Barnstone Art for Kids: A place to heal, cope, and grow from trauma in one-on-one mentorship through art. Sean Halloran, Executive Director of Barnstone Art for Kids in Phoenixville, PA, is a believer. In the power of art. In the healing nature of supportive relationships. In the wisdom of addressing trauma in children 6-18 through one-on-one mentoring while participating in trauma-informed practices and art activities designed to strengthen resiliency.  Barnstone Art for Kids, a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization offers services free to children who are grieving or recovering from physical, social, or emotional trauma.

Linda Anthony of Boyertown was bothered for years by the spirits who lived in her home. Annoyed and frightened at times, she shares her experiences and when one frightened her, she reached out to a priest, a medium, and the Paranormal Spirit Seekers to make the spirits go away. Yet today she calls out to those spirits hoping they return. She misses them. Who’d have thought.

Since 2013, as his mission to help people, Jim Smith, organizer of a 12-member team known as the Paranormal Spirit Finders, has logged in almost 100 free home visits to trigger spirits to appear and to document and record proof of the existence of spirits living in the house along with the owners. Their mission is to identify the spirits, not rid a home of their presence--nor do they try to convince anyone that spirits exist. As he says, “We just show them stuff.” Jim explains the process, shares his equipment and some stories about the spirits he has discovered. Contact the team: [email protected].

Donnie Ellixson, owner and martial arts instructor of Ellixson's Tae Kwon Do Academy, loved all things Asian involving martial arts as a young teen. By the age of 16, he was instructing classes; and by 19 opened his own studio. "Tough love" is his method as his students work to prove to themselves and others that their training, the ways of their “sensei” or instructor, and the way of life they have adopted have given them the confidence and discipline to be their best selves. The Academy is a full-time family affair and is now part of a new martial arts reality show "Kiddie Kai" on Discovery+ streaming channel as one of 6 school competing with each other in tournaments vying for championship status. Find the trailer on YouTube: https://youtu.be/nCgPHulBvJo.

A conversation with Yenna Hill radiates the same strength, vigor, depth, and complexity as her artwork that she describes as “pop-infused ancestral hieroglyphs.” This episode, longer than most, was tough to quit! In the episode, we talked about the role of numbers in her life, her journey as an artist, her process, and the meaning behind her work. There’s so much depth to this young artist that fascinates—in person and on the walls of Studio B Fine Art Gallery. Her talent inspires a following.

Maggie Farrell and Jason Houck--partners in business and life--left host Jane Stahl breathless. Their retail shop offers "gotta-have-it" basketry items, textiles, and more--items found during their travels, purchased wholesale, and/or handmade. Their warehouse and barn is filled with furniture and items they rent for events and weddings along the east coast. Plus, Jason's uniquely-designed hand-made furniture is available for rent or purchase.  Meanwhile, they're building communities. Jason serves as president of Building a Better Boyertown (BaBB), the non-profit organization sponsored by the PA Downtown Main Street program dedicated to rejuvenating small towns, bringing an outsider's vision, youthful energy, and fresh ideas. Maggie happily coordinates Building a Better Boyertown's bi-weekly Evening (Farm) Market in her quest for having fun and building local friendships. On alternate weeks she invites friends and folks she's met through their rental business and through networking on social media to bi-weekly craft sessions around the table that Jason made. The future includes creating an event space for small weddings and turning the existing cottages on their property to charming Air B&B's. Maggpie: it's a happy place. You gotta see it! It'll take your breath away!

In this episode of “B Inspired,” artist Nina Yocom offered host Jane Stahl insight into the technique and process of painting with alcohol ink. Substrates. Tools to use. Layering. Timing. While her color choice may be deliberate, Nina’s process is largely intuitive. Having explored other mediums, she has happily found her favorite! Nina invites you to visit her website www.ninayocom.com to learn more about her work.

"Congratulations! Cruise with Jude! You've won a 7-day cruise with Magical Wonders Vacations!" Vacation-planner Judy Wetzel's life turned upside down when her beloved husband, the love of her life, died suddenly leaving her in deep grief, wondering if she and Magical Wonders Vacations--the business they built together--would survive. But survive they have and--in an inspiring 'lemons into lemonade' storiy--with the help of her faith, friends she's made during years of community involvement, and the challenges from COVID years that cruise lines have turned into opportunities--she has been able to turn her loss into gifts of dream vacations for friends and friends-of-friends. Visit infoMWVacations.com. 

Meet Sean Misko, National Security Official. Little did I know that the young man I met decades ago, who dutifully assisted his English teacher mother prepare for the first days of school, would someday be working in the heart of the U.S. government in rooms with Presidents and international heads of state and security advisors, doing his part to keep America secure. Sean reflects on the state of our nation--past and present--providing a touch of hope for the future, reassuring us that while the world is a complicated place with complex issues and no simple solutions, hard-working people--just like us--and just like him--bring their best efforts to the challenges they're given. It's a comfort, knowing him, knowing that he's in the midst of it all, working to keep the peace.

Becoming a parent does not come with an instruction manual. And when your children behave differently than other children, are found to be troublesome in school, and are frequently bullied and shunned by their peers, parenthood can become a nightmare. Diane Lauer Hallman suffered in the way all loving mothers suffer watching their children struggle--but then she began to research the characteristics of individuals on the Autism spectrum to understand the complexity of her children's unique-ness, to learn to support their development, and to nurture their strengths.