Sit Down with Liz Stookey Sunde and Alastair Moock

Pull up a chair for the handbook on guiding top-notch organizations that will change the world!

The daughter of Noel "Paul" Stookey (of Peter, Paul & Mary), Liz Stookey Sunde is the CEO of the national nonprofit Music to Life, which she co-founded with her father. Music to Life empowers artists across genres and geographies to become sustainable social entrepreneurs. Through leadership and entrepreneurial training, Liz helps musicians strategically connect with communities facing persistent economic, environmental, or racial injustice.

Alastair Moock co-founded The Opening Doors Project – an organization that amplifies voices of color and advances interracial conversations about race through the arts. Through live concerts, storytelling, and education programs, they bring communities together to explore race, identity, and history in a way that only music can. From classrooms to concert halls, their artists create spaces where tough conversations turn into meaningful connections.

Alastair recounts the concert that changed his life as a young person and identifies the legendary folk musician who ultimately became his North Star. Liz describes a particularly memorable and humorous Peter, Paul and Mary concert from her own youth.

Alastair informs us how bias and racism are perpetuated unknowingly without malice and why he respectfully declined his second Grammy nomination. His insights about examining bias and teaching it to youth of all ages is by far one of 2025’s greatest lessons.

Following Alastair’s comments – and even before describing Music to Life’s incredible work – Liz reminds us that her organization carries out its mission to support world-changing artists like Alastair. Music to Life has a network of 400 artists in 42 states and 300 communities who cover 39 music genres. They come to Music to Life with a burning interest to facilitate change. The organization supports artists to recognize and own their worth in today's social change marketplace.

Both Alastair and Liz consider The Opening Doors Project and Music to Life as their life’s work. You will be blown away by their shared wisdom, dedication, passion and heart!

You can visit Music to Life at musictolife.org and sign up for their mailing list. Visit The Opening Doors Project at openingdoorsproject.org and please consider making a small donation to their groundbreaking efforts.

Hear more rare conversations at Compassionate Measures dot org and invite another music friend to pull up a chair. Join our community on Facebook or Instagram. Thanks always to YOU for listening, to Liz Sunde and Alastair Moock for their transformational work and to Chris Downey for putting it all together.