People in Common

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Welcome. I'm Jama.

I build coalitions that turn "impossible" into "inevitable." From raising $1.8 billion in 12 weeks for fusion energy to growing the Giving Pledge from zero to $1 trillion to leading the committee that created the startup ecosystem's first Responsible AI Framework to hosting People in Common, I lead with values to scale groundbreaking organizations, create powerful coalitions, and generate billions to solve hard problems -- together.

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People in Common

People in Common is a podcast and community for people who want to turn concern into action. Subscribe on Substack.

'Whatever You Can Give Is Enough' with Victoria Vrana

As CEO of GlobalGiving, the world's first and largest nonprofit crowdfunding platform, Victoria Vrana connects donors with vetted local changemakers in 175 countries. Jama serves on GlobalGiving's Tech and Innovation Council. The people powering that generosity at scale: a man who made a mosaic out of NYC subway cards in the colors of the Ukrainian flag and auctioned it for $400. A woman who sold stickers for $2 each and donated $500 to wildfire relief. A group of former USAID staffers who organized comedy shows, happy hours, and QR code campaigns to keep PEPFAR-related HIV programs alive. Victoria says "Whatever you can give is totally enough."

'Minnesota Showed Us How' with Steve and Mary Grove

In January 2026, federal agents flooded Minnesota and the state responded “peacefully, lovingly, loudly, relentlessly.” The resistance worked. Steve Grove, CEO and Publisher of the Minnesota Star Tribune, and Mary Grove, Managing Partner of Bread and Butter Ventures, were inside that story in both public and deeply personal ways. This conversation covers what was already built in Minnesota before the crisis arrived, what the singing resistance taught us about joyful collective action, and what the rest of us can do right now, wherever we live.

Activism

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44 Minutes

'Coding Belonging' with Justin Steele

Even someone who has spent his career solving for belonging fell into the same trap most people do: building the tech first and hoping connection would follow. Now his teenage daughter is helping code the fix. This conversation is about belonging, conviction, and building. We follow those instincts across Justin Steele's career of betting on himself: a decade directing $700 million in philanthropic grants at Google.org, then a company built to solve the same fundraising problem his own nonprofit ran into. Kindora, his AI fundraising tool, is now a public benefit corporation. Go build something.

Impact Investing

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70 Minutes

'If You Ran the World' with Soman Chainani

Soman Chainani wrapped up a three-week, 40-school national tour and sat down with Jama to talk about the Young World playbook. The New York Times bestselling author wrote a "primal scream" thriller about a teenager who accidentally becomes president. This conversation covers the four things every young person agrees on, what to do when you realize no one is coming to fix it for you, and how anyone, teenager or not, can answer the People in Common question: what do you want the world to look like, and how do you make that happen?

Democracy

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39 Minutes