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What if surrender isn't giving up... but giving over?

Freedom Maitreya is senior strategist at The Courage Collective. He's also a healer, educator, ordained chaplain, and doctoral fellow at Drew University. Freedom sat down with Lopa and Ashley for one of our most powerful conversations yet. 

"I'm not judging my success on effectiveness. I'm judging my success on my willingness." — Freedom Maitreya

Freedom is also hosting The Surrender Experience from Oct 18–24 in Mafra, Portugal 🇵🇹. Use code INSPIRE for a 22% discount  at registration. 

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Ashley and Lopa return to begin a new season with no script—just honest conversation. They dive into the realities of grief, the challenges of redefining identity in medicine, and the tension between productivity and presence in today’s world. From hospice care to AI in healthcare, this episode explores how we can remain grounded, compassionate, and connected—even as everything around us rapidly changes. 

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Dr. Albert Wu joins Inspire Global Radio to talk story about what it means to care for the people who care for others.

He shares how the concept of the “second victim” came to be—and how it grew into the RISE program at Johns Hopkins, a peer support model for healthcare workers after unexpected patient outcomes. We also explore his community work in Baltimore through Project Connect, bridging hospitals and frontline voices.

This conversation touches on medical error, grief, honesty, apology, and the healing power of simply being seen and heard.

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When USAID was dismantled this year, more than 4,000 people around the world lost their jobs. But what was truly lost goes far beyond positions and programs—it was the dedication, wisdom, and humanity of those who poured their lives into building healthier, more equitable communities.

In this episode, we honor and thank four extraordinary local staff—K’voi (Vietnam), Ferreira Ferreira (Mozambique), Dra. Argentina Wate (Mozambique), and Thanh Pham (Vietnam)—for their years of service. Their stories remind us that true aid is never just about institutions. It’s about humility, resilience, and love lived out in relationships, community, and the courage to serve.

To K’voi, Ferreira Ferreira, Dra. Argentina Wate, and Thanh Pham—we offer our deepest gratitude for your service, and for teaching us what aid really looks like at the human level.

#Resilience #GlobalHealth #InspireGlobalRadio #USAID #ThankYou

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In this episode of Inspire Global Radio, we sit down with Christine, a retired teacher and survivor of the 2023 Lahaina wildfires.

She shares her experience of escaping the fire, healing from burn injuries, and adjusting to life in a new city after losing her home. With honesty and perspective, Christine reflects on what it means to start over later in life, the importance of community support, and how her values shaped her path through recovery.

This conversation explores resilience, dignity, and the quiet strength it takes to begin again—offering insight not only into one person’s journey, but into what it means to care for ourselves and each other in times of crisis.

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Kuʻuleianuhea Awo‑Chun, Director of Education and Culture‑Based Learning at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, joins us to talk story about ʻāina‑based education, identity, and healing. Drawing from her decades in Hawaiian‑focused charter schools, she reflects on how land teaches reciprocity, how to center children's potential, and why belonging matters in education and healthcare. A grounding conversation on kuleana, community, and remembering who we are.

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Ashley and Lopa explore the deeper meaning of Aloha as a lived practice. They discuss how mindfulness became a pathway back to cultural values, breaking down the word ALOHA through the teachings of Auntie Pilahi Paki and Pono Shim: Akahai, Lokahi, ʻOluʻolu, Haʻahaʻa, and Ahonui.

They reflect on how these values show up in medicine, identity, and daily life—touching on presence, humility, and the power of gentle strength.

Referenced in this episode:

• “Aloha and Mindfulness” article, https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/jisd/article/view/63056/47001
• Long Story Short interview with Pono Shim (PBS Hawaiʻi): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCB_8FwSm9s

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What does it mean to stay tender-hearted—and even a little wild—while working in modern medicine? Dr. Wendy Lau, an emergency physician and Zen practitioner, shares the GRACE approach (Gather, Recall, Attune, Consider, Engage/End) that helps clinicians meet patients with genuine compassion, even on the busiest shifts. She explains how naming moral residue and moral injury can lift hidden weight off our shoulders and introduces self-stewardship as a practical way to set healthy limits so we can keep serving over the long haul. Along the way, Wendy reflects on community, creativity, and finding hope in the simple truth that everything changes—one breath and one patient at a time.

Resources mentioned

• Upaya Zen Center 
• GRACE Framework – developed by Roshi Joan Halifax
• Cynda Rushton, PhD, RN – research on moral residue and self-stewardship
• The Inner Practice of Medicine – book by Dr. Wendy Lau

If the episode resonates, share it with a friend or send us your reflections—each voice helps broaden our circle of compassionate care.

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What does it mean to be well—not just physically, but emotionally, culturally, and in community?

In this episode, we talk with Saul Ferolus, a Haitian peace seeker, father, husband and community advocate, who shares his lived experience as a Haitian navigating life after the 2010 earthquake, migration, and the challenges of being misunderstood in a new country. His story invites us to consider how well-being is shaped not only by access to care, but by the narratives we tell about each other.

We explore how the effects of othering—especially through fear-based media portrayals—can undermine health at both individual and collective levels. And we reflect on what it means to belong, to be seen with dignity, and to stay connected to community, even across distance and disruption.

This is a conversation about resilience, relational health, and the quiet power of being held in community. Lepspwa fe viv! Hope gives life!

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What does it mean to lead with compassion in global health—and why does it matter now more than ever?

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Shams Syed to explore how compassion, partnership, and service are not just values—but strategies for systems change. From his early work designing bi-directional hospital partnerships across continents to his reflections on faith, identity, and burnout, Shams shares hard-won insights from decades of work in the field.

We talk about:

• Reimagining quality improvement through a human-centered lens
• The role of compassion in leadership, policymaking, and health equity
• What it means to create safe systems for transformation
• How faith, curiosity, and lived experience shape global health work
• The difference between empathy and compassion—and why action matters

Alongside co-hosts Dr. Ashley Ono and Dr. Lopa Basu, this conversation weaves the technical with the spiritual, exploring how love, service, and deep listening can shift not just outcomes—but the very way we move through the world.

 "Improvement cycles are driven by an engine—and that’s the engine of the heart." — Dr. Shams Syed

Resources & Mentions:

• WHO’s Global Compassion Rounds
• Dr. Rana Awdish, In Shock
• Rumi quote: “Listen with ears of tolerance…”
• The compassion equation: awareness → empathy → action

 Tune in and subscribe to Inspire Global Radio for more conversations that explore healing, leadership, and the courage to care.