What separates real community work from something that only looks good online?

Ben Spellman, founder of Good Vibes Movement, joins Corey Dion Lewis for a conversation about service, consistency, trust, forgiveness, and the relationships that hold communities together. Ben explains why community work does not need to be complicated, how small movements can create lasting change, and why the work must continue even when nobody is watching.

Ben Spellman believes community work begins with a simple choice: show up for people consistently.

In this episode of Move the City FWD, Ben joins Corey Dion Lewis to discuss the experiences that shaped his approach to service and the work of Good Vibes Movement in Des Moines.

Their conversation examines the difference between operating a business in a community and actively serving that community. Ben shares why accessibility matters, how donation-based programming brings people from different backgrounds into the same space, and why small, sustainable movements can outlast organizations built around rapid growth.

Corey and Ben also discuss social media, the public representation of Black men, rebuilding trust across neighborhoods, and the role forgiveness plays in community collaboration.

In this episode:

• Why community outreach is really about people helping people
• How consistency creates trust
• The difference between community service and community marketing
• Why accessible spaces help people cross social and economic boundaries
• How small movements create lasting change
• Whether you would continue serving without social media
• Why forgiveness affects a community’s ability to work together
• Changing the stories people see about Black men
• Turning difficult experiences into something that helps others

Episode highlights:

00:00 — Meeting Ben Spellman
01:29 — How Ben’s upbringing shaped his service
05:22 — Why consistency changes communities
08:15 — Rebuilding connection after communities become dispersed
12:24 — Identifying what you can offer others
13:02 — Community versus business
16:36 — Why Ben believes in small movements
18:48 — Freedom, time, and the lessons Ben learned in prison
20:33 — Creating community without financial barriers
24:04 — Would you still serve without social media?
27:16 — Using positive stories to challenge stereotypes
30:19 — Why forgiveness matters
34:25 — Protecting your energy and removing distractions
37:41 — How difficult experiences shape service
42:26 — Closing reflections

Learn more about Good Vibes Movement:
https://goodvibesmovement.org

Learn more about My City My Health:
https://mycity.health

Move the City FWD is powered by My City My Health.

What if economic mobility starts in kindergarten?

Corey sits down with Emily Westergaard, Executive Director of By Degrees Foundation, to explore how early exposure to education, careers, financial literacy, and trusted mentors can shape a child’s future.

Emily shares how By Degrees works alongside Des Moines students and their families from kindergarten through graduation, helping young people see possibilities they may not have known existed.

The conversation also explores the connection between education, financial stability, mental and physical health, and why creating healthier communities requires more than healthcare alone.

Emily will join the Economic Mobility & Access panel at the 5th Annual My City My Health Conference on November 13, 2026.

SHOW NOTES

In this episode of the Move the City FWD Podcast, Corey talks with Emily Westergaard, Executive Director of By Degrees Foundation, about what it takes to create real pathways toward economic mobility.

Emily explains why By Degrees starts working with students and families in kindergarten rather than waiting until high school to begin conversations about college, careers, trades, apprenticeships, and other opportunities.

They discuss:

• Why conversations about careers and education should start in elementary school
• How early exposure helps young people imagine new possibilities for themselves
• Why families must be included in conversations about a child’s future
• How By Degrees brings college and career experiences directly to students
• The role of mentors and representation in helping young people see what is possible
• How 529 education savings accounts can help build both financial resources and hope
• Why financial aid, FAFSA, scholarships, and college costs need to be explained much earlier
• How By Degrees has helped parents pursue their own education and high school equivalency credentials
• Why meeting people where they are can remove barriers to education
• The connection between education, financial stability, mental health, and physical health
• How healthcare organizations can expose students to careers beyond doctors and nurses
• Emily’s idea of connecting preventive health behaviors with incentives that contribute to students’ education savings
• Why critical thinking, communication, creativity, and problem solving can keep opportunities open throughout someone’s career
• Emily’s personal journey from North High School to Grinnell College and how educators helped change her trajectory
• Why every student deserves someone who can help them navigate their options
• What Emily hopes comes from the Economic Mobility & Access panel at this year’s My City My Health Conference

ABOUT EMILY WESTERGAARD

Emily Westergaard is the Executive Director of By Degrees Foundation, a Des Moines-based organization working to help more students graduate from high school prepared to pursue education, training, apprenticeships, military service, careers, and other opportunities after graduation.

By Degrees works with students, families, schools, businesses, colleges, universities, nonprofits, and community organizations to build long-term systems of support around students.

Learn more about By Degrees Foundation:
www.bydegreesfoundation.org

MY CITY MY HEALTH CONFERENCE

Emily will be part of the Economic Mobility & Access panel at the 5th Annual My City My Health Conference.

November 13, 2026
Des Moines, Iowa

Learn more and register:
www.mycity.health

What happens when the problems affecting your patients cannot be solved with a prescription?

Corey Dion Lewis sits down with Dr. Megan Srinivas, physician, Chief Medical Officer at Primary Health Care, and Iowa legislator, to talk about the connection between medicine, policy, housing, and community health.

Dr. Srinivas shares how her experiences caring for patients pushed her toward policymaking. She explains why housing can shape nearly every part of a person’s health, from safety and medication access to transportation, insurance coverage, and the ability to focus on anything beyond immediate survival.

They also discuss the role of nurses, community health workers, case managers, and social workers in extending care beyond a short clinical visit, the challenges created by Medicaid redetermination, and why you do not have to hold elected office to influence policy.

The conversation closes with a reminder that advocacy can start anywhere, including with young people willing to ask one simple question: “What can I do?”

Show Notes

In this episode:

• 02:40 — Dr. Srinivas’ path through internal medicine, infectious disease, global health, and health equity
• 04:01 — Why she realized there was only so much she could accomplish with a prescription pad
• 07:25 — What medicine taught her about listening, disagreement, and meeting people where they are
• 08:59 — Why “housing is medicine”
• 10:54 — What clinicians can do when a patient is experiencing housing instability
• 13:46 — How nurse-led visits and team-based care can strengthen patient trust and understanding
• 16:08 — Medicaid work requirements, redetermination, and the problem of not having a stable address
• 18:33 — How Primary Health Care is preparing patients who may be at risk of losing coverage
• 21:23 — Managing the emotional weight of caring for patients while working to change the system
• 22:24 — Turning patient experiences into advocacy and policy
• 23:49 — Why health professionals across disciplines have a role in advocacy
• 26:19 — The influence young people can have on policy and community change
• 27:57 — Using social media to push accurate information into the public conversation
• 29:36 — What Dr. Srinivas is looking forward to at the My City My Health Conference
• 33:50 — Why difficult moments require more than acknowledging the problem. They require people willing to work together to change it.

Dr. Srinivas describes health as something shaped by far more than what happens inside a clinic. Housing, transportation, food, insurance, safety, and public policy all influence whether someone has the opportunity to be healthy.

She also makes the case that advocacy does not require a title. Testifying, contacting elected officials, sharing your expertise, and raising an issue that others may not see can all influence what happens at the decision-making table.

Connect with Dr. Megan Srinivas

Dr. Srinivas shares that people can connect with her through her legislative email and across Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X, and TikTok.

My City My Health Conference

Dr. Srinivas will join the Housing Is Medicine conversation at the 5th annual My City My Health Conference on November 13, 2026.

Learn more and register at mycity.health.

Move the City FWD is powered by My City My Health.