Advertise on podcast: Action 2 Impact Podcast with Gwen Jones

Send us Fan Mail Soccer becomes a practical pathway to peace when we pair skills training with family-focused lessons on respect, safety, and belonging. Ron and Marcos share how a “Soccer Plus” model that began in 1994 now scales through Rotary to serve kids from Cabo San Lucas to communities across Africa.  • defining Harmony Through Soccer as peace building through football  • tracing the origin story from Boy Scouts outreach in 1994  • using soccer as a universal entryway into families and communities  • combining a skills clinic with social emotional learning and parent engagement  • focusing on anti-bullying, gang prevention, good citizenship, and healthy families  • connecting the program to Rotary’s Four-Way Test and areas of focus  • designing a model that is inclusive, local, measurable, and easy to replicate  • planning partnerships, funding paths, and safe delivery with youth protection  You can head over to YouTube and you can go to the Action to Impact Podcast Videocast.  If you're interested in helping the keep the shows strong, do check out uh my buzz route.  And last, if you have somebody that would be great on the show from anywhere in the world who is turning their actions into impact, let me know. RotarianPod at gmail.com. Support the show Join me as I talk to those "amazing people turning their Actions 2 Impact all over the world. #BE THE CHANGE

Send us Fan Mail We meet four first-time district governors stepping into leadership across the Northeast and hear what they want clubs to feel when the year is done. Then we check back in with the outgoing “delinquents” to learn what their big swing for change actually looked like after twelve exhausting months.  • introducing the incoming district governors and what they represent for 2026-2027  • what “doing it right” means as a district governor and why availability matters  • how to follow a high-energy leadership year without copying it  • making Rotary fun in a way that feels inclusive to non-Rotarians  • peacebuilding and conflict resolution as a district focus including a global grant  • youth programs that teach peace skills and create real cross-cultural contact  • leadership development and succession planning to widen the bench  • belonging and membership as the foundation for lasting community impact  • what the delinquents learned about authenticity, resistance, and showing up  • why strong team culture becomes the real safety net during hard weeks  • smile moments from the year including PolioPlus energy and large-scale service  If you're interested in having the show come to your block, your event, your club, your district conference, your assembly, or even your convention, let me know. Rotarianpod at gmail.com.  Check out the fabulous footage of this drop in the same day as this podcast, our YouTube channel has the Action to Impact Videocast on it.  Support the show Join me as I talk to those "amazing people turning their Actions 2 Impact all over the world. #BE THE CHANGE

Send us Fan Mail We hit the road to Northeast PELS and hand the mic to presidents-elect, district leaders, and longtime Rotarians who are stepping into big roles. The stories range from hilarious name-tag moments to serious talk on membership, global service, and leading from peace instead of chaos.  • Live voices from President-Elect Training and why it matters for Rotary leadership  • What assistant governors do and how districts keep tabs on club health  • Preparing for district leadership and building a team mentality  • A Haitian physician’s path into Rotary and what it means to have both received and given service  • Vocation, faith, and service above self as one integrated life  • Membership challenges, attendance culture, and why flexibility can strengthen engagement  • Balancing club traditions with needed change in long-established Rotary clubs  • Partnering with Kiwanis, Toastmasters, and other service organizations  • Global grants and international service projects including El Salvador and Ukraine support  • The leadership lesson that lands hardest: human beings, not human doings  Most importantly, I want you to remember that this whole thing is on YouTube. The Action to Impact YouTube channel. Check it out.  If you want me to hit your Pels next year, let me know. Rotarianpod at gmail.com.  Support the show Join me as I talk to those "amazing people turning their Actions 2 Impact all over the world. #BE THE CHANGE

Send us Fan Mail We get honest about why the arts feel easier to ignore than roads or schools and why that choice costs us empathy, creativity, and shared community life. Brian Rodolfo, president and CEO of The Cabot, explains how a historic theater stays open by blending commercial shows with mission-driven arts education, outreach, and affordable access.  • the arts as a tool for empathy, creativity, and collaboration across every field  • why arts funding gets politicized and how art “shines a light” on society  • when shocking art works and when it feels empty  • a practical definition of art as something that moves you and makes you think  • Brian’s career path from lighting design to programming to CEO  • The Cabot’s roots as a 1920 movie palace and vaudeville house  • curated movie nights and the power of a shared audience experience  • the economics of running a nonprofit community arts venue  • access programs including Vet Tix and Massachusetts EBT Card to Culture  • why big-name patronage looks quieter today and how smaller gifts add up  • arts and science connections including dementia, autism, and music therapy research  Check out the website. We’ve started a sponsorship program. It starts as easy as $3 a month, and it helps me get this show out there. If you’re interested in having the Action to Impact podcast and video cast come to your neck of the woods, be it your club, your assembly, your zone event, anything, Rotarianpod at gmail.com, message me. If you have somebody that you feel is turning their actions into impact, let me know. That same address, Rotarianpod at gmail.com. Support the show Join me as I talk to those "amazing people turning their Actions 2 Impact all over the world. #BE THE CHANGE

Send us Fan Mail  Encore Presentation — March Join us for a special encore: an intimate conversation with Past RI President Gordon McInally, recorded before his term. Hear his vision to spotlight mental health and inspire global hope. Listen to Gordon McInally today on the podcast. Support the show Join me as I talk to those "amazing people turning their Actions 2 Impact all over the world. #BE THE CHANGE

Send us Fan Mail We talk with Eduardo Tavar Lopez from the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project in Beverly about how new farmers get trained and why sustainable farming depends on real systems like land access, education, and distribution. We also connect the dots between organic standards, food literacy, and food security through New Entry’s incubator farm and Food Hub.  • New Entry’s origins through Tufts University and its evolution beyond refugee and immigrant farmer support  • Scholarships and training designed for new and beginning farmers  • How an incubator farm works and why a three-year runway matters  • What growers raise on the incubator plots and why vegetables dominate  • Hydroponics learning options through self-paced online courses  • What a food chemist does and how food science connects to farming  • Practical definitions of sustainable farming that include environmental and financial reality  • What organic certification means and why the transition period is costly  • How the Food Hub aggregates local produce for schools, senior centers, hospitals, and food pantries  • Mobile markets as a tool for food access and community reach  • Why farming is “surviving” and how land access limits the next generation  • Food literacy as a pathway to less waste and more respect for growers  Please support just by spreading the word that’s already enough.  Subscribe and tell a friend.  If you have a guest that I should know about rotarian.pod at gmail.com.  Support the show Join me as I talk to those "amazing people turning their Actions 2 Impact all over the world. #BE THE CHANGE

Send us Fan Mail We talk with Larry Strober about why Peace Poles still matter in a world full of conflict and how Rotary can turn a simple public marker into real peacebuilding momentum. We trace the movement back to Hiroshima in 1955, then follow its evolution into the Oregon Peace Trail, the Peace Game, and a bold moonshot for peace by 2030. • the origin story of “May Peace Prevail On Earth” and why 1955 matters • how Rotary Peace Poles spread worldwide and why the project is bigger than Rotary • using QR codes to make Peace Poles interactive and teach Rotary’s Four-Way Test • why Peace Poles work as personal reminders and community gathering points • the Oregon Peace Trail plan and how peace projects can attract younger members • the Peace Game framework and the seven peace actions that build peacebuilders • the 2030 moonshot and the idea of peace zones anchored by Peace Poles • how Rotary leadership structure can slow peace work and how peace builder clubs help • why peace supports every other Rotary area of focus including polio eradication You can tell a friend about the podcast, okay? Have them subscribe. If you have a location that you'd like to see your podcast go to, shoot me in the email: Rotarianpodsymail.com. Support the show Join me as I talk to those "amazing people turning their Actions 2 Impact all over the world. #BE THE CHANGE

Send us Fan Mail We sit down with Celia Cruz de Shi to trace a life of service shaped by family, faith in community, and bold leadership, from a childhood moment of empathy to steering Rotary’s first global virtual convention. Two new books capture three decades of women’s impact and the path ahead to a more diverse, agile Rotary. • early service sparked by a simple act of compassion • partnership and family support during a Rotary presidency • converting Honolulu 2020 into a 67,000-person virtual convention • practical membership levers: invitation, image, access • youth pipelines through Interact and Rotaract • women’s leadership milestones and a 50% participation goal • two books: Voices That Inspire and Voices of Leadership • diversity as a driver of better projects and decisions • The Sun Never Sets in Rotary global celebration • why hybrid access should be part of Rotary’s future Subscribe on YouTube to watch the full conversation and please share with your club If you have a guest idea, email [email protected] You can be a sponsor of the show—visit our sponsorship page to support this labor of love Support the show Join me as I talk to those "amazing people turning their Actions 2 Impact all over the world. #BE THE CHANGE

Send us Fan Mail THIS MONTHS ENCORE SHOW : Out of 1.4 million Rotarians six were chosen by RI as "People of Actions, Champions of Inclusion" and one of those six Rotary members is our friend Anderson Zerwes. join us as I talk to Anderson about how winning this award  has changed his life and how being a "Rotarian of inclusion" is something he truly is proud of. Support the show Join me as I talk to those "amazing people turning their Actions 2 Impact all over the world. #BE THE CHANGE

Send us Fan Mail Time to learn about "Bedlessness" maybe a made up word, but it's not a made up problem, kids with no beds, or safe places to sleep. Luke joins me to tell  of how a simple project in his garage turned into a program that made more then 90,000 beds just last year for kids. www.SHPbeds.org Support the show Join me as I talk to those "amazing people turning their Actions 2 Impact all over the world. #BE THE CHANGE

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to Season Two of the Action 2 Impact podcast and round two for 2024/25 RI President Stephanie Urchick. She's BACK! Stephanie is back to talk about her life as RI President, what Impacted her life the most, and where she is going from here. It's a wonderful chat with Stephanie and i'm so glad you could join us. Support the show Join me as I talk to those "amazing people turning their Actions 2 Impact all over the world. #BE THE CHANGE

Send us Fan Mail  Rotary is Growing in Africa...WHY?  Well let's head to Nigeria to talk to my friend and Rotary Foundation Trustee Pearl Okoro. Pearl has some real straight forward talk about why Rotary is growing in her country, and slipping in others. But before you rolls your eyes about another chat about membership, check this one out,I think Pearl may really be on to something. Support the show Join me as I talk to those "amazing people turning their Actions 2 Impact all over the world. #BE THE CHANGE

Send us Fan Mail Get your Rotary history geek on as we talk to the Chair of the Paul & Jean Harris Home Foundation Cheryl McIntyre. We talk about the restoration of the Harris's house, how you and your club can be a part of this amazing project, and even how Paul and Jean met. So join us for a bit of wonderful Rotary history. Support the show Join me as I talk to those "amazing people turning their Actions 2 Impact all over the world. #BE THE CHANGE

Send us Fan Mail Rotary has Rotary clubs and Rotarians in Russia? Yes,Yes we do! And they are doing great work all over the world. Today meet Anna Tumanova, as she tells me about all thge wonderful work being done by Russian Rotarians. Support the show Join me as I talk to those "amazing people turning their Actions 2 Impact all over the world. #BE THE CHANGE

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever wondered what it's like to go on a Polio drop trip? I mean how do you get there, where do you eat, sleep, wash up? Is it safe? Does it cost alot of money? Face it was always hear the amazing stories, but never the details. Well this week I have both. Join me won't you? Support the show Join me as I talk to those "amazing people turning their Actions 2 Impact all over the world. #BE THE CHANGE