Action 2 Impact Podcast with Gwen Jones

Gwen Jones
  • 4.9 (10)
  • Documentary
  • Updated Weekly

Since 2019, host Gwen Jones — a proud Rotarian — has been sharing powerful stories of extraordinary people who turn bold ideas into meaningful impact. While many guests are Rotarians making a difference through service, the heart of the Action 2 Impact Podcast goes far beyond any one organization. Each episode spotlights inspiring individuals from around the world who took a single step to make life better for others — and ended up changing communities, and sometimes the world. Listeners will discover uplifting stories, practical inspiration, and proof that real change doesn’t require perfection or permission — just action. Because impact isn’t reserved for a select few. It starts with one person, one idea, and one step. Listen, subscribe, and get inspired to turn your own actions into impact.

  1. 4d ago

    Why Throw Away Food When It Can Feed People Twice

    Send us Fan Mail We talk dirt with Eric Gardner from Loaves and Fishes and Chuck Corrigan from Rotary, digging into how food waste can become soil instead of methane. We walk through the real numbers, the grant that funded an industrial composter, and the simple composting habits that make the “full circle” possible.  • Loaves and Fishes growth from a church closet pantry to a four-county operation  • How donated grocery food gets sorted and why some items cannot be distributed  • The scale of discarded food and why landfills turn it into methane  • How a small Rotary club uses a global grant locally with international partners  • What an industrial composting machine does in a 24-hour cycle  • The “trash to treasure” loop with parks and farms growing produce back for the pantry  • The icky factor, safety training, and why finished compost is clean and earthy  • Composting basics with greens vs browns and simple fixes for odor and moisture  • Easy ways to start at home without getting overwhelmed  Please tell friends about the show. We’re also on YouTube. We even have a blog, and the show hits the road. If you have a great event or a conference or a project that you’d like the show to show up at, email me, won’t you? Rotarianpod at gmail.com.  Support the show Join me as I talk to those "amazing people turning their Actions 2 Impact all over the world. #BE THE CHANGE

    42 min

  2. Jun 3

    Breaking Democracy’s Chains

    Send us Fan Mail We question what “democracy” really means when choices feel filtered and money shapes outcomes more than voters do. We unpack Metin Perkin’s argument that party politics captures democratic institutions and explore a bold blueprint for reform that starts with everyday citizens.  • democracy defined as power resting with the people  • three layers of gatekeeping through candidate filtering, policy drafting and party whips  • “ballot vs wallet” and how big money bends incentives  • media consolidation and narrative control reinforcing factional identity  • why founders’ anti-party warnings still matter  • a no-party democracy model with independent representatives and issue-based coalitions  • limits of multi-party coalitions and disproportionate minority influence  • linking democratic capture to proxy wars, extraction and humanitarian crises  • reasons for hope through grassroots organizing and voting independent  • a “democracy tax” on massive political donations to curb influence buying  Please tell a friend about the show, subscribe, and of course check us out on YouTube.  If you know somebody that's turning their actions into impact, I want to know about it. Send me an email at Rotarianpod at gmail.com.  Support the show Join me as I talk to those "amazing people turning their Actions 2 Impact all over the world. #BE THE CHANGE

    1h 8m

  3. May 27

    MAY ENCORE SHOW: Robyn Curtis and the Climate Change Action Group

    Send us Fan Mail MAY ENCORE SHOW: Join me and my new friend Robyn Curtis from the Rotary Climate Change Action Group. We are talking ECO, we are talking big problems, and even some big solutions. We are talking about one of our 7 areas of focus that maybe doesn't get all the love and attention that it should. Support the show Join me as I talk to those "amazing people turning their Actions 2 Impact all over the world. #BE THE CHANGE

    1h 3m

  4. May 20

    Rotary And Change a talk with Cindie Kish

    Send us Fan Mail We sit down with Cindy Kish to decode what Rotary Membership Coordinator and International Assembly learning facilitator really mean, and why those roles matter when clubs feel stuck. We wrestle with the hard part of change: keeping people feeling seen while still building a Rotary culture that new members actually want to join.  • Rotary acronyms explained and what the jobs involve  • How International Assembly training in Orlando works and why it feels transformative  • Why membership messaging often fails and how to make it relatable  • Using a “recipe” mindset to build member engagement that fits each club  • When statistics help and when they drain the room  • The Rotaract and Interact pipeline problem and what modern clubs can change  • Inclusive traditions, respectful feedback, and the fear behind pushback  • Building district structures that create consistency beyond one leader  Please tell others about the show  If you have somebody that you know of that's turning their actions into impact, CarionPod at gmail.com  Again, same email, RotarianPod at gmail.com Support the show Join me as I talk to those "amazing people turning their Actions 2 Impact all over the world. #BE THE CHANGE

    55 min

  5. May 13

    From Congolese Filmmaker To Refugee-Led Nonprofit Founder In Uganda

    Send us Fan Mail We talk with Wayne Wasagaga in Uganda about building Changia Africa, a refugee-led nonprofit rooted in education, skills, and human dignity. His story reframes refugee life as a place where purpose, leadership, and real community impact can still grow.  • Wayne’s life path from the DRC Congo to Uganda and the early challenges of displacement  • Rotaract leadership in the Nakivale refugee settlement and how service attracts members  • Changia Africa’s mission as a refugee-led organization and what “Changia” means  • Using filmmaking and storytelling to promote education and community action  • Adult English training and practical skills programs including reusable sanitary pads  • Building and expanding a school plus the reality of funding stops and starts  • Language realities across East and Central Africa and what education looks like on the ground  • The long-term dream for Changia to become a top refugee-led NGO in Africa  • How supporters can help with funding, talent, and professional collaboration  If you have a great rotor actor, interactor, or rotarian, or just somebody out there that's turning their actions into impact that I should know about, please email me at rotarianpod at gmail.com.  Support the show Join me as I talk to those "amazing people turning their Actions 2 Impact all over the world. #BE THE CHANGE

    56 min

  6. May 6

    ICRC Beyond The Red Vest

    Send us Fan Mail We sit down with Jacob Kirchner, senior strategic advisor for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Washington, DC, to unpack what neutral humanitarian work really looks like in modern wars. We connect the ICRC’s principles and legal mandate to overlooked crises like Sudan and to the human need for dignity, closure, and peace.  • Jacob’s path from Rotary World Peace Fellow to the ICRC  • What the ICRC does that most people never see, including forensics and support for dignified burials  • How the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is structured across national societies, the federation, and the ICRC  • Why neutrality, impartiality, and independence shape every decision  • How the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law guide the work  • Sudan’s conflict, mass displacement, and the real meaning of the cost of inaction  • Other urgent crises that rarely stay in the headlines  • How the ICRC works around sensitive perceptions while staying transparent  • Visiting prisoners of war and helping resolve missing-person cases over decades  • How helpers keep going, finding purpose and solidarity in difficult work  If you have somebody that you think would be an absolute amazing guest, please let me know. Rotarianpod at gmail.com. Of course, tell all your friends and neighbors to get the podcast wherever you get your podcast.  Support the show Join me as I talk to those "amazing people turning their Actions 2 Impact all over the world. #BE THE CHANGE

    53 min

  7. Apr 29

    ENCORE SHOW: I'm A Rotarian Podcast Season 10 EP. 26 Peace Fellow and Cellist Diego Carneiro

    Send us Fan Mail APRIL ENCORE SHOW: Can we find Peace though music? Can we find understanding? Can music be a bridge to understanding the world we live in...why not. This week meet Rotarian Peace Fellow Diego Carneiro,as we ask some of these questions and more. Support the show Join me as I talk to those "amazing people turning their Actions 2 Impact all over the world. #BE THE CHANGE

    46 min

  8. Apr 22

    Peace Building Through Football (Soccer)

    Send us Fan Mail Soccer becomes a practical pathway to peace when we pair skills training with family-focused lessons on respect, safety, and belonging. Ron and Marcos share how a “Soccer Plus” model that began in 1994 now scales through Rotary to serve kids from Cabo San Lucas to communities across Africa.  • defining Harmony Through Soccer as peace building through football  • tracing the origin story from Boy Scouts outreach in 1994  • using soccer as a universal entryway into families and communities  • combining a skills clinic with social emotional learning and parent engagement  • focusing on anti-bullying, gang prevention, good citizenship, and healthy families  • connecting the program to Rotary’s Four-Way Test and areas of focus  • designing a model that is inclusive, local, measurable, and easy to replicate  • planning partnerships, funding paths, and safe delivery with youth protection  You can head over to YouTube and you can go to the Action to Impact Podcast Videocast.  If you're interested in helping the keep the shows strong, do check out uh my buzz route.  And last, if you have somebody that would be great on the show from anywhere in the world who is turning their actions into impact, let me know. RotarianPod at gmail.com. Support the show Join me as I talk to those "amazing people turning their Actions 2 Impact all over the world. #BE THE CHANGE

    45 min
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4.9
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About

Since 2019, host Gwen Jones — a proud Rotarian — has been sharing powerful stories of extraordinary people who turn bold ideas into meaningful impact. While many guests are Rotarians making a difference through service, the heart of the Action 2 Impact Podcast goes far beyond any one organization. Each episode spotlights inspiring individuals from around the world who took a single step to make life better for others — and ended up changing communities, and sometimes the world. Listeners will discover uplifting stories, practical inspiration, and proof that real change doesn’t require perfection or permission — just action. Because impact isn’t reserved for a select few. It starts with one person, one idea, and one step. Listen, subscribe, and get inspired to turn your own actions into impact.

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