“Fear comes from unanswered questions.” After donating one of his kidneys to his brother, Anil Srivatsa has become a devoted advocate for the life-saving impact of organ donation. Traveling the world, he’s befriended countless other organ donors and recipients, all with complicated stories of their own. In this episode, you’ll hear about Srivatsa’s life as an advocate and a couple of stories from his friends.

In recent months, the global stock markets have steadied following trade wars and rising inflation. But if you’re retired, or planning to retire, you might still have your guard up. After all, U.S. economists have been using phrases like “possible recession” and “stagflation.” In this episode, Chicago journalist Jerome McDonnell sits down with Rotarian and financial advisor Derrick Kinney to discuss the road to retirement in uncertain times.

Kat Graham is an actress, singer, dancer, and producer who has built a career around telling stories. Graham serves as a Rotary Celebrity Ambassador and as Rotary’s Champion of Women and Girls’ Empowerment. As an advocate, Graham highlights the stories of those pushed to the periphery and empowers them to make their voices heard. In this episode, Chicago journalist Linda Yu sits down with Graham to discuss her long history with Rotary, her career, and her motivation to empower people around the world.

NPR’s Scott Simon recently sat down with Mike McGovern, the chair of Rotary’s International PolioPlus Committee, and John Hewko, Rotary’s general secretary and CEO, to discuss Rotary’s unique role in polio eradication and the GPEI’s strategy to overcome the final challenges in achieving that goal.

July marks the beginning of a new Rotary year — a moment for members and incoming leaders to reflect and find ways to grow their Rotary clubs and strengthen club culture. Chicago journalist Jerome McDonnell sits down with Rotary International staff members Nick Taylor (supervisor, Club and District Support) and Brianne Haxton (senior manager, Membership Development) to discuss data-driven and personal observations on how clubs can keep new and long-time members engaged.

For 35 years, Jeff Jimerson has been singing the U.S. national anthem before Pittsburgh Penguins hockey games. When the visiting team is from Canada, Jimerson also sings “O Canada.” It’s little wonder that Rotary International President and Pittsburgh sports fan Stephanie Urchick chose Jimerson to sing the two anthems in Calgary this June at the Rotary International Convention. In this episode, Rotary magazine (https://www.rotary.org/en/rotary-magazine) senior editor Geoff Johnson sits down with Jimerson to discuss his lifelong career in music, a tragic moment on Canada’s Parliament Hill, and his upcoming performance in Calgary.

Over the past few months, volatile markets around the world have sent many investors on an emotional roller coaster. In this episode, Rotarian and financial advisor Derrick Kinney is joined by certified financial planner James Bogart, CEO and founder of Bogart Wealth – one of the top financial planning firms in the country, for a conversation on how to make reasoned decisions while managing your investments and retirement accounts, and charitable giving. Kinney and Bogart’s practical discussion provides an easy-to-understand overview of the current economy and addresses investors’ financial concerns.

In July 2024, dozens of gunshots pierced the quiet Seattle night. Sex traffickers jockeying for turf fired 30 shots on Aurora Avenue North, two blocks from journalist Erin Gartner’s house. Amid a surge of violence crashing over the neighborhood, Gartner felt hopeless — until she found a group of neighborhood volunteers and experts in the problem of trafficking, all of them part of a Rotary club dedicated to the issue. In this episode, Niala Boodhoo speaks with Gartner and two of her fellow Rotary club members.If you are in the U.S. and suspect someone is being trafficked, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. In Canada, call 1-833-900-1010. 

16 years have passed since John Mulligan received a phone call from northern Nigeria to his home in Drayton Valley, a small town nestled between two rivers in central Alberta. “John. I’ve been kidnapped.” The caller was his wife, Rotarian Julie Mulligan. What followed was 13 days of fear, uncertainty, and strength. In the aftermath, Julie set out to live a more authentic life of Service Above Self.

In September of 2023, the Gates Foundation partnered with the Moth – an award-winning storytelling nonprofit organization – to host an event in New York City during the UN General Assembly. The event, Don’t Stop Now: Stories from the Final Push to End Polio, highlighted the personal stories of people whose lives have been impacted by polio. One of the speakers was Safia Ibrahim, a polio survivor and global health advocate. In this episode, you’ll hear Ibrahim’s story as told on the Moth stage. She also discusses her paralytic polio, advocacy work, and experience with the Moth. 

Rotarian and astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti dreamed of space travel since she was a kid. Now, she’s sharing the cosmic awe with her fellow earthlings. This story (https://www.rotary.org/en/rotarian-astronaut-lives-her-out-world-dreams)⁠⁠ by senior staff writer Diana Schoberg appeared in the December 2024 issue of ⁠⁠Rotary magazine⁠⁠ (https://www.rotary.org/en/rotary-magazine). This audio version of her story is narrated by Linda Yu.

For Supper with Sylvia, veteran journalist Sylvia Perez teams up with Rotary Voices, speaking with chefs Tony Priolo and Sarah Stegner about their extraordinary humanitarian missions at home and abroad.

An accomplished writer of fiction (The Joy Luck Club and five other novels), memoirs, and children’s books, Tan came late to serious birding. That interest coincided with her dedication to learning how to draw. In The Backyard Bird Chronicles, readers follow Tan’s ornithological education while watching the evolution of a skillful artist. Recently, Tan sat down with the Chicago journalist and Emmy-winning news anchor Linda Yu to discuss the book, a conversation that extended into the emotional chaos of Tan’s childhood and the ways in which birding offered her insights on how to sustain sound mental health.

In 2008, a loan officer in Spokane, Washington garnered international attention after helping a mama mallard and her ducklings down from a ledge outside his office building. Richard Repp, a lawyer and local Rotarian, concocted a plan that would not only preserve the story but promote childhood literacy and honor his mother. The result: a children's book called The Downtown Ducks. Rotary (https://www.rotary.org/en/rotary-magazine) magazine senior editor Geoff Johnson sits down with Rick to discuss the stories behind the book.

Adventure or misadventure, NPR's Scott Simon finds enlightenment in a life of travels. Simon narrates his story (https://www.rotary.org/en/espresso-war-zone) that originally ran in the December 2024 issue of Rotary magazine.

NPR’s Scott Simon sat down with David Byrne five years after the legendary musician, artist and former Talking Heads frontman launched a nonprofit online magazine called Reasons to be Cheerful. The magazine offers good news in a market otherwise dominated by doom and gloom. In this episode, Byrne discusses the origins of Reasons to be Cheerful, the stories that have stuck with him, and his personal reflections on cheer in our world today.

Chicago news anchor Sylvia Perez sits down with Gaby Moreno, a Grammy award-winning singer, songwriter, and producer to discuss her upbringing, career, and experience seeing Rotary’s impact up close. Rotary recently named Moreno as one of its first Rotary Ambassadors in recognition of her commitment to using her voice to make a difference.

Last episode, Hannah Shaw took us through Hatay Province in southeastern Turkey, which sustained severe damages in the 2023 earthquakes. In part two, the journey continues, as Rotary magazine (https://www.rotary.org/en/rotary-magazine) editor JP Swenson takes us to the city of Adıyaman, where local Rotary volunteers provided aid and comfort to earthquake survivors despite the great personal loss they themselves suffered.

On 6 February 2023, two earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria – the deadliest to hit the region in 80 years. That morning, Rotary regional leaders in Turkey mounted an immediate response, while Rotary International and the Rotary Foundation enacted their disaster response funds. One year later, Rotary magazine (https://www.rotary.org/en/rotary-magazine) and social media staff JP Swenson and Hannah Shaw traveled to southeastern Turkey to see these relief efforts for themselves.

In July of this year, poliovirus was detected in environmental samples from the Gaza Strip. In August, a 10-month-old boy became the first confirmed case in Gaza in the last 25 years, leading to an ongoing vaccination campaign in the Gaza Strip. In this episode, we hear from three polio experts from around the world – working in regions where wild polio has long been eradicated, to the two countries where wild polio remains endemic.Visit www.endpolio.org (http://www.endpolio.org) to join the fight to end polio.