Athlete activism has been on a steady incline the past few years, most likely due to the joy that service brings to those that participate in it. Joanne Pasternack, an accomplished entrepreneur and philanthropist, guides athletes to use their talents and treasure to connect with social causes they’re passionate about. Pasternack, President and Chief Impact Officer of consulting firm Oliver Rose, helps athletes find their voices and identify and amplify their identities regarding social causes. Joanne’s background in competitive figure skating taught her the power of what sports could do, and her law degree and work with the Special Olympics in Washington DC fueled her passion for philanthropy and charitable efforts. Joanne has helped athletes from teams such as the 49ers and Golden State Warriors to harness their energy and passion to invest in themselves and the public good. She has also taught a university course on Philanthropic Efforts in Sport. Meg and Dr. G pick interview Joanne about her philosophies surrounding athletics and social causes, and they discuss topics such as humanism, dignity, and speaking up in sports.

MENTIONED IN THE SHOW

Here is Joanne’s professional bio with more details about her accomplishments and work:
https://www.seventysixcapital.com/joanne-pasternack

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi:

https://www.amazon.com/Homegoing-Yaa-Gyasi/dp/1101971061/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=homegoing+by+yaa+gyasi&qid=1629735532&sr=8-1

More on Kindergarten Kickoff:
https://www.49ers.com/news/tackling-children-s-books-921321

Eunice Kennedy Shriver and the Special Olympics:
https://www.specialolympics.org/eunice-kennedy-shriver

Ubuntu Football Academy:
https://www.ubuntufootball.com/

More on Special Olympics
https://www.specialolympics.org/

More on Athletes’ Voices:
https://www.athletesvoices.org/

More on Oliver+Rose:
https://www.oliverrosellc.com/

Kay Faynor’s coaching bio:
https://www.lakecityfigureskating.org/coaches

Helping Hands & Heart Foundation:
https://www.hhandhf.org/about.html

Below is the website of the Vernon Davis foundation.
https://vernondavisfoundation.org

On Kaepernick and Eric Reed:
https://www.latimes.com/sports/nfl/la-sp-chargers-kaepernick-20160901-snap-story.html

For more about Annalyne Mccord’s activist streak:

https://ladyclever.com/profiles/actress-annalynne-mccord-talks-her-passion-for-activism/

For more on the 49rs Golden Heart Fund:
.
https://goldenheartfund.org

For more on Charles Haley, click the link below.
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/H/HaleCh00.htm

For more on Ronny Lott:
https://www.profootballhof.com/players/ronnie-lott/biography/

For more on the Shoah foundation:
https://sfi.usc.edu

To read up on Patrick Willis, click the links below.
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WillPa98.htm
https://www.unitycare.org/sf-49er-patrick-willis-chairs-youthlive/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/niners/2013/01/25/patrick-willis-foster-parents-hometown-bruceton-tennessee/1863665/

The Alchemist by Paul Coelho:
https://www.amazon.com/Alchemist-Paulo-Coelho/dp/0062315005/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=The+Alchemist+by+Paulo+Coelho&qid=1629735424&sr=8-2

The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates:
https://www.amazon.com/Moment-Lift-Empowering-Women-Changes/dp/1250313570/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=The+Moment+of+Lift+by+Melinda+Gates&qid=1629735489&sr=8-1

For more on the “Heroes in the Classroom” event:
https://www.49ers.com/news/49ers-recognize-outstanding-teachers-5037781



RELATED RESEARCH

Sport philanthropy research article:
Babiak, K., Mills, B., Tainsky, S., & Juravich, M. (2012). An investigation into professional athlete philanthropy: Why charity is part of the game, Journal of Sport Management, 26(2), 159-176.

Research on philanthropy increasing “fandom” (i.e., their popularity and image):
Kunkel, T., Doyle, J., & Na, S. (2020). Becoming more than an athlete: developing an athlete's personal brand using strategic philanthropy. European Sport Management Quarterly, 1-21.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/...

For more on the concept of Ikigai:
Fido, D., Kotera, Y., & Asano, K. (2020). English translation and validation of the Ikigai-9 in a UK sample. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 18(5), 1352-1359.

Ziesche, S., & Yampolskiy, R. (2020, December). Introducing the concept of ikigai to the ethics of AI and of human enhancements. In 2020 IEEE International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality (AIVR) (pp. 138-145). IEEE.