WEBVTT 00:00:05.839 --> 00:00:09.900 Welcome to another episode of our Interfaiths 00:00:09.900 --> 00:00:14.080 podcast. We're really delighted today to have 00:00:14.080 --> 00:00:17.660 Joanne Godoy from Radical Partners. So she is 00:00:17.660 --> 00:00:22.239 an amazing... institution and herself working 00:00:22.239 --> 00:00:25.879 to help nonprofits here in the Miami area. And 00:00:25.879 --> 00:00:27.699 so we're going to talk a little bit about her 00:00:27.699 --> 00:00:31.199 background, her life, and then talk about the 00:00:31.199 --> 00:00:34.600 work that Radical Partners does, the future of 00:00:34.600 --> 00:00:36.479 the organization and kind of the nonprofit world 00:00:36.479 --> 00:00:40.159 here. And then think about, you know, what are 00:00:40.159 --> 00:00:42.600 some of the things that students can take away? 00:00:43.710 --> 00:00:46.630 And listeners can take away from her life and 00:00:46.630 --> 00:00:49.170 sort of her experiences. So with that, I will 00:00:49.170 --> 00:00:51.689 start. And if you can just say a few words about 00:00:51.689 --> 00:00:53.929 yourself and your background. Who are you? Few 00:00:53.929 --> 00:01:00.020 words. A ver, Joan Godoy, I always liked starting 00:01:00.020 --> 00:01:03.479 by saying that I am proudly from Guatemala. That's 00:01:03.479 --> 00:01:06.579 where I was born and raised. And I start with 00:01:06.579 --> 00:01:08.700 that because it's a very small country in Central 00:01:08.700 --> 00:01:10.659 America that is very colorful in every single 00:01:10.659 --> 00:01:14.620 way. And from an early age, I was very aware 00:01:14.620 --> 00:01:18.930 of inequity. And I think that really shaped my 00:01:18.930 --> 00:01:21.829 work. So, of course, I have a long trajectory 00:01:21.829 --> 00:01:24.329 in the social impact sector, Guatemala, Costa 00:01:24.329 --> 00:01:26.290 Rica, Chile, all the way to the Netherlands and 00:01:26.290 --> 00:01:29.230 then ended up in Miami. And today I'm the CEO 00:01:29.230 --> 00:01:32.230 of Radical Partners, as you said, and we are 00:01:32.230 --> 00:01:34.650 a social impact accelerator. And what that means 00:01:34.650 --> 00:01:37.810 is that we are all about investing in the leaders 00:01:37.810 --> 00:01:40.230 and the organizations that are transforming their 00:01:40.230 --> 00:01:43.049 communities in whatever way that could be. poverty 00:01:43.049 --> 00:01:45.530 alleviation that could be interfaith dialogues 00:01:45.530 --> 00:01:49.629 that could be um racial justice and what we make 00:01:49.629 --> 00:01:52.269 sure is that these leaders are supported and 00:01:52.269 --> 00:01:54.890 that they are equipped with all the skills and 00:01:54.890 --> 00:01:58.230 resources that they need to advance their work 00:01:58.230 --> 00:02:02.049 and their impact okay so let's go back to guatemala 00:02:02.049 --> 00:02:04.010 yeah talk to us a little bit about your childhood 00:02:04.010 --> 00:02:07.810 yeah what was that like So I started traveling 00:02:07.810 --> 00:02:10.650 from an early age. I'm the youngest of three. 00:02:11.330 --> 00:02:15.789 So I'm a survivor of my two older brothers. And 00:02:15.789 --> 00:02:19.430 I think there's two people that really shaped 00:02:19.430 --> 00:02:22.590 my childhood. Right. One was my dad and his job 00:02:22.590 --> 00:02:25.349 because he was an environmentalist or he still 00:02:25.349 --> 00:02:28.430 is always leading international organizations. 00:02:28.430 --> 00:02:33.009 So because of his job, we always had the opportunity. 00:02:34.460 --> 00:02:37.280 And the requirement to travel, right, whether 00:02:37.280 --> 00:02:40.819 that was inside my country to several rural areas 00:02:40.819 --> 00:02:43.439 and or to other regions in Central America. So 00:02:43.439 --> 00:02:45.180 I lived in a couple of places when I was young. 00:02:46.830 --> 00:02:49.430 So I remember there was always people, there 00:02:49.430 --> 00:02:52.370 was always food, there was always music. But 00:02:52.370 --> 00:02:54.949 the music and the food was always diverse because 00:02:54.949 --> 00:02:56.990 it really depended on who we were surrounded 00:02:56.990 --> 00:03:01.669 with. There was a lot of nature because we were 00:03:01.669 --> 00:03:03.849 climbing places, we were exploring different 00:03:03.849 --> 00:03:07.550 locations, etc. And I think something that really 00:03:07.550 --> 00:03:13.379 marked my childhood was to... be the same person, 00:03:13.500 --> 00:03:15.960 but being perceived in a different way, depending 00:03:15.960 --> 00:03:19.439 on where we were, right? So in some occasions, 00:03:19.800 --> 00:03:22.479 I'm pretty light -skinned, right? So in some 00:03:22.479 --> 00:03:25.719 occasions, I was the lightest one in the room, 00:03:25.840 --> 00:03:31.060 but in some occasions, I wasn't. So I kind of 00:03:31.060 --> 00:03:34.280 had to learn to define my identity, but also 00:03:34.280 --> 00:03:37.520 to be adaptable to what the circumstances told 00:03:37.520 --> 00:03:40.139 me was needed. And I think that really shaped... 00:03:40.960 --> 00:03:44.400 Me, as a person, it really shaped my work because 00:03:44.400 --> 00:03:47.400 I was always aware of the different types of 00:03:47.400 --> 00:03:49.099 power that I could have depending on where I 00:03:49.099 --> 00:03:52.080 was. And sometimes it was very needed to step 00:03:52.080 --> 00:03:54.539 up as a woman, for example, or as a Latina in 00:03:54.539 --> 00:03:57.080 this space. But in some occasions, I really needed 00:03:57.080 --> 00:03:59.300 to step back if I was surrounded by indigenous 00:03:59.300 --> 00:04:02.819 and Mayan communities. So there was always that 00:04:02.819 --> 00:04:07.539 back and forth and the beauty of travel with. 00:04:07.849 --> 00:04:10.330 with its blessings and its curses. And I think 00:04:10.330 --> 00:04:13.550 that really shaped my childhood and it made me 00:04:13.550 --> 00:04:18.310 the non -binary woman that I am in every single 00:04:18.310 --> 00:04:22.110 sense of the world. So you said your father was 00:04:22.110 --> 00:04:23.589 one of the people that influenced you. Who was 00:04:23.589 --> 00:04:25.629 the other one? Great. I love that you're coming 00:04:25.629 --> 00:04:31.189 back. My grandma. Okay. My grandma, she was, 00:04:31.310 --> 00:04:36.389 I think she was very advanced for her. Not her 00:04:36.389 --> 00:04:40.420 age, but her. ¿Cómo se dice? Época. For her time. 00:04:40.540 --> 00:04:44.759 Like for her time. Because she was openly a feminist 00:04:44.759 --> 00:04:47.779 and she was openly pro -human rights in an era 00:04:47.779 --> 00:04:50.160 where that was somewhat of a sensitive topic 00:04:50.160 --> 00:04:54.259 in Guatemala. So it was beautiful in the early 00:04:54.259 --> 00:04:58.519 80s to talk to a woman who was so coquette and 00:04:58.519 --> 00:05:01.839 advanced and so smart in her readings and what 00:05:01.839 --> 00:05:05.490 she listened to. And I just remember that I really 00:05:05.490 --> 00:05:07.430 wanted to be like her. That's wonderful. Yeah. 00:05:07.629 --> 00:05:09.649 Yeah, same thing with my wife, Safreen, right? 00:05:09.730 --> 00:05:12.629 So her childhood is really defined by her grandmother 00:05:12.629 --> 00:05:15.449 as well. That's one of the remarkable things, 00:05:15.529 --> 00:05:17.129 like when you live in an extended family, you're 00:05:17.129 --> 00:05:19.709 able to, you know, have the intergenerational 00:05:19.709 --> 00:05:21.850 connection. I think there's so much that you 00:05:21.850 --> 00:05:24.009 learn through that experience. Yeah, and it's 00:05:24.009 --> 00:05:25.850 interesting because when you're a child, you're 00:05:25.850 --> 00:05:28.269 not aware of that. I don't know why I got so 00:05:28.269 --> 00:05:31.269 emotional about it. Because you're just there 00:05:31.269 --> 00:05:33.769 absorbing what you see, right? And I think it's 00:05:33.769 --> 00:05:37.170 as I grew up in my career that I realized how 00:05:37.170 --> 00:05:42.149 those two things really shaped who I am and the 00:05:42.149 --> 00:05:45.449 boldness that it requires to transform your communities. 00:05:45.629 --> 00:05:48.490 And it's not easy work either. The thing is, 00:05:48.509 --> 00:05:53.410 especially if you're going to go against social 00:05:53.410 --> 00:05:59.519 norms, I think that takes a lot of courage. discipline 00:05:59.519 --> 00:06:02.000 i think courage and also you know you have to 00:06:02.000 --> 00:06:05.339 have strong moral character as well so you have 00:06:05.339 --> 00:06:07.220 to understand kind of what is right what's wrong 00:06:07.220 --> 00:06:09.879 and that's hard because a lot of times people 00:06:09.879 --> 00:06:12.660 kind of just go along with whatever is popular 00:06:12.660 --> 00:06:14.720 they don't want to you know be seen as being 00:06:14.720 --> 00:06:16.779 different so that's remarkable that your grandmother 00:06:16.779 --> 00:06:20.220 you know was this really remarkable person yeah 00:06:20.779 --> 00:06:23.139 and she instilled that in you as well so that's 00:06:23.139 --> 00:06:25.360 great yeah she was definitely a rebel sometimes 00:06:25.360 --> 00:06:28.399 a little too much um but it was it was good to 00:06:28.399 --> 00:06:32.899 witness that that's amazing okay great um i mean 00:06:32.899 --> 00:06:34.939 i'm interested a little bit more even about um 00:06:34.939 --> 00:06:36.920 you were talking about kind of you're sometimes 00:06:36.920 --> 00:06:39.779 doing these spaces where you had to calibrate 00:06:39.779 --> 00:06:42.300 kind of um how present you were how much you 00:06:42.300 --> 00:06:45.569 had to step back um Talk to me a little bit about 00:06:45.569 --> 00:06:48.610 working with indigenous communities. I mean, 00:06:48.610 --> 00:06:49.990 that would be very interesting to learn about 00:06:49.990 --> 00:06:54.230 what those experiences were like. Yeah, so Guatemala, 00:06:54.470 --> 00:06:56.470 like other countries in Latin America, like Peru, 00:06:56.589 --> 00:07:00.850 Ecuador, and a few others, are up to a few years 00:07:00.850 --> 00:07:04.750 ago, they were majority indigenous, right? So 00:07:04.750 --> 00:07:06.709 Guatemala, I have to look at the stats nowadays, 00:07:06.889 --> 00:07:08.629 but I would dare to say that it's at least 40 00:07:08.629 --> 00:07:11.269 % of the population that's indigenous from Mayan 00:07:11.269 --> 00:07:16.449 origin. And like many of the countries that are 00:07:16.449 --> 00:07:20.029 diverse in that way, it's a very segregated place, 00:07:20.230 --> 00:07:24.209 right? So I grew up in the city and had access 00:07:24.209 --> 00:07:26.889 to certain things because my parents were academics. 00:07:27.769 --> 00:07:30.769 They worked very hard. So that gave me access 00:07:30.769 --> 00:07:32.949 to a certain type of education or a certain type 00:07:32.949 --> 00:07:37.180 of recreational activities. But because of my 00:07:37.180 --> 00:07:39.560 dad's job, I was always traveling to other parts 00:07:39.560 --> 00:07:41.500 of the country. So if you were in the city, you 00:07:41.500 --> 00:07:44.259 didn't really see much of the diversity of the 00:07:44.259 --> 00:07:47.220 country. But once you were out, you did. And 00:07:47.220 --> 00:07:50.240 the realities were just very different. We have 00:07:50.240 --> 00:07:52.139 one of the countries with the biggest illiteracy 00:07:52.139 --> 00:07:55.819 rates. And for those of you watching, I don't 00:07:55.819 --> 00:07:57.220 know if you know that Guatemala has more than 00:07:57.220 --> 00:07:59.600 20 languages that are spoken in that very small 00:07:59.600 --> 00:08:02.759 territory. So we literally cannot communicate 00:08:02.759 --> 00:08:05.459 with each other, right? Because it is very hard 00:08:05.459 --> 00:08:08.879 to learn 20 languages. And they're so diverse. 00:08:08.939 --> 00:08:11.819 And many of them are only spoken languages, not 00:08:11.819 --> 00:08:17.779 necessarily written forms. So when I would go 00:08:17.779 --> 00:08:19.879 into those spaces, I remember I was finishing 00:08:19.879 --> 00:08:22.839 college, right? And I was volunteering for an 00:08:22.839 --> 00:08:26.750 organization. I was there passionate and empowered 00:08:26.750 --> 00:08:29.709 and ready to teach a lot of things. But the things 00:08:29.709 --> 00:08:31.509 that I've learned or the ways that I've learned 00:08:31.509 --> 00:08:33.750 how to teach weren't necessarily the ways in 00:08:33.750 --> 00:08:36.110 which things were going to be absorbed by the 00:08:36.110 --> 00:08:39.529 communities based on, I don't know, our technological 00:08:39.529 --> 00:08:42.549 possibilities or the language that we were using. 00:08:43.259 --> 00:08:46.980 So I quickly had to learn how to use more drawings 00:08:46.980 --> 00:08:52.000 and how to use more circular dialogue to get 00:08:52.000 --> 00:08:54.899 to the point of talking about human rights. So 00:08:54.899 --> 00:08:56.899 instead of human rights is this, and this is 00:08:56.899 --> 00:08:58.580 the definition, and this is what the declarations 00:08:58.580 --> 00:09:02.840 say. It was more about dialogue around what is 00:09:02.840 --> 00:09:04.980 happening in your community, what are the violence. 00:09:07.440 --> 00:09:09.759 moments right that you you don't want to portray 00:09:09.759 --> 00:09:11.740 in that community and how can we go about that 00:09:11.740 --> 00:09:15.379 etc so um it's just a different way of living 00:09:15.379 --> 00:09:18.539 um and another thing that i would like to highlight 00:09:18.539 --> 00:09:22.600 is the respect for nature the not only the respect 00:09:22.600 --> 00:09:26.460 but the interconnection with nature um is something 00:09:26.460 --> 00:09:29.159 that i learned to respect a lot with a very simple 00:09:29.159 --> 00:09:32.799 act for example they they do several mayan ceremonies 00:09:33.710 --> 00:09:35.990 And I remember they brought a lot of candles 00:09:35.990 --> 00:09:38.309 with different colors that you need to use for 00:09:38.309 --> 00:09:40.730 the ceremony. And I quickly was looking for a 00:09:40.730 --> 00:09:43.090 scissor so I can cut them and just arrange them. 00:09:43.169 --> 00:09:45.970 And they said, no, you cannot use scissors. You 00:09:45.970 --> 00:09:49.549 have to untie the knots so that you don't break 00:09:49.549 --> 00:09:52.549 the cycle. So things like that would happen to 00:09:52.549 --> 00:09:56.850 me that I would feel so ignorant and in awe. 00:09:57.710 --> 00:10:00.169 of different different ways of living and of 00:10:00.169 --> 00:10:02.669 course i have so many different examples of that 00:10:02.669 --> 00:10:05.190 but i'll stop there no that's amazing i mean 00:10:05.190 --> 00:10:08.029 i think that that i'm sure that those experiences 00:10:08.029 --> 00:10:10.610 helped you also to navigate all these different 00:10:10.610 --> 00:10:12.269 cultures and these different types of people 00:10:12.269 --> 00:10:14.830 that make you so you know you've been so successful 00:10:14.830 --> 00:10:19.549 here in miami um so okay so leaving um so leaving 00:10:19.549 --> 00:10:23.110 university um what was your path then eventually 00:10:23.110 --> 00:10:26.259 coming to miami okay well that's a long story 00:10:26.259 --> 00:10:29.500 but i'll try to summarize it by because of my 00:10:29.500 --> 00:10:32.340 dad's influence right i i always knew that i 00:10:32.340 --> 00:10:34.539 wanted to be like him working for an international 00:10:34.539 --> 00:10:37.039 organization somewhere in the world doing something 00:10:37.039 --> 00:10:39.480 good but he was he was more about the trees and 00:10:39.480 --> 00:10:42.299 i was more about the people um so i decided to 00:10:42.299 --> 00:10:44.940 study psychology from the social lens of psychology. 00:10:45.179 --> 00:10:47.700 So I studied psychology and I quickly started 00:10:47.700 --> 00:10:49.860 working with small organizations in Guatemala 00:10:49.860 --> 00:10:53.899 that were supporting mostly victims from the 00:10:53.899 --> 00:10:57.580 internal conflict that we had in the 80s. So 00:10:57.580 --> 00:10:59.940 their human rights have been violated. These 00:10:59.940 --> 00:11:01.860 are folks that were living with a lot of trauma 00:11:01.860 --> 00:11:05.240 and lived experiences. So that's what I did for 00:11:05.240 --> 00:11:08.240 almost four to five years. And after being in 00:11:08.240 --> 00:11:10.519 that work for so long and running a lot of support 00:11:10.519 --> 00:11:16.470 groups and... Basically, building community leaders, 00:11:16.570 --> 00:11:18.269 right, that they could bring the knowledge and 00:11:18.269 --> 00:11:20.230 implement them in their communities. I became 00:11:20.230 --> 00:11:22.330 very frustrated with the system because I realized 00:11:22.330 --> 00:11:24.909 that we were teaching these folks how to do certain 00:11:24.909 --> 00:11:28.610 things without enough resources and or a real 00:11:28.610 --> 00:11:30.830 possibility to transform the reality of their 00:11:30.830 --> 00:11:32.450 communities based on the system that we run. 00:11:33.019 --> 00:11:37.539 So that took me to look or to pursue for a master's. 00:11:38.279 --> 00:11:42.220 I applied to a bunch of places and I got a full 00:11:42.220 --> 00:11:45.500 ride to study in the Netherlands. And I studied 00:11:45.500 --> 00:11:49.019 a master in international NGOs. So moved from 00:11:49.019 --> 00:11:53.080 doing the work on the ground to studying more 00:11:53.080 --> 00:11:55.659 around political economy and international law 00:11:55.659 --> 00:11:59.740 and how does that apparatus work? And how can 00:11:59.740 --> 00:12:03.080 you manage organizations that are trying to transform 00:12:03.080 --> 00:12:05.679 the world? And there was, it was also a cultural 00:12:05.679 --> 00:12:07.580 shock, right? Because all of a sudden I was the 00:12:07.580 --> 00:12:10.039 tiniest of the group. I was the one that came 00:12:10.039 --> 00:12:12.240 from this very small place in Guatemala, surrounded 00:12:12.240 --> 00:12:14.480 by European students. that had access to other 00:12:14.480 --> 00:12:18.659 things that I didn't have before. And after that, 00:12:18.899 --> 00:12:21.580 work and love kind of took me to different places. 00:12:21.639 --> 00:12:23.860 So I worked in Costa Rica for two years, Chile 00:12:23.860 --> 00:12:26.279 for a year, went back to Guatemala to work for 00:12:26.279 --> 00:12:28.620 the UN for two years. And then because of love, 00:12:28.679 --> 00:12:31.759 I came to Miami. And when I was like, okay, what 00:12:31.759 --> 00:12:33.899 am I going to do in Miami if I come from such 00:12:33.899 --> 00:12:36.379 a rural background and such an international 00:12:36.379 --> 00:12:39.360 organization background? And I started hearing 00:12:39.360 --> 00:12:41.019 about the concept of social entrepreneurship. 00:12:41.929 --> 00:12:44.029 So I started learning about it. Someone told 00:12:44.029 --> 00:12:47.190 me about Radical Partners. And when I looked 00:12:47.190 --> 00:12:51.669 at the website and saw that in Radical Partners, 00:12:51.809 --> 00:12:54.009 the issue wasn't what mattered, but supporting 00:12:54.009 --> 00:12:56.710 the leader and equipping the organization, I 00:12:56.710 --> 00:13:00.029 finally said, like, I found my place. And that 00:13:00.029 --> 00:13:03.330 was almost 10 years ago. Oh, wow. Okay. That's 00:13:03.330 --> 00:13:06.710 been a while. Yeah, that was in 2017. Okay. So 00:13:06.710 --> 00:13:11.320 you got to Radical Partners. what were the challenges 00:13:11.320 --> 00:13:13.039 that the organization was having when you got 00:13:13.039 --> 00:13:16.299 in? So we were a very small organization back 00:13:16.299 --> 00:13:21.659 then. It was three people when I joined. And 00:13:21.659 --> 00:13:24.059 I think more than challenges back then, there 00:13:24.059 --> 00:13:29.980 was a lot of opportunity to try to model the 00:13:29.980 --> 00:13:31.679 investment that was happening in the private 00:13:31.679 --> 00:13:33.960 sector with so many startups and with so many 00:13:33.960 --> 00:13:37.080 entrepreneurial endeavors to try to... bring 00:13:37.080 --> 00:13:40.740 that to our sector right which is a sector that 00:13:40.740 --> 00:13:43.980 is full of passion full of love full of camaraderie 00:13:43.980 --> 00:13:48.259 but not necessarily back then the business acumen 00:13:48.259 --> 00:13:50.679 or the strategy that it takes to run a project 00:13:50.679 --> 00:13:54.019 or to run a team and to be successful that's 00:13:54.019 --> 00:13:56.519 a big issue as well yeah there's not a lot of 00:13:56.519 --> 00:13:59.139 people who are very motivated and very determined 00:13:59.139 --> 00:14:02.840 and very passionate but I think the training 00:14:02.840 --> 00:14:05.340 is a big part of it, the business part of it, 00:14:05.379 --> 00:14:07.440 and also just capital to be able to do the projects 00:14:07.440 --> 00:14:09.379 that they want to be able to do. Look, the reality 00:14:09.379 --> 00:14:12.580 is that most of us... build organizations from 00:14:12.580 --> 00:14:15.299 lived experience, right? So there's an organization 00:14:15.299 --> 00:14:17.620 that supports cancer survivors because the CEO 00:14:17.620 --> 00:14:22.000 went through that. So you have the lived experience, 00:14:22.120 --> 00:14:24.919 but you don't necessarily have had the opportunity 00:14:24.919 --> 00:14:29.019 or the desire to study all the financial aspect 00:14:29.019 --> 00:14:31.379 of things or legal aspect of things or managerial 00:14:31.379 --> 00:14:40.460 aspect of things. So I think what is one... one 00:14:40.460 --> 00:14:42.580 entrepreneur that you guys have supported that 00:14:42.580 --> 00:14:44.460 really sticks out in your mind that radical partners 00:14:44.460 --> 00:14:50.000 has helped to develop so many okay um you can 00:14:50.000 --> 00:14:52.139 give a couple examples that's fine can i give 00:14:52.139 --> 00:14:58.360 you as an example um let me think uh i'm trying 00:14:58.360 --> 00:15:02.139 to think who's done work around interfaith work 00:15:02.139 --> 00:15:06.500 a religious work um i think fabiola is coming 00:15:06.500 --> 00:15:12.240 to mind she is a woman who lost her son, and 00:15:12.240 --> 00:15:15.480 she took that grief into supporting other bereaved 00:15:15.480 --> 00:15:18.120 moms, which is, we know it's a topic that's taboo, 00:15:18.120 --> 00:15:22.379 that is not that common. And because she did 00:15:22.379 --> 00:15:26.919 Leadership Lab with us, right, she now is better 00:15:26.919 --> 00:15:29.100 at fundraising. She's way better at talking about 00:15:29.100 --> 00:15:33.080 herself and what she does. And most importantly, 00:15:33.179 --> 00:15:36.769 as... to structure her programs right because 00:15:36.769 --> 00:15:39.450 she supports women in so many different ways 00:15:39.450 --> 00:15:42.549 that she was doing whatever women needed right 00:15:42.549 --> 00:15:45.110 and that could be running a business that could 00:15:45.110 --> 00:15:47.169 be giving them food that could be taking care 00:15:47.169 --> 00:15:50.409 of their kids so going through this program allows 00:15:50.409 --> 00:15:52.210 her to think okay these are the three or four 00:15:52.210 --> 00:15:54.710 things that i'm going to do for women and this 00:15:54.710 --> 00:15:58.169 is what i need in order to do that um so identifying 00:15:59.279 --> 00:16:02.039 the amounts, what the resources that she needs, 00:16:02.059 --> 00:16:04.519 et cetera, to be more specific. And once she 00:16:04.519 --> 00:16:07.559 identifies what is she doing and what is she 00:16:07.559 --> 00:16:09.899 not, then she's able to collaborate with others 00:16:09.899 --> 00:16:12.500 that will be able to support women, right? So 00:16:12.500 --> 00:16:15.980 I think she's a great example. And the reason 00:16:15.980 --> 00:16:18.320 why I mentioned you is because I know you've 00:16:18.320 --> 00:16:21.240 been doing this interfaith work for so long at 00:16:21.240 --> 00:16:24.379 this amazing university. But through the attendees 00:16:24.379 --> 00:16:26.159 of Connection, I would like to think that we 00:16:26.159 --> 00:16:29.639 expose you to other people that could be your 00:16:29.639 --> 00:16:32.700 partners, right, in impact. So that to me is 00:16:32.700 --> 00:16:34.740 also capacity building and leadership because 00:16:34.740 --> 00:16:37.720 the world needs to know about you, Iqbal. And 00:16:37.720 --> 00:16:41.059 the world could also. come to you right so that 00:16:41.059 --> 00:16:43.700 we can foster dialogue and collaborate so talk 00:16:43.700 --> 00:16:45.620 to us about 10 days how did that come about what 00:16:45.620 --> 00:16:51.080 is yeah ah it's been so long as well um so to 00:16:51.080 --> 00:16:53.320 give some context to whomever's watching because 00:16:53.320 --> 00:16:55.120 we've been talking about so many different things 00:16:55.120 --> 00:16:58.399 um i said at the beginning that radical partners 00:16:58.399 --> 00:17:01.039 is a social impact accelerator right so those 00:17:01.039 --> 00:17:03.480 three words are chosen with so many intentional 00:17:03.480 --> 00:17:06.460 reasons because it's all about improving the 00:17:06.460 --> 00:17:09.400 lives of people by impacting their lives and 00:17:09.400 --> 00:17:11.579 doing it as fast as we can because we have no 00:17:11.579 --> 00:17:15.799 time to waste. So the way we accelerate work 00:17:15.799 --> 00:17:18.880 is through four pillars of work. One is investing 00:17:18.880 --> 00:17:20.700 in leaders like Fab, like the one that I just 00:17:20.700 --> 00:17:24.259 mentioned. The other one is engaging locals around 00:17:24.259 --> 00:17:27.160 these causes, right? So yes, the leaders can 00:17:27.160 --> 00:17:29.440 pull, but if there's nobody else pushing and 00:17:29.440 --> 00:17:31.480 rallying around those issues, not much can happen. 00:17:32.140 --> 00:17:36.319 Number three, we co -create solutions. Just so 00:17:36.319 --> 00:17:38.779 that we can innovate in this space as well. So 00:17:38.779 --> 00:17:40.400 we do that through a lot of consulting work. 00:17:40.619 --> 00:17:43.559 And number three, because we work with leaders, 00:17:43.619 --> 00:17:46.380 locals, and other clients of ours, we try to 00:17:46.380 --> 00:17:50.200 build as many coalitions as we can to use resources 00:17:50.200 --> 00:17:53.359 effectively and efficiently. So within all those 00:17:53.359 --> 00:17:55.859 pillars, the 10 Days of Connection comes under 00:17:55.859 --> 00:17:58.940 the community engagement pillar. And the sole 00:17:58.940 --> 00:18:01.839 purpose of the 10 Days of Connection is to allow 00:18:01.839 --> 00:18:05.920 for people. to connect across lines of difference 00:18:05.920 --> 00:18:09.519 and to build those physical and emotional safe 00:18:09.519 --> 00:18:12.220 spaces for you to engage with people that you 00:18:12.220 --> 00:18:16.210 don't know or in all honesty that you hate. So 00:18:16.210 --> 00:18:19.450 we've hosted Democrats and Republicans for happy 00:18:19.450 --> 00:18:22.390 hour. The Muslim community has opened up the 00:18:22.390 --> 00:18:24.890 doors of the mosque so that you can go and attend 00:18:24.890 --> 00:18:27.650 and then ask a bunch of questions. So we try 00:18:27.650 --> 00:18:29.589 to take all those things that are still taboo 00:18:29.589 --> 00:18:32.690 and talk about them and make them free to the 00:18:32.690 --> 00:18:35.309 community so that that happens. So every year 00:18:35.309 --> 00:18:38.470 in May, from May 1st to May 10th. The invitation 00:18:38.470 --> 00:18:42.509 is for everybody to either attend or host a connection 00:18:42.509 --> 00:18:45.730 experience because it could be as small as this, 00:18:45.869 --> 00:18:49.250 as a conversation in your home, right? A potluck 00:18:49.250 --> 00:18:51.710 and have a conversation around that all the way 00:18:51.710 --> 00:18:56.089 to hosting something public, right? And open 00:18:56.089 --> 00:18:58.309 to everybody like we do at The Underline. So 00:18:58.309 --> 00:19:00.589 at The Underline, at the end of the 10 Days of 00:19:00.589 --> 00:19:05.019 Connection, we bring everybody for a game. night 00:19:05.019 --> 00:19:07.180 or a game morning right so i remember a couple 00:19:07.180 --> 00:19:11.500 of years ago there was the mayor playing b strong's 00:19:11.500 --> 00:19:13.579 international game and all of a sudden a woman 00:19:13.579 --> 00:19:16.220 was just passing by and she's like what is happening 00:19:16.220 --> 00:19:19.220 here can i say it of course so you had now the 00:19:19.220 --> 00:19:22.220 vp of communications at mdc the mayor and a random 00:19:22.220 --> 00:19:25.500 woman on the street playing a very deep game 00:19:25.500 --> 00:19:28.539 and connecting at a human level so so that's 00:19:28.539 --> 00:19:31.480 that's what we do so say we have okay we have 00:19:31.480 --> 00:19:36.640 of course students listening as well um They're 00:19:36.640 --> 00:19:38.640 trying to figure out what they want to do with 00:19:38.640 --> 00:19:41.119 their lives. What advice would you give them 00:19:41.119 --> 00:19:44.339 if they are interested in becoming a social entrepreneur? 00:19:44.539 --> 00:19:46.839 What should they study? What are some steps that 00:19:46.839 --> 00:19:48.299 they should take while they're here at university? 00:19:51.839 --> 00:19:55.619 I think you really need to figure out if that's 00:19:55.619 --> 00:19:58.180 what you want right now. Not forever, because 00:19:58.180 --> 00:20:01.980 I don't think anything is forever. What is that 00:20:01.980 --> 00:20:04.160 next adventure for you? What is that next stage 00:20:04.160 --> 00:20:08.000 for you? leading something and building something 00:20:08.000 --> 00:20:11.579 that that you're curious about and driving something 00:20:11.579 --> 00:20:15.500 then i would say go ahead and pursue it um but 00:20:15.500 --> 00:20:19.640 while you pursue it you need to do research right 00:20:19.640 --> 00:20:25.460 um so um our friends at upenn have a course and 00:20:25.460 --> 00:20:27.660 they say that whenever you decide to endeavor 00:20:27.660 --> 00:20:30.059 in a social entrepreneurship journey you should 00:20:30.059 --> 00:20:33.559 be very mindful about three things one what does 00:20:33.559 --> 00:20:35.859 the market want and need, right? So in our cases, 00:20:35.880 --> 00:20:38.059 what is that issue that you would like to solve? 00:20:39.440 --> 00:20:41.359 Let's talk about transit, for example, right? 00:20:41.440 --> 00:20:43.440 If transit is going to be that issue that you're 00:20:43.440 --> 00:20:45.180 trying to solve, you need to understand what 00:20:45.180 --> 00:20:47.019 is happening, what are the problems, who else 00:20:47.019 --> 00:20:50.279 is in the market so that you can come and add 00:20:50.279 --> 00:20:53.099 value. Then number two is how are you going to 00:20:53.099 --> 00:20:55.539 add value, right? What is that product that you're 00:20:55.539 --> 00:20:58.680 going to give to the world? And the third one, 00:20:58.700 --> 00:21:00.819 they precisely say, it depends on what you want 00:21:00.819 --> 00:21:06.019 as an entrepreneur. Because nonprofits or 501c3s, 00:21:06.019 --> 00:21:08.619 in the end, donations become a revenue stream, 00:21:08.720 --> 00:21:10.980 right? So you need to be very clear about... 00:21:11.240 --> 00:21:14.180 The world needs what you're going to do and who's 00:21:14.180 --> 00:21:17.119 willing to pay for it. It could be foundations. 00:21:17.259 --> 00:21:19.900 It could be individual donors. It could be potential 00:21:19.900 --> 00:21:23.420 clients of yours. So yes, the passion and yes, 00:21:23.440 --> 00:21:25.920 the heart to solve the world and what is the 00:21:25.920 --> 00:21:28.220 business strategy to make sure that whatever 00:21:28.220 --> 00:21:30.859 you're offering is going to be sustainable over 00:21:30.859 --> 00:21:38.819 time. Yeah, absolutely. Here in Miami, I mean, 00:21:38.819 --> 00:21:42.440 what are some of the... major challenges that 00:21:42.440 --> 00:21:45.559 you guys are seeing um that need to be addressed 00:21:45.559 --> 00:21:49.460 yeah so i think there are some societal issues 00:21:49.460 --> 00:21:53.579 that that we are passionate about i won't say 00:21:53.579 --> 00:21:59.680 concerned um and then I'll zoom in into how we 00:21:59.680 --> 00:22:02.619 think we can or should solve it in this sector. 00:22:03.440 --> 00:22:06.440 So this won't be any surprise to anybody, right? 00:22:06.480 --> 00:22:09.960 It's year 2025, and housing affordability is 00:22:09.960 --> 00:22:12.759 one of those issues. And to me, affordability 00:22:12.759 --> 00:22:14.980 doesn't necessarily have to do only with the 00:22:14.980 --> 00:22:18.839 money, but involve... accessibility and quality 00:22:18.839 --> 00:22:22.839 of life um so to me is is housing and what's 00:22:22.839 --> 00:22:25.039 around you right can you walk places can you 00:22:25.039 --> 00:22:27.440 have access to good food so i guess it's housing 00:22:27.440 --> 00:22:29.920 and urbanism that that is something that we're 00:22:29.920 --> 00:22:34.160 paying attention to um and that is very tied 00:22:34.160 --> 00:22:37.559 to anything climate right the amount of waste 00:22:37.559 --> 00:22:41.779 that we're generating um how the heat is increasing 00:22:41.779 --> 00:22:46.230 um so there's there's a full array of environmental 00:22:46.230 --> 00:22:49.210 issues that we can address, including transit, 00:22:49.390 --> 00:22:53.910 right, and how that can help. And number three, 00:22:54.009 --> 00:23:01.029 I think the beautiful use of technology is alienating 00:23:01.029 --> 00:23:05.950 us so much as a community that I don't think 00:23:05.950 --> 00:23:09.029 we are aware of the consequences it could have 00:23:09.029 --> 00:23:11.369 later. And I'm not saying don't use technology 00:23:11.369 --> 00:23:14.730 and just focus on people, but it's... It's the 00:23:14.730 --> 00:23:17.910 emotions and the addictions and how our brains 00:23:17.910 --> 00:23:21.289 are physically changing because of the use of 00:23:21.289 --> 00:23:25.609 technology that are against human nature. So 00:23:25.609 --> 00:23:29.430 touch, seeing each other, hugging each other, 00:23:29.490 --> 00:23:32.150 right? There's elements that our bodies are wired 00:23:32.150 --> 00:23:38.369 to have, to do and to indulge in that are a few 00:23:38.369 --> 00:23:43.349 things that are... We are passionate about. So 00:23:43.349 --> 00:23:47.089 what can we do about it? Our approach is that 00:23:47.089 --> 00:23:51.930 we need to think more strategically and smartly 00:23:51.930 --> 00:23:55.569 as an ecosystem. Right. So as a result of the 00:23:55.569 --> 00:23:57.309 work that we've been doing in the last eight 00:23:57.309 --> 00:24:00.950 years, not only radical partners, but. FIU and 00:24:00.950 --> 00:24:03.289 Miami Dade College and all these other folks 00:24:03.289 --> 00:24:05.329 around social entrepreneurship. I personally 00:24:05.329 --> 00:24:08.190 think that now we have too much and we have too 00:24:08.190 --> 00:24:10.730 many entrepreneurs and we have too many organizations 00:24:10.730 --> 00:24:14.509 that are scattered all over the place. And that 00:24:14.509 --> 00:24:16.490 might not be the best approach to solve these 00:24:16.490 --> 00:24:19.769 issues. So up next, we're going to be focusing 00:24:19.769 --> 00:24:22.950 a lot on consolidation, right? And how can we... 00:24:23.609 --> 00:24:27.549 share services or share spaces, start merging 00:24:27.549 --> 00:24:31.049 some of these organizations and be passionate 00:24:31.049 --> 00:24:33.509 about the issue and not necessarily just growing 00:24:33.509 --> 00:24:35.970 our venture. Right, right, right. Oh, that's 00:24:35.970 --> 00:24:40.730 a very, that's a very important point. So, I 00:24:40.730 --> 00:24:42.789 mean, I know you're, so you're working sort of 00:24:42.789 --> 00:24:48.740 locally. What about... One of the big challenges 00:24:48.740 --> 00:24:50.339 that we see in the United States is polarization, 00:24:50.799 --> 00:24:52.759 so political polarization, ideological polarization. 00:24:53.779 --> 00:24:56.380 What do you see as some possible ways to deal 00:24:56.380 --> 00:24:59.599 with that? So the good news is that there are 00:24:59.599 --> 00:25:01.400 several organizations, especially in the United 00:25:01.400 --> 00:25:05.839 States, dedicated to foster dialogue. Some are 00:25:05.839 --> 00:25:09.220 political, some are religious, some are just 00:25:09.220 --> 00:25:14.750 to bring community together. The Weavers, for 00:25:14.750 --> 00:25:17.829 example, from Aspen Institute. And there's a 00:25:17.829 --> 00:25:19.930 few other initiatives from Berkeley University, 00:25:20.190 --> 00:25:21.849 etc. So you can look them up, like connection 00:25:21.849 --> 00:25:25.269 initiatives around the US. And you'll find beautiful 00:25:25.269 --> 00:25:27.190 free opportunities and beautiful videos that 00:25:27.190 --> 00:25:31.910 you can watch. What I see, though, is that we 00:25:31.910 --> 00:25:34.089 have that opportunity, but it's a very intellectual 00:25:34.089 --> 00:25:38.269 conversation. So you and I are very tapped into 00:25:38.269 --> 00:25:40.470 this because there are colleagues, there are 00:25:40.470 --> 00:25:43.240 peers, and we're interested in the topic. But 00:25:43.240 --> 00:25:46.339 the ones who are more polarizing, they're not 00:25:46.339 --> 00:25:48.680 going to look this up. Like, how can I get closer 00:25:48.680 --> 00:25:53.579 to this group? So I truly think that there's 00:25:53.579 --> 00:25:57.640 an opportunity in leveraging food and music and 00:25:57.640 --> 00:26:02.480 parks or transportation to bring people together 00:26:02.480 --> 00:26:07.650 without being so nerdy about it. So if you are 00:26:07.650 --> 00:26:10.069 exposed to people who look differently from you, 00:26:10.109 --> 00:26:14.609 if you are exposed to smart and kind humans who 00:26:14.609 --> 00:26:16.829 are representative of groups that you didn't 00:26:16.829 --> 00:26:19.990 think, I think that's where the real connection 00:26:19.990 --> 00:26:23.970 happens. So we need to be... a little sneaky 00:26:23.970 --> 00:26:28.430 in our strategy to make sure that we bring people 00:26:28.430 --> 00:26:31.630 together. Because I like to think that the majority 00:26:31.630 --> 00:26:34.849 of us are good people. It's just that evil people 00:26:34.849 --> 00:26:40.269 are louder than us. So if the majority of us 00:26:40.269 --> 00:26:44.130 get louder and get more strategic and make kindness 00:26:44.130 --> 00:26:51.190 and niceness contagious, we will win. And that 00:26:51.190 --> 00:26:54.490 requires... a lot of work and a lot of courage 00:26:54.490 --> 00:27:02.410 for you to be nice and kind even when we are 00:27:02.410 --> 00:27:09.549 angry and disappointed at certain people. Getting 00:27:09.549 --> 00:27:15.769 back again to Guatemala, how did people work 00:27:15.769 --> 00:27:19.009 through the reconciliation process after the 00:27:19.009 --> 00:27:23.349 violence? How are they still working through 00:27:23.349 --> 00:27:31.109 it? So there was a signature or there was a peace 00:27:31.109 --> 00:27:33.769 accord, right, in the 90s. So that was kind of 00:27:33.769 --> 00:27:38.289 like the official moment where the military and 00:27:38.289 --> 00:27:43.849 the guerrillas came to sign peace. But I would 00:27:43.849 --> 00:27:48.750 say it took 20, 30 years for that to... to become 00:27:48.750 --> 00:27:52.490 somewhat of a reality. But I think we're still 00:27:52.490 --> 00:27:55.230 dealing with the consequences of fear and silence 00:27:55.230 --> 00:27:58.950 of people that either portrayed war crimes or 00:27:58.950 --> 00:28:03.690 were affected by war crimes. And because of globalization 00:28:03.690 --> 00:28:05.970 in every single aspect, right, and the access 00:28:05.970 --> 00:28:08.390 to technology and people moving from one city 00:28:08.390 --> 00:28:10.349 to the other, I think we're starting to finally 00:28:10.349 --> 00:28:15.789 see that there's a more diverse society. I don't 00:28:15.789 --> 00:28:22.450 think we have succeeded at really being integrated 00:28:22.450 --> 00:28:26.089 as a society where you still see what careers 00:28:26.089 --> 00:28:28.369 or what professional endeavors belong to certain 00:28:28.369 --> 00:28:32.470 groups and what others do not. And there's still 00:28:32.470 --> 00:28:37.910 a lot of stereotypes that are lived. The progress 00:28:37.910 --> 00:28:40.910 is that maybe people don't say them that much, 00:28:40.970 --> 00:28:43.930 right? Like there's not a lot of racial. slurs 00:28:43.930 --> 00:28:46.609 or verbal discrimination anymore because it's 00:28:46.609 --> 00:28:51.569 not good to do that. But I think we still need 00:28:51.569 --> 00:28:53.890 to do some work around what's here and what your 00:28:53.890 --> 00:28:56.690 real belief is so that we can elect more indigenous 00:28:56.690 --> 00:29:01.430 groups so that we can, in my case, respect and 00:29:01.430 --> 00:29:04.970 admire the military a little bit more. And that 00:29:04.970 --> 00:29:08.430 only happens with real dialogue and with time. 00:29:10.940 --> 00:29:13.519 So I think we're coming towards the end of our 00:29:13.519 --> 00:29:19.140 time. What is a life lesson that you've learned 00:29:19.140 --> 00:29:25.160 that you would like to share with students? There 00:29:25.160 --> 00:29:32.119 is a common saying that is not mine, that we 00:29:32.119 --> 00:29:35.960 have two ears and one mouth for a reason. So 00:29:35.960 --> 00:29:39.059 I think the world needs you to be more curious. 00:29:39.720 --> 00:29:47.000 and to learn more before you do. So for those 00:29:47.000 --> 00:29:48.980 who are doers, I would say do a little bit more 00:29:48.980 --> 00:29:50.740 listening. And for those of you who spend too 00:29:50.740 --> 00:29:53.059 much time listening and reflecting, don't be 00:29:53.059 --> 00:29:58.839 afraid of doing. So I guess the lesson is, the 00:29:58.839 --> 00:30:01.740 power is precisely in that interaction of me 00:30:01.740 --> 00:30:03.799 listening to you, you listening to me, and what 00:30:03.799 --> 00:30:08.619 we build together. I think it's this bridge that... 00:30:08.809 --> 00:30:12.269 that we need. And I hope you all get to be bridge 00:30:12.269 --> 00:30:14.609 builders. All right. Well, thank you so much, 00:30:14.670 --> 00:30:17.069 Joanne. This is wonderful. Thank you, Iqbal. 00:30:17.170 --> 00:30:20.470 Yeah, this is great. I'm glad we were able to 00:30:20.470 --> 00:30:20.829 do this.