After losing her sister to suicide in 2011, Marisa Vicere founded the Jana Marie Foundation in her sister’s honor.

The State College-based non-profit aims to educate and empower young people in the Centre County region and to build awareness about mental well-being and suicide prevention.

I talked with Marisa during National Suicide Prevention Month about the foundation and her sister. 

Karen Washington is a community activist and the co-owner of Rise & Root Farm in Chester, New York. She’s been working to improve city living and promote urban farming since 1985. 

I talked with her about the importance of access to fresh, quality food, about some of the challenges facing 21st century farmers, and about getting community projects off the ground.

Wade Davis is a former professional football player turned writer, public speaker, and educator. Davis, who publicly came out as gay in 2012, is the NFL’s first LGBT inclusion consultant.

He also works with other professional sports leagues and Fortune 500 companies to build more inclusive corporate cultures and address issues related to sexism, racism, and homophobia. As part of his work, he urges viewers to reconsider their definitions of “masculinity.” 

I talked with him about the notion of “toxic masculinity,” about the “MeToo” movement, and about the importance of engaging men in the dialog of gender equality.

Ky Dickens’ 2017 documentary “Zero Weeks” explores the paid leave crisis in the U.S. Dickens debuted the film at the “White House Summit on the United States of Women” hosted by Oprah and Michelle Obama.

Listen to my conversation with her.