Action 2 Impact Podcast with Gwen Jones
Action 2 Impact Podcast with Gwen Jones
Gwen Jones
Since 2019, host Gwen Jones — a proud Rotarian — has been sharing powerful stories of extraordinary people who turn bold ideas into meaningful impact. While many guests are Rotarians making a difference through service, the heart of the Action 2 Impact Podcast goes far beyond any one organization. Each episode spotlights inspiring individuals from around the world who took a single step to make life better for others — and ended up changing communities, and sometimes the world.Listeners will discover uplifting stories, practical inspiration, and proof that real change doesn’t require perfection or permission — just action. Because impact isn’t reserved for a select few. It starts with one person, one idea, and one step.Listen, subscribe, and get inspired to turn your own actions into impact.
Breaking Democracy’s Chains
Send us Fan Mail We question what “democracy” really means when choices feel filtered and money shapes outcomes more than voters do. We unpack Metin Perkin’s argument that party politics captures democratic institutions and explore a bold blueprint for reform that starts with everyday citizens. • democracy defined as power resting with the people • three layers of gatekeeping through candidate filtering, policy drafting and party whips • “ballot vs wallet” and how big money ...
Jun 3
1 hr 7 min
MAY ENCORE SHOW: Robyn Curtis and the Climate Change Action Group
Send us Fan Mail MAY ENCORE SHOW: Join me and my new friend Robyn Curtis from the Rotary Climate Change Action Group. We are talking ECO, we are talking big problems, and even some big solutions. We are talking about one of our 7 areas of focus that maybe doesn't get all the love and attention that it should. Support the show Join me as I talk to those "amazing people turning their Actions 2 Impact all over the world. #BE THE CHANGE
May 27
1 hr 2 min
Rotary And Change a talk with Cindie Kish
Send us Fan Mail We sit down with Cindy Kish to decode what Rotary Membership Coordinator and International Assembly learning facilitator really mean, and why those roles matter when clubs feel stuck. We wrestle with the hard part of change: keeping people feeling seen while still building a Rotary culture that new members actually want to join. • Rotary acronyms explained and what the jobs involve • How International Assembly training in Orlando works and why it feels transformat...
May 20
54 min
From Congolese Filmmaker To Refugee-Led Nonprofit Founder In Uganda
Send us Fan Mail We talk with Wayne Wasagaga in Uganda about building Changia Africa, a refugee-led nonprofit rooted in education, skills, and human dignity. His story reframes refugee life as a place where purpose, leadership, and real community impact can still grow. • Wayne’s life path from the DRC Congo to Uganda and the early challenges of displacement • Rotaract leadership in the Nakivale refugee settlement and how service attracts members • Changia Africa’s mission a...
May 13
55 min
ICRC Beyond The Red Vest
Send us Fan Mail We sit down with Jacob Kirchner, senior strategic advisor for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Washington, DC, to unpack what neutral humanitarian work really looks like in modern wars. We connect the ICRC’s principles and legal mandate to overlooked crises like Sudan and to the human need for dignity, closure, and peace. • Jacob’s path from Rotary World Peace Fellow to the ICRC • What the ICRC does that most people never see, including forensics an...
May 6
53 min
ENCORE SHOW: I'm A Rotarian Podcast Season 10 EP. 26 Peace Fellow and Cellist Diego Carneiro
Send us Fan Mail APRIL ENCORE SHOW: Can we find Peace though music? Can we find understanding? Can music be a bridge to understanding the world we live in...why not. This week meet Rotarian Peace Fellow Diego Carneiro,as we ask some of these questions and more. Support the show Join me as I talk to those "amazing people turning their Actions 2 Impact all over the world. #BE THE CHANGE
Apr 29
45 min
Peace Building Through Football (Soccer)
Send us Fan Mail Soccer becomes a practical pathway to peace when we pair skills training with family-focused lessons on respect, safety, and belonging. Ron and Marcos share how a “Soccer Plus” model that began in 1994 now scales through Rotary to serve kids from Cabo San Lucas to communities across Africa. • defining Harmony Through Soccer as peace building through football • tracing the origin story from Boy Scouts outreach in 1994 • using soccer as a universal entryway i...
Apr 22
45 min
From Delinquents To Dream Team With Less Moose Hats NEPELS PT2
Send us Fan Mail We meet four first-time district governors stepping into leadership across the Northeast and hear what they want clubs to feel when the year is done. Then we check back in with the outgoing “delinquents” to learn what their big swing for change actually looked like after twelve exhausting months. • introducing the incoming district governors and what they represent for 2026-2027 • what “doing it right” means as a district governor and why availability matters&nbs...
Apr 15
58 min
Voices From Rotary President-Elect Training Part 1
Send us Fan Mail We hit the road to Northeast PELS and hand the mic to presidents-elect, district leaders, and longtime Rotarians who are stepping into big roles. The stories range from hilarious name-tag moments to serious talk on membership, global service, and leading from peace instead of chaos. • Live voices from President-Elect Training and why it matters for Rotary leadership • What assistant governors do and how districts keep tabs on club health • Preparing for dist...
Apr 8
56 min
Action 2 Impact Podcast Season 2  EP.6 Why Community Arts Matter And How To Support Them
Send us Fan Mail We get honest about why the arts feel easier to ignore than roads or schools and why that choice costs us empathy, creativity, and shared community life. Brian Rodolfo, president and CEO of The Cabot, explains how a historic theater stays open by blending commercial shows with mission-driven arts education, outreach, and affordable access. • the arts as a tool for empathy, creativity, and collaboration across every field • why arts funding gets politicized and how...
Apr 1
47 min
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