Chinny and Emmett explore PeacePlayers’ core value of Inside Out Transformation with a legend in the Massachusetts basketball scene, Chris Herren. Chris’ story of fame and addiction is well documented in the 30 for 30 documentary, Unguarded, so in today’s conversation with the social justice podcast Play It Forward presented by PeacePlayers, Chris shares valuable advice he received during his road to recovery, and how he approached his recovery like a basketball player would approach their journey to excellence on the court, by putting in the work! We also hear about Emmett’s relationship to Chris, and the important role Chris has played in inspiring athletes and young people across Massachusetts, and beyond!

CONTENT Warning: this conversation explores the ups and the downs of substance abuse and addiction; listener discretion is advised.

To learn more about the work Chris is doing, visit https://chrisherren.com/.

Interested in learning more about PeacePlayers mission to build a more peaceful and equitable world? Visit our website https://peaceplayers.org/playitforwardpodcast/ and check out our social handles.

Twitter: @peaceplayers

Instagram: @peaceplayersintl and @playitforwardpodcast

Facebook: @peaceplayersintl

LinkedIn: PeacePlayers International

YouTube: PeacePlayers

The Play It Forward podcast is produced by:

Chinny Nwagbo

Emmett Shepard

Leif Frymire

The Play It Forward podcast audio engineering and editing

LeBaron Leath

Animation and music created and designed by

LeBaron Leath

Podcast Cover Art by:

Adam Hawkins

Marketing by:

Gabriella Mora

Leif Frymire

It’s here! The trailer for S3 dropped today. New episodes will begin airing on June 13th; that's just two weeks away! While you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, rate and review the show! It helps us reach even more people that need to hear the voices of those working to promote peace and equity in their networks.

Interested in learning more about PeacePlayers mission to build a more peaceful and equitable world? Visit our website https://peaceplayers.org/playitforwardpodcast/ and check out our social handles.

Twitter: @peaceplayers

Instagram: @peaceplayersintl and @playitforwardpodcast

Facebook: @peaceplayersintl

LinkedIn: PeacePlayers International

YouTube: PeacePlayers

The Play It Forward podcast is produced by:

Chinny Nwagbo

Emmett Shepard

Leif Frymire

The Play It Forward podcast audio engineering and editing

LeBaron Leath

Animation and music created and designed by

LeBaron Leath

Podcast Cover Art by:

Adam Hawkins

Marketing by:

Gabriella Mora

Leif Frymire

It’s a Play It Forward special episode!!!

For Black History month, our friends from PeacePlayers United States asked us to help raise awareness on the interconnectedness of Sport, Social Justice, and Civil Rights, especially as it pertains to the messages and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. To do just this, we convened an expert panel of individuals who are all working to build peace and equity in their respective fields. Renata Simril of LA84 and so so so much more; former NBA player, professor at Columbia Law and returning guest Len Elmore; and PeacePlayers United States very own Executive Director, Adam Johnson!

In this special episode of the social justice podcast Play It Forward, you’ll hear from our guests on how they are incorporating Dr. King’s legacy and work into their lives, and advice for overcoming racial and gender barriers. Oh, and you best believe they hit on ALL of PeacePlayers core values: seeing people as people, inside out transformation, and building a culture of collaboration! We hope you enjoy this brilliant conversation as much as we did!

Follow our guests on Twitter!

Renata Simril: @RenataAngeleno

Len Elmore: @LenElmore

Adam Johnson: @adamj24

Interested in learning more about PeacePlayers mission to build a more peaceful and equitable world? Visit our website https://peaceplayers.org/playitforwardpodcast/ and check out our social handles.

Twitter: @peaceplayers

Instagram: @peaceplayersintl and @playitforwardpodcast

Facebook: @peaceplayersintl

LinkedIn: PeacePlayers International

YouTube: PeacePlayers

The Play It Forward podcast is produced by:

Chinny Nwagbo

Emmett Shepard

Leif Frymire

The Play It Forward podcast audio engineering and editing

LeBaron Leath

Animation and music created and designed by

LeBaron Leath

Podcast Cover Art by:

Adam Hawkins

Marketing by:

Gabriella Mora

Sophie Kennedy

Do we have a phenomenal Season 2 finale for you all, today! Our hosts of the social justice podcast Play It Forward presented by PeacePlayers are joined by an incredible trailblazer in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion field; Mr. Omar Brown is the Senior Vice President, People & Culture of the BIG10 Conference. Throughout the episode we hear about Omar’s journey from finance, to human resources and consulting, to the position that he now finds himself in with the BIG10, or as he calls it, HR+. Chinny and Emmett ask Omar the hard questions like what is the BIG10 doing to ensure there is more diversity AND inclusion in the athletic departments across the conference, and surprisingly, you’ll hear how Omar relates diversity and inclusion to Trail Mix. Omar provides some tips and tricks for getting hired, and how we all can be more intentional about our actions and words. You might be tired of hearing us say it, but grab your pencil and a piece of paper, you’ll want to take notes for this one!

Interested in learning more about PeacePlayers mission to build a more peaceful and equitable world? Visit our website https://peaceplayers.org/playitforwardpodcast/ and check out our social handles.

Twitter: @peaceplayers

Instagram: @peaceplayersintl and @playitforwardpodcast

Facebook: @peaceplayersintl

LinkedIn: PeacePlayers International

YouTube: PeacePlayers

The Play It Forward podcast is produced by:

Chinny Nwagbo

Emmett Shepard

Leif Frymire

The Play It Forward podcast audio engineering and editing

LeBaron Leath

Animation and music created and designed by

LeBaron Leath

Podcast Cover Art by:

Adam Hawkins

Marketing by:

Gabriella Mora

Sophie Kennedy

Bailee Rasmussen

Fred Turner, Executive Director of the sport for good organization Beyond Sport, joins the pod from his offices in London, UK to discuss the transformative power of sport to build peace! In today’s conversation of Play it Forward, a social justice podcast, you’ll hear his response to “What message would you slap on a billboard?” and how that is very closely linked to the work that he does with Beyond Sport and his own upbringing. Much of the conversation is focused on the importance of collaboration, and how sport can be utilized to unite, inspire, and educate when used with intent. You’ll also learn more about Beyond Sport’s FREE to use Racial Equity Assessment Tool that was designed to help other organizations and companies better understand how they might be perpetuating racial inequities. The free REAL Tool is a product of Beyond Sports 2020 Collective Impact Award supported by The DICKs Sporting Good Foundation, and was co-designed in partnership with Beyond Sport, PeacePlayers United States, Memphis Inner City Rugby, America SCORES NY and the LA Dodgers Foundation

www.beyondsport.org

Twitter: @BeyondSport

Instagram: beyondsport

Link to Racial Equity Assessment Tool - https://www.beyondsport.org/articles/announcing-a-new-tool-for-us-youth-sport-organizations-to-address-racial-inequity/

Follow Fred on Twitter @FredTSport

Interested in learning more about PeacePlayers mission to build a more peaceful and equitable world? Visit our website https://peaceplayers.org/playitforwardpodcast/ and check out our social handles.

Twitter: @peaceplayers

Instagram: @peaceplayersintl and @playitforwardpodcast

Facebook: @peaceplayersintl

LinkedIn: PeacePlayers International

YouTube: PeacePlayers

The Play It Forward podcast is produced by:

Chinny Nwagbo

Emmett Shepard

Leif Frymire

The Play It Forward podcast audio engineering and editing

LeBaron Leath

Animation and music created and designed by

LeBaron Leath

Podcast Cover Art by:

Adam Hawkins

Marketing by:

Gabriella Mora

Sophie Kennedy

Bailee Rasmussen

Hosts Chinny and Emmett are joined by two powerful leaders in their respective fields of peacebuilding and sports: Karen Doubilet is the Executive Director of PeacePlayers International, and Dr. Sarah Hillyer is the director of the Sport, Peace & Society Center at the University of Tennessee. In today’s episode of Play it Forward, a social justice podcast, we explore their origin stories - how they took two seemingly different paths, but found themselves working to improve the lives of others and build peace through sport. Throughout the conversation themes of confidence, leadership and competition in sports are raised as it relates to not just their personal journeys, but the journeys of millions of girls across the world. Karen speaks to the relationship of competition and retention in sports within PeacePlayers, and Dr. Hillyer addresses and speaks to society at large. This a wonderful conversation that we hope leaves you all feeling as inspired as we are!

Content Warning: Brief discussion of disordered eating. 

For more information on the Center for Sport, Peace & Society visit:

https://sportandpeace.utk.edu/

And follow them on social at:

Instagram @sportandpeaceut

Twitter @SportandPeaceUT

YouTube UT Center for Sport, Peace & Society

Facebook @TheCenterForSportPeaceSociety

Interested in learning more about PeacePlayers mission to build a more peaceful and equitable world? Visit our website https://peaceplayers.org/playitforwardpodcast/ and check out our social handles.

Twitter: @peaceplayers

Instagram: @peaceplayersintl and @playitforwardpodcast

Facebook: @peaceplayersintl

LinkedIn: PeacePlayers International

YouTube: PeacePlayers

The Play It Forward podcast is produced by:

Chinny Nwagbo

Emmett Shepard

Leif Frymire

The Play It Forward podcast audio engineering and editing

LeBaron Leath

Animation and music created and designed by

LeBaron Leath

Podcast Cover Art by:

Adam Hawkins

Marketing by:

Gabriella Mora

Sophie Kennedy

Bailee Rasmussen

Trevor Ringland, joins Chinny and Emmett of Play it Forward, a social justice podcast, to explore how sport can accommodate multiple identities, and provide an alternate route to violence. For those unfamiliar with “The Troubles'' of Northern Ireland this episode is for you. Trevor’s personal history with the conflict, and how he, along with the likes of PeacePlayers and many others, are working to maintain and promote peace in Northern Ireland are at the forefront of this conversation. While there are moments where the conversation strays into some of the darker elements of conflict and violence, the conversation always steers back into the positive power of friendship and sport for those that choose to embrace it!

Follow Trevor on twitter @trevor4change

To learn more about the work PeacePlayers Northern Ireland is doing, visit their social channels:

Twitter: @peaceplayersni

Instagram: @peaceplayers_ni

Interested in learning more about PeacePlayers mission to build a more peaceful and equitable world? Visit our website https://peaceplayers.org/playitforwardpodcast/ and check out our social handles.

Twitter: @peaceplayers

Instagram: @peaceplayersintl and @playitforwardpodcast

Facebook: @peaceplayersintl

LinkedIn: PeacePlayers International

YouTube: PeacePlayers

The Play It Forward podcast is produced by:

Chinny Nwagbo

Emmett Shepard

Leif Frymire

The Play It Forward podcast audio engineering and editing

LeBaron Leath

Animation and music created and designed by

LeBaron Leath

Podcast Cover Art by:

Adam Hawkins

Marketing by:

Gabriella Mora

Sophie Kennedy

Bailee Rasmussen

Ever wonder what the connection between an Academy Award nominated Holiday movie and PeacePlayers’ core values is? Us too! That’s why we’ve brought back the host of the PopViolence Podcast, Tim Rasmussen, to discuss the critically acclaimed 2019 animated film, Klaus. In today’s holiday, bonus episode of Play It Forward, a social justice podcast presented by PeacePlayers, you’ll hear Chinny, Emmett and Tim discuss the animation style, the stereotypes of Christmas and Holiday movies, whether or not Tim thinks the Nightmare Before Christmas is a Christmas movie, AND the systems of violence and oppression that exist within our societies, even during the holiday season.This is a great, light conversation for anyone who enjoys a holiday movie, and also enjoys thinking more critically about the media we consume over the holidays.

Be sure to follow and listen to Tim’s podcast, PopViolence: movie/film reviews that interlace critical perspectives about violence, justice, conflict, and peace! Follow it on instagram @pop.violence

Interested in learning more about PeacePlayers mission of growing a youth-led movement to build a more peaceful and equitable world? Visit our website https://peaceplayers.org/playitforwardpodcast/ and check out our social handles.

Twitter: @peaceplayers

Instagram: @peaceplayersintl and @playitforwardpodcast

Facebook: @peaceplayersintl

LinkedIn: PeacePlayers International

YouTube: PeacePlayers

The Play It Forward podcast is produced by:

Chinny Nwagbo

Emmett Shepard

Leif Frymire

The Play It Forward podcast audio engineering and editing

LeBaron Leath

Animation and music created and designed by

LeBaron Leath

Podcast Cover Art by:

Adam Hawkins

Marketing by:

Gabriella Mora

Sophie Kennedy

Bailee Rasmussen

Batouly ‘Toolyyy’ Camara, Forbes 30 under 30 Sports 2021, sits down (virtually) with Chinny and Emmett of the Play it Forward Podcast to explore the intersectionality between sport and religion, girls in sport, and more! Get that pen and pad out to take notes as this young leader drops so many nuggets of knowledge, it will be tough to keep up. From what drives Batouly to keep pushing the boundaries of sport and culture; her inspiration for starting Women and Kids Empowerment (WAKE); to providing new, exciting and different opportunities for women and kids across the world. We are excited to give her, and the important work WAKE does, a platform. Enjoy!

Follow Batouly on social media,

Instagram: @toolyyy

Twitter: @BatoulyCamara

Learn more about WAKE by visiting https://wake-academy.org/

Women and Kids Empowerment on Facebook and LinkedIn

Instagram: @w_a_k_e_

Twitter: @WomenandKidsEm1

Interested in learning more about PeacePlayers mission to build a more peaceful and equitable world? Visit our website https://peaceplayers.org/playitforwardpodcast/ and check out our social handles.

Twitter: @peaceplayers

Instagram: @peaceplayersintl and @playitforwardpodcast

Facebook: @peaceplayersintl

LinkedIn: PeacePlayers International

YouTube: PeacePlayers

The Play It Forward podcast is produced by:

Chinny Nwagbo

Emmett Shepard

Leif Frymire

The Play It Forward podcast audio engineering and editing

LeBaron Leath

Animation and music created and designed by

LeBaron Leath

Podcast Cover Art by:

Adam Hawkins

Marketing by:

Gabriella Mora

Sophie Kennedy

Bailee Rasmussen

The accomplished and distinguished Don Showalter (@dshow23) joins Chinny and Emmett of the Play it Forward Podcast, a social justice podcast presented by PeacePlayers, to discuss the myriad aspects of coaching basketball at the youth level, from it’s positive benefits to mental and physical health for boys and girls, to some great tips for coaches and parents on what really matters when coaching youth. Don also reflects on the changes he’s seen in the youth coaching realm as young people, and coaches, have become more comfortable talking about their mental health challenges. This conversation could have gone on for hours but we’ve trimmed it down to the essentials, so we hope you like it, and we encourage you to take notes!

Interested in learning more about PeacePlayers mission to build a more peaceful and equitable world? Visit our website https://peaceplayers.org/playitforwardpodcast/ and check out our social handles.

Twitter: @peaceplayers

Instagram: @peaceplayersintl and @playitforwardpodcast

Facebook: @peaceplayersintl

LinkedIn: PeacePlayers International

YouTube: PeacePlayers

The Play It Forward podcast is produced by:

Chinny Nwagbo

Emmett Shepard

Leif Frymire

The Play It Forward podcast audio engineering and editing

LeBaron Leath

Animation and music created and designed by

LeBaron Leath

Podcast Cover Art by:

Adam Hawkins

Marketing by:

Gabriella Mora

Sophie Kennedy

Bailee Rasmussen