Salesforce.org Force Multiplier Podcast Earns Top 5% Global Ranking

Have you listened to Force Multiplier yet? The new podcast series, a collaboration between Salesforce.org and iHeartMedia, highlights the exponential impact that businesses, educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations can have on the world by working together. Each episode features insights and in-depth interviews with leaders from across the nonprofit, for-profit, and education sectors. The new series, which is hosted by best-selling author Baratunde Thurston, just wrapped up its first season with much fanfare — Force Multiplier ranks in the top 5% globally for the most popular podcasts.

If you haven’t listened to all six episodes yet, you can find the series available at Salesforce.org and on all major streaming platforms. For more, read a deep dive into each of the six episode focuses: nutrition insecurity, health equity, workforce development, homelessness, mental health, and climate action.

1. How Can We Address Hidden Hunger in Our Communities? It’s not just a matter of food. It’s a matter of nutrition. If nutrition is the most powerful determinant of health, then why do over 40 million Americans have trouble putting food on the table? If access to nutritious food is required for optimal growth and development, how do we safeguard our childrens’ future by addressing hidden hunger in our communities? The good news is that organizations are shifting focus, and adopting new policies and programs to promote healthier, more balanced lifestyles — especially for those facing real hunger.

2. A Healthier World Depends On Us All. Health equity is undoubtedly a global challenge, with some of the most vulnerable communities in the poorest countries bearing the brunt of the injustice. Improving access to basic healthcare needs, including vaccination against deadly infectious diseases, is a critical step to improving lives and creating a safe world for us all. How does health inequity affect your community? Health equity isn’t just a distant problem; it is a very local problem.

3. It’s Time to Address America’s Skill Gap — And How to Overcome it. If there are more job openings than there are people unemployed, then why are we facing one of the greatest economic growth challenges of our time? If 32 million Americans don’t know how to use a computer and half of Americans are not comfortable learning online, then how do we ensure the skills gap doesn’t leave those most vulnerable behind? Workers are in high demand, but the right skills are in short supply. To bridge this gap, we must better align the educational and learning resources available to workers with the skills businesses need.

4. Americans are Running Out of Affordable Places to Live. Reframing our language is an important step to understanding the root cause of social issues in our world today. Homelessness doesn’t always mean someone lacks a community, nor does having a home mean someone feels safe. Housing status isn’t the only way many would describe their identity, nor does it provide an accurate view of their wellbeing. It is more complicated, and we must avoid overgeneralizing and oversimplifying.

5. Breaking the Cycle & Starting the Mental Health Conversation. To talk about mental health is to understand it; to understand it is to remove the stigma; and to remove the stigma is to provide a safe space and support for those suffering. Thanks to global entertainers like Lady Gaga and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and world-class athletes like Kevin Love and Simone Biles, there’s already a shift toward candid public conversations, making mental health far less stigmatized than ever.

6. Radical Collaboration is Our Best Chance to Fight Climate Change. Every topic we’ve focused on throughout the inaugural season of Force Multiplier has had a single common thread: the imperative for cross-sector collaboration to solve a big problem. With the future of our planet at stake, there’s no greater urgency for innovative partnerships and creative solutions than around the topic for the final episode of season one: climate action.