All About Change

There are not enough therapists in America. And even when you can find one, it is hard to schedule an appointment. This is the case despite the fact that America also has a rising mental health crisis. More people are aware of their mental health needs, and more people are coming to need mental health support. At the Ruderman Family Foundation, this is one of our tentpole issues, and we strive to facilitate changes in our communities that will provide better and healthier futures for those struggling with mental health. That is why I’m so excited to be joined today by Phillip Schermer. Phillip is the founder of Project Healthy Minds,  a non-profit startup building the world’s first digital mental health marketplace to democratize access to life-changing services, partnering with public figures to de-stigmatize mental health, and creating the first national standards for businesses to better support employee mental health. Phillip and Jay discuss AI in the therapy space, the social and economic barriers standing between people and quality mental health care, and the stunning power of celebrity honesty around mental health struggles. Today's episode was produced by Tani Levitt and Mijon Zulu. To check out more episodes or to learn more about the show, you can visit our website Allaboutchangepodcast.com. If you like our show, spread the word, tell a friend or family member, or leave us a review on your favorite podcasting app. We really appreciate it. All About Change is produced by the Ruderman Family Foundation. Episode Chapters 0:00  Intro 1:27 World Mental Health Day highlights and Project Healthy Minds origin story 6:35 Project Healthy Minds vs Talkspace and Better Health 9:44 What happens when people don’t get mental health resources? 13:54 AI and mental health 18:52 Ambient threats to mental health  22:52 Top-down attacks on mental health from government 28:37 Outro and Goodbye For video episodes, watch on⁠ ⁠⁠www.youtube.com/@therudermanfamilyfoundation⁠ Stay in touch: X:⁠ @JayRuderman⁠ |⁠ @RudermanFdn⁠ LinkedIn:⁠ Jay Ruderman⁠ |⁠ Ruderman Family Foundation⁠ Instagram:⁠ All About Change Podcast⁠ |⁠ Ruderman Family Foundation⁠ To learn more about the podcast, visit⁠ https://allaboutchangepodcast.com/⁠ Jay’s brand new book, Find Your Fight, in which Jay teaches the next generation of activists and advocates how to step up and bring about lasting change. You can find Find Your Fight wherever you buy your books, and you can learn more about it at ⁠⁠⁠https://www.walmart.com/ip/Find-Your-Fight-Make-Your-Voice-Heard-for-the-Causes-That-Matter-Most-Hardcover-9781963827071/10817862336⁠

Tom Vozzo came to Homeboy Industries in a moment when they needed his skills. Around 2012, the organization was facing a financial crunch, and Tom stepped up from Homeboy volunteer to CEO steering the company to financial stability. Working at Homeboy changed Tom as well. Writing in his book, ‘The Homeboy Way,’ Tom said that after years of working with the poor, forgotten, and demonized people of our society, he came to learn that he didn’t really know as much about life as he thought. Tom and the rest of the Homeboy team continue to support formerly gang-involved and previously incarcerated people, helping them redirect their lives and become contributing members of our community.  In doing so, they make a bold and critical statement: No life is disposable, no person is beneath society, no person cannot be better, and no person will not benefit from helping another person reach the potential of who they can be. Today's episode was produced by Tani Levitt and Mijon Zulu. To check out more episodes or to learn more about the show, you can visit our website Allaboutchangepodcast.com. If you like our show, spread the word, tell a friend or family member, or leave us a review on your favorite podcasting app. We really appreciate it. All About Change is produced by the Ruderman Family Foundation. Episode Chapters 0:00 Intro 2:31 The role of healing in the Homeboy Way 3:57 How people first choose to leave gang life 7:38 How has Homeboy Industries changed Tom? 14:47 Expanding the Homeboy influence across the globe 16:20 Pushing back on stigma against formerly gang-involved folks 19:33 Tom makes the case for why minimizing recidivism needs to be a bipartisan cause 22:32 Activism in and out of the workplace 24:14 Tom’s book: The Homeboy Way 28:38 Outro and Goodbye For video episodes, watch on www.youtube.com/@therudermanfamilyfoundation Stay in touch: X: @JayRuderman | @RudermanFdn LinkedIn: Jay Ruderman | Ruderman Family Foundation Instagram: All About Change Podcast | Ruderman Family Foundation To learn more about the podcast, visit https://allaboutchangepodcast.com/ Jay’s brand new book, Find Your Fight, in which Jay teaches the next generation of activists and advocates how to step up and bring about lasting change. You can find Find Your Fight wherever you buy your books, and you can learn more about it at ⁠⁠https://www.walmart.com/ip/Find-Your-Fight-Make-Your-Voice-Heard-for-the-Causes-That-Matter-Most-Hardcover-9781963827071/10817862336

Kaila Yu lived many lives before she decided to write a memoir. As an actress, musician, and import model, Kaila learned firsthand about all the ways it is challenging to be Asian American, particularly as a woman. But she didn’t write about that experience until seeing her fellow Asian Americans attacked and vilified in 2020. Now a travel, food and culture writer, she has released a memoir titled Fetishized: A Reckoning with Yellow Fever, Feminism, and Beauty. In this book of essays, Kaila challenges the pressures Asian American women face to perform for the white male gaze and details some of the history surrounding that social pressure. With Fetishized, Kaila is shining a bright light on a specific prejudice in our country and I am excited to amplify that light with our conversation today. Today's episode was produced by Tani Levitt and Mijon Zulu. To check out more episodes or to learn more about the show, you can visit our website Allaboutchangepodcast.com. If you like our show, spread the word, tell a friend or family member, or leave us a review on your favorite podcasting app. We really appreciate it. All About Change is produced by the Ruderman Family Foundation. Episode Chapters 0:00 Intro 1:31 How has Kaila’s memoir been received in the Asian American community? 2:52 A brief history of the fetishization of Asian women in America 11:43 Who was the intended audience for Kaila’s memoir? 15:23 Becoming an activist wasn’t part of Kaila’s plan 19:05 We are in a golden age for healthy Asian representation in American culture 21:42 The full scope of Kaila’s activism 25:48 Outro and Goodbye For video episodes, watch on www.youtube.com/@therudermanfamilyfoundation Stay in touch: X: @JayRuderman | @RudermanFdn LinkedIn: Jay Ruderman | Ruderman Family Foundation Instagram: All About Change Podcast | Ruderman Family Foundation To learn more about the podcast, visit https://allaboutchangepodcast.com/ Jay’s brand new book, Find Your Fight, in which Jay teaches the next generation of activists and advocates how to step up and bring about lasting change. You can find Find Your Fight wherever you buy your books, and you can learn more about it at ⁠https://www.walmart.com/ip/Find-Your-Fight-Make-Your-Voice-Heard-for-the-Causes-That-Matter-Most-Hardcover-9781963827071/10817862336

For nearly two decades Jeffrey Marsh has been a representative and advocate for LGBTQ people of all stripes. Whether on Vine, Tik Tok or Instagram, Jeffrey has built success on simple videos helping straight and LGBTQ people attain a lasting sense of peace and self-compassion.  Jeffrey is the first non-binary person  to sign a book deal with any “Big 5” publisher worldwide, and they have since written two books, “How to Be You: Stop Trying to Be Someone Else and Start Living Your Life” and “Take Your Own Advice: Learn to Trust Your Inner Voice and Start Helping Yourself.” Jay and Jeffrey explore the anxiety in wanting to do right by other people, the different valences of Jeffrey’s advice to the LGBTQ community and much more. Today's episode was produced by Tani Levitt and Mijon Zulu. To check out more episodes or to learn more about the show, you can visit our website Allaboutchangepodcast.com. If you like our show, spread the word, tell a friend or family member, or leave us a review on your favorite podcasting app. We really appreciate it. All About Change is produced by the Ruderman Family Foundation. Episode Chapters 0:00 Intro 1:12 The physical feeling of anxiety 4:50 How should parents think about Jeffrey’s estrangement from their family 7:30 How has LGBTQ activism changed during Jeffrey’s career in activism 8:45 The hateful practice of demonizing other people 16:12 Internal vs external activism 19:29 The power in living a joyful life 23:31 Self-help when your trouble is caused by other people 24:59 Outro and goodbye For video episodes, watch on www.youtube.com/@therudermanfamilyfoundation Stay in touch: X: @JayRuderman | @RudermanFdn LinkedIn: Jay Ruderman | Ruderman Family Foundation Instagram: All About Change Podcast | Ruderman Family Foundation To learn more about the podcast, visit https://allaboutchangepodcast.com/ Jay’s brand new book, Find Your Fight, in which Jay teaches the next generation of activists and advocates how to step up and bring about lasting change. You can find Find Your Fight wherever you buy your books, and you can learn more about it at https://www.walmart.com/ip/Find-Your-Fight-Make-Your-Voice-Heard-for-the-Causes-That-Matter-Most-Hardcover-9781963827071/10817862336

Alex Ryvchin is co-Chief Executive Officer of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, the author of internationally acclaimed books of history and politics, and a best-selling children’s author. Over the past twelve years he has been a fierce advocate for the Australian Jewish community and Israel. His advocacy and writing has seen him recognised as Australian of the Year for 2024 by The Australian newspaper, as one of 25 global Jewish visionaries by The Jerusalem Post and ranked 38th in the Daily Telegraph’s  Power 100 for 2024. He is the recipient of the 2025 B’nai B’rith Human Rights Award, and I’m so excited to have him on the show today.   Today's episode was produced by Tani Levitt and Mijon Zulu. To check out more episodes or to learn more about the show, you can visit our website Allaboutchangepodcast.com. If you like our show, spread the word, tell a friend or family member, or leave us a review on your favorite podcasting app. We really appreciate it. All About Change is produced by the Ruderman Family Foundation. Episode Chapters 0:00 Intro 1:09 What are the unique needs of the Australian Jewish community? 3:57 How have Australia’s holocaust survivors been managing? 6:10 Recent attacks on Jewish Australians 9:57 Jewish Australia’s greatest allies 17:10 Jewish Australia’s biggest achievements 19:18 Alex’s career as a young leader 23:32 Alex’s family of refuseniks 25:12 Hope for the future of Australian Jewry 26:51 Outro and Goodbye For video episodes, watch on⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.youtube.com/@therudermanfamilyfoundation⁠⁠⁠ Stay in touch: X:⁠⁠⁠ @JayRuderman⁠⁠⁠ |⁠⁠⁠ @RudermanFdn⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn:⁠⁠⁠ Jay Ruderman⁠⁠⁠ |⁠⁠⁠ Ruderman Family Foundation⁠⁠⁠ Instagram:⁠⁠⁠ All About Change Podcast⁠⁠⁠ |⁠⁠⁠ Ruderman Family Foundation⁠⁠⁠ To learn more about the podcast, visit⁠⁠⁠ https://allaboutchangepodcast.com/⁠⁠⁠ Jay’s brand new book, Find Your Fight, in which Jay teaches the next generation of activists and advocates how to step up and bring about lasting change. You can find Find Your Fight wherever you buy your books, and you can learn more about it at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.jayruderman.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.