United Planet Radio

To say Francis Tapon is a traveler is an under-statment. He’s more of a guru whose committed his life to seeing every little corner of the world. Mostly by foot. He’s walked the two major trails in North America, one of which took him 5,000 miles south into Mexico, and he spent five years walking through Africa, stopping along the way in various areas in an attempt to gain a better understanding of the human condition that exists elsewhere than from where he was born. While on his journey he...

In Arnaud’s vision of the world, a few things are required. First, travel. Find a way. Any way. Work the bag checkout at the grocery store. Deliver newspapers in the early mornings (Yes, newspapers are still in circulation). Whatever you have to do to make it work, do that. Second, learn a language, or two. Arnaud is a passionate spokesperson and storyteller. He has been traveling the world since his teenage years and hasn’t stopped for a moment. Keep in mind our conversation was done over...

We spoke with renowned journalist Laura Kasinof. She provided great insight into the challenges and necessities of working as a foreign correspondent. Her work has appeared in many newspapers, magazines and journals including The New York Times, The Atlantic, Vice, The Guardian and more. Her work spans a wide range of subjects including but not limited to US foreign policy, migration and religion. Laura reported for The New York Times during the height of the Arab Spring in Yemen. Her story...

Dalia is a human rights activist from Egypt. She spends her days writing and looking for areas to increase democratic values in her native Egypt. She is currently operating as the Director of Liberal Democracy of Egypt, a Cairo based think tank dedicated to promoting and advising policy makers on the advancements of human rights.

Naoko Jin, who co-operates a Cafe in Okazaki City with her husband Kuniomi Asai, sat down to chat with us about our newly developed program in Japan. Her love for Okazaki city is entrenched in the cities reminiscent nature. Built during Japan’s Edo period, Okazaki city is often described in folkloric fashion. Naoko and her husband Kuniomi, who has had a long career as a war correspondent, are excited to bring volunteers into the city they love.

If you were to ask Alex Lupafya what led to his success, he’d probably answer with, determination. He was born into a less than ideal situation, where embarrassment and poverty reigned. None of this mattered. Alex, with a vision, embarked on a journey that would forever detail the ethos he holds today. After being turned away by the consulate in his home country, Alex continued to show up at the embassy’s front door. He never quite and never let somebody else dictate his future. We were...

Retirement would have to be put off again for Mr. Markan. After departing from the corporate working world, Jim’s vision had shifted and his need to help others far exceeded his want to sit lakeside enjoying a cold beverage. Inspired by the work of the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu in their co-authored bestseller, “The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World,” Jim quickly became encapsulated in the Lifelong Learning Institute where he soon became a speaker and program mentor. He has...

We had the opportunity to sit down with Jonathan Golden who is currently leading a program designed to build medical centers in slower developing countries. His idea is simple, create an affordable and manageable center that allows small towns to properly function when tasked with dealing with the necessary medical procedures often faced in rural areas across the globe. His company is unique in that it uses its connection to coffee bean farmers to implement strategies to build centers and...

Mark Conway, currently completing his master's degree in International Relations at Tuft’s University School of Law and Diplomacy, has over thirty years experience in the technology industry. As a leader in the technology industry, he spoke with United Planet to discuss advances in the industry, technology connection to medicine and his plans for the future. Over the last several decades, Mark has seen rapid growth in an ever-changing industry. His plan? To be as much a part of it as he was...

After obtaining her Ph.D. in Human and Environmental Studies and Medical Information Systems from Kyoto University, Dr. Alkhateeb brought her knowledge to Massachusetts Bay College. There, she currently resides as an adjunct professor and mentor coordinator. She has traversed the globe, attended top level universities in many nations, started up a community clothing center and was kind enough to take some time to sit down and chat with United Planet about her journey, interests and her role...

From an early age, Gianpiero has nurtured his passion for world travel, and for intellectual and cultural exploration. Through experiences gained during his studies and his competitions, first as a member of the Italian Olympic Sailing Team and currently as a competitive triathlete, Gianpiero has had the opportunity to explore remote places and befriend people from diverse backgrounds. His experiences as a business consultant and as a private sector analyst with the United Nations...

There is little doubt that the current state of affairs makes it difficult to implement positive policy towards immigration and refugee groups. Liza Ryan doesn’t mind the difficulty. In fact, she embraces it. She explores ways to actively achieve strong counters to the growing assemblage of harmful immigration policy. With over ten years experience working in related fields, Liza continues to promote outreach and advocacy programs to disenfranchised groups across the globe.

Sebastián, who traveled from Costa Rica to New Hampshire as part of a United Planet Quest, took a moment to sit down and talk about his volunteer experience. For the last six months, Sebastian volunteered at a local center for the disabled. His time volunteering was as much an experience learning about others as it was learning about himself. Of his time spent volunteering for United Planet, Sebastián was humbled by the experience and left determined to continue promoting global...

Max Noble’s first book Journey To Success, is an international best seller. His forthcoming book, First Impressions: The 42 Laws of First Impressions, provides detailed examples of how to succeed in both business and life. Max has had a successful career, working at top-tier firms and has now dedicated his life to sharing what he learned along the way. For the first time, we spoke with Max on an international call. His insights and story provide some great tips on how to think positively and...

After losing her sight at age seven, Sara Minkara embarked on an inspiring journey. Her accomplishments as a young professional are driven by a need to see positive change in the world. She has worked tirelessly to implement programs across the United States and the globe to ensure that those with disabilities are henceforth included in the universal conversation. Her company, Empowerment Through Education, engages the global community in an effort to educate and stimulate dialogue to reduce...

After emigrating from Zimbabwe, Marshall embarked on an endless journey of persistence and diligence. His inspiring ethos, which originated from his mother, is not only sensible it's infectious. Having graduated from the Kennedy School of Government with a masters degree in Public Administration from Harvard University Marshal went on to co-find Africa Development and Investment a company where he acts as the Chief Operations Officer. In recent, Marshall has been granted a Fellowship at the...

Mary Yntema is currently the President and CEO of World Boston, a company dedicated to engaging public international affairs and advancing cooperation between people of all nations. Her background is both extensive and impressive and she has over twenty years of experience assisting non for profit organizations. Having witnessed the collapse of the Soviet Union, Mary become enveloped in the world of non-profit organization. Quickly, they soon became her desired profession. To date, Mary has...

Dr. Dobson has worked in higher education for over twenty-three years. She is the author of Being Global: Making the Case for International Alumni Relations (CASE Books, 2011), the International Travel Handbook: Engaging Constituents Abroad (Academic Impressions, 2014), and editor of Staying Global: How International Alumni Relations Advances the Agenda (EAIE, 2015) and was recognized by the Chronicle of Higher Education as one of the leading “Innovators in Internationalization” for her work...

Mr. Yusuf was born in Somaliland. In his later teen years he emigrated to the United States to readvanced education from the University of South Dakota. Since then he co-founded and acts as the Executive Director of the Somali Development Center. The center looks to help Somali (and other African communities) in Boston get access to constructive services, information and basic resources. In full, Abdi is a bi-cultural and bi-lingual administrator who speaks on vastly on his experiences as...

Ms. Samarasan has dedicated her life to helping those with disabilities. In our conversation, we spoke in depth about its definition, its scope and the impact one can have while working to help those in need. Diana is an avid believer in humanitarian aid and is pertinent to her mission to bring disability services into the limelight. She has done incredible work, diligently providing insight as both the Founder and Executive Director of the DRF which works to provide grants through global...