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Get to know the host of Care More Be Better Corinna Bellizzi in her interview on Causepods with Matthew Passy where she shares her start, her mission, and more.

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Do you see the good in the world, or do you see the negative? With all the world’s recent events, it can be easy to see what is wrong with the world. What if there is good? How would you find it? These are the questions that Corinna Bellizzi felt called to start the Care More Be Better Podcast. It is a podcast with a mission of shining a light on the good, even when surrounded by darkness.

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Love Without Borders – Etsy Store Episode explaining – Love Without Borders Key Topics:
  • Having a mission for good in the world (0:56)
  • What makes this podcast important for Corinna to create (1:45)
  • Someone looking to do good in the world, where does one start (2:39)
  • How has podcasting helped amplify the missions of others doing good (5:25)
  • What made a podcast the right tool for this mission (9:02)
  • You just need to start (9:28)
  • Advice for other podcasts to watch out for (10:36)
  • How a flight attendant and a refugee camp started to find the good (11:50)
Join the Care More. Be Better. Community!Clubhouse: @CareMoreBeBettr (weekly on Wednesdays @3pm Pacific) Website Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Twitter Email Support Care More. Be Better: A Social Impact + Sustainability PodcastCare More. Be Better. is not backed by any company. We answer only to our collective conscience. As a listener, reader, and subscriber, you are part of this pod and this community and we are honored to have your support. If you can, please help finance the show. Thank you, now and always, for your support as we get this thing started! Thanks for Listening to CausePods! Be sure to subscribe on Apple, Google, Spotify, Amazon, or wherever you get your podcasts. And feel free to drop us a line at mathew@causepods.org. Follow Mathew on Social Media to stay up to date on Causepods – Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn For help, resources, and community support, please join the Causepods Facebook Group if you are already producing podcasts for a cause or are thinking about launching one. And if you would like to be a guest on Causepods, please fill out this form and schedule your chat here.

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Live Well By Doing Good With Corinna Bellizzi, Featured On Causepods By Mathew Passy

I had the pleasure of being a guest on another podcast, Causepods, with Matthew Passy. I'm going to go ahead and share that with you as a bit of a bonus. Enjoy.

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Here on the show, we have one simple mission, to highlight the amazing folks who are using podcasts as a way to raise awareness for good causes and make the world a better place, whether it's in their own local community or they're taking on global issues. Please visit us at Causepods.org, where you can learn about our guest's show and their favorite charitable cause. Join our Facebook group of resources for cause-based podcasters. Find a link where you, yourself, could be a guest here on the show. We are taking you out to the West Coast in California. We are chatting with Corinna Bellizzi. She is the host of the Care More Be Better, a show for social good and sustainability. Thank you much for joining us. It's great to be here. Thank you. In your own words, tell us the mission of the Care More Be Better show. I'm here to help amplify the message of other people that are doing great things. I look at it after listening to your podcast a bit. You're the podcast that helps get cause partnership and cause-oriented podcasts out there. I'm somebody who helps to amplify the message of those that are doing the good. I see it as my mission to help them get more airtime and inspire people to understand that they can be the change they want to see. Sometimes we stare at Mount Everest and we think, "I can't make a difference. It seems too much." I like to tell the stories of individuals, especially as they're getting started in their endeavors. Why is this your mission? I've always felt like it's my mission in life to live well by doing good. I've worked for several years in the natural products industry. Typically, I work with very cause-oriented companies. Managing the sales and marketing messaging, I'm always building in some element of social good, some element that supports sustainability or whatever. I've come to the conclusion that I wanted to double down on that and make more of a difference every day in both my personal life and my professional life. It feels daunting. It feels like saving the planet, society, our culture, all of these things feels like, you said, mountains, huge to overcome and things like that. Where can an individual start? What's the low-hanging fruit for an individual or a small company, a startup, to make small impacts and start making a difference that you would suggest?
You can be the change you want to see too.
There are many stories out there that need to be told more. There's one fantastic not-for-profit in the vitamin space called Vitamin Angels. What they do is they bring Vitamin A to people in other countries that may not have access to the same nutrition that we do in the West. They've been able to basically end infant blindness in many of these countries just by correcting deficiencies that they had. Supplement companies do simple things like, "I'll donate a quarter for every bottle sold to the Vitamin Angels." The Vitamin Angels are able to amplify the work they do. In some cases, it's as simple as choosing a not-for-profit to collaborate with when you're in the business space. In other cases, it's as simple as donating your time. There are many not-for-profits out there that are doing great work and that don't have all the resources they need every day to get the job done. If you are passionate about a particular thing in your community, all you have to do is reach out to them and say, "Here's my skillset. I'd love to help in some way." That's all it takes. It's not like we're all staring at Mount Everest every day. You don't have to be the next Greta Thunberg. You can make small changes in your day-to-day life that have an impact. You can donate your time. You can donate resources. You can do what some others have done and suddenly just create a new business that ultimately gives back to their community. One of the stories I tell in my show is about The Giving Cake. The Giving Cake is a company that came out of that concept. This is a simple company that one of my girlfriends started. She chose to give back to the community by baking beautiful floral cupcake bouquets and selling them in her local community. She's giving 100% of profits to local charities in need. It's her way of giving back. This isn't her job. She has a full-time job. It's something she's passionate about. She decided to do it as her way to give back to our community. It's not like it's impossible to do these things. Sometimes we have to take a step in the direction that we know we want to go. If we're purpose-driven and we're saying, "I want to be a part of this change," or "I'm not happy with how something is running in my community," they can step in. You can step in. What is it that you do to amplify those people's messages outside of podcasting? If somebody who's reading who has a cause who's like, "I've got my podcast. I'm doing that, but I'm still struggling," what are some other ways that you might be able to help different causes with getting their message out there? One of the things I have done is connect not-for-profits with companies that are interested in championing a particular cause. I consider myself a networking champion that way. I like to help people. It's nothing I've ever equitized. It's, "You have this company that has this particular thing that you're involved in." Let's say they want to make sure that people in Flint, Michigan get clean water. They're going to go ahead and donate some resources to fuel that. I might be able to help them find that not-for-profit. Go ahead and connect them, so that another not-for-profit amplifies their message through a company that will help support it. That company can go ahead and ultimately get the benefit of the extra little marketing jazz that comes from that like, "This is something that we did to help a community in need." You said you don't equitize that, but how do you make a living doing this?
CMBB S1 | Live Well Live Well: I'm here to help amplify the message of other people that are doing great things.
As it stands, I'm four episodes in. I'm just getting my feet wet. My plan is not to build something that I'm going to suddenly turn into a cash cow. If I did, I would likely just take the resources and funnel them into some other not-for-profit or enterprise that needs the support. It's not something that's funded by any outside organization. I'm spending my own money to produce it and my own time. Ultimately, giving a little bit of airspace to the stories that I think need to be told. One of them that I am very passionate about is another not-for-profit that got its start to support refugees in need out of Greece. Ten or eleven countries have sent refugees there that are living in camps. In many cases, without a lot of hope. Kayra Martinez is the founder of this particular not-for-profit called Love Without Borders for Refugees in Need. She's a flight attendant. She was flying all over the country and the world for her work. In her travels, she knew she wanted to give back to a community when she saw what was happening in Greece. She said, "This is it. This is what I want to give back to." Every time she was able to, she'd just hop on a plane, visit Greece, fill suitcases with things to support those in need and figured out how she could help. She did through the arts. She brought art supplies that enabled these people to express themselves in the trauma that they'd experienced. Kids, in some cases, had stopped talking from their trauma. Suddenly, they were able to speak again and find their voice through these visual means through expression. What she does is still support them by bringing in art supplies. She sells them through her Etsy shop. Also, when we were in pre-COVID time, she was doing art galas and gallery shows to showcase their arts. For every art piece that is sold, 100% of the profit goes to the individual who painted it. She's been able to help thousands of people. Many of them successfully reentered society, not necessarily only in Greece. Some are living in Germany or Canada, or Australia. They get to wherever they were able to land. With all this work that you've decided to do, why then did you think, "Let's put out a podcast?" I'm a mom of two boys. I'm in graduate school. I balance working for three clients. I don't have a lot of time. I do this because I feel like I have to. If I'm not giving back in some small way every day, then I'm not leading by example the way that I want to in my everyday life. What were some of the big challenges you faced in launching a podcast? Did you have any media or technical experience? Were you learning as you went? Are there still things you get to do on the show and you're like, "What am I doing?" Everybody goes through a little hurdle, even if it is something you've done before. I have been a guest on radio shows for years talking about health and nutrition. I had some comfortability with that. I've spoken at many different media events in my time as well in front of crowds. I'm not too shy that way, which is helpful. I had a little bit of experience back in college working as a technical director and sound technician, doing some film work. It wasn't like it was completely great to me, but I will say I'm still learning every day.
The first step is to get started.
What would you say has been the biggest challenge for someone who has had some of the technical expertise and comfortability behind a microphone? What would you say to someone else who's reading like, "This is the thing you have to watch out for. This threw me for a loop?" I don't think I realized when I started how much time it would take me. There are simple things. I tend to write out a bit of an opening script for the shows that I'm going to record. Sometimes I share particular news notes. Things that are happening in communities that I think need a little bit of airtime that relate to the topic I'll be covering that day. That takes some prep time. It's not just like you hop on the microphone and start. Another piece I think is understanding that the time I have to dedicate to networking is something I will have to do in an ongoing way and make space for. There are many stories that need to be told that I want to tell that I'm having to prioritize almost the order in which I record them or which ones I want to tell first versus which I'll tell later. The big challenge I'm facing is making sure I keep those parties interested, that I might not have time to record because I don't want to lose them off the hook. We're also supporting a charity that you are fond of, LoveWithoutBorders4Refugees.com. Before we jumped on, you mentioned that this is something that your friend is doing. Tell us about what they are doing and why we care so much. They have helped thousands of refugees reenter society and handle some of the trauma that they have experienced on route to Greece. Living there in camps isn't necessarily the most beautiful thing either. If you listen to my first episode, you'll hear the story directly from Kayra. She talks about the fact that she would witness people waiting in line for an hour for a cup of orange juice and a bagel. A sad existence that most of us are never exposed to. Her interest is in helping these people reenter society in a healthy way. She's just started a project where she's even working to buy an apartment in Greece so that she can help these families reenter. It's something they've piloted with the rental already and they're putting families into a 10-month to 1 year program that assists them in reentering society. This is something that we all need to be concerned about. It's a community issue. If you are accepting in refugees from another country, these people don't have anywhere to go. They'll live on the streets if you don't supply them with some support. She is both fundraising for them and she's also selling arts that they have created. I have a painting on my wall that I'm looking at. I purchased from their Etsy shop, which is linked from their website, LoveWithoutBorders4Refugees.com. There's some surprisingly beautiful art in there. There are also some cute little art projects that kids did too. Each piece comes with a story and it helps to support people that are in the direst of need. I have appreciation and love for what she's doing. It's one of the many stories that I'm working to tell. There are many like it, where an inspired individual is putting all of their free time, love and effort into helping others. That's the whole purpose of this show is for me with Care More Be Better inviting people to care a little bit more, so we can all be a little better.
CMBB S1 | Live Well Live Well: Sometimes, we have to take a step in the direction that we know we want to go.
On their site, LoveWithoutBorders4Refugees.com, we were talking about best ways to get involved, you can find a link to buy a piece of art. You can find a link to donate directly to help them out. You can offer to host a show and contribute that way or just volunteer your time to help them make a difference in the life of people around the world. Going back to the idea of launching a podcast to support your favorite cause, what would be your one piece of advice for other folks who are on the precipice of launching or have just launched and could use a hand up? The first step is to get started. I know that may sound like it's a little trite. You get in front of a microphone and get a little comfortable, perhaps even just record a few Zoom sessions that you're comfortable with the technology since that's what a lot of podcasters use as they're getting started. You can even do a fake run or a trial with a friend or two over the internet at a different space or whatever to get comfortable and familiar. I personally chose to interview people first that I was familiar with who were doing great things. I think that helped me to get my sea legs. I also knew they'd be a little forgiving if I stumbled. That is the exact advice that I give to so many clients. “Those first couple of interviews, talk to people who you know will allow you to be comfortable, allow you to make some mistakes with some latitude. If you forgot to hit record, allow you to do it again because it happens so often to so many people. We have been chatting with Corinna Bellizzi. She is the host of the Care More Be Better, a show for social good and sustainability. You can find more CareMoreBeBetter.com. Of course, we will have link to her website, her show on Apple, Google, Spotify, as well as the link to Love Without Borders for Refugees. Corinna, thank you much for joining us here on the show. Thank you. I appreciate you giving me a little space. I look forward to perhaps even coming on again, if you're open.

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If you've been inspired by the work of our guests, please check out the show notes to this episode in your podcasting app or at Causepods.org. There you will find links to their show, their website, their podcast links on Apple, Google, Spotify as well as the link to support the charity that they highlighted here in this episode. You will also find at Causepods.org, a way to subscribe to this show on your favorite podcasting app, how to sign up to be a guest on this show and a link to our Facebook group, which is going to have special resources just for the folks who are podcasting for a good cause. I can tell you that we've got one great deal from our friends at Podpage, you're only going to learn about it and get that special deal if you are a member of the Facebook group for Causepods. Before I go, I should say thank you in particular. This show is edited and produced by Ben Killoy of the Military Veteran Dad Podcast and what a great job he has done. All of this has made possible because of the great support that I received from Shannon Rojas here at the PodcastConsultant.com. Once again, if you want to learn more, go to Causepods.org. Thank you much. We will see you next time on the show.

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