The Giving Habit

Earlier this week on The Giving Habit, we sat down with Saleemah Ismail of New Life Stories to learn about the importance of breaking the cycle, including how we can help kids to avoid falling onto negative paths by addressing their trauma. In this follow-up reflections episode, host Stephen Keys sits down with Diana The to discuss their biggest takeaways from the episode with Saleemah, including how they can look at crime from the perspective of healing the issue, rather than punishing the outcome.

This week on The Giving Habit, we look at an organisation that is turning its attention towards the youths that many people overlook, and gives them the tools to disrupt the cycle of what came before them. Saleemah Ismail, founder of New Life Stories, breaks down the critical importance of helping those with incarcerated parents to forge their own path, as well as the process of structuring an organisation to let it make meaningful change. CHAPTERS:00:00 Breaking the Cycle of Trauma06:09 The Healing Process: Interventions and Relationships12:00 Measuring Success: Resilience and Family Dynamics16:59 Intergenerational Trauma: Breaking the Cycle21:11 Evidence of Success: Transforming Lives23:40 The Journey from Hypothesis to Impact30:10 Understanding Universal Themes of Love and Rejection32:28 Leadership in Challenging Environments36:25 Innovative Approaches to Family Engagement42:13 Future Directions: Early Intervention Strategies

Hannes Schmid is the co-founder of Smiling Gecko, a sprawling 1,500-hectare social enterprise in Cambodia housing a school, farm, fish farming, carpentry workshops, and 34 small businesses. All built to create genuine, lasting change rather than dependency.In this premiere episode, we trace the full origin story of Smiling Gecko, listen to Hannes’ case for why NGOs need to take a different approach, and dive into how sustainable this sort of program really is. This is a podcast about philanthropy, social entrepreneurship, and giving back, by and for people working that much harder to make a difference. Learn more about Smiling Gecko: https://www.smilinggecko.ch/en/The Giving Habit is brought to you by The Majurity Trust: https://www.majurity.sg/CHAPTERS:00:00 The Genesis of Smiling Gecko05:50 Building a Holistic Community12:00 Education as a Foundation for Change18:01 The Role of Trust and Cultural Sensitivity23:57 Balancing Philanthropy and Social Enterprise29:59 Financial Sustainability and Quality Education36:05 Philosophy of Architecture and Long-term Vision36:21 Building Sustainable Structures in Challenging Environments39:10 Design Philosophy: Integrating Tradition and Modernity42:35 Cultural Heritage and Community Identity45:53 The Role of Art in Society48:26 The Importance of Shared Identity through Art51:15 Questioning and Evolving Community Practices54:03 Environmental Sustainability: A Complex Challenge59:46 Future Aspirations and Community Growth

Do you feel the pull toward contribution but aren't quite sure where to start?Have you ever wondered how your time, skills, networks, or resources could make a greater difference?And in a world full of worthy causes, how do we better understand what is happening today, so we can contribute to a better tomorrow?These are some of the questions we'll be exploring in The Giving Habit, a new 13-part podcast miniseries featuring conversations with social impact founders, funders, enablers, and change makers. Along the way, we will:Highlight organisations and causes worthy of your attention and supportExplore practical pathways to contribute more meaningfullyUncover what enables stronger collaboration and collective impactThe series was inspired by my experience in the inaugural Distinguished Senior Fellowship Program at NUS School of Continuing and Lifelong Education (SCALE). First episode drops on 2 July.Brought to you by The Wisdom Vault.