We’re The Leaders We’re Looking For

Lisa sits down with Charlie Toledo, Executive Director of the Suscol Intertribal Council. In this beautiful, meandering conversation, Charlie reflects on the vital importance of showing up every day—for ourselves and for one another—and of always speaking the truth, first to ourselves and then to the people closest to us.

Lisa sits down with Oscar Chavez, President and CEO of the Community Foundation Sonoma County. Oscar shares his profound personal journey—from arriving in the United States as an undocumented child to achieving the "American Dream."

Over three conversations in 2025 with three local heroes J Mullineaux, Laurie Fong, and Herman G. Hernandez, we've had the opportunity to explore leadership from within and the kind of impact we can have by just showing up authentically, maybe a little bit afraid, but nonetheless overcoming our fear to be who we are, where we are because our community needs us now.

In the powerful second part of this conversation, Herman G. Hernandez dives deep into the systems and narratives he is actively working to transform within Sonoma County. Herman and Lisa explore the concept of the Sage Warrior (inspired by Valerie Kaur's work), discussing how to balance inner healing and reflection (the Sage) with the outward fight against injustice (the Warrior). Herman also shares the deeply personal source of his inspiration and perseverance, and outlines his vision for a future defined by diverse, representative leadership.

This is Part 1 of a rich, two-part conversation featuring Herman G. Hernandez, a dedicated community builder, advocate, and leader of Los Cien Sonoma County, the go-to Latinx leadership hub. Herman sits down with United Way of the Wine Country President & CEO, Lisa Guarino, to discuss courage, connection, and the deep work required to create lasting change in the community.

In this powerful conversation, host Lisa Carreño sits down with community leader Laurie Fong to explore what it means to lead from the heart-mind rather than the head-mind. Laurie shares a deeply moving perspective on generational wealth, redefining it not in financial terms, but as the priceless inheritance of emotional stability, fortitude, grit, and resilience passed down by her immigrant grandparents and elders.

J shares his journey from growing up in a multiracial housing project to becoming a first-generation college student, a gay man learning to embrace his identity, and an HIV-positive activist who found power in love and resistance. His core values—opportunity, compassion, equity, and integrity—have guided his work to transform philanthropy into a practice of belonging.

Lisa and Laurie Lynn discuss the inspiration behind the launch of We're the Leaders We're Looking For podcast.

The concept behind the podcast We’re the Leaders We’re Looking For is rooted in the belief that leadership is not reserved for the few—it lives in all of us. This podcast is a storytelling platform and community dialogue space created by United Way of the Wine Country to uplift the voices of everyday changemakers across Sonoma, Mendocino, Lake, Humboldt, and Del Norte counties. At its heart, this podcast explores how individuals—especially those from historically marginalized communities—are stepping into leadership by showing up for and with their neighbors, challenging systems of inequity, and building a future rooted in belonging, resilience, and justice. In a time of disconnection and division, this podcast is a call to action—and a call to belonging. It invites listeners to see themselves as part of a collective movement to transform our region, not through heroics, but through everyday acts of leadership and care.