Project Good Podcast

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Project Good is a social impact podcast interviewing experts and advocates about the pressing problems that we face globally and hearing how they suggest we move forward in the future.

  1. Sep 22

    Climate Solutions ft Joshua Harrison

    Host Annmarie Hylton introduces the Project Good Podcast’s September focus on climate change solutions, citing NOAA data that July 2026 was the hottest month recorded in the U.S. and outlining key drivers such as heat domes, human-caused climate change, warm oceans, humidity, and El Niño. She interviews Joshua Harrison, co-founder and chief strategy officer of Leaf Island, about his lifelong engagement with environmental issues, including early activism around solar energy and a multidisciplinary background in ecological art. Harrison argues for systems thinking, nature-based solutions like urban greening, and long-term “seven generations” decision-making, emphasizing reconnecting people—especially youth—to hands-on climate action. He explains Leaf Island’s concept of restoring city “leaf cover” to cool urban environments and discusses repurposing styrofoam into lightweight, high-performing growing media for scalable green infrastructure. 00:00 Welcome to Project Good 01:11 Meet Joshua Harrison 03:25 Early Climate Awakening 07:17 Art Meets Systems Thinking 13:06 Nature as Climate Tech 18:29 Reconnecting People to Nature 25:24 2030 Tipping Point 31:00 Politics Values and Power 40:15 Indigenous Science and Fire 45:47 Leaf Island Origin Story 48:41 Turning Waste into Soil 55:13 Hope and Youth Agency 01:01:52 Closing and Resources Joshua Harrison the co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Leaf Island, an award-winning green infrastructure company based in New York. He also serves as Director of the Center for the Study of the Force Majeure at UC Santa Cruz. For over three decades, Joshua has worked at the intersection of art, ecology, and systems strategy — from designing immersive installations on ocean collapse to building regenerative models for wildfire impacted landscapes in the American West. His current focus: transforming cities into functioning ecosystems using modular, scalable technologies — starting with rooftops, walls, streets, and coastlines is reshaping how we move forward with this crisis.

    Climate Solutions ft Joshua Harrison

  2. Sep 10

    Pain ft Dr. Melissa J. Durham

    Host Annmarie Hylton introduces Project Good’s September focus on pain, highlighting a global crisis of inequitable access to basic pain relief and palliative care alongside opioid overprescription and overdose in high-income nations. She interviews Dr. Melissa Durham, a USC clinical pharmacy associate professor and clinical pharmacist who founded and runs a pharmacy-led pain medication management service for complex chronic non-cancer pain. Durham describes choosing pharmacy, building her pain practice model from the ground up, and navigating barriers to controlled-substance prescribing and dispensing amid regulatory fear. She emphasizes functional outcomes and quality of life, evidence-based monitoring, stigma reduction, and patient privacy, noting harms from misapplied 2016 CDC opioid guideline dose cutoffs while acknowledging improved prescribing trends. The conversation covers personalized care through social determinants and health equity, clinician compassion fatigue and “boundaried compassionate caregiving,” AI for efficiency, and a vision for multidisciplinary pain care access. 00:00 Welcome to Project Good 01:03 Meet Dr Melissa Durham 03:05 Why Pharmacy and Pain 07:41 Opioids and Access Barriers 19:22 Personalized Care and Equity 23:34 Teaching Health Justice 29:53 Compassion Fatigue and Boundaries 41:54 Pain Care Around the World 49:28 Defining Wellness and Thriving 56:14 AI in Healthcare 01:01:23 Closing and Resources Melissa J. Durham is an Associate Professor of Clinical Pharmacy at the University of Southern California (USC) Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.  She received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree, completed a residency in Community-based Pharmacy Practice, and has a Master of Academic Medicine degree, all from USC. Dr. Durham is a clinical pharmacist at the USC Pain Center, where she established and runs a pharmacist-led pain medication management service for patients with a variety of complicated chronic nononcologic pain conditions. She is dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with chronic pain through patient-centered and compassionate care. The value of her unique practice model has been recognized and published both nationally and internationally. Dr. Durham is also a practicing community pharmacist and provides a valuable and unique perspective of a clinician who is both a prescriber and a dispenser – a perspective that is valuable to patients, providers, health systems, and industry alike. Dr. Durham is a sought-after speaker on the topics of pain management, risk reduction and harm reduction, and the U.S. Opioid Epidemic. She is originally from Central California and resides in Los Angeles.

    Pain ft Dr. Melissa J. Durham

  3. Aug 25

    Intentional Consumerism ft Courtney Barriger

    Host Annmarie Hylton introduces the Project Good Podcast’s August focus on intentional consumerism and interviews Courtney Barriger, a sustainable fashion designer, author of Refashion Workshop, and founder of Holding Court. Barriger explains fast fashion’s rapid, cheap production model and shares how modeling exposed her to low-quality, untraceable clothing and raised questions about waste and supply chains. She argues fast fashion is increasing, citing newer platforms like Shein and Temu and the lack of transparency, and discusses growing concerns about toxins in clothing, including PFAs, BPAs, and lead, alongside emerging regulation such as California’s testing requirements and related lawsuits. The conversation links overconsumption to identity and insecurity, recommends practical consumer habits like reading labels and delaying impulse purchases, urges businesses to use third-party certified materials and design for durability and circularity, and highlights innovation in biodegradable, alternative fibers. Barriger describes Holding Court’s made-to-order, low-tox approach and her broader education and storytelling work. 00:00 Welcome to Project Good 01:01 Meet Courtney Barriger 08:56 Fast Fashion Today Bleak 12:22 Toxins and New Regulations 15:53 How We Got Here 19:57 Clothing Waste Deserts 23:14 Global Pushback Strategies 31:18 Clothes And Identity 36:56 What Businesses Must Change 39:57 Luxury Status Trap 45:01 Teaching Kids Consumerism 49:20 Climate Week Fabric Innovation 59:10 Final Thanks And Links Courtney Barriger is an award-winning artist, published author, sustainable fashion designer, and storyteller exploring the intersection of fashion, psychology, mythology, sustainability, and human consciousness. She is the author of ReFashion Workshop, an educational book and creative platform focused on sustainable living, textile awareness, conscious consumerism, and the future of ethical fashion. Through ReFashion Workshop, Courtney examines the environmental, psychological, and cultural impact of what we wear from microplastics and textile waste to identity, storytelling, and consumer behavior in the digital age. Courtney is also the founder of Holding Court a sustainable luxury fashion brand centered around wearable art, ethical production, and environmentally conscious design. Find out more at: https://holdingcourtinc.com/

    Intentional Consumerism ft Courtney Barriger

  4. Aug 18

    Culture & Climate ft Majella Mark

    Host Annmarie Hylton introduces the Project Good Podcast’s August focus on culture and climate resilience amid record heat, wildfires, and political discord over environmental policy. She interviews journalist and storyteller Majella Mark, who experienced Hurricane Beryl in July 2024 and helped respond to severe damage on Carriacou, including destruction of the Carriacou Museum’s top floor and loss of artifacts. Mark explains how preserving cultural institutions protects identity—especially for the African diaspora—and connects culture to biodiversity through land-based practices, fishing traditions and reef restoration, and knowledge of sky and moon cycles. She outlines plans to rebuild the museum as a sustainable community hub and storm shelter using solar, rain catchment, and resilient materials, while using storytelling to document local traditions such as recipes in a cookbook. Mark calls for listening, youth leadership, and locally informed blue economy policies. 00:00 Welcome to Project Good 01:24 Meet Majella Mark 03:12 From Caregiver to Director 08:30 How the Project Began 13:57 Why Culture Must Be Saved 24:23 Culture Protects Nature 30:25 Respect and Listening Gap 42:53 Rebuilding a Resilient Museum 52:55 Old Tech Meets New 55:57 Storytelling and Cookbook Plans 01:01:30 Policy Wish Blue Economy 01:04:40 Doing Good and Capacity 01:09:06 Closing and Where to Follow Majella Mark is a journalist, researcher, and storyteller whose work explores the intersection of culture, technology, social impact, and human behavior. Through her writing, she examines the forces shaping our world, encouraging thoughtful conversations about identity, equity, innovation, and the future of society. Majella has contributed to publications including CultureBanx, Harness Magazine, and Medium, where she brings together data, research, and lived experience to make complex issues accessible and engaging. She is also the author of Purrsuit of Equality Through Women Herstory: The Coloring Book and Cats Are Trash Human Beings, using creativity and humor to spark meaningful dialogue about history, culture, and the human experience. Currently she is the Executive Director of the Carriacou Museum. Learn more at https://www.carriacoumuseum.gd/ .

    Culture & Climate ft Majella Mark

  5. Jul 31

    USAID ft Clifford Brown

    Annmarie Hylton introduces Project Good and a July focus on USAID, outlining its creation in 1961, global development and humanitarian roles, and its reliance on grants and contracts, before noting it ceased operations in July 2025 and was merged into the State Department after 2025 funding freezes and mass program terminations. She interviews former USAID Mission Director and attorney Clifford Brown, author of Inside USAID: An Odyssey of Foreign Assistance, about his path from commercial law to overseas development work and how USAID evolved from in-house technical expertise to primarily funding implementers. Brown argues the shutdown was a politically driven “stop work” action led by Elon Musk’s DOGE team that disrupted even “life-saving” programs despite stated exemptions, generated major legal claims, harmed staff and partners, and likely contributed to preventable deaths, while also weakening global health, development knowledge systems, and international efforts tied to broader goals; both emphasize rebuilding trust, human connection, and public awareness. 00:00 Welcome to Project Good 02:13 Meet Clifford Brown 08:16 What USAID Really Did 17:19 Why USAID Was Shut Down 24:10 Human Cost and Fallout 31:24 Aid Freeze Fallout 40:58 Health Security Gaps 44:47 Foreign Aid Misconceptions 48:47 Borders And Trust 01:03:19 Final Thanks And Links Clifford Brown is the author of Inside USAID: An Odyssey of Foreign Assistance. Mr. Brown is also an attorney who graduated from UCLA law school in 1976 and practiced commercial securities and law for eleven years in Beverly Hills,CA. His interest in international affairs and languages, convinced him to join the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in 1987 when he was the Mission Director for Guinea and Sierra Leone.

    USAID ft Clifford Brown

  6. Jul 7

    The Practical Utopian

    In this episode of the Project Good Podcast, host Annmarie Hylton welcomes author and climate advocate Guy Dauncey, who describes himself as a “practical utopian” and “realistic dreamer,” to discuss how to face climate change, political division, economic anxiety, and social fragmentation without despair. Guy argues that renewable solutions are advancing rapidly, yet fossil fuels persist due to profit and propaganda, and he frames capitalism as a culture of selfishness masked by “scientific” economics. Drawing on human history, he contrasts domination with cooperation and emphasizes democracy, economic democracy, and community action as paths forward. He previews his book The Economics of Kindness, proposing social purpose charters for businesses, stronger worker rights, cooperative ownership in workplaces and housing, fairer taxation of extreme wealth, and “circles of hope” that rebuild trust through local relationships and collective organizing. 00:00 Welcome to Project Good 01:55 Meet Guy Dauncey 03:34 Practical Utopian Mindset 08:57 Kindness Meets Economics 15:57 Democracy and Economic Power 26:49 Is Selfishness Human Nature 34:05 Ending Capitalism Blueprint 38:36 Housing Crisis and Public Housing 43:00 Democracy And Central Banks 48:31 Community Wealth Trust 01:13:47 Closing Resources Guy Dauncey is an author, climate advocate, systems thinker, and self-described "practical utopian." For more than forty years, he has explored what it will take to create a future that is not only sustainable, but also more just, compassionate, and deeply human. Through his books, speaking, and advocacy, Guy has challenged the idea that hope is simply a feeling. Instead, he argues that hope is something we build through action, imagination, and a willingness to rethink the systems that shape our lives.  Check out his new book The Economics of Kindness out this July 2026.

    The Practical Utopian

  7. Jun 16

    Prison Reform

    Host Annmarie Hylton introduces the Project Good Podcast’s June focus on prison reform, outlining longstanding criticisms of California’s prison system and recent reform efforts. She interviews Keith Wattley, founder and executive director of Uncommon Law, about what drew him into criminal justice reform and why he built a legal model centered on partnership, people-first language, and clients’ agency to tell their stories to the parole board. Wattley argues that punishment is often chosen over healing, that trauma and disconnection commonly underlie harm across society, and that accountability means acknowledging harm and taking steps to repair it. He discusses racial and wealth disparities as policy choices, cautions against simplistic comparisons to Scandinavian models, and describes how proximity to incarcerated people shifts stereotypes. Wattley highlights that people released from long and life sentences have extremely low violent recidivism (under 1%) and calls for healing-focused policies and community-based alternatives to incarceration. 00:00 Welcome to Project Good 01:02 Meet Keith Wattley 03:20 Why Reform Work 07:55 Beyond Labels and Systems 10:54 Trauma and Healing 14:10 Redemption and Accountability 24:27 Race Policy and Targeting 29:48 Models Beyond America 34:21 Training New Advocates 43:29 Recidivism Myths and Money 50:31 Healing Community Action 01:00:52 Closing and Resources Keith Wattley (he/him), Founder and Executive Director, received his B.A. in Psychology from Indiana University and his J.D. from Santa Clara University School of Law. He has been advocating for the rights of people in prison and on parole for more than 25 years. Prior to launching UnCommon Law in 2006, Keith was a staff attorney at the Prison Law Office, a nonprofit law firm in Berkeley. At UnCommon Law, he has focused on helping people transform their lives and demonstrate to the parole board that they can safely be released from their life sentences. He has also engaged in impact litigation and individual cases involving unlawful prison and parole conditions, and he has trained hundreds of lawyers, law students and others in advocating for the rights of incarcerated people. In 2018, Keith was selected as one of the Obama Foundation’s inaugural Fellows, recognizing his unique legal model and vision, and in 2020, he was awarded the James Irvine Foundation's Leadership Award. Keith has been active on several boards of directors, and served as co-chair of the Institutional Review Board (human subjects committee) for the National Council on Crime and Delinquency. He was also a member of the Founding Board of Directors for the Prison University Project (San Quentin’s College Program) and a member of the Board of Directors for Legal Services for Prisoners with Children. Keith currently teaches a course titled "California Prisons and Discretionary Parole" at UC Berkeley School of Law where he also supervises the Post-Conviction Advocacy Project.

    Prison Reform

  8. May 29

    Leadership with a Spiritual Impact

    Host Annmarie Hylton introduces the Project Good Podcast’s May theme, “leadership with a spiritual impact,” describing a global crisis of meaning, ethical leadership, information overload, and a shift from transactional to transformational leadership. She interviews Reverend Kevin Taylor—pastor, leadership advisor, and author of A Charge to Keep—about his upbringing in Ann Arbor, an exchange trip to Japan, attending Tuskegee University, and how urban ministry led him into education administration and governance. Taylor argues America’s spiritual roots matter most in how values show up in leadership, voting, and policy, and says fear and polarization keep people from naming beliefs while disagreeing respectfully. He calls for seeking common ground, improving inclusion, and rethinking outdated institutions like the size of Congress and the Supreme Court. He frames faith as a guide for humane workplace decisions, urges AI governance and accountability, and explains his book’s practical lessons on lonely leadership, mentorship, pacing, and integrity. Taylor closes by encouraging civic responsibility, learning from U.S. history, “changing your square,” and confronting climate-driven migration and resource challenges with shared humanity and hope. 00:00 Welcome to Project Good 01:55 Meet Reverend Kevin Taylor 04:27 Kevin’s Journey and Calling 08:53 Faith, Politics, and US Values 14:47 Fear, Identity, and Speaking Up 28:12 Finding the Happy Middle 34:34 What Leaders We Need Now 41:05 Faith at Work and Hope 44:29 AI, Governance, and the Future 51:09 Why He Wrote the Book 59:06 Leading Yourself Forward 01:06:03 Closing and Where to Learn More Rev. Kevin T. Taylor  is a pastor, leadership advisor, and the author of A Charge to Keep, a book exploring the real weight of authority and the decisions leaders must carry alone. Drawing from years of experience in ministry, executive leadership, and organizational governance, Kevin helps leaders think more clearly about responsibility, courage, and the cost of leadership. His work focuses on helping leaders move the decisions they’ve been carrying into action with clarity and integrity. Kevin is passionate about conversations that help leaders steward influence faithfully and lead with greater wisdom. You can find out more about Rev. Taylor at https://revkttaylor.com/

    Leadership with a Spiritual Impact
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Project Good is a social impact podcast interviewing experts and advocates about the pressing problems that we face globally and hearing how they suggest we move forward in the future.

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  • Creator
    projectgoodpodcast
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    88
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2023 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Project Good Podcast