Jennice Fuentes is founder and CEO of BoricuActivatEd, a nonprofit that helps people understand government, find their voice, and become more effective advocates for themselves and their communities.

Jennice was born and raised in Puerto Rico and spent 25 years working in the U.S. House of Representatives, eventually serving as chief of staff to Congressman Luis Gutiérrez. After leaving Capitol Hill in 2013, she founded Fuentes Strategies, a government relations and consulting firm providing advice to corporations, individuals, and nonprofits with interests before Congress, federal agencies, and the European Community.

Along the way, Jennice also pursued another passion — acting — building a professional career that included appearances in Law & Order, Godless, and HBO’s K Street.

Then, in September 2017, Hurricane Maria changed the course of her life. As Puerto Rico’s infrastructure collapsed and Jennice worried about family on the island, she heard a reporter say, “Without Congress, we are dead.”

Jennice knew Congress. She knew how it worked. And she realized she could use that knowledge to help ordinary people understand the system, navigate it, and advocate for themselves.

That realization became BoricuActivatEd.

In this episode, we talk about Hurricane Maria, Jennice’s years on Capitol Hill, her parallel life as an actor, and what she has learned about power, civic engagement, advocacy, and helping people recognize — and exercise — the influence they already have.

Rowan Vansleve is president of Hope the Mission, Los Angeles Mission, and a longtime leader in the fight against homelessness in Southern California.

Rowan grew up in Sydney, Australia, and came to the United States as a young backpacker, intending to continue around the world.

But after seeing the stark contrast between the wealth of Los Angeles and the people living on its streets, he stayed — beginning a career that would take him through community development, microfinance, disaster recovery, and ultimately homeless services.

In 2010, Rowan joined Hope the Mission, then a small organization with about fifteen shelter beds. Today, they provide thousands of beds each night, millions of meals each year, and operate dozens of shelters across Los Angeles and the surrounding region.

Rowan has also become known for a series of extraordinary physical challenges designed to raise money and awareness for the fight against homelessness — running hundreds of miles through the desert, cycling across America, kayaking to Catalina Island, and completing fifty marathons in ninety days.

In this episode, we trace Rowan’s journey from Australia to Los Angeles, explore what he has learned about poverty and homelessness, the limits of one-size-fits-all solutions, and his belief that lasting change begins with treating people with dignity, love, and respect.

Jerry White is a humanitarian activist, author, diplomat, social entrepreneur, and a leader in the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, recipient of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize.

Jerry’s life changed at twenty when, while hiking in Israel, he stepped on an unmarked landmine and lost his lower right leg.

He went on to co-found the Landmine Survivors Network and help lead the campaign that produced the 1997 Ottawa Treaty banning landmines. He later helped advance two more landmark international agreements: the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Jerry has since served as a senior U.S. State Department official on conflict and stabilization, as a Senior Ashoka Fellow, and as the first Professor of Practice at the University of Virginia.

Today, he chairs MADE IMPACT and teaches what he calls “humane leadership” through BeSeeDo. His books include Getting Up When Life Knocks You Down, Religicide, and his latest, Be See Do: The Art of Humane Leadership.

In this episode, we trace Jerry’s extraordinary journey — from surviving a landmine explosion to helping build a Nobel Peace Prize-winning movement, shaping international treaties, serving in government, and developing a practical approach to humane leadership, philanthropy, and systems change.