Gregg Dodd - The Years of Love, Somedays and Gratitude

Ginette Rhodes was a senior at The Ohio State University and President of OSU’s NAACP chapter when we found her seated on a panel during a Rosa Parks remembrance event next to a New York Times best-selling author and a university professor. She spoke so eloquently about complex racial issues and shared her personal stories of growing up in St Louis in a predominantly black neighborhood before moving to a new neighborhood in which she was clearly the racial minority.

While Ginette is young, her wisdom is deep and rooted in common sense. She challenges you to think hard and gives you a reason to examine your own behaviors in such an inviting way that you want to listen and learn.

She’s an accomplished public speaker, an academic scholar, a researcher, historian and recently had the honor of participating in the Congressional Black Caucus’ Boot Camp under-representation of Congresswoman Joyce Beatty.

We take on a lot of topics, and you’re going to love her. Grab a beverage and get comfortable. You’re not going to want to miss a word Ginette has to say. Enjoy!

Aslyne Rodriguez is the Co-Founder and CEO of EmpowerBus, an organization that strengthens the roads to social mobility by providing dignified, reliable, and on-time transportation to and from employment, education, and healthcare opportunities. They use clustering and strategic partnerships to address the transportation barriers, such as extremely long commute times, that are facing under-resourced communities in Ohio.

We sat down in the 200 Proof Life studio to chat with Aslyne about EmpowerBus and her journey as an entrepreneur that led her to this point, and we were really impressed with her approach to living and impacting the communities of which she’s a part. You’re going to love her sense of humor and sense of purpose, and her approach to serving her country really resonated with us. She’s a game changer for sure!

Enjoy!

There are some people who make the world better by being in it. They envision what the world could be and make it happen. Quintel Wilson is one of those people. As coach of the Lima Gators, Quin is leading the effort to give boys and young men in his town options, mentors and hope. He uses sports to teach them life skills, build their character and change the trajectory of their lives.

We sat down in the 200 Proof Life studio to chat with him about the impact of the programs, the successes of the participants and the challenges he and other organizers face and overcome to change the world they live in. You’re going to love his story! Enjoy!

For this episode, we’re trying something new. We usually tell the story of a guest. But for this episode, our guest is an expert who is helping us tell a much needed story - a story of the growing concern of a mental health crisis. We are talking about suicide prevention.

Bernard Williams is the Coordinator of Suicide Prevention for the Veteran’s Health Administration, and he joined us to help inform us and our listeners about the resources available to us, things we can watch out for with our friends and family, and things we should avoid if we find ourselves talking to someone who has had or is having thoughts of suicide.

We need to all be better prepared and able to support those around us who are struggling with mental health issues, and Bernard really helped us with tangible actions we can take. We’ll also share some statistics that will blow your mind. It’s a serious topic, but so important. We hope you find something helpful as you listen.

Molly Rampe, President and CEO of Choice Network, a pro-choice adoption agency with a larger purpose. Molly’s heart is so big and her mission is even bigger. She refuses to accept that any child should have to enter foster care. In fact, her adoption agency began when she herself plunged in head first by adopting her daughter, Gia.

Now, Molly and her team are trying to create the world they want to live in - a world in which every child is surrounded by love and has a family. Ultimately, they help bring families together. In the process, they’re re-defining what families and adoption look like.

Missy Holliday never expected to be in her current career. She intended to make her career as a Pediatric Nurse. It wasn't until her younger sister passed away from a fatal car accident and her family had a horrible interaction with a doctor regarding organ donation that she decided to explore how she might change that experience for other people.

You'll love her story, but you'll also have the chance to learn so much. The statistics will shock you. so, listen and learn from Missy, who currently serves as the Direction Organ Operations for LifeCenter.

In this episode, Missy talks about how the experience changed her life, how she's been able to help others experiencing similar situations and how she has been able to transform her career into a living tribute to her sister.

Enjoy!

In 2008, they didn't imagine it would grow to be this. It was just a couple of guys riding bikes.. Ten years later, they've raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to end cancer, and they show no signs of stopping now.

Each member has a story - a story of how cancer has touched his life - people they've lost, family members still fighting. Each also has stories of their rides - kindnesses shown to them along the way, people they met on their journey, support they received from friends and strangers.

Whether cycling enthusiasts or avid bike riders, each is taking the necessary steps to prepare for a 200 mile bike trip this August, and they are pulling no punches. Their stretch fundraising goal is $100,000.00. Along the way, they're raising awareness and building community too.

Two of them sat down with us to talk about their experiences, why they ride, what they hope to accomplish and how they plan to get there. It was touching and fun. You're going to love it.

Enjoy!

After careers in teaching, training, IT consulting, and real estate, Jim Obergefell is now an LGBTQ activist, speaker, and author. Jim is also the co-founder of Equality Vines, the first cause-based wine label that supports organizations devoted to civil rights and equality for all.

Jim is the named plaintiff in the landmark Supreme Court case Obergefell v. Hodges, a decision that brought nationwide marriage equality to the United States on June 26, 2015. Jim and his husband John launched their legal battle with the State of Ohio to demand recognition of their lawful marriage on John’s impending death certificate. John died of ALS three months after their first court hearing, and Jim continued the fight along with more than thirty other plaintiffs from four states.

Since the ruling, Jim has continued his work as an activist and as a speaker with Keppler Speakers. Jim co-authored the book Love Wins with Debbie Cenziper, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist with the Washington Post. Love Wins is about the lovers and lawyers in this historic Supreme Court case, and it was published by William Morrow/Harper Collins. Temple Hill Productions. Fox 2000 bought the movie rights to ‘Love Wins’ and will produce a feature film based on the book.

Jim is a member of the Board of Directors for SAGE, the nation’s oldest and largest organization devoted to advocacy and services for elder LGBTQ Americans. Jim is also a member of the National Advisory Board for the GLBT Historical Society.

Jim has been honored with awards from organizations such as Equality Florida, Equality North Carolina, the ACLU of Southern California, Cleveland Stonewall Democrats, Trinity College (Dublin, Ireland), the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, SAGE, the Ohio Democratic Party, the Santa Clara University School of Law, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, the City of Cincinnati, and more. Foreign Policy magazine named Jim one of its 2015 Global Thinkers, and Out magazine named Jim to its 2015 Out 100 list.

Cheryl Harrison is a writer, marketer and craft beer advocate who opitimizes the phrase ""create the life you love and the freedom to live it.""

Cheryl left a stable job and stepped out on her own when she founded speechbubble, a boutique PR agency that specializes in social media community management for badass local businesses. She is also the founder and editor of Columbus’ source for booze news, Drink Up Columbus. These were just a few steps she took to turn her passions into a career.

She expanded her efforts when she began organizing the Beers and Board Games Club and co-founded the Columbus Ale Trail, a passport program rewarding visits to local breweries. In this episode Cheryl talks about their growth and what's next, and she offers some advice to others wanting to take the leap.

Cheryl has been voted one of the top three bloggers in Columbus for six consecutive years by the readers of (614) Magazine and just this year was honored with the #1 spot. Cheryl has also been featured on 10TV, NBC4, Fox28, The Columbus Dispatch, WOSU, Columbus Alive and lots of other media outlets - all evidence that she is great at what she does and can help you think about how to apply some of the concepts to your own life.

Enjoy!