TrailBlazers Impact

Latest Episodes:

Ep.49-Sharon Hirota: Quit my Job or Stay? Nov 06, 2019

Show notes

Sharon Hirota, a native of the Big Island of Hawaii, was faced with a difficult decision. Her boss had resigned, she was chosen to replace him, and then he decided not to quit. She was at a crossroads. Should she go back to her old job or should she leave? She had been with the agency for 16 years. She had demonstrated her creativity. When her housing program needed a shot of creativity in decreasing the waiting list turnover, she developed a new program for families on the waiting list, using her own personal experience to bring a new perspective. Married young and family oriented, she shared her philosophy of housing with the low income families on the waiting list - and it worked! She finally decided to leave and was offered the job of the Mayor's Executive Assistant. In her new job, with the realization that affordability of housing was becoming a major hurdle, she championed a new program, ALICE, to integrate developers into the constraints and promote housing choices in development. She proves every day that creativity and innovation is possible at all levels of government even within the regulatory environment. Her podcast is full of life lessons for young people starting out!

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Rated #27 in Pretty Progressive: https://prettyprogressive.com/inspiring-podcasts-for-women-in-their-20s/

Rated #2 in Feedspot: https://blog.feedspot.com/trailblazers_podcasts/

Bonus: Kent Watkins: I Helped Write the Civil Rights Act Nov 03, 2019

Show notes

Kent’s podcast is a gift for students of history! He was directly involved in the passage of the The Civil Rights Act of 1964, a landmark civil rights and labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Kent gives us inside information on how the law actually was passed and what it is like to participate in the March on Washington. He also describes his work at HUD as Secretary Weaver’s Chief of Staff and involvement in producing the Fair Housing Act. One of his passions is coordination in the delivery of government services rather than silos. He talks about his participation in the creation of the National Center for Housing Management. He discusses the two most important things that changed the world and how this is affecting climate change today. In his personal life, he was adopted and found his birth mother and then discovered a surprise in his genealogy. He has won numerous tennis championships and won the national senior father/daughter championship this year – in his 80’s!

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Did this episode get you thinking? Please share your thoughts with us at hello@trailblazersimpact.com

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Rated #27 in Pretty Progressive: https://prettyprogressive.com/inspiring-podcasts-for-women-in-their-20s/

Rated #2 in Feedspot: https://blog.feedspot.com/trailblazers_podcasts/

Ep.48-Diane Jackson-Chapman: Standardized Tests Said Below Average to Average - Now Have My PhD Nov 03, 2019

Show notes

Dr. Jackson-Chapman revisits memories of growing up in the days of a vibrant, thriving Gary, Indiana; a steel-mill city devasted by the decline of manufacturing in the 1980s-90s and the disinvestment that followed. She reflects on her lessons-learned as a young parent determined to fully achieve her academic and professional dreams. She discusses the many women (and 2nd husband) who became the "wind beneath her wings" propelling her across the finish line with her PhD and all while taking on a 2nd marriage and raising a total of 5 sons. She also talks about becoming a contributor to the 21st C agenda for educational reform and volunteering with multiple nonprofits to fuel the dreams of women and young people.

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Please visit our website for more inspiring stories: www.TrailBlazersImpact.com and FOLLOW US!

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Did this episode get you thinking? Please share your thoughts with us at hello@trailblazersimpact.com

Keep in touch with Trailblazers Impact here:

Twitter: @TrailblzrsImpct

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LinkedIn: TrailBlazers Impact Podcast

Rated #27 in Pretty Progressive: https://prettyprogressive.com/inspiring-podcasts-for-women-in-their-20s/

Rated #2 in Feedspot: https://blog.feedspot.com/trailblazers_podcasts/

Ep.47-Janice Stewart: I Was There Oct 30, 2019

Show notes

One of our most powerful episodes to date, Janice Stewart describes seeing the 16th Street Church in Birmingham burning as she was headed to Sunday school. Sunday, September 15, 1963, at 10:22 a.m., the church became known around the world when a bomb exploded, killing four young girls attending Sunday School and injuring more than 20 other members of the congregation. In this episode of Trailblazers Impact, Janice transports you to the scene of the bombing and makes you feel like you were walking with her, toward a war zone. Five of her close friends were killed that day in this historical church bombing.

Janice then takes us through growing up as a young African American woman in Birmingham, and we experience alongside her what life was like in segregated Alabama through her eyes. She ponders whether racism has really come that far since the Birmingham bombing and worries about what her grandchildren will face. She talks about the pressure on today's children of all races. This is absolutely a MUST listen episode and one of our most powerful!

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Please visit our website for more inspiring stories: www.TrailBlazersImpact.com and FOLLOW US!

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Did this episode get you thinking? Please share your thoughts with us at hello@trailblazersimpact.com

Keep in touch with Trailblazers Impact here:

Twitter: @TrailblzrsImpct

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LinkedIn: TrailBlazers Impact Podcast

Rated #27 in Pretty Progressive: https://prettyprogressive.com/inspiring-podcasts-for-women-in-their-20s/

Rated #2 in Feedspot: https://blog.feedspot.com/trailblazers_podcasts/

Ep. 46-Brianna McDonald: A Champion Against Bullying Oct 27, 2019

Show notes

Brianna McDonald was bullied as a child, including being held under water in a lake by five girls, until it became so bad, her parents had to move to another town. It still affects her today as she struggles with the Imposter Syndrome. As President of Keiretsu Forum Northwest, a funder of women-owned businesses, she explains how company investment works and how women-owned companies can qualify for funding. She discusses alternative investment opportunities in futuristic companies. She talks about work/life balance, and her future fears for her children and the world.

If you liked what you heard, please hit the SHARE button above and share this episode with your network!

Please visit our website for more inspiring stories: www.TrailBlazersImpact.com and FOLLOW US!

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Did this episode get you thinking? Please share your thoughts with us at hello@trailblazersimpact.com

Keep in touch with Trailblazers Impact here:

Twitter: @TrailblzrsImpct

Facebook: @TrailBlazersImpact

Instagram: @trailblazersimpact

LinkedIn: TrailBlazers Impact Podcast

Rated #27 in Pretty Progressive: https://prettyprogressive.com/inspiring-podcasts-for-women-in-their-20s/

Rated #2 in Feedspot: https://blog.feedspot.com/trailblazers_podcasts/

Ep.45-JoAnn Yukimura: It's the Greatest Joy to See Things Work! Oct 23, 2019

Show notes

JoAnn Yukimura explains her love of Kauai, her early years on the island, and her efforts to preserve and protect her island home. As Mayor and County Councilperson for Kauai, she learned to use her voice to influence policy including restrictions on development for setback and height limitations. One of her most signficant contributions was the development of public transportation which made it easier to get to work because of the high cost of living. She founded a cooperative for electricity which kept rates under control and provided a renewable source. Her administration started recycling and composting on the island. They even recycled hurricane debris and received an award from EPA. She championed a bill for solar water heating for multifamily buildings and an energy self-sufficiency plan in 1978, very innovative for the time. She also describes the up's and down's of elective office - a "must listen" for all prospective politicians!

If you liked what you heard, please hit the SHARE button above and share this episode with your network!

Please visit our website for more inspiring stories: www.TrailBlazersImpact.com and FOLLOW US!

Subscribe to our email list to get all our latest podcasts directly to your inbox: http://bit.ly/2ZBeoW9

Did this episode get you thinking? Please share your thoughts with us at hello@trailblazersimpact.com

Keep in touch with Trailblazers Impact here:

Twitter: @TrailblzrsImpct

Facebook: @TrailBlazersImpact

Instagram: @trailblazersimpact

LinkedIn: TrailBlazers Impact Podcast

Rated #27 in Pretty Progressive: https://prettyprogressive.com/inspiring-podcasts-for-women-in-their-20s/

Rated #2 in Feedspot: https://blog.feedspot.com/trailblazers_podcasts/

Ep. 44-Verna Jones-Rodwell: Hope, Health and Healing in Elected Office Oct 20, 2019

Show notes

Verna Jones-Rodwell shares her early start as a community organizer and advocate for affordable housing and community development where she worked to improve the living conditions of Baltimore's poorest families. At age 34 she launched her first campaign for political office seeking to represent her district in the Maryland House of Delegates. She talks about the lessons learned after losing that race, but vowing to herself that she would not be defeated. She subsequently won her next four campaigns for the state legislature serving one term in the House followed by three terms in the powerful state senate. Along the way she married and was confronted with the challenges of her mother's diagnosis of Alzheimer's, which has defined her activism after retiring from political office.

If you liked what you heard, please hit the SHARE button above and share this episode with your network!

Please visit our website for more inspiring stories: www.TrailBlazersImpact.com and FOLLOW US!

Subscribe to our email list to get all our latest podcasts directly to your inbox: http://bit.ly/2ZBeoW9

Did this episode get you thinking? Please share your thoughts with us at hello@trailblazersimpact.com

Keep in touch with Trailblazers Impact here:

Twitter: @TrailblzrsImpct

Facebook: @TrailBlazersImpact

Instagram: @trailblazersimpact

LinkedIn: TrailBlazers Impact Podcast

Rated #27 in Pretty Progressive: https://prettyprogressive.com/inspiring-podcasts-for-women-in-their-20s/

Rated #2 in Feedspot: https://blog.feedspot.com/trailblazers_podcasts/

Ep.43-Sharon Cossey and Gail Gillespie: Living Life Oct 16, 2019

Show notes

Sharon, Gail, and Nan, long-term friends on a retreat in Las Vegas, talk about a variety of subjects from growing up experiences to going to Maya Angelou's Black Tie birthday parties given by Oprah to just living life. Gail gives some great advice on choosing a marriage partner, surviving an abusive household, and being a young woman in today’s climate.

If you liked what you heard, please hit the SHARE button above and share this episode with your network!

Please visit our website for more inspiring stories: www.TrailBlazersImpact.com and FOLLOW US!

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Did this episode get you thinking? Please share your thoughts with us at hello@trailblazersimpact.com

Keep in touch with Trailblazers Impact here:

Twitter: @TrailblzrsImpct

Facebook: @TrailBlazersImpact

Instagram: @trailblazersimpact

LinkedIn: TrailBlazers Impact Podcast

Rated #27 in Pretty Progressive: https://prettyprogressive.com/inspiring-podcasts-for-women-in-their-20s/

Rated #2 in Feedspot: https://blog.feedspot.com/trailblazers_podcasts/

Ep.41-Case Lane: Prepare for the Future! Oct 09, 2019

Show notes

Having been to 100 countries and lived in 11 of them, Case Lane describes her experience as a foreign diplomat and global traveler. Educated in communications, political science, business, law and economics, her website, readyentrepreneur.com, provides advice to people thinking of starting a business all the way to experienced entrepreneurs. As an author, she discusses her process of writing and getting published. As a futurist, she has had a front row seat in Hollywood where she witnessed the transformation from physical to digital media in the entertainment industry. She has written several most read books that reflect her experience.

If you liked what you heard, please hit the SHARE button above and share this episode with your network!

Please visit our website for more inspiring stories: www.TrailBlazersImpact.com and FOLLOW US!

Subscribe to our email list to get all our latest podcasts directly to your inbox: http://bit.ly/2ZBeoW9

Did this episode get you thinking? Please share your thoughts with us at hello@trailblazersimpact.com

Keep in touch with Trailblazers Impact here:

Twitter: @TrailblzrsImpct

Facebook: @TrailBlazersImpact

Instagram: @trailblazersimpact

LinkedIn: TrailBlazers Impact Podcast

Rated #27 in Pretty Progressive: https://prettyprogressive.com/inspiring-podcasts-for-women-in-their-20s/

Rated #2 in Feedspot: https://blog.feedspot.com/trailblazers_podcasts/

Ep.40-Patzetta Trice: Own Your Dreams Oct 06, 2019

Show notes

Patzetta Trice recounts a childhood fueled by the leadership and sage advice her father shared with his daughters to include the values of "Faith, Family and Community". Living these values became her personal mission informing the professional and civic outcomes that led to the receipt of local, national and global awards. She shares her personal perspective on "success" as being that of "what she could help facilitate for other"s as she climbed the corporate ladder at GM; often "embraced", but acknowledging those marked instances of gender and racial bias. Never one to quit, she prevailed, and in the end, leveraged her top corporate positions to provide funding to notable local efforts to raise up the youth, in general, and girls and women, in particular. She shares her greatest triumph as being asked by three successive governors, representing both major political parties, to serve as co-chair of the Indiana Commission for Women, where she came in touch with girls and women in both urban and rural communities and was able to help frame and push-out state administrative and legislative initiatives to increase and improve public policies to the benefit of women and girls across 92 counties.

If you liked what you heard, please hit the SHARE button above and share this episode with your network!

Please visit our website for more inspiring stories: www.TrailBlazersImpact.com and FOLLOW US!

Subscribe to our email list to get all our latest podcasts directly to your inbox: http://bit.ly/2ZBeoW9

Did this episode get you thinking? Please share your thoughts with us at hello@trailblazersimpact.com

Keep in touch with Trailblazers Impact here:

Twitter: @TrailblzrsImpct

Facebook: @TrailBlazersImpact

Instagram: @trailblazersimpact

LinkedIn: TrailBlazers Impact Podcast

Rated #27 in Pretty Progressive: https://prettyprogressive.com/inspiring-podcasts-for-women-in-their-20s/

Rated #2 in Feedspot: https://blog.feedspot.com/trailblazers_podcasts/

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