Rethink Community: The Podcast

Welcome to Season 11 of the Rethink Community Podcast: The Best Of! For the past five years, the Rethink Community Podcast has been a space to challenge how we understand and respond to poverty. We've shared stories that move beyond theory and spark those "aha moments" that can change perspectives, relationships, and actions. In this special season, we're bringing you the best of our past episodes—powerful stories, inspiring conversations, and thought-provoking insights that have resonated most with our listeners. You'll hear from individuals with lived experience in poverty, addiction, or incarceration; people who have built bridges across race and class; and leaders whose understanding of poverty has shifted through real-world experience. Whether you're new to the podcast or a longtime listener, these episodes capture the heart of what Rethink Community is all about: opening our eyes, expanding our empathy, and sparking new ideas for a more just and connected world. So, get ready to revisit some of our most compelling conversations and join us in Season 11—the best of Rethink Community. Original Air Date: May 06, 2022 In 1998, Jon-Adrian Velazquez volunteered for a police line-up for a crime he knew he hadn't committed. It was the last decision he made as a free man. After serving more than two decades in prison, his sentence was commuted. While in prison, Jon-Adrian developed a unique vision: What if those who were incarcerated could use their voices to teach others - and in doing so, reclaim some of their own humanity? Today Jon-Adrian is using his sense of purpose to bridge the distance between those who are incarcerated and those on the outside, through his work with the Frederick Douglass Project. Voices from Within Project NBC Dateline Interview Free Jon-Adrian Velazquez The Frederick Douglass Project

Welcome to Season 11 of the Rethink Community Podcast: The Best Of! For the past five years, the Rethink Community Podcast has been a space to challenge how we understand and respond to poverty. We've shared stories that move beyond theory and spark those "aha moments" that can change perspectives, relationships, and actions. In this special season, we're bringing you the best of our past episodes—powerful stories, inspiring conversations, and thought-provoking insights that have resonated most with our listeners. You'll hear from individuals with lived experience in poverty, addiction, or incarceration; people who have built bridges across race and class; and leaders whose understanding of poverty has shifted through real-world experience. Whether you're new to the podcast or a longtime listener, these episodes capture the heart of what Rethink Community is all about: opening our eyes, expanding our empathy, and sparking new ideas for a more just and connected world. So, get ready to revisit some of our most compelling conversations and join us in Season 11—the best of Rethink Community. Original Air Date: Jul 10, 2025 In this episode, John White welcomes Andrea Carter to unpack how personal experience can radically reshape our understanding of poverty. Andrea reflects on her early years as a teacher, when she held common misconceptions about families in poverty, and describes how her own journey through situational poverty challenged and transformed those beliefs. Andrea shares how repeated judgment can create "forced helplessness" and offers practical advice: build real relationships, include those with lived experience in leadership, and move from "us versus them" to a true sense of shared community.

Welcome to Season 11 of the Rethink Community Podcast: The Best Of! For the past five years, the Rethink Community Podcast has been a space to challenge how we understand and respond to poverty. We've shared stories that move beyond theory and spark those "aha moments" that can change perspectives, relationships, and actions. In this special season, we're bringing you the best of our past episodes—powerful stories, inspiring conversations, and thought-provoking insights that have resonated most with our listeners. You'll hear from individuals with lived experience in poverty, addiction, or incarceration; people who have built bridges across race and class; and leaders whose understanding of poverty has shifted through real-world experience. Whether you're new to the podcast or a longtime listener, these episodes capture the heart of what Rethink Community is all about: opening our eyes, expanding our empathy, and sparking new ideas for a more just and connected world. So, get ready to revisit some of our most compelling conversations and join us in Season 11—the best of Rethink Community. Original Air Date: Dec 17, 2021 In his book The Alternative, Mauricio Lim Miller challenges the helping industry as we know it to rethink much of how we've built our response to poverty. We were honored to have Mauricio join our Executive Director Marlo Fox to share the stories from his life and his work that have shaped his convictions. In this episode, Mauricio shares how he came to believe that well-intentioned helping could be part of the problem and that we needed a different narrative around poverty; how he's dedicated himself to shaping a new approach as a follower-learner; and the hopeful change he sees taking place. Chech out some of Mauricio's work below: Community Independence Initiative "The Alternative"

In this episode, Brian Dobyns reflects on how living just above the poverty line shaped his sense of what was possible. He shares stories of being excluded from help and discouraged from pursuing opportunities, leading to a mindset of resignation. Together, we discuss the emotional impact of these experiences and how encouragement and small successes can help break fatalistic narratives, emphasizing the need for support and belief in each other.

In this episode, John White welcomes Andrea Carter to unpack how personal experience can radically reshape our understanding of poverty. Andrea reflects on her early years as a teacher, when she held common misconceptions about families in poverty, and describes how her own journey through situational poverty challenged and transformed those beliefs. Andrea shares how repeated judgment can create "forced helplessness" and offers practical advice: build real relationships, include those with lived experience in leadership, and move from "us versus them" to a true sense of shared community.