Walk Talk Listen Podcast

Where Belonging Begins with Sara Rahim — Walk Talk Listen (Episode 221)

In this episode of Walk Talk Listen, Maurice Bloem speaks with Sara Rahim, a global interfaith practitioner and youth leader working at the intersection of belonging, inclusion, and social transformation.
Sara is part of the Programming Team of ACWAY, supporting young leaders across regions who are building bridges across difference through interfaith cooperation and grassroots leadership. With a decade of experience in network cultivation, health equity, workforce development, and intercultural engagement, she has helped design and lead initiatives that move inclusion from theory into daily practice.
Sara has addressed major platforms on the role of interfaith action, including the White House, the United Nations, and multiple G20 Interfaith Forums. She is a Global Shaper with the World Economic Forum and previously served as a UN Youth Representative for the Parliament of the World’s Religions. She holds a Master of Public Policy from the University of Chicago.
In this conversation, we explore:
how her understanding of belonging formed early in life
what youth leadership really looks like today
how interfaith engagement translates into everyday work
why inclusion is not an “extra,” but a responsibility
and how she responds to the powerful question passed on by Benny Rietveld: “What are you doing to help?”
This episode is about becoming, choosing to help in quiet but structural ways, and discovering where belonging begins.
 
Listener Engagement:
Discover the songs picked by Sara and other guests on our #walktalklisten here. Also check out Sara's own playlist here. 
Learn more about Sara via her LinkedIn, and the ACWAY Instagram account and their website.
Share your feedback on this episode through our Walk Talk Listen Feedback link – your thoughts matter!
Follow Us:
Support the Walk Talk Listen podcast by following us on Facebook and Instagram.
Visit 100mile.org or mauricebloem.com for more episodes and information about our work.
Check out the special series "Enough for All" and learn more about the work of the Joint Learning Initiative (JLI).

Being in the Moment with Benny Rietveld - Walk Talk Listen (episode 220)

Benny Rietveld — bassist, composer, arranger, musical director for Santana, and former member of Miles Davis’ band — joins Walk Talk Listen for a deeply reflective, funny, and generous conversation about music, presence, heritage, and healing.
 
Born in Utrecht and raised in Honolulu, Benny grew up in a multicultural mix of Dutch-Indonesian roots, Hawaiian upbringing, family parties full of guitars, and the irresistible pull of a piano in a department store. At age 12 he was playing in bands; by his 20s he was on stage with Sheila E., Prince, and later Miles Davis, whose “laser beam of attention” taught him what it means to be truly present in music.
 
Today, Benny is the longtime musical director and bassist for Carlos Santana, and continues writing, recording, composing for film, and leading a genre-defying ensemble he jokingly calls “the circus.”
 
In this episode we talk about:
Growing up as a Dutch-Indonesian kid in Hawaii’s melting pot of cultures
How Hey Jude sparked his first steps into music
What Miles Davis really taught him: presence, intensity, and honesty
Why music remains “medicine” for a dark and distracted world
Leaving Miles for Santana — and why Miles wanted people to move on
The joy (and lessons) of performing with his son
His upcoming projects, including a new album and film score
Benny also leaves a powerful question for the next guest
 
Listener Engagement:
Discover the songs picked by Benny and other guests on our #walktalklisten here.
Learn more about Benny via his LinkedIn, and Instagram accounts.
Share your feedback on this episode through our Walk Talk Listen Feedback link – your thoughts matter!
Follow Us:
Support the Walk Talk Listen podcast by following us on Facebook and Instagram.
Visit 100mile.org or mauricebloem.com for more episodes and information about our work.
Check out the special series "Enough for All" and learn more about the work of the Joint Learning Initiative (JLI).

It’s Decreed the People Rule with Adam Nicholas Phillips – Walk Talk Listen (Episode 219)

Adam Nicholas Phillips is Chief Executive Officer of Interfaith America, the nation’s largest bridge-building organization working across campus, corporate, and civic settings.
With two decades at the intersection of faith and public life, Adam previously served in the Biden–Harris Administration at USAID, where he led Faith-based and Localization efforts, shaped development policy, and supported democracy initiatives in nearly 100 countries. An ordained minister, he has also founded congregations, led national advocacy campaigns, collaborated with the White House and the State Department, and worked with global partners to expand interfaith cooperation.
 
In this conversation, Adam reflects on:
how his upbringing shaped his calling to service and bridge-building
the relationship between faith, democracy, belonging, and civic renewal
what gives him hope in a polarized world
youth and spirituality — and what the next generation is trying to build
why Patti Smith’s People Have the Power still moves him
and why remembering that “it’s decreed the people rule” matters now more than ever
This episode is a reminder that agency, compassion, and community are not abstract ideals — they’re everyday commitments.
 
Listener Engagement:
Discover the song picked by Adam and other guests on our #walktalklisten here.
Learn more about Adam via his LinkedIn, and Instagram accounts.
Share your feedback on this episode through our Walk Talk Listen Feedback link – your thoughts matter!
Follow Us:
Support the Walk Talk Listen podcast by following us on Facebook and Instagram.
Visit 100mile.org or mauricebloem.com for more episodes and information about our work.
Check out the special series "Enough for All" and learn more about the work of the Joint Learning Initiative (JLI).

Travel That Changes You with Sibu Szymanowska — Walk Talk Listen (Episode 218)

In this episode of Walk Talk Listen, our guest is Sibu Szymanowska, a human rights advocate, entrepreneur, traveler, and global citizen with nearly two decades of experience living and working across Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
 
Sibu is the co-founder of The Hybrid Tours, a social enterprise that blends sustainable, intentional travel with storytelling to challenge stereotypes and foster real connection. With a background in economics and a master’s degree in humanitarianism and international conflict, she uses travel as a tool for justice, empathy, identity exploration, and global understanding.
 
In this conversation, Sibu reflects on:
how travel reshaped her sense of self
the responsibility we carry when entering someone else’s home, country, or story
the difference between seeing a place and being transformed by a place
what it means to grow up between cultures and belong to more than one world
She also shares how co-founding The Hybrid Tours with Hira Aftab (go to episode 216 to listen to her) grew organically out of shared values — and how their differences strengthen the work.
This episode invites listeners to think not only about the places they’ve traveled, but about the ways those journeys have shaped who they’ve become.
 
Listener Engagement:
Discover the song picked by Sibu and other guests on our #walktalklisten here.
Learn more about Sibu via her LinkedIn, and Instagram accounts of her companies The Hybrid Tours and Go Global with Sibu.
Share your feedback on this episode through our Walk Talk Listen Feedback link – your thoughts matter!
Follow Us:
Support the Walk Talk Listen podcast by following us on Facebook and Instagram.
Visit 100mile.org or mauricebloem.com for more episodes and information about our work.
Check out the special series "Enough for All" and learn more about the work of the Joint Learning Initiative (JLI).

Resilience Isn’t an Outcome — It’s a Practice with Åsa Jarskog — Walk Talk Listen (Episode 217)

In this episode of Walk Talk Listen, host Maurice Bloem speaks with Åsa Jarskog, a key leader in the global Inner Development Goals (IDG) movement. Åsa has spent more than 35 years working in leadership, strategy, and sustainability across 67 countries — coaching executive teams, governments, development banks, and global organizations including IKEA, Ericsson, Lufthansa, Vodaphone, and the World Economic Forum.
 
Åsa reflects on why inner development is not a concept — it’s a practice. She shares personal stories from her early life in northern Sweden, where cross-country skiing taught her the mindset of steady effort and inner resilience, a theme that now guides her work in human flourishing and transformational leadership.
When asked about the song that represents her, Åsa laughs and says that while “I Will Survive” reflects resilience, the song that truly embodies her journey is “My Way.” Because for her, leadership is not about perfection. It’s about presence, authenticity, and showing up — again and again.
 
Listener Engagement:
Discover the song picked by Åsa and other guests on our #walktalklisten here.
Learn more about Åsa via her LinkedIn, and Facebook.
Share your feedback on this episode through our Walk Talk Listen Feedback link – your thoughts matter!
Follow Us:
Support the Walk Talk Listen podcast by following us on Facebook and Instagram.
Visit 100mile.org or mauricebloem.com for more episodes and information about our work.
Check out the special series "Enough for All" and learn more about the work of the Joint Learning Initiative (JLI).

Going Against the Norm with Hira Aftab – Walk Talk Listen (Episode 216)

In this episode of Walk Talk Listen, Hira Aftab — founder of Our World Too, a platform dedicated to re-humanizing narratives around refugees and displaced communities, and co-founder of The Hybrid Tours, a social enterprise blending travel and social impact, is our guest.
 
Hira reflects on her journey as a “third-culture kid” growing up between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the UK, and how her lived experiences shaped her commitment to dignity-centered communications. She talks about pushing back against expectations, carving her own path outside the family tradition of medicine, and why her chosen song speaks to her:
 
“…that speaks to me, because I feel … going against the norm, doing what I did, and how I did it.”
 
With two master’s degrees and her engagement as an ACWAY Fellow, Hira brings clarity, courage, and compassion to every space she enters — from storytelling to peacebuilding.
 
Listener Engagement:
Discover the song picked by Hira and other guests on our #walktalklisten here.
Learn more about Hira via her LinkedIn, and Instagram and Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook of Hybrid Tours. Also check Facebook of Our World Too.
Share your feedback on this episode through our Walk Talk Listen Feedback link – your thoughts matter!
Follow Us:
Support the Walk Talk Listen podcast by following us on Facebook and Instagram.
Visit 100mile.org or mauricebloem.com for more episodes and information about our work.
Check out the special series "Enough for All" and learn more about the work of the Joint Learning Initiative (JLI).

Finding Joy Against the Odds with Sarah Rehman – Walk Talk Listen (Episode 215)

In this episode of Walk Talk Listen, host Maurice Bloem speaks with Sarah Rehman, Membership and Administrative Specialist for the Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers. Holding four master’s degrees — in Conflict Analysis and Resolution, Mediterranean Security, Theology, and Women’s and Gender Studies — Sarah combines intellectual depth with the compassion of a peacebuilder who has seen both struggle and hope up close.
 
Sarah reflects on her journey across disciplines, cultures, and faith traditions, speaking about love, resilience, and what sustains her in difficult times. As she puts it:
 
“Resilience. It’s the overcoming incredible odds, but still finding joy.”
 
She also reminds us that “the basis of every religion is love, and what people do with it after that is a reflection on them, not on faith.”
 
Together, Maurice and Sarah explore how this understanding shapes her work in preventing violent extremism, empowering women and youth, and keeping hope alive in the face of adversity.
 
Listener Engagement:
Discover the song picked by Sarah and other guests on our #walktalklisten here.
Learn more about Sarah's work via LinkedIn
Share your feedback on this episode through our Walk Talk Listen Feedback link – your thoughts matter!
Follow Us:
Support the Walk Talk Listen podcast by following us on Facebook and Instagram.
Visit 100mile.org or mauricebloem.com for more episodes and information about our work.
Check out the special series "Enough for All" and learn more about the work of the Joint Learning Initiative (JLI).

The Courage to Hope with Fadi Daou – Walk Talk Listen (Episode 214)

In this episode of Walk Talk Listen, host Maurice Bloem talks with Fadi Daou, Executive Director of Globethics and one of today’s most thoughtful voices on ethics, spirituality, and leadership.
 
Fadi shares his journey from leading the Adyan Foundation to his current work promoting ethical governance and human fraternity. He speaks about what it means to act from conviction rather than ambition, and how quitting—when done in integrity—can become a step toward renewal, not retreat.
 
Through stories of dialogue, discernment, and moral courage, Fadi invites us to rediscover the courage to hope: a hope that resists cynicism, rebuilds trust, and reminds us of our shared humanity.
 
Listener Engagement:
Discover the song picked by Fadi and other guests on our #walktalklisten here.
Learn more about Fadi's work via his social media handles of his organization Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Connect with him personally on LinkedIn.
Share your feedback on this episode through our Walk Talk Listen Feedback link – your thoughts matter!
Follow Us:
Support the Walk Talk Listen podcast by following us on Facebook and Instagram.
Visit 100mile.org or mauricebloem.com for more episodes and information about our work.
Check out the special series "Enough for All" and learn more about the work of the Joint Learning Initiative (JLI).