The Change Maker

This week on the Change Maker: Jennifer Jones and John Cates. Jennifer is the Executive Director and Founder of Apparo Academy, a school devoted to caring for and educating children with special needs. John is the President of Meybohm Real Estate and chairman of the board for Apparo Academy. The three of us discuss how Jennifer was inspired to found the Academy and all the help she got along the way from those who share her mission.       

You can learn more about Apparo Academy at: https://www.apparoacademy.org/

To find more information on this show: https://www.augustapodcasts.com/thechangemaker

Today on The Change Maker: Jay Samit. Jay is an entrepreneur, bestselling author, and serial disruptor. Jay has helped create businesses all over the world and developed ground-breaking technologies with multi-million dollar companies. He talks to us about the secrets of his success, why he wrote his first book “Disrupt You” and how that created a challenge that led to his second book “Future-Proofing You.” 

You can learn more about Jay and order his books on his website: https://jaysamit.com/

To find more information on this show: https://www.augustapodcasts.com/thechangemaker

Today on The Change Maker: Vera Stewart. Vera is a Southern cooking show host, entrepreneur, and mentor in the Augusta community. She discusses the beginnings of her business, food competition appearances, and how she continues to give back to young people teaching them life skills and good manners.

To learn more about Vera, head over to her website: https://www.veryvera.com/

To find more information on this show: https://www.augustapodcasts.com/thechangemaker

Today on The Change Maker: Will Dyer. Will is the Chief Pastor at Augusta First Baptist Church and a fantastic human being. He talks about how we can all find places to agree and disagree with each other about religion and politics and the true goals of faith. Join us for a fascinating conversation that will surprise you.

You can learn more about First Baptist Church of Augusta at https://discoverfbc.org/

To find more information on this show: https://www.augustapodcasts.com/thechangemaker 

Today on The Change Maker: Tom Fishman. Tom is the CEO of Starts With Us, a movement of people dedicated to creating understanding and healing the divides in the United States. He explains his background in the tech fields and the three C’s Starts With Us is built on: Curiosity, Compassion, and Courage.

You can learn more about Starts With Us at https://www.startswith.us/

To find more information on this show: https://www.augustapodcasts.com/thechangemaker 

Today on The Change Maker: Wycliffe Gordon. Wycliffe is a renowned Trombonist and bandleader of multiple groups. He tells us all about how the pandemic gave him a love of staying home, how music can be a healing force in the world, and what’s it been like as a professor at Augusta University.

You can learn more about Wycliffe, his projects, and order CDs at https://wycliffegordon.com/

To find more information on this show: https://www.augustapodcasts.com/thechangemaker

Today on The Change Maker: Perry Smith. Perry is a retired general who served in the United States Air Force for 30 years. A graduate from West Point with a PhD from Columbia, he went on to have multiple leadership positions in government before beginning his writing career with Rules and Tools for Leaders - he would go on to author more books after that.

Smith caught national attention when he became a whistleblower at CNN, speaking against the immorality of their publishing of an inaccurate story about the Vietnam War. He currently lived in Augusta, Georgia, where he has sat on numerous leadership boards and created a ceremony to honor Jimmie Dyess for his heroic actions leading to a posthumous Medal of Honor.

To Find Perry's books: https://www.amazon.com/Perry-M.-Smith/e/B001H9XRX0%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

To find more information on this show: https://www.augustapodcasts.com/thechangemaker

Today on The Change Maker: Tripp Bowden. Tripp is the author of the New York Times best-selling book Freddy and Me and a former Augusta National golf caddie and the first full-time white caddie for the course. Tripp talks about writing, how he go into the game of golf and his history with the game.

You can learn more about Tripp and the books he has written on his website at: http://www.trippbowden.com/

To find more information on this show: https://www.augustapodcasts.com/thechangemaker

Today on the Change Maker: E. Matthew "Whiz" Buckley. Taking his nickname from his military callsign, Whiz is a former, decorated Navy fighter pilot who has recently taken his skillset to the private sector, mentoring businesses and helping to advocate for fellow veterans.

Through his nonprofit, the Top Gun foundation, Whiz advocates for veterans mental health, especially relating to the use of medical psychedelics. On this show, he shares the experience that he claims saved his life and the lives of many others with traumatic brain injuries. His new project, No Fallen Heroes, debuts May 17, 2022 and documents the stories of many whose lives were changed in the same fashion.

To watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zU9bHE5zEQc

To find the books written by E. Matthew "Whiz" Buckley: https://go.topgunoptions.com/book

To Learn More about the Top Gun Fighter Foundation: https://topgunfighterfoundation.org

To find more information on this show: https://www.augustapodcasts.com/thechangemaker

Today on The Change Maker: Michael Shaffer. Michael is the Vice president of Government Relations and Chief Advocacy Officer at Augusta University. Michael has been involved with politics for years serving as Deputy Chief of Staff for such political figures as former Governor Nathan Deal, Representative Charlie Norwood, and Representative Paul Broun.

Michael speaks about how he got involved with politics and gives insight into the current political landscape, bipartisanship, and the 24-hour news media cycle. Michael is also instrumental in the development and the culture of the Georgia Cyber Center and creating a truly unique and welcoming space for the students and trainees there.