The Gap Minders
The show taking the lead on catalytic conversations spurring listeners to think critically about some of our world’s most pressing issues and be compelled to take action. We have plenty of gaps in America and right here in San Diego—educational, racial, wealth, health, literacy, and more. Welcome to The Gap Minders, the podcast taking on these GAPS—one conversation at a time. To tackle these gaps and lift lives, United Way of San Diego County and the San Diego Council on Literacy have joined forces. The Gap Minders weekly episodes will inform, inspire, and illuminate the gaps and the solutions. Through insightful conversations with a range of notable and engaging guests, including education experts, political figures dedicated to improving our region, and influential changemakers passionate about equity for all children and families, we will make a difference. Thank you for your time, attention, heart, and mind.
Episodes
September 18, 2024 • 30 mins
The Gap Minders is proudly reposting this excellent episode features a riveting discussion between Nancy Sasaki, the CEO of United Way of San Diego County, and Jose Cruz, CEO of the San Diego Council on Literacy. Throughout this episode, Nancy and Jose reflect on their journey during the collaboration on closing gaps, celebrating their milestones and reminiscing on their favorite moments.
The discussion covers a wide range of subjec...
The discussion covers a wide range of subjec...
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September 10, 2024 • 41 mins
In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Ryan Norr, the Owner of San Diego Audio Visual, the recording studio for each and every episode of The Gap Minders. Ryan has been there listening to each and every guest, so this is a very reflective episode on what he has heard through 121 prior episodes!
What we hear right out of the gate from this husband, father of two young children, and native San Diegan ...
What we hear right out of the gate from this husband, father of two young children, and native San Diegan ...
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August 30, 2024 • 35 mins
In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Catharine Kaufman, an author, columnist, and educator. Listeners are treated to an oral charcuterie board of thoughts, discussion on healthy eating, books she's written and even bone health from "The Kitchen Shrink" (and recovering attorney!).
We hear right out of the gate through her voice that Catharine is uber-passionate about reading, writing, and helping ...
We hear right out of the gate through her voice that Catharine is uber-passionate about reading, writing, and helping ...
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August 20, 2024 • 34 mins
In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Sue Parks, the President and CEO of Orange County United Way. Parks has a long history with Orange County United Way, having served as a board member and a founding member of the Orange County United Way’s Women’s Philanthropy Fund. Prior to leading Orange County United Way, Parks was an executive at several Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies such as US West,...
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August 14, 2024 • 38 mins
In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Kazeem Omidiji, theDirector of Community Relations at San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E). Kazeem talks about how his journey from Nigeria to the US impacted his life. He remembers how the middle school library turned into a haven where he discovered a love for reading, grew knowledgeable about global flags, and adapted to his new surroundings. These formati...
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August 6, 2024 • 39 mins
In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Dr. Maria Murray, Founder, President, and CEO of the Reading League. They discuss the mission and impact of The Reading League, a nonprofit focused on advancing the awareness, understanding, and use of evidence-aligned reading instruction, commonly referred to as the science of reading.
Maria emphasizes the significance of this purpose and the need for educators ...
Maria emphasizes the significance of this purpose and the need for educators ...
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July 30, 2024 • 36 mins
In yet another excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by John Thill, an author, a learning and development specialist, and a literacy advocate.
When we say author, we mean storyteller. A story of love, family, California history and how families are made. "A California Love Story" starts in the 1920s with John's grandparents, future husband and wife Ray and Dora and their 205 letters back and forth from Wichit...
When we say author, we mean storyteller. A story of love, family, California history and how families are made. "A California Love Story" starts in the 1920s with John's grandparents, future husband and wife Ray and Dora and their 205 letters back and forth from Wichit...
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July 23, 2024 • 32 mins
In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Gregory Smith, the Chancellor of the San Diego Community College District .
What a journey. The feeling that Gregory Smith must have when he visits any of the four colleges within the District. The feeling of once having been a community college student to now running four community colleges which serve over 90,000 San Diegans each year. Had it not been for the...
What a journey. The feeling that Gregory Smith must have when he visits any of the four colleges within the District. The feeling of once having been a community college student to now running four community colleges which serve over 90,000 San Diegans each year. Had it not been for the...
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In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Allison Ohle, the Executive Director of the Diamond Educational Excellence Partnership (DEEP).
Listen to Ohle talk about the efforts her group is making to raise the literacy rates in San Diego Unified's elementary schools. The three primary goals of Deep, also known as the Diamond Educational Excellence Partnership, are to support families and community members i...
Listen to Ohle talk about the efforts her group is making to raise the literacy rates in San Diego Unified's elementary schools. The three primary goals of Deep, also known as the Diamond Educational Excellence Partnership, are to support families and community members i...
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In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by children's book author RaShonne Darling who published the book, The Curl Girls: Every Curl is Magic. RaShonne was inspired to teach her daughter Olivia to value her natural curls since she wanted straight hair. Four curly-haired superheroes in the story empower Olivia by revealing the magical powers hidden within her curls. RaShonne talks about how she wants the ...
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June 25, 2024 • 33 mins
In yet another great episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Dr. Ellen Neufeldt, the President of CSU San Marcos, one of the top universities in the country for social mobility. To be more specific, Dr. Neufeldt leads a university ranked in the top 1% nationally in supporting students as they move up in life, change their own story arc, become role models for their families, all while lifting communities.
Speaking of ...
Speaking of ...
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June 16, 2024 • 35 mins
In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Carrie Scott, a longtime champion of literacy and the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the San Diego County on Literacy. And it all happened for Carrie somewhat serendipitously - she saw a sign looking for volunteers to help folks learn how to read and she decided to use the payphone and call them! The rest is history.
The conversation centered around the...
The conversation centered around the...
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June 10, 2024 • 39 mins
In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Cheryl Morrow, a San Diego Community Activist, CEO of California Curls, and the Founder of the San Diego Monitor News Network. She talks about her varied pursuits and her opinions on social concerns. In fact, Cheryl's podcasts are all dedicated to dispelling falsehoods. She draws attention to the book "Imperial Leather," which examines the psychological and histo...
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June 3, 2024 • 36 mins
In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Zach Hebert, a friend with a unique educational and personal journey. Zach has a very high IQ even though he struggles greatly with reading and was diagnosed with ADHD later in life. He describes how these difficulties had an impact on his education and caused him to repeatedly drop out of high school and college. Zach overcame these obstacles to pursue a non-tra...
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May 19, 2024 • 38 mins
In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Adriana Brunner and Daniel Nagey from MyPoint Credit Union. The vice president of community and business development, Adriana, talks about how important financial literacy is as a life skill and shares her passion for it. She talks about her Colombian origins and how her volunteer work shaped her dedication to improving the San Diego neighborhood. This view is ec...
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May 13, 2024 • 37 mins
In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Alex Mazloom, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Mind Treasures
The journey Alex took from Iran to create a special financial literacy program with spiritual underpinnings is covered in this episode. Despite Iran's lack of school libraries, Alex and his spouse were motivated to spread financial literacy. They combined financial education with spiritual Bahá'í te...
The journey Alex took from Iran to create a special financial literacy program with spiritual underpinnings is covered in this episode. Despite Iran's lack of school libraries, Alex and his spouse were motivated to spread financial literacy. They combined financial education with spiritual Bahá'í te...
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In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Chase Peckham, the Director of Community Outreach at the San Diego Financial Literacy Center.
Learn about Chase's experience and observations around financial literacy. He reflects on his early experiences of being read to by his parents and how he later discovered his talent for storytelling when reading to his own kids. He thinks back on the books that had a pr...
Learn about Chase's experience and observations around financial literacy. He reflects on his early experiences of being read to by his parents and how he later discovered his talent for storytelling when reading to his own kids. He thinks back on the books that had a pr...
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In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by William York, the CEO and president of San Diego Health Connect, and 211 San Diego/Community Information Exchange. Hear William talk about the different groups and how they help the community.
William emphasizes how crucial these groups are to meeting the needs of the community, particularly in regards to social services and health. In order to promote holistic w...
William emphasizes how crucial these groups are to meeting the needs of the community, particularly in regards to social services and health. In order to promote holistic w...
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April 22, 2024 • 37 mins
In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Ivy Stein, an Impact Manager at the United Way of San Diego County.
Learn about the importance of having a positive community effect, particularly in San Diego County where over one-third of households experience financial hardship. Ivy talks about the coalition that she oversees, emphasizing the significance of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) in the area.
The ...
Learn about the importance of having a positive community effect, particularly in San Diego County where over one-third of households experience financial hardship. Ivy talks about the coalition that she oversees, emphasizing the significance of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) in the area.
The ...
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April 15, 2024 • 35 mins
In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Afira Devries, the President and CEO of the Monarch School Project. The Monarch School is the only public school in the US that serves only homeless pupils, offering kindergarten through high school education and support.
Afira talks about her experience working at the school, showing how it grew from a little one-room facility to being a pillar of support for ki...
Afira talks about her experience working at the school, showing how it grew from a little one-room facility to being a pillar of support for ki...
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