Show overview
Being The Change has been publishing since 2024, and across the 2 years since has built a catalogue of 61 episodes. That works out to roughly 25 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a fortnightly cadence.
Episodes typically run twenty to thirty-five minutes — most land between 25 min and 29 min — and the run-time is fairly consistent across the catalogue. None of the episodes are flagged explicit by the publisher. It is catalogued as a EN-language Education show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 3 weeks ago, with 16 episodes already out so far this year. The busiest year was 2025, with 32 episodes published. Published by James Madison University.
From the publisher
Being the Change is the official podcast of James Madison University. It features members of the JMU community who are combining intellect with action to live lives of purpose and meaning. The podcast was conceived by Jim Heffernan (’96, ’17M), editor of Madison magazine, and Andy Perrine (’86), head of University Marketing and Branding. Thanks to Jenna Polk (’14, ’21M) and the team at Rose Library Studios, where the show is recorded by Steve Aderton (’19), Cody Troyer and Olive Santos (’20). Original music by Neal Perrine (’19). Voice talent by Ciara Brennan (’17).
Latest Episodes
View all 61 episodesS4 E16: That's a Wrap!
S4 E15: Being the Change Podcast as Assignment
S4 E14: Constitutional Convention of 1787
S4 E13: James Madison & Religious Freedom
S4 E12: Better Conversations, Stronger Democracy
S4 E11: AI-Infused JMU
Ep 55S4 E10: Inauguration of President Jim
JMU’s seventh president reflects on his inauguration, the university’s rich history, and the exciting future he is leading us into with the introduction of The Madison Promise.
Ep 54S4 E9: Leadership In and Out of Uniform
Enjoy a discussion on the essence of leadership with JMU's own 3-star Army general and our awesome ROTC battalion's commanding officer.
Ep 53S4 E8: Ole School and the Ghana Experience
Hear how the Ole School Alumni Scholarship Group, which provides mentorship and career support to students, teamed up with JMU’s Summer Abroad Program in Ghana to offer a transformative international experience.
Ep 52S4 E7: Leadership & Community Engagement
Discover what's behind JMU's incredible distinction as one of only nine universities nationally to receive both the Leadership for Public Purpose and Community Engagement classifications from the Carnegie Commission.
Ep 51S4 E6: JMU's New Directions
Catch up on all the exciting progress being made in JMU's four-phased strategic planning process, which is aimed directly at elevating our already stellar student experience, academic octane and national prominence.
Ep 50S4 E5: Launchpad to Leadership
With its historic first-place finish at the 2025 NASA Student Launch Challenge — beating teams from MIT, Virginia Tech and other top engineering schools — JMU Engineering has arrived on the national stage. Hear how the program’s unique approach to engineering education produces graduates who lead in the field.
Ep 49S4 E4: Flavors From Abroad
On the occasion of Study Abroad Week at JMU, hear how the Center for Global Engagement and University Recreation have teamed up to give students the opportunity to learn how to cook recipes from around the world.
Ep 48S4 E3: The Local Arts Community
The local art scene is burgeoning like never before, and it's bringing campus and community closer together through shared purpose. Hear what's going on and who's behind making it go.
Ep 47S4 E2: Finding Mindfulness
Because good mental health greatly enables learning, JMU is constantly offering new programs to help students, faculty and staff find pathways to peace. In this episode, we spotlight one such program, the Serenity Center, which was founded by Dr. Mark Gabriele (’95), a neuroscientist.
Ep 46S4 E1: Discovery of a Lifetime
Come along on a fabulous journey of discovery with JMU anthropologist Dr. Dennis Blanton and two of his former archaeology field-school students, Kyle Mitchell (’24) and Grace Gordon (’22), as they describe a significant find involving one of North America's earliest explorers.
Ep 45S3 E16: The Path to the Playoff
As the Dukes prepare to take on Oregon in the first round of the 2025 College Football Playoff, Athletic Director Matt Roan reflects on JMU’s culture of winning, which includes becoming the first program from Virginia to make the CFP.
Ep 44S3 E15: Financial Literacy
Head of Financial Aid Brad Barnett also teaches courses on financial literacy. Hear from him and one of his students, senior Jameson Glynn, on why this aspect of wellness is so important and how students can get there.
Ep 43S3 E14: Research University Evolution
JMU recently received a coveted distinction for being a driver of economic prosperity and innovation, joining just 94 other research universities nationally. Hear Drs. Anthony Tongen and Keith Holland (’00) describe what this milestone portends for JMU’s future.
Ep 42S3 E13: Gravestone Recipes
Just in time for Thanksgiving, hear how viral TikTokker Rosie Grant (’12) traveled the globe collecting recipes etched into gravestones, became an internet sensation, and authored To Die For: A Cookbook of Gravestone Recipes.