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Rotary Voices Podcast

Rotary Voices Podcast

By Rotary International

The official podcast of Rotary magazine, with stories from the magazine and Rotary Voices blog. Learn more about Rotary International, and how to participate in Rotary clubs at rotary.org.
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A path forward from PTSD

Rotary Voices PodcastNov 11, 2022

00:00
44:47
A debt to the dead
May 26, 202318:46
Rick Bayless' culinary diplomacy

Rick Bayless' culinary diplomacy

Food does more than fuel our bodies; it can nourish our souls and give us a glimpse into other cultures. In this episode of ⁠Rotary magazine⁠'s podcast, veteran food reporter Monica Eng and Rotary senior writer Diana Schoberg speak with renowned chef Rick Bayless about his community projects and the ways food can create connections.

May 15, 202328:10
The secret marathon

The secret marathon

The 2016 film The Secret Marathon tells the story of the perseverance of female runners in Afghanistan, a country where women regularly face discrimination and violence. In this episode of ⁠Rotary magazine⁠'s podcast, veteran journalist Linda Yu speaks with one of the filmmakers, Martin Parnell. Parnell is a member of the Rotary Club of Cochrane, Canada; a world-class endurance athlete; and an author.

Apr 17, 202319:19
The trailblazers

The trailblazers

March is Women's History Month, a time to celebrate and reflect on the contributions women have made to society. In this episode of Rotary magazine's podcast, we speak with two influential women: U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq war veteran, the first woman with a disability elected to Congress, and a former manager at Rotary; and Rotary International President Jennifer Jones, the first woman to hold that office and the founder and president of an award-winning media production company. 

Mar 20, 202337:18
Life during wartime

Life during wartime

Last fall, as the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine approached, Rotary magazine’s Wen Huang traveled to Europe to see this humanitarian crisis firsthand. In  Lviv, he witnesses the resilience of the Ukrainian people and the wide reach of Rotary’s global network. This story, which appeared in the March 2023 issue, is narrated by Andy Choi.

Mar 02, 202333:52
The battle for Ukraine’s identity

The battle for Ukraine’s identity

As the war in Ukraine reaches the one-year mark, Russia’s continued attacks have caused death and devastation, and created millions of refugees. In this special episode of Rotary magazine's podcast, we speak with Rotary International General Secretary John Hewko, a Ukrainian American who has lived in Ukraine and Russia; award-winning Ukrainian writer Andrey Kurkov, who spent most of the past year in Ukraine, documenting the resilience of ordinary Ukrainians; and Borys Bodnar, a Rotary member in Lviv who is working full-time on the relief effort.  They discuss the current situation, Rotary’s swift relief response, the prospect of peace, and the role civil society will play in Ukraine’s post-war rebuilding.

Feb 07, 202342:38
Lessons from Dr. Loneliness
Jan 30, 202318:04
Connection is a cure
Jan 05, 202316:36
A mission to eliminate malaria

A mission to eliminate malaria

The recipient of Rotary's first $2 million Programs of Scale grant, Partners for a Malaria-Free Zambia, is working to eliminate the disease, including training 2,500 community health workers. In Rotary magazine's latest podcast, we check in with Rotarians Martha Lungu and Eric Liswaniso, who are working in their communities to combat malaria. We also explore the science behind malaria with Abigail Pratt, a senior program officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and speak with Diana Schoberg, who traveled to Zambia to report the magazine's December 2022 cover story, "A community cure."

Dec 15, 202233:57
A Community Cure
Dec 01, 202217:57
A path forward from PTSD

A path forward from PTSD

Trauma, whether from the horrors of war or the loss of a loved one, can feel insurmountable to those experiencing it. In this episode, our podcast team explores stories of hard-won recovery — and even growth.  We talk with Zach Skiles, a veteran of the Iraq war who became homeless, began to heal at a veteran’s facility with support from Rotary members, and is now a clinical psychologist at the Portland, Oregon VA Medical Center; and Michaela Haas, a journalist and author who has researched post-traumatic growth.

Nov 11, 202244:47
Home from War

Home from War

An Iraq veteran works through his trauma — and adopts a mission to help others, in this audio version of a story in the November 2022 issue of Rotary magazine. Story by Kate Silver. Narrated by award-winning broadcast journalist Linda Yu. 

Nov 03, 202222:30
Outsmarting polio

Outsmarting polio

The poliovirus is detected in New York and London. A new polio vaccine offers hope to prevent variant polio outbreaks. In advance of World Polio Day, 24 October, our podcast team sits down for a chat with Carol Pandak, director of PolioPlus for Rotary International, Dr. Ananda Bandyopadhyay, deputy director of the polio team at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Jason Keyser, managing editor of Rotary magazine, to discuss the latest on Rotary's efforts to eradicate this disease.

Oct 19, 202239:17
A New Weapon Against Polio

A New Weapon Against Polio

Rotary Magazine Presents: A modified polio vaccine, nOPV2, is offering new hope in the fight to eradicate polio. Broadcast Journalist Linda Yu narrates this story from the Rotary magazine, written by Managing Editor Jason Keyser. 

Sep 29, 202215:05
The Next Act

The Next Act

With his play, Visions, Rotary member Lo Bue has turned his addiction into art and provided new roles for former addicts. Story by Steve Almond. Narrated by award-winning broadcast journalist Linda Yu.

Aug 23, 202212:47
Water is life

Water is life

Alongside Rotary and the nonprofit DigDeep, the Navajo are bringing a vital commodity to their ancestral homeland. Story by Geoffrey Johnson. Narrated by award-winning broadcast journalist Linda Yu.

Aug 23, 202214:15
Rotary in Australia on the road to reconciliation

Rotary in Australia on the road to reconciliation

Australia is made up of hundreds of different Indigenous nation groups; each with their own culture, customs, language, and laws. The Adelaide City Rotaract Club, based on Kaurna land on the Adelaide Plaines, is among the first within Rotary to have developed a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), endorsed by the not-for-profit organisation Reconciliation Australia. Katey Halliday, a member of Rotary International’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Taskforce, narrates this blog post she wrote for Rotary Voices explaining why reconciliation is important to Rotary.

Jul 27, 202204:14
Peace Through a Bowl of Tea

Peace Through a Bowl of Tea

Genshitsu Sen is former grand master of the Urasenke tea tradition and a member of the Rotary Club of Kyoto, Japan. Sen's father introduced him to Rotary in 1954. "Rotary's values fit perfectly with the tenets of our Urasenke chadō tradition, such as Wa (harmony), Kei (respect), Sei (purity), and Jaku (tranquility)." Upon the death of his father in 1964, Sen acceded to the position of Urasenke grand master, representing the 15th generation in the Urasenke line. Despite his new responsibilities, he remained a dynamic member of Rotary and was elected president of the Rotary Club of Kyoto. This story, from Rotary magazine, was written by Go Tamitami and Wen Huang and is narrated by Andy Choi.

Jul 22, 202219:27
Storyteller in Chief
Jun 28, 202218:41
Melodies and memories

Melodies and memories

Music, it turns out, is medicine for the mind. In this story for the May 2022 issue of Rotary magazine, Kate Silver explores the good things music does for the aging brain and some Rotarians who have been using it to help others. Narrated by award-winning broadcast journalist Linda Yu.

Jun 01, 202223:56
White rhinos and Black Mambas

White rhinos and Black Mambas

Can an all-female anti-poaching unit stop wildlife crime in an African game preserve — without guns? The following story, narrated by award-winning broadcast journalist Linda Yu, appeared in the April 2022 issue of Rotary magazine.

May 18, 202219:41
Rotaract and Rotary serving together
May 11, 202205:04
Rotary Community Corps help refugees

Rotary Community Corps help refugees

Rotary Community Corps (RCC) are groups of volunteers who work alongside Rotary clubs to make a difference in their communities. The Rotary Community Corps of the Aghan Community in Minnesota assist the more than 1,000 refugees who have recently moved to Minneapolis and St. Paul from Kabul, Afghanistan. In this blog post for Rotary Voices, Tom Gump, a past district governor and organizer of the RCC, explains how we can create positive peace right from our own backyards. 

May 05, 202206:02
Strength in times of crisis in Ukraine
May 04, 202211:26
Why Rotary matters to us

Why Rotary matters to us

Why are you a member of Rotary? Why is it important to you? The membership committee for District 6690 (Ohio, USA) realized the answer to these questions vary from person to person and can be very personal. In creating a membership drive in response to the Each One, Bring One initiative, they knew their campaign had to challenge members to share their experiences with others, include a personal touch, and inspire a little friendly competition. Jenny Stotts, district membership chair, reads a blog post she co-authored with District Governor MaryJane Shackleford and Matt Wideman.


May 02, 202203:53
Michigan club pairs students with celebrity and CEO mentors
Dec 01, 202104:39
The future of women in Rotary

The future of women in Rotary

Then Governors-elect Sandy Sava of District 5180 (California) and Dawn deFuria of District 7450 (Pennsylvania) sat down to talk about the current and future state of women in Rotary in this podcast from 2017.

Nov 22, 202103:05
Advancing women as leaders
Nov 18, 202107:38
Leading by example
Nov 18, 202109:57
A day in the life of a vaccination volunteer
Nov 18, 202102:30