All About Change

Eric Garcia is a Washington, D.C.-based journalist focused on politics and policy. Eric is also autistic, and this past August wrote his first book called We’re Not Broken: Changing the Autism Conversation. After becoming frustrated by the media’s narrow portrayal of autism, he traveled across the country to speak with autistic people about their experiences and debunk different myths that exist about it. 

Listen to the latest episode of All Inclusive as Eric and Jay discuss misconceptions about autism, what policies autistic people need, and what autism in America actually looks like through the eyes of those he interviewed. 

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Ron Suskind is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, journalist, and filmmaker, who most recently co-produced the Oscar-nominated film Don’t Look Up, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill, Timothée Chalamet, Tyler Perry, Cate Blanchett, and more. His book Life Animated, which explores his son Owen's autism and how he learned to communicate through Disney movies, was also the subject of an Emmy Award-winning and Oscar-nominated documentary of the same name.  As a veteran journalist, he has written extensively about presidential administrations and is dedicated to uncovering America’s social, historical, and political injustices. 

Listen to the latest episode of All Inclusive as Ron discusses the making of Don’t Look Up, how he predicted the insurrection, and the powerful story of how he and his son learned to communicate with each other through Disney characters.

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Geena Davis is an Academy Award-winning actor and advocate, best known for her trailblazing roles in Thelma & Louise, A League of Their Own, and Commander in Chief, in which she plays the first female President of the United States. Today, Geena has taken on a different type of role in Hollywood. In 2004, she founded the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, a research-based organization that has worked collaboratively with the entertainment industry to dramatically increase the presence of women and other underrepresented groups on screen.   

Listen to the latest episode of All Inclusive as Geena and Jay discuss her groundbreaking career, fighting for gender equality in Hollywood, ageism, mental health, and more.

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RJ Mitte shot to fame at the age of 13 when he landed the role of Bryan Cranston’s son, Walt Jr., on the hit show Breaking Bad. Like his character, RJ also has cerebral palsy, which he was diagnosed with at the age of 3. Since Breaking Bad ended in 2013, RJ has carved out a unique path for himself in Hollywood. He’s modeled for the Gap, presented at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, and most recently starred in the feature film Triumph, about a disabled high school senior who strives to be a wrestler. 

Listen as RJ openly discusses his own experiences as an actor with cerebral palsy, the impact Walt Jr. had on society, and fighting for more disability inclusion in Hollywood.

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**TRIGGER WARNING. This episode contains conversations about sexual violence, sexual assault, and abuse. If you are triggered or would like to talk to a confidential advocate, please call the National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800.656.4673***

Ilse Knecht is the director of policy and advocacy at the Joyful Heart Foundation. The organization was created in 2004 by Mariska Hargitay, best known for playing Olivia Benson on Law & Order: SVU, after receiving thousands of emails from survivors sharing their stories of abuse. Ilse leads the Foundation’s End the Backlog initiative, which is at the forefront of identifying hundreds of thousands of untested rape kits across the country. 

Listen to Jay and Ilse discuss Mariska’s inspiration to create Joyful Heart, why hundreds of thousands of rape kits sit on shelves, and their mission to get justice for victims of sexual assault. 

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Tony Goldwyn is so much more than the fake president he played for 7 seasons on ABC’s Scandal. (Or the guy who backstabbed Patrick Swayze in the 1990 blockbuster Ghost.) The actor, producer, and Peabody-Award-winning director is also a passionate activist, who dedicates much of his personal time to philanthropic work. After directing the 2010 film Conviction, a true story about a man wrongfully convicted of murder, he became an Ambassador of the Innocence Project and now sits on their Board of Trustees. 

Listen as Tony discusses his work with the Innocence Project, how to find your activism, the roles that made him famous, authentic representation in Hollywood, and more!

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For Jewish communities around the world, there is no name more synonymous with the fight against antisemitism than Abe Foxman. Born in Poland in 1940, Abe survived the Holocaust when his parents entrusted him to their Catholic nanny. He would go on to spend three decades as the National Director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), speaking out against antisemitism and bringing it to the forefront of American minds. Throughout his career, Abe has written four books and made the ADL a household name through his relationships with prominent figures like President George W. Bush, Pope John Paul II, President Obama, and many more. 

Please join us for Part II of a special series on antisemitism. Listen as Jay and Abe discuss his personal Holocaust story, his unparalleled career, and his take on antisemitism in America today.

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For decades, Deborah Lipstadt has been a leading figure in writing about and combating antisemitism. She is most well-known for defeating Holocaust denier David Irving when he sued her for defamation. However, Deborah’s accomplishments span far beyond the trial that made her infamous. She is currently the Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish History and Holocaust Studies at Emory University and recently received a nomination by President Biden as Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism. 

Please join us for Part I of a special series on Confronting Antisemitism. Listen to as Jay and Deborah discuss the history of antisemitism, why there has been an uprise in hate recently, and what we can do to combat it.

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You might know Sean Taylor from the first season of the highly addictive Netflix reality show “The Circle”, in which contestants rate each other based on their profiles and interactions on a fake social media network. When Sean came on the show mid-season, she catfished her fellow contestants into thinking she was a straight-sized woman. After revealing her true self, Sean quickly became a body-positive icon for people everywhere.  

Listen to hear Sean break down fat activism and discuss how she inspires her almost 200k followers to radically love and accept themselves.

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Christine Simmons’ entire career has been guided by the idea that we can create a more inclusive, diverse, and kind culture in every industry. As the first-ever Black and female Chief Operating Officer of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (AKA the Oscars), she and her team lead the organization’s new standards for diversity in front of and behind the camera. Before joining the Academy, she was EVP of Magic Johnson Enterprises and then went on to serve as President and COO of the WNBA LA Sparks for 5 seasons. 

Throughout Christine’s impressive career, she’s never forgotten that she’s an activist first and foremost. Listen to hear Christine discuss how she failed up, her love of women’s basketball, and how she’s helping to change the landscape of Hollywood.

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