The Impact Podcast

Lisette's Story:

Donate here: https://pages.lls.org/voy/nyc/nyc23/lwatters

In November of 2001, around the time of Thanksgiving, my family and I took a trip to Syracuse but quickly returned back home because my younger sister, Caroline, was becoming extremely weak and lethargic. She was taken to the hospital immediately where the doctors found her blood count was dangerously low and the doctor's had to do a bone marrow biopsy. On December 6th 2001, at the age of 2, Caroline was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia, also known as AML.

AML is a very rare type of Leukemia for children, and at the time, those diagnosed with AML only had a 50% chance of surviving the disease. Caroline's best chance of survival was to have a bone marrow transplant, but for a bone marrow transplant to be successful, you have to find a match. The best case scenario in finding a match is a relative, preferably a sibling, but the doctor's felt that I only had a 25% chance of being her match. The doctor's tested our entire family and by a miracle I was Caroline's perfect match. From then, it was still another several months until the transplant took place but on May 16th, 2002 the day had finally come and the transplant was successful. This year, we are celebrating Caroline being 21 Years Cancer Free! ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

​​​​​​​My family and I became highly involved with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in 2011, starting with their Light the Night Campaign, moving to meeting our second family through Team in Training, followed by our involvement with what was previously known as Man Woman of the Year (which is now the Visionaries of the Year Campaign). Even with my involvement in LLS, I knew I wanted to do more. In 2013, I was inspired at 15 years old Man Woman of the Year. During my 10-week campaign, I raised $50,000 for LLS. One of my proudest accomplishments to date. 

Now 10 years later, I am proud to be participating in again The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Visionaries of the Year campaign as a candidate for my team, Lisette Conquers Leukemia, with hopes of surpassing my 2013 fundraising achievement and to continue making an impact for LLS's mission. This year, I have a goal of raising $100,000 in support of Patient Services.

I had the pleasure of meeting Qutaiba Hassoon for the first time in January with my friend Salim. On my first encounter, I knew right away that Qutaiba and his family were something special. They treated me like family despite only meeting me for the first time and I had a heartwarming experience at their restaurant from their kindness. The second time I met Qutaiaba is when I interviewed him on his journey to starting a restaurant in Portland, Maine. If you are ever in the Portland area, you absolutely must go to this restaurant for amazing Iraqi food and the best customer service. Address: 1053 Forest Ave, Portland, ME 04103 (207) 536-1550 https://www.falafeltimeme.com/ Podcast: https://linktr.ee/theimpactpod

8:20 Thank you Chorder for the music
https://instagram.com/chordermadeit?i...

In this special bonus episode for Season 2, I share the commencement speech that I delivered at the class of 2020 Bowdoin Graduation. While graduation was delayed over a year, being able to share fun memories with friends was truly a delight. In my speech called "The Rubber Band Ball of Life" I speak about the many fun and difficult experiences bands that we collectively endure and collect over time, and how crafting our rubber band ball of life until our heart is content, allows us to achieve whatever we might put our minds to.

Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/Q4UeD2TEhGQ?t=1626

Website: theimpactpod.com

Fortuno is comprised of three — Ellis, Eli, and Tobi — whose shared proclivity for warm, nostalgic, ambient melodies has carried them from their hometowns along the East Coast to Los Angeles, where they now reside. The group coalesced in 2018 near the ragged shoreline of southern Maine, where Ellis and Tobi shared a music major, acapella group, and a cover band at a small liberal arts college. Eli, then a USC kid, jazz guitarist and former high school classmate of Ellis’, joined shortly thereafter. By the fall of 2018, the trio had released its first singles, Be/Feel, and began to plot a move to Southern California.

In late 2019, Fortuno appeared across LA at venues including the Roxy, the Peppermint Club, and intimate pop-up shows with Sofar Sounds. At the advent of the pandemic, the group burrowed into its Koreatown studio to produce its debut EP, which is preceded by singles ‘This Life,’ ’Scared,’ and ‘Leaving Here,’ and has been celebrated by Lyrical Lemonade, Dummy Mag, and — not to be forgotten — an enthusiastic biker gang of junior high boys from Westport, CT. “How This Goes” will be released on October 8th of 2021 and promises more clear-headed, tender-hearted moments.

Website: theimpactpod.com

Fortuno on Spotify and Apple Music

In this episode, I spoke with the co-founders of Niofarr, which translates to "We are together" from Wolof. Niofarr is a consulting agency that desires to help small, African-owned businesses to find and scale up their market reach. Through understanding the potential and power of Africa, I spoke with Djamil and Oumou about their future goals and aspirations with their business and the ways they would like to drive impact in this space.

Website: Theimpactpod.com

Instagram: Niofarr 

In this episode, I interviewed Jourden, an amazing friend from Highschool and a talented musical artist who is now signed to MBK Entertainment, the same label that musical artist H.E.R is also a part of. Throughout knowing Jourden, there was an energy that she brought wherever she went, and that was being uniquely different. From her intellectual lyrics to her smooth flow and cadence, Jourden is an artist to definitely be watching out for as her journey is definitely on the rise.

Website: Theimpactpod.com

Youtube: Jourden Cox

Check out Jourden on Apple Music and Spotify as well!

In this episode, I spoke with the co-founder of The Harlem Children Zone and The Institute for Urban Leadership. George took me back to his days at Bowdoin, finding his drive for education, and the ways he drives impact within Education.

Website: theimpactpod.com

For the Season 2 Premiere of The Impact Podcast, I had the honor of speaking with Marvin Anderson, who serves on the Board of Directors for the Innocence Project and was exonerated in December 2001. Marvin spent 15 years of his life in prison for a crime that he did not commit. I spoke with Marvin about his life and the powerful perspective he shares with the Innocence Project along with his message of valuing each day as a blessing.

Website: https://theimpactpod.com

https://innocenceproject.org/cases/marvin-anderson/

For the Season Finale, I had the honor of speaking with the amazing Jacques Slade. I would usually always check out unboxings of sneakers on his Youtube channel for years so it was really a lot of fun just getting the chance to talk to him. From the importance of storytelling to hearing more about some of Jacques' great moments, I learned about the importance of being a self-starter and really pushing yourself to be the master of your own craft, no matter what that might be.