In this episode, Hemma visits with June Benjamin, a  peace warrior, attorney, former entrepreneur in residence at the Stanford Peace Innovation Institute, and founder of Peace IQ, a technology company leveraging the power of AI to offer strategic insights, predictive analytics, and conflict resolution tools, creating pathways to enduring peace.

As Peace IQ’s Chief Visionary Officer, June coined the term "peace intelligence," a multifaceted approach that integrates AI, wisdom from ancient traditions, and peace data to train AI in providing insights and resolving conflicts.

Is peace a grand scheme for global cooperation, a means to resolve conflicts or a journey of self-discovery? Tune in to find out and be inspired by June’s incredible journey from refugee to peace warrior.

Highlights:

• The Role of Peace Intelligence in Everyday conflict-resolution

• June’s remarkable impact in her local community and beyond

• How solving for peace is the most important challenge of our time and well within reach

Timestamps

2:47 - Introducing June Benjamin

5:38 - Defining peace

13:07 - June's background, and how that led her to seek peace

21:13 - Finding purpose in pain

28:24 - Collective peace building

42:41 - The role of spiritual stories in fostering peace

51:40 - How we can apply these lessons in corporate cultures

Resources:

https://www.peaceiq.com/

Founding Peace Newsletter

June Benjamin - LinkedIn

Biography

As a peace innovator and international attorney, June founded Peace IQ to upskill leaders and their teams to resolve conflict and build sustainable cooperation. As the founder of Peace IQ, June coined the term "peace intelligence," a multifaceted approach that integrates AI, peace data, and insights from wisdom traditions. Peace intelligence leverages the power of AI to offer strategic insights, predictive analytics, and conflict resolution tools, creating pathways to enduring peace.

June’s experience as a former refugee from the Liberian Civil War and Baha'i refugee from Iran, inspired June to pursue a J.D and M.A. in Peace and Conflict Resolution from American University where she received the Dean's award for Professional Responsibility. She then served as a visiting scholar at the Baha'i Chair for World Peace alongside her work as a human rights attorney.

She now combines her experience at the forefront of AI governance to innovate technology that helps clients turn the small daily decisions that add up to conflict to add up to peace. June partners with the Peace Innovation Institute as the Entrepreneur-In-Residence where she helped to launched the Peacebase network to foster relationships between thought leaders, industry experts, start-ups, and peace technologists to identify exciting new business opportunities in peace innovation.

In this episode, Hemma visits with Rani Hong, an Indian-American social entrepreneur, visionary, and CEO of Freedom Seal. Rani is herself a survivor of child trafficking and is using her unique perspective and firsthand understanding of child slavery to help survivors and save victims. Rani is one of the world’s leading voices in the fight against modern-day slavery, and she has worked tirelessly on behalf of people at risk of exploitation – protecting and empowering vulnerable groups and educating businesses and consumers about modern-day slavery.

We are proud to release this episode on International Human Rights Day this year. The UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 1948. Human Rights Day honors the individuals and organizations, like Rani and Freedom Seal, that work to protect and advocate for human rights. The theme for Human Rights Day 2024 is "Our rights, our future, right now." This year’s slogan is "All Human Beings Are Born Free and Equal in Dignity and Rights."

Highlights:

• Rani’s journey from child abduction to social entrepreneur

• The role of data and technology in the fight to tackle modern slavery and human trafficking

• Modeling ethical decision-making: from parenting to corporate leadership

• A call to action for those who want to make a difference in this space

Timestamps:

1:05 - Introducing Rani Hong

2:57 - Rani's work as CEO of Freedom Seal Global

6:44 - How Rani's past drives her work today

10:36 - How do we begin to tackle such an enormous problem?

15:40 - What can corporations do to fight human trafficking?

19:37 - What is the Freedom Seal Global Certification?

24:38 - What Rani is most proud of

Resources:

The Freedom Seal - A Risk Management Company

Biography

Rani Hong is an Indian-American social entrepreneur, visionary, and CEO of Freedom Seal.

Rani is also a survivor of child trafficking and is using her unique perspective and firsthand understanding of child slavery to help survivors and save victims. She is one of the world’s leading voices in the fight against modern-day slavery.

In 2006, Rani started her philanthropic work and founded the Tronie Foundation, a non-profit global organization focused on driving awareness of child slavery, with her husband Trong Hong, also a survivor of child trafficking.

Since 1999, Rani has advised many governments and has been at the forefront of an international effort to protect women and girls. Her most recent focus has been to eradicate the use of slave labor in all aspects of business.

Rani’s tireless efforts include several speeches before the UN General Assembly and meetings with various world leaders, including presidents.

In 2011, Rani was appointed by the UN as a special advisor to the United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking, helping to establish the Sustainable Development Goal 8, and establishing the first-ever World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.

Rani has appeared in numerous broadcast and media interviews, including The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, BBC, Euro News, and other international media.

On November 6th, 2017, Rani joined the Press Office of the Holy See to ask for concrete action against human trafficking. Over 25 journalists helped carry her message worldwide and speak for those without a voice. In 2018, Rani was named Women of the Year in her home country of India.

As a social entrepreneur, Rani created the Freedom Seal, a certification for companies fighting against Human Slavery by committing to mitigate Financial Crime & Modern Slavery. The Freedom Seal symbolizes a future marketplace where forced labor has been reduced. It represents a dream come true for the estimated 40.3 million people, primarily children and women, still trapped in slavery.

Today, Rani dedicates her time and energy to efforts that lead toward a greater global understanding of human trafficking and continues to speak for those without a voice and for those who are imprisoned, enslaved, silenced, and unable to tell their own stories.

Rani’s ability to overcome trauma, loss, and grief has inspired leaders from all over the world to join the global movement against human trafficking.

Rani lives in Olympia, Washington USA, with her husband and children.

In this week’s episode of Unless: The Podcast, Hemma visits with Lieutenant General R. Scott Dingle, an inspiring leader and public servant who served as the 45th Surgeon General of the United States Army and as Commanding General in the United States Army Medical Command. Together, they discuss Lt. General Dingle’s approach to strategic and compassionate leadership during some of the nation’s most trying times.

Tune in to hear how Lt. General Dingle’s legacy of leadership, readiness, and adaptation remains ingrained within the cultures of the teams he has led and how he is a powerful source of inspiration for servant leaders across varying industries and backgrounds.

Highlights:

• Leading the country’s pandemic response and ensuring the health of a nation

• The role of perseverance and ‘keeping your bearing’ as a leader

• Lt General Dingle’s advice for influencing moral leadership (6 Ps)

Timestamps:

1:25 - Introducing R. Scott Dingle

5:24 - Lt. General Dingle's path to the military

13:13 - Finding your leadership

25:51 - The relationship between compassionate leadership and productivity

33:10 - Leaning on your inner inspiriation, encouragement, and drive

43:08 - Lessons learned from facing some of the world's biggest challenges

50:53- What's next for Lt. General Dingle?

55:17 - Ethical and moral leadership in corporations

Biography

Raymond “Scott” Dingle is the U.S. Army’s 45 th Surgeon General. He retired on 1 March 2024 as the Surgeon General and the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Medical Command in Washington, D.C. He served for over 35 years to include two combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. He commanded at every level from company to Corps and led an Army Medicine Team that consisted of over 120,000 Soldiers, civilians, and contractors. He previously served as the Deputy Surgeon General and Deputy Commanding General (support) in the U.S. Army Medical Command in Falls Church, VA and San Antonio, TX.

General Dingle is a native of Upper Marlboro, Maryland and is a Distinguished Military Graduate of Morgan State University where he played football and ran track. His degrees include a Master of Science in Administration from Central Michigan University, a Master of Military Arts and Science from the School of Advanced Military Studies, and a Master of Science in National Security Strategy from the National War College. He and his wife, Sonja, have been married for 36 years and have four adult children and one grandson.