A Little Wray Of Sunshine: Inspirational stories from everyday people

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In this episode, Dan Newman shares his experiences of growing up with a speech impediment, finding religion after many years of searching, and making it his life mission to bring happiness into peoples' lives. Danny is an extraordinary man, and if you have the opportunity to visit with him, he will make you laugh, and he will brighten your day! 

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In this episode, I had the privilege of visiting with Addie Stucki, a teenager in our local high school, and a special family friend of ours. Her message was loud and clear... "Do a lot of service, do a lot for other people...You can do one small thing and it leads to bigger things." She is so inspiring and wise for her age, and after listening to her I personally felt a push to make service a priority in my life. "Service is the most selfish thing you could do for yourself because when you do some small thing or big thing for someone else, in return you get a a mountain of blessings...When I do service projects, I feel so much more happiness...in the end, I just want to be surrounded by as many people who love me, and I love them as possible."

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In this episode, Lori Mecham speaks out about being a positive force for change as mentors of our youth. She gives great advice about how to do this... "Every day just do one good thing... we need to be better at being the good and putting the positive out there."  Lori has been a school teacher for many years, and has great insight and experience in helping youth to be successful. She says that "these kids are strong, I don't fear the future, I know they'll be amazing leaders, these kids are strong, they're brave, they're very determined." She understands that "you're not going to touch every single kid you teach, but you hope they know at least you cared...when we try to do the positive, it's contagious." In the words of Brad Wilcox, "don't let the world change you, when you were born to change the world." 

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In this episode, ZoeAnn Keck interviews a recent guest, my younger brother, Darin Wray. In the last podcast episode I did with him, he shared many thoughts regarding his addictions. That episode sparked an interest in one of my listeners, ZoeAnn Keck. As a result, she asked to be able to have him back on this podcast, and that she would like to be the one to interview him, and ask him a few questions. Many issues are addressed, including boundaries, family relationships, and living life without the chains of addiction. "I can honestly look in the mirror today and like what I see and like what I'm doing... It's been a career of learning from my past."

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In this episode, ZoAnn Keck shares a heartwarming story about her mothers passing nearly twenty years ago. You will get a sense of how important family is, and the positive influence you can have on each other. "You can look at life however you want to... you can be positive and look at the positive things in life; you can look at them and be happy about the things that are good in your life." ZoAnn's take on life is simple... "I try to look at the good in people." Enjoy!

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In this episode, Darin Wray describes what it was like for him as he battled his addictions for nearly four decades. Because of his addictions, many of his experiences and decisions created damage to important family relationships. During those years, he felt lost and alone. It took the passing of his mother before he realized he had to change his life. Being in a dark place for so long was hard for him, but those dark times have since faded and he is now seeing light for the first time in a very long time. We're proud of you little brother.

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In this episode, Chyna Hopkins and Amy Jolly team up to share their thoughts about what it means to be successful. This is something they know a little bit about! Both of them have coaching jobs, as well as the responsibility of raising their families, and do a great job at both. Amy asks herself "have I done any work on myself to personally grow, if I can say I have, then to me that is success." Chyna's thoughts are to "just show up with tears in your eyes, just show up,  tie your shoes, get to work... we'll trust that it's your best that day." Enjoy!

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In this episode, Garrett Foster discusses strategies for being successful in starting and sustaining a successful business, and finding and living up to our potential. Garrett has years of experience in consulting, and in addition to owning his own business, he also partners with several others in various other businesses. If you are considering doing something to increase your income, or just wanting to try something new that you may have a strong passion for, this is a must listen! Below are a few of Garret's thoughts on being successful:
"The one thing that will determine your success is grit."

"Success is a lot of different things, it's not just money."

"You help people get what they want, and you'll have what you want."

"If we're really going to be the best that we can be, we have to get to this place where it's really about understanding ourselves."

"Learn try, learn try, learn try, learn try."

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Chyna Hopkins has a passion for learning and understanding issues surrounding mental health, and helping people succeed. She has a vast knowledge of connecting with people in a meaningful way, whether it be through coaching sports, or in a professional mental health setting. In this episode Chyna and I have a candid discussion about a variety of topics, including transition anxiety in children, building confidence in athletes, and the need for coaches to value the "human," not just the "athlete." Enjoy!

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In this episode, Rick Croft draws upon his professional knowledge and insight as a professional counselor, to openly discuss the topic of suicide awareness and prevention. His message is very clear, which is to become educated on the seriousness of the problem, knowing the signs leading to suicide, where to go for help, and being willing to have the hard conversations with our children about it. As a long time mental health professional, Rick's important message needs to be heard by everyone.