Attacks on Jewish communities. Corporate retreats from Pride Month. Rhetoric heating up on all sides. What does it take to pause, reflect, and truly see the world through someone else’s eyes?

In this episode of The Upstander Ripple Effect, hosts Kevin Aldridge and Jackie Congedo take on the character strength of perspective—not just as a virtue, but as a practical tool for navigating our turbulent world. Through personal reflections and timely stories, they unpack the power of seeing beyond our own experiences and why it’s essential for justice, empathy, and leadership.

You’ll also hear survivor Lisa MacVittie’s harrowing journey from Nazi Germany to Shanghai, and the voice of local upstander Dr. Christian Gausvik, who’s bridging gaps in healthcare for the LGBTQ+ community in his work and supporting elderly communities through a non-profit he founded.

“I think it is one of the ways out of this sort of crossroads that we find ourselves in… being able to broaden our perspective or take on someone else's perspective.” – Jackie Congedo

Perspective might not change the facts—but it just might change everything else.

This episode is part of the Cynthia & Harold Guttman Center for Storytelling. Subscribe here https://www.youtube.com/@holocaustandhumanity   

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Episode Resources 

Visit the Center in person or online 
https://www.holocaustandhumanity.org/  

Grab tickets for the Upstander Gala
https://www.holocaustandhumanity.org/events/upstander-awards-2/

Register for the Upstander 5k and Family Day
https://www.holocaustandhumanity.org/events/2025-upstander-5k-and-family-day-volunteer-expo/

Watch Lisa MacVittie’s episode of Hear My Story
https://youtu.be/URX8eaC3O7A?si=bURgyJhNNbXTxZfl

Watch Dr. Gausvik’s episode of Hear My Story
https://youtu.be/22sEZctLUzU?si=ThexdQHcfdvTb5az

Read Kevin's latest column
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/columnists/2025/05/31/protesters-ruin-taste-of-cincinnati-trump-pardons-sittenfeld-bengals-stadium-lease-vance-middletown/83963273007/

Current events referenced:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2025/05/28/trump-harvard-antisemitism/83875926007/

https://www.newsweek.com/cities-cancel-juneteenth-celebrations-2066715

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/28/nx-s1-5414616/jewish-museum-shooting-political-violence

https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-embassy-staffers-killed-in-washington-aspired-to-middle-east-bridge-building/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2025/05/06/pride-month-defections-dei-backlash/83376447007/

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