Dream Orchestra Founder, CNN Hero and Hero to Hundreds of Kids
Release Date: 12/04/2024
Your School’s Ethnic Studies Curriculum Might Be More Radical Than You Think - Monica Harris Explains Why
Meant For You
Monica Harris is the Executive Director of a Harvard Law graduate, former Hollywood executive, and author of The Illusion of Division. Monica explains how her experience as a gay Black woman in Hollywood and then in “flyover country”shattered many elite narratives about America. She describes why she believes much of our current polarization is manufactured by media and political interests, and how identity-based frameworks like liberated ethnic studies and DEI are deepening division rather than healing it. We dig into the following: Why “Liberated Ethnic Studies” is...
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From “America Is Evil” to American Exceptionalism: Lucy Biggers’ Turnaround
Meant For You
In this episode, we speak with head of social media at nd a former climate activist who has completely rethought the story she was telling the world and herself. Lucy shares how she went from a left-wing digital newsroom steeped in oppressor–oppressed ideology and climate doomsday content to slowly “re-educating” herself, especially after COVID lockdowns made her question what the climate movement was really asking of ordinary people. We talk about how smart, idealistic young people get pulled into movements, from climate activism to “Free Palestine” marches and democratic...
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What Love Makes Possible: Leland Vittert on His Father, Autism & a Lucky Life
Meant For You
Vittert, chief Washington anchor and author of the memoir joins us to talk about his childhood, his career, and all the unexpected ways he truly was born lucky. Despite years of bullying and difficulty navigating school as an autistic kid, Leland had one enormous blessing: parents who never gave up on him, never lowered the bar, and never stopped believing he was capable of a beautiful life. The devotion of Leland’s father will melt your heart—and make you think about the millions of ways a child’s life can be transformed through love, discipline, and grit. Leland shares...
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Undercover Billionaire Elaine Culotti is Taking on California’s Toughest Problems
Meant For You
What happens when a no-nonsense entrepreneur decides she’s had enough of California’s chaos? has ideas politicians won’t touch. She is a fearless entrepreneur, farmer, real estate developer, and a potential candidate for governor of California. You may also know her as one of the business tycoons on Undercover Billionaire. In this conversation, Elaine shares her frustrations with California’s government and bold ideas for tackling its toughest challenges. Shaped by decades of experience in real estate, building businesses, and running her own farm, Elaine brings a no-nonsense,...
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The Queen of Kefir: Julie Smolyansky on CEO Guts, Courage & Stamina
Meant For You
Our guest is Julie Smolyansky, CEO of s, the company that pioneered the kefir market in America and today produces 95% of the kefir sold in the U.S. Julie’s story begins in 1976, when her parents immigrated from Kiev ( the former Soviet Union) to Chicago. Her mother opened a deli, while her father, a mechanical engineer, missed the kefir he had back in the Soviet Union so he started making his own, and from that, Lifeway Foods was born. In 2002, tragedy struck. Julie’s father, Michael Smolyansky, died suddenly of a heart attack. At just 27, Julie stepped into the CEO role,...
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Honoring Charlie Kirk, Free Speech, and the Fight for Western Values
Meant For You
Charlie Kirk was a national treasure, known for his fearless commitment to open dialogue and free speech. We discuss why he was so important to us, and millions. While Charlie Kirk is irrereplacable, we hope his life inspires legions of people to courageously follow his path of upholding the foundational values and principles of the US. As mothers and citizens rather than politicians, we talk about what it means to intuitively know how to keep families and communities safe, why Charlies represented us and why his loss is so devastating. While we did not agree with all of Charlie's positions,...
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Brandy Shufutinsky on the Marxist Roots of Ethnic Studies in K-12 Schools and College Campuses
Meant For You
is the newly appointed Director of the Education and National Security Program at the In this important conversation, we disciuss how today’s ethnic studies curriculum, originally intended to promote understanding among diverse communities, is instead fueling division, promoting an oppressor-vs-oppressed worldview, and teaching students that capitalism is synonymous with white supremacy and exploitation. Brandy brings deep expertise to this topic, holding a doctorate in International and Multicultural Education from the University of San Francisco, an MSW from USC, and an M.A. in...
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Stella Escobedo on Honesty in Journalism
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Stella Escobedo is an Emmy award winning news anchor-reporter with nearly 20 years experience, a fearless journalist and an advocate who immigrated to the U.S. from Uzbekistan. Stella is currently a news anchor for One American News (OAN). In this conversation, Stella shares how her upbringing shaped her values, her global perspective, and the causes of her disillusionment with mainstream media. Journalism was always Stella’s passion. but during the COVID-19 pandemic, something shifted. Stella began to question the media’s silence on critical issues: the voices of parents during...
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Justice, Forgiveness, and One Remarkable Friendship
Meant For You
Karen McKinney was a prosecutor working in the gang unit when her path first crossed with Joseph Herrera, a man she would go on to prosecute for murder. Twenty years later, Karen faced Joseph when he was up for parole. Not exactly your classic “how we met” story. What no one could have predicted is that years later, the two would form an extraordinary friendship that would transform both of their lives. Karen saw something in Joseph that defied his past, a capacity for growth, empathy, and leadership. With her encouragement, Joseph began using his lived experience to help others...
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Still chasing the 'retire early' fantasy? This conversation with David Bahnsen might just change your mind.
Meant For You
In this episode, we talk about the value of work with Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of wealth management firm based in Newport Beach, California overseeing $4 billion in client's assets, David is also a thought leader, and author of Full-Time: Work and the Meaning of Life. David wants to challenge one of society’s most accepted myths: that success means eventually not working. David makes a bold, and deeply personal case for why work isn’t just a way to earn a living, but a core part of living well. Drawing from his career in finance and his passion for...
info_outlineRon Alvarez, a CNN Hero finalist, musician and educator is transforming lives through teaching kids to play music in The Dream Orchestra.. Ron shares he went from a childhood in Caracas, Venezuela to changing the lives of refugee children in Sweden. Ron’s story begins when he joined El Sistema, a musical and social program in Venezuela, set the course of his life.
Ron realized he wanted to pay it forward by becoming a music teacher. Eventually, Ron grabbed an opportunity to teach music to kids in an orphanage in Greenland (yes, we talk about what it’s like to actually live in Greenland). After the incredible experience in Greenland, Ron moved to Sweden for a teaching job. Witnessing the influx of unaccompanied minors from Syria and Afghanistan, Ron felt compelled to make a difference with the most powerful tool he had to change lives, the power of music. The lack of funding and language barriers did not keep Ron from starting Dream Orchestra, a sanctuary for young refugees and asylum seekers, offering them a sense of community and belonging through music. Over 400 children have had their lives transformed but also enriched through the magic and language of music.
Ron is an example of the ways following what you were meant to do
Quotable Moments:
"Music and food always bring you back to your place and to your family."
"Music can transform the life of people. When you feel completely lost or alone, music can empower you."
"I always wanted to make good music. But I also remember... I didn't want to do this the rest of my life. I really wanted to make change."
"We scientifically know that music can provide more oxytocin to your brain and to your body. It makes you more happy."
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- 12:54 " Dream Orchestra started in January 2015 with unaccompanied minors from Syria and Afghanistan
- 23:02 How often did the orchestra practice and how is it evolved today
- 23:57 How Dream orchestras is changing lives through music
- 30:45 Music brings an emotion unique compared to other things in life
- 35:55 " Dream Orchestra has grown from 13 kids originally to over 400 members now
- 42:04 What is it like to live in Greenland