#120 | Jesston Williams | Solar Power for Ghana

Jesston Williams of Tangelic on bringing solar power to rural Ghana, and reforms to tackle homelessness. As the Executive Director of Tangelic, Jesston Williams spearheads the organization's strategic initiatives to advance sustainable energy solutions for underserved communities in Ghana and beyond. Under his leadership, the Tangelic Initiative has made significant strides in extending solar power to rural communities across Ghana. In addition to his work in sustainable energy, Jesston has championed transformative reforms to support the unhoused, advocating for policy changes that address systemic homelessness. His efforts focus on integrating affordable housing, mental health services, and workforce reintegration to create long-term solutions that enhance economic resilience and break cycles of generational poverty. To learn more about Jesston: https://tangeliclife.org/team Chapters 0:00 Welcome Jesston Williams 2:32 NIL and college athletes 5:06 Studying political science 7:30 A father at General Motors in Metro Detroit 10:03 Mobile X-rays and ultrasounds at home 12:32 Selling phones for seniors 15:06 Stem cell treatment abroad 17:32 Friends since just after college 20:05 A court precedent that sparked an idea 22:31 Veterans the system does not help 25:04 How governments use each other's problems 27:36 Shelters with no capacity 30:01 Meetings with the UN and a team of 12 32:31 Light and clean cooking without fossil fuels 35:01 Rural Ghana and the reach of the grid 37:32 Everyone thinks Americans are rich 40:00 Seeing it come to fruition 42:34 Empowering people, not just energy 45:01 Friends in Ghana 47:35 Big energy companies and change 50:01 Ryan on solar in China and storing energy 52:34 Solar for farming and food 55:03 A quiet, people-pleasing kid 57:30 Living with fear as a child 1:00:05 Bringing his kids to Ghana 1:02:36 The fundraising team 1:05:05 Carbon credits in Ghana 1:07:30 A Harvard and Oxford trained partner 1:10:08 Getting serious after 2020 1:12:30 Sport as an escape 1:15:00 A life-changing trip for young people 1:17:31 Teaching his kids about impact 1:20:01 Travel and self-awareness 1:22:36 Finding his why 1:25:02 Sunrise Spectrum and Tangelic's projects The Ryan Pyle Podcast is ad-free by choice. If you enjoy these conversations, you can buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/ryanpyle Ryan's TV series are streaming around the world. Follow the Podcast X: https://x.com/RyanPylePodcast Facebook: https://facebook.com/ryanpylepodcast Follow Ryan Pyle YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ryanjpyle Instagram: https://instagram.com/ryanpyle X: https://x.com/RyanPyle Facebook: https://facebook.com/ryanpyle https://www.ryanpyle.com