In honor of the International Day of Peace, Stephanie Fox sits down with longtime friend and colleague Mara Gleason Olson for a conversation about what peace actually requires, starting from the inside out. Mara is the co-founder of One Solution, where Stephanie served as Middle East Director, and together their teams worked with young people in Gaza and, through Rebels for Peace, on Chicago’s South Side, showing that inner peace isn’t a luxury for the comfortable, but a survival skill for anyone living amid violence and uncertainty. They share stories from the ground in Gaza, talk about teens choosing de-escalation over self-defense in life-or-death moments, and explore this year’s theme, “Everyday Architects of Peace,” the idea that lasting change doesn’t start at a negotiating table, but in the quiet, internal shift that happens when one person decides to build from a place of peace instead of fear. It’s an honest, hopeful conversation about grief, resilience, and why the world may be closer to a tipping point than it feels.
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Marketing & Public Relations Coordinator
Makayla Wheeldon is the Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator at The SPARK Initiative, where she works to expand the organization’s reach through creative content, strategic outreach, and community engagement. She holds a degree in Communications and Psychology from the University of Central Florida and spent three years teaching Kindergarten and 1st Grade for Hillsborough County Public Schools — an experience that deepened her understanding of students’ diverse needs and inspired her to pursue broader impact beyond the classroom. Makayla is passionate about empowering youth to regulate their emotions through the understanding that feelings are not permanent. In her role at Spark, she leads efforts to strengthen brand visibility, build meaningful partnerships, and represent the organization across the mental health and education sectors — ensuring the message of innate resilience resonates with as many people as possible.