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When Good Is Not Good Enough: Scaling Social Impact Apr 24, 2019

Show notes

How do you help social entrepreneurs spread their ideas? Bridgespan Group co-founder and managing partner Jeff Bradach and Bambara Kitchen & Bar executive chef David Bazirgan join host Billy Shore to talk about impact investing and helping non-profits scale to create transformative change. “So much of scaling is about how you create that feeling that has people acting on their own in ways that are aligned and consistent with the vision [that] makes a difference in the world,” explains Bradach. Bazirgan practices a similar philosophy in his kitchen. “I’ve always tried to create a good culture of teamwork, respect and keeping an open dialogue. Lead by example, [practice] good communication, and get buy-in,” he advises.

Bradach cautions that creating large-scale change isn’t as simple as just replicating good ideas. “There’s other virtues of scale, but I do think there’s an underappreciation of that unique, radically local experience that is deeply embedded in community,” he observes. Bazirgan is a big advocate for community nonprofits, and is preparing to ride in his first ChefsCycle for No Kid Hungry event. “I’ve always been one to just say ‘yes’ to everything. We have such an opportunity to give back and provide and support,” he says.

Join us for this conversation that explores the dynamics of social change and the true potential of nonprofits to make transformative change.

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What Doesn't Break You Makes You Stronger Apr 17, 2019

Show notes

What is the catalyst that makes us want to make a difference? Teach For America DC region Executive Director Adele Fabrikant and Rose’s Luxury head chef Seth Wells join Debbie and Billy Shore to discuss educational inequality, developing leadership and service to community. Fabrikant talks about her 20-year career in public education. “When you see the inequities that you see when you teach in the South Bronx after growing up as privileged as I did, you cannot walk away, you cannot turn and go back to the originally scheduled programming,” she explains about her early experience with Teach For America. Wells is currently preparing for his first Chefs Cycle for No Kid Hungry. “I’m at a point now where there’s always more to learn in the business, but I would like to be able to give back to the community through what I do and make that part of my mission,” he declares.

Fabrikant tells a story about struggling to teach a young boy with extreme anger issues in the South Bronx. “One of the most challenging things is the self-doubt. I feel like that was my loss,” she laments. Wells understands the sentiment within the context of his own work and uses it to become a better chef and leader. “If you feel that comfortable that you’re crushing your job every single day, I don’t know what that feels like. I think self-doubt is important. It’s part of becoming a leader,” he says.

Get personal with these two guests as they discuss how leaders develop their skills and what drives them to want

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Arianna Huffington: Sound Asleep and Still Changing The World Apr 10, 2019

Show notes

Why is sleep the best remedy for just about everything? Billy Shore sits down with Thrive Global Founder and CEO Arianna Huffington and pastry chef and North Fork Table & Inn owner Claudia Fleming to talk about the effects of stress and exhaustion on creativity, productivity and health. “90% of the health care problems we deal with are stress-related and preventable,” says Huffington. “If your life is just about productivity and there is no joy, there is something wrong,” she explains, talking about how her Thrive Global platform helps people improve their well-being and performance. Fleming is aware of her own tendency to overwork. “You can literally never stop. You can stay all night, but if you don’t say ‘I’m leaving’, you can hang out all the time and not be very productive,” she says.

Huffington also discusses how technology and our acrimonious political climate are creating additional stress that can be crippling. “There is absolutely no benefit in living in a perpetual state of outrage. We need to be very protective of our energy and use it wisely, use it to bring about change rather than simply venting,” she advises. Fleming sees her role as a chef as innately political. “Food is politics. You can’t get away from the fact that agribusiness runs a good portion of our government,” she explains.

Listen to this thoughtful discussion on the dangers of exhaustion and burnout and recalibrate your understanding of creativity, productivity and performance.

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Putting People Over Politics in the Nation’s First Presidential Primary State Apr 03, 2019

Show notes

How do we help the most vulnerable build on their own strengths? Families in Transition-New Horizons founder and president Maureen Beauregard and Moxy chef and owner Matt Louis join host Billy Shore for the second live episode recorded at the Music Hall Loft in Portsmouth, NH, to talk about addiction, mental health, homelessness, and the role healthy food can play for those who are struggling. “When we look at hunger and homelessness, we need to look at the ‘why’ of it and stop judging and calling people names. Can we build on their strengths?,” asks Beauregard. Louis makes it point to use his strengths for good causes. “Always say yes. For whatever reason, the world has made [chefs] more popular then we should be. But it’s a very powerful place to be if you can harness that and use it the right way,” he explains.

Beauregard recounts her own powerful story of perseverance growing up in the foster care system and how it drives her work with Families in Transition-New Horizons. “I can remember what it felt like to be hungry, to be lonely, and it leaves such a hollow feeling inside,” she recalls. Louis applies the same values to his restaurants and the people who work for him. “How can I make their quality of life better while retaining them in what can be a very challenging industry?,” he asks.

Feel the emotion of this personal and heart-felt discussion that illustrates the impact we can have on solving hunger and homelessness.

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Senator Jeanne Shaheen on National Leadership and Local Solutions Mar 27, 2019

Show notes

How can national and local leadership work together on solutions to our country’s biggest problems? Recorded in front of a live audience at the Music Hall Loft in Portsmouth, NH, Billy Shore welcomes Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Black Trumpet chef and owner Evan Mallett and Dondero Elementary School principal Kate Callahan for a lively discussion that considers issues from both national and local perspectives. Outspoken about the nation’s opioid crisis, Shaheen is leading efforts to get resources to local communities. “We’re not going to jail our way out of this epidemic - we’ve got to help people get the treatment they need to be successful,” she explains. Callahan sees first-hand the effects of the crisis on kids. “Housing has become more transient because of the opioid crisis. [Some students] come from a homeless shelter,” she says. Mallett helped start a job fair for people with addiction-based criminal records. “The idea is to introduce restaurants and farmers to candidates who need a second chance, and to hopefully restore their dignity through employment,” he says.

Known for bringing civility and sophistication to public affairs, Shaheen is troubled by today’s political climate. “We have to be able to listen to each other and figure out how we can compromise and work together. We’ve got to make sure that our leaders are as good as our people in this country,” she stresses. Mallett believes one of his roles as a chef is to help facilitate civil discourse. “I feel like food is the ultimate democratizer and the ultimate way to have people sit down and have a conversation. Delivering the food and witnessing that exchange is a truly meaningful part of what I do,” he says.

Get inspired by these three guests who demonstrate through their leadership the best America has to offer.

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Tearing Up the Menu: Leveraging Celebrity and Innovation to Change the World Mar 20, 2019

Show notes

How has the rise of the celebrity chef impacted non-profit fundraising? Legendary chef Jonathan Waxman and super fundraiser Billy Harris sit down with host Billy Shore in New York City to talk about celebrity, creativity and how their professional and philanthropic lives came to be intertwined. Waxman was one of the first chefs to use his celebrity on behalf of No Kid Hungry and has continued to do so for 35 years. “The awareness of what you do is so important - a lot of time we ignore the plight of the less fortunate and we kind of put blinders on,” he believes. One of the most sought-after MC/auctioneers in the fundraising world, Harris has hosted more than 200 No Kid Hungry events over the past 15 years and raised more than $100M for various charities. “What I’ve learned is everyone likes to eat and drink and have a good time, and we can all do that and at the same time raise a few bucks for people that are a little less fortunate,” he says.

Waxman was a professional musician before becoming a chef and describes the parallels between the two professions. “I think there’s a lot of loneliness involved with it… At the end of the day, giving back helps assuage part of my loneliness,” he explains. Harris was doing stand-up comedy before he discovered his career 30 years ago and never looked back. “I am not an auctioneer, I’m a funny guy with a microphone that knows how to work a room. I get to be me and do what I love to do and raise money for these organizations,” he concludes.

Listen in as these two long-time No Kid Hungry champions talk about how giving back is central in their lives.

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Moving the Mountain: Marketing Social Change and Making It Last Mar 13, 2019

Show notes

What is the key to creating sustainable social impact? Social change pioneer Bill Novelli and Washington DC restaurateur and chef Erik Bruner-Yang (Maketto, Brothers and Sisters, Spoken English) sit down with Debbie and Billy Shore to discuss cultural identity, community engagement and lasting social impact. As the former architect of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Novelli built a social marketing program that successfully challenged big tobacco’s overwhelming political and cultural influence. “One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in my life is that we can move the mountain… but we’ve got to start by saying, ‘we can do it,’” says Novelli. “We need to change social norms and expectations,” he continues. Bruner-Yang thinks the solutions to intractable social issues like gun violence require long-term inter-generational thinking. “If you’re 40-plus, your mind is made up. America can be and has been at the forefront of social change. Some of these big issues you have to just skip a generation,” he observes.

As a professor in the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University, Novelli sees the promise of the next generation of leaders. “I go home every night with a song in my heart because they understand that there’s more than one bottom line. They want purpose. They want to work in an organization that doesn’t just have a profit, but also cares about people and the planet,” he says. Long-time No Kid Hungry supporter Bruner-Yang describes how his former passion for music translated into owning restaurants. “It’s a lot of the same tangibles. You get to be creative, you’re entertaining people, you’re using a lot of the same thought processes,” he notes.

Listen in as these two guests discuss talk about how their values have motivated them to lead purpose-driven lives.

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Flipping the Script: Rewriting the Story of Urban Youth Mar 06, 2019

Show notes

How do we find opportunities where others see only problems? The BASE founder and president Robert Lewis Jr. and Mida chef and owner Douglass Williams join host Billy Shore for an enlightening conversation about using love and generosity to build community and create generational change. Lewis started The BASE as a way to re-imagine pathways to success for urban youth. “Language matters… we don’t use language around ‘at-risk, disadvantaged and underserved.’ Our young folks are ‘untapped, great and resilient,’” he says. Williams agrees that words can help change minds and hearts. “If everybody just picked up a book about something that they’ve never read before, that would solve 90% of the racism, 90% of the problems we have. It’s just about educating yourself,” he says.

Both guests discuss how their personal experiences have shaped the work they do today. Williams talk about having a serious illness as a child and how his world travels have shaped his perspective. “It’s humbling because you see how other people live… that’s what changes your mind, that’s the mind switch. You cannot unsee the truth,” he explains. Lewis tells personal stories of the racism and violence he endured growing up in the projects in Boston. “People said ‘mother had me at 17, welfare, growing up in the projects, no dad, somebody already wrote the story.’ And we turned around and I guess we kicked that story.” Now he is helping inner city youth because he believes all kids deserve opportunities.

Share in this uplifting conversation that illuminates the impact of sharing the spirit of generosity and love.

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Racial Injustice: The Soul of America is at Stake, Part 2 Feb 27, 2019

Show notes

Sounding the Alarm for Racial Justice and a Stronger Democracy

What is America’s original sin? In part 2 of this timely discussion, Jim Wallis and Michael Schlow share their observations on racism, immigration and the threat to our democracy. “Our original sin of racism wasn’t just slavery. Christians said we can’t do what we are doing to indigenous people and Africans if we believe they are people made in the image of God. So, we’ll say they weren’t,” explains Wallis about the origins of structural racism in America. “If your parents taught you to hate, chances are it’s going to be really hard to unwind that as an adult,” says Schlow.

“I always want to believe that we’re decent, good people at heart... Unfortunately, hate is something that is really prevalent in our country and now it’s been exposed,” laments Schlow. “This isn’t political disagreement. The wall does not protect us - it’s a monument to racism,” Wallis states. “Our democracy is literally at stake now. It’s not clear that our institutions will have the resilience to survive all this,” he warns.

Continue this powerful conversation that sounds the alarm for racial justice and a stronger democracy.

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Racial Injustice: The Soul of America is at Stake (Part 1) Feb 20, 2019

Show notes

How will we overcome systemic racial injustice in America? In this deeply personal conversation, Sojourners President and Founder Jim Wallis and James Beard Award-winning chef Michael Schlow talk with Debbie and Billy Shore about poverty, equality and race relations in America. “Abraham Lincoln said that ‘leaders should appeal to our better angels’, but this president appeals to our worst demons and he calls them up and they’re right below the surface,” says Wallis about the prevalence of racism in America. Schlow learned the power of being open-minded at a young age. “My mother and my dad felt that an open house was an important component of the community. You’re not supposed to be building walls right now, you’re supposed to be opening doors,” he says.

Wallis cites research that 75% of white Americans don’t have one significant relationship with a person of color and therefore do not know how much they may have in common with one another. “We’ve got to start having dinner together and hearing about our hopes and dreams for our kids. Right now, the soul of America is at stake,” he cautions. “In my company we’re not just here to take care of the guests, we’re here to take care of each other. When somebody has a crisis… our restaurant family comes to each other’s aid,” notes Schlow.

Feel empowered by part 1 of a poignant conversation about the connections between our personal values and the social and political change we want to see in the world.

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