In this episode of Purposeful, Ashley Bernardi sits down with Tom Davis, Vice President of Corporate Development and Partnerships at Good360, a nonprofit organization leading the way in product philanthropy.

Good360 helps redirect excess and surplus goods from corporations to nonprofits and communities that need them most, keeping usable products out of landfills and getting essential items into the hands of families, disaster survivors, shelters, schools, and organizations serving vulnerable populations.

Tom shares how Good360 works with major retailers, manufacturers, logistics partners and nonprofit partners to match donated products with real needs on the ground. From disaster relief and hygiene products to school supplies, toys, home goods, and corporate surplus, this conversation explores how everyday items can become powerful tools for dignity, recovery, and hope.

Ashley and Tom also discuss the importance of listening before helping, why disaster response requires coordination, and how corporations, nonprofits, and individuals can all play a role in building smarter, more compassionate systems of giving. In this episode, you'll learn:

• What product philanthropy means

• How Good360 redirects surplus goods to communities in need

• Why listening matters in disaster relief

• How corporate donations can support dignity and recovery

• The hidden impact of excess inventory and returns

• How nonprofits can become Good360 members

• Ways individuals and companies can get involved

• The future of circularity, social impact, and responsible giving

Learn more about Good360:https://good360.org

Learn more about Nardi Media:https://www.nardimedia.com

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In this episode of Purposeful, Ashley Bernardi sits down with Casey Erin Clark and Julie Fogh, co-founders of Vital Voice Training, to explore the power of voice, authentic communication, and what it really means to show up as yourself in leadership.

Casey and Julie help leaders, executives, entrepreneurs, authors, TEDx speakers, and organizations communicate with more confidence, presence, authenticity, and connection. Drawing from their backgrounds in professional theater, voice coaching, leadership development, and public speaking, they challenge the outdated idea that leaders need to sound a certain way in order to be taken seriously.

Together, Ashley, Casey, and Julie discuss why communication is not about perfection or performance. It is about humanity, embodiment, trust, and genuine connection.In this conversation, they explore:

• How to find and trust your authentic voice

• Why women’s voices are often scrutinized in leadership spaces

• The communication barriers that keep people from speaking up

• How theater and voice training can help leaders communicate with more presence

• Why “just be confident” is not helpful advice

• The role of voice, embodiment, and connection in public speaking

• Why human communication matters even more in the age of AI

• How leaders can create safer environments for people to use their full voice

• Why authenticity is not the opposite of intentionality

• What it means to lead, speak, and communicate as your real self

This episode is a powerful conversation for leaders, communicators, founders, speakers, and anyone who wants to speak with more clarity, courage, and connection.

Learn more about Vital Voice Training at vitalvoicetraining.com.

In this moving episode of Purposeful, Ashley Bernardi sits down with Camille Fortunato, mother, advocate, and founder of The Anthony Filippazzo Grant for Williams Syndrome Research, to share her family’s journey with Williams syndrome and the mission that grew from it.

When Camille’s son, Anthony, was born, doctors immediately knew something was wrong. After years of medical complications, uncertainty, and searching for answers, Anthony was diagnosed with Williams syndrome, a rare genetic condition that can affect development, learning, cardiovascular health, and multiple organ systems.

Camille shares what those early years were like, how her family found community after diagnosis, and why she turned pain into purpose through advocacy, awareness, and medical research. In this conversation, Ashley and Camille discuss:

• Anthony’s diagnosis journey

• What Williams syndrome is and why awareness matters

• The emotional reality of navigating a rare disease as a family

• The importance of community and connection

• The need for more research into Williams syndrome and cardiac complications

• How The Anthony Filippazzo Grant for Williams Syndrome Research is helping fund meaningful progress

• The joy, empathy, love, and humanity often found within the Williams syndrome community

This episode is a powerful reminder that awareness is more than information. It is connection, advocacy, and hope.

Learn more about The Anthony Filippazzo Grant for Williams Syndrome Research at wsresearch.org.

Subscribe to Purposeful for more conversations with mission-driven leaders using their voices, platforms, and stories to create meaningful change.

In this deeply moving episode of Purposeful, Ashley Bernardi sits down with Karen Worcester, Executive Director of Wreaths Across America, to discuss the organization’s powerful mission to remember the fallen, honor those who serve, and teach the next generation the value of freedom.

Karen shares the origin story of Wreaths Across America, from one family’s simple act of remembrance at Arlington National Cemetery, to a national, year-round movement led by volunteers across the country.

Ashley also shares her personal connection as a Gold Star daughter, reflecting on how Wreaths Across America helps her honor her father’s legacy and teach her children about service, sacrifice, and remembrance. Together, Ashley and Karen explore:

• The story behind Wreaths Across America

• Why saying the names of fallen service members matters

• The role of volunteers in carrying the mission forward

• How the organization teaches children about service, civics, and freedom

• Why remembrance is about individual stories, not just symbolic acts

• How families, schools, veterans, and communities can get involved year-round

This conversation is a heartfelt reminder that remembrance is not limited to one day. It is something we carry forward through stories, service, education, and community.

Learn more about Wreaths Across America and how to get involved at WreathsAcrossAmerica.org.

Subscribe to Purposeful for more conversations with mission-driven leaders using their voices, platforms, and leadership to make a meaningful impact.

What if kindness isn’t a soft skill… but one of the most powerful leadership tools we have? In this episode of the Purposeful Podcast, Ashley Bernardi sits down with Ian Sandler, co-chair of Riley’s Way, a national nonprofit dedicated to empowering young leaders to create meaningful change through kindness, empathy, and connection.

Ian’s journey is deeply personal. After the sudden loss of his daughter Riley at just nine years old, he and his family chose to honor her legacy by building something that would impact generations to come.

What began in a hospital room has grown into a national movement, equipping young people with the tools, resources, and support to lead with purpose. This conversation goes beyond grief.It’s about redefining leadership. It’s about empowering the next generation. And it’s about recognizing that kindness, empathy, and emotional intelligence are not optional—they are essential in today’s world.

A central truth from this episode: Kindness isn’t passive. It’s an active, strategic force for real change. What You’ll Learn:

- Why kindness is a powerful (and overlooked) leadership skill

- How Riley’s Way is empowering the next generation of change-makers

- The importance of emotional intelligence in a world driven by AI

- How young people are already creating meaningful impact

- Why leadership needs to shift from authority to service- How to get involved and support the movement

What if animal welfare isn’t just about animals… but about people too? In this episode of the Purposeful Podcast, Ashley Bernardi sits down with Stella Hanly, CEO of the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria, to explore how the field of animal welfare is evolving from shelter-based services to a more holistic, community-centered model.

Stella’s journey from corporate consulting to nonprofit leadership is rooted in a desire to create meaningful impact. Today, she leads an organization that is redefining what it means to support animals by also supporting the people who care for them.Because one truth is becoming increasingly clear: Where there’s an animal in need, there’s often a human in need too.

In this conversation, we explore how removing judgment, increasing access to resources, and strengthening community partnerships can keep families and pets together—and why that matters more than ever.

A central truth from this episode: Animal welfare is not just about rescue. It’s about prevention, support, and strengthening the communities that care for both people and pets.

What You’ll Learn:

- Why animal welfare is shifting toward a community-centered model

- The connection between housing, economic hardship, and pet surrender

- How removing judgment helps families seek support earlier

- Why pets are essential to human well-being, not a luxury

- How local partnerships expand impact across communities

- What “more than a shelter” really means in practice

- How you can support animal welfare in your own community

Learn more or support:https://alexandriaanimals.org

What if the most powerful thing you could do right now… is pause?In this episode of the Purposeful Podcast, Ashley Bernardi sits down with keynote speaker, TEDx presenter, and author Effie Santos to explore the transformative role of pausing in leadership, decision-making, and personal growth.

Effie’s story is deeply personal.After the devastating loss of her 19-year-old daughter, Maddie, she chose to turn grief into purpose by founding Maddie’s Movement—an organization that supports teens and young adults aging out of foster care with the tools, community, and confidence to build independent, thriving lives.

But this conversation goes beyond grief.It’s about how we lead.It’s about how we respond to uncertainty.And it’s about learning to create space for clarity, courage, and intentional action—especially in life’s most difficult moments.

A central truth from this episode:Confidence doesn’t come before action. Courage does. And often, it begins with the decision to pause.🎧

What You’ll Learn:

-What it really means to pause and why it’s not about doing nothing

- How to turn pain into purpose in a meaningful, lasting way

- Why courage comes before confidence in leadership

- How pausing creates clarity in high-pressure environments

- Why constant action can limit effective decision-making

- How Maddie’s Movement is creating real impact for young adultsLearn

More About Effie Santos:

Website: https://effiesantos.com

Maddie’s Movement: https://maddiesmovement.org

Welcome to the Purposeful Podcast. Purposeful is a podcast by Nardi Media, created to amplify the voices of leaders, advocates, and changemakers who are uplifting the world through courage, service, and truth.

In this episode, host Ashley Bernardi, Founder and CEO of Nardi Media, sits down with Jeeyun (Jee) Lee, CEO of Maui United Way, to discuss the devastating flooding currently impacting communities across Hawaii.

This conversation is deeply personal. Ashley’s own family is directly affected, and what is unfolding on the ground has not yet received the level of national attention it deserves.Historic flooding has swept across parts of the Hawaiian islands, destroying homes, disrupting supply chains, and leaving families without access to basic necessities like food, fuel, and shelter.

Communities on islands like Maui and Molokai are facing urgent challenges while navigating limited infrastructure, delayed federal aid, and the realities of island life.In this episode, Jeeyun (Jee) Lee, shares what is truly happening right now, the immediate needs facing families, and how organizations like Maui United Way are working to support recovery efforts in real time.

This is more than a conversation. It is a call to awareness, compassion, and action. A central truth from this episode:In times of crisis, the most effective support is not always more “things.” It is the right resources, delivered at the right time, through trusted community networks.

What You’ll Learn:

-What is happening right now on the ground in Hawaii following the floods

- The real challenges island communities face during disaster recovery

-Why FEMA aid delays are impacting immediate relief efforts

-The most urgent needs families are facing today

- Why financial support is more effective than physical donations

-How Maui United Way is coordinating community-led recovery

- How you can make a meaningful impact from anywhere

Welcome to the Purposeful Podcast!Purposeful is a podcast by Nardi Media, created to amplify the voices of leaders, advocates, and changemakers who are uplifting the world through courage, service, and truth.In this episode, host Ashley Bernardi, Founder and CEO of Nardi Media, sits down with Dorothy “Doro” Bush Koch, daughter of the 41st President of the United States, George H.W. Bush, and former First Lady Barbara Bush, who devoted much of her life to championing literacy in America.Barbara Bush believed that literacy is one of the most powerful tools for opportunity, saying that if we could solve literacy in America, we could address many of the challenges facing our society, from poverty to educational inequality.Today, that mission continues through the work of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, where Doro Bush Koch plays an important role in carrying forward her mother’s legacy.In this conversation, Ashley and Doro explore the power of reading within families, the importance of early literacy, and why helping both parents and children develop literacy skills can transform entire communities.From personal stories of growing up in a home filled with books to practical advice for parents raising children in a screen-driven world, this episode highlights how reading can shape confidence, curiosity, and opportunity for generations.A central truth from this episode:When families read together, they don’t just build literacy, they build connection, confidence, and opportunity for the future.

What You’ll Learn:

- Why literacy is one of the most powerful drivers of opportunity in society

- The role Barbara Bush played in elevating family literacy across America

- Why parents learning to read alongside their children changes entire families

- The current literacy challenges facing children and adults in the United States

- How parents can encourage a love of reading, even in a screen-filled world

- Practical ways families can make reading joyful and part of everyday life

- Why it’s never too late to start reading together

Welcome to the Purposeful Podcast.In this episode, Ashley Bernardi, CEO of Nardi Media, reflects on the power of storytelling, resilience, kindness, and personal growth in shaping both our inner world and our communities.At the heart of this conversation is the recent Walk for Peace, a 2,300-mile journey led by Buddhist monks, completed over 109 days to spread nonviolence, mindfulness, and hope. Their message was simple but profound: peace is not achieved in leaps, it is cultivated through small, consistent actions.This episode explores:- Why storytelling is essential in building hope and community

- How resilience is strengthened through daily practice- The role of mindfulness and meditation in personal growth

- Why kindness—especially self-kindness—is foundational to leadership

- How small steps toward peace can create powerful ripplesAs Ashley shares, “Peace begins within.” And, “Stories are how we build hope.”If you’re searching for:How to find inner peaceHow to practice mindfulness in difficult timesHow to build resilience and hopeThe power of storytelling in leadershipWays to create change through small actionsThis episode offers practical reflection and encouragement.