🎉 Welcome, 2025 🎉
2024 was a year of movement—some forward, some sideways, and yes, a few steps back. But I'm more convinced than ever that the work we do, the conversations we spark, and the lives we touch do matter.
Change happens in ripples, not waves, and those ripples are everywhere if we know where to look. Positive change is messy, volatile, and complex to measure when you're stuck in the day-to-day, all day, every day. It's only when you zoom out that you see the "arc of progress." And one of the best ways to recharge your advocacy batteries is to learn from history.
And if you're a fan of narrative history podcasts, I suggest listening (or re-listening) to my award-winning 8-part documentary series, The Cancer Mavericks: A History of Survivorship.
Bringing this to life in 2020 was a labor of love 50 years in the making because, to date, no one had told the history of the people—not the disease. It is about invisible heroes upon whose shoulders we stand and the shoulders they stood upon, etc.
‼️It is the story of us.
If you're unfamiliar, I'll let ChatGPT explain (after feeding it over 80 hours of transcripts and B-roll audio)
🤖"The Cancer Mavericks podcast series is essential for understanding how advocacy has shaped the landscape of healthcare, social justice, and human rights. Through its rich tapestry of historical accounts, personal stories, and grassroots movements, the series reveals a vital truth: advocacy, when done right, often works quietly in the background, creating change so seamlessly that we forget the trailblazers who made it happen.
🤖"By spotlighting pioneers like Mary Lasker, Rose Kushner, and the Black Panthers, this series reminds us that the stories of those who dared to challenge the status quo are both energizing and inspiring. They teach us that every inch of progress we celebrate today was hard-won by individuals who refused to settle for a broken system.
🤖"More importantly, Cancer Mavericks underscores a fundamental principle: advocacy is the only force that has meaningfully advanced humanity.
From patient navigation programs that revolutionized healthcare access to grassroots coalitions that pushed for equity and inclusivity, the series shows that change isn't handed down from the top—it's demanded, fought for, and shaped by people on the ground.
🤖"Listening to these stories helps us gain perspective, measure progress, and embrace the courage to keep advocating for a better, more just future. So, whether you're a survivor, a caregiver, or just someone passionate about change, this series is a powerful reminder of why we fight—and why it matters."
❤️ 🎉 🔥 🙏🏻 🤗
Back to me.
So, here's to us and new year of zooming out, gaining perspective, and making better problems to have the norm.
Apple Podcasts: https://emz.ee/mavs
Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eccZUJXw
The Cancer Letter: https://emz.ee/4j0gwN9
Cancer History Project: https://emz.ee/4gYez1T