SideBar: Optimism In Action - Conversations with Community Leaders Inspiring Positive Change

SideBar: Optimism In Action - Conversations with Community Leaders Inspiring Positive Change

Season three of SideBar: Optimism in Action features nonprofit leaders, advocates, and community members who represent extraordinary work that is improving the humanitarian, public policy, and charitable needs of our local, national, and global communities. We are very excited to join the digital programming of KAZU 90.3. KAZU is the NPR affiliate for the Monterey, Salinas, and Santa Cruz region. We release new episodes on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of every month.

Episodes

May 31, 2026 32 mins

The Can't Win Victory Fund helps "cant-idates" run for office in gerrymandered, unwinnable districts. Why? Because the organization believes that we deserve competitive elections that hold our leaders accountable. The organization recruits, trains, and supports candidates who show up, tell the truth, and build trust in communities that feel like their voice no longer counts. In the last election cycle, they supported over 60 "cant-...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Teddy Bears with Heart has gifted over 350,000 stuffed animals to help first responders assist children in crisis. In addition, the organization provides nine hospitals and more than 150 agencies with stuffed animals to comfort those in need. They also sponsor the "Share a Bear Because You Care" program through which supporters can purchase small teddy bears from Teddy Bears With Heart and personally share them with people they enc...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Richard Walden is the founder, President, and CEO of Operation USA, a Los Angeles-based international disaster relief and development agency helping communities at home and abroad overcome the effects of disasters, disease, violence, and endemic poverty. Since 1979, Operation USA has worked in 101 countries—delivering over $450 million in aid for relief and development projects around the world.

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Katherine Grainger, co-author of the NY gay marriage law, champion of groundbreaking work to enshrine gender protections in state constitutions across the country, and Managing Partner of Civitas Public Affairs Group, joins guest cohost Vanessa Priya Daniel and Mitch Winick. She ignites our imaginations about what true gender equality could look and feel like in our daily lives, and how we achieve it. With 25 years of policy, leg...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Sarabeth Berman, CEO of the nonprofit American Journalism Project, reminds us that local journalism keeps communities informed and holds the powerful accountable. Equally important, it is the key to an informed citizenry and provides the tools to safeguard a healthy democracy.

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Linda Krop, Chief Counsel of the nonprofit Environmental Defense Center has dedicated her career as an environmental advocate to fighting offshore oil and gas development, protecting natural resources, and preserving open space lands. In her role as chief counsel, she leads the organization's efforts to defend nature and advance environmental justice through community advocacy and legal action. EDC has represented more than 1...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Vanessa Priya Daniel’s first book, Unrig the Game: What Women of Color Can Teach Everyone About Winning, centers the work of women of color in social justice movements.. She shares the three superpowers of successful WOC leaders that we can all adopt: a 360 vision, boldness, and generosity.

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Drew Moser, CEO of The Lucky Duck Foundation, discusses how applying sound business principles with a bias for action, a focus on strategic collaborations, and the support of private philanthropy, can reduce homelessness and successfully address other community needs.

 

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Kate Compton Barr is a trailblazing advocate for democracy who made waves as the 'Can't Win' candidate for the North Carolina State Senate in 2024. Her candidacy was never about winning. Instead, it was a platform to focus the community's conversation on the un-democratic effect of partisan gerrymandering. Kate's current campaign is equally unique. She is campaigning openly as a progressive running in the Republican primary for Nor...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

As Director of Monterey County Homeless Services Program, Roxanne Wilson is a seasoned community leader with over a decade of dedicated service to housing justice and homelessness reduction. She leads the county's efforts to integrate policy, planning, and partnerships across governmental and nonprofit sectors by overseeing strategic initiatives and homeless response systems.

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
SideBar: Optimism in Action podcast, a collaboration of KAZU 90.3 and Monterey College of Law, welcomes Bill Burke, founder of The Optimism Institute and host of Blue Sky podcast. Burke transitioned to promoting optimism in 2022 after an extensive media and sports career as an executive, writer, and producer. Bill is a lifelong optimist and launched The Optimism Institute with a mission to inspire people with an optimistic, hopeful...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Kathleen deLaski is at the forefront of designing higher education for the 21st century. She founded Education Design Lab to  help colleges begin the journey to reimagine higher education toward the future of work and she manages the deLaski Family Foundation, a 25-year grant maker in education reform. In her book, Who Needs College Anymore: Imagining a Future Where Degrees Won’t Matter, Kathleen describes a multiple educational pa...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Back in 2000, Bradley Zeve and the Monterey County Weekly decided to leverage its media resources to create a new program to support the local nonprofit community with both editorial coverage and philanthropy. This initial philanthropic endeavor has developed into the community-wide Monterey County Gives! campaign that has raised and donated more than $82 million to approximately 500 local nonprofits in Monterey County. This year's...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

The Monterey Bay Aquarium coordinates initiatives in California to establish the nation’s first statewide network of marine protected areas, prohibit the trade of shark fin products, ban plastic grocery bags and defend against expanded offshore oil and gas drilling. Aimee's team advocates for the sustainable management of fisheries and aquaculture around the world, to reduce plastic pollution in the ocean, and to take action on cli...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Community Hospice & Health Services provides end-of-life care with compassion and dignity, and is still evolving to add to the continuum of care that people need by investing in programs that support community members in critical and meaningful ways. Monica Ojcius, Director of Strategic Development, discusses serving more than 2,500 patients and families each year providing hospice and palliative care for adults and pediatrics,...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Former California Senate Majority Leader Bill Monning reminds us that regardless of your political affiliation, voting provides the opportunity to make sure that your opinions and beliefs are represented at the local, state, and federal levels when decisions about public policy are being made. It is tempting to think that mid-term elections in which there are no major national candidates on the ballot are less important. However, e...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Dr. Chad Harris reminds us that defending health care equity is a fundamental community value that is important to all of us. Dr. Harris serves as CEO of Natividad Medical Center, the safety-net hospital for Monterey County. He also serves on the executive committee of the California Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems that advocates for comprehensive, high quality, equitable health care services for all Californians...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
The Community Foundation for Monterey County works with individuals, families, and businesses to make a positive and lasting impact on our community. The Foundation's mission is to create healthy, safe, vibrant communities throughout Monterey County and beyond. It serves as a design studio for philanthropy, creating a bridge for generous people from all backgrounds and financial levels to join together to address critical community...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
At Rancho Cielo, students learn in a safe, supportive environment that affirms them as individuals and builds self-esteem and belonging. CEO Chris Devers discusses the mission of Rancho Cielo to enrich the lives of young people and empower them to become accountable, competent, productive, and responsible citizens who will earn a sustainable living wage, become financially independent, and help end the cycle of poverty.    
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Food Share of Ventura County is a leading example of how a community can successfully join together to address food insecurity and hunger. President/CEO Monica White joins SideBar to explain how Food Share of Ventura County distributes nearly 20 million pounds of food, providing over 16 million meals annually through its hunger programs and 175 pantry and program partners to more than 250,000 hungry friends and neighbors with compa...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    Hey Jonas! The official Jonas Brothers podcast. Hosted by Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas. It’s the Jonas Brothers you know... musicians, actors, and well, yes, brothers. Now, they’re sharing another side of themselves in the playful, intimate, and irreverent way only they can. Spend time with the Jonas Brothers here and stay a little bit longer for deep conversations like never before.

    Stuff You Should Know

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

    Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.

    Dateline NBC

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

    Humor Me with Robert Smigel and Friends

    A weekly podcast where host, Robert Smigel, and a rotating panel, his friends, assist callers seeking help in making something in their real life funnier. Anything. A best man speech, a eulogy, a breakup letter, a cover letter, an apology, a Tinder profile - Robert, with a panel of professional comedy writers and comedians, will punch it up and get results. Want help with your writing assignment? Submit it to: speakpipe.com/humorme

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2026 iHeartMedia, Inc.

  • Help
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • AdChoicesAd Choices