Episodes

The last 0.01% is a fragile moment in the polio eradication effort. Chris Wolff, the World Health Organization’s new director of polio eradication, says we either push to 100% or risk backsliding. It’s a mission that affects the whole world, not just the regions where polio still exists, and Wolff is optimistic that we can achieve eradication for the good of humanity. Chicago journalist Jerome McDonnell sits down with Wolff to discuss his journey to the work of polio eradication and his new role...

Salome Agbaroji is a 20-year-old Nigerian American poet and activist from Los Angeles County. She was the seventh National Youth Poet Laureate of the United States and has performed spoken word for the Golden Globes and at the White House. At the Rotary International Convention in Taipei, Agbaroji performed a spoken word poem titled “Hope.” In this episode, Rotary International staffer Hannah Shaw sits down with Agbaroji to discuss her Los Angeles roots, her work as an activist, and the inspirat...

Few contemporary novelists have captured the complexities of family, friendship, and the ties that bind as beautifully as Ann Patchett. Over the past three decades, she has become one of America’s most celebrated writers, earning the PEN/Faulkner Award. Patchett also owns Parnassus Books in Nashville. In this episode, Past RI President Stephanie Urchick explains Patchett's connections to Rotary before Scott Simon sits down with the author to discuss her new novel, Whistler.

In the final installment of this two-part series on membership attraction and engagement, past RI director and vice chair of the joint strategic planning committee Chris Etienne sits down with Jackie Huie, the immediate past governor of District 6360, which serves southwest and central Michigan regions. Etienne asks Huie about the role of district leadership in membership growth and “fun” as a membership strategy.

Membership attraction and engagement are crucial for Rotary’s success. In this two-part series, we’ll hear from four women in Rotary leadership positions who have successfully achieved membership growth in their U.S.-based clubs or districts. In episode one, RI Membership Growth and Engagement Specialist Taylor Evans Ghosal sits down with Julie McKinney, a club membership chair and past club president from California, and Barbara Bartle, an assistant Rotary coordinator for membership and past di...

In the final episode of this two-part series, Etelka Lehoczky learns more about Intersection to Care, a program supported by The Rotary Foundation that helps incarcerated women in Kansas rebuild their lives. In this installment, Lehoczky learns more about the trauma that human trafficking inflicts and discovers how an art class in the jail offers a way forward.

Solutions journalism, which delves beyond “bad news” to examine what people are trying to do about it, can be traced back to a 2010 column in The New York Times called “Fixes.” The column, co-written by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Tina Rosenberg, investigated solutions to social problems, covering what worked and what didn’t. Chicago journalist Mark Caro sits down with Rosenberg, who co-founded the Solutions Journalism Network in 2013, to discuss how this approach can help address systemic...

Inside a jail in Kansas, USA, victims of human trafficking struggle to find a way forward. Rotary International editor Etelka Lehoczky meets incarcerated women who are rebuilding their lives with the help of Intersection to Care, a unique program funded by The Rotary Foundation. Along the way, she realizes her assumptions about incarceration were very different from the reality.

Malala Yousafzai, the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate, shares her journey of self-discovery in a new memoir titled Finding My Way. At just 15 years old, Yousafzai was thrust onto the public stage after the Taliban's attack on her life — a failed effort to silence the young activist. Today, she continues her work of empowering and educating girls around the world through her nonprofit, Malala Fund. The senior producer and host of Taiwan Talks, Yin Khvat, sits down with Yousafzai to discu...

July marks the beginning of a new Rotary year. Among transitioning leadership across the Rotary world, Olayinka “Yinka” Hakeem Babalola is stepping into office as the 2026-27 Rotary International president. Rotary’s General Secretary and CEO John Hewko sits down with Yinka to discuss polio eradication in Africa, Rotary membership opportunities, and his personal journey to Rotary.

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women globally, but it’s also highly preventable. Rotarian, surgical oncologist, and author Dr. Richard Godfrey has traveled the world making cervical cancer prevention more accessible. His forthcoming book, Medical Moonshots: Winning the Cancer War, talks about his lifesaving work. Niala Boodhoo recently sat down with Dr. Godfrey to discuss his career, cervical cancer, and Rotary’s work to eliminate it.

In 1996, the Rotary Club of Stratford in Ontario took a more than 2,000-year-old Chinese tradition and turned it into a fundraising event that has raised well over $1 million for the club and its projects. Last year, Craig Thompson directed a documentary called The Ripple Effect that highlights the community impact of the Stratford Rotary Dragon Boat Festival. Chicago journalist Jerome McDonnell sits down with Craig and club president Dan Kane to discuss the festival and its history. Contact ac...

The Rotary Club of Roswell, Georgia, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary, is growing rapidly. In this episode, Tom Gump, chair of the Rotary International Membership Growth Committee, and Jose Gonzalez, supervisor of Membership Growth & Experience in the U.S. and Canada, sit down with Trummie Lee Patrick III, the club’s president, to discuss the club’s secrets to success, membership retention, and club culture.

Dr. Marc Schulz and his co-author Dr. Robert Waldinger lead the Harvard Study of Adult Development: ongoing research into the psychosocial predictors of healthy aging that began in 1938. In 2023, Dr. Schulz and Dr. Waldinger published The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness. Chicago broadcast journalist Jerome McDonnell sits down with Dr. Schulz to discuss the study’s origins, its evolving methods, and the importance of social connection.

David LaMotte is a songwriter, speaker, author, and activist who has performed over 3,500 concerts and released 13 albums. LaMotte was a Rotary Peace Fellow at the University of Queensland in Australia where he studied international relations, peace, and conflict resolution. Rotary International social media and audience development manager Andy Sternberg sits down with LaMotte to discuss the intersection of art and activism. David LaMotte at the 2025 Rotary International Convention: youtu.be/E...

The survivor of an abusive arranged marriage, Fraidy Reiss wants to ensure that other girls never suffer the same ordeal. In 2011, Reiss founded Unchained at Last, an activist group that works to end forced marriage and child marriage in the United States. This story by Chicago journalist Elly Fishman appeared in the October 2024 issue of Rotary magazine. This audio version of her story is narrated by Linda Yu.

Growing up in Lucknow, India, Rashmi Rustagi was a member of Rotaract and acted in radio plays. After moving to the Bay Area in the United States, she joined a local Indian theater and then began a demanding transition into Hollywood. In California, Rustagi was invited to join the Rotary Club of Redwood City, where she’s a member today. Chicago journalist Linda Yu sat down with Rustagi to discuss her life, career in movies and her efforts to empower women and girls in a new feature film: Designe...

In 2026, many Western governments have pulled back funding and reduced their commitments to the United Nations. And later this month, the United States will officially withdraw from the World Health Organization. Today, civic organizations like Rotary represent a powerful “third force” in global affairs. For example, in 1988, alongside UNICEF and others, Rotary and the WHO became founding partners of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, or GPEI. The campaign now stands as one of the largest,...

The Rotary Youth Exchange program has been promoting international understanding for 50 years. The program, which enables young people to live and study abroad for up to a year, serves as a bridge for cultural competence and builds the foundation for peace. In this episode, longtime exchange host Sabrina Barreto and one of the students her family hosted, Simon Foote, share their perspectives on the program. Holger Knaack, chair of The Rotary Foundation Trustees and a past Rotary president, discu...

In response to a “friendship recession,” Rotary members are finding ways to make connections they cherish, starting in their own clubs. This story by Chicago journalist Kate Silver appeared in the August 2024 issue of Rotary magazine. This audio version of her story is narrated by Linda Yu.

In 1952, Copenhagen’s Blegdam Hospital was overwhelmed by polio patients. Under immense pressure and surrounded by loss, two doctors were faced with a seemingly unanswerable question: What can we do if patients become too paralyzed to breathe? A saga of innovation followed leading to the modern intensive care unit, or ICU. In this episode, Rotary magazine senior editor Geoff Johnson sits down with Dr. Hannah Wunsch. Dr. Wunsch documented the epidemic for her book: The Autumn Ghost.

“Fear comes from unanswered questions.” After donating one of his kidneys to his brother, Anil Srivatsa has become a devoted advocate for the life-saving impact of organ donation. Traveling the world, he’s befriended countless other organ donors and recipients, all with complicated stories of their own. In this episode, you’ll hear about Srivatsa’s life as an advocate and a couple of stories from his friends.

In recent months, the global stock markets have steadied following trade wars and rising inflation. But if you’re retired, or planning to retire, you might still have your guard up. After all, U.S. economists have been using phrases like “possible recession” and “stagflation.” In this episode, Chicago journalist Jerome McDonnell sits down with Rotarian and financial advisor Derrick Kinney to discuss the road to retirement in uncertain times.

Kat Graham is an actress, singer, dancer, and producer who has built a career around telling stories. Graham serves as a Rotary Celebrity Ambassador and as Rotary’s Champion of Women and Girls’ Empowerment. As an advocate, Graham highlights the stories of those pushed to the periphery and empowers them to make their voices heard. In this episode, Chicago journalist Linda Yu sits down with Graham to discuss her long history with Rotary, her career, and her motivation to empower people around the ...