As citizens of a community, whether you define that as your neighborhood, or your city, state, or, our American nation, what role, as citizens, do each of us play? This question is not in regards to our personal needs and wants, but rather to the collective health and welfare of all of us.

Today, do the words shared by President John F. Kennedy, 65 years ago, "ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country," still strike a chord and urge us into civic action?

Specifically, do we feel a pull to be included in the solutions around our biggest societal issues, such as homelessness.

On this episode we discuss with Eric Liu, what it means to be a citizen.

Eric is the co-founder and CEO of Citizen University. He is the author of numerous acclaimed books, including most recently Become America: Civic Sermons on Love, Responsibility, and Democracy — a New York Times New & Notable Book — and, Live Like a Citizen: 8 Ways to Change Your Mindset and Our Country, to be published in October 2026.

Eric served as a White House speechwriter for President Bill Clinton and as the President’s deputy domestic policy adviser. He was later appointed by President Barack Obama to the board of the Corporation for National and Community Service.

A graduate of Yale College and Harvard Law School, Eric was elected in 2020 to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and co-chairs its ‘Our Common Purpose’ commission. He lives in Seattle, where he has served on the boards of the Seattle Public Library and the Washington State Board of Education.

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On this episode we speak with Andrew Funk who is the president of the Homeless Entrepreneur based in Barcelona Spain.

Website: https://www.homelessentrepreneur.org/

Homeless Entrepreneur’s mission is to promote economic empowerment and poverty reduction via work and active citizenship thanks to both public and private civic partnerships, so people living in social exclusion can improve their quality of life.

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Nathans Website and Blog
https://www.nathanvass.com/

His new book:
https://www.nathanvass.com/book.html

Nathan is a recognized Seattle-based author, filmmaker, photographer, artist, and….wait for it, a King County Metro bus driver. He is known widely for the connections he creates with riders when driving, he transforms commuting into community-building experiences. It’s a beautiful thing! He is also the author of two wonderful books, The Lines That Make Us and Deciding to See. In 2018 he was recognized as a top influencer in Seattle. I couldn’t be more excited to welcome my friend Nathan into this conversation!

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Homelessness, as everyone knows, is an extremely complicated emotional issue. Systemic societal barriers along with personal mental health issues can pull or push people into homelessness, and a dearth of affordable housing and needed services can keep them there.

The complexity of this issue can be overwhelming and have people, literally walking on by, those struggling. There can exist a feeling that solutions need to come from the government, nonprofits, and our church communities in the form of larger answers.

After all, what can one person possibly do to make a difference?

Today we are talking with Meghan, a young woman whose life direction took an abrupt and unexpected turn.

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On this episode we hear from Sabra Boyd. For those of you who don’t know Sabra, she is the Editor in Chief of REAL CHANGE, Seattle’s award winning street newspaper. Sabra is also an award winning independent journalist, public speaker, consultant, and web developer. She covers stories about exploitation in all its forms including healthcare, homelessness, trafficking, tech, prison, food, and beauty.

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On this episode we are talking with Ryan Henry Ward. If you live in Seattle and you don’t know Ryan, there is a good chance you do know his artful murals seen all over town!

Ryan’s murals, which are signed simply “henry”, have the power to bring out a smile, even on the grayest days. The scenes of his characters and the quiet story being told, leave you with a good feeling about living here in Seattle. Now, that alone would be reason to sit down with Ryan and share a good conversation, but, there is something more that you are going to want to hear. His views on community, specifically around the issue of homelessness, are beautiful, ones that are grounded in his personal journey of finding himself through his art.

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A while back we interviewed Casey for a 3-part series titled The Skipping Rock. It was one of our most popular stories shared! If you missed it, we highly recommend that you take the time to listen to Casey's story. I believe it will shift your understanding and feelings about the sex industry.

Casey was kind enough to come back into the studio for this 4th episode to have a follow up conversation, in part to answer some of the questions submitted to us from our listeners as well as share her own feelings about having told her story.

Casey’s sharing of her first hand experiences of falling into and then finding her way out of the sex industry gives us an opportunity to move past the debilitating and hurtful societal understanding we have of sex workers.

We can begin to change the narrative by seeing the individual, their beauty and their worth. Casey, and her team at Light Of Love, remind us that the limited choices brought by trauma have people living unintended lives, often ones with very little hope. She will tell you, through the loving light found in relationships, we can begin healing our community.

Casey and her team are tireless in their mission. If you would like to learn more about their work, or look into volunteer opportunities, please visit lightofloveseattle.org

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In every city and town across America, our libraries are loved. I know I smile to myself every time I come through the entry doors of the main branch in downtown Seattle or any one of the other neighborhood branches. I think it’s connected to knowing ahead of time that I’m entering into a special place, similar to walking into a church, or a museum.

Common to these spaces is that there are rules of conduct, ones that ask us to be respectful of others. I’m guessing a good many of our listeners, at one time or another when growing up and visiting the library, were told they were being too loud, that they were disturbing others. By the time we are adults, we know most of these rules of conduct without being told.

For people experiencing homelessness, libraries have always been sanctuaries. They provide shelter from inclement weather and access to water and a bathroom. More recently they offer use of the internet and a place to charge devices. For many, maybe most importantly, they are a safe place to be. A place where they are welcome. As the number of people struggling on our streets increases, this has put a strain on our library systems. We wanted to know how they were navigating the complexities of this issue. I think you are going to be surprised by what we found out!

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