Causepods

Rhys Mathews created the podcast Queer Margins to give a voice to members of the LGBTQ+ community who are rarely heard from. In its first series of the podcast, Rhys interviewed Old Queens to hear their stories and experiences. The result has been a catalyst for connecting members of the LGBTQ+ community of different ages as well as giving deeper context to the changes in the political landscape.

In this episode, Mathew discusses how Rhys developed the idea for the podcast and the challenges of launching a show without a previous track record. There were times when potential guests were critical and unsure if they should participate in his show.  Sometimes because they were suspicious of his motives or simply because guests were unfamiliar with podcasting as a communication medium.

We discuss how Rhys overcame these challenges and the positive benefits that have come from being able to share these stories with a wider audience. Finally, we discuss the benefits of podcasting as a medium to hear personal stories through direct storytelling.

There are intangible benefits of hearing a story through someone’s own voice and hearing their own particular laugh, for example.  This is something that cannot be conveyed through text and is a reason why Rhys believes the show has been so impactful in connecting with audiences.

Listen in now, on Rhys’ story of launching a podcast from zero with no previous track-record as well as his views on the current state of the LGBTQ+ community.

We also discuss how the charity Stonewall’s message of “Acceptance without exception” inspired the show and continues to do great work by helping all types of communities.

Key Topics

Introducing Rhys Mathews. [00:02]

Why LGBTQ+ is an important cause for Rhys. [01:13]

Transphobia in LGBTQ+ communities  [03:31]

Why create a podcast about this topic? [04:09]

Reaching old queens and older listeners with podcasting [07:09]

How Queer Margins is creating an impact [09:16]

Rhys’ advice for those who are considering launching a podcast for a cause [12:35]

Stonewall, the organization that inspired Rhy [14:36]

The future of the Queer Margins podcast [16:44]

Link to Podcast

https://apple.co/2CLwfxV

https://www.queermargins.com/

Social Media

https://www.instagram.com/queermargins/

https://twitter.com/rhysox

Charity Link

https://www.stonewall.org.uk/

Thanks for listening!

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Dave Gardner is the director of the documentary, GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth and host of the GrowthBusters podcast which is a part of GrowthBusters project, which promotes sustainable living (perpetual growth in the scale of the human enterprise is physically impossible, and our pursuit of continued growth of our economy and human population is stressing and injuring Earth\'s life-supporting ecosystems). 

Project began as a documentary (GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth) released in 2011.

Key Topics

• Introducing Dave Gardner and his podcast. [00:47]
• How Dave got into his work on sustainable living [01:12]
• The reason behind why Dave started a podcast after producing his documentary [03:54]
• Advantages of audio in conveying a message [05:45]
• Unique experiences and challenges that Dave encountered in the beginning [07:15]
• Dave’s advice for cause-based podcast who wants to reach out to community radio stations [11:12]
• Challenge with radio series [14:21]
• Dave’s radio special and reusing of content [16:38]
• Citizen Powered Media [19:31]

Link to Podcast

https://www.growthbusters.org/

http://www.growthbusters.libsyn.com/

https://open.spotify.com/show/growthbusters

https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/growthbusters

https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/growthbusters-dave-gardner-and-erika-arias/

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/growthbusters

Social Media

https://www.facebook.com/GrowthBusters/

https://www.youtube.com/user/Growthbuster

https://twitter.com/growthbusters

Charity Link

You may have recently found out you are celiacs, gluten intolerant or have an allergy to gluten. You may be feeling frustrated, sad or even depressed that gluten can no longer be a part of your life! When Elikqitie first found out that she wasn't able to eat gluten, she felt like my life was over, that she couldn't eat anything and that enjoying going out to eat was a thing of the past.

After months of research and gathering the right tools and information, Elikqitie figured out how to enjoy life again! Knowing what to eat, how to eat out and feeling safe when you travel. She knows how it feels to wonder if you are going to end up getting sick on vacation.

Elikqitie found her calling for health and wellness after having her first daughter 23 years ago. She entered the health and wellness field as a Breastfeeding Counselor with La Leche League, working with other moms to give them support to successfully breastfeed their newborn babies.

Fast forward to 2015...Elikqitie decided to try the Adrenal Fatigue diet. While practicing this diet, she discovered she was gluten intolerant. She hadn’t realized how much this intolerance had affected her until she noticed her stomach wasn’t hurting or feeling bloated on a daily basis and she overall felt better.

The culmination of many different backgrounds and her experience with celiacs disease led her to publish her podcast Travel Gluten Free. Elikqitie noticed the difficulties of living a gluten-free lifestyle and how isolating this can be. She understands that eating out can be scary and anxious and that travel can be hard. It's understandable why so many people with celiacs are afraid to travel! Who wants to be in nerve-wracking situations when you should be relaxed and enjoying yourself? Elikqitie wanted to give others the information she had learned after years of trial and error and finding out what works and what doesn't. Her goal is to provide support to all who lead a gluten-free lifestyle and to support our community.

Being gluten-free can be a challenging way of life – even on good days! Let Elikqitie be your guide on your journey to lead a healthy, happy and enjoyable gluten-free life!

Key Topics

• Introducing Elikqitie. [00:47]
• How Mathew and Elikqitie met and the reason behind The Travel Gluten Free Podcast [01:37]
• Elikqitie’s family history of celiacs [04:02]
• Best basic tips for people who are travelling but gluten intolerant [07:25]
• Why a podcast? [09:31]
• Ways in which having a podcast for the message has been beneficial. [12:27]
• Benefits of The Travel Gluten Free Podcast for its demographics [14:25]
• Elikqitie’s podcasting journey [15:07]
• Biggest challenges in podcasting and advice for potential podcasters [17:01]

Link to Podcast

https://www.travelglutenfreepodcast.com/

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/travel-gluten-free/

https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/travel-gluten-free-elikqitie

https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/lynn-smargis/travel-gluten-free

https://player.fm/series/travelglutenfreepodcast

Social Media

In this episode I sit down with Ricky Pallay, Operations Manager for the F5 Project a non profit set up to help coordinate services and provide personal support in order to deter repeat offenses. He got involved with F5 to keep himself accountable for recovery from his gambling addiction, he was at rock bottom with nothing left when he decided to get his life right. He is coming from a place that a lot of these inmates are, he finds that it is easy for them to relate to him.

They started the podcast Eat.Sleep.HUSTLE.Repeat, to let as many people as possible know about the issues inmates face once they are released. “If we are able to provide continued support when they leave confinement, we have a greater chance of positively impacting their lives”.

The F5 Project was started in 2016 by Adam Martin a 5 time felon that decided to turn his life around and by doing that help others. He is working to change the lives of inmates while they are still in confinement and prepare them to break the cycle once they are released. F5 believes that what happens in someone's past does not determine their future.

Key Topics

Mathew introduces his guest Ricky Pallay [00:51]

Ricky tells us how he got involved with the F5 Project [01:43]

He tells us about his ongoing recovery from a gambling addiction and how the mission of this project resonated with him [04:15]

Ricky explains how the podcast got started and his role in it [08:26]

Mathew asks Ricky what one of the most inspiring stories or results he’s seen since working with F5 [10:52]

They discuss how when these people are incarcerated, they aren’t able to communicate with family and friends [14:57]

Ricky talks to us about the challenges they have with the program and the direction they are taking it today [15:30]

He speaks about how the stigma of being a felon is hard for most people to see past [16:57]

His advice for anyone who is thinking about starting a podcast is “come on in, the water is nice” consistency is the key to growing your listeners. [20:34]

Link to Podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/no/podcast/eat-sleep-hustle-repeat/id1456302106

Social Media:

https://www.facebook.com/f5projectorg/

https://twitter.com/F5ProjectOrg?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Charity Link:

https://www.f5project.org/give/

What is The Power Project Podcast?

The Power Project is a platform and online community created by Brandi Voth to build awareness of the issue of human trafficking. Brandi interviews survivors and soldiers in the fight against human trafficking, in hopes to inspire women to lead purposeful lives and take back their god-given power.

Origins of The Power Project

As an entrepreneur, Brandi was working with a team of women who were training women to build sales teams for a skincare franchise. She encountered a lot of women with limited mind sets -- women who had given up on their ability to achieve their hopes and dreams.

At the same time, Brandi was getting involved in the fight against human trafficking. In that community, she met some incredible people doing massive things for the cause. She also met trafficking survivors who, despite having lived through horrific situations, were able to find strength and take the steps towards a successful second chance at life.

Brandi recognized that the two worlds could benefit from each other. So she decided to build a community where women could inspire each other through example. That community is The Power Project.

So why a Podcast? 

Divine design! Brandi is a podcast junkie, and she felt compelled to do a podcast to spread her message. She doesn’t even like the sound of her voice, but she knew she had a greater responsibility to get other people involved in a cause share. An Apple Store employee finally pushed her to do it, and days later, she launched her podcast.

Brandi’s Advice for New Podcasters

●     Done is better than perfect. Get it done and know that you can make it better as you go. You can build on terrible!

●     Google and Siri can be your best friends in the learning phase.

●     Find someone who’s done a successful podcast and learn from them.

●     There are some many resources out there for new podcasters. Brandi relied on Tutorial podcasts and YouTube videos when she started producing her podcast.

●     Make a content calendar so you know what direction you’re heading in. Be flexible, but have some direction.

Key Topics: 

What Brandi thought was a problem in a developing country was actually happening in her own backyard in Texas. (6:54)

Brandi found A21 - a global organization that works to fight human trafficking through education. (7:53)

Why authorities and ordinary people can’t stop human trafficking. (8:45)

The internet and technology have made human trafficking a really really accessible crime. (9:21)

What human trafficking looks like, and where it’s happening. (10:28)

Where trafficking predators are hiding. Online gaming chat rooms are the #1 place where predators can be found. (11:20)

Brandi works with a mentor program for women. It’s a 9-12 month program where women are restored and re-engaged in life. (11:57)

Profile of an easy target for human trafficking. (13:50

The difference between trafficking and prostitution. (14:40)

Mentioned in This Episode

●     A21

●     Refuge for Women

●     Ranch Hand Rescue

●     Refuge

The More Sibyl Podcast show is a platform born out of a place of growth and struggle for Blacks and Asians, and those who care about and love them. Mo looks at cultural issues that are important to Blacks and Asians including acculturation problems, travels, preserving cultural values, the relationships between African Americans and West Africans, developing resilience, using emotional support, mental health issues, surviving graduate school, and so much more! As a Nigerian born-US educated-Korean speaking-struggling intellectual, the podcast is an homage to the different struggles and growing pains and success stories that Mo has encountered since she came to America eight years ago.

Mo’s goal is to build community and make the world a smaller place, and the response from the African and Korean communities to Mo’s podcast has been great. She is often asked why she cares so much about Korea. She’s Nigerian! Why does she care about Korea?

Korea is a second culture for Mo. She speaks the language, and she has very close friends in Korea. She sees a lot of connections and commonalities between African and Asian cultures, and she wanted to incorporate that into her show. Both cultures value family, respect their elders, have amazing food, and are very modest. There are so many similarities between the two cultures. Once people see that, they understand why she has grouped the two components together in her podcast.

The More Sibyl Podcast show is about Black and Asian people and their stories. Her listeners feel less alone in their own problems hearing that someone else with a name and a story like theirs has gone through the same thing. That’s how Mo speaks to her communities, and that’s why they continue to support her and praise her for driving connections in the community.

As a Nigerian immigrant, Mo addresses common topics like mental health, loss of pregnancy, infertility and caring for elders in a way that Black and Asians can relate to. By discussing difficult topics in a genuine way, and by showing her own vulnerability with those topics, her listeners feel less uncomfortable sharing and exploring their own problems. Where she comes from, it was taboo to talk about those topics, but she’s doing it now and showing other Blacks and Asians that talking about these important issues can really help.

Mo’s ability to share her own stories has made her a trusted figure in the public space. Her listeners open up and share their stories with her. She doesn’t take it for granted, and when she shares their stories with the world, she does it in a gentle, respectful way.

When Mo grew up in Nigeria in the 80s, televisions were a luxury most families couldn’t afford. Her family could afford a transistor radio, and that radio became Mo’s life. As a visual learner, she loved to hear the voices and imagine what the people looked like. It was a spiritual experience for her.

When she came to America, radio had a different feel for her. It wasn’t like her childhood experience. It was full of ads and distractions, and in 2011, Mo discovered Podcasts. Four years later, she wanted a medium to progress beyond her blog, and the natural progression for an ex-radio lover was a podcast. She has the support of family and friends, and she started! Fast forward to today.

In order to build your own community, Mo advises podcasters to “be consistent and be genuine.” If you say you’re going to be a weekly podcast, do it weekly. Be genuine and focus on your tribe. Take a pulse of your community to make sure you’re creating content they want to hear. When you are in the public space,...

Our guest this episode is Jenna Spinelle, she is the host and producer for Democracy Works a podcast that is dedicated to bipartisan discussions about important issues like democracy. With the last presidential election, there seemed to be a renewed interest in discussing democracy, people wanting to be more informed about what it meant to live in a democracy. There were a lot of books being written but not a lot of conversations happening in the podcast space so they took a chance.

They knew they wanted to start a podcast but none of them knew how to get it started. WPSU Radio, a local public radio station wanted to partner with them which worked out great. They now have an arrangement where their show has a dedicated place on WPSU’s website, Jenna does promo’s for the podcast that air on the radio and some of the interviews they do end up on the radio as well.

They take pride in the fact that what they put out on the podcast has led to many comments letting them know that people are listening and thinking about politics. It doesn't matter if it is at the Federal level or at the local school board, our voices must be heard to make cause change.

With outlets like the Democracy Chronicles, a site that publishes news, commentary, and analysis about democracy in the US and around the world, they are educating people on what democracy means.

Key Topics

Learn more at: https://www.causepods.org/podcast/how-to-use-a-podcast-to-teach-democracy-with-jenna-spinnelle-of-the-democracy-works-podcast

Link to Podcast:

Social Media:

Charity Link:

In today's episode we are talking to Sandy Joy Weston she is the author of Train Your Head & Your Body Will Follow and the host of the podcast Let’s Keep It Real. Her podcast is all about hearing from amazing people around the world who are making a positive impact and spreading joy.

She has been fortunate enough to be able to travel the world and do speaking engagements. The people she talked to had stories that she wanted to tell so she decided to do a podcast to talk about their positivity and strength and give voice to what they were trying to accomplish.

Her career started when she opened her in-home private training company then went on to own three health clubs over thirty years. She was always interested in mental health as much as physical well-being, her main mission was to show clients that they were awesome and worthy right where they were. Her goal was to get people to spend a few minutes every day to get into a positive headspace, because what you think really matters.

She now travels the world as a Keynote speaker at conferences specializing in health, psychology and women empowerment. Her vivaciousness and positive outlook on life inspire people every day to bring a little more joy to the world.

Key Topics

Learn more at https://www.causepods.org/podcast/important-stories-with-a-positive-vibe-with-sandy-joy-weston-of-the-lets-keep-it-real

Link to Podcast:

Social Media:

Charity Link:

In today’s episode, I sit down with Beth O’Connor, Executive Director of the Virginia Rural Health Association. She has a degree in Health Education and has worked diligently for the last 13 years to focus on healthcare in rural America. When talking about rural health there are many different aspects to consider, from how hospitals and clinics run, to getting transportation to people who need it, to the opioid crisis, and obesity the list is seemingly endless.

Starting a podcast wasn’t on Beth’s radar. In fact, she’d never really listened to podcasts. Once she started researching the platform as a marketing tool, she realized that she could spark conversation about this very important topic. So she applied for a grant, received seed money, and started her podcast thanks to the National Rural Health Association.

She now has over 12 episodes under her belt and has interviewed the keynote speakers from the Annual Education Conference hosted by the Virginia Rural Health Association. She has also interviewed state Senator Creigh Deeds and chatted about his efforts to improve mental health in rural Virginia.

Beth is dedicated to bringing a spotlight to the healthcare needs of small rural communities across America. She always has two questions for her podcast guests at the end of the episode, (1) What action can listeners take to effect change in their communities? (2) What do you think we should do to improve health and healthcare in rural America? These are questions that have no easy answer but with enough exposure maybe we will see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Key Topics

Learn more at. https://www.causepods.org/podcast/focus-on-healthcare-in-rural-america-with-beth-oconnor-of-the-rural-health-voice-podcast

Link to Podcast:

https://www.blubrry.com/rural_health_voice/41842381/rhv-health-literacy/

https://podcasts.apple.com/dz/podcast/the-rural-health-voice/id1436519979?mt=2

Social Media:

https://www.facebook.com/VaRuralHealth/

https://twitter.com/varuralhealth

https://www.instagram.com/varuralhealth/

Charity Link:

https://vrha.org/

Thanks for listening!

Simma Lieberman remembers bits and pieces from that iconic day in Washington, D.C. She was young, and faintly recalls Martin Luther King giving his world-famous speech, “I Have a Dream”. But what she remembers most about that day are the people. People from different families, different backgrounds, all united by the shared belief that equality is integral to a better life for all people. She knew then that she wanted to devote her life to this cause.

Starting her work in New York, Simma was first trained in facilitating dialogue between diverse cultural groups. Eventually she parlayed the knowledge she gained there into work as a “diversity and inclusion/culture change consultant”. In the time since, she has worked as a consultant for Fortune 500 companies and written several books on the topic.

Despite her decades of experience, Simma still remains curious. “The best thing for me is when I learn something I didn’t know,” Simma says of conversations with her pocast guests.

While Simma has always enjoyed the work she does to increase diversity and cultural understanding, she lamented the fact that she was not reaching a wider audience. Creating a podcast has given her the platform to reach listeners on a global level. It has also given her the chance to get to know local podcasters in her community, where she goes to meet up groups to stay up to date on the best practices in podcasting.

One of her strengths, she says of her work, is the gift of getting people to open up, which is key if you’re going to get two people to see eye to eye. “We’re not just one identity, but we’re so many different identities, and that’s really where we find a lot of the connections. And after we find the connections, it’s easier to talk about differences.”

Key Topics

See the show notes at https://www.causepods.org/podcast/connection-intersection-with-simma-lieberman-everyday-conversations-race-podcast

Podcast Links

Social Media

Charity Link

Thanks for listening!