How to Change the World

This conversation includes sensitive content that may be difficult for some listeners. This week, Catherine sits down with her mum, Christine Macpherson. Christine opens up about the sudden loss of her first child – Catherine's older brother, Rory. Their conversation is deeply personal and incredibly moving.

Lauren Rikleen, President of Rikleen Insititute for Strategic Leadership This week we talk with Lauren Stiller Rikleen, President of the Rikleen Institue for Strategic Leadership, about her work creating effective multigenerational teams in the workplace. Lauren comes from the legal world, having served as an equity partner practicing environmental law and as the author of several books and more than 175 articles. Lauren shares with us her desire for a kinder world and it's an episode you don't want to miss.

In case you missed it, Javelina now hosts a book club with our partner Changing Hands Bookstore. The book club is on the second Monday of every month. So, we figured on every second Tuesday, we'd bring you an extra special podcast version with our CEO Catherine Alonzo, Marketing Associate Taylor Flamini, and Client Manager Ariel Reyes. This month we talked about Who: The A Method for Hiring by Geoff Smart and Randy Street. What did we think of it? Well, you'll have to listen in on the episode to find out. Join us for lots of laughs and some useful change-engineering knowledge along the way.

Michele Kalo, Music Director of Scottsdale Concert Band Michele Kalo is the Music Director of the Scottsdale Concert Band at Scottsdale Community College and teaches band at Gilbert Classical Academy. She's been teaching music for 20 years, and she's known this was her passion since she was in the 7th grade. We discuss how she was drawn to music, the importance of music in our lives, and how it brings communities together. The day before our interview, the Invest in Education Act was tossed from the Arizona ballot, so this conversation is quite a snapshot in time. We also talk about the RedforEd movement, her involvement in pulling together the spirit band during the teacher walkouts, and what we were feeling when we got the news about the Invest in Education Act's fate.

Natasha Lopez-Rodriguez, Financial Education Program of YWCA Natasha Lopez-Rodriguez brings the cha-change by helping people escape debt, start businesses and become financially independent. She's the Financial Education Program Director for YWCA in Phoenix – and she rocks at it. Natasha talks with us about the importance of financial literacy, learning from the past and preparing for success in the future.

Adam Callow, CEO and Founder of Expert Trades Adam Callow is the Founder and CEO of ExpertTrades. An entrepreneur at heart, Adam has chased his dreams of starting his own company. Adam sits down with us to talk shop, the entrepreneurial spirit and what it takes to forge your own path. Change-engineers will not want to miss out on Adam's tale of realizing his own strengths and leveraging those into a successful business. In his free time, Adam also has a podcast. Check out his interview with our CEO, Catherine Alonzo, on StartUp Diary.

AiVi Nguyen, Law Partner of Bowditch & Dewey AiVi Nguyen became a partner at Bowditch & Dewey at just 31 – a testament to how intelligent, dedicated, and driven she is. As the daughter of Vietnamese refugees she grew up in public housing and had limited resources. But despite the obstacles, she was driven to reach the Ivy League and pursue a successful law career. We sit down for an inspiring conversation with AiVi to talk about opportunity and how to find and open doors when there's seemingly none to be found.

Jack Wight, CEO of Buyback Boss Carri Dougher, COO of Buyback Boss We have a special interview this week featuring two guests: CEO Jack Wight and COO Carrie Dougher of Buyback Boss. They encourage folks who have old iPhones and Samsungs lying around to put them to good use by selling them back through their company, which offers cash payment. The story of Buyback Boss is a fascinating one. Jack started the company out of his Arizona State University dorm room and Carrie lived just next door. Up to his ears in used phones and shipment packaging, Carrie's top-notch Excel skills added systems and process to a great idea. A few years down the road, Jack's natural entrepreneurialism and Carrie's operational prowess have created a rapidly growing company, with a team of eleven and expanding profits. We talk to them about how it all started, the lessons they've learned, and what the future holds.

Sherry Michaels, President and Director of Learning Solutions at Michaels & Associates Working from home is very fashionable. It wasn't always that way though. Sherry Michaels started working remotely 30 years ago – before it was a "thing" – and she has been running her own company of work-from-homers for 20 years. Change is coming to the modern workplace and working remotely is on the rise. Learn what it's really like from a remote work lifer.

Noah Karvelis, Co-Founder of Arizona's Educators United If you've been in Arizona or on the internet lately, chances are you've heard of the #RedforEd movement for increased public education funding. Support has been posted in business windows, written on vehicles, discussed on national news, worn on shirts, and resulted in a historic teacher walkout across the state. This week, we sit down with one of the people who helped to start it all. Noah Karvelis co-founded Arizona Educators United and helped spark the #RedforEd movement in Arizona. We discussed the reality for Arizona educators today, how teachers mobilized, and what leading a movement has been like every step of the way. The movement continues. 270,000 signatures were recently submitted to the Arizona Secretary of State to place the Invest in Education Act on the state's ballot this November. Due to the inaction of the Arizona State Legislature earlier this year, this ballot initiative seeks to raise the revenue necessary to restore some of the $1 billion that has been cut from public schools since 2008. Javelina is excited and honored to be a partner in this effort as the general consultant on the campaign moving forward.