Be the Change

What stops us from doing the right thing by ourselves and our planet?On this episode of Be the Change, I speak with Maggie Saunders, a women’s coach and certified hypnotherapist and also my own business coach. She specializes in helping women uncover why they hide who they are (consciously or unconsciously) and today she helps us understand why we humans are so slow to make the important changes to save ourselves and the planet and how we can change that.You might be surprised to learn how a traumatic event in your childhood is stopping you from making changes you actually want - without you even realizing it. This also applies to world leaders, who are also humans. I think this is the perfect episode to begin the New Year with. You can learn more about Maggie Saunders and how to work with her at https://thenowisgolden.com and instagram @thenowisgolden

I met Addisyn Mayer on Instagram and we became fast friends. From doing beach cleanups in her neighborhood, to marching for children's educational, health and safety rights, she inspires me daily to continue to be the change. Did I mention she is just 10 years old? For BTC's 7th Season and 50th episode - I cannot think of a better guest to have on.Addisyn is joined by her Mom Jenn, and we will hear how being the change runs in their family and also how Addisyn inspires Jenn to keep fighting the good fight.You can follow Jenn and Addisyn on Instagram at jenn_mayer9 and rebel_addisyn

With a career in film spanning 40 years, Louie Schwartzberg has opened our hearts with his work - inviting us to sit in awe of this remarkable thing we call life. He is renowned and revered for his work in time lapse cinematography, most notably with his Moving Art series on Netflix and of course the film Fantastic Funghi.I am honored (and grateful) to welcome Louie to Be The Change to discuss his latest masterpiece Gratitude Revealed, an exploration into this emotion and how it is a healing salve in the most unexpected circumstances.To host a screening of Gratitude Revealed or to find one near you, visit www.https://gratituderevealed.com/ and gratituderevealedfilm on instagram

Numerous studies, including those conducted by our own governments show it is not just important, but imperative our children have consistent exposure to nature.The positive effects of nature include improved cognitive functioning, including increased concentration, greater attention capacities, and higher academic performance. Yet millions of city kids have no access to anything more than a cement park, already putting them at a disadvantage.My next guest is out to change that.Manny Almonte is the Co-founder of Camping to Connect, a BIPOC-led experiential mentorship program that uses outdoor recreation and nature immersion to address the diverse issues faced by young men of color in America’s cities. Led by and for people of color, Camping to Connect is elevating the narrative that the outdoors belong to everybody. For more information please visit www.campingtoconnect.com and www.mastermindconnect.com.

This October 22nd will be 10 years since much of NYC was devastated by Hurricane Sandy. With millions of dollars in federal funding, it wasn’t until this past year that NYC started to take action on making downtown neighborhoods more resilient to ever increasing storms. The plans approved and forced on to residents by former Mayor De Blasio, with the support of our city council and current Mayor Adams- reads like a typical political playbook.  How can we make things worse and spend billions of dollars doing so.Today I am joined by Allie Ryan and Tommy Loeb from East River Park Action.  Both Tommy and Allie have lived in the Lower Eastside for years, are lifelong activists with experience in NYC politics. They fought with the city for a true climate resilient plan in their neighborhood,  but unfortunately were unable to stop the city from cutting down 700 mature cherry trees, destroy the amphitheater and leave behind an asbestos problem that still is not remedied. They will give us an inside view on their remarkable battle against the greenwashing that took place in East River Park and how they will continue to fight for transparency. Want to get involved and #bethechange ? Visit www.eastriverparkaction.org

We all want climate resiliency to protect our homes and neighborhoods – but what do we do when our city officials use resiliency to develop our public green spaces for their profit?In NYC we are currently seeing our public parks being turned into cement, all in the name climate resiliency, except that it isn’t. Science shows that we need the trees and vegetation to soak up the heavy rain falls.  We recently saw the heartbreaking destruction of East River Park where hundreds of mature trees were chopped down. And now on the opposite side of the city in Battery Park City, Wagner Park is set to be completely leveled.Joining me today is Britni Erez and Kelly McGowan from the Battery Park City Neighborhood Association, along with Battery Park Montessori and Green Ivy School Founder Jennifer Jones.We will learn how the Battery Park City Authority is forcing their plans on the community, how it isn’t even needed in Wagner Park and how we all need to join together to protect our green spaces. www.savewagner.com

Real change comes from regular conversations over coffee or at the dinner table – not from the Boardroom. When conversation turns to collaboration – that’s when the real magic happens.In 2015 Lindsey McCoy had reached a pivotal point in her own part in contributing to plastic pollution.Living on the island of the Bahamas for 10 years, she saw first hand how plastic really has no graveyard and that recycling is not the answer. And she had enough.In trying to reduce her own waste, Lindsey and her sister Alison inadvertently came up with a new structure for the personal care industry – a refill based line of products – that can be accessed anywhere in the US saving over 386,000 plastic bottles to date from going into the landfill or oceans. In this episode Lindsey McCoy, Co-Founder of Plaine Products explains how she and her sister Alison created a refill and reuse personal care line simply because we need it and that we cannot expect corporations to do it for us. Please visit www.plaineproducts.com and @plaineproducts on Instagram for more information.

Today I am speaking with Matt Hill. Founder and Chief Environmental Evangelist at the reforestation nonprofit, One Tree Planted. After 15 years as an educator, business leader, and eco-adventurer, he wanted a simple way to help individuals and businesses make real progress towards a more sustainable planet. He started One Tree Planted when he realized that planting trees is one of the simplest things we can do for the environment, while also having a big impact on biodiversity, climate change, and health. Today we will learn how with just one dollar and one tree planted we can make a huge impact. www.onetreeplanted.org