"Joél's words are where I go when I need some inspiration. And he never lets me down." Lin-Manuel Miranda (yes, that Lin) said these words about our guest this week. Joél Leon is a performer, author, storyteller, and Creative Director at T Band Studio at the New York Times who was born and raised in the Bronx. He writes and tells stories for Black people. He's been featured in the Columbia Journal, BBC News, Sirius XM, Forbes, Insider, Medium, Philadelphia Printworks, Blavity and the Huffington Post. He has spoken and performed at the Apollo Theater, Joe's Pub, Rockwood Music Hall, Columbia University, NYU and Webster Hall. He lives in Brooklyn and is the father to Lilah and West. NEXT STEPS: Follow Joél Leon on Instagram and Twitter. Buy a God Bless the Poets crewneck today! All proceeds go to support the Audre Lorde Project. Listen to Joél’s brand new spoken word project, soundtrack to a riot. __________________________________________________________ Reach out to us anytime and for any reason at hello@letsgiveadamn.com. Follow Let’s Give A Damn on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter to keep up with everything. We have so much planned for the coming months and we don’t want you to miss a thing! If you love what we’re doing, consider supporting us on Patreon! We can’t do this without you. Lastly, leave us a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Have an amazing week, friends! Keep giving a damn. Love y’all! Edited and Sound Designed by Sound On Studios.

Let's Give A Damn

Joél Leon

Tony Hillery is founder of Harlem Grown — an independent, non-profit organization whose mission is to inspire youth to lead healthy and ambitious lives through mentorship and hands-on education in urban farming, sustainability, and nutrition. They currently operate 10 urban agriculture facilities ranging from soil-based farms, hydroponic greenhouses and school gardens. I first learned about Tony when his face and Harlem Grown’s story popped up here, here, and here, on Humans of New York’s social media feeds. This story is extra special because it is happening all around me in my neighborhood of Harlem! Nicole Engel, Executive Director of Harlem Grown, joins us for part of the conversation. In Tony’s won words, “She is the Ying to my Yang. She completes me.” We all know that it takes teamwork to make the dream work. And Tony and Nicole are a wonderful team! NEXT STEPS: Follow Harlem Grown on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Attend their 10-year anniversary virtual gala on October 27! Donate to Harlem Grown. I’ve seen, firsthand, the impact they’re making. You can be part of this work today! __________________________________________________________ Reach out to us anytime and for any reason at hello@letsgiveadamn.com. Follow Let’s Give A Damn on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter to keep up with everything. We have so much planned for the coming months and we don’t want you to miss a thing! If you love what we’re doing, consider supporting us on Patreon! We can’t do this without you. Lastly, leave us a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Have an amazing week, friends! Keep giving a damn. Love y’all! Edited and Sound Designed by Sound On Studios.

Tony Hillery & Nicole Engel

Adrian Grenier is a former actor and director and a current social entrepreneur, investor, and apprentice. You may know Adrian from shows like Entourage or from movies like The Devil Wears Prada. I first learned of Adrian when he started Lonely Whale years ago. More recently, he left New York for Texas and started DuContra Ventures.  He is happier and healthier than he has ever been on his farm outside of Austin, Texas. During our conversation, we discuss social impact, cultivating a better relationship with money, self-care, mental health, whether or not we should listen to experts, creating space to connect with the earth, and so much more.  Follow Adrian's work at Lonely Whale and DuContra Ventures. Follow Adrian on Instagram and Twitter.  _________________________________________ Reach out to us anytime and for any reason at hello@letsgiveadamn.com. Follow Let’s Give A Damn on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter to keep up with everything. We have so much planned for the coming months and we don’t want you to miss a thing! If you love what we’re doing, consider supporting us on Patreon! We can’t do this without you. Lastly, leave us a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Have an amazing week, friends! Keep giving a damn. Love y’all! Edited and Sound Designed by Sound On Studios.

Adrian Grenier

Juli Boit is an author, community builder and non-profit leader working at the intersection of faith, global health, and human dignity. For 17 years Juli has lived and worked in Africa, founding and serving as International Director of Living Room International, a community-led nonprofit providing hospice and palliative care services to adults and children in Western Kenya. Through her training as a Family Nurse Practitioner, Juli has combined her dual passions of healthcare and social justice into a unique expression of love that is providing desperately needed services in an underserved community. That said, Juli would be the first to add she’s the one who has been loved the most by her patients and neighbors in her home village of Kipkaren — most notably by Titus, her Kenyan husband and their children Sharon, Alice, Ella, Geoffrey, and Ryan. Her book, From Beyond the Skies, releases TODAY ON SEPTEMBER 28! Make sure to pick up a copy today. 100% of the net proceeds of this book will fund Living Room International. Don't forget to follow Juli on Instagram! _________________________________________ Reach out to us anytime and for any reason at hello@letsgiveadamn.com. Follow Let’s Give A Damn on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter to keep up with everything. We have so much planned for the coming months and we don’t want you to miss a thing! If you love what we’re doing, consider supporting us on Patreon! We can’t do this without you. Lastly, leave us a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Have an amazing week, friends! Keep giving a damn. Love y’all! Edited and Sound Designed by Sound On Studios.

Juli Boit

A year ago, I invited Eddie S. Glaude Jr. to join me on the podcast for a discussion about Black Lives Matter, living as a black man in America, James Baldwin, his book Begin Again: James Baldwin's America And Its Urgent Lessons For Our Own, and so much more. I think about Eddie and his important work all the time so it was a no-brainer to bring our conversation back at some point. Today is that day! Read Eddie's incredible bio on Princeton University's website. Follow Eddie on Twitter and Instagram.  _________________________________________ Reach out to us anytime and for any reason at hello@letsgiveadamn.com. Follow Let’s Give A Damn on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter to keep up with everything. We have so much planned for the coming months and we don’t want you to miss a thing! If you love what we’re doing, consider supporting us on Patreon! We can’t do this without you. Lastly, leave us a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Have an amazing week, friends! Keep giving a damn. Love y’all! Edited and Sound Designed by Sound On Studios. 

Eddie S. Glaude Jr. Returns!

“The time is upon us to denounce ignorance and hate, and to work together toward this sacred goal, to create a world without fear, without violence, and without hate.” Ten days after 9/11, Rais Bhuiyan was shot from point blank range by a white supremacist in Dallas, TX. His near-death experience and subsequent religious pilgrimage sparked a profound journey for Rais, including an international campaign advocating to save his attacker from death row. Ever since, Rais has kept his death bed promise to do more for others, dedicating his life to transforming hearts and opening minds through restorative justice, building bridges, storytelling, public speaking, and facilitation. Over the last 9 years, Rais Bhuiyan has spoken to and worked with over 250,000 people around the globe. From corporate board rooms, to college campuses, classrooms, conference auditoriums, maximum security prisons, and refugee camps, Rais shares his extraordinary story of survival and the transformational power of mercy and forgiveness with audiences and participants of all ages, backgrounds, professions, religions, cultures, and languages. Rais inspires and motivates others around a variety of topics relating to his story and experiences of forgiveness, compassion, empathy, understanding and acceptance, as well as hate-crimes, race relations, equity and social justice, intolerance, faith and leadership. Rais donated his story, chronicled in The True American: Murder& Mercy in Texas by Anand Giridharadas; the 2014 New York Times Book Review Notable Book and Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year. Rais worked with the Obama Administration’s Domestic Policy Council, receiving a personal letter from the President thanking him for his courage and efforts. He currently represents the U.S. Department of State, as part of their speakers’ bureau, supporting federal efforts for peace and understanding. Rais is featured in the documentary series, The Secret Life of Muslims featured on Vox, PRI, and the USA network. His segment was chosen by CBS Sunday Morning for national broadcast. Rais delivered a TEDx at Emory University in 2016. His efforts have been widely recognized, receiving the Excellence for Human Service Award, United for Change; 2011 American of the Year, Esquire Magazine; 2014 American Heritage Award, American Immigration Council; 2014 Human Relations Award, Muslim Public Affairs Council Foundation; 2018 ADL Washington, D.C. Kay Family Award & Concert Against Hate Honoree, among others. Hollywood’s feature film, based on The True American, is currently in production. Rais founded the non-profit World Without Hate in 2011. Visit World Without Hate’s website to get involved. Follow World Without Hate on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Follow Rais on Twitter and visit his website to learn more about him. _________________________________________ Reach out to us anytime and for any reason at hello@letsgiveadamn.com. Have an amazing week, friends! Keep giving a damn. Love y’all! 

Rais Bhuiyan

Ann Lee, Co-Founder and CEO of CORE Response, returns to the podcast to give us an update on how they are responding to the earthquake that rocked Haiti on August 14.  To learn more about Ann, listen to our first podcast conversation on October 13 2020.  Consider supporting these fantastic organizations: CORE, World Central Kitchen, Partners In Health, and LIDÈ Haiti.  Follow Ann on Twitter and Instagram. Follow CORE on Twitter and Instagram. _________________________________________ Reach out to us anytime and for any reason at hello@letsgiveadamn.com. Follow Let’s Give A Damn on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter to keep up with everything. We have so much planned for the coming months and we don’t want you to miss a thing! If you love what we’re doing, consider supporting us on Patreon! We can’t do this without you. Lastly, leave us a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Have an amazing week, friends! See you next year. Keep giving a damn. Love y’all! Edited and Sound Designed by Sound On Studios.

Ann Lee Returns!

Mary Cain has been called “the fastest girl in a generation.” Mary has been been breaking records since she was a young teen. Mary was the 2014 World Junior Champion in the 3000 meter and she is the youngest American track and field athlete ever to represent the United States at a World Championships meet after competing in the World Championships in Athletics in Moscow at the age of 17. In 2013, Mary joined the greatest track team in the world, Nike’s Oregon Project, and, as a result of an abusive coach and system, it nearly ruined her career. In 2019, Mary spoke up about the abuse she experienced and soon after launched a non-profit called Atalanta NYC. This organization employs and supports professional female runners so they can achieve their highest athletic goals and helps those same runners serve as core mentors for the youth mentoring program.  Follow Mary on Instagram and Twitter. Learn more about Atalanta NYC. _________________________________________ Reach out to us anytime and for any reason at hello@letsgiveadamn.com. Follow Let’s Give A Damn on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter to keep up with everything. We have so much planned for the coming months and we don’t want you to miss a thing! If you love what we’re doing, consider supporting us on Patreon! We can’t do this without you. Lastly, leave us a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Have an amazing week, friends! See you next year. Keep giving a damn. Love y’all! Edited and Sound Designed by Sound On Studios.

Mary Cain

Simone George is a human rights lawyer and activist, a consultant commercial litigator, a paralysis cure hunter and a TED2018 Speaker.Everything Simone does is based on her belief in fairness. As a human rights lawyer, she represents women who are experiencing abuse and is presently researching why those in our systems don’t adequately serve justice. She co-authored the report “The Lawlessness of the Home” with an Irish NGO, finding that we are all responsible for women and children’s right to bodily integrity and to liberty. She also co-created a summit in 2016 to cultivate the leadership required to arm us for this responsibility, gathering the world’s foremost thinkers and activists together in Dublin. This work led to significant amendments to legislation and will contribute to a new landscape of social and political justice in Ireland. In 2010, Simone’s fiancé – blind adventure athlete Mark Pollock – broke his back, and together the two learned how paralysis strikes at the very heart of what it means to be human. George’s research, which began by Pollock’s hospital bed, became the start of their next adventure – to find and connect people around the world to fast-track a cure for paralysis. George has been a catalyst for a global collaboration between groundbreaking scientists creating a paralysis cure and is the subject of feature documentary: Unbreakable. She is a director on the board of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, a masters graduate from The College of Europe, Bruges, holds a diploma from Harvard and is a double-graduate of NUI Galway. Watch Simone and Mark’s incredible 2018 TED Talk. Visit Simone’s website. Follow Simone on Twitter and Instagram. _________________________________________ Reach out to us anytime and for any reason at hello@letsgiveadamn.com. Follow Let’s Give A Damn on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter to keep up with everything. We have so much planned for the coming months and we don’t want you to miss a thing! If you love what we’re doing, consider supporting us on Patreon! We can’t do this without you. Lastly, leave us a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Have an amazing week, friends! See you next year. Keep giving a damn. Love y’all! Edited and Sound Designed by Sound On Studios.

Simone George

Pedro Andrade is a Brazilian author, journalist, and TV presenter  based in NYC. Pedro has presented on Good Morning America, Nightline, and many other shows like those and he has his own show called “Pedro Pelo Mondo” which is based out of Brazil and gets about 7.5M weekly viewers. I had him on the show to talk, among many other topics and issues, about his brand new show on Vice TV called Unknown Amazon. This show is a sobering six-part documentary series that follows Pedro as he ventures into unknown corners of the Amazon basin, a region vital to our planet’s biodiversity, meeting groups of people and cultures who share first-hand accounts of the environmental destruction they have witnessed to their regions and the issues they face as a result of climate change. Pedro does a great job tackling massive issues like deforestation, gold mining, palm oil and soy farming, animal trafficking, overtourism, and more and offers incredible and sustainable solutions to these problems.  Watch Amazon Unknown on Vice or you can watch the first episode for free on Youtube. Follow Pedro on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. _________________________________________ Reach out to us anytime and for any reason at hello@letsgiveadamn.com. Follow Let’s Give A Damn on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter to keep up with everything. We have so much planned for the coming months and we don’t want you to miss a thing! If you love what we’re doing, consider supporting us on Patreon! We can’t do this without you. Lastly, leave us a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Have an amazing week, friends! See you next year. Keep giving a damn. Love y’all! Edited and Sound Designed by Sound On Studios.

Pedro Andrade

This week, we’re bringing back our November 2020 chat with Matthew McConaughey! Matthew is an actor, an author, and a philanthropist.Matthew recently wrote a book based on 36 years of journaling. In it, he shares incredible stories, tons of wisdom, and he helps us learn the art of catching Greenlights. Remember, no matter how many yellow lights or red lights you may be experiencing in your life, they always turn green. In this conversation, you’ll finds of wisdom for damn-givers of all shapes and sizes. Check out Matthew’s non-profit, just keep livin. Follow Matthew on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. _________________________________________ Reach out to us anytime and for any reason at hello@letsgiveadamn.com. Follow Let’s Give A Damn on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter to keep up with everything. We have so much planned for the coming months and we don’t want you to miss a thing! If you love what we’re doing, consider supporting us on Patreon! We can’t do this without you. Lastly, leave us a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Have an amazing week, friends! See you next year. Keep giving a damn. Love y’all! Edited and Sound Designed by Sound On Studios.

Matthew McConaughey

This week, a few thoughts and important updates from founder of Let's Give A Damn and host of the Let's Give A Damn podcast, Nick Laparra! Follow Nick on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Do this at your own risk, of course.  _________________________________________ Reach out to us anytime and for any reason at hello@letsgiveadamn.com. Follow Let’s Give A Damn on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter to keep up with everything. We have so much planned for the coming months and we don’t want you to miss a thing! If you love what we’re doing, consider supporting us on Patreon! We can’t do this without you. Lastly, leave us a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Have an amazing week, friends! See you next year. Keep giving a damn. Love y’all!

Nick Laparra

Taylor Schumann is an activist, writer, and the miraculous survivor of a workplace shooting. In 2013, Taylor was at work (New River Community College) when a former student walked in and tried to Kill Taylor and many others. You’ll have to listen to our conversation to hear the full story. It’s horrifying and incredible at the same time. Taylor has committed so much of her time the last few years to educate people on the realities of gun violence and the need for stricter gun control laws. On July 20, her book, When Thoughts and Prayers Aren’t Enough: A Shooting Survivor’s Journey into the Realities of Gun Violence, releases. Make sure to grab a copy today! Taylor is wise and empathetic. I know you’re going to enjoy getting to know her as much as I did! Follow Taylor on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Visit Taylor’s website. Preorder a copy of Taylor’s book! _________________________________________ Reach out to us anytime and for any reason at hello@letsgiveadamn.com. Follow Let’s Give A Damn on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter to keep up with everything. We have so much planned for the coming months and we don’t want you to miss a thing! If you love what we’re doing, consider supporting us on Patreon! We can’t do this without you. Lastly, leave us a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Have an amazing week, friends! See you next year. Keep giving a damn. Love y’all! Edited and Sound Designed by Sound On Studios.

Taylor Schumann

Carol Mitchell holds a Juris Doctor from Seattle University School of Law, a Master of Arts in Organizational Systems Renewal from Seattle University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Washington Seattle. Mitchell has more than 20 years of public sector leadership experience, having served most recently in Pierce County, Washington.  Her primary responsibility was to improve outcomes for individuals with behavioral health and substance use conditions who were caught in the grip of the criminal justice system.  She has significant organizational and human resources experience, having served as the Chief HR Officer for the Port of Tacoma, Chief Organizational Development and HR Officer for Metro Parks, Public Relations Officer for Pierce Transit, and as Executive Consultant for her own preventive law firm.    She founded the Institute for Black Justice in September 2020.  The purpose of the IBJ is to relentlessly pursue equity and justice for all. They accomplish this by being an advocate for fairness and equity, being an accelerator of justice system transformation, and being an accomplice to credible social justice influencers and the communities they serve. Visit and support the Institute for Black Justice. Follow IBJ on Instagram and Facebook. _________________________________________ Reach out to us anytime and for any reason at hello@letsgiveadamn.com. Follow Let’s Give A Damn on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter to keep up with everything. We have so much planned for the coming months and we don’t want you to miss a thing! If you love what we’re doing, consider supporting us on Patreon! We can’t do this without you. Lastly, leave us a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Have an amazing week, friends! See you next year. Keep giving a damn. Love y’all! Edited and Sound Designed by Sound On Studios.

Carol Mitchell

Bob Dalton is the founder and CEO of Sackcloth & Ashes, a mission-driven company that gives a blanket to a homeless shelter for each one purchased. In 2018 he launched Blanket the United States, a campaign with the goal of donating one million blankets to homeless shelters by 2024. He now travels the United States campaigning to bring awareness and resources to organizations that are creating solutions for homelessness and speaking at events on the topics of entrepreneurship and societal solutions. Follow Bob on Instagram and Twitter. Follow Sackcloth & Ashes on Instagram and Twitter. Buy a damn blanket (or two)! _________________________________________ Reach out to us anytime and for any reason at hello@letsgiveadamn.com. Follow Let’s Give A Damn on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter to keep up with everything. We have so much planned for the coming months and we don’t want you to miss a thing! If you love what we’re doing, consider supporting us on Patreon! We can’t do this without you. Lastly, leave us a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Have an amazing week, friends! See you next year. Keep giving a damn. Love y’all! Edited and Sound Designed by Sound On Studios.

Bob Dalton

Let's Give A Damn aims to help you give a damn about yourself, about each other, and about others. We bring you the stories of people who saw something wrong in the world and gave a damn about it. You'll hear from damn givers like Chelsea Clinton, Rainn Wilson, Noor Tagouri, Scott Hamilton, and over a hundred others! From their experiences and wisdom, you'll learn how to give more damns than ever before. Join us!

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Let's Give A Damn

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