The Passionate Youth Worker
After 107 episodes and four seasons, we’ve decided to stop producing new podcast episodes for now. But the journey continues, with listeners tuning in from more than 157 countries around the world, the podcast has been downloaded more than 25,000 times.
The Passionate Youth Worker podcast is your invitation to explore your own life experiences by listening to other’s personal stories. Join me, Paul Meunier, the executive director of the Youth Intervention Programs Association (YIPA), as I interview youth workers from around the globe to reveal how their unique life experiences impact their work. Tune in and be inspired to consider how your story uniquely impacts your youth work. Do you have feedback about the show? I'd love to hear from you. Just send an email to paul@yipa.org.
Episodes
108 episodes
The Passionate Youth Worker Podcast Farewell Episode
June 17, 2024 Season 5 Episode 2Over the past four years, The Passionate Youth Worker podcast has been listened to in 106 different countries. Each of our 107 guests shared their unique stories with humility and grace. In this final epis...
Tuli Kamati: Kindness is the Language of Humanity that Transcends Barriers
June 3, 2024 Season 5 Episode 1Khomas region, Namibia: Tuli Kamati has learned to transform challenges into triumphs. She generously shares all of her life lessons to benefit others. And she leads with both a strong heart and a determine...
Cyprine Omollo: Keep Going and Going, You Should Not Stop
May 20, 2024 Season 4 Episode 27Nairobi, Kenya: Cyprine Omollo has a story of overcoming obstacles, persevering, and finding a path to help others through the struggle. She is warm and straightforward in sharing her experiences and the l...
Hope Flanagan: Be Accepting of Whatever Gifts You Have on a Daily Basis
May 6, 2024 Season 4 Episode 26Minnesota, United States: Hope Flanagan (Seneca) is Noodinesiikwe (Little Wind Woman) from the turtle clan. She comes from the people of Tonawanda, Seneca Reservation. Her interconnectedness with nature inf...
Ashley Daniels: Challenge the Status Quo to Help All Young People
April 22, 2024 Season 4 Episode 25Minnesota, United States: Ashley Daniels had a very difficult childhood, growing up with an alcoholic parent, dealing with countless challenges of her undiagnosed autistic ADHD, followed by a number of m...
Michael Dawson: You Can Rewrite Your Story if You Want to
April 8, 2024, Year Season 4 Episode 24Normandy, France: Michael Dawson chose to leave a lucrative career in sales to pour himself into paying forward the gift of support he had received from caring adults at a time of turmoil in his lif...
Cailee Fitzgerald: This Doesn’t Mean That I Can’t Achieve Great Things
March 25, 2024 Season 4 Episode 23Idaho, United States: Cailee Fitzgerald grew up in an unstable environment. Her parents abused drugs, engaged in illegal activities, and spent time in prison. She was determined not to follow in their fo...
Rumbidzai Chitsa: Give Love to the World Without Thinking of Getting Something Back
March 11, 2024 Season 4 Episode 22Bulawayo, Zimbabwe: Rumbidzai Chitsa grew up in a ghetto in Zimbabwe. But the possibilities she saw for herself opened up through the experience of an uncle who had become a doctor. She started on the sa...
Katie Shatusky: Turn Pain into Purpose
February 26, 2024 Season 4 Episode 21Minnesota, United States: Katie Shatusky’s life was deeply impacted when her beloved grandfather died by suicide in 2010. She has struggled with mental health challenges, discovered her corporate work...
Rosalind Loggin: My Purpose is to Pull People Out of Dark Places
February 12, 2024 Season 4 Episode 20Minnesota, United States: Rosalind Loggin has endured more trials and tribulations in her life than many people could bear. But she finds a way to triumph over them. Her faith is her foundation and sh...
Todd Haslam: I Want to Help Because I Wanted the Help
January 29, 2024 Season 4 Episode 19Portland, Jamaica: Todd Haslam’s young life started out well. His father was his hero who loved and cared for him. But when his father suddenly left, everything was upended. His life became very rough....
Helen Cheromiah: I Can Relate Because I’ve Lived It
January 16, 2024 Season 4 Episode 18New Mexico, United States: Helen Cheromiah was raised by a teenaged mom, grew up in poverty, and struggled to find her people and her right path. Still, she knows every experience went into making her ...
Benedetto Zanca: Authenticity Matters, Be Genuine and Authentic
January 2, 2024 Season 4 Episode 17Maryland, United States: Benedetto Zanca developed a selfless nature, coming through a difficult childhood. Anything he may have lacked didn’t really set him back. Instead, he focused on being of servic...
Charlotte Gordon: Focus on Your Mental Health
December 18, 2023 Season 4 Episode 16England, United Kingdom: Charlotte Gordon had a rough childhood due to difficulties of undiagnosed ADHD. But rather than simply living with the many challenges, she chose to leverage those challenges ...
Esha Mohammed Abdallah: Becoming Bold and Speaking Up for Young People
December 4, 2023 Season 4 Episode 15Mombasa, Kenya: Esha Mohammed Abdallah struggled with self-doubts and very low self-esteem as a young person. But the constant support of her mother helped her find ways to outgrow her limitations. Now...
Yaya Cochran: A Servant’s Heart
November 20, 2023 Season 4 Episode 14Minnesota, United States: Yaya Cochran is the living definition of being a servant youth worker. Her selfless nature and servant heart compel her to create a world where children are able to show up a...
Michelle Kissinger: Being Durable and Inquisitive
November 6, 2023 Season 4 Episode 13Pennsylvania, United States: Michelle Kissinger has literally made her life a work of art. She explores her primal wound of being abandoned as a child and her search to find healing and growth from tha...
Alyssa Clark: Don’t Let Fear Stop You, Keep Pushing Forward
October 23, 2023 Season 4 Episode 12California, United States: Alyssa Clark grew up a shy child and often felt alone even in her big family. She felt safest staying out of the limelight, staying quiet. But even at a young age, she recogn...
Josh Wagner: Flicking On The Lights
October 9, 2023 Season 4 Episode 11California, United States: Josh Wagner had an unimaginably hard start in childhood. His parents were consumed by addiction, he was separated from his brother at the age of three, and was out on his own ...
Allie Birdseye-Hannula: Bonus Edition - How to Talk to Porcupines
October 5, 2023 Season 4 Episode 10Minnesota, United States: Allie Birdseye-Hannula has the heart of a teacher and a curious nature that helps her keep learning and growing. Self-awareness and practical self-reflection are strengths she ...
Princess Awa-Ada Kisob: The Power of Sharing Your Power With Others
September 25, 2023 Season 4 Episode 9Minnesota, United States: Princess Awa-Ada Kisob seems like a natural born leader and she always knew she wanted to be a youth worker. She started her own nonprofit as a young teen to support immigran...
Dr. Paul “Paulie” Gavoni: It’s Not About Intent, It’s About Impact
September 11, 2023 Season 4 Episode 8Florida, United States: Dr. Paul “Paulie” Gavoni is a behavior scientist, educator, author, and speaker. He shares how his lived experience opened up the path for how he could help others. His insight...
Odane Brooks: Your Challenges are Preparing You for Something Greater
Kingston, Jamaica: Odane Brooks is a leading voice in Jamaica and the Caribbean on issues of public policy and youth leadership. His story is told through the lens of his leadership experience, sharing practical wisdom and inspiration for all y...
Sylvester Chabuka: There is Nothing Difficult For a Person That Has Hands
August 14, 2023 Season 4 Episode 6Lilongwe, Malawi: Sylvester Chabuka grew up in Malawi, the poorest country in the world. He, like many children in Malawi, suffered the effects of extreme poverty and malnutrition. But his grandmother in...
Ryan Berg: Change Happens at the Speed of Trust
July 31, 2023 Season 4 Episode 5Minnesota, United States: Ryan Berg found his way to youth work through his career in theater. Drawn to the impact of storytelling and impactful engagement with community, he took a job as a mentor for LGB...
