Make It Happen

About Make It Happen

We talk to cool people doing cool things!

Publisher

Michael Vanderpool

Category

society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

21 Jan 2025

Latest episode

21 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

40 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   21 Sept 2026

   Toledo Helps Ukraine | Alona Matchenko

   "America First doesn't mean America alone." Alona Matchenko, founder of Toledo Helps Ukraine, on why a Northwest Ohio nonprofit can help both. She came to Toledo ten years ago on a State Department exchange program, working as a nanny. She had eight years of teaching behind her in Ukraine, but she went to law school here instead, because "in order to learn this country, you better learn the law." She was a second-year student at UT Law in February 2022 when Russia launched the full-scale invasion. Toledo Helps Ukraine came out of that. It started with rallies, then aid she delivered herself to hospitals and military bases. Then came the relocation of 67 people in 18 families to Northwest Ohio. Now it runs a ten-day exchange that brings Ukrainian civic and government leaders to meet the mayor, city council and UT Law. It isn't a pathway to move here: "We don't want them to immigrate. We want them to go back and implement what they learn here." Guest host Angela Douglas talks with her about: Why international relationships can start at the community level The three public events on September 25, including a free session with the delegation Drones that carry medicine, not weapons What they still need, including expired medical supplies The one thing she wants changed a year from now CHAPTERS0:00 Intro — Angela Douglas and Alona Matchenko0:26 "Toledo chose me" — nanny, teacher, law student2:14 Why Toledo Helps Ukraine exists4:20 Six Ukrainian leaders, ten days, this September6:02 "We don't want them to immigrate"7:24 "America First doesn't mean America alone"11:27 Event 1 — the free public session, September 2512:51 Event 2 — the "Grand Vision, Shared Legacy" gala14:39 Event 3 — the Sandpiper boat ride16:19 Who the delegates meet in Toledo17:08 How to help — "From Surplus to Survival"19:07 Drones that carry medicine, not weapons20:04 February 2022 — the day everything changed22:25 67 people, 18 families, and phase three24:51 Sponsor a meal for the delegation26:29 What they still need30:04 "I can never be as proud of Toledo"31:29 One year from now: end the war FIND TOLEDO HELPS UKRAINE Events, tickets and the donation list: https://4ua.org (https://4ua.org) Sponsorships and large donations: info@4ua.org (mailto:info@4ua.org) MORE FROM MAKE IT HAPPEN Watch every episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbj7sGyUoAfQQaez8O0GXlFValt60huXU (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbj7sGyUoAfQQaez8O0GXlFValt60huXU) Follow the show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakeItHappen419 (https://www.facebook.com/MakeItHappen419) Recorded at House of Coffee in Toledo, Ohio. Make It Happen is a podcast by Mike Vanderpool, talking to cool people doing cool things.

2. 

   2 Sept 2026

   Toledo Money: The Sport of Business

   Two guys with full-time jobs and houses eight doors apart write a newsletter that Northwest Ohio's business crowd opens within the hour. Neither one is a journalist. They had Trader Joe's and the Fallen Timbers redevelopment before the Blade and the TV stations did. Guest host Vince Croci talks with Kaden Kelly and Bill Laranga, the founders of Toledo Money, about how that actually happens. The short answer is that they don't chase logos — they know the people behind the deals. The longer answer is the phrase they keep coming back to: the sport of business. They don't arrive as reporters holding anyone's feet to the fire. They arrive wanting to talk shop, and by their own estimate they publish about 30% of what they hear. "We may hear a lot more than we publish." Kaden's case for why any of this matters starts with kids and professional athletes: you're inspired by the people whose stories you hear. "But adults are just big kids." Stop hearing about people building where you live, and you stop believing you can build there. The second half is an unusually candid business-of-media breakdown for a two-man operation: — Earned media vs. paid media, and where they draw the line— Why scarcity is the growth strategy— The real total addressable market math for Northwest Ohio— Why 70% of subscribers open within the first hour— The "Toledo Alumni" reading from Cleveland and Charlotte— The first client whose single ad turned into a million-dollar acquisition lead— A fast-casual Mediterranean chain they're 80% sure is coming to town, and the first two letters of its name Plus the mistakes they'd take back, why they can never be outright wrong, and the one resource they can't buy their way out of. Toledo Money publishes Friday mornings at 8 a.m., with a second edition every other week. CHAPTERS00:00 Intro — what Toledo Money is01:27 Two day jobs, no journalism background, and the thesis03:55 Breaking Trader Joe's and Fallen Timbers first05:15 The sport of business, and why sources trust them07:00 Scarcity as a growth strategy09:29 Earned media, paid media, and the guardrails11:29 Month nine: when the thesis got proven13:50 A business or an expensive hobby?15:22 Selling high impact, not low cost17:20 Sponsor break — Actual Reality Technologies18:27 Who reads it: the demographic and the data22:40 70% open in the first hour, and the "Toledo Alumni"24:51 The ads, and the first client's million-dollar lead27:43 "Rising tides," and why context matters30:52 No agenda, never outright wrong — plus a Mediterranean teaser35:21 Mistakes, and the one resource you can't buy37:26 Where to eat, and where to go for fun39:20 Wrap-up MORE FROM MAKE IT HAPPENWatch every episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbj7sGyUoAfQQaez8O0GXlFValt60huXU (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbj7sGyUoAfQQaez8O0GXlFValt60huXU)Follow the show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakeItHappen419 (https://www.facebook.com/MakeItHappen419) Recorded at Loft 419, a work share space in downtown Toledo.Sponsored by Actual Reality Technologies — AI consulting and implementation, built in and for Northwest Ohio. Make It Happen is a podcast by Mike Vanderpool — talking to cool people doing cool things.

3. 

   12 Jun 2026

   Diana Patton — "Why Are You You?" Identity, Healing & Rise Advocates Academy

   "I'm finally getting back to the woman I was born to be." Diana Patton is a former civil-rights attorney turned coach, advocate, and founder of Rise Advocates Academy — and one of the most magnetic people in T-Town. In this episode, Michael opens with a question he's never asked anyone: "Why are you you?" What follows is an honest, funny, wide-open conversation about identity, healing, and showing up as your real self. Diana shares growing up mixed-race and homeless in Fostoria, the trauma that shaped her into a "stereotypically angry Black woman," and the moments that cracked everything open — her brother's actions, law school, motherhood, and a United Way speech where she told her story in public for the first time. She talks about trading revenge for real justice, building a daily practice of meditation and gratitude, mentoring University of Toledo athletes, and her 12-week Academy for executive women built around mindset, calling, and service. Plus a candid, myth-busting deep dive into perimenopause and menopause — why the research was never done, the tools that actually help, and why this can be the best chapter of a woman's life instead of the hardest. Learn more or apply at riseadvocatesacademy.com. The Make It Happen Podcast — cool people doing cool things in Northwest Ohio and beyond, hosted by Michael Vanderpool. As always — make it happen.

Who has been a guest on Make It Happen

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Tech My School
• Dalien Ahiekpor
• Tom Bush
• Gary Thompson
• Justin Beaudry

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

17 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 35 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

70

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

0

Contact Make It Happen

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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