Care More Be Better: A Podcast For Sustainable Social Impact and Regeneration

More than 1.3 million children in the United States are unsheltered — and for many of them, a pair of new athletic shoes is not a given but a barrier, to school attendance, to sports participation, to the simple feeling of belonging. Amy Fass, Executive Director of Shoes That Fit, joins Care More Be Better as the domestic companion to the earlier Because International conversation, bringing the lens of childhood shoe insecurity home. She and host Corinna Bellizzi explore what new shoes actually do for a child's self-esteem, the stories of children transformed by something as simple as a name-brand sneaker, the antiquated federal poverty line that leaves millions uncounted, and how to make a concrete difference when the scale feels overwhelming.

Chapter Markers

00:00 — Introduction: The Domestic Companion to The Shoe That Grows

04:00 — How Shoes That Fit Works: Schools, Partners, and the Model

10:00 — The Girl with the Box: 'I've Never Had New Shoes Before'

16:00 — Why Name Brands Matter: Self-Esteem and Belonging

22:00 — The Physical Cost of Ill-Fitting Shoes: Injuries, Attendance, and Barriers to Sport

28:00 — 1.3 Million Unsheltered Children and the Antiquated Poverty Line

34:00 — Corporate Partnerships: Nordstrom, Rack Room, GEICO, and On Running

40:00 — The 2025 Challenge: Tariffs, Shoe Donations, and the Donor Base That Stepped Up

46:00 — Building for Scale: Warehouse Model, Distribution, and the Waitlist

52:00 — Leadership Lessons: Resilience, Burnout, and Investing in People

58:00 — Advice for Aspiring Nonprofit Founders: Listen First

64:00 — Closing: Find One Concrete Thing and Do It

Resources

Amy Fass on LinkedIn

Shoes That Fit — shoesthatfit.org

Shoes That Fit on LinkedIn

@shoesthatfitcharity on Instagram

@shoesthatfitcharity on TikTok

Shoes That Fit on X

Nordstrom — Shoes That Fit partnership

Rack Room Shoes

On Running

Because International — Ep. 289 (previous episode)

Godfrey Coker — previous episode

Lydiah Kemunto Bosire, 8B Education — previous episode

The Grapes of Wrath — John Steinbeck

Donate to Shoes That Fit: shoesthatfit.org
CONNECT & SUPPORT CARE MORE BE BETTER
Substack: https://caremorebebetter.substack.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/caremorebebetter
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@caremorebebetter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caremorebebetter
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CareMoreBeBetter
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/care-more-be-better
CAUSE PARTNER: If you value open dialogue, sustainability, and social equity, I invite you to support our new cause partner —Prescott College. To learn more about this effort and to support the show, visit: https://caremorebebetter.com/support/

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Do you know that your body possesses its own innate repair system through the power of regenerative medicine? Stem cell scientist and neurophysiologist Christian Drapeau, MSc joins the show to explore this fascinating topic and how ancient plants can support your body's natural ability to heal. Christian, who is the founder of the supplement company Stemregen and author of the book Cracking the Stem Cell Code, shares his groundbreaking research on how specific plant extracts can naturally stimulate the release of your own stem cells. We explore the paradigm shift in longevity science and how optimizing your innate repair system could change the way we approach health, aging, and disease recovery.

Health Disclaimer

Stemregen is a dietary supplement. Nothing in this episode constitutes medical advice or claims to treat, diagnose, or cure any disease. Stemregen supports the body's natural processes. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before beginning any new supplement. Corinna Bellizzi is not affiliated with Stemregen.
COMPLETE BLOG & TRANSCRIPT: https://caremorebebetter.com/the-body-as-a-repair-machine-a-deep-dive-into-stem-cells-and-regenerative-medicine-with-christian-drapeau-msc/

About Guest: Christian Drapeau, MSc is a stem cell scientist, neurophysiologist, medicinal plant explorer, and best-selling author with 35+ years in medical research. He was among the first scientists to propose in published literature that stem cells are the body's innate repair system - a paradigm shift now reshaping regenerative medicine and longevity science.

Driven by that discovery, Christian has traveled the world studying ancient plants that naturally support the body's ability to release and deploy its own stem cells. He has lectured in 50+ countries, authored five books, including Cracking the Stem Cell Code, and is the Founder and Chief Science Officer of STEMREGEN. His work bridges rigorous science with nature's intelligence, making regeneration accessible to everyone.

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-drapeau

Guest Website: https://stemregen.co | https://www.francisbrothers.com/

Guest Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stemcellchristian/

Guest TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@stemcellchristian

Guest YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stemregen

Additional Resources Mentioned:

BOOK: Cracking the Stem Cell Code by Christian Drapwau, MSc

Chapter Markers for Key Topics:

00:00 - Stem Cells: The Body's Natural Defense

05:46 - Debunking The Myths Of Stem Cell Research

09:37 - Understanding The Body’s Innate Repair System

16:41 - Healing Injuries: Injections Vs. Natural Stimulation

24:56 - Ethical Sourcing And The Future Of Plant-Based Medicine

34:37 - Measuring Stem Cell Migration And Healing

44:33 - The Economy Of Health: Regenerating The Human Body

CONNECT & SUPPORT CARE MORE BE BETTER
Substack: https://caremorebebetter.substack.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/caremorebebetter
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@caremorebebetter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caremorebebetter
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CareMoreBeBetter
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/care-more-be-better
CAUSE PARTNER: If you value open dialogue, sustainability, and social equity, I invite you to support our new cause partner —Prescott College. To learn more about this effort and to support the show, visit: https://caremorebebetter.com/support/

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Zach and Jason Francis have spent their careers proving that doing more with less is not a constraint — it's a philosophy — from a nine-month sailing trip from San Diego to Australia to building tiny homes on HGTV's Tiny Luxury to Willo, an AI platform that takes a business idea from concept to live website in under ten minutes. The brothers join Care More Be Better to share what 21 days at sea taught them about complexity, why ideas die in spreadsheets, how AI agents work like bees in a hive, and how to use AI as a tool that empowers rather than replaces the human behind the vision.

Chapter Markers

00:00 — Introduction: The Through Line from Tiny Homes to AI Agents

05:00 — Building with a Sibling: Trust, Security, and the Ability to Argue Without Fragility

12:00 — The Sailing Trip: 21 Days at Sea and What You Actually Need

18:00 — Tiny Luxury to Willo: The Philosophy Was Always the Same

24:00 — Complexity Kills: Getting from Zero to One

30:00 — What Willo Actually Does: From Idea to Live Website in 8-10 Minutes

38:00 — The Seven Agent System: Proactive vs. Reactive AI

44:00 — How Willo Differs from Claude, ChatGPT, and Agentic Tools

50:00 — AI Energy Footprint: Stewardship Over Avoidance

56:00 — The Beehive: How Nature Informs Willo's Agent Design

62:00 — Pricing, Roadmap, and What's Next for Willo

COMPLETE BLOG & TRANSCRIPT: https://caremorebebetter.com/from-ideas-to-income-with-ai-zach-and-jason-francis/
About Guests: Brothers Zach and Jason Francis are serial entrepreneurs, builders, and prior hosts of the straight-to-series reality HGTV TV show Tiny Luxury. Over the years, they have built, acquired, and invested in companies spanning real estate, media, software, and artificial intelligence. Their mission is to make entrepreneurship more accessible by simplifying the process of building and growing a business. As the founders of Willo, they are helping a new generation of entrepreneurs turn ideas into real businesses with the power of AI. Beyond business, Zach and Jason are real estate developers, AI investors, beekeepers, sailors, adventurers, and family men who are passionate about creating meaningful companies, exploring new opportunities, and helping others build lives and businesses on their own terms.

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-francis-750200157/ | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-francis7/

Guest Website: https://willo.ai | https://www.francisbrothers.com/

Guest Socials: https://www.youtube.com/@buildwithwillo | https://x.com/BuildwithWillo | https://www.facebook.com/buildwithwillo/

Additional Resources Mentioned:

Scary Smart by Mo Gawdat

CONNECT & SUPPORT CARE MORE BE BETTER
Substack: https://caremorebebetter.substack.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/caremorebebetter
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@caremorebebetter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caremorebebetter
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CareMoreBeBetter
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/care-more-be-better
CAUSE PARTNER: If you value open dialogue, sustainability, and social equity, I invite you to support our new cause partner —Prescott College. To learn more about this effort and to support the show, visit: https://caremorebebetter.com/support/

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This is a bonus episode. Back on Juneteenth, we shared Episode 1 of Angela Glover Blackwell's Reimagining Democracy for a Good Life. Last Wednesday, you heard our full conversation with Angela. Today, we're closing that loop with Chapter 6, the final episode of Season 1: Hope Is a Discipline. Angela and choreographer Ana Maria Alvarez explore how art moves a place, and a country, from resistance to creation, with stops along the way for joy, honest pushback on whether LA is really "the model," and a reminder from Mariame Kaba that hope has to be practiced, not just felt. Season 2, focused on Georgia, is out now.

Reimagining Democracy for a Good Life is a podcast created by PolicyLink in partnership with Pineapple Street Studios.

Chapter Markers

00:00 — Cold open: Charles White's mural and Angela's reflection on Black artists in the fight for democracy

03:32 — Show intro: welcome to Chapter 6, Hope Is a Discipline

07:17 — Ana Maria Alvarez on Contra-Tiempo Activist Dance Theater and art as resistance

09:15 — Intergenerational organizing: Ana Maria's parents and the village that built PolicyLink

10:33 — Resistance as a healthy democratic practice, the salsa metaphor

12:53 — Joy as fuel for the movement, adrienne maree brown and Pleasure Activism

15:25 — Is LA the model? Denise Fairchild's honest pushback

16:31 — Manuel Pastor: "a thing of beauty with our friends"

17:35 — Anthony Thigpen: standing at the brink

18:30 — 2024, the biggest global election year in history

21:00 — Hope is a discipline, the Mariame Kaba idea

22:07 — Justin Jones and Justin Pearson: expelled, reinstated, undeterred

23:17 — Fight for 15, ROC United, and the New Georgia Project with Nse Ufot

25:58 — Closing reflection and Shanaka Hodge's poem

27:22 — Angela's closing charge, credits, and a call to vote

Resources & Links

Follow Reimagining Democracy for a Good Life: wherever you listen to podcasts!
Season 2: Georgia is available now: https://www.policylink.org/resources/podcasts

Learn more about PolicyLink: https://www.policylink.org/

Listen to our full interview with Angela Glover Blackwell (Episode 294): https://caremorebebetter.com/reimagining-democracy-with-angela-glover-blackwell/

Revisit our Juneteenth share of Episode 1: Los Angeles: https://caremorebebetter.com/juneteenth-feature-angela-glover-blackwells-reimagining-democracy-for-a-good-life-episode-1-los-angeles/

Questions or reflections? Email hello@caremorebebetter.com

CONNECT & SUPPORT CARE MORE BE BETTER
Substack: https://caremorebebetter.substack.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/caremorebebetter
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@caremorebebetter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caremorebebetter
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CareMoreBeBetter
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/care-more-be-better
CAUSE PARTNER: If you value open dialogue, sustainability, and social equity, I invite you to support our new cause partner —Prescott College. To learn more about this effort and to support the show, visit: https://caremorebebetter.com/support/

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Are you tired of feeling helpless about our growing global garbage crisis? Host Corinna Bellizzi sits down with Tom Szaky, the visionary founder and CEO of TerraCycle and Loop, to discuss why we must start Rethinking Waste. Szaky explains how his companies are transforming hard-to-recycle items, like cigarette butts and dirty diapers, into valuable resources. They unpack how the modern concept of disposability has failed us and why a circular economy is the target for sustainable social impact. You'll discover how the chess pieces of business and policy must align to drive scalable, real-world change. This eye-opening discussion will challenge you to reconsider everything you buy and throw away.

COMPLETE BLOG & TRANSCRIPT: https://caremorebebetter.com/nature-has-no-concept-of-waste-tom-szaky-on-terracycle-loop-eliminating-disposability/

About Guest: Tom Szaky is founder and CEO of TerraCycle, a global leader in the collection and repurposing of complex waste streams. TerraCycle operates in 20 countries, working with some of the world’s largest brands, retailers and manufacturers to create national platforms to recycle products and packaging that otherwise go to landfill or incineration. It also created a new circular reuse platform called Loop that enables consumers to purchase products in reusable packaging. Tom and TerraCycle have received hundreds of awards and recognition from organizations including the United Nations, World Economic Forum, Fortune Magazine and U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Tom is the author of four books, Revolution in a Bottle, Outsmart Waste, Make Garbage Great and The Future of Packaging.

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomszaky/
Guest Website: https://www.terracycle.com/en-US/

Additional Resources Mentioned:
BOOK: Regeneration: Ending the Climate Crisis in One Generation: https://amzn.to/4gwCXIE
BOOK: Carbon: The Book of Life: https://amzn.to/4kQi9xL
Time Stamps:
00:58 00:00 - Why True Change Starts With Natural Capitalism
05:10 02:45 - The Hidden Cost Of An Unsexy Utility
08:11 05:30 - Flipping The Economics Of Trash On Its Head
07:37 09:40 - Surviving The Scrutiny Of The System
13:18 13:15 - The Logistics Of Sorting The Unsortable
34:36 17:50 - Designing For Reuse In A Convenient World
52:16 23:20 - Democratizing Capital For A Cleaner Future

BUILD A GREENER FUTURE with CARE MORE BE BETTER: Together, we planted 36,044 trees in 2025 through our partnership with ForestPlanet. We screamed past our goal of planting 20,000 trees thanks to subscribers like you!
CAUSE PARTNER: If you value open dialogue, sustainability, and social equity, I invite you to support our new cause partner — Prescott College. To learn more about this effort and to support the show, visit: https://caremorebebetter.com/support/

Follow us on social media:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/caremorebebetter

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@caremorebebetter

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caremorebebetter

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CareMoreBeBetter

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/care-more-be-better

CONNECT & SUPPORT CARE MORE BE BETTER
Substack: https://caremorebebetter.substack.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/caremorebebetter
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@caremorebebetter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caremorebebetter
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CareMoreBeBetter
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/care-more-be-better
CAUSE PARTNER: If you value open dialogue, sustainability, and social equity, I invite you to support our new cause partner —Prescott College. To learn more about this effort and to support the show, visit: https://caremorebebetter.com/support/

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.