Impact Unscripted

Rahwa Mehari
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Society & Culture

Impact Unscripted showcases the many ways impact is made for the greater good, whether through a profitable company or a mission-driven nonprofit. Host Rahwa Mehari, Ed.D., sits down with founders, executives, and nonprofit leaders to uncover what first inspired them and how their organization plays a real role in creating change. These are conversations that move past the mission statement and into the strategy, purpose, and personal story behind the work. Because impact doesn't come in just one form, Impact Unscripted is where you hear all of them, one honest conversation at a time.

Episodes

  1. Aug 24

    Creating Generational Change: Johari Mathews on Community Impact with the Tennessee Titans

    What happens when nearly two decades of nonprofit leadership meets the platform of an NFL franchise? Johari Mathews, VP & Executive Director of ONE Community and the Tennessee Titans Foundation, joins Impact Unscripted to unpack exactly that. Johari spent almost 20 years at the YMCA of Middle Tennessee, including leading the historic Northwest YMCA before bringing that community-first lens to the Titans. In this conversation, she breaks down ONE Community's three pillars (Opportunity, Neighborhoods, Education), the "First and Goal Fund" supporting small businesses, the Titans Construction Training Camp workforce program, and what it really means to build corporate partnerships with nonprofits instead of dictating to them. We also get into what Super Bowl LXIV in 2030 means for Nashville, how sports philanthropy uniquely unifies communities, and Johari's personal framework the "Five Ts" for anyone looking to get involved in their own community. 🔗 Learn more about ONE Community: tennesseetitans.com/community/one-community This is where impact takes many forms. 🎧 Subscribe for new episodes of Impact Unscripted, where corporate leaders, nonprofit executives, impact investors, and community builders share how real change gets made.

  2. Aug 3

    Nancy Youssef: What It Takes to Run Impact Like a Business

    Nancy Youssef spent years building a career in corporate international business development — Genesco, deals across the globe — before making a deliberate crossing into nonprofit leadership. She didn't arrive at Soles4Souls as a donor or a board passenger. She came as a strategist, eventually serving as board chair before stepping into her current role as Chief Business Development Officer & EVP, International, full time. In this conversation, Nancy and Rahwa dig into what it actually means to run a social enterprise, how Soles4Souls landed on a billion-dollar economic impact goal, and what the organization's recent acquisition of Erren Recondition in Europe unlocks for its circular economy strategy. Nancy also opens up about the phone call that changed the course of her career — from board chair to full-time operator running mission and revenue at the same time. A conversation about strategy, mission, and what it looks like when the two actually meet. Learn more about Soles4Souls: https://soles4souls.org/

  3. Jul 15

    Leading with Intention: Wade Munday on Strategic Corporate Philanthropy at Bridgestone

    What does it look like to build a corporate philanthropy function from the ground up — inside one of the largest tire manufacturers in the world? In this episode of Impact Unscripted, I sit down with Wade Munday, Director of Corporate Philanthropy & Social Impact at Bridgestone Americas — a role that didn't exist until he stepped into it. After 15 years leading nonprofit organizations serving vulnerable populations in Nashville and abroad, Wade made the crossing into corporate leadership, bringing a nonprofit executive's instincts into a Fortune 500 giving strategy. We talk about what it took to modernize a philanthropic fund with roots dating back to 1952, why the assumption that corporations have an endless bucket of money doesn't hold up in practice, and how his own experience applying for grants — and getting nothing back — shaped the way Bridgestone shows up for the nonprofits it funds today. We also get into his formation at Vanderbilt Divinity School, studying in the orbit of Reverend James Lawson, and how that ethical grounding still shows up in how he leads. This conversation is a reminder that impact takes many forms — and that some of the most strategic work happens when someone brings their whole story into a room that didn't know it needed them yet. In this episode: Building a corporate philanthropy department from scratchWhat corporate giving looks like at global scale — and its real constraintsLessons from the nonprofit sector that translate into corporate strategyBridgestone's commitment to the communities where employees "move, live, work, and play"The personal story that grounds Wade's work every day🎧 Learn more about Bridgestone's corporate philanthropy: bridgestoneamericas.com

  • 3 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Impact Unscripted showcases the many ways impact is made for the greater good, whether through a profitable company or a mission-driven nonprofit. Host Rahwa Mehari, Ed.D., sits down with founders, executives, and nonprofit leaders to uncover what first inspired them and how their organization plays a real role in creating change. These are conversations that move past the mission statement and into the strategy, purpose, and personal story behind the work. Because impact doesn't come in just one form, Impact Unscripted is where you hear all of them, one honest conversation at a time.

Information

  • Creator
    Rahwa Mehari
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    3
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Rahwa Mehari
  • Show Website
    Impact Unscripted