All About Change

Both species of rhinoceros in Africa are endangered, in large part due to the value of rhino horn on the black market. In the western part of South Africa’s Greater Kruger National Park, a group is working to keep these animals safe in spite of the bounties on their horns. The Black Mambas are a woman-only group of rangers that patrol the wildlife reserve to protect against poaching. 

Tsakane Nxumalo, a ranger with the Black Mambas, joins host Jay Ruderman to talk about their rigorous training process, the role of education in conservation work, and what role her gender plays in her work.

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Bobby Farrelly’s movies are well-known for their comedy - Dumb and Dumber, There’s Something About Mary, and, most recently, Champions. They’re also well-known for something else - featuring actors with disabilities in prominent roles. For Bobby, this isn’t activism. It’s making sure the world he creates on-screen looks like the one he lives off-screen.

Bobby joined host Jay Ruderman to talk about what casting has looked like over the course of his career, what it was like to shoot Champions, and where he hopes to see Hollywood in the future.

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In his career, Michael Maren has been a relief worker, war correspondent, and film director. Michael’s book, The Road to Hell, took a hard look at NGOs operating in a development context, and how good intentions aren’t enough to affect positive change. 

On this episode of All About Change, Michael joins host Jay Ruderman to discuss his time working in development in countries in east Africa, and how it informed his stance on international aid. The two get into the problems with humanitarian aid and food relief programs, highlighting how they often support the status quo and fail to address the root causes of poverty.

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With antisemitism on the rise, the need for Holocaust education has never been more important. That’s where Emmy award-winner Julianna Margulies comes in. In 2022, Julianna helped to found the Holocaust Educator School Partnership, an initiative to help train undergraduate and graduate students in how to teach about the Holocaust in the classroom. 

In this episode, Julianna Margulies sits down with host Jay Ruderman to discuss the misconceptions and challenges facing the Jewish community today, and what allyship means to her.

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Nas Daily has been an internet sensation since its inception. But the man behind it all is a bit less well known. Nuseir Yassin left a well-paying job at Venmo to travel the world, and do 1,000 videos in 1,000 days about the places and people he encountered. Since then, he’s built a company founded on community, positivity, and storytelling.

Nuseir sat down with host Jay Ruderman to talk about growing up in Israel, how he keeps his company community-minded, and how he’s building a culture that lasts.

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In this episode from the All About Change vault, Jay Ruderman sits down with iconic actor and activist Fran Drescher. Fran tells Jay the story of getting The Nanny off the ground, and what it took to make sure that Fran Fein made it to air as a Jewish woman.

In the years since The Nanny, Fran has battled uterine cancer, and founded the Cancer Schmancer Movement to encourage women to advocate for themselves in the doctor’s office. Fran and Jay talk about all of this, and more.

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The correlation between boxing and rescuing stray dogs isn’t one that’s clear at first glance. But for Chrissy Beckles, founder of the Sato Project, the connection is one she makes each and every day. 

Since 2011, the Sato Project has rescued more than 8,000 dogs in Puerto Rico. With nearly half a million stray dogs roaming the island, there’s no one knockout solution. Chrissy sat down with host Jay Ruderman to talk about the long journey,  from gaining feral dogs’ trust, to finding funding, to weathering a category 5 hurricane. 

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Chelsea Miller may be young, but she’s already had a lifetime full of activism. Perhaps more impressive than the work itself is the intentionality, care, and thoughtfulness she brings to it all.  

Listen to the latest episode of All About Change as Chelsea delves into her childhood in Brooklyn’s “Little Caribbean,” interning at the Obama White House, and founding Freedom March NYC in response to George Floyd’s murder.

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Some people may see J.R. Martinez's burn scars and think that he is defined by that single day in his life. But J.R.'s journey towards vulnerability and resilience began long before his time in the military and the twists and turns it’s taken since nearly defy imagination.

Listen to the latest episode of All About Change as J.R. describes his trajectory to Jay. He’s gone from recovering in a military burn unit to becoming a motivational speaker, actor, winner of Dancing with the Stars, and advocate for veterans and other charitable causes.

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In the early years of the Iraq War, thousands of Americans enlisted to fight for their country, fully aware of the dangers of that decision. Or so they thought. But one insidious threat had long-lasting impacts on the health of American troops: burn pits. Meant to provide an efficient way for soldiers to get rid of their waste, burn pits instead pumped tons of toxins into the air that found their way into the lungs of nearby service members. Service members like Beau Biden, President Biden’s son, and Le Roy Torres. Le Roy remembers the smell, and the almost immediate respiratory infections and headaches that followed. Now, more than 15 years later, he’s still dealing with the fallout.

Le Roy joins Jay to discuss his trajectory from deployment until now, and the work he’s doing to ensure that veterans aren’t left to deal with mounting disabilities and health costs alone.

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Listen to this special episode of All About Change as Linor gives an intimate look at the aftermath of Hamas' attack on Israel.

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It is said military veterans account for 1% of the American population, and certainly, women have been a part of that number, stepping up to the challenge of defending their country for generations. But when their service ends, they often find themselves without meaningful support, unable to attain the most basic levels of assistance offered to their male counterparts.

Jas Boothe was in a similar situation. A single mother living in Louisiana, she was hit hard by two events: The diagnosis of an aggressive cancer, and the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Homeless and jobless, she was turned away when she sought help. Jas speaks to Jay about how she turned her struggle into a beacon of hope for female veterans in need.

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Life isn’t fair. Perhaps that is why we love sports. In sports, the aspiration at least, is to even the playing field. But that endeavor in and of itself, poses many challenges. What does the inclusion of transgender athletes mean for sports? For ESPN’s Katie Barnes, a journalist who covers the intersection of gender and athletics, the answers here are never simple. 

Katie joins Jay to discuss the gender politics of sports at all levels of performance, as they break down in their new book, Fair Play: How Sports Shapes The Gender Debates. This conversation distills the complex and often-sensitive questions around transgender competitors, many of whom are kids who simply want to enjoy the sport they love.  

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Always having a love for the sea, Emily Penn took a journey from Shanghai to Melbourne, Australia that would change her life, as she saw first-hand the extent of pollution in the world’s oceans.

Since then, she has organized the largest ever community-led waste cleanup operation, completed a trip around the world solely using biofuel, and created various avenues for people—from ordinary citizens to filmmakers—to discover and document the damage microplastics have done to our oceans. Emily also runs eXXpedition, a series of sailing voyages where crew members—all women—focus on researching the connection between pollution and female health. 

Emily joins Jay to share her insights into ocean advocacy, what lessons we can learn from the past, and how governments, companies, and communities can reimagine the way we create and consume products.

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While certain areas of Haiti remain picturesque, it’s hard to find a place within the beleaguered island nation untouched by the trifecta of violence, pollution, and corruption. 

Serving as executive director of the Fondation pour la Protection de la Biodiversité Marine, or FoProBiM, Jean Wiener is considered by many to be Haiti’s foremost environmentalist, and the expert in all matters concerning the Haitian coast. 

But Activism is not something that happens in a vacuum. Jean’s decades-long efforts to clean, restore, and preserve the fragile ecosystem, is a constant balancing act between the country’s environmental issues and the basic survival needs of its impoverished population. How do you convince a fisherman struggling to put food on his family’s table that it's within his own best interest to engage in sustainable practices?  

This important conversation between Jay and Jean deals head on with some of those challenges - challenges that are both unique to Haiti but hold relevance for any kind of activism and advocacy.

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Saengduean “Lek” Chailert was born and raised in Thailand, a place where Asian elephants are commonplace. After her secondary education, Lek started working in tourism, where she saw elephants endure horrific treatment—in circuses, riding parks, and other attractions most visitors to the country think of as benign. 

It was then that Lek started rescuing elephants, many of them injured and elderly, and relocating them to what is now Elephant Nature Park. The sanctuary is now home to more than 100 Asian elephants rescued from captivity, and Lek has been recognized all over the world for her tireless work.

Lek talks to Jay about the rampant exploitation of these animals within Thailand’s tourism industry, and how social media has helped in bringing animal abuse to the world’s attention.

Photo Credit: Save Elephant Foundation

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Genesis Butler is an environmental and animal rights activist. Inspired by her great uncle, civil rights leader Cesar Chavez, Genesis became one of the youngest people to ever give a TEDx talk, as she shared her perspective on the environmental impacts of animal agriculture.

Genesis went vegan at the age of 6, and has earned numerous awards and accolades for her activism. She founded Genesis For Animals, a non-profit supporting animal sanctuaries, and she is currently leading the organization Youth Climate Save, the first youth-led environmental organization that focuses on the effects of animal agriculture on climate change.

Genesis sits down with Jay to talk about how she became involved in animal activism, and how she shares that passion with her family, her community, and the world.

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Noa Tishby is an actress, author, producer, and activist. 

Born in Tel Aviv, Israel, Noa Tishby was born to a Zionist family that was involved in the establishment of Israel. Raised in a secular family in Israel she wasn’t really exposed to Anti-semitism, but that changed as she got older. 

But when you moved to America she encountered a lot of misinformation about Israel and anti-semitism. Inspired, Tishby decided to take action. She became an advocate and founded the first Israel-focused online advocacy and rapid response organization, Act For Israel, becoming a powerful voice for Israel and the Middle East.

After years of advocating for Israel, both publicly and privately. She decided to put her understanding and experience to pen in her first book: Israel: a Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth.  

In this conversation with Jay, she talks about how dangerous misinformation and bias produce antisemitism and how both Jewish and non-Jewish people can fight antisemitism.

Please find a transcription of this episode: https://allaboutchangepodcast.com/podcast-episode/noa-tishby

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Evon Benson-Idahosa is a Nigerian native, a leading expert, a thought leader on the subject of modern-day slavery in sub-Saharan Africa, and a founder of the Pathfinders Justice Initiative (PJI).

Raised by parents who were called to serve their faith, Evon became a successful English barrister, American lawyer, and partner in a New York defense law firm. Despite her success, one day she woke up wondering, "What have I done with my life?" Her passion and compassion were calling out to her. That Monday, she left her job to become a full-time advocate.

Moved by the plight of Nigerian women all over the world, Evon decided to address gender-based violence and the sexual exploitation of women. She founded Pathfinders Justice Initiative (PJI), a leading international impact organization dedicated to the prevention of sex slavery, sexual violence, the liberation of enslaved women and girls, and the eradication of its root causes.

PJI has worked with governments, law enforcement, and communities to rescue and rehabilitate victims of human trafficking. They have also worked to raise awareness of the issue and to change the laws that enable human trafficking. Evon's work has had a profound impact on the lives of countless women and girls. 

In this conversation with Jay, her journey to becoming an activist against modern-day slavery, and the power of one person to make a difference.

Please find a transcription of this episode: https://allaboutchangepodcast.com/podcast-episode/evon-benson-idahosa

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Dr. Benjamin Gilmer is a family physician, professor, and advocate who focuses on bringing attention to the social injustice of mass incarceration, scarcity of mental health care, and global and rural health disparities.

A former neurobiologist turned rural family doctor, Benjamin Gilmer is a family physician, professor, and advocate who focuses on bringing attention to the social injustice of mass incarceration, scarcity of mental health care, and global and rural health disparities.

Fresh out of medical residency, Dr. Benjamin Gilmer joined a rural clinic only to find that its previous doctor, Dr. Vince Gilmer, murdered his own father. The deeper Benjamin looked into Vince’s case the more he became convinced something was amiss and Vince’s mental and physical health. Benjamin started to research Vince’s cases and even worked with Sara Koenig of “Serial” to get to the bottom of the mystery, which inspired This American Life’s “Dr. Gilmer and Mr. Hyde.” Through the show,  they discovered the myriad of conditions that led Vincent toward these terrible circumstances. Moved, touched, and inspired, Benjamin went on to continue fighting for Vincent’s clemency until Dr. Vincent Gilmer’s release. 

His recent book, The Other Dr. Gilmer, and an upcoming feature film project continue Benjamin’s mission to highlight and transform the atrocity of mass incarceration of people with mental illness

Please find a transcription of this episode here.

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