Today is the Day Changemakers

Send us Fan MailThe spotlight is on, the red carpet is rolled out, and midlife women are taking center stage. In this special episode of the Today Is the Day Changemakers Podcast, I reconnect with my friend Kim Keating, futurist, speaker, and Founder & CEO of The Fifty Factor – Midlife Reimagined. Together we share the heart behind Midlife Women: It’s Your Opening Night!, an unforgettable evening we’re co-hosting to celebrate women who are stepping boldly into their creative passions in film, TV, music, publishing, and podcasting. The event is coming up on Monday, November 16th at the historic Cranford Theater in Cranford, NJ, so get your tickets at https://www.50-factor.com/events-1 and be part of the experience!This is more than an event. It’s a celebration of every woman who ever set aside acting, writing, singing, or a dream she held close to raise a family or build a career, and who now has the wisdom, confidence, and freedom to bring it to life. Kim shares how her own restlessness at 50 led her to create The Fifty Factor, a community where midlife women can stop going it alone and start lifting each other up. As a leadership and growth strategist, the author of the award-winning book Today Is the Day. Live It!, which shares the stories of 31 changemakers who stepped beyond their comfort zones, and the founder of a nonprofit for the arts, I share why this mission is so close to my heart. I’ve seen how many of us put our creative dreams on the shelf, and I love helping people reconnect with the creativity that has been calling them all along.The 100-year-old Cranford Theater is the perfect stage for the night. With New Jersey now known as “Hollywood East,” the evening shines a light on the creative opportunities waiting right in our own backyard. Most of all, it’s about the connection that happens when women gather and realize, “Me too. I’m ready, too.” As Kim puts it, the goal is for every woman to walk away with a willingness to try, and maybe a tribe of women to take the next step with.In this episode, you’ll learn:What midlife really means for women, and why it’s the perfect time to embrace your creativityHow to move past self-doubt and age bias to pursue what you loveWhy so many women over 50 are writing books, screenplays, music, and comedyHow New Jersey’s booming film and TV industry is opening new doorsInspiring stories of women who took a leap of faith in midlifeFeatured presenters and panelists at Opening Night include:Mayor Janice Kovach, Commissioner, New Jersey Motion Picture & Television Commission (Keynote)Diane Raver, Executive Director, New Jersey Film Academy, and Founder, Garden State Film Festival (Welcome Address)Kim Berrios Lin, award-winning actor and producerDesireè Hadley, Director, Newark Office of Film and TVVeronica Kautz, publisher of City Lifestyle and actor, who studied acting with Jason AlexanderAnne Wallman, who picked up the bass guitar in her 50s and now plays in a cover bandMonique Latise, comedian and winner of Sherri Shepherd’s Funny Over 50Doreen Sayegh, owner of The Cranford TheaterEvent Chair Marcella Gencarelli, The Women in Business Group, Gateway Chamber of CommerceEVENT DETAILS 📅 Monday, November 16, 2026 | 5:30–8:30 PM 📍 The Cranford Theater, 25 North Avenue West, Cranford, NJ 07016 🎟️ Tickets: $100 | RSVP by November 12 at https://www.50-factor.com/events-1 ✨ Red carpet walk, paparazzi photos, headline comedy, swag bags, networking, hors d’oeuvres, sweet treats, and popcornBring a friend, bring your questions for the panel, and come ready to celebrate you. Your opening night is here, and I can’t wait to see you on the red carpet!🤝 Become a sponsor: Have a product or service for midlife women? Reach this engaged, often overlooked audience as an Opening Night partner. Email [email protected] or [email protected] with Kim Keating & The Fifty Factor: 🌐 https://www.50-factor.com 📧 [email protected] Find Kim on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.Connect with me, Jodi Hope Grinwald: Leadership & Growth Strategist | Award-Winning Author | Speaker | Podcast Host 🎤 Book me to speak at your next event! I’d love to bring an inspiring, action-driven message on leadership, growth, connection, and taking the leap to your organization, conference, or team. Email [email protected] to start the conversation. 📖 Get my book, Today Is the Day. Live It! [add your book link here] 📧 [email protected] Follow @TodayIsTheDayLiveIt on Facebook and Instagram, and subscribe to the Today Is the Day Changemakers Podcast.Support the show

Send us Fan MailThis week on the Today is the Day Changemakers Podcast, Jodi interviews Ali Knight.What does it take to move 35 million Americans out of poverty? Ali Knight, CEO of GreenLight Fund, says it starts with building an “infrastructure for opportunity.”Ali was born in Harlem and raised in Brooklyn as one of eight kids. He grew up poor, spent time in foster care, and relied on public systems and mentors who saw his potential before he did. Theater and dance helped him find his voice, and that path led him to the Vera Institute of Justice, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Fresh Lifelines for Youth, and now the helm of GreenLight Fund. GreenLight is a national venture philanthropy nonprofit that brings proven, high-impact nonprofits to the cities that need them most.In this episode of the Today’s the Day Changemakers podcast, host Jodi Hope Grinwald and Ali talk about:Why vulnerability is one of the most important leadership qualitiesHow the arts build confidence in kids growing up in povertyPractical advice for finding mentors and building social capital when your network is smallGreenLight Fund’s four pillars of prosperity: stability, financial resilience, educational access, and meaningful employmentHow Compass Working Capital helps families in public housing build savings, and how HomeStart helps prevent evictionWhy ending intergenerational poverty takes government, nonprofits, business, and community working together across political and economic cyclesGreenLight’s plan to reach 20 cities and 3 to 5 million people a yearThe advice Ali would give his younger self about blending confidence with humilityWhether you’re a nonprofit leader, a social impact professional, or someone who’s still searching for the person who’ll open the door, this conversation is a reminder that lived experience is proof of what’s possible, and a qualification to lead the change.Connect with Ali Knight and GreenLight Fund Website: greenlightfund.org LinkedIn: GreenLight FundConnect with Jodi Hope Grinwald Email: [email protected] Facebook & Instagram: @TodayIsTheDayLiveItToday is the day. You cannot go back to yesterday, and you do not yet own tomorrow. What step will you take today to get closer to your goals?Support the show

Send us Fan MailA New Heart. A Life Still Unfolding. | Bob Goodman on Resilience, Purpose & PossibilityWhat happens when a healthcare leader who helped build transplant programs becomes the person who needs a transplant?This week on the Today is the Day Changemakers Podcast, host Jodi Hope Grinwald welcomes Robert “Bob” Goodman, a former hospital CEO, healthcare consultant, heart transplant recipient, and patient advocate whose story brings new meaning to moving forward.A high school guidance counselor once told Bob he should not apply to college. He went on to earn an MBA and become a hospital CEO at just 35. Years later, a diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis would lead him through heart failure, repeated hospitalizations, and ultimately a heart transplant.Bob shares the moment he learned a donor heart had been found—and the unexpected moment months later when the full weight of what he had survived finally hit him.With humor, honesty, and gratitude, he opens up about rebuilding his strength, learning to walk again, and eventually completing three half marathons and seven 10-mile races after his transplant. He also shares how his wife, Patty, their daughter, friends, and medical team helped carry him through.In this conversation, we explore:• Why being yourself can change your career and your connections.• How discipline, patience, and support helped Bob through uncertainty and recovery.• The role of humor and family during frightening moments.• Why he writes to his donor’s family every year.• How his experience inspired advocacy through the American Heart Association, transplant organizations, and patient advisory work.• What it means to have more life to live—and people you want to be here for.Bob’s story invites us to consider our own possibilities, the people who help us keep going, and the steps we can take today.Connect with Your Host & Work with JodiJodi Hope Grinwald is a Leadership, Growth & Connection Strategist, Corporate Trainer, Speaker, Certified Professional Coach, and Workforce Development Instructor. Through Today is the Day LLC, she works with individuals, businesses, and nonprofit organizations to strengthen leadership, improve communication, navigate change, and build meaningful connections.Bring Jodi to your organization for corporate training, interactive workshops, speaking engagements, leadership and team development, or board retreats. Individual coaching and strategy sessions support personal growth, career transitions, and moving goals into action.Topics include emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, time management and priorities, communication, team building, and her signature work, Connection Is the Work™.Explore working with Jodi, inquire about speaking or training, and discover more episodes: [email protected]. Read the Book: LIVE IT! — Edge of Comfort to Center of ImpactJodi and 30 other contributing authors share personal stories about the decisions and moments that moved them beyond their comfort zones and toward meaningful impact. Discover the book through Jodi’s website—and consider what your own next step could be.Stay ConnectedFollow Today is the Day Live It on Facebook and Instagram, and subscribe to Today is the Day Changemakers on YouTube.Follow the podcast on your favorite listening platform, leave a rating and review, and share this conversation with someone who could use a little hope today. Every follow, like, comment, and share helps these stories reach more people.Today is the day. You cannot go back to yesterday, and you do not yet own tomorrow. What small or large step will you take today to get closer to your goal?#TodayIsTheDayChangemakers #BobGoodman #HeartTransplant #Resilience #OrganDonation #PatientAdvocacy #Leadership #ConnectionIsTheWork #JodiHopeGrinwald #LIVEITSupport the show

Send us Fan MailStuck in traffic, spilled coffee on your shirt, or dealing with something much bigger? Mental toughness coach Chris Dorris says the problem isn’t what happened. It’s the story we tell ourselves about it.In this episode of the Today’s the Day Changemakers podcast, Jodi Grinwald sits down with Chris Dorris, a former Atlantic City social worker turned mental toughness coach. He has worked with elite athletes, Fortune 500 sales teams, and leaders around the world. Chris shares the one tool he’d teach if he could only teach one thing, explains why changing your mindset isn’t about faking happiness, and tells how two simple questions launched his career with one of the top college golf programs in the country.What You’ll LearnWhy Chris decides every morning that it’s going to be “the best damn day of my life,” and why that’s a discipline, not wishful thinkingCatch, Own, Replace: a simple 3-step tool to stop negative thinkingThe “O-Line”: the three ways we interpret everything that happens to usWhy pain is inevitable but suffering is optionalThe two questions that can open doors you never thought you could walk throughHow small daily “reps” with little annoyances build the mental strength to handle life’s big challengesWhy a shattered leg in Sea Isle turned out to be “the best damn thing that could have happened”How leaders can bring mental toughness training to their teamsMemorable Quotes“Create the state, don’t wait.”“This sucks... unless it doesn’t.”“Ain’t bad, just is.” (Chris calls it the Jersey version of Hamlet)“Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.”“How quickly are you willing to get to creation during circumstances where you’re not getting what you want?” (Chris quoting Steve Chandler)Free Gift for Our ListenersGet Chris’s Emotional Mastery 101 Bundle: christopherdorris.com/jodiLearn More About Chris DorrisWebsite: christopherdorris.comDaily Dose: Mental Toughness Tips in 30 Seconds or Less (free daily email): christopherdorris.com/ddBooks on Amazon: Leadership Unlocked: 11 Mental Toughness Disciplines to Get the Best Out of Your People and The Book of Mental Toughness MantrasAlso MentionedLoving What Is by Byron KatieSteve Chandler and Jason Goldberg, coaches and friends of the showAbout Chris DorrisChris Dorris is a mental toughness coach who helps people close the gap between how their lives are and how they want them to be. He began his career as a social worker in Atlantic City and went on to coach elite athletes, including 10 years with Arizona State University’s men’s golf program. Today he coaches top sales teams and leaders at companies including Salesforce, ServiceNow, Genesys, and Wolters Kluwer.Connect With Today’s the Day ChangemakersFollow us on Facebook and Instagram: @todayisthedayliveit Subscribe to the Today’s the Day Changemakers YouTube channel so you never miss an episode.Get Jodi’s BookToday Is the Day. LIVE IT! Edge of Comfort to Center of Impact brings together 31 changemakers from California to Uganda who share what became possible when they stepped beyond their comfort zones.Available in hardcover, softcover, and eBook on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, and wherever books are sold.Help Keep This Podcast GoingToday’s the Day Changemakers is listened to in more than 143 countries and territories, and we’d love your help keeping these conversations going. Support the show with a donation, and we’ll thank you by name on the next episode - email [email protected] to learn more.Today is the day. You cannot go back to yesterday, and you do not yet own tomorrow. What step will you take today to get closer to your goals?#MentalToughness #MindsetShift #ChrisDorris #PositiveMindset #Leadership #TodayIsTheDayChangemakers #TodayIsTheDayLiveIt Support the show

Send us Fan MailWhat does it take to build a life of peace when you grew up believing fear was normal?In recognition of October’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month, I’m bringing you two special episodes of the Today is the Day Changemakers Podcast this week. Following my conversation with Liz Graham of 180 Turning Lives Around, I welcome author and domestic violence advocate Kathleen Albertson for an honest conversation about survival, healing, and breaking the cycle.Kathleen’s book, Beautifully Broken, shares her journey through abuse, loss, and hardship, and the work it took to reclaim her voice and recognize her own worth.Growing up in Northeast Philadelphia in a home affected by alcoholism and abuse, Kathleen believed that what she experienced was normal. As a teenager struggling with severe anxiety, a therapist named Jean became the first person to help her understand that she was not the problem. Kathleen shares why hearing that validation mattered—and why it took years to truly believe it.She speaks openly about the abusive relationship she experienced as a young woman, including control, isolation, physical violence, and the gifts that followed the abuse. She also explains the meaning behind the burning red rose on her book’s cover.Our conversation explores why leaving an abusive relationship can be complicated. Kathleen describes the emotional ties, financial concerns, and worries about her child that shaped her experience. She asks listeners to approach survivors with patience and compassion, recognizing that we cannot understand someone’s circumstances simply by looking from the outside.We also talk about rebuilding. After leaving high school at 16, Kathleen returned to night school, earned her diploma, and went to college while raising four children. Today, she is an author, advocate, mother, and grandmother who describes herself as being at peace—and proud of the life she has worked to build.In this episode, we discuss:• The importance of validation and having someone who listens.• Control, jealousy, and the cycle of abuse.• Why leaving and healing are rarely simple.• Supporting survivors without blame or judgment.• Returning to education and rebuilding confidence.• Teaching children about healthy relationships and boundaries.• How advocacy and writing helped Kathleen share her story and support others.Kathleen’s story is a reminder that healing takes time, support matters, and another chapter is possible.Connect with Kathleen through her Facebook book page, Kathleen Albertson Beautifully Broken, and explore her book, Beautifully Broken. (4) FacebookAbout your hostJodi Hope Grinwald is a Leadership, Growth & Connection Strategist, corporate trainer, speaker, and founder of Today is the Day LLC. Through coaching, consulting, corporate training, and workforce development instruction, she helps individuals and organizations strengthen communication, build trust, develop leadership skills, and create opportunities for growth.Her training includes emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, time management, team building, customer service, and professional communication, with an emphasis on practical skills participants can apply in their work and lives.Jodi is also the author and curator of LIVE IT! — Edge of Comfort to Center of Impact, featuring 31 voices sharing experiences and perspectives on moving beyond comfort toward meaningful impact.Learn more about the book, speaking engagements, coaching, and training at https://todayisthedayliveit.com.Stay connectedFollow Facebook and Instagram @todayisthedayliveit.Subscribe to Today is the Day Changemakers on YouTube and your favorite podcast platform.If this episode resonates with you, please follow the podcast, leave a rating or review, and share the conversation with someone who could benefit. Your support helps these stories reach more people.Today is the day. You cannot go back to yesterday, and you do not yet own tomorrow. What small or large step will you take today to get closer to your goals?Support the show

Send us Fan MailAt 19, Liz Graham turned to 180 Turning Lives Around for help. Today, she leads the very organization that supported her when she needed it most.In recognition of October’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month, this episode of the Today is the Day Changemakers Podcast features a deeply personal conversation with Liz Graham, Chief Executive Officer of 180 Turning Lives Around.Liz shares what it was like to walk into a courthouse alone seeking a restraining order, afraid to tell her loving family what had happened. An advocate from 180 encouraged her to reach out to them so she wouldn’t have to face the experience alone. That moment helped shape her desire to make sure others could find support, too.We explore the realities of domestic violence, including experiences that can remain hidden behind a successful career, a seemingly happy family, or a confident public presence. Our conversation addresses emotional and psychological abuse, financial control, isolation from friends and family, and the ways fear and shame can make it difficult to ask for help.Liz explains why “Why don’t they just leave?” overlooks the circumstances survivors face, and why listening without judgment, respecting someone’s pace, and helping them access support matters. We also discuss safety planning and how friends and family can seek guidance on supporting someone they care about.I share parts of my own experience as a survivor, including the disconnect between appearing put together publicly and feeling afraid privately. Together, we talk about the importance of being believed—and how speaking openly can help someone else feel less alone.Liz also shares how her experience informs her leadership. Through 180’s safe housing, counseling, 24-hour hotlines, youth programs, and other services, the organization supports survivors as they consider their next steps. We discuss the thoughtful design of its 45-bed safe house, including accommodations for survivors with their children and pets, and the importance of teaching young people about boundaries, consent, and healthy relationships.This episode is for survivors, people who care about them, and anyone who wants to better understand how to offer meaningful support.Learn more about 180 Turning Lives Around at https://180nj.org. The domestic violence hotline shared in this episode is 732-264-4111.The Today is the Day Changemakers Podcast brings you conversations with changemakers, inspirers, and people disrupting the status quo in the best way possible. Hosted by Jodi Hope Grinwald, the podcast explores the experiences, decisions, and connections that shape lives and create impact.For more stories of courage, growth, and stepping beyond what feels familiar, explore my book, LIVE IT! — Edge of Comfort to Center of Impact, featuring 31 voices sharing their experiences and perspectives. Visit https://todayisthedayliveit.com to learn more about the book, the podcast, and my coaching, speaking, and consulting work.Follow Today is the Day Live It on Facebook and Instagram @todayisthedayliveit, and subscribe to Today is the Day Changemakers on YouTube and your favorite podcast platform.If this conversation resonates with you, please like, leave a comment or review, and share it with someone who could benefit. Your support helps these conversations reach more people.Today is the day. You cannot go back to yesterday, and you do not yet own tomorrow. What small or large step will you take today to get closer to your goals?#domesticviolenceawarenessmonth #domesticviolencesurvivor #dvam #Todayistheday #changemakers #speakout Support the show

Send us Fan MailWhat do you do when you’ve spent your life building businesses—and suddenly, you’re told you may have only weeks to live?In this episode of the Today is the Day Changemakers podcast, host Jodi Hope Grinwald welcomes entrepreneurs and Smilo Foundation co-founders Mike and Bethany Smilovich for a deeply personal conversation about cancer, advocacy, partnership, and finding hope when the future feels uncertain.Mike’s business experience spans healthcare, wellness, and consumer brands, including European Wax Center franchise locations, VIO Med Spa, and Bang Cookies. But a stage 4 melanoma diagnosis brought an entirely different challenge into his and Bethany’s lives as parents of two young children.Mike was also diagnosed with leptomeningeal disease, which they describe as cancer spreading into his cerebrospinal fluid—the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. During the interview, they recount being told that the average lifespan associated with his prognosis was eight weeks.Bethany stepped into the role of caregiver and advocate, researching treatment options, seeking additional opinions, and connecting with doctors and scientists. Together, they describe navigating major medical institutions, gathering information, and bringing what they learned back to Mike’s care team.Their search eventually took them to Germany for T-cell therapy. Mike and Bethany share their experience with that treatment, the results they reported at the time of our conversation, and the questions they continued to explore.Throughout their journey, hope gave them motivation to take the next step. Hearing stories of people who had survived difficult diagnoses helped them believe other possibilities existed—and encouraged them to keep reaching out, learning, and asking questions.Their experience also revealed how difficult it can be to find relevant treatment information, even with resources, business experience, and an extensive network. That realization helped inspire the Smilo Foundation.Through the foundation, Mike and Bethany are working to connect patients and caregivers with information about cancer research, treatment options, and advocacy resources. They also discuss their plans for Smilo Compass, a tool intended to help patients identify potential treatment options to discuss with their doctors, with expert human review included in the process.This conversation explores the connections between entrepreneurship and advocacy, the emotional realities of caregiving, raising young children through uncertainty, and creating a mission to help others from a life-changing personal experience.Learn more about the Smilo Foundation, its mission, and opportunities to support its work:smilofoundation.orgFollow the foundation on Instagram: @thesmilofoundationPlease share this episode with someone who would value hearing Mike and Bethany’s story. Their discussion reflects their personal experience; treatment decisions should be made with your medical care team.ABOUT TODAY IS THE DAYThe Today is the Day Changemakers podcast features conversations with changemakers, inspirers, and people disrupting the status quo in the best way possible. With more than 200 episodes and downloads in 143 countries and territories and over 1,400 cities, the podcast brings together voices whose experiences encourage us to think differently, connect more deeply, and take action.Host Jodi Hope Grinwald is the founder of Today is the Day LLC and creator of Connection Is the Work™. Through coaching, consulting, speaking, and training, she helps leaders, teams, and organizations strengthen connection and create sustainable growth.EXPLORE LIVE IT!Jodi’s book, LIVE IT! — Edge of Comfort to Center of Impact, brings together 31 voices sharing experiences and perspectives on moving beyond comfort and creating impact. Learn more about the book and Jodi’s work at todayisthedayliveit.com.STAY CONNECTEDSubscribe to Today is the Day Changemakers on YouTube and follow the podcast on your favorite listening platform.Follow Jodi on Facebook and Instagram: @todayisthedayliveitFacebook: facebook.com/todayisthedayliveitInstagram: instagram.com/todayisthedayliveitWebsite: todayisthedayliveit.comToday is the day. You cannot go back to yesterday, and you do not yet own tomorrow. What small or large step will you take today to get closer to your goal?#entrepreneur #cancersurvivor #melanoma #BangCookies #wellness #medspa #nonprofit #cure #changemakers #todayisthedaySupport the show

Send us Fan MailThis is such an incredible Today is the Day Changemakers episode! You won't want to miss this conversation...What does a career spent covering everything from Hollywood’s biggest nights to some of the country’s most difficult breaking news stories teach you about people?Bill Cunningham is an independent, award-winning producer of thousands of stories and live shots in 12 countries, broadcast on network, cable and syndicated television in North America and Britain with viewing audiences in the millions.Based in Los Angeles, Bill brings decades of experience collaborating with television anchors, correspondents, celebrity contributors, producers, directors, writers, bookers, photographers, editors and engineers around the world.For 21 years, Bill produced stories for Good Morning America. His career has taken him backstage at the Grammys and Oscars, inside the Vatican, to George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch and into coverage of the O.J. Simpson trials. His behind-the-scenes work has also included Dancing with the Stars, Comic-Con International, Pixar Animation Studios and so much more.Bill's story goes far beyond his impressive credits.Bill shares what it took to get a story on the air under intense pressure, the career mistakes he still remembers, lessons learned from decades in television, and why kindness, curiosity and staying connected truly matter.One of the most powerful moments in our conversation comes when Bill shares how staying connected helped change the trajectory of his career. After moving to Los Angeles without a job lined up, he reached out to a former television executive he had intentionally stayed in touch with over the years. That connection ultimately helped open the door to ABC and what became a 21-year career with Good Morning America.That moment speaks directly to something I believe deeply: Connection Is the Work™. We never really know where one genuine relationship, one note, one conversation or one act of kindness may lead.There is also a very personal connection woven into this episode.My special co-host, Fred C. Wasiak, M.S., CPC, has known Bill for more than 40 years — but you’ll have to listen to find out exactly how they know each other.Even after all those years, Fred heard stories from Bill during this conversation that he had never heard before.I first met Bill at our Los Angeles LIVE IT! Book Launch, and I am so grateful that he took the time to share not only stories from an extraordinary career, but also the personal lessons that came with them.And toward the end of our conversation, Bill leaves us with another simple but powerful thought:“And to be curious about other people. That can be a gift.” — Bill CunninghamThe Today is the Day Changemakers Podcast features conversations with people who are making a difference in their corner of the world and beyond.With more than 200 episodes and listeners in 143 countries and territories, the podcast brings together leaders, entrepreneurs, nonprofit changemakers, authors, creatives, educators and people using their experiences to create meaningful impact.Because Connection Is the Work™.Subscribe and follow so you don’t miss an episode.YouTube: Today is the Day Changemakers Facebook & Instagram: Today is the Day Live It Website: todayisthedayliveit.comRead Today is the Day. LIVE IT! — Edge of Comfort to Center of ImpactLIVE IT! brings together 31 powerful voices sharing personal stories about moving beyond comfort, making courageous choices and creating impact.And coming Spring 2027:Today is the Day. OWN IT!A new collection of voices exploring what happens when we take ownership of our choices, our direction and the life we are creating.Your life. Your choices. Your call.Learn more about the books, upcoming events, speaking, coaching and the Today is the Day community at todayisthedayliveit.com.If this conversation resonates with you, please subscribe, follow, share the episode and send it to someone who needs to hear it.Every share creates another opportunity for connection.#TodayIsTheDayChangemakers #BillCunningham #GoodMorningAmerica #Storytelling #TelevisionProducer #ConnectionIsTheWork #Changemakers #LIVEIT #OWNIT #CareerLessons #PodcastSupport the show

Send us Fan MailWhat becomes possible when you listen to those who believe in you—and allow their belief to help shape your journey as you grow into the leader you are meant to become?In this episode of the Today is the Day Changemakers Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Patrick F. Leahy, president of Monmouth University and Chair of the Board of the Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music.Patrick shares how his professional journey began in a completely different industry before leading him into higher education. Along the way, mentors and others who believed in him helped him recognize new possibilities, take unexpected steps, and grow into the university leader he is today.You will also hear how deeply he believes in Monmouth University’s students—and in creating the access, support, and opportunities that empower them to recognize their potential and achieve more than they imagined possible.We also go behind the scenes of an extraordinary undertaking years in the making: his work with Bruce Springsteen and others to transform a bold vision into the Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music—a $50 million, 30,000-square-foot destination dedicated to preserving Bruce’s legacy while celebrating the diverse history of American music.This conversation is about more than becoming a university president or helping to bring a world-class cultural center to life. It is about the people who recognize something in us before we fully recognize it in ourselves, the relationships that open unexpected doors, and the responsibility leaders have to create opportunities for others.This is an inspiring conversation about mentorship, leadership, education, music, legacy—and what becomes possible when vision is put into motion.FOLLOW, SUBSCRIBE & SHAREFollow @todayisthedayliveit on Facebook and Instagram, and subscribe to the Today Is the Day Changemakers channel on YouTube.Please like, follow, and share this episode with someone who needs to hear its message.CONNECT WITH TODAY IS THE DAYIf you would like to be considered as a featured guest or explore partnership opportunities to promote your business, organization, or nonprofit through the Today Is the Day ecosystem, contact Jodi at:[email protected]#PatrickLeahy #MonmouthUniversity #BruceSpringsteen #BruceSpringsteenCenterForAmericanMusic #AmericanMusic #HigherEducation #UniversityLeadership #LeadershipJourney #LeadershipDevelopment #MentorshipMatters #Mentorship #Changemakers #PodcastInterview #LeadershipPodcast #TodayIsTheDayChangemakers Support the show

Send us Fan MailWhat if changing your relationship with fear could change your entire life?In this deeply honest episode of the Today Is the Day Changemakers Podcast, Jodi Hope Grinwald sits down with Liz Svatek—transformational coach, speaker, healer, author, podcast host, and Founder of the Warrior Woman Movement.Liz shares what it was like growing up in a volatile home and living in “two worlds”—the life others saw and the painful reality behind closed doors. She explains how those experiences created hypervigilance that followed her into adulthood and why writing her book, Finding Your Diamonds, allowed her to finally validate the experiences she had hidden and minimized for years.Liz also introduces the idea that changed everything for her: radical personal responsibility. This does not mean blaming yourself for what happened. It means owning the choices you make next so you can become the driver of your own life.Together, Jodi and Liz explore:• Creating boundaries within complicated family relationships• Accepting people for who they are—not who we need them to become• How healing yourself can create a ripple effect in others• Reinventing your identity when you know there is more for you• The difference between actual danger and the fear that accompanies growth• Why fear may be a green light rather than a stop sign• How one decision can completely change the trajectory of your lifeLiz works with women who feel exhausted, overwhelmed, stuck in old patterns, or as though they have been silently drowning while caring for everyone around them. Her work helps women awaken, remember who they are, reclaim their voices, and return to the expanded, powerful, and deeply alive women they were always meant to be.Liz reminds us, “You can’t really change another person, but you can be the ripple effect.” And for anyone wondering whether life holds something more, her message is clear: “If you think there is more, there is.”EVOLVE WITH LIZ—FREE LIVE CLASSJoin Liz September 14–16 for EVOLVE, a free live class designed to help you evolve your relationships, your parenting, and—most importantly—YOURSELF.Register here:https://www.lizsvatek.com/evolve-experienceBECOME LIMITLESSLiz’s LIMITLESS program is a 12-week online, deeply connective experience that can change your life. Jodi has personally participated in LIMITLESS and highly recommends it to any woman who is ready to grow, heal, break free from old patterns, and discover what is possible in her next chapter. It was a gamechanger for Jodi and can be for you as well. As Liz says, “All it takes is 12 weeks to change your life, your legacy, and the woman staring back in the mirror.”Learn more at Warrior Women Inc.:https://www.lizsvatek.com/Liz’s book, Finding Your Diamonds, is available now on Amazon. She is also the host of The Liz Svatek Show and will be a featured author in the upcoming collaborative book that Jodi is curating titled, Today Is the Day. OWN IT!, coming in late spring 2027.This is not only Liz’s story. It may be the beginning of yours.FOLLOW, SUBSCRIBE & SHAREFollow @todayisthedayliveit on Facebook and Instagram, and subscribe to the Today Is the Day Changemakers channel on YouTube.Please like, follow, and share this episode with someone who needs to hear its message.CONNECT WITH TODAY IS THE DAYIf you would like to be considered as a featured guest or explore partnership opportunities to promote your business, organization, or nonprofit through the Today Is the Day ecosystem, contact Jodi at:[email protected]#connection#changemakers#evolve#limitless#awaken#coaching#womenleaders#leadership#womeninbusiness#TodayistheDay#changemakers#overcomingfear#trauma#familySupport the show