote to get help, and her strength touches me from across the world.

We discuss Mercy’s journey of service, her strategic partnerships that foster trust in nurses, and the obstacles that she has faced as a woman in a leadership position.

Today's episode was produced by Tani Levitt and Mijon Zulu. To check out more episodes or to learn more about the show, you can visit our website Allaboutchangepodcast.com. If you like our show, spread the word, tell a friend or family member, or leave us a review on your favorite podcasting app. We really appreciate it. All About Change is produced by the Ruderman Family Foundation.

Episode Chapters

0:00 Intro

1:17 Personal loss shaped Mercy’s career choices

4:04 The state of healthcare in Malawi

9:13 Bringing healthcare to the people

11:10 Community health workers and nurses on bikes

17:05 Women’s health and female empowerment

22:04 What inspires Mercy

25:40 Goodbye and outro

For video episodes, watch on www.youtube.com/@therudermanfamilyfoundation

Stay in touch:

X: @JayRuderman | @RudermanFdn

LinkedIn: Jay Ruderman | Ruderman Family Foundation

Instagram: All About Change Podcast | Ruderman Family Foundation
To learn more about the podcast, visit https://allaboutchangepodcast.com/

Looking for more insights into the world of activism? Be sure to check out Jay’s brand new book, Find Your Fight, in which Jay teaches the next generation of activists and advocates how to step up and bring about lasting change. You can find Find Your Fight wherever you buy your books, and you can learn more about it at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.jayruderman.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Gene Baur is the founder of Farm Sanctuary, a place of rescue, refuge, and adoption for hundreds of farm animals each year. Farm Sanctuary shelters enable visitors to connect with farm animals as emotional, intelligent individuals.

Gene has also led campaigns to change laws about animal treatment and taken undercover photographs of farms, stockyards, and slaughterhouses, documenting deplorable conditions. His pictures and videos exposing factory farming cruelties have aired nationally and internationally, educating millions about the plight of modern farm animals, and his rescue work inspired an international farm sanctuary movement.

Once called “the conscience of the food movement” by Time magazine, Gene walks the walk and talks the talk when it comes to food and animal rights. Jay and Gene discuss the political and cultural steps that will bring about the end of factory farming and a healthier approach to animals and food.

Today's episode was produced by Tani Levitt and Mijon Zulu. To check out more episodes or to learn more about the show, you can visit our website Allaboutchangepodcast.com. If you like our show, spread the word, tell a friend or family member, or leave us a review on your favorite podcasting app. We really appreciate it. All About Change is produced by the Ruderman Family Foundation.

Episode Chapters

0:00 Intro

1:05 The state of veganism 

6:18 Cultural shifts around factory farming and veganism

14:58 Gene’s three paths of activism

17:44 Gene’s legislative successes

22:25 Accepting people where they are in their journeys

25:36 Thank you and goodbye

For video episodes, watch on www.youtube.com/@therudermanfamilyfoundation

Stay in touch:

X: @JayRuderman | @RudermanFdn

LinkedIn: Jay Ruderman | Ruderman Family Foundation

Instagram: All About Change Podcast | Ruderman Family Foundation

To learn more about the podcast, visit https://allaboutchangepodcast.com/

Looking for more insights into the world of activism? Be sure to check out Jay’s brand new book, Find Your Fight, in which Jay teaches the next generation of activists and advocates how to step up and bring about lasting change. You can find Find Your Fight wherever you buy your books, and you can learn more about it at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.jayruderman.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Today, IndiJewnous activist Lani Anpo joins Jay on the show. Lani is an influential advocate for global Indigenous and Jewish communities. A multi tribal Native American Jew, Lani passionately champions the rights and stories of marginalized groups with a focus on protecting Indigenous sovereignty, promoting self-determination, and preserving history and culture.

Jay and Lani unpack the centuries-old playbook of “othering” and expose how its tactics are being revived and weaponized today. They confront how the history of Native American erasure is used to invalidate Jewish connection to ancestral land, and why this dangerous pattern poses a direct threat to Indigenous rights globally.

Today's episode was produced by Tani Levitt and Mijon Zulu. To check out more episodes or to learn more about the show, you can visit our website Allaboutchangepodcast.com. If you like our show, spread the word, tell a friend or family member, or leave us a review on your favorite podcasting app. We really appreciate it. All About Change is produced by the Ruderman Family Foundation.

Episode Chapters

0:00 Intro

0:55 Lani’s Jewish and Native identities

3:36 Hollow land acknowledgements 

5:31 Colorism

12:25 Acceptance in the each community

14:56 Indigenous erasure 

21:45 Allyship

23:33  Hope for the future and goodbye

For video episodes, watch on⁠ ⁠⁠www.youtube.com/@therudermanfamilyfoundation⁠

Stay in touch:

X:⁠ @JayRuderman⁠ |⁠ @RudermanFdn⁠

LinkedIn:⁠ Jay Ruderman⁠ |⁠ Ruderman Family Foundation⁠

Instagram:⁠ All About Change Podcast⁠ |⁠ Ruderman Family Foundation⁠

To learn more about the podcast, visit⁠ https://allaboutchangepodcast.com/

Looking for more insights into the world of activism? Be sure to check out Jay’s brand new book, Find Your Fight, in which Jay teaches the next generation of activists and advocates how to step up and bring about lasting change. You can find Find Your Fight wherever you buy your books, and you can learn more about it at ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.jayruderman.com⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Chama Mechtaly is the Founder of The Emma Lazarus Institute for Liberty and Tolerance, an action tank bridging media and policy gaps between the Middle-East and the Democratic West. She is a policy advisor, public speaker, artist, entrepreneur and activist working in service of conflict transformation, deradicalization and regional integration in MENA and beyond. Chama’s art has been shown across the world, and is the founder of the jewelry brand Moors & Saints. 

Jay and Chama discuss Chama’s mixed-religion upbringing in Morocco, art as advocacy, how the reception to Chama’s art shaped her policy goals for the Mena region, and much more.

Today's episode was produced by Tani Levitt and Mijon Zulu. To check out more episodes or to learn more about the show, you can visit our website Allaboutchangepodcast.com. If you like our show, spread the word, tell a friend or family member, or leave us a review on your favorite podcasting app. We really appreciate it. All About Change is produced by the Ruderman Family Foundation.

Episode Chapters

0:00 Intro

1:01 Growing up in a mixed family

3:28 Moroccan cultural diversity

10:31 Interdisciplinary activism toward cultural integration

23:48 Chama’s jewelry line, Moors and Saints

26:44 Looking to the gulf for leadership

32:28 Outro and goodbye

For video episodes, watch on www.youtube.com/@therudermanfamilyfoundation

Stay in touch:

X: @JayRuderman | @RudermanFdn

LinkedIn: Jay Ruderman | Ruderman Family Foundation

Instagram: All About Change Podcast | Ruderman Family Foundation

To learn more about the podcast, visit https://allaboutchangepodcast.com/

Looking for more insights into the world of activism? Be sure to check out Jay’s brand new book, Find Your Fight, in which Jay teaches the next generation of activists and advocates how to step up and bring about lasting change. You can find Find Your Fight wherever you buy your books, and you can learn more about it at ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.jayruderman.com⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Tiffany Yu is the CEO & Founder of Diversability, an award-winning social enterprise to elevate disability pride; the Founder of the Awesome Foundation Disability Chapter, a monthly micro-grant that has awarded $92.5k to 93 disability projects in 11 countries; and the author of The Anti-Ableist Manifesto: Smashing Stereotypes, Forging Change, and Building a Disability-Inclusive World.

As a person with visible and invisible disabilities stemming from a car crash, Tiffany has built a career on disability solidarity. Now that she has found success, she works to expand a network of people with disabilities and their allies to decrease stigmas around disability and create opportunities for disabled people in America. 

Today's episode was produced by Tani Levitt and Mijon Zulu. To check out more episodes or to learn more about the show, you can visit our website Allaboutchangepodcast.com. If you like our show, spread the word, tell a friend or family member, or leave us a review on your favorite podcasting app. We really appreciate it. All About Change is produced by the Ruderman Family Foundation.

Episode Chapters

0:00 Intro

1:26 When do we choose to share our disability stories?

4:12 Jay’s disability story

8:35 Visible and invisible disabilities

13:10 What does an ally to the disability community look like?

16:34 NoBodyIsDisposable and 14(c)

21:26 How does Tiffany’s investment banking background shape her advocacy?

27:47 Goodbye and outro

For video episodes, watch on www.youtube.com/@therudermanfamilyfoundation

Stay in touch:

X: @JayRuderman | @RudermanFdn

LinkedIn: Jay Ruderman | Ruderman Family Foundation

Instagram: All About Change Podcast | Ruderman Family Foundation

To learn more about the podcast, visit https://allaboutchangepodcast.com/

Looking for more insights into the world of activism? Be sure to check out Jay’s brand new book, Find Your Fight, in which Jay teaches the next generation of activists and advocates how to step up and bring about lasting change. You can find Find Your Fight wherever you buy your books, and you can learn more about it at ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.jayruderman.com⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Princess Noor Pahlavi was born into the Iranian royal family as the eldest child of the Crown Prince. She heard the call to civic duty from an early age, inspired by the legacy of her grandfather, the last Shah of Iran, along with her grandmother, The Empress of Iran. But she was not content to sit on the sidelines, and decided to use her place of privilege to be a voice for progressive change for the people of Iran.

Princess Noor joined host Jay Ruderman to speak about her distinctive path in continuing the legacy of her family through advocacy for a democratic Iran. Princess Noor talks about the struggles and resilience of the women of Iran, as well as her advocacy for gender equality and better access to healthcare for women. Jay and Princess Noor also speak about her efforts to support Iranians living under the Islamic Republic, along with her work with organizations that empower and support oppressed women.

Episode Chapters

(00:00) Intro to Princess Noor Pahlavi

(01:16) Stories of the Shah and The Empress of Iran

(06:54) The Current Islamic Regime in Iran

(10:33) Life for Iranians Under the Regime

(15:25) Women’s Rights and Health in Iran

(22:40) Advocacy for Iranian Women Abroad

(25:04) Noor’s Work at Acumen

(27:52) Leveraging Her Platform for Change

(29:04) Conclusion and Credits

For video episodes, watch on www.youtube.com/@therudermanfamilyfoundation

Stay in touch:

X: @JayRuderman | @RudermanFdn

LinkedIn: Jay Ruderman | Ruderman Family Foundation

Instagram: All About Change Podcast | Ruderman Family Foundation

To learn more about the podcast, visit https://allaboutchangepodcast.com/

Steve Preston is the CEO of Goodwill Industries. Though Goodwill is known for big stores where people can donate clothes and buy them secondhand, those stores are just the first level of what Goodwill Industries are about. Those stores fund an international organization that provides job training, employment placement services and other community-based programs for people who face barriers in their employment.

Steve joins Jay to discuss the ways Goodwill Industries support veterans and individuals who lack job experience, an education, or face employment challenges, such as those people who are formerly incarcerated.

Today's episode was produced by Tani Levitt and Mijon Zulu. To check out more episodes or to learn more about the show, you can visit our website Allaboutchangepodcast.com. If you like our show, spread the word, tell a friend or family member, or leave us a review on your favorite podcasting app. We really appreciate it. All About Change is produced by the Ruderman Family Foundation.

Episode Chapters

0:00 intro

1:02 The Goodwill you don’t know

4:33 The troubling reality of work reintegration for formerly incarcerated folks

10:00 How Steve brings his public-sector experience to Goodwill 

11:17 Goodwill’s employment centers

15:51 The interplay between Goodwill’s national and local arms

24:07 The case for minimizing recidivism becoming a cross-party cause

27:05 Goodbye

For video episodes, watch on www.youtube.com/@therudermanfamilyfoundation

Stay in touch:

X: @JayRuderman | @RudermanFdn

LinkedIn: Jay Ruderman | Ruderman Family Foundation

Instagram: All About Change Podcast | Ruderman Family Foundation

To learn more about the podcast, visit https://allaboutchangepodcast.com/

Looking for more insights into the world of activism? Be sure to check out Jay’s brand new book, Find Your Fight, in which Jay teaches the next generation of activists and advocates how to step up and bring about lasting change. You can find Find Your Fight wherever you buy your books, and you can learn more about it at ⁠⁠⁠www.jayruderman.com⁠⁠⁠.

Gary Sinise is an award winning actor, on the stage, TV and big screen. He is best known for playing Lieutenant Dan in Forrest Gump. Inspired by this role and his family members, Gary is now the head of the Gary Sinise Foundation, which offers support for service members who need help with mental wellness, trauma, physical recovery, and loss. He Also plays concerts worldwide for our nation’s defenders and their families, boosting morale and offering gratitude for their sacrifices as part of the Lt. Dan Band.

Jay and Gary discuss the changing needs of American service members and their families, the many services the Gary Sinise Foundation provides, how Gary’s work helped him through personal loss and much more.

Today's episode was produced by Tani Levitt and Mijon Zulu. To check out more episodes or to learn more about the show, you can visit our website Allaboutchangepodcast.com. If you like our show, spread the word, tell a friend or family member, or leave us a review on your favorite podcasting app. We really appreciate it. All About Change is produced by the Ruderman Family Foundation.

Episode Chapters

(0:00) intro

(1:11) Veterans’ changing needs over the past half century

(7:57) Veterans’ appreciation of Gary’s portrayal of Lt. Dan

(10:25) By helping others, we step out of ourselves

(11:46) The Lt. Dan Band

(15:29) How the death of Gary’s son Mac impacts his activism

(17:33) Bringing services to American heroes wherever they are

(19:45) Accurate portrayals of veterans in film and TV

(20:58) How can people get involved with the Gary Sinise foundation

(24:24) Goodbye

For video episodes, watch on www.youtube.com/@therudermanfamilyfoundation

Stay in touch:

X: @JayRuderman | @RudermanFdn

LinkedIn: Jay Ruderman | Ruderman Family Foundation

Instagram: All About Change Podcast | Ruderman Family Foundation
To learn more about the podcast, visit https://allaboutchangepodcast.com/

Looking for more insights into the world of activism? Be sure to check out Jay’s brand new book, Find Your Fight, in which Jay teaches the next generation of activists and advocates how to step up and bring about lasting change. You can find Find Your Fight wherever you buy your books, and you can learn more about it at ⁠⁠www.jayruderman.com⁠⁠.

Ashlyn So is a remarkable rising star in the design world, already showcasing collections at New York and Paris Fashion Weeks by age 16. She powerfully combines her striking fashion with dedicated activism, driven by the belief that fashion provides both identity and a voice. This conviction fuels her work speaking out against bullying and AAPI/Asian-Hate.

In this conversation, host Jay Ruderman and Ashlyn delve into the experience of being an introverted activist, the importance of building supportive communities for change, and how Ashlyn intentionally grows her distinct design work and impactful activism in tandem.

Episode Chapters

(0:00) intro

(0:41) becoming an “accidental activist”

(2:44) combating AAPI hate during COVID 19

(6:17) Ashlyn’s design origin story

(9:30) how Ashlyn integrates her culture and activist causes into designs

(12:09) Mental health as a young person with an audience

(15:50) How Ashlyn organized a safe and successful rally

(22:11) What’s next for Ashlyn’s design work and activism?

(24:22) outro

For video episodes, watch on www.youtube.com/@therudermanfamilyfoundation

Stay in touch:

X: @JayRuderman | @RudermanFdn

LinkedIn: Jay Ruderman | Ruderman Family Foundation

Instagram: All About Change Podcast | Ruderman Family Foundation

To learn more about the podcast, visit https://allaboutchangepodcast.com/

Looking for more insights into the world of activism? Be sure to check out Jay’s brand new book, Find Your Fight, in which Jay teaches the next generation of activists and advocates how to step up and bring about lasting change. You can find Find Your Fight wherever you buy your books, and you can learn more about it at ⁠www.jayruderman.com⁠.

Eli Beer is a pioneer, social entrepreneur, President and Founder of United Hatzalah of Israel. In thirty years, the organization has grown to more than 6,500 volunteers who unite together to provide immediate, life-saving care to anyone in need - regardless of race or religion. This community EMS force network treats over 730,000 incidents per year, in Israel, as they wait for ambulances and medical attention.

Eli’s vision is to bring this life-saving model across the world. In 2015, Beer expanded internationally with the establishment of branches in South America and other countries, including “United Rescue” in Jersey City, USA, where the response time was reduced to just two minutes and thirty-five seconds.

Episode Chapters

(0:00) intro

(1:04) Hatzalah’s reputation for speed

(4:48) Hatzalah’s volunteer EMTs and ambucycles

(5:50) Entrepreneurism at Hatzalah

(8:09) Chutzpah

(14:15) Hatzalah’s recruitment

(18:31) Volunteers from all walks of life

(22:51) Having COVID changed Eli’s perspective

(26:00) operating around the world amid antisemitism

(28:06) goodbye

For video episodes, watch on www.youtube.com/@therudermanfamilyfoundation

Stay in touch:

X: @JayRuderman | @RudermanFdn

LinkedIn: Jay Ruderman | Ruderman Family Foundation

Instagram: All About Change Podcast | Ruderman Family Foundation

To learn more about the podcast, visit https://allaboutchangepodcast.com/

Looking for more insights into the world of activism? Be sure to check out Jay’s brand new book, Find Your Fight, in which Jay teaches the next generation of activists and advocates how to step up and bring about lasting change. You can find Find Your Fight wherever you buy your books, and you can learn more about it at www.jayruderman.com.