What does it take to turn a single moment of compassion into a lifelong mission? After a career spent supporting children in Vancouver's inner-city classrooms, Patti Shales Lefkos set out on a journey that carried her far beyond anything she'd imagined — into the remote mountain villages of the Nepali Himalaya, where a village asked […]
In this episode, Dr. Laura Scherck Wittcoff speaks with Keith Lietzke, Co-Founder of Character-Wise, an innovative after-school program designed to address two critical challenges facing young people today: the mental health crisis and the declining state of civil discourse. Character-Wise teaches seven character strengths to third graders through interactive, experiential learning while simultaneously creating meaningful volunteer […]
Every legal dispute comes down to a judgment call made with incomplete information — and wherever there's judgment, there are mental shortcuts quietly shaping the outcome. Host Dr. Laura Scherck Wittcoff sits down with Tricia Schafer, a full-time neutral who mediates and arbitrates cases nationwide, ahead of her TechTainment panel on implicit bias in tech-driven […]
For more than a decade, one conference has been getting ahead of the headlines instead of chasing them. Host Dr. Laura Scherck Wittcoff sits down with Mark Treitel, founder of TechTainment, and Konrad Trope, the conference's co-chair, ahead of this year's event to talk about how a niche gathering on technology, entertainment, and the law […]
What if the fastest way out of predatory lending isn't a lecture on budgeting, but $50 saved at a time? That's the model behind Mint to Prosper Foundation, a savings marketplace built for asset-limited households to step away from payday loans and rent-to-own traps and build their first real financial cushion. Host Dr. Laura Scherck […]
What if the fastest path out of exploitation isn't aid, but a paycheck? That's the premise behind Theodora Africa, a nonprofit that helps disadvantaged women in Ghana escape poverty and exploitation not through short-term assistance, but through real, paid work. Small & Gutsy host Dr. Laura Scherck Wittcoff sits down with Theodora Africa Founder and CEO […]
What if the path to healing wasn't a straight line, but a trail — one that combines the physical challenge of hiking with the mindful presence of yoga? That's the vision behind Hike to Yoga, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit blending guided hikes, nature-based yoga therapy, and community connection into what founder Laurie Hang calls a […]
SHOW NOTES: What if your charitable dollars could come back to you — and you could send them right back out into the world to do even more good? That's the elegant premise behind Renewables.org, the first nonprofit that lets everyday people fund solar projects across India and the Global South for as little as $25, […]
So many mothers — especially those from patriarchal cultures — are conditioned to believe that everyone else knows better. The doctor is right. The priest is right. The attorney is right. Everyone except them. South Central LAMP Executive Director Diana Z. Pinto is on a mission to change that. For over 30 years, her organization […]
Imagine a place that dares to speak truths many are afraid to say. A place that celebrates communities too often forgotten and tells the stories rarely heard. Dr. Laura Scherck Wittcoff sits down with Raymond O. Caldwell, Artistic Director, and Johannah Maynard Edwards, Managing Director, of The Fountain Theatre — a nonprofit performing arts organization in […]
