The Extra Mile - The Official Charity Miles Podcast gene@charitymiles.org (Gene Gurkoff)

Sami Inkinen is the Co-Founder and CEO of Virta Health, which is reversing type two diabetes through nutrition, lifestyle change, and a new standard of medical care.
Prior to Virta, Sami was the Co-Founder and COO of Trulia, which many of you probably used to find a house or apartment. Sami took Trulia public and then sold it to Zillow.
Sami is also an Ironman Age Group Champion and all-around world-class endurance athlete.
To raise awareness about the dangers of sugar and its connection to diabetes, Sami and his wife rowed from California to Hawaii—2,750 miles, completely unsupported. 
I've been personally lucky to know Sami for over ten years now.  I was introduced to Sami through the Global Good Fund, a fellowship program for social entrepreneurs. 
Sami became my mentor through GGF, and has always been generous with his time and insight whenever I need it through the years.
I've wanted to record this interview for a long time. Big thanks to Sami for sharing so much with us.
#EveryMileMatters!

Today's interview is with Jenny Lawson, the president and CEO of Keep America Beautiful, a leading national nonprofit that inspires and educates people to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment.
Established in 1953, Keep America Beautiful provides the expertise, programs, and resources to help people end littering, improve recycling, beautify America's public spaces, and restore and support resilient communities.  
Before joining Keep America Beautiful, Jenny was the Chief Civic Innovation Officer at Points of Light where she led forward thinking initiatives, partnerships, and campaigns to advance the mission of Points of Light around the world.
She designed, led, and championed programs and research to aid companies in achieving their social change goals through the actions of their employees, including the Corporate Service, Council of Leading Brands, the Civic 50, Ranking of Community Minded Companies, and a newly developed digital community, the Community for Employee Civic Engagement. 
So needless to say, I think Jenny has a lot of expertise on how nonprofits can work with companies and communities to advance social change, which is a topic that I know all of us are interested in, particularly those of us who are part of the Charity Miles Employee Empowerment Program. 
One of those companies is AT&T which is supporting Keep America Beautiful now through our Employee Empowerment Program, and connected us with Jenny for this interview.  
I met Jenny in a park up in Connecticut, and we recorded this as a live walking webinar with our members and AT&T's employees.  It was a bit rainy, but that didn't seem to faze Jenny one bit.
Huge thanks to Jenny for all of her insight, and to AT&T for their partnership in bringing this to life.
#EveryMileMatters!

On March 8th, I ran the Jerusalem Marathon.
As you surely know, Israel is in the middle of a war that started on October 7th.  I, like everyone, have a mix of different feelings about this.
But I didn't go to Jerusalem to make a statement about my own feelings. I went to listen and try and share what others in Israel are feeling right now.
I think a marathon is a great way to experience the true essence of a place. The New York City Marathon feels like New York City.  The Moab Canyonlands marathon feels like the Moab Canyonlands... And the Jerusalem Marathon feels like Israel.  
If you listen to this, I hope you feel it too.
#EveryMileMatters
 
 

Maria Baltazzi is an Emmy Award winning television producer, traveler, marathon walker who raises money for cancer charities, author and longtime Charity Miler with over 8500 Charity Miles!  
Maria recently wrote a book called "Take a Shot at Happiness" which invites and coaches us to explore happiness in our own lives.
While Maria discovered that her own "happiness essentials" include faith, self-love and physical health, she encourages people to explore and understand their own personal meanings of happiness.
She also draws from her experience as a producer on shows like Survivor to help us all think like storytellers to script, perform in and capture our own reality shows of happiness.
Thank you to Maria for sharing so much with us.
Thanks also to our sponsors at Factor 75.
Eating better is easy with Factor’s delicious, ready-to-eat meals. Every fresh, never-frozen meal is chef-crafted, dietitian-approved, and ready to go in just 2-minutes. 
You’ll have over 35 different options to choose from every week, including Calorie Smart, Protein Plus, and Keto. Also, there are more than 60 add-ons to help you stay fueled up and feeling good all day long. 
I've been enjoying Factor for two months now, as I get back in shape. I've lost 15 pounds since starting Factor, and I've taken nearly 90 seconds off my mile pace for my long runs.
My favorite things about Factor are: 
The variety of meals, all of which have been delicious. The convenience.  They're really ready in less than two minutes which makes the healthy choice the easy choice when it comes to mealtime during a busy/hectic schedule. You all know that we work hard to develop partnerships with brands that we believe in, brands that share our values, and brands that can help us all live healthier and make an impact.
That's why we're truly grateful for our partnership with Factor and I hope you'll check them out.
Head to Factor75.com and use code MILES to get 50% off your first box while subscription is active. 
 
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Here are some noteworthy timestamps for the interview....
02:59 Maria's Journey with Charity Miles
04:08 Maria's Role on Survivor and Connection to Ethan Zohn
06:19 Maria's Transition from Producer to Author
06:46 Understanding Happiness through Survivor
08:27 Maria's Personal Journey to Happiness
09:19 The Role of Storytelling in Happiness
10:06 The Power of Photography in Capturing Happiness
17:06 The Impact of Storytelling on Personal Behavior
25:40 The Foundational Three Elements of Happiness
29:07 Exploring the Concept of Happiness
30:00 Making a Choice for Happiness
31:04 The Role of Education in Happiness
31:47 Personalizing Your Happiness Essentials
33:09 The Importance of Exploration in Happiness
35:13 The Role of Faith in Happiness
37:21 The Problem with Prescriptive Self-Help Books
38:18 Understanding Happiness as a Choice
45:53 Practical Steps to Cultivate Happiness
51:48 The Connection Between Happiness and Resilience

In this episode, we're thrilled to walk with Susan Greeley, SVP and National Director of Wellness Services for Castle Connolly Private Health Partners, one of the newest partners in our Employee Empowerment Program.
 
Susan is also a registered dietician, cookbook author and the host of her own podcast, A SENSe of Wellness.  So we recorded this as a doubler that Susan will be releasing on her podcast too :)
 
Susan lives near me in New Jersey, so we were able to meet up for a walk in a park near my home.  It was a beautiful, chilly day before Christmas.  And since we were in the holiday and new year spirit, our conversation weaves through several themes that can help us all stick with our 2024 resolutions.
 
Hint: make them easy and fun. And don't go it alone.
 
Here's a quick rundown with timestamps:
 
00:05 Introduction and Welcoming
02:23 Susan's Background and Role in Wellness
04:02 Susan's Cookbook and Approach to Wellness
05:13 The Importance of Support and Community in Wellness
05:48 Gene's Background and the Founding of Charity Miles
07:13 The Impact of Charity Miles and the Importance of Community
10:10 The Importance of Change
15:26 The Role of External Support in Behavior Change
16:58 The Importance of Community and Positive Surroundings
28:11 The Impact of Charity Miles Beyond Fundraising
33:32 The Power of Intrinsic Rewards
36:11 The Role of Feeling Good in Behavior Change
37:21 The Problem with Wellness Challenges
39:52 The Importance of Consistency
40:13 The Power of Tiny Habits
53:36 The Role of Fun and Laughter
55:18 The Importance of Sleep, Hydration, and Outdoor Activities
56:37 The Power of Community
 
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We're also thrilled to introduce our newest sponsor, Factor, America's #1 Ready-to-Eat Meal Delivery Service.
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Imagine having delicious, chef-prepared meals that align perfectly with your diet - be it Keto, Vegan, Protein Plus, or Calorie Smart - delivered right to your doorstep and ready to eat in under two minutes.
With over 34 meal options and 45 add-ons each week, including snacks, smoothies and more, Factor makes it easy and tasty to keep your health journey on track.
No more boring salads. Just mouth-watering dishes like roasted garlic filet mignon and shrimp, or blackened salmon with smoked gouda cauliflower grits and broccoli.
Charity Miles members get 50% off your first order of Factor plus Free Wellness Shots for Life! Just go to charitymiles.org/factor to claim this exclusive offer.
No commitment is necessary—skip or cancel at any time.
But, of course, I don't think you're going to want to skip or cancel once you try it.
Huge thanks to Factor for their support, and for helping us all make it easy and delicious to reach our 2024 goals.

Edith Wharton once said, "There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it."
Today's guest, Aaron Sherinian, is both—a candle igniting change and a mirror reflecting the light of others.
Eleven years ago, Aaron was the Chief Communications and Marketing Officer for the United Nations Foundation, where, amongst many other things, he was instrumental in founding Giving Tuesday, a movement dedicated to turning the Tuesday after Thanksgiving into a day of giving.
During these crucial early days for Charity Miles, Aaron observed the power of our community sharing the #GivingTuesday hashtag on social media, sparking his interest in our mission.
This led to a breakfast meeting that was a turning point for Charity Miles and me personally.
Aaron not only connected us with crucial sponsors like Johnson & Johnson but also provided platforms for us to share our story at events like the Social Good Summit, the Moms+Social Summit, and SXSW. These opportunities were instrumental in introducing us to key members of our community.
I've wanted to do this interview for a long time, and it brings me particular joy to share it on Giving Tuesday.
In this conversation, Aaron shares insights from his career and personal experiences, including:
The potluck dinner of life and how each of us can bring our best dish. Effective ways to invite people to embrace positive change. Think big but start small. The evolving role of social media and its impact on social causes. Why rallies are important. The importance of cultivating a purpose posse. Overcoming taboos to find solutions. The power of showing up. The transformative power of taking a chance on someone. It's no exaggeration to say that Charity Miles would not exist today without Aaron taking a chance on us.
In honor of Aaron, I invite you to take a chance on someone else you see spreading light into the world.
#EveryMileMatters