Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast IMPACT Speaker Series
| Titre | Date | Durée | |
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| Unleashing Potential: Empowering Girls through Sports | 30 Jun 2025 | 00:54:15 | |
Join us for an inspiring conversation with Marina LeGree, the founding director of Ascend Athletics, as she shares the incredible journey of empowering young women through sports and leadership in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Hear firsthand stories of resilience, teamwork, and personal growth as Marina highlights the real-world impact of Ascend’s programs. Whether you’re interested in girl empowerment, international development, or the role of sports in social change, this conversation offers valuable insights and inspiration. | |||
| With Friends Like These? A New Chapter of Transatlantic Relations | 10 Apr 2025 | 00:54:34 | |
In this insightful discussion, Jörn Fleck, Senior Director at the Atlantic Council’s Europe Center, explores the key challenges and opportunities shaping the US-EU partnership. From navigating trade disputes and security concerns to Europe's quest for strategic autonomy, this conversation offers expert insights into the future of transatlantic cooperation. Whether you're interested in global trade, geopolitics, or international alliances, this episode delivers valuable perspectives on how these shifts could reshape the global landscape. | |||
| Improving Health by Supporting Fragile Health Systems | 10 Jan 2024 | 00:35:49 | |
Ever wondered how a single organization can make a significant impact on global healthcare? What drives their mission? How do they provide healthcare to those who need it the most? Olivia Rennacker, Manager of Partnerships and Philanthropy at Direct Relief, shares insights that will not only expand your understanding of global health challenges but also inspire you to be part of the solution.
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| There's Life After Polio | 24 Nov 2023 | 00:55:37 | |
What if one man's story could change your perspective on life? Overcoming the challenges of childhood polio, Ronald Kasule faced not only physical obstacles but also societal stigma and the unthinkable prospect of his life being cut short. Against all odds, he not only survived but emerged as a symbol of resilience. For over 15 years, Ronald has been a tireless advocate for disability rights, breaking through barriers in education and defying the odds stacked against him. His story is not just one of personal triumph; it's a testament to the transformative power of determination.
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| Moving Rotary Forward: Female Leadership, DEIB and Impactful Service Projects | 12 Oct 2023 | 00:56:59 | |
In today's dynamic world, service organizations face unique challenges. But what does it take to overcome them and move forward? Join us for an inspiring conversation with Valarie Wafer, former Rotary International Vice President and a staunch DEIB advocate. Together, we'll explore the art of adaptation, the strength of inclusivity, and the magic of service projects that make a difference.
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| Rotarian Metalhead Fellowship: The Somewhat Different Fellowship | 04 Sep 2023 | 00:46:40 | |
What does Rotary and heavy metal music have in common? Prepare to be amazed as we dive into the captivating story of the Rotarian Metalhead Fellowship. Inspired by the passion of Felix Heintz, this vibrant community defies stereotypes and celebrates Rotary's diverse spirit. Through this unique fusion, they create a dynamic force for positive change in communities worldwide. Discover how they break stereotypes, embrace diversity, and rock service projects that make a real impact!
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| Creating Connections: Fostering Inclusivity through Entrepreneurship and NGO Leadership | 06 Aug 2023 | 00:35:13 | |
If you have ever started a new life in a different country, you'll relate to Lisi Brizuela's story. Lisi is the founder of Leb Bunt e.V., a non-profit organization that runs the award-winning initiative Das Hallo Projekt where she empowers individuals to embrace diversity and fosters intercultural understanding within communities. Discover how her organization creates a mutually beneficial situation where seniors find renewed purpose and companionship while immigrants gain valuable insights, guidance, and support from experienced individuals.
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| Service Above Self: How Rotarians are Supercharging Early Childhood Literacy Across the Globe | 06 Jul 2023 | 00:47:58 | |
In this episode, we are joined by Jonathan "JT" Wu, a highly accomplished executive from Georgia with a strong commitment to educational policy and supporting the next generation. As the Founder and Executive Director of Preface, he is dedicated to bringing together public and private sector expertise to help children from all backgrounds access the tools, resources, and mentorship they need to achieve their American Dreams. JT's personal experience as a child of immigrants who came to the United States on a Fulbright Scholarship and met at the University of Mississippi gives him a unique perspective on the challenges faced by young people today. Learn how through partnerships with educators, parents, and service-oriented student leaders across America and around the world, Preface and local Rotarians are working to supercharge early childhood literacy and build bridges of hope for the next generation. Best of all, this vital work is being done at no cost to schools or communities!
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| Growing the Family of Rotary Through Fellowships | 09 Jun 2023 | 00:42:04 | |
Do you have a hobby or passion you would like to explore with friends from around the world? Do you want to build a global community around your profession or cultural identity? Rotary Fellowships are international groups that share a common passion. Brett Morey is an accomplished surfer, entrepreneur, and dedicated Rotarian who has been making a positive impact on the world for more than 30 years. During this program, he will share the reason behind the founding of the Surfers Unite Rotary Fellowship (SURF) and discuss the importance of the more than 100 officially recognized fellowships in creating connections and making a difference in our communities. Everyone is welcome to join a Rotary Fellowship, even those who are not members of a Rotary or Rotaract club. So why not join one?
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| DOGOODERY?! | 01 May 2023 | 00:32:50 | |
Do you happen to be familiar with the idea of DOGOODERY? During this program, you will have the opportunity to hear from Chris Wells, a Rotaractor and Rotarian from the United Kingdom, about his incredible journey and the many challenges he has overcome in his quest to improve the lives of people around him. Chris countered the inevitable existential graduate bothering of his 20s by founding a Rotaract Club in his hometown of Market Harborough. Working with the local Rotary, this blossomed into a new breed of contemporary Rotaract Club, which may be the future of Rotary with all the awesome DOGOODERY it can bring.
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| Achieving the SDGs by Bike: How Two Wheels Accelerate Development Outcomes | 04 Apr 2023 | 00:44:11 | |
Juana Gräter is the Director of Fundraising for Foundations and Institutions at World Bicycle Relief, a non-profit organization founded in 2005. Nearly one billion people in rural regions of the world live in communities far from the nearest paved road, walking for miles each day to survive. Distance is a barrier to attending school, receiving healthcare, delivering goods to market, and other critical services needed to thrive. On foot, individuals race against the sun to complete everyday tasks. At our Rotary Club, we are committed to positively impacting our community and beyond. World Bicycle Relief shares our mission by providing sustainable transportation solutions to individuals in developing countries. Their bicycle programs empower individuals with access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities, leading to a brighter future for entire communities.
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| Empowering Our Next Generation of Leaders | 06 Mar 2023 | 00:29:14 | |
Noëlla Coursaris Musunka, a Congolese/Cypriot philanthropist and international model, is the Founder & CEO of Malaika, a grassroots nonprofit that empowers girls and communities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo through a school, a community center, and a clean water program. Founded in 2007, Malaika has grown into a fully-functioning ecosystem that consists of a free accredited school that provides a comprehensive education to 430 girls, a community center that offers a range of programs to 5,000 youth and adults, a clean water program with 28 wells that services over 35,000 people each year, technical classes educating and certifying future electricians and mechanics, and a sustainable agricultural program that provides two nutritious meals each day to students and staff. Malaika's community-driven approach serves as a replicable model, and all programs are offered free of charge. Noëlla is a voice for the power of girls’ education worldwide. She has shared her insights at several world-class forums, spanning the World Economic Forum in Davos to Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard, and MIT university halls. She is an Advisor at Concordia and an Ambassador for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. She sits on the United Nations Conscious Fashion and Lifestyle Network and the L'Oréal Fund for Women Endowment Fund Advisory Committee. In 2017, Noëlla was named one of the BBC’s 100 Most Influential & Inspirational Women of the Year, and in 2018, she received an award at the 100 Years of Mandela celebration.
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| Stories in Motion: Bringing People of Action to Life | 25 Feb 2025 | 00:55:42 | |
Ever feel like your awesome stories are getting LOST in the digital noise? In an era of information overload, storytelling has become both an art and a survival skill. So, how can we effectively tell our stories in an overcrowded ecosystem when we have less than 5 seconds to impress? Join us as we dive into the latest strategies and techniques for crafting compelling narratives that capture attention and leave a lasting impact. From understanding your audience to leveraging the power of emotional connection, we'll explore what it takes to stand out in today's fast-paced digital landscape. | |||
| Fireside Chat with the Co-Founder of Humanitix: Joshua Ross | 16 Feb 2023 | 00:50:26 | |
Co-Founders and best friends Josh and Adam were looking for ways to give back to the world through business. Starting with no equity and sharing Adam’s salary on a handshake deal, they’ve built Humanitix, one of the world's leading technology charities, funded by the foundations of Google and Atlassian. This for-purpose ticketing platform directs 100% of the booking fee profits to education projects and makes events more accessible for people with disabilities. Since launching Humanitix back in 2016, to date, they’ve built an incredible organization, giving away over 2.5 million dollars! How did the founders land on booking and ticketing? How are they thinking about building awareness as they scale and grow internationally? What does Humanitix need to do as they take on global giants like Ticketmaster, Eventbrite, and Ticketek?
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| Advancing Vaccines for Global Access: The Science & The Anti-Science | 02 Feb 2023 | 00:53:57 | |
An exciting episode with two of the most influential figures in the global health community. Peter J. Hotez, M.D., Ph.D., and Maria Elena Bottazzi, Ph.D., nominees for the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, are joining us to share their groundbreaking work on vaccines. As leaders in the fight against neglected tropical diseases and COVID-19, these experts have developed a low-cost vaccine and are determined to ensure everyone has access to life-saving protection. Listen in as Dr. Hotez, and Dr. Bottazzi give us a behind-the-scenes look at their cutting-edge work. They'll also tackle the biggest challenges facing vaccine equity and the rise of anti-science, giving us a glimpse into the future of global health.
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| Rotary in the Netherlands: 100 years strong and proud | 21 Dec 2022 | 00:25:38 | |
For the last episode of 2022, our guest is Rutger Mazel. A historian, senior broadcast journalist for the foreign news section of NOS Nieuws, and member of the Rotary Club of Leefklimaat. 2023 marks the centenary of Rotary in the Netherlands. A unique occasion to reflect on our past and take pride in our accomplishments. Learn more about the first 100 years of service and how to participate in the festivities.
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| Polio: A Plane (Car) Ride Away | 28 Nov 2022 | 00:44:38 | |
Our guest in this episode is John Nanni, a polio survivor who is a member of the Polio Eradication Advocacy Task Force for the US Congress and the Rotary Club of Middletown-Odessa-Townsend. John’s journey with polio began in 1953, just 6 months before Jonas Salk’s vaccine was widely tested. He was only 10 months old when he came down with polio and was paralyzed from the neck down for 6 months. John said his mother used physical therapy on his legs and did such a great job that he walked a year later. He considers himself lucky and feels blessed because he was too young to remember having polio. When John turned 40, he started to experience renewed muscle weakness, joint pain, and extreme fatigue. Eventually, after seeing 10 different doctors in 2 years – many of them never seeing a polio survivor – he was diagnosed with Post-Polio Syndrome (PPS). By age 58, John was a wheelchair user restricting his steps to a couple of hundred a day to avoid overuse and further damage to his muscles. John’s message is: "for every child we save from polio, we truly are saving them from a life of pain and suffering. Please continue the fight to End Polio."
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| How a chance encounter with a crocodile can change the course of your life | 14 Nov 2022 | 00:52:37 | |
In this episode, our guest is Professor Mark Hannaford. Having led or been part of expeditions to all of the world's continents but the chance encounter with a Nile Crocodile on the Namibian/Angolan border set him off on a journey that has led him to create a medical sub-discipline in extreme medicine. In 2002, he founded World Extreme Medicine, a global network delivering world-leading medical training and expertise in the world’s most extreme environments. Mark’s leadership has also delivered the first MSc in extreme medicine taught at the Russell Group University of Exeter and the world’s only extreme medicine annual conference, now in its 11th year. In recognition of his commitment to extreme medicine, in 2021, Mark was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Science by the University of Exeter and is an honorary associate professor at the medical school. When not changing the face of remote medicine, Mark is engaged in delivering lifesaving trauma supplies for the frontline medical community in Ukraine through Medics4Ukraine and has established a training team rotation providing advanced combat casualty training for medics on the frontline.
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| The impacts of Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing on small coastal communities in West Africa | 25 Oct 2022 | 00:36:16 | |
Our guest is Captain Alex Cornelissen, the CEO of Sea Shepherd Global. This international, non-profit marine conservation organization provides the use of a civilian offshore patrol vessel (COPV), along with an operating crew and bunkers for operations, to support law enforcement agents in enforcing national legislation combatting illegal fishing and other related fisheries crimes, including fraud, forgery, and human trafficking. Alex has participated in over 25 campaigns, beginning as Chief Cook, and rising through the ranks to become Captain. After six years on the ships, he spent another six years running a successful campaign in the Galapagos Islands as the Director of Operations. Through proud partnerships with seven African countries—including the countries of Gabon, Liberia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Tanzania, Benin, Namibia, and The Gambia—the Sea Shepherd COPVs have assisted authorities with the arrest of 78 vessels for illegal fishing and other fisheries crimes, creating a deterrent effect that has greatly benefited partner countries, their economies, and local fishermen. Fines levied for fisheries offenses generated critical revenue for developing countries.
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| The Interconnectivity of Water | 10 Oct 2022 | 01:05:43 | |
In this episode, our guest is Cristina Zenato, a professional diver since 1994. She's an active shark behaviorist, underwater cave explorer, a champion for ocean conservation, photographer, speaker, and writer. Cristina works with sharks in the wild and has explored and surveyed numerous new cave systems. Her work can be summarized in three words: Exploration, Education, and Conservation. A member of the Women Divers Hall of Fame and The Explorers Club, she is a firm believer in the power of education and spends her time teaching below and above the water. Cristina is the founder of the nonprofit People of the Water, organized to widen the distribution of training, education, and research related to ocean and environmental issues.
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| ShelterBox: Over 20 Years | 14 Sep 2022 | 00:37:39 | |
In this episode, we're joined by Sharee Sheets, immediate past president of the Rotary Club of Peoria North and current Volunteer & Partnership Manager for ShelterBox USA, an international charity whose mission is to provide emergency shelter to families who have lost their homes in a disaster. Learn how ShelterBox became the largest Rotary Club project in the world and what sets them apart in the field of disaster relief.
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| Detective Dentist: What Our Teeth Tell About Us | 18 Aug 2022 | 00:37:34 | |
Our guest in this episode is Dr. Emilio Nuzzolese, Ph.D., Professor of Forensic Medicine at the University of Turin and participating odontologist in the INTERPOL DVI Forensic Odontology Sub-Working Group since 2010. Emilio explains the forensic use of dentistry and dental data in the identification of human remains of victims, highlighting that every human being has an identity in life. As empathetic societies, we should demand that this identity be recognized even after death.
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| Changing Aid for Good | 18 Dec 2024 | 00:39:30 | |
Congo faces immense challenges—conflict, displacement, and systemic poverty. But in the heart of Eastern Congo, the Eastern Congo Initiative (ECI) is transforming humanitarian aid through groundbreaking approaches. Join us as we dive into the inspiring work of ECI, founded by Ben Affleck and Whitney Williams. Discover how they've empowered over 107 Congolese startups, supported 3,700 survivors of sexual violence, and revolutionized community support through innovative programs like Asili. | |||
| Hungry for Change | 25 Nov 2024 | 00:42:01 | |
Hunger affects over 828 million people worldwide, with many working families struggling to put food on the table. Explore how Nick Marino’s initiatives have provided food to over 6 million individuals and mobilized thousands of volunteers. He will share the powerful stories behind his work and the incredible impact of the Feed The City events. | |||
| Using Bee Conservation to Cultivate Young Minds, Green Spaces & Community Science | 15 Sep 2024 | 00:51:45 | |
In this engaging program, you'll learn about the fascinating world of bees and how they serve as a gateway to STEM education, conservation, and environmental stewardship. Discover how the Planet Bee Foundation is on a mission to change the world - one bee and one mind at a time! | |||
| Rotary On The Moon | 27 Jun 2024 | 00:34:26 | |
What if we told you that the next frontier for Rotary is the Moon? In this episode, we sit down with long-time entrepreneur David van de Velde, the visionary behind the Rotary on the Moon program. Discover how this innovative initiative, which has its roots in an anti-bullying program, aims to connect Rotary Clubs worldwide in a place free from war, politics, and borders. | |||
| Race To Kindness | 07 May 2024 | 00:39:54 | |
What were you doing when you were 13 years old? Chances are, not as much as Orion Jean, TIME's 2021 Kid of the Year. Join us for a captivating conversation with the powerhouse behind the "Race to Kindness" campaign. Discover how his journey began, be inspired by his passion for spreading kindness, and learn how you can join the movement. Get ready to be motivated and empowered to make a positive impact in your community and beyond! | |||
| Creating a Safe Community for People of Action | 20 Apr 2024 | 01:00:38 | |
Ever wondered how service organizations can be both impactful and incredibly fun? As a change agent for inclusion, Mary Lou Harrison shares her insights from over 50 years of transforming service into a thrilling journey. We'll learn about the magic that happens when unique experiences, talents, and voices come together in service. | |||
| Cultural Safety and the Indigenous Community of Montreal | 01 Mar 2024 | 00:35:38 | |
What does it take to create a healthcare space that genuinely respects and embraces Indigenous cultures? Dr. Sean Yaphe, co-founder of the Indigenous Health Centre of Tiohtià:ke, takes us on a profound exploration of cultural safety, wellness, and the power of inclusive healthcare. We'll also discuss the challenges faced by the Indigenous community due to generations of trauma and limited access to appropriate healthcare. | |||