About Just Before We Go

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- Grace Under Pressure -

The Accidental Advocate

Wednesday Dec. 17, 2025

Lenice Emanuel  has over 25 years of leadership in nonprofit management, government, development and 

community relations. In addition to being a Climate Reality Leader, she holds a Master of Liberal Arts degree in leadership and ethics from Spring Hill College, and certification from Cornell University.  As Executive Director of the Alabama Institute for Social Justice, (AISJ) she works to empower women, and people of color, and address poverty in marginalized communities through childcare advocacy, voter engagement, gender equity, grassroots organizing, environmental justice, and racial healing & reconciliation. In this capacity, she leads The Alabama Movement for Child Care™, where she works to organize childcare providers across Alabama’s Black Belt region, to ensure a more equitable childcare system for minorities and women. She has facilitated racial healing & reconciliation community learning forums for thousands in Alabama and is dedicated to bringing diverse groups together to advance a more just society. 

- Ya Gotta Laugh or Quit  -

Goodbye 2025! 

Wednesday Dec. 31, 2025

Live from Myra Mae Studios (which we changed to Double Bluff Beach at the last minute because it was too beautiful outside) on Whidbey Island, your JBWG co-hosts want to thank you for supporting this podcast with this joyous Auld Lang Syne moment. We wish 2025 a very merry sssso-long and welcome 2026 with a  happy-go-lucky neigh! We decided to look the horse in the mouth and acknowledge that even though 2025 was a difficult year, we are proud and happy of creating this podcast. So, join us for a new P.O.V on this short and (what we think is) hilarious episode. 

 Because, if there's one thing we know for sure, we're not quitting, 

so we might as well laugh.

Cheers!

- The NHL, Local Arts and Philanthropy -

The Community Connector

 Wednesday Jan. 14, 2026

 Mari Horita is Senior Vice President of Social Impact & Civic Affairs for the Seattle Kraken and Executive Director of One Roof Foundation. She leads the development and implementation of the social impact, philanthropic, and community engagement vision and strategy for the Seattle Kraken and Climate Pledge Arena.

Prior to joining the Kraken, Mari was president and CEO of ArtsFund, where she led the organization's strategic transition to better represent and serve the evolving population and arts community in the Puget Sound Region. She has served on a number of nonprofit boards including the United Way of King County, Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, Asian Bar Association of Washington, YouthCare and the Seattle Foundation. She currently co-chairs the Board DE&I Committee for the Downtown Seattle Association, and serves on the Boards of the University of Washington Foundation and the Seattle Art Museum. Mari has played violin with the Vina Musica String Quartet for the past 25 years and before that performed with the Seattle Youth Symphony, Denver Philharmonic and the Vancouver Academy of Music Orchestra.