The William Hocking Podcast

William Hocking
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The William Hocking Podcast is a casual, conversational, impact-driven podcast where William Hocking explores what it means to live, lead, serve, and make a real impact, one genuine conversation at a time. Through candid stories, personal reflections, and conversations with unconventional guests, William shines a light on life, compassion, curiosity, and the drive to do good in the world. Want to learn and discover what it could mean to live a life worth living? Tune in!

Episodes

  1. Six-Year-Olds Picking Trash for Three Dollars a Day: Inside Tiljala SHED's Fight to Pull Kolkata's Rag Picker Families Out of the Cycle with Connor Hocking and Shafkat Alam

    21H AGO

    Six-Year-Olds Picking Trash for Three Dollars a Day: Inside Tiljala SHED's Fight to Pull Kolkata's Rag Picker Families Out of the Cycle with Connor Hocking and Shafkat Alam

    Children as young as six pick through mountains of trash in Kolkata for three dollars a day. Tiljala SHED has spent thirty nine years pulling rag picker families out of that cycle, one child and one classroom at a time. In this episode of The William Hocking Podcast, William Hocking sits down with Shafkat Alam, Joint Secretary of Tiljala SHED, and his own son Connor Hocking, who took ten days of personal leave to fly to Kolkata in February and see the work firsthand. Shafkat's father founded Tiljala SHED in 1987. He was the first law graduate from the Tiljala slums and became a primary school teacher after watching children pick trash beside their parents. His first grant came from the Trickle Up Foundation in New York, with one condition for the families: send your child to school. Connor talks about the family he interviewed where the 14 year old looked 10 from malnourishment and the mother, who thought she was 31, looked closer to 40. Shafkat explains why the rag picker community is socially ostracized even by other slum residents, why the average marriage age for girls in these communities has moved from 12 to 19, and what 35,000 families served and 22,000 children in school looks like on the ground. Tune in to hear why Shafkat's father said he started this work for selfish reasons, and why Connor came home from Kolkata changed. Chapters:🌍 00:01 Meet an organization helping the poorest of the poor in Kolkata 🎙️ 00:29 For a podcast just like this one, check out www.podcastsmatter.com 👨‍💼 02:55 Why Connor took 10 days of personal leave to fly to India 🤝 10:41 No red tape: How one WhatsApp call set up the whole trip 📚 19:22 If you have a book inside of you, talk to Dr. Kent at www.talktokent.com 🏙️ 20:12 Meet Shafkat Alam and Tiljala SHED in Kolkata 🗑️ 22:48 What rag picking actually means: Children scavenging trash for three dollars a day 🔁 26:36 The vicious cycle: Loans, cheated weights, and getting locked in by the stockists 👨‍🏫 27:54 Shafkat's father: First law graduate from the slums, primary school teacher by choice 💵 29:23 The first grant from Trickle Up Foundation in New York: One hundred dollars and one condition 🎤 34:57 Make a bigger impact with your voice: Check out www.speakersthatmatter.com 👦 36:39 The 14-year-old who looked 10 and the mother who looked 40 🥋 43:00 Holistic education: Taekwondo, guitar, scouts, and water parks for slum kids 📊 50:03 By the numbers: 35,000 families reached and 22,000 children in school 💍 50:51 The average age of marriage moved from 12 to 19 in one generation 🎧 56:12 Find more podcasts that matter at www.podcaststhatmatter.org Links: Tiljala SHED: tished.org Reach out to Shafkat Alam and Tiljala SHED to support thirty nine years of work pulling Kolkata's rag picker families out of poverty through education. You can donate, volunteer, or become an ambassador for the organization. Connor Hocking is also available to speak about his time on the ground in Kolkata. Connect with Bill: www.linkedin.com/in/bill-hocking-35165b Publish a Book That Matters: http://booksthatmatter.org Start a Podcast That Matters: http://podcastsmatter.com Join Speakers That Matter: www.speakersthatmatter.comOr Discover Your Talents with Kent: www.talktokent.comGo from Expert to Thought Leader: http://geniusdiscovery.org Au revoir!

    58 min
  2. A Mile and a Half to School at Five: What Kids Lost When Parents Got Scared with Dave Stutzman

    MAY 6

    A Mile and a Half to School at Five: What Kids Lost When Parents Got Scared with Dave Stutzman

    Bill's mom let him walk a mile and a half to school by himself at five years old. His six-year-old sister joined him a year later. No one called the police. No one called it neglect. That was 1960s Chillum, Maryland, and that was just how kids got to school. In this episode of The William Hocking Podcast, William Hocking sits down with his closest friend of fifty-three years, Dave Stutzman, for a conversation about kids. The childhood they shared in 1960s Maryland looks nothing like childhood today, and they spend the hour trying to figure out what changed. Bill and Dave both came up in a world where parents said, "Be home for dinner," and meant it. They get into why parents today seem so much more afraid, even though Bill's local police told him the statistics on child safety have not actually changed much in fifty years. What has changed is the fear, not the danger. They talk about the phone as a parenting crutch and what it does to a kid who never has to figure out how to be bored. They get into the participation trophy generation and why letting a kid fall might be one of the most loving things a parent can do. And Dave, who never had kids of his own, makes the case that he still has every right to an opinion on how this generation is being raised. Tune in to hear what two old friends from Maryland think kids today are missing and why. Chapters:🎙️ 01:55 For a podcast just like this one reach out to www.podcastsmatter.com 👋 02:46 Why Dave is back: this time the conversation is about kids 🚸 05:03 How not to sound like every other complaining generation 🚶 09:02 A mile and a half to school in 1960s Chillum, and the village that watched 📚 13:57 Find support for writing your impact-driven book at www.booksthatmatter.org 😨 15:40 What the local police actually told Bill about child safety 📱 23:32 The phone as a parenting crutch 📖 25:33 Bicycle, frisbee, book, kit: what a kid could do before the tablet 🌟 30:25 If you are a leader or changemaker looking for support, check out www.geniusdiscovery.org 🛡️ 32:33 Helicopter parents and the kids who never get to fall 🏆 34:43 Equal opportunity is not the same as equal outcome 🎧 43:30 Find more podcasts that matter at www.podcaststhatmatter.org Links:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/dave-stutzman-3b272116 Connect with Dave Stutzman on LinkedIn to continue this conversation.  Connect with Bill: www.linkedin.com/in/bill-hocking-35165bPublish a Book That Matters: http://booksthatmatter.orgStart a Podcast That Matters: http://podcastsmatter.comGo from Expert to Thought Leader: http://geniusdiscovery.org  Au revoir!

    45 min
  3. Three Friends, a Recruiting Station, and Twenty Two Years in Uniform: What Vinny Rojo Learned About the Guy Next to You

    APR 22

    Three Friends, a Recruiting Station, and Twenty Two Years in Uniform: What Vinny Rojo Learned About the Guy Next to You

    William Hocking sits down with his  wife’s (Maria) uncle Vinny Rojo, an Air Force veteran of twenty two years, for a conversation about discipline, respect, and why the guy standing next to you might be the most important person in your life.  Vinny did not plan to enlist. He and two buddies were walking past a recruiting station at Borough Hall in Brooklyn when one of them said, let's go in and see what happens. The Air Force turned Vinny down that day. He rode along with his friend to Whitehall Street anyway, raised his right hand, and became the first of the three to serve.  He stayed in for twenty two years and came home a disabled veteran. In this episode he tells Bill what the Air Force actually taught him, not the version you read in a training manual but the real one. Why discipline is not about yelling. Why respect is something you show everyone, not just yourself. Why the guy standing next to you might be the whole point of the whole thing.  Bill grew up in the Vietnam era but never wore the uniform, and he says so. This conversation is his attempt to understand what he missed. Pull up a chair.  Tune in to hear what a lifetime of living and twenty two years in the Air Force taught Vinny Rojo about showing up for the person beside you. Chapters:🎙️ 00:17 For more podcasts like this, check out www.podcastsmatter.com. 👋 01:56 Meet Vinny Rojo 🇪🇸 02:55 Named after a general in Spain  ✈️ 03:15 Twenty two years of service and a lot of good people  🤝 06:01 The guy next to you is the one whose life you trust  💪 09:02 You feel invincible until the service teaches you otherwise  📖 10:20 Find support for writing your impact-driven book at www.booksthatmatter.org  🙏 10:23 Respect is something you show everyone, not just yourself  🎖️ 11:05 No regrets and a family that served  🏙️ 13:11 Three friends, a recruiting station, and a walk to Whitehall Street  ✌️ 15:06 Don't look down unless you drop something Connect with Bill: www.linkedin.com/in/bill-hocking-35165bPublish a Book That Matters: http://booksthatmatter.orgStart a Podcast That Matters: http://podcastsmatter.comGo from Expert to Thought Leader: http://geniusdiscovery.org  Au revoir!

    18 min
  4. Two Books, a Frisbee, and Fifty Two Years: What Friendship Really Takes with Dave Stutzman

    APR 8

    Two Books, a Frisbee, and Fifty Two Years: What Friendship Really Takes with Dave Stutzman

    William Hocking and his closest friend of fifty two years, Dave Stutzman, kick off The William Hocking Podcast with a conversation about friendship and what it actually takes to keep one alive for half a century. In this debut episode of The William Hocking Podcast, William welcomes Dave for a candid, unscripted conversation about why he thinks friendship is the whole point. They met in August 1973 at the University of Maryland. The story involves a tie dyed shirt, a Fu Manchu mustache, and a Frisbee that nearly took Bill's head off. They have been talking almost every day since. Fifty two years of friendship does not happen by accident. Bill and Dave get into what keeps it going and what almost broke it. They talk about why they never let a disagreement end something that took decades to build. Tune in to hear what two guys from Maryland learned about loyalty and showing up over fifty two years of friendship. Chapters: 🎙️ 00:17 For a podcast just like this one reach out to www.podcastsmatter.com or find more at www.podcaststhatmatter.org 👋 00:47 Meet Dave Stutzman: fifty two years and counting 🎓 03:39 Silver Spring, Laurel, and a fateful Monday at the University of Maryland 👕 07:59 Tie dyed shirt, Fu Manchu mustache, two books, and a Frisbee that almost hit Bill in the head 📚 11:56 Find support for writing your impact-driven book at www.booksthatmatter.org  💪 14:50 Why friendships take real work and why most people stop doing it 🤝 16:28 Disagreements that went too far and why they came back anyway 🌟 18:07 If you are a leader or changemaker looking for support, check out www.geniusdiscovery.org 🏛️ 19:50 Politics and friendship: knowing when to table it 😂 23:50 The NAD day: No Abuse Day and why it does not always work 🙏 25:19 Fifty two years of showing up and what comes next 🎧 28:29 Find more podcasts that matter at www.podcaststhatmatter.org  Links:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/dave-stutzman-3b272116 Connect with Dave Stutzman on LinkedIn. He may not have had a class that morning in 1973, but fifty two years later he is still showing up.   Connect with Bill: www.linkedin.com/in/bill-hocking-35165b Publish a Book That Matters: http://booksthatmatter.orgStart a Podcast That Matters: http://podcastsmatter.comGo from Expert to Thought Leader: http://geniusdiscovery.org  Au revoir!

    29 min
  • 4 Episodes

About

The William Hocking Podcast is a casual, conversational, impact-driven podcast where William Hocking explores what it means to live, lead, serve, and make a real impact, one genuine conversation at a time. Through candid stories, personal reflections, and conversations with unconventional guests, William shines a light on life, compassion, curiosity, and the drive to do good in the world. Want to learn and discover what it could mean to live a life worth living? Tune in!

Information

  • Creator
    William Hocking
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    4
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 William Hocking