Mary Kerrigan: Transformation through Conversation
Breaking Trail
“Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid.” This quote is often attributed to Goethe but it appears to be really credited to Basil King, a Canadian clergyman. As I chatted with today’s guest, Mary Kerrigan, this quote came to mind. To make a big change, you have to be bold. You have to start somewhere and when you start, “mighty forces” will come to your aid. In Mary’s case, she starts with a conversation. And today we’re going to learn from Mary how conversation leads to transformation. Mary Kerrigan is a Conversation Architect. Based in Ireland, she helps...
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Katie Harris: Turning Frustration into Opportunity
Breaking Trail
In his book Ecological Literacy, David Orr said we need more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers, and lovers of every kind. He said we need people who live well in their places. People of moral courage willing to join the fight to make the world habitable and humane. These are the people who are redefining success in today’s terms and this podcast is for the peacemakers, healers, restorers and lovers of every kind. Every other week, we talk to someone who is living well in their place and doing something to contribute to the world rather than take from it. We are breaking...
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Robin Hall: A Story about Finding Purpose and Adapting
Breaking Trail
Things rarely go as planned and that is very much the case for Robin Hall who had a big fat wrench thrown into her and her family’s life plan. The outdoor brand she was working for relocated and she had to make some decisions. This is a story about finding purpose and adapting. It’s a story about sitting at home and deciding to take matters into your own hands. And why not, while we’re at it, launch a sustainable outdoor kids apparel brand? Some people get kicked off the ledge and are forced to change. Others aren’t that “lucky” and therefore hang out in their status...
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Kevin Belanger: The Great American Rail-Trail
Breaking Trail
Before joining the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy team in 2016 as a trail planner, Kevin Belanger spent many years in the active-transportation world. He received master’s degrees in both Environmental Studies and Community and Regional Planning from the University of Oregon, where he wrote his thesis on walking and biking habits in suburban multifamily housing. After completing his formal education, Kevin spent time in the consulting world and then as the bicycle and pedestrian coordinator for a suburb in Maryland. Lately, Kevin is focused on an exciting project I’m so excited to share with...
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Alexis Biddle: Housing Policy and Climate Change
Breaking Trail
Alexis Biddle is the Great Communities Program Director for 1000 Friends of Oregon who’s mission is to work with Oregonians to enhance our quality of life by building livable urban and rural communities, protecting family farms and forests, and conserving natural areas. Alexis works on issues like housing, transportation, infrastructure, and more, in towns and cities outside of the Portland Metro region. Based in Eugene, he travels the state to work with residents, city planners, and local decision-makers to ensure that Oregon's urban and rural communities are not just livable, but thriving....
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Josh Lasky: Every Step is a Gift
Breaking Trail
Today, I have a beautiful story for you about fatherhood, endurance, and sustainability. Josh Lasky is a father, husband, son, amateur endurance athlete, social impact professional, and author. He serves as Director of the Office of Sustainability at The George Washington University, leading the institution’s efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 and fulfill other ambitious commitments. Lasky holds a Master’s in public administration and a Bachelor’s in political science from GW, and he serves as a board member of Climate Ride, a non-profit that organizes life-changing...
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Their Story is Our Story – Liz Jevtic-Somlai
Breaking Trail
Today’s story comes from Elizabeta Jevtic-Somlai. Originally from Serbia, now living in Phoenix, Arizona. Liz knows what it’s like to flee a country she loved and to find new roots, a new way in a strange and unwelcoming country. I have the privilege of working with her at , where we are working to tell the stories of refugees to change the perception, reception, and legislation in a way that supports people fleeing violence and persecution. Liz lost a great deal when she escaped her beautiful country. But she says, she will not lose who she is or where she came from. Here is a bit...
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Scot Chisholm on Saving Farmland
Breaking Trail
Converting Caring to Action I invited Scot to be a guest when I saw he was working to save farmland in Whitefish, Montana. In fact, he founded a nonprofit of that name. But first, some critical background about Scott. He is the cofounder of , a San Diego-based social enterprise and software company that creates fundraising tools for nonprofit organizations. They grew the company to 330 employees and have raised more than $4 billion for nonprofits. Early this year, they announced a merger with GoFundme which is exciting news in the giving space. Scot now lives in Whitefish, Montana and is...
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Pam Bond: Fixing the Trail
Breaking Trail
Today I have a lovely conversation with Pam Bond whose story I just love. (Actually, stories are kind of like cheese. There are very few stories I don’t like. Just the stinky ones.)
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The Power of the Third Choice with Sarah Panus
Breaking Trail
I am happy to introduce you to Sarah Panus because I feel like in a way we are kindred spirits which is coincidental because her business is named Kindred Speak, LLC. She, like me, had a dream to go into fashion. She pursued that dream farther than I ever did. Life took her in another direction (like it did for me) and after a series of jobs, she left her corporate position to launch her business.
info_outlineThis is a story about not letting our circumstances define who we are. If today’s guest can do that, we can do it. She is not paying it forward. She came from a place of extreme poverty to start this global nonprofit Days for Girls International.
Celeste Mergens is the founder and CEO of Days for Girls. She has led the organization since its beginning in 2008, driven by twenty years of nonprofit and business management experience. She holds a Master’s Degree in Creative Writing and Literature and audited a second in Global Sustainable Development. Days for Girls is a two-time Girl Effect Champion, won the SEED award for gender equity and entrepreneurship, and was named by the Huffington Post as a ‘Next Ten’ Organization poised to change the world in the next decade, and won the 2020 ORG of the year award. Celeste has been featured in Oprah’s O Magazine, Forbes, and Stanford Social Innovation Review. She was awarded the 2017 AARP Purpose Prize Award, named Conscious Company Global Impact Entrepreneur Top Ten Women in 2018, 2019 Global Washington Global Hero, and Women’s Economic Forum’s Woman of the Decade.
She is married to her best friend Don and has six children and 15 grandchildren and was named 2015 American Mother of the Year for Washington State.
Also, today is International Day of the Girl – Donate with matching funds with a goal to reach 50,000 girls. Go there now and support a girl – $10
How an idea in the middle of the night gave her profound purpose.
Why washable feminine hygiene is so important. 2015 – Nepal – one of the five things they asked for urgently was washable menstrual solutions
How to get an idea off the ground.
We are not our circumstances. It’s our response that matters.
So, with that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next.
Where to find Celeste and other links:
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About Lisa Gerber:
Lisa advises CEOs and senior-level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.
She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.
When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving.
To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com.