Nisha Anand, CEO of Dream.org, ran the playbook to help pass a legislation, which has seen 60,000 people return from prison. She grew up as the daughter of Indian immigrant parents in Atlanta, learned to be the bridge early, and now builds tables wide enough to make change that lasts.

Nisha explains:

• Growing up a self-described misfit in Atlanta and turning bridge building into a career
• Why durable policy comes from including the most excluded voices, not checking a box
• How the First Step Act brought 60,000 people home from prison
• Green for All's origin: Van Jones training Oakland youth to install solar panels
• Solving poverty and pollution at the same time instead of one at a time
• The Green Reentry cohort, training people coming home from prison for green jobs
• Working with unlikely allies, from libertarians to military bases facing rising water
• Common values under criminal justice reform: second chances, dignity, shrinking a bloated system
• Making nuance cool again and practicing self-curiosity while doom scrolling
• Connecting siloed solutions from conferences into full city-wide plans
• What gives her hope: her kids, the next generation, and science that is bigger than us

00:00 Welcome to Green Shoots and Big Shifts

00:44 Introducing Nisha Anand, CEO of dream.org

01:21 From Atlanta misfit to activist and bridge builder

02:52 Justice at scale: legislation and the First Step Act

03:51 Building a big table and why it makes policy durable

04:41 Beyond tokenism: inviting the blind spots you cannot see

06:16 Green for All's origins with Van Jones and Oakland solar

07:47 Green infrastructure, reentry, and green jobs today

10:03 Equity as the door that opens for everyone

11:57 Practices and challenges of building broad coalitions

15:56 Common values behind unlikely allies

17:36 Making nuance cool again and modeling curiosity

19:00 Self-curiosity: asking why you react the way you do

21:33 What the podcast reveals: hope in science and startups

23:00 Connecting the dots across silos and conferences

25:28 What keeps Nisha going: her kids and the next generation

28:00 One word to leave with: perseverance

Learn more about dream.org:

Website - https://dreamcorps.us