Brad Pitassi: Fire Chief Shares Insights on the L.A. Fires
The Extra Mile - The Official Charity Miles Podcast
Release Date: 01/15/2025
Michelle Boggs - The Future of Fundraising: Trust, Community and Innovation
The Extra Mile - The Official Charity Miles Podcast
Michelle Boggs is the Executive Nonprofit Industry Advisor at GoFundMe, where she works closely with nonprofits of all sizes and has a unique perspective on the trends shaping the future of fundraising and philanthropy. In our interview, Michelle shares the latest trends she's seeing in the nonprofit space, the current challenges that charities are facing, and how they can better engage their supporters to build trust and community. Her insight is helpful both to our listeners who work at charities and for all of our members who are always looking for ways to go the extra mile for the...
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Wes Adams: Making Work Matter With Community, Contribution, and Challenge
The Extra Mile - The Official Charity Miles Podcast
In this episode, we catch up with Wes Adams—positive psychology researcher, author, and founder of SV Consulting Group—during a walk through his hometown of Montclair, New Jersey, for a powerful conversation about what makes work meaningful. Wes shares insights from years of research into why some workplaces thrive while others burn out, and how great leaders create meaning—not just through mission statements, but through everyday moments of community, contribution, and challenge. From casual team check-ins to stretch assignments, Wes explains how small, consistent actions can build...
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Manoj Kumar: Cycling 3,633 Miles Around India With a Purpose
The Extra Mile - The Official Charity Miles Podcast
In this episode, we sit down with Manoj Kumar, a tech leader at Harman and passionate cyclist, to hear the incredible story of his 6,000km solo ride across India. Manoj opens up about what inspired him to take this journey—navigating traffic, burnout, and the desire to break out of the ordinary—and how cycling became both a physical and spiritual path. From flat tires to moments of doubt, from conversations with strangers to meditative stillness on the road, Manoj’s story is one of resilience, clarity, and quiet courage. We explore the diversity of India’s...
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Pat Morrissey & Brendan Cusick: Ocean Rowers and Founding Members of Human Powered Potential
The Extra Mile - The Official Charity Miles Podcast
In this episode of The Extra Mile Podcast, we’re joined by Pat Morrissey and Brendan Cusick of Human Powered Potential—a four-person team that rowed across the Pacific Ocean to raise over $43 million for the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Pat, who lives with early onset Parkinson’s, shares his powerful journey from diagnosis to joining this life-changing mission. Brendan, the team’s skipper, walks us through the inspiration behind the row, the mental and physical preparation, and what it was like to face 30-foot waves and total isolation in the middle of the ocean. Together, they talk...
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Kiera Smalls, Executive Director of the Running Industry Diversity Coalition: Mix It Up Mindfully
The Extra Mile - The Official Charity Miles Podcast
We're thrilled to share this interview with Kiera Smalls, the Executive Director of the Running Industry Coalition. The RIDC is an educational nonprofit with a mission to unite the running industry to improve inclusion, visibility, and access for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. This is a conversation about how running can be a tool for connection, empowerment, and change, but also how the running community, and how we think about diversity in the running community, is a microcosm for so much more. In a time where we seem to see a movement in opposition to...
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Billy Mills, 1964 Olympic Gold Medalist and Humanitarian: A Dream To Heal Broken Wings
The Extra Mile - The Official Charity Miles Podcast
It's a tremendous honor for me to share my podcast with Olympic legend and humanitarian, Billy Mills. Billy Mills was born in 1938 and grew up on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, home to the Oglala Lakota Nation. Billy had a very difficult childhood, losing his mother, sister, and father by the age of 12. He turned to running as both an escape and a source of discipline. After his father's passing, Billy attended the Haskell Institute, a U.S. government run boarding school for Native American children. Schools like Haskell were controversial for their forced assimilation,...
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Brad Pitassi: Fire Chief Shares Insights on the L.A. Fires
The Extra Mile - The Official Charity Miles Podcast
In this episode, we’re joined by Brad Pitassi, Chief of the Maricopa Fire Department, who shares his incredible journey from EMT to fire chief. We discuss wildfire response, community resilience, and the personal sacrifices firefighters make to keep us safe. Brad’s stories are both eye-opening and inspiring, offering practical tips on disaster preparedness and how we can all support our local heroes. ! Chapters: 0:00 – Welcome & Guest Introduction 0:26 – Becoming Fire Chief of Maricopa 1:31 – Inspired to Serve After 9/11 3:23 – Managing Large-Scale Disasters 5:36 – What...
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Charles Costa: Running 90 Marathons in 90 Days for Mental Health
The Extra Mile - The Official Charity Miles Podcast
We’re excited to bring you this inspiring conversation with Charles Costa, an ultrarunner who accomplished the incredible challenge of running 90 marathons in 90 days along the Pacific Crest Trail. In this episode, Charles shares his journey of resilience, his dedication to raising awareness for mental health through organizations like the Jed Foundation, and the lessons he’s learned from this life-changing experience. We explore powerful themes like finding freedom and purpose through running, the connection between physical activity and mental health, and how perseverance can inspire...
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Dr Bill Dahut: Chief Scientific Officer for the American Cancer Society
The Extra Mile - The Official Charity Miles Podcast
We're thrilled to share this interview with Dr. Bill Dahut, Chief Scientific Officer of the American Cancer Society. Dr. Dahut is a renowned oncologist and researcher who is helping set the vision for the world’s most innovative cancer research initiatives. In this interview, we cover a wide range of topics, including the groundbreaking research the American Cancer Society is supporting, the critical role of early cancer detection, and how lifestyle choices like diet, and exercise can significantly reduce cancer risk. Dr. Dahut is both inspiring and empowering, because he gives us an inside...
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Martinus Evans - Turn The Impossible Into The Inevitable
The Extra Mile - The Official Charity Miles Podcast
We're thrilled to share this interview with Martinus Evans, author, coach and founder of the Slow AF Run Club. Martinus' journey is not just about running. It's a journey of overcoming setbacks, challenging norms, and motivating people of all shapes, sizes, and speeds to lace up and get moving. From an “impossible” goal set in a doctor’s office, to founding a movement that encourages tens of thousands of people to get moving, Martinus’ story is about turning doubt into determination and making the impossible inevitable. We have not doubt that you’ll inspired by...
info_outlineIn this episode, we’re joined by Brad Pitassi, Chief of the Maricopa Fire Department, who shares his incredible journey from EMT to fire chief.
We discuss wildfire response, community resilience, and the personal sacrifices firefighters make to keep us safe.
Brad’s stories are both eye-opening and inspiring, offering practical tips on disaster preparedness and how we can all support our local heroes.
Chapters:
0:00 – Welcome & Guest Introduction
0:26 – Becoming Fire Chief of Maricopa
1:31 – Inspired to Serve After 9/11
3:23 – Managing Large-Scale Disasters
5:36 – What It’s Like Fighting Wildfires
10:00 – How to Fight a Forest Fire
19:57 – Wildfires in Urban Areas
31:52 – Personal Preparedness Tips
43:36 – Cancer Risks for Firefighters
52:45 – Final Thoughts & Thank You