The Conversationalist Podcast

How can we combine creativity and activism? 

In this episode of The Conversationalist Podcast, The Conversationalist Founder and CEO Sophie Beren sits down with Anya Dillard, a Gen Z activist, philanthropist, performing artist, entrepreneur, content creator, and aspiring filmmaker. She is also the Founder of The Next Gen Come Up—an organization that encourages youth to explore activism, pursue community service, and raise awareness through creativity. Anya shares some great tactics for navigating difficult conversations, as well as how to get started as a changemaker.

Best known for co-organizing the largest civil rights protest and the first-ever Juneteenth Celebration in her town’s history, Anya has been practicing activism since she was five years old. She has been featured in The Washington Post, Elle, Seventeen, and Glamour Magazine for her extensive human rights and philanthropic work. 

Here at The Conversationalist, we’re on a mission to amplify 1,000,000 Gen Z’er’s voices and unify the world, one conversation at a time. On each episode of The Conversationalist Podcast, The Conversationalist Founder and CEO Sophie Beren interviews activists, entrepreneurs, and game-changers from the TC community as well as experts and thought leaders who are at the forefront of social change. Each conversation invites guests to share their story, their perspectives, and the obstacles they’ve overcome to get to where they are today. Sophie is here to help break open your echo chamber so that you can unify your world.

Now, we want to hear from you! How are you using your voice for good? Join The Conversationalist Community on the Geneva app. You’ll be able to make new friends, find new opportunities, and have 24/7 conversations about anything under the sun that matters to YOU! Come and introduce yourself, break the ice, share your hot takes, and so much more. Want to be chosen as our featured hot take on our next podcast? Make sure you’re in our community and sharing your thoughts in our hot takes room.

Follow The Conversationalist on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok and subscribe to our Youtube Channel to stay up to date on all things Gen Z. Let’s unify the world together!

Listen to The Conversationalist Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Audible, Spotify, and more. View the episode transcription here. For a full recap of our podcasts and to access more info on our guests, check out our blog. We’ll see you next week.

How can we use our skills for “good”?  

In this episode of The Conversationalist Podcast, The Conversationalist Founder and CEO Sophie Beren sits down with Dale Wilkinson, a social entrepreneur and founder of goodgigs, a platform to connect mission-driven companies with professionals who want to use their skills for good. Dale also hosts the GoodMakers podcast. He shares tips on how to get started in the social impact space, as well as how to navigate difficult conversations in your personal and professional life.

Dale was living in Australia and working at News Corp when he read “A New Earth” by Eckhart Tolle. The book made Dale question his direction in life, eventually leading him to quit his job and hop on a one-way flight to Vietnam to volunteer and build homes for the homeless. Dale admits it was extreme, but when he returned, he was inspired to follow his passion for creative enterprise and eventually founded goodgigs to help others find opportunities to create social change and have a positive impact on the world. 

Here at The Conversationalist, we’re on a mission to amplify 1,000,000 Gen Z’er’s voices and unify the world, one conversation at a time. On each episode of The Conversationalist Podcast, The Conversationalist Founder and CEO Sophie Beren interviews activists, entrepreneurs, and game-changers from the TC community as well as experts and thought leaders who are at the forefront of social change. Each conversation invites guests to share their story, their perspectives, and the obstacles they’ve overcome to get to where they are today. Sophie is here to help break open your echo chamber so that you can unify your world.

Now, we want to hear from you! How are you using your voice for good? Join The Conversationalist Community on the Geneva app. You’ll be able to make new friends, find new opportunities, and have 24/7 conversations about anything under the sun that matters to YOU! Come and introduce yourself, break the ice, share your hot takes, and so much more. Want to be chosen as our featured hot take on our next podcast? Make sure you’re in our community and sharing your thoughts in our hot takes room.

Follow The Conversationalist on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok and subscribe to our Youtube Channel to stay up to date on all things Gen Z. Let’s unify the world together!

Listen to The Conversationalist Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Audible, Spotify, and more. View the episode transcription here. For a full recap of our podcasts and to access more info on our guests, check out our blog. We'll see you next week.

What is it like to run a business out of your bedroom? 

In this episode of The Conversationalist Podcast, Sophie sits down with Erifili Gounari, a 21-year-old social media marketer from Athens, Greece. In a conversation that spans a variety of Gen Z topics, including using social media mindfully and how to start conversations that matter, Erfilli describes her unique experience as an entrepreneur in Greece. She offers valuable advice for how to build on your product as a young entrepreneur.

Erifili is currently based in Glasgow and has worked on the social media and digital strategies of organizations such as the European Parliament, the Uffizi Museum, the Greek Government, and several startups across various sectors globally. She has a proven track record of helping clients achieve impressive results by optimizing their social media, translating their vision into modern, innovative content. Hoping to bridge the marketing gap between businesses and Gen Z, she launched The Z Link. 

Here at The Conversationalist, we’re on a mission to amplify 1,000,000 Gen Z'ers voices and unify the world, one conversation at a time. On each episode of The Conversationalist Podcast, The Conversationalist Founder and CEO Sophie Beren interviews activists, entrepreneurs, and game-changers from the TC community and experts and thought leaders who are at the forefront of social change. Each conversation invites guests to share their story, their perspectives, and the obstacles they’ve overcome to get to where they are today. Sophie is here to help break open your echo chamber so that you can unify your world.

Now, we want to hear from you! How are you using your voice for good? Join The Conversationalist Community on the Geneva app. You’ll be able to make new friends, find new opportunities, and have 24/7 conversations about anything under the sun that matters to YOU! Come and introduce yourself, break the ice, share your hot takes, and so much more. Want to be chosen as our featured hot take on our next podcast? Make sure you’re in our community and sharing your thoughts in our hot takes room.

Follow The Conversationalist on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok and subscribe to our Youtube Channel to stay up to date on all things Gen Z. Let’s unify the world together!

Listen to The Conversationalist Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Audible, Spotify, and more. View the episode transcription here. For a full recap of our podcasts and more info on our guests, check out our blog. We'll see you next week.

How can we eliminate period poverty and bridge gaps in menstrual education? 

In this episode of The Conversationalist Podcast, The Conversationalist Founder and CEO Sophie Beren sits down with menstrual equity advocate Ameer Abdul. As the National Campaign Manager at Period, a youth-led nonprofit striving to de-stigmatize menstruation and end period poverty, Ameer discusses his experience as a male in the menstrual equity space and how he raises awareness about period poverty across the country. He also shares advice on how to fight against menstruation stigmas and create change in how it is spoken about in modern society.

Ameer Abdul graduated from Ohio State as a biology major and pre-med student. He co-founded the Ohio State chapter of Period and successfully pressured the school into supplying each bathroom on campus with free menstrual products. He has also publicly advocated for the end of the “pink tax” in Ohio. 

Here at The Conversationalist, we’re on a mission to amplify 1,000,000 Gen Z’er’s voices and unify the world, one conversation at a time. On each episode of The Conversationalist Podcast, The Conversationalist Founder and CEO Sophie Beren interviews activists, entrepreneurs, and game-changers from the TC community as well as experts and thought leaders who are at the forefront of social change. Each conversation invites guests to share their story, their perspectives, and the obstacles they’ve overcome to get to where they are today. Sophie is here to help break open your echo chamber so that you can unify your world.

Now, we want to hear from you! How are you using your voice for good? Join The Conversationalist Community on the Geneva app. You’ll be able to make new friends, find new opportunities, and have 24/7 conversations about anything under the sun that matters to YOU! Come and introduce yourself, break the ice, share your hot takes, and so much more. Want to be chosen as our featured hot take on our next podcast? Make sure you’re in our community and sharing your thoughts in our hot takes room.

Follow The Conversationalist on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok and subscribe to our Youtube Channel to stay up to date on all things Gen Z. Let’s unify the world together!

Listen to The Conversationalist Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Audible, Spotify, and more. View the episode transcription here. For a full recap of our podcasts and to access more info on our guests, check out our blog. We'll see you next week.

How can we create a world for people to be unapologetically themselves?

In this episode of the Conversationalist podcast, TC Founder and CEO Sophie Beren sits down with Tiffany Yu, the CEO & Founder of Diversability, an award-winning social enterprise to amplify disabled voices. She talks about her work as an advocate and the accident that left her disabled at just 9 years old. She also shares how vocalizing the story around her disability led her to feel liberated and how she’s navigating her identity as an Asian-American woman during this time.

Tiffany is also the Founder of the Awesome Foundation Disability Chapter, a monthly micro-grant and independent chapter of the Awesome Foundation that has awarded $47.5k to 48 disability projects in 8 countries and the host of the podcast TIFFANY & YU. She also serves on the San Francisco Mayor's Disability Council.

Here at The Conversationalist, we’re on a mission to amplify 1,000,000 Gen Z’er’s voices and unify the world, one conversation at a time. On each episode of The Conversationalist Podcast, The Conversationalist Founder and CEO Sophie Beren interviews activists, entrepreneurs, and game-changers from the TC community as well as experts and thought leaders who are at the forefront of social change. Each conversation invites guests to share their story, their perspectives, and the obstacles they’ve overcome to get to where they are today. Sophie is here to help break open your echo chamber so that you can unify your world.

Now, we want to hear from you! How are you using your voice for good? Join The Conversationalist Community on the Geneva app. You’ll be able to make new friends, find new opportunities, and have 24/7 conversations about anything under the sun that matters to YOU! Come and introduce yourself, break the ice, share your hot takes, and so much more. Want to be chosen as our featured hot take on our next podcast? Make sure you’re in our community and sharing your thoughts in our hot takes room.

Follow The Conversationalist on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok and subscribe to our Youtube Channel to stay up to date on all things Gen Z. Let’s unify the world together!

Listen to The Conversationalist Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Audible, Spotify, and more. View the episode transcription here. For a full recap of our podcasts and to access more info on our guests, check out our blog. We'll see you next week.

How can we have effective conversations with people with whom we disagree? 

In this episode of the Conversationalist podcast, TC Founder and CEO Sophie Beren sits down with Zahier Turner, a college student and activist who is passionate about having conversations that break open his echo chamber. Zahier opens up about his journey as a Black conservative and the struggles he experienced moving from one end of the political spectrum to another. His journey offers an important reminder that it’s important to normalize changing our opinions as we explore different ideologies and how we should all do our best to listen and be open to multiple points of view.

Zahier is a 21-year-old studying at Savannah College of Art and Design. He’s a natural-born creative with a passion for art in almost any form, including drawing, acting, singing, fashion, screenwriting, and more.  He is the media director for BLEXIT, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing urban and minority communities.

Here at The Conversationalist, we’re on a mission to amplify 1,000,000 Gen Z'ers voices and unify the world, one conversation at a time. On each episode of The Conversationalist Podcast, The Conversationalist Founder and CEO Sophie Beren interviews activists, entrepreneurs, and game-changers from the TC community as well as experts and thought leaders who are at the forefront of social change. Each conversation invites guests to share their story, their perspectives, and the obstacles they’ve overcome to get to where they are today. Sophie is here to help break open your echo chamber so that you can unify your world.

Now, we want to hear from you! How are you using your voice for good? Join The Conversationalist Community on the Geneva app. You’ll be able to make new friends, find new opportunities, and have 24/7 conversations about anything under the sun that matters to YOU! Come and introduce yourself, break the ice, share your hot takes, and so much more. Want to be chosen as our featured hot take on our next podcast? Make sure you’re in our community and sharing your thoughts in our hot takes room.

Follow The Conversationalist on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok and subscribe to our Youtube Channel to stay up to date on all things Gen Z. Let’s unify the world together!

Listen to The Conversationalist Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Audible, Spotify, and more. View the episode transcription here. For a full recap of our podcasts and to access more info on our guests, check out our blog. We’ll see you next week.

How can we listen, learn and grow throughout every phase of life? 

In this episode of the Conversationalist podcast, TC Founder and CEO Sophie Beren sits down with Alexandra Cohen, a high school senior from LA. She shares her experience as one of the only Jewish students in her Catholic high school. She and Sophie also talk about the similarities they share at different stages of life and how being one of the only Jewish students in high school led them to feel more connected to their Jewish identities. 

Alexandra uses her voice in written advocacy and has been published in numerous publications, including the Los Angeles Times. She has also served as a member of the California Youth Supreme Court and was selected to represent California in the National Judicial Competition. She gives back to her community through her involvement with the Harold Robinson Foundation and Six Feet Supplies. 

Here at The Conversationalist, we’re on a mission to amplify 1,000,000 Gen Z'ers voices and unify the world, one conversation at a time. On each episode of The Conversationalist Podcast, The Conversationalist Founder and CEO Sophie Beren interviews activists, entrepreneurs, and game-changers from the TC community as well as experts and thought leaders who are at the forefront of social change. Each conversation invites guests to share their story, their perspectives, and the obstacles they’ve overcome to get to where they are today. Sophie is here to help break open your echo chamber so that you can unify your world.

Now, we want to hear from you! How are you using your voice for good? Join The Conversationalist Community on the Geneva app. You’ll be able to make new friends, find new opportunities, and have 24/7 conversations about anything under the sun that matters to YOU! Come and introduce yourself, break the ice, share your hot takes, and so much more. Want to be chosen as our featured hot take on our next podcast? Make sure you’re in our community and sharing your thoughts in our hot takes room.

Follow The Conversationalist on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok and subscribe to our Youtube Channel to stay up to date on all things Gen Z. Let’s unify the world together!

Listen to The Conversationalist Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Audible, Spotify, and more. View the episode transcription here. For a full recap of our podcasts and to access more info on our guests, check out our blog. We’ll see you next week.

How can we use entrepreneurship to advocate for causes that matter? 

In this episode of the Conversationalist podcast, TC Founder and CEO Sophie Beren sits down with Peiman Raf and Mason Spector, the co-founders of Madhappy, an optimistic lifestyle and clothing brand focused on positivity and mental health. Peiman and Mason share the personal and professional story behind their company and how they built Madhappy into a massive success. They also share how through leading with kindness, building strong support systems, and leaning into hard conversations about mental health, we can create a more optimistic world.

Peiman was born to Iranian immigrants in Italy and moved to America at a young age. Before launching Madhappy in 2017, Peiman worked as an investment banker in New York for several months after graduating college but found a new path after creating Madhappy with his friends.

Mason has dedicated his career to bringing awareness to mental health and initiating conversations on various platforms. After struggling with addiction in his youth, Mason is now over two years sober and an advocate in the addiction recovery community.

Here at The Conversationalist, we’re on a mission to amplify 1,000,000 Gen Z'ers voices and unify the world, one conversation at a time. On each episode of The Conversationalist Podcast, The Conversationalist Founder and CEO Sophie Beren interviews activists, entrepreneurs, and game-changers from the TC community as well as experts and thought leaders who are at the forefront of social change. Each conversation invites guests to share their story, their perspectives, and the obstacles they’ve overcome to get to where they are today. Sophie is here to help break open your echo chamber so that you can unify your world.

Now, we want to hear from you! How are you using your voice for good? Join The Conversationalist Community on the Geneva app. You’ll be able to make new friends, find new opportunities, and have 24/7 conversations about anything under the sun that matters to YOU! Come and introduce yourself, break the ice, share your hot takes, and so much more. Want to be chosen as our featured hot take on our next podcast? Make sure you’re in our community and sharing your thoughts in our hot takes room.

Listen to The Conversationalist Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Audible, Spotify, and more. View the episode transcription here. For a full recap of our podcasts and to access more info on our guests, check out our blog. We’ll see you next week.

What is it like to put yourself out there on reality TV? 

In this episode of the Conversationalist podcast, TC Founder and CEO Sophie Beren sits down with Tammy Kay Ly, who you might recognize from Season 24 of The Bachelor. Tammy shares her experience as an Asian-American in what she calls "a caucasian dominant world" both on and off camera and offers insight on moving beyond the boxes society places us in. She also talks about becoming a better ally and navigating noise and hatred on social media.

Tammy Kay Ly is a New York-based multi-hyphenate, TV personality, and real estate investor. She uses her platform to share lifestyle and career content, talk about breaking glass ceilings for minorities, women, and millennials, and connect with her followers worldwide. 

Here at The Conversationalist, we’re on a mission to amplify 1,000,000 Gen Z'ers voices and unify the world, one conversation at a time. On each episode of The Conversationalist Podcast, The Conversationalist Founder and CEO Sophie Beren interviews activists, entrepreneurs, and game-changers from the TC community as well as experts and thought leaders who are at the forefront of social change. Each conversation invites guests to share their story, their perspectives, and the obstacles they’ve overcome to get to where they are today. Sophie is here to help break open your echo chamber so that you can unify your world.

Now, we want to hear from you! How are you using your voice for good? Join The Conversationalist Community on the Geneva app. You’ll be able to make new friends, find new opportunities, and have 24/7 conversations about anything under the sun that matters to YOU! Come and introduce yourself, break the ice, share your hot takes, and so much more. Want to be chosen as our featured hot take on our next podcast? Make sure you’re in our community and sharing your thoughts in our hot takes room.

Follow The Conversationalist on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok and subscribe to our Youtube Channel to stay up to date on all things Gen Z. Let’s unify the world together!

Listen to The Conversationalist Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Audible, Spotify, and more. View the episode transcription here. For a full recap of our podcasts and to access more info on our guests, check out our blog. We’ll see you next week.

What does it mean to be a ‘unicorn person?’

In this episode of the Conversationalist podcast, TC Founder and CEO Sophie Beren sits down with Zayn Patel, a podcast host and tech founder who is on a mission to become a unicorn person and impact 1 billion people. Zayn shares his experience breaking out of his social media echo chamber and losing his voice during a life-threatening allergy helped him find his purpose. He also offers advice for channeling gratitude in all areas of your life and why difficult conversations are essential.

Zayn Patel is a 17-year-old host of the podcast Foundations, ConversationaLIST 2020 honoree for healthcare, and a member of TC’s Gen Z Advisory Board. He is a self-proclaimed PBS enthusiast and is currently working on multiple ventures including La Nourriture, Studio Tech, Scholar VR, and UConnect, among other projects. 

Here at The Conversationalist, we’re on a mission to amplify 1,000,000 Gen Z'ers voices and unify the world, one conversation at a time. On each episode of The Conversationalist Podcast, The Conversationalist Founder and CEO Sophie Beren interviews activists, entrepreneurs, and game-changers from the TC community as well as experts and thought leaders who are at the forefront of social change. Each conversation invites guests to share their story, their perspectives, and the obstacles they’ve overcome to get to where they are today. Sophie is here to help break open your echo chamber so that you can unify your world.

Now, we want to hear from you! How are you using your voice for good? Join The Conversationalist Community on the Geneva app. You’ll be able to make new friends, find new opportunities, and have 24/7 conversations about anything under the sun that matters to YOU! Come and introduce yourself, break the ice, share your hot takes, and so much more. Want to be chosen as our featured hot take on our next podcast? Make sure you’re in our community and sharing your thoughts in our hot takes room.

Follow The Conversationalist on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok and subscribe to our Youtube Channel to stay up to date on all things Gen Z. Let’s unify the world together!

Listen to The Conversationalist Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Audible, Spotify, and more. View the episode transcription here. For a full recap of our podcasts and to access more info on our guests, check out our blog. We’ll see you next week.