Episodes

Julie has the kind of story that you look back on and say, how can one person have lived through so much? Growing up in an abusive household, Julie was eager to get away as soon as she had her high school diploma. But escaping your past and your trauma, aren't necessarily easy; especially when life…

Julie has the kind of story that you look back on and say, how can one person have lived through so much? Growing up in an abusive household, Julie was eager to get away as soon as she had her high school diploma. But escaping your past and your trauma, aren't necessarily easy; especially when life…

Cody was a paramedic for over a decade. He spent more than ten years of seeing some of the saddest and worst parts of humanity, some of whom he knew personally. While he did so much good during that time, it left him numb, needing to dissociate and rely on alcohol to get through.When his family enc…

Quanisha is a doula operating in San Antonio Texas, as well as a leader of the San Antonio Black Doula Collective.While doula may or man not be a term you're familiar with, the practice of being the emotional, mental, and physical support for a woman leading up to, including, and after birth, their…

When Mel was a teenager, still under her parents care, she was diagnosed with a progressive autoimmune disorder. While a diagnosis like that is bound to change your life in some way, the reality was that Mel had to start thinking about what she and her husband-to-be wanted their future to look like…

As a pastor's kid, Hesron always knew what was expected of him. He played the part well, but from a young age, Hesron began living in two separate worlds. He was one person while he was in front of others, and someone else behind closed doors.After being introduced to pornography at the age of 12, …

Christine had her first surgery when she was only a couple of months old. Now, well into adulthood, Christine has had over twenty surgeries for the bilateral cleft lip and palate that she was born with.The physical difficulties were one thing, but the emotional and social fallout have caused the bi…

Auntie Anne Beiler grew up in the Amish-Mennonite Community in south central Pennsylvania. It was there she met her husband, Jonas, and where they began their life together.Walking through the insurmountable grief of losing one of her children to an accident, and then being sexually abused by a per…

Sometimes, it takes a traumatic event to wake us up out of the fog we're walking through. For Stephanie, that event came in the form of slamming her finger in a car door. While not the source of her trials, it did help her to see that she indeed needed a change.The past six years have been formativ…

Karen had been working intensively towards a career goal for half a decade, but when she finally made it into her "dream job", she found that it wasn't as dreamy as she thought it would be.Having recently entered motherhood, Karen realized that what she wanted had shifted. In fact, her entire ident…

From travel agent to traveller, from teacher to seeker, Jen has made a beautiful life from the myriad opportunities that have come her way. Never one to let something meaningful pass her by, she has seen and done more than many of us, simply by saying yes.Jen has taught in Poland, safari'd in Tanza…

Sarah and Steffi, the co-founders of FFR, were featured in our last two episodes. Now, I sit down with all three members of FFR's leadership team Sarah, Mary & Steffi, to discuss their organization, projects, and life in Romania.The mission of Firm Foundations Romania: FFR believes that all people…

Steffi is the other half of the Firm Foundations Romania founding duo. Although she grew up in the Black Forest in Germany, Steffi has now spent more of her life in Romania than anywhere else. It's where she has made her home. And it's where she adopted three Romanian children after volunteering in…

The youngest of seven sisters, Sarah always knew that music was in her future. What she didn't know that it would take leaving home, moving to Eastern Europe, and co-founding a nonprofit in Transylvania to get there.In 2005, Sarah began a diaper project with her best friend and business partner, St…

So much of Maureen's life has been wrapped up in her career - with dance companies, theaters, museums, nonprofits, political campaign's, and more; her ventures have been varied and many.When Maureen got COVID in March of 2020, all of that came to a screeching halt. Because she got the virus so earl…

Originally from the European country of Georgia, Lela has spent the last twenty years working hard to build the life she dreamed.Formerly a journalist, now an entrepreneur and owner of multiple businesses, Lela is proud of the success that she has built for herself and her family - a legacy that wi…

Susan's father was a pilot in World War II for the United States of America. While serving in France, his plan was shot down. Thus began a stranger than fiction story that impacted not only him, but the generations that have come after him.Stories like Susan's are fascinating. The story itself is q…

When she graduated high school, Kristen was set on going to university to eventually have a career in architecture. After a slight shift in her major, and a major left turn in her life, Kristen is now a global gender equity specialist. Her two years volunteering with the Peace Corps in Ghana, as we…

Part 2 of Ro & Bree's Story finds them facing down a global pandemic having both lost their jobs, with a baby at home. It was their dream or die moment, and they chose to dream.To hear Ro & Bree explain it, this was always inside of them. Love The People has always been their heart. It's more than …

Ro & Bree are the ultimate husband and wife duo - raising a family and building their business together. Their love for each other, and for people in general, is inspiring.After years of walking together through incredibly difficult, and mysterious, health issues, they came out on the other side wa…

Winnie grew up enjoying the simplicity of farm life in rural Kenya; not one for the business of the city, she found her peace among the crops at her grandmother's farm. As an adult, though, Winnie traded the serene country life for one of turmoil; but it is within that life that she found her cente…

Eric is bi-racial; his mom is white and his dad is black. His experience of being bi-racial is not one we often hear when talking about social complexities, but it's important nonetheless. Eric is a counselor by trade, a job that seems to suit him well as he is able to access and express his emoti…

Hannah is the co-founder of a drop-in center in Columbus, OH called Sanctuary Night. Serving vulnerable women on the streets, Sanctuary Night meets the practical needs that we often take for granted, while also offering a space free of judgement or shame for women to find refuge and rest.Having exp…

Irine's joy is contagious. She is exactly the type of person that lights up a room. But that doesn't mean that her life has been easy; on the contrary, Irine has had to fight against social and familial norms to get to where she is today. And she is helping other young women get there too. Learn mo…