Anu Arora is a team and leadership coach who committed herself to education for underprivileged children in India. Our conversation enlightened me about obstacles to education for underprivileged children in India—and the work being done to overcome those obstacles.

Links

Anu Arora Website - https://anuarora.com/

Asha for Education – https://seattle.ashanet.org/

Dr. Julie Donley began her career in psychiatric nursing, and over time she became a director of nursing, a coach, and the author of three books including Leading at the Speed of People. (She’s also a new grandmom and rides a motorcycle!)

Healthcare is a big challenge in the U.S. but this conversation is not limited to leadership in healthcare—not by a longshot. No matter what kind of change we are trying to create, how we lead (both ourselves and others) matters to what we are able to accomplish together.

Links

Leading at the Speed of People – https://www.mcnallyjackson.com/book/9780976560586

Julie Donley’s website –  https://drjuliedonley.com/

The Healthcare Handbook – https://shop.lww.com/The-Health-Care-Handbook/p/9781975200022

In this episode we meet Jason Gordon, aka JGo. He is the co-founder of Written Out Loud along with being a public speaker and consultant on belonging.

Written Out Loud – https://writtenoutloud.org/

Teach Like a Champion – https://teachlikeachampion.org/

Podcast music is by Colleen R. Ott.

Meredith Amy Gelfand was a passionate social worker and friend, who left this world too soon and unexpectedly on 12/14/24 at the age of 55. I wish I had interviewed her, but this podcast highlights a few ways she made a difference for others. Susie Bash shares insights on self-empowerment, connecting with community, and listening intentionally; all powerful actions for creating positive change.

Philadelphia Corporation for Aging – https://www.pcacares.org/

GriefShare – https://www.griefshare.org/

Art-Reach – https://www.art-reach.org/

At 80, Peace Activist Robin Lloyd Still Crosses the Line | Seven Days Vermont https://www.sevendaysvt.com/arts-culture/at-80-peace-activist-robin-lloyd-still-crosses-the-line-17392687

Green Valley Media: documenting the culture of human rights https://www.greenvalleymedia.org/

Peace Train to Beijing https://www.greenvalleymedia.org/wilpf

The Lloyd Family Legacy Campaign Launches at WILPF US! https://wilpfus.org/news/updates/lloyd-family-legacy-campaign-launches-wilpf-us

Vermont WILPF Gathering https://www.vtwilpfgathering.com/

Visit https://lifeoflibbywithheathershafter.substack.com/ to sign up for the biweekly podcast and blog via email.

Podcast music by Colleen R. Ott.

The Autistic Art Coalition of Philadelphia – https://aacophilly.org/

Tacony LAB Community Art Center – https://taconylab.org/

Liberty Resources – https://libertyresources.org/

Podcast music is by Colleen R. Ott.

Resources

Quiet Clean Philly - https://www.quietcleanphilly.org/

Germantown Jewish Centre Refugee Immigrant Justice Initiative -  https://germantownjewishcentre.org/tikkun/ongoing-initiatives/#refugee

Toward a Holy Ecology: Reading the Song of Songs in the Age of Climate Crisis by Rabbi Ellen Bernstein -  https://bookshop.org/p/books/toward-a-holy-ecology-reading-the-song-of-songs-in-the-age-of-climate-crisis/19664856?ean=9781958972199

Podcast music is by Colleen R. Ott.

Resources

Havertown Community Action Network https://www.h-can.org/

Divest Philly https://www.divestfromwarmachine.org/divest_philly

Warheads to Windmills https://warheadstowindmills.org/

Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom - U.S. Section https://wilpfus.org/

World Beyond War List https://worldbeyondwar.org/list/

This podcast is in honor of Disability Pride Month, a time to focus on celebrating the achievements of people with disabilities, raise awareness about disability rights, and promote accessibility for all.

Sydnee Chavis is an assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry. Growing up, Sydnee watched her parents struggle to find primary care doctors and dentists willing to treat her older sister, Brandi, who was born with a traumatic brain injury and diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Those experiences drove Sydnee to look for ways to improve access to basic care for everyone—regardless of their disability.

Today, Sydnee teaches her students how to treat patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities and other complex medical conditions. Sydnee is on a mission to raise awareness not just for dental students but for the larger society. Too often, people underestimate those with disabilities. Sydnee is shaping the next generation of dental care providers and she’s inviting ALL of us to shift our mindset.

Links

Disability Pride Month (Wikipedia) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disability_Pride_Month

Crip Camp - https://youtu.be/XRrIs22plz0

Updates

Earlier this month, I had a wonderful time visiting the book club of my high school math teacher, Gina Goldstein, in Collegeville, PA. (Wow, math teachers do English stuff too! 😉) This was my first time meeting with a group that had already read the Life of Libby book. I really enjoyed answering questions about Libby’s experiences and our journey of writing the book!

If your book club wants to read Life of Libby, I’d be happy to make a guest appearance. (Just saying.)

My next event is at Hilltop Books in Chestnut Hill (Philadelphia) on Saturday, June 28 at 2 PM. I’ll be joined by an incredible author and historian Christina Larocco with her book Crosshatch: Martha Schofield, the Forgotten Feminist (1839–1916). Here is a brief excerpt from the book summary, “As an abolitionist, a women’s suffragist, and a white teacher of Black students, she spent a lifetime attempting to develop (however imperfectly) an antiracist feminist vision.” Hope to see you there!

Meet Alicia Scovill

Last month before Memorial Day, I had a chance to speak with Alicia Scovill—an Air Force veteran, construction professional, and advocate for veterans who are transitioning to civilian life. Before I met Alicia, I hadn’t given much thought to veterans. My social justice awareness developed in the context of peace activism. When it came to the military, we focused on nuclear disarmament, the financial excesses of military contractors (that could have instead addressed domestic needs), and the injustices perpetrated by military forces around the world.

In Life of Libby, Libby describes how the Bergen County Peace Center aggressively supported young men in finding ways to legally avoid the draft. I had an uncle who served in Vietnam, but my father wasn’t drafted, and my own experiences never brought me into close contact with veterans. I assumed that because many of today’s veterans had enlisted voluntarily, they didn’t need my attention.

The Invisible Veteran

Hearing Alicia talk about her own experiences in the military and her transition to civilian life made me want to learn more. She introduced me to three stereotypes that many non-veterans hold: the “Heroes,” the “Broken,” and the “Zeroes.”

The “Heroes” are the veterans that inspire movies like Saving Private Ryan. They depict veterans who are involved in combat, hitting important military targets, or rescuing fellow soldiers.

The “Broken” are visibly scarred by their service—physically, mentally, or both—and often struggle to function in everyday life.

Finally, the “Zeroes” are the veterans that are often unseen, which is why Alicia also refers to them as the “Invisible Veteran.”

Alicia explained that every role in the military is essential. The “Heroes” portrayed in movies couldn’t have done their jobs without the mess hall cooks or the logistics specialists who get supplies where they’re needed. Service members don’t choose their roles, yet many feel less proud of their service if they didn’t deploy or see combat. They might say, “I was in for four years but I just served food.” Or a neighbor with good intention might say to a veteran, “Thank you for your service. Where did you deploy?” If that veteran did not deploy, it can feel like their sacrifice was not important. Feeling unseen or dismissed contributes to the alarming suicide rate—especially among veterans who never deployed.

Difficult Transitions

Regardless of how we feel about war—or the way our government utilizes the military—veterans are the ones who raised their hands to protect our country. They made sacrifices to fulfill that commitment. Yet when they return to civilian life, many face an overwhelming transition—reentering a society that often doesn’t understand their experiences, challenges, or needs.

Employers make the effort to hire veterans, but often fail to create supportive work environments. What I learned from Alicia is that the military provides clear rules, accountability, and a deeply cohesive team environment. I’ve worked in many different environments and few reflect this experience. In contrast, civilian jobs can be confusing and isolating. While that can be hard for anyone, when veterans experience this contrast, they can lose hope.

What Works Better

Supporting veterans can actually improve the workplace for everyone. For example, Alicia recommends:

* An onboarding process that sets clear expectations for the work

* Events that build connections between co-workers and the managers

* Fostering a culture of mutual accountability

These recommendations would help everyone in the workplace feel less anxiety and more connection. At the same time, veterans are especially vulnerable to failures in our workplaces, so it is important to raise awareness about their unique challenges. Alicia does this through writing, speaking, partnering with employers (primarily in the construction industry), and having countless one-on-one conversations with other veterans.

Veterans are our co-workers, friends, family, and neighbors. Which means helping veterans reintegrate into society strengthens families, workplaces, and communities.

If you are curious to learn more about the experience of veterans, you can reach out to Alicia on her LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alicia-scovill-a33a873a/. She welcomes opportunities for conversation.

We think listening is just something we pick up, and some people are naturally better at listening. (But most of us fool ourselves into thinking we’re that person!) Christine Miles turned what she learned from her personal life and professional training into a simple, teachable process called The Listening Path®, which is now available to schools. The skill of listening is foundational to democracy itself. An educational system that teaches listening has the potential to create a society where we can discuss differences and learn from each other.

Links

The Listening Path® –  https://thelisteningpath.com/

Wikipedia Entry for Active Listening – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_listening

I found this conversation enlightening and potentially controversial. Irena Asmundson is the Founder and CEO of Practical Idealism Economics, LLC, which helps organizations see the big picture in their economic stories. Through her career she has worked at all levels of government, from local to state to federal to international. She believes it is possible to design markets, bureaucracies, and institutions that encourage us to treat each other like humans, and is constantly looking for ways to help do that. In this podcast, Irena offers a fascinating glimpse into the intersection of economics and politics.

Links

Practical Idealism Economics, LLC –  https://pi-economics.com/

MIT Living Wage Calculator – https://livingwage.mit.edu/

Sam Demma is an inspiring and empowering speaker. He is only 25 years old and began his journey after a soccer injury pushed him to find a new passion beyond sports. He started by picking up trash around his community which turned into a 6-year project that mobilized young people to volunteer at 350 community cleanup events, filling over 3,000 bags of garbage! Now his message focuses on helping young people unpack the stories that hold them back from pursuing their passions.

Links

Empty Your Backpack book –  https://shop.samdemma.com/products/empty-your-backpack-book

The High Performing Educator podcast – https://highperformingeducator.com/podcast/

The beginning of Donald Trump’s second term as President has been overwhelming. He has targeted almost every aspect of our government, often in ways that are outside the law. Many people feel like they can’t stop this barrage of assaults on our values. It's true. We can’t tackle everything at once. That gets us to the question of what can we do? This podcast is about the answer to that question. Coincidentally, this podcast was recorded on the Sunday before MLK Day.

UNICEF USA – https://www.unicefusa.org/

The Color of Money by Mehrsa Baradaran (Harvard University Press) – https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674970953

Aaron Mitchell speaks about how he pulled off the “biggest bank heist in history.” In this podcast, he describes what happened and how it positively affected thousands of communities in places like Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, and Arkansas.

This project still has much more potential to reverse the economic effects of financial extraction in communities that have been historically underserved. 

BANKING ON US: EP 1 - Investing In The Black Community – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOHUA-wOT6I

BANKING ON US: EP 2- Bridging The Gap In Black Business – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBAdQroiCb0

BANKING ON US: EP 3 - Exploring The Truth Of Black Home Ownership – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L-_W_Zh2bI

In the last podcast episode we met Jason “JGo” Gordon, co-founder of Written Out Loud and an expert on belonging. In Part 2, JGo shares a few of his experiences working with adults (including young adults) and how that relates to finding his purpose: to help people understand that they can belong (and that it's actually not that difficult).

From my perspective, what the world needs most right now is the ability to connect across differences. When I hear people talk about the problems that need to be solved, they often speak in dichotomies. That is no accident—we are continuously targeted by “divide and conquer” campaigns—but we can counteract these divisions by building a sense of belonging. That is why we need the work that JGo and many others are doing.

YouthBuild - https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/youth/youthbuild

Example of the “Step In” Activity – https://youtu.be/jD8tjhVO1Tc