Episodes
It’s been a few weeks but we’re back! My guest this week is the brilliant Katie Bogen. In her own words, Katie is a clinical psychology PhD student, a trauma therapist, a sex researcher, a rad Jewess, a queer activist, and a cottagecore rabble-rouser. Katie is truly a wonderful soul. Over the past few months, ever since this horrific genocide began, she has been one of the most helpful voices on social media. She has made loads of content to share the truth about Zionism at its goals, to...
Published 02/06/24
Published 02/06/24
I know it’s a bit late—hello 2024!—but I wanted you to experience some of my favorite moments and some of your favorite moments in 2023. I spoke with some incredible folks last year and I learned so much from them. Here’s to many more incredible conversations in 2024! If you want to skip around this episode, here are the timestamps for each highlight: Simran Jeet Singh - 8:07  Rachelle Lefevre - 16:54 Megha Desai - 24:18 Rainn Wilson - 31:16 Patricia Velázquez - 38:09 Noor Tagouri -...
Published 01/09/24
Noor Tagouri’s name literally  means “Guiding Light.” And a guiding light she is! Noor is back for a second time. Her first appearance was for episode 19 of the podcast in the summer of 2017!  At 29, Noor is an award-winning journalist and producer, a touring speaker for over 15 years, and has told stories in every medium from radio and print, to documentaries and brand campaigns. In 2019 Noor founded At Your Service Media, a consulting and production company telling representative stories...
Published 12/12/23
Meike Ziervogel is a German-British novelist with five novels to her name. She is the founder of an award-winning publishing company in the UK and a fluent Arabic speaker. Since 2018 she has lived in Lebanon. From 2018 to 2019 she transformed a failing needle art workshop in the Shatila refugee camp into a sustainable independent business, providing a monthly income to 100 refugee women. In January 2020 she set up Alsama Project with Kadria Hussien, a Syrian refugee living in Shatila. Meike...
Published 11/28/23
My guest this week is my friend and incredible human, Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis. Jacqui is an author, activist, preacher, and public theologian toward creating an antiracist, just, gun violence free, fully welcoming, gender affirming society in which everyone has enough. Read the rest of her bio here.  Watch or listen to Jacqui’s Listen, Learn, Lean Into Peace series. Learn more about Freedom Rising 2024! Follow Jacqui on Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube. --- 📱 Follow Let’s Give A Damn on...
Published 11/14/23
My guest this week is the esteemed Tim Wise. Tim is among the most prominent anti-racist educators and authors in the United States. He has spoken to audiences in all 50 states and internationally about systemic racism, inequality, and methods for dismantling racism in institutions from workplaces to schools to law enforcement.  He is the author of nine books including his most recent essay collection, Dispatches from the Race War, and his highly acclaimed memoir, White Like Me: Reflections...
Published 10/24/23
My guests this week are two truly remarkable women. I met Sophia and Patricia at the Clinton Global Initiative 2023 meetings a few weeks ago.  Read more about Sophia Kianni’s work here. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter. And make sure to check out Climate Cardinals!  Follow Patricia Velásquez on Twitter and Instagram. Consider getting involved with the Wayuu Taya Foundation. --- 📱 Follow Let’s Give A Damn on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube. ✉️ Sign up for our weekly...
Published 10/03/23
“All that the sun shines on is beautiful, so long as it is wild.” — John Muir Barbara Jo Jenkins co-authored The Walk West (William Morrow), which became an international bestseller and part of the permanent White House Library. A nonfiction blockbuster, it sold 15 million copies, became a Reader's Digest condensed book, and was chosen as one of the most influential bestsellers related to American culture in the last 100 years. Jenkins' three-year, 3,000-mile walk across America with her...
Published 09/12/23
From their website: “Rise & Shine TN believes every Tennessean should enjoy a free, safe, and vibrant life. Rise & Shine was started as a home for those who want to harness their hope, anger, sadness and fear and use it to build change. This is more than meetings with legislators who won’t hear us. This is more than calls that won’t be answered. This is more than business-as-usual. We draw from our training and experiences as parents, organizers, entrepreneurs, educators, healthcare...
Published 08/29/23
Flamy Grant is a shame-slaying, hip-swaying, singing-songwriting drag queen from western North Carolina. Her 2022 debut record, Bible Belt Baby, was nominated for Best Pop Album at the San Diego Music Awards, and she is a winner of the 2023 Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk Competition. Both a powerhouse vocalist and an intrepid songwriter, Flamy blends the art of drag with her iconic folk/rock sound to create a memorable musical experience. Flamy has collaborated with Adeem the Artist,...
Published 08/15/23
I met my Natalia Antelava about a month ago in Tbilisi, Georgia, at the storytelling festival she co-founded that I spoke at. At this festival, I spoke alongside Sean Penn, Armando Iannucci, Aaron Rasmussen, Joe Sabia, Sarah Natochenny, and 70 others. I was impressed by her then and I am much more impressed with her now! She’s an incredible human that has gone through so much, been to so many places, and continues to give a damn in very beautiful and meaningful ways.  A co-founder of Coda,...
Published 07/11/23
It's Megha Desai Day is on the podcast! Megha is a corporate advertising powerhouse turned President of The Desai Foundation. After years working at some of the top advertising agencies—like BBH, Anomaly, and Wieden & Kennedy—Megha decided to join her family's foundation to help them grow and increase their reach in meaningful ways. The Desai Foundation is an organization that empowers women and children through community programming to elevate health, livelihood and menstrual equity in...
Published 06/14/23
If you don’t already know who Matt Bernstein is, where the hell have you been? Living under a rock somewhere? Matt is a content creator, a makeup artist, and a self-described “queer jew with very long nails.” Matt uses a simple and unique design style to create infographics and other images that are meant to raise awareness around LGTBQ+ issues, antisemitism, bigotry, and so much more. Matt is also incredibly gracious and puts up with a tremendous amount of shit from trolls.  Matt doesn’t...
Published 06/06/23
I don’t need to tell you about Rainn Wilson. You know about Rainn Wilson. He’s one of the best f*****g humans out there. I’m so glad he’s a friend of mine and a friend of the show. His words and wisdom are needed so badly right now and I’m pumped that we get to hear from him again right here on the podcast. Soul Boom! Spirituality! Happiness! And so much more! NEXT STEPS: — Follow Rainn on Instagram and Twitter. — Buy Soul Boom! — Watch The Geography of Bliss on Peacock! — Support...
Published 05/23/23
Benjamin Perry is a minister at Middle Church and an award-winning writer whose work has appeared in outlets like The Washington Post, Slate, Sojourners, and Bustle. With a degree in psychology from SUNY Geneseo and an MDiv from Union Theological Seminary, Perry has worked as an organizer with the New York chapter of the Poor People’s Campaign and as an editor at Time, Inc. Perry has appeared on MSNBC, Al Jazeera, and NY1, and is the editor of the Queer Faith photojournalism series. He and...
Published 05/16/23
During this Black History Month, we’re bringing you some snippets from conversations we have had over the past few years with incredible Black writers, speakers, professors, preachers, actors, and artists. “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” — Barack Obama After you listen to the incredible clips in this episode, make sure you listen to the full conversations: Episode 27 with...
Published 02/07/23
Simran Jeet Singh, Ph.D., is the Executive Director of the Religion & Society Program at the Aspen Institute and the author of the national bestseller The Light We Give: How Sikh Wisdom Can Transform Your Life. Simran's thought leadership on bias, empathy, and justice extends across corporate, university, and government settings. He is an Atlantic Fellow for Racial Equity with Columbia University and the Nelson Mandela Foundation, a Soros Equality Fellow with the Open Society...
Published 01/24/23
Welcome to the first episode of 2023! We have an incredible year ahead for you. We're just getting started! This week's guest is the incredible Nazazin Ash. Nazanin is the CEO of Welcome.US—a new national initiative built to inspire, mobilize, and empower Americans from all corners of the country to welcome and support those seeking refuge here. This organization is led by a truly incredible team and is co-chaired by President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, President Bush and First...
Published 01/17/23
I can’t believe this is the last episode of the year! We hope you’ll stick around and get more involved in what we're doing and building here at Let’s Give A Damn in 2023. We have so much that we’re planning on rolling out next year. This Best of 2022 episode features clips from some of our favorite moments during our conversations with the following incredible guests in 2022: — Episode 219 with Jacqui Lewis — Episode 222 with Rachelle Lefevre — Episode 225 with Tyler Merritt — Episode...
Published 12/20/22
Detra Denise is a woman determined to tell her heartbreaking and hopeful story to as many people as possible in as many ways as possible. NEXT STEPS: — Follow Detra on Instagram and Facebook. — Follow Detra’s Story on Instagram. — Visit the brand new Detra’s Story website. — Buy her limited edition, 5-pack cigar sampler! ___________________________________________ Reach out to us anytime and for any reason at [email protected]. Follow Let’s Give A Damn on Facebook, Instagram,...
Published 12/06/22
Tom Fishman is the CEO of Starts With Us. Starts With Us is a movement to foster curiosity, compassion, and courage as daily habits to overcome the polarization, blind tribalism, and dehumanization threatening the social fabric of our communities. NEXT STEPS: — Follow Starts With Us on Twitter and Instagram. — Visit their website and join the Starts With Us movement today! ___________________________________________ Reach out to us anytime and for any reason at [email protected]....
Published 11/29/22
Good+Foundation is a leading national nonprofit that works to dismantle multi-generational poverty by pairing tangible goods with innovative services for low-income fathers, mothers and caregivers, creating an upward trajectory for the whole family. NEXT STEPS: — Follow Good+ Foundation on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. — Visit Good+ Foundation’s website to learn more and to donate. — Follow Jessica Seinfeld on Instagram. ___________________________________________ Reach out to us...
Published 11/15/22
Russell (aka Jolly Good Ginger) was raised by racist and bigoted parents and now educates white people to eradicate bigotry in all of its ugly forms. He shares his message with almost 2,000,000 people on social media. Russell is a damn good human and I can’t wait for you to meet him and learn from him today! NEXT STEPS: — Follow Jolly Good Ginger on Tiktok, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitch. — Watch his TEDx talk on breaking the cycle of white...
Published 11/08/22
Anand Giridharadas is a writer. He is the author of The Persuaders: At the Front Lines of the Fight for Hearts, Minds, and Democracy (2022), Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World (2018), The True American: Murder and Mercy in Texas (2014), and India Calling: An Intimate Portrait of a Nation’s Remaking (2011). A former foreign correspondent and columnist for The New York Times for more than a decade, he has also written for The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and Time, and he is...
Published 11/01/22