The Ripple Effect with Jenna Kim Jones

What happens when medicine stops asking people to come to it—and starts showing up instead? In this episode of The Ripple Effect, Jenna Kim Jones dives into the Los Angeles Barbershop Blood Pressure Study, an innovative program from Cedars-Sinai built on one essential ingredient: trust.

Cardiologist Dr. Natalie Bello, barber Eric Muhammad, and study participant Marcus Byrd share how a familiar, trusted space became the setting for honest conversations about health, fear, and survival. Together, they unpack why Black men are disproportionately affected by untreated high blood pressure, how pharmacists embedded in barbershops changed outcomes, and what happens when care feels personal instead of clinical.

This conversation isn’t just about better health results—it’s about what becomes possible when communities are respected, listened to, and empowered to lead.

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After a shooting at an LDS church in Michigan, Dave started a fundraiser not for the most visible victims—but for the shooter’s family.  In this episode of The Ripple Effect, Jenna Kim Jones explores what happens when compassion leads instead. What began as a quiet, almost uncomfortable idea turned into a powerful moment of generosity and grace. This conversation looks at faith, forgiveness, and the surprising ways kindness can cut through even the darkest moments.

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What if the thing standing between someone and a fuller life was simply the ability to get up and move when they want to? To go where they want to go? In this episode of The Ripple Effect, Jenna Kim Jones sits down with Nuka Hart, CEO of Free Wheelchair Mission, to talk about the power of movement, dignity, and being seen. From rugged wheelchairs designed for dirt roads to the quiet moments that happen when someone can finally sit up and roll outside, this conversation reminds us that freedom doesn’t have to be flashy—it just has to work.

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In this episode of The Ripple Effect, Jenna Kim Jones dives into Cougs Care—a program that turns football tailgates into service projects. Football season usually means rivalries, trash talk, and a lot of yelling. But BYU Alumni leaders Michael Johanson and Kim Marsh share how fans across the country are collecting food, coats, shoes, and books before kickoff, transforming competition into community. From a massive book drive in Texas to unexpected friendships between rival fan bases, this conversation proves that kindness travels just as well as a football team.

Find out more and make your own ripple from BYU’s Cougs Care.

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In this episode of The Ripple Effect, Jenna Kim Jones explores how one woman connected the dots between overflowing dumpsters and empty dinner tables. Jasmine shares her journey from making meals out of her own kitchen to founding Goodr—a company that recognizes that hunger and food scarcity isn’t really about not having enough food. It’s about waste, and it’s fixable RIGHT NOW. Along the way, they dig into dignity, choice, climate impact, and why solving big problems sometimes starts with a very small sandwich.

Find out more and make your own ripple at Goodr.co.

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Forget Funyuns and Diet Coke—these bright red vending machines vend kindness and hope. What if you could change someone's life across the world by buying a goat, a beehive, or a backpack — from a vending machine? In this episode of The Ripple Effect, Jenna Kim Jones explores the Light the World Giving Machines—vending machines that do all of that and more. Karl Cheney explains how these small-but-mighty machines now appear in 126 cities across 21 countries, and volunteers Steve and Fran Lowder, share the remarkable stories behind them.

These aren’t vending machines—they’re ripple machines.

Find out more and make your own Ripple at GivingMachines.org.

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What happens when life truly falls apart—trees down, homes flooded, whole neighborhoods wiped out? In this episode of The Ripple Effect, Jenna Kim Jones meets the people who run toward the chaos: Team Rubicon. VP of Operations Jeff Byard pulls back the curtain on how this veteran-led volunteer force mobilizes after hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, and floods. Then Operations Associate Jen Nieder shares what really happens when the “Greyshirts” roll in—mucking out homes, clearing debris, rebuilding roofs, and somehow finding laughter in the mud. It turns out that even in disaster zones, kindness shows up wearing a headlamp—and the ripples are enormous.

Find out more and make your own ripple at TeamRubiconUSA.org.

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One hotel room. One forgotten bar of soap. One world-changing idea. In the first inaugural episode of The Ripple Effect, comedian Jenna Kim Jones sits down with Clean the World founder Shawn Seipler to unpack the incredible true story of how recycled hotel soap grew from a garage experiment into a global life-saving mission. 

Find out more and make your own ripple at CleanTheWorld.org.

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Ripple Effect is your bi-weekly reminder that HEY! It’s not all bad out there! Hosted by comedian Jenna Kim Jones, the show spotlights true stories of everyday people turning simple ideas into serious help—a neighbor rebuilding after disaster, a kid launching a community project, volunteers transforming a moment into a movement. Expect laughs, a few tears, and one clear, doable action you can take after every episode. If you’re looking for proof that goodness still works—and practical ways to pass it on. Hit follow and start your own ripple. Let’s make some waves, together.

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