Joy Beat uncovers the powerful transformations hiding in plain sight. Host Arun Rath takes you beyond headlines to meet dedicated teachers reshaping young lives, quiet volunteers revolutionizing healthcare access, and passionate artists rebuilding social bonds.
Each episode brings intimate conversations with local heroes championing change – individuals who saw something broken and decided to fix it, dreamers who turned their visions into reality, and everyday people whose extraordinary acts create ripples of impact. In a world dominated by doom scrolling and negativity, Joy Beat offers something different: proof that hope isn't just alive – it's actively changing our world, one act of courage at a time.
A production of GBH News and distributed by PRX.
This week’s Joy Beat is recognizing the important role the community plays in fostering joy. We begin with the Reverend. Dr. Terrlyn Curry-Avery, who embodies this spirit, even in circumstances that are decidedly not joyful. Then, we’ll go to the Cape, where a group of self-proclaimed “Old Ladies” banded together to spend their retirement years cleaning freshwater ponds of decades-old trash. And finally, to Mattapan, where a coalition of change-makers is solving community-specific problems with community-specific solutions.
1 Apr 2025
Joy from Confidence
This week, it’s time to feel beautiful. Joy Beat is celebrating those helping others build confidence and show that when you look good, you feel good! First, we go to Milton, Massachusetts, to Sadiddy Lifestyle Beauty Studio, where owner Skye Warren emphasizes the importance of community in confidence; then, to Newbury St., where Wigs for Well-Being helps cancer patients who’ve lost their hair feel a bit more like themselves with luxury wigs; and finally, we’re going back to high school for prom night, where we’ll meet a real-life fairy godmother helping kids from underserved communities get dolled up and attend the prom.
18 Mar 2025
Joy in Movement and Exercise
This week, it’s time to get active — Joy Beat is celebrating the joy found in exercising and moving your body. We start with Bobbi Gibb, the first woman to ever run the Boston Marathon, despite women not being allowed to participate yet; then, we go to Brockton to meet Dave and Judy Gorman, who, for 47 years, have hosted Kids Road Races, helping families get outdoors and inspiring a lasting love of running; plus, to the yoga mat, with Susan Lovett, who heads the Hands to Heart Center: Yoga for the People, bringing the grounding practice of yoga to low-income, underserved communities.
4 Mar 2025
Joy from Food
This week, Joy Beat is diving into the joy found in the culinary world. We meet Sally Sampson, founder and president of ChopChop Family, an organization inspiring families to cook whole and healthy meals together; Peter and Norah Zoummar, who run 33 All American Diner in Ashland and funds the Neshlyn Children’s Foundation to help children in Norah’s home village in Uganda; plus, Darra Slagle, who runs the West Roxbury food bank Rose’s Bounty, helping alleviate food insecurity with open hearts and helping hands.
18 Feb 2025
Joy from the Next Generation
This week, Joy Beat is highlighting the next generation of changemakers in and around Boston who are making a real impact in their communities. We meet Isis McFadden, who started Little Regalia at five years old to inspire confidence in kids; Camden Francis, who co-founded Beyond the Crisis with his brother to fight food insecurity; plus, Harvard grads Sajeev Kohli and Swathi Srinivasanshare their mission to equip Red Line T stations with naloxone to combat the opioid crisis.
4 Feb 2025
Joy in Education
This week, Joy Beat celebrates educators who turn challenges into triumphs and inspire the next generation. Hear these stories of resilience, passion and JOY in education that remind us of the power of shaping young minds!
21 Jan 2025
Introducing: Joy Beat
From quiet classrooms to bustling community centers, Joy Beat reveals the extraordinary stories of everyday heroes making real change. Host Arun Rath sits down with the unsung visionaries - teachers, volunteers, and artists - who saw problems in their communities and stepped up to solve them. Through intimate conversations, discover how small acts of courage and kindness can transform lives and rebuild connections in ways that might just restore your faith in humanity.
A GBH News production and distributed by PRX.
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Credits:
Host: Arun Rath
Producers: Jacklyn Martin and Kana Ruhalter
Editors: Jacklyn Martin and Kana Ruhalter
Editorial Advisor: Devin Maverick Robins
Project Manager: Meiqian He
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
53,440,794
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
7 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 46 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
41
Social presence
0
YouTube
93
Engagement
32
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Guest appearances
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