Gwen Jones
329 episodes listed below
Civic action, told in human scale.
Action 2 Impact Podcast with Gwen Jones is a warm, talkative interview show about people trying to make service practical. Episodes move from Red Cross history to football programs, community theater, sustainable farming, Rotary leadership, and the small human moments that make civic work feel real.
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Action 2 Impact Podcast with Gwen Jones is built around a simple but stubborn idea: service becomes meaningful when somebody turns toward the work. The show keeps that idea moving through interviews with Rotarians, civic leaders, artists, peace advocates, gardeners, and people building programs in their own communities. It is friendly, fast, and lightly irreverent. It also knows when the subject needs gravity. A conversation with Jacob Kirchner moves through Red Cross history, protected humanitarian symbols, and the cost of inaction in places where care is hard to deliver. An encore conversation with Diego Carneiro uses a child's question about whether a cello can play happy music to reach something surprisingly direct about art, sacrifice, and usefulness. The football episode treats the sport as more than a game. Soccer becomes a way to talk about joy, family, neighborhood programs, safety, self-sufficiency, and self-respect. The Rotary training episodes are more inside-baseball, but they carry the same interest in how leadership actually feels when people are nervous, funny, ambitious, and short on time. The community arts conversation with Brian Rodolfo gives theaters the weight of local gathering places, not just performance venues. The food security episode brings sustainable farming, conscious gardening, and teaching future gardeners back to soil, health, and everyday eating. Across the show, Gwen Jones often works as a translator between Rotary shorthand and the broader point a curious listener can use. She asks direct questions, admits when something may not work perfectly on audio, and lets the occasional rough edge stay in the room. That looseness is part of the appeal. Action 2 Impact Podcast is not trying to sound like a grant report or a keynote stage. It sounds like service people talking before, after, and during the work, with enough humor to keep the earnestness breathable. For listeners drawn to community action, humanitarian work, local leadership, arts access, sports programs, and food systems, it offers a steady stream of grounded civic energy.
Made for: For listeners interested in Rotary, nonprofits, local leadership, humanitarian work, community arts, food security, and practical service stories. It especially suits people who like civic optimism when it comes with specifics, personality, and a little room for mess.
What sets it apart: The show stands out by making institutional service feel conversational and concrete. Big topics such as peace, humanitarian symbols, arts funding, leadership training, and food sustainability are brought back to kids, clubs, theaters, fields, gardens, and volunteers doing the work.
Since 2019, host Gwen Jones — a proud Rotarian — has been sharing powerful stories of extraordinary people who turn bold ideas into meaningful impact. While many guests are Rotarians making a difference through service, the heart of the Action 2 Impact Podcast goes far beyond any one organization. Each episode spotlights inspiring individuals from around the world who took a single step to make life better for others — and ended up changing communities, and sometimes the world.Listeners will discover uplifting stories, practical inspiration, and proof that real change doesn’t require perfection or permission — just action. Because impact isn’t reserved for a select few...
A Rotary name badge gets you through the door; Gwen Jones brings the wider world inside.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A clear conversation about music, feeling, and service, with the cello ending cut short by an overmodulated microphone.
Gwen Jones frames Diego Carnado as both a Rotary Peace Fellow and a cellist, then keeps the focus on a plain but sturdy idea: music should leave people feeling better, not merely impressed.
The cello almost gets its podcast moment.
Gwen Jones interviews Ron and Marcos Nava about Harmony Through Soccer, a Rotary-linked program using football clinics and peace-building lessons for children and families.
This episode features interviews with new district governors and the 'delinquents' group from the Northeast Pell, discussing their leadership roles and experiences.
Gwen Jones records Part 1 of a two-part Action 2 Impact Podcast special at Northeast Pells President-Elect Training for Rotary leaders serving in 2026-2027.
Gwen Jones interviews Brian Rodolfo, president and CEO of The Cabot in Beverly, Massachusetts, about why communities should fund, attend, and volunteer with the arts.
This episode features an interview with President-elect Gordon McAnally, focusing on integrating mental health into DEI initiatives and spreading hope through Rotary.
This episode features a conversation with Eduardo Tovar-Lopez about sustainable farming, food security, and gardening initiatives, including a project connected to Tufts University.
Host Gwen Jones interviews Larry Strober, who directs Rotary's Peace Pole Project, about poles reading "May peace prevail on earth" that date to Hiroshima in 1955.
Host Gwen Jones interviews Celia Cruz DeShia, a former Rotary first lady and author, about her 30 years of Rotary service and her two books.
Host Gwen Jones interviews Anderson Zervas, one of six Rotarians honored with the People of Action Champions of Inclusion award, about his work with the LGBTQ fellowship.
Host Gwen Jones introduces Luke Mickelson, founder of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, a nonprofit that provides beds to children in need.
Gwen Jones checks in with Stephanie Urchick, Rotary's first single female president, who became a Rotary Foundation trustee on July 1 after her term ended June 30.
Host Gwen Jones interviews Pearl Uncobro about why Rotary membership is thriving in Africa.
Host Gwen Jones interviews two Rotarians about their experience on a polio vaccination trip, detailing logistics and inspiring listeners to participate.
Host Gwen Jones continues a two-part conversation with Brian Rush about difficult conversations, touching on topics like the Calgary Convention and travel challenges.
Gwen Jones discusses recent controversies in Rotary, including a walkout at a convention and disagreement over holding a convention in Dubai, questioning the organization's commitment to open dialogue.
Host Gwen Jones interviews Alex Lapina about integrating arts into Rotary clubs and the impact of music and creativity in service.
Host Gwen Jones interviews Michael Lapina, the 'happiest man in Rotary,' about incorporating arts into Rotary service.
This episode explores how to transform Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) programs into effective leadership academies through a panel discussion with experts.
Host Gwen Jones interviews Todd Fagel, president of the Rotary Fellowship of Gin, about the fellowship and the upcoming 2027 Rotary International Convention in Hawaii.
Host Gwen Jones discusses whether religion has too much presence in Rotary, interviewing a guest incognito about the issue.