Justin Fogarty, co-founder of Talk A Mile, discusses his journey from a tech career to founding a nonprofit focused on fostering conversations between students and police trainees. The conversation explores the impact of movement on dialogue, the challenges of scaling a nonprofit, and the importance of curiosity and active listening in education and community building.

Bio:

Justin and his family are based on the west coast of the United States, in Portland Oregon where he lives with his wife and son. 

He, his wife Erica and son Liam co-founded Talk A Mile in 2020. 

Talk a Mile pairs student leaders with local police trainees to improve the community one conversation and one mile at a time. Talk A Mile meets at a local park or track. Participants walk four laps together while sharing each other’s story, building relationships and trust. 

Justin has spent the majority of his career in communications. Before co-founding Talk A Mile, Justin led the marketing and production teams for The Math Learning Center, a non-profit focused on math education. 

In his earlier career, Justin worked for a number of Silicon Valley start-ups and tech companies, including Bloomreach, Ariba and Wipro. 

The common thread in all of Justin's roles is his natural curiosity and desire to understand people. 

Justin earned a BA from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a master's from the University College London. 

Justin is an avid runner - Justin has run every day since January 1, 2011 and the cumulative mileage of his run streak recently surpassed 26,200 miles, or a thousand marathons. 

Takeaways

• Justin Fogarty's journey from tech to nonprofit.
• The founding of Talk A Mile to foster student-police dialogue.
• Impact of movement on conversation and understanding.
• Challenges in scaling a nonprofit organization.
• Importance of curiosity in learning and community building.
• Role of active listening in fostering understanding.
• Justin's personal running streak as a metaphor for consistency.
• The evolution of Talk A Mile to include diverse student groups.
• Building community partnerships and applying for grants.
• Vision for Talk A Mile's national and international expansion.

Social Media:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinfogarty/

Instagram: @talkamile 

Instagram - Justin: @justacio

Website: https://www.talkamile.org/ 

Chapters

•  Introduction and Background
• Founding Talk A Mile
• Impact of Movement on Dialogue
•  Challenges in Scaling
•  Curiosity and Learning
• Active Listening and Community Building
• Personal Insights and Consistency
• Vision for the Future

Keywords

Justin Fogarty, Talk A Mile, nonprofit, community building, active listening, education, movement, dialogue, scaling challenges, curiosity