Jane Fonda on Why The Homeboy Way Matters Now

Jane Fonda, Oscar-winning actress and lifelong activist, first learned about Homeboy Industries in the 1980s through her then-husband, Tom Hayden. He came home energized by a Jesuit priest who had opened a bakery employing formerly incarcerated gang members. Years later, at a Homeboy gala, she finally heard Father Greg Boyle speak and knew she wanted to be part of something so transformative.In this episode, Tom Vozzo sits down with Jane to reflect on her seven years as a board member and what continues to draw her to a community built on healing and second chances. She shares how walking through Homeboy’s doors feels like “sinking into a warm bath,” and why, at 88, she still finds herself learning from the homegirls she calls “smarter than me in so many ways.” For Jane, leadership begins with humility, and real change starts by listening from the heart.Key TakeawaysJobs are not enough. Healing comes first. Father Greg realized quickly that employment alone would not create lasting change. Deep trauma, left unaddressed, leads people back into trouble. Homeboy evolved into a healing-centered community where recovery comes before placement.Cherish, don’t judge.To cherish someone is to fully receive them into your heart. Healing begins there.Transformation requires proximity. It's wonderful when rich people throw money out from their homes up on the hill to people who need it," Jane says. Generosity from a distance is good. But real change happens shoulder to shoulder. Being present, listening, and building relationships transforms everyone involved.Hate the behavior, not the personBad behavior is often the language of trauma. You can reject harm while still honoring human dignity.We give because we see ourselves. Homeboy’s mission resonates because we are all broken in some way. Watching others heal reminds us that transformation is possible for us too.Women are the glue. "In every class, in every rung of society, and in every ethnicity and race in the world, it's women that hold things together. They're the glue for families and for communities."Life with meaning is better. Jane has lived without meaning and with meaning. "I know that the meaning is a lot better. In This Episode:00:00 – Introduction01:46 – How Jane Fonda first found Father Greg and Homeboy Bakery03:41 – From the Homeboy Bakery to a healing-centered model04:40 – "I need whatever that secret sauce is"06:05 – Kinship and mutuality with people on the margins08:48 – What Jane learns from homegirls13:09 – The meaning of cherishing15:54 – Ignatian spirituality at Homeboy18:32 – Funding the mission19:51 – Gangsters, leaders, and the pressure of machismo21:32 – Homeboy’s culture shift: from toughness to tears22:09 – Poverty, business hiring, and “show by doing”23:30 – Jane Fonda’s activist origin story26:19 – The urgency of activism today28:19 – What Jane would tell her younger self30:06 – The Global Homeboy NetworkNotable Quotes“ Bad behavior, even evil behavior is the language of the traumatized.” — Jane [07:25]" Avoid violence. Violence is our enemy." — Jane [28:04]“ Cherished, to me is even greater than love means I've brought you fully into my full heart in every possible way.” — Jane [13:42]“I've lived without meaning, and I've lived with meaning, and I know that the meaning is a lot better.”— Jane [29:19] Resources and LinksHomeboy Industrieshttps://homeboyindustries.org/https://www.youtube.com/@HomeboyIndustries_LA/videosDonate: https://homeboyindustries.org/donate/donate-online/Homeboy Media https://homeboyindustries.org/social-enterprises/homeboy-media/Jane Fondahttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jane-fonda-2408b4302/Thomas Vozzohttps://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasvozzoThe Homeboy Way: A Radical Approach to Business and Life: https://www.amazon.com/Homeboy-Way-Radical-Approach-Business/dp/082945456XCredits:Hosted by: Tom VozzoProduced by: Podify, and Alexa Rousso and Melody Carter of Homeboy Media