In this episode from the All About Change vault, Jay Ruderman sits down with iconic actor and activist Fran Drescher. Fran tells Jay the story of getting The Nanny off the ground, and what it took to make sure that Fran Fein made it to air as a Jewish woman.In the years since The Nanny, Fran has battled uterine cancer, and founded the Cancer Schmancer Movement to encourage women to advocate for themselves in the doctor’s office. Fran and Jay talk about all of this, and more. Please fill out...

The correlation between boxing and rescuing stray dogs isn’t one that’s clear at first glance. But for Chrissy Beckles, founder of the Sato Project, the connection is one she makes each and every day.  Since 2011, the Sato Project has rescued more than 8,000 dogs in Puerto Rico. With nearly half a million stray dogs roaming the island, there’s no one knockout solution. Chrissy sat down with host Jay Ruderman to talk about the long journey,  from gaining feral dogs’ trust, to finding funding,...

Chelsea Miller may be young, but she’s already had a lifetime full of activism. Perhaps more impressive than the work itself is the intentionality, care, and thoughtfulness she brings to it all.   Listen to the latest episode of All About Change as Chelsea delves into her childhood in Brooklyn’s “Little Caribbean,” interning at the Obama White House, and founding Freedom March NYC in response to George Floyd’s murder. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some people may see J.R. Martinez's burn scars and think that he is defined by that single day in his life. But J.R.'s journey towards vulnerability and resilience began long before his time in the military and the twists and turns it’s taken since nearly defy imagination.   Listen to the latest episode of All About Change as J.R. describes his trajectory to Jay. He’s gone from recovering in a military burn unit to becoming a motivational speaker, actor, winner of Dancing with the Stars,...

In the early years of the Iraq War, thousands of Americans enlisted to fight for their country, fully aware of the dangers of that decision. Or so they thought. But one insidious threat had long-lasting impacts on the health of American troops: burn pits. Meant to provide an efficient way for soldiers to get rid of their waste, burn pits instead pumped tons of toxins into the air that found their way into the lungs of nearby service members. Service members like Beau Biden, President Biden’s...

Listen to this special episode of All About Change as Linor gives an intimate look at the aftermath of Hamas' attack on Israel. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It is said military veterans account for 1% of the American population, and certainly, women have been a part of that number, stepping up to the challenge of defending their country for generations. But when their service ends, they often find themselves without meaningful support, unable to attain the most basic levels of assistance offered to their male counterparts. Jas Boothe was in a similar situation. A single mother living in Louisiana, she was hit hard by two events: The diagnosis of...

Life isn’t fair. Perhaps that is why we love sports. In sports, the aspiration at least, is to even the playing field. But that endeavor in and of itself, poses many challenges. What does the inclusion of transgender athletes mean for sports? For ESPN’s Katie Barnes, a journalist who covers the intersection of gender and athletics, the answers here are never simple.  Katie joins Jay to discuss the gender politics of sports at all levels of performance, as they break down in their new book,...

Always having a love for the sea, Emily Penn took a journey from Shanghai to Melbourne, Australia that would change her life, as she saw first-hand the extent of pollution in the world’s oceans. Since then, she has organized the largest ever community-led waste cleanup operation, completed a trip around the world solely using biofuel, and created various avenues for people—from ordinary citizens to filmmakers—to discover and document the damage microplastics have done to our oceans. Emily...

While certain areas of Haiti remain picturesque, it’s hard to find a place within the beleaguered island nation untouched by the trifecta of violence, pollution, and corruption.  Serving as executive director of the Fondation pour la Protection de la Biodiversité Marine, or FoProBiM, Jean Wiener is considered by many to be Haiti’s foremost environmentalist, and the expert in all matters concerning the Haitian coast.  But Activism is not something that happens in a vacuum. Jean’s...

Saengduean “Lek” Chailert was born and raised in Thailand, a place where Asian elephants are commonplace. After her secondary education, Lek started working in tourism, where she saw elephants endure horrific treatment—in circuses, riding parks, and other attractions most visitors to the country think of as benign.  It was then that Lek started rescuing elephants, many of them injured and elderly, and relocating them to what is now Elephant Nature Park. The sanctuary is now home to more than...

Genesis Butler is an environmental and animal rights activist. Inspired by her great uncle, civil rights leader Cesar Chavez, Genesis became one of the youngest people to ever give a TEDx talk, as she shared her perspective on the environmental impacts of animal agriculture. Genesis went vegan at the age of 6, and has earned numerous awards and accolades for her activism. She founded Genesis For Animals, a non-profit supporting animal sanctuaries, and she is currently leading the...

Noa Tishby is an actress, author, producer, and activist.  Born in Tel Aviv, Israel, Noa Tishby was born to a Zionist family that was involved in the establishment of Israel. Raised in a secular family in Israel she wasn’t really exposed to Anti-semitism, but that changed as she got older.  But when you moved to America she encountered a lot of misinformation about Israel and anti-semitism. Inspired, Tishby decided to take action. She became an advocate and founded the first Israel-focused...

Evon Benson-Idahosa is a Nigerian native, a leading expert, a thought leader on the subject of modern-day slavery in sub-Saharan Africa, and a founder of the Pathfinders Justice Initiative (PJI). Raised by parents who were called to serve their faith, Evon became a successful English barrister, American lawyer, and partner in a New York defense law firm. Despite her success, one day she woke up wondering, "What have I done with my life?" Her passion and compassion were calling out to her....

Dr. Benjamin Gilmer is a family physician, professor, and advocate who focuses on bringing attention to the social injustice of mass incarceration, scarcity of mental health care, and global and rural health disparities. A former neurobiologist turned rural family doctor, Benjamin Gilmer is a family physician, professor, and advocate who focuses on bringing attention to the social injustice of mass incarceration, scarcity of mental health care, and global and rural health disparities. Fresh...

Kristin Henning is a Professor of Law at Georgetown University and the Director of the Juvenile Justice Clinic. She has been representing children accused of crimes for over 25 years.  Kristin Henning has been representing children accused of crime for more than 25 years, and in all that time she only represented 4 white kids. The many thousands of kids she represented have all been Black and Latinx. She spent her life trying to ensure that children whose families did not have the means to...

Olivier Bernier is an award-winning director and documentary filmmaker who lives and breathes to tell stories that explore the human condition. When Olivier and his wife Hilda’s son was born with down syndrome they were entirely unprepared. Inspired, Olivier Bernier decided to document his family experience so he applied and won grant money to make a film about inclusive education. However, his family’s experiences with Emilio’s journey took the film in a slightly different direction. Forget...

Meggie Palmer is a confidence creator and globally renowned speaker, facilitator, executive coach as well as the founder and CEO of PepTalkHer. While still finding success as an award-winning journalist, Meggie was surprised to realize that she was facing pay discrimination. This opened her eyes to pay inequality and inspired her to take action not just for herself but for all women around the world.  She left journalism to embark on a path of activism. She started her own organization -...

Deborah Lipstadt is an Award-Winning Author & a Professor of Modern Jewish and Holocaust Studies at Emory University. Originally part I of a special series on confronting antisemitism, please join us as we revisit this timely episode of On All-Inclusive with Jay Ruderman. And, we’ll be back in two weeks with a brand new episode.  For decades, Deborah Lipstadt has been a leading figure in writing about and combating antisemitism. She is most well-known for defeating Holocaust denier...

Meg is the CEO of Unsilenced, a grassroots organization dedicated to speaking out against institutionalized child abuse in the troubled teen and youth mental health industry. After being sexually assaulted and expelled from school for drinking at 15, Meg's parents spoke to an educational consultant and forcibly sent her to a children's facility and boarding school. For the next 17 years, Meg dedicated herself to non-profit work before eventually coming to the realization that she had been...

Dr. Lise Deguire is a psychologist, burn survivor, speaker, and author.  At the age of 4, Lise was severely burned in an accidental yet careless fire caused by her mother.  Lise spent years in the hospital recovering, undergoing multiple reconstructive surgeries, experiencing bullying, and navigating the world in a house run by parents who she describes as outrageously flawed, gifted, and iconoclastic.  In spite of her beginnings and losing 4 family members to suicide,  Lise continually...

 **TRIGGER WARNING. This episode contains conversations about suicide and other mental health issues. If you are triggered or would like to talk to a confidential advocate, please dial the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. If you want to learn more about mental health and find possible resources, please visit this Ruderman Family Foundation link.  Jason Docton is the CEO and founder of Rise Above The Disorder (RAD) a nonprofit promoting mental health in the gaming world and beyond.  Not...

Katy Sullivan is an award-winning actress, producer, writer, athlete, bilateral above-the-knee amputee and is the first actress who is an amputee to ever star on Broadway. Raised by parents who encouraged her to try everything and decided to become an actress. After she got her first pair of running prosthetics at 25, she discovered a love of running and became a four-time US Champion. She was among the first bilateral above-the-knee amputees to compete in the Paralympics in ambulatory track...

Eleanor Reissa is a Broadway/television actress, director, prize-winning playwright, author, and host of the Yale University/Fortunoff Video Archive podcast: Those Who Were There: Voices from the Holocaust. A Brooklyn-born native and daughter of what she now calls Holocaust fighters, Eleanor embraced her Jewish identity and channeled that into her artistic expression. When her mother died at 64 in 1986, her father having died 10 years earlier, she discovered 56 letters written to her mother...

Becky Margiotta is an author, change-maker, leader, veteran, and host of the Unleashing Social Change Podcast. Becky is also the co-founder and owner of The Billions Institute which has trained thousands of leaders from every corner of the globe and from every sector of social change in designing and leading large-scale change. The 100,000 Homes Campaign for Community Solutions, where Becky served as director,  mobilized 186 cities to permanently house more than 100,000 people who had...