John Bolthouse, Executive Director of the Friends of Balboa Park, is joined by Board Member, Pat Caughey, Principal Owner of the one of the region’s most sought after landscape architecture firms — Wimmer Yamada & Caughey — to talk about the mission of the Friends organization. Bolthouse and Caughey chat about the venerable Moreton Bay Fig Tree project; the impact of COVID-19 on the horticulture of the park; and their favorite gardens in Balboa Park.

Author David O’Brien, chats about his recently released book, Building Smart Nonprofits: A Roadmap for Mission Success. O’Brien discusses what he learned during his research and interviews with more than 60 nonprofit leaders across the country.

Staci Reidinger, Board President of HomeAid San Diego, is joined by Mark Janda, Senior VP of Development for AvalonBay Communities and current HomeAid Board Member, to discuss how their organizations collaborate to build temporary homes for the homeless. Janda talks about AvalonBay’s commitment to HomeAid, while Reidinger details HomeAid’s impact on the homeless community. Reidinger shouts out the 2nd Annual STEP UP! Walk to End Homelessness Virtual 5K from November 1-6.

Kandace Crystal, San Diego actor, educator and director, and actor Susan Clausen, represent Scripps Ranch Theater and Oceanside Theater Company as they discuss their roles in the virtual performance, “Donna Orbits the Moon.” Crystal and Clausen talk about the challenges of storytelling in the age of social distancing, and chat about other work they perform throughout the community.

Joice Curry, Founder and President & CEO of c3Communications, chats about her 25+ years in public relations; why a company should hire a PR agency; and the keys to her company’s success. Joice is joined by her husband and c3’s COO, Sean Curry, to talk about the importance of messaging to the right audiences.

Amber Ravenscroft, Manager of Innovation for the nationally recognized EdVenture Group, is joined by Ed Hiner, President of Asymmetrical Evolution, to talk about the collaboration between both innovative-focused organizations to form The Curiosity Mission … an initiative to inspire curiosity, creativity and entrepreneurship in students.

Rachael VanWormer, Manager of Educational Events for Write Out Loud, discusses three free education programs the organization is kicking off this year: NEA BIG Read, Student Shakespeare Festival and Poetry Out Loud.

Samantha Holt, Executive Director of the Armed Services YMCA Camp Pendleton, discusses the organization’s programs and services, along with challenges its constituencies face due to the pandemic.

Rebecca Jones, Mayor of the City of San Marcos, chats about her unplanned path to political office. Mayor Jones talks about the myriad features the city offers from its college and university to its Union Cowork space to its vibrant Chamber of Commerce.

Jill Hall, a best-selling author, discusses how her background as an artist and teacher led her to become a writer. Hall, who calls herself an intuitive writer — she does not use an outline to guide her writing — chats about her passion for artists (visual and performing) who are struggling during the pandemic crisis. Hall serves on the San Diego Arts & Culture Steering Committee to raise emergency funds for individual artists.