Time, place, access to resources—factors which are out out of our control when we are born. Determination, grit, resilience—characteristics we develop along our journey to generate opportunities for ourselves and others. This culmination makes us who we are, who we become. But it’s not that simple.

This week’s guest was a pivotal player, serving infamous drug cartels in both Texas and Honduras. This was his way of life. Until one day, when he found himself heading in a downward spiral, and clearly heard one single voice above the rest.

Twentyfour the People is hosted by Sophia Sokolowski. This episode was recorded in Honduras.

John Bargh is a psychology professor at Yale University and author of the book Before You Know It: The Unconscious Reasons We Do What We Do (2017). A couple years ago, he and his team performed an experiment to turn conservatives into liberals—at least, temporarily. And they succeeded. John discusses how their results illuminate the depth of our political divisions and how fear factors play a pivotal role.

Twentyfour the People is hosted by Sophia Sokolowski.

Family, friends, passions, work, religion. All factors that culminate and define who we are as individuals. During this episode, Sophia speaks with Kimiya Haghighi, a M.S. in Foreign Service Candidate at Georgetown University. Kimiya embodies the principles of the Bahá'í faith—those of love, equality, acceptance, and unity—and welcomes others to join in learning about the world's fastest growing religion. Hear her explain the origin of this new faith, how her family fled persecution, and why she believes the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh may be what our world needs most.

Twentyfour the People is hosted by Sophia Sokolowski.

Ashley De La Rosa has conquered NBC's The Voice, the National Tour of RENT, and Carole King's musical, Beautiful. She now portrays Regina George and Gretchen Wieners in the iconic motion picture turned musical, Mean Girls on Broadway in New York City. During this episode, Ashley and Sophia discuss the challenges of the performance industry, portraying a prominent white character as an Afro Latina, trusting your gut, and achieving your dreams.

If you are thinking about pursuing a musical career or daring to take a blind leap of faith, this one is for you.

Twentyfour the People is hosted by Sophia Sokolowski.

Ben Higgins serves as President of Generous Coffee, a for profit company that donates 15% of their revenue to non-profits around the world. Ben talks to Sophia about going from a startup to gaining momentum with Generous International, falling in love with your calling, and what’s on his horizon in 2019.

Twentyfour the People is hosted by Sophia Sokolowski.

Hildy Kuryk has spent her career at the intersection of politics, media and communications. She spent 15 years serving two Presidents in various capacities and worked as the Executive Director of Communications at Vogue and Teen Vogue working directly with Anna Wintour to position the Condé Nast heritage brand. Hildy most recently founded Artemis Strategies, a boutique consultancy harnessing unparalleled experience with influential and elite thought leaders.

During this episode, Hildy talks about her career path, discusses how she found her voice at a young age, and offers her best advice for every young person.

Hear Sophia interview Massachusetts General Hospital researcher, Harvard PhD candidate, and fellow Wellesley alumna Jeanne Gallée. Her research is clinically focused on aphasia, a disorder that affects about two million Americans. Jeanne discusses the challenges patients and their families face, symptoms that serves as signals for aphasia, and how her research is reshaping treatment outcomes.

CARE Organization serves to save lives, defeat poverty, and achieve social justice. During this episode, you’ll hear from one of their own, Rose Tchwenko, who has more than 19 years of hands-on experience in international development and humanitarian programs. She joined CARE in 2005 in Cameroon as part of the civil society response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic, spent the past eight years as Assistant Country Director of Programs in Cameroon and Malawi, and is now rising to lead her team on the ground in Ghana.

 

Rose is an activist against gender-based violence, a passionate creative writer and storyteller. She has hands-on experience building local knowledge to drive and sustain development. Hear how she works to empower women, improve basic education, expand economic opportunity for all.

Fred Guttenberg knows pain and suffering—he has dealt with loss in the public eye. On February 14, 2018, he lost his 14-year-old daughter, Jaime, during the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida. Fred has since dedicated his life to raising awareness about gun safety through his organization, Orange Ribbons for Jaime, and has focused all of his efforts as of late to getting out the vote for the 2018 midterm elections. Listen to Fred and Sophia discuss the grieving process, finding mission and purpose, and why it’s imperative that people always show up to the polls.

CNN Opinion Producer, Kirsi Goldinya, briefly touches on her career, and then she and Sophia turn their conversation towards the mounting political unrest in light of the 2018 midterm elections. You’ll hear Kirsi discuss seemingly politically motivated acts of violence, including the pipe-bombs, which were sent to her, her colleagues, and notable democratic figures this past week, and the most recent mass shooting at a synagogue that left 11 dead. She also shares her perspective on how we, as a nation, can work to become more united and restore our namesake. Twentyfour the People is produced by Sophia Sokolowski.