Stop & Talk Podcast
1) Gil Alvarado: Using All Our Resources to Benefit the Community
Gil Alvarado is the Chief Financial and Investment Officer (CFIO) of the Prebys Foundation, where he helps steward a $1.2 billion portfolio with an eye toward both strong returns and strong community ...Show More
2) Walking Shield: Building Capacity and Honoring Tribal Self-Determination
Walking Shield has spent nearly four decades improving quality of life for Native communities across the United States—bridging sovereign tribal nations with philanthropy, federal agencies, and the U....Show More
3) Brandon Steppe: “Shoulder to Shoulder” Mentorship That Changes Lives
Brandon Steppe left a corporate career to start a recording studio in his garage—never imagining that a few persistent neighborhood kids would change his life. Those early studio sessions grew into th...Show More
4) Richard Tate: Health, Justice, and the Power of Voice
Richard Tate is the President and CEO of the California Wellness Foundation, where he leads with clarity, courage, and hope. A communications strategist turned first-time CEO, Richard embraces the pow...Show More
5) Scott Lewis: Journalism, Democracy, and the Future of San Diego
Scott Lewis is CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Voice of San Diego, the pioneering nonprofit newsroom he helped build nearly two decades ago. What began as an experiment in funding professional journalism o...Show More
6) Sew Loka’s Claudia Rodriguez-Biezunski: Slow Fashion, Bold Stories
Claudia Rodriguez-Biezunski is the founder of Sew Loka, a community-driven textile art studio in San Diego’s Barrio Logan. A self-taught artist and entrepreneur, Claudia transforms reclaimed fabrics i...Show More
7) Afira Arrastia-DeVries: Kids Are Not a Problem to Solve
Afira Arrastia-DeVries is the President and CEO of the Monarch School Project, the only K–12 public institution in the U.S. solely dedicated to educating unhoused students. A 2025 Prebys Leadership Aw...Show More
8) Peter Ellsworth: Trust Begins With Listening
Peter Ellsworth is a longtime San Diegan, civic leader, and founding force in modern philanthropy. From his early days in law and healthcare to his visionary role at the helm of the Legler Benbough Fo...Show More
9) Mark Cafferty: Why Inclusive Growth Is Smart Business
Mark Cafferty is the President and CEO of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation (EDC), where he leads with a mix of realism, resolve, and heart. In this conversation, he shares his e...Show More
10) Molly Puryear: Dancing Toward Joy, Connection and Possibility
Molly Puryear is the Executive Director of Malashock Dance and a lifelong believer in the healing, connective power of movement. With infectious joy and deep conviction, she champions dance not just a...Show More