Patience Nyange serves as the Spokesperson for the Office of the Executive Secretary at the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). With over 18 years of experience in media, communications, and advocacy, she is a seasoned professional specializing in broadcast journalism, international public relations, social media management, and mentorship for young journalists and PR practitioners. Patience is particularly passionate about human rights, with a strong focus on women's and girls' rights and empowerment. She has been a leading advocate for gender-sensitive reporting across Africa ..read more

Maricar Jagger was born in a small town on the island of Borneo in Indonesia. She has experienced life in different countries growing up, and studied in the United States.  Maricar wanted to be an artist but studied business in college and pursued a career in Marketing. She is a creative at heart, and she believes in the power of the arts to change lives. You can see Maricar’s beautiful, handmade cards at http://etsy.com/shop/Maricards In this episode, Maricar discusses how her mother taught her to be a businesswoman and entrepreneur at a very young age, and how she began making and embro ..read more

Mushairat Mamun is a first-generation American Bangladeshi who was born and raised in Queens, New York. At 17, she moved to Bangladesh to pursue her undergraduate degree, focusing on Public Health and Philanthropy. Throughout her early medical career, Mushairat played a crucial role in addressing challenges in Maternal Health in Bangladesh. Currently, she is pursuing a Master of Science degree in Physician Assistant Studies in Atlanta, and is the first person in her family to pursue a career in medicine.  In this episode, Mushairat discusses how, even as a child, she sought ways to learn ..read more

Sadia Jahan Rothi is an Environmental and Climate Activist. She is the Board Director of Eco-Network Global, which is a youth-led organization. She started climate and environmental activism with Eco-Network in 2018 when she first witnessed how climate change has been affecting the lives of coastal regions people of Bangladesh. She is also a climate researcher, working at BRAC University. In this episode, Sadia discusses how she began environmental activism at University in 2018, and how it led to shifting her focus from environmental activism to climate activism. During a field trip from her ..read more

Yodit Kifle Smith is a daughter, sister, wife, friend to many, and now also the mother of a precious daughter, a role she treasures deeply.  Among her many other roles, Yodit is the co-host of the Power of Stories Podcast  In this episode, Yodit discusses her new role as a mom… learning to see the world through her daughter’s eyes… facing fears in parenthood, and overcoming those fears… trusting God and the strength that He gives… distinguishing between rational fears and irrational ones… how her own experiences inspired her to create a series of online workshops to help pregnant mom ..read more

Margaret Akullo is a Ugandan born British citizen, a Criminologist and a visionary with ethical leadership qualities. In her extensive career of three decades in international development she has led diverse teams delivering programmatic change and social impact in more than 20 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. In 2022, at the age of 55 and after more than three decades of work in various organizations, Margaret retired early from her job in the United Nations to embark on a journey of purpose and self-discovery and to craft her soul-led future career.  In this episode ..read more

Dr. Joannie Marlene Bewa, MD, PhD, is a physician, public health researcher, global advocate for girls & women's sexual and reproductive health, and the founder and CEO of DOTOH Health.  She has over fifteen years of combined experience in global health, health policy, digital health, clinical care, research, international development and non-profits management.  In this episode, Dr. Bewa discusses how her own encounter with the health care system as a girl sparked her passion for health and how that evolved to her focus on sexual and reproductive health... volunteering in a comm ..read more

Dr. Suchi Gaur is the Founder of Mission Hummingbirds and is on a new journey to resource the work that women and young women are doing in their local communities.   In this episode, Suchi discusses the story of hummingbirds and how this powerful and tiny bird has inspired her personally, appearing in challenging times in her life and giving her hope… the loss of her mother two years ago after fighting a strong battle with cancer and long COVID… understanding that everyone's journey through grief is different… not knowing how to process her grief, and then deciding to convert that grief i ..read more

Akinyi Juma is the current Mrs. Universe Kenya 2024 and the founder of Rebirth of a Queen, a community-based organization with a mission to empower and include survivors of sexual & gender-based violence and human trafficking to become economically empowered.  In this episode, Akinyi discusses how her own experiences as a survivor of sexual violence and domestic violence motivated her to launch Rebirth of a Queen five years ago and to give survivors a safe space and a home… the importance of ensuring that survivors are included in programming and decision-making, and that they are sup ..read more

Elisa Gambino began her career as a producer in the CNN Rome bureau.  After 15 years of covering conflict and upheavals  for CNN, she together with her partner and husband founded their own production company, One Production Place Films, where they devote their time, energy and talents to sharing stories about how we live in community with each other.  One of Elisa’s recent projects was the catalyst for the largest environmental justice grant in the state of New York when the governor provided 150 million dollars for the city of Mount Vernon to repair their sewage systems. In th ..read more