All About Change

Jane Velez-Mitchell is best-known for her work in broadcast television, but her career - and life - has been a master class in making a change and sticking to it. After confronting her alcoholism as an early career journalist, Jane began living more authentically than she ever had before. She came out as a lesbian, became a vegan, and founded a free streaming platform dedicated to education around the impact diet can have on health...

Academy-Award winning actor Troy Kotsur has been featured in blockbuster films, Broadway shows, and hit TV shows throughout his career. He’s also been a tireless advocate for the Deaf community, both in front of and behind the cameras. 

Troy sat down with host Jay Ruderman to discuss the importance of authenticity in portrayal of Deaf and disabled characters, and the vital importance of learning ASL at a young age. Special thanks ...

Both species of rhinoceros in Africa are endangered, in large part due to the value of rhino horn on the black market. In the western part of South Africa’s Greater Kruger National Park, a group is working to keep these animals safe in spite of the bounties on their horns. The Black Mambas are a woman-only group of rangers that patrol the wildlife reserve to protect against poaching. 

Tsakane Nxumalo, a ranger with the Black Ma...

Bobby Farrelly’s movies are well-known for their comedy - Dumb and Dumber, There’s Something About Mary, and, most recently, Champions. They’re also well-known for something else - featuring actors with disabilities in prominent roles. For Bobby, this isn’t activism. It’s making sure the world he creates on-screen looks like the one he lives off-screen.

Bobby joined host Jay Ruderman to talk about what casting has looked like o...

In his career, Michael Maren has been a relief worker, war correspondent, and film director. Michael’s book, The Road to Hell, took a hard look at NGOs operating in a development context, and how good intentions aren’t enough to affect positive change. 

On this episode of All About Change, Michael joins host Jay Ruderman to discuss his time working in development in countries in east Africa, and how it informed his stance on in...

With antisemitism on the rise, the need for Holocaust education has never been more important. That’s where Emmy award-winner Julianna Margulies comes in. In 2022, Julianna helped to found the Holocaust Educator School Partnership, an initiative to help train undergraduate and graduate students in how to teach about the Holocaust in the classroom. 

In this episode, Julianna Margulies sits down with host Jay Ruderman to discuss ...

Nas Daily has been an internet sensation since its inception. But the man behind it all is a bit less well known. Nuseir Yassin left a well-paying job at Venmo to travel the world, and do 1,000 videos in 1,000 days about the places and people he encountered. Since then, he’s built a company founded on community, positivity, and storytelling.

Nuseir sat down with host Jay Ruderman to talk about growing up in Israel, how he keeps hi...

In this episode from the All About Change vault, Jay Ruderman sits down with iconic actor and activist Fran Drescher. Fran tells Jay the story of getting The Nanny off the ground, and what it took to make sure that Fran Fein made it to air as a Jewish woman.

In the years since The Nanny, Fran has battled uterine cancer, and founded the Cancer Schmancer Movement to encourage women to advocate for themselves in the doctor’s of...

The correlation between boxing and rescuing stray dogs isn’t one that’s clear at first glance. But for Chrissy Beckles, founder of the Sato Project, the connection is one she makes each and every day. 

Since 2011, the Sato Project has rescued more than 8,000 dogs in Puerto Rico. With nearly half a million stray dogs roaming the island, there’s no one knockout solution. Chrissy sat down with host Jay Ruderman to talk about the long...

Chelsea Miller may be young, but she’s already had a lifetime full of activism. Perhaps more impressive than the work itself is the intentionality, care, and thoughtfulness she brings to it all.  

Listen to the latest episode of All About Change as Chelsea delves into her childhood in Brooklyn’s “Little Caribbean,” interning at the Obama White House, and founding Freedom March NYC in response to George Floyd’s murder.

See omnystudi...

Some people may see J.R. Martinez's burn scars and think that he is defined by that single day in his life. But J.R.'s journey towards vulnerability and resilience began long before his time in the military and the twists and turns it’s taken since nearly defy imagination.

Listen to the latest episode of All About Change as J.R. describes his trajectory to Jay. He’s gone from recovering in a military burn unit to becoming a mot...

In the early years of the Iraq War, thousands of Americans enlisted to fight for their country, fully aware of the dangers of that decision. Or so they thought. But one insidious threat had long-lasting impacts on the health of American troops: burn pits. Meant to provide an efficient way for soldiers to get rid of their waste, burn pits instead pumped tons of toxins into the air that found their way into the lungs of nearby servic...

It is said military veterans account for 1% of the American population, and certainly, women have been a part of that number, stepping up to the challenge of defending their country for generations. But when their service ends, they often find themselves without meaningful support, unable to attain the most basic levels of assistance offered to their male counterparts.

Jas Boothe was in a similar situation. A single mother living ...

Life isn’t fair. Perhaps that is why we love sports. In sports, the aspiration at least, is to even the playing field. But that endeavor in and of itself, poses many challenges. What does the inclusion of transgender athletes mean for sports? For ESPN’s Katie Barnes, a journalist who covers the intersection of gender and athletics, the answers here are never simple. 

Katie joins Jay to discuss the gender politics of sports at all ...

Always having a love for the sea, Emily Penn took a journey from Shanghai to Melbourne, Australia that would change her life, as she saw first-hand the extent of pollution in the world’s oceans.

Since then, she has organized the largest ever community-led waste cleanup operation, completed a trip around the world solely using biofuel, and created various avenues for people—from ordinary citizens to filmmakers—to discover and docum...

While certain areas of Haiti remain picturesque, it’s hard to find a place within the beleaguered island nation untouched by the trifecta of violence, pollution, and corruption. 

Serving as executive director of the Fondation pour la Protection de la Biodiversité Marine, or FoProBiM, Jean Wiener is considered by many to be Haiti’s foremost environmentalist, and the expert in all matters concerning the Haitian coast. 

But Activism...

Saengduean “Lek” Chailert was born and raised in Thailand, a place where Asian elephants are commonplace. After her secondary education, Lek started working in tourism, where she saw elephants endure horrific treatment—in circuses, riding parks, and other attractions most visitors to the country think of as benign. 

It was then that Lek started rescuing elephants, many of them injured and elderly, and relocating them to what is no...

Genesis Butler is an environmental and animal rights activist. Inspired by her great uncle, civil rights leader Cesar Chavez, Genesis became one of the youngest people to ever give a TEDx talk, as she shared her perspective on the environmental impacts of animal agriculture.

Genesis went vegan at the age of 6, and has earned numerous awards and accolades for her activism. She founded Genesis For Animals, a non-profit supporting an...