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Brighter Stories
Brighter Stories episodes
- Doing Life Together in the Long Term with Steve and Mona Bates
In the final episode of season 2, I sat down to talk with Steve and Mona Bates.
Steve and Mona have been volunteering at Victory for years now, and have plenty of experience intentionally doing life with people. We talked about what it actually looks like to do life with someone, the costs, and boundaries.
I hope you find this episode as insightful as I did.
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Follow Victory Mission on Facebook and Instagram:
Facebook: @springfieldvictorymission
Instagram: @springfieldvictorymission
YouTube: @springfieldvictorymission
42 min - Starting a Conversation with the People You Serve with Dr. Jennifer Baker
How do you really listen to someone?
I sat down with Dr. Jennifer Baker to talk about people. Besides being a clinical psychologist, Dr. Baker is the Founder and Executive Direct of Good Dads, an organization dedicated to teaching men from all walks of life how to be good fathers. Dr. Baker had some wonderful insights on listening, being curious, and how to navigate difficult conversations.
I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did.
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Follow Victory Mission on Facebook and Instagram:
Facebook: @springfieldvictorymission
Instagram: @springfieldvictorymission
YouTube: @springfieldvictorymission
36 min - Everybody Has a Story: Life Since Graduating the Restoration Program with Bobby Mitchell
Content warning: This episode mentions sensitive topics like addiction and alcoholism.
Bobby works as the Chaplain at Victory’s Men’s Shelter, but it wasn’t long ago that he was on the other side of the desk.
Before he came to Victory, Bobby experienced homelessness and addiction. He joined and graduated from the Restoration Program, and decided to stay at Victory as staff. His life experiences help him relate to the shelter guests on a deeper level.
I think you’ll enjoy this conversation about Bobby’s testimony and serving a community that he was once a part of.
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Follow Victory Mission on Facebook and Instagram:
Facebook: @springfieldvictorymission
Instagram: @springfieldvictorymission
YouTube: @springfieldvictorymission
40 min - Making Meaningful Connections with Brandon Fields
I sat down with Pastor Brandon Fields to talk about why his church decided to partner with a local nonprofit. We talked about benefits, logistics, and just generally what it looks like to partner with a nonprofit.
Brandon had some great insights about using a nonprofit partnership to build connections in the community. I think you’ll enjoy this one!
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Follow Victory Mission on Facebook and Instagram:
Facebook: @springfieldvictorymission
Instagram: @springfieldvictorymission
YouTube: @springfieldvictorymission
36 min - Just the Beginning: Restoration Graduate Testimony with Matt Waller
Content warning: this episode mentions sensitive topics like child endangerment, drug manufacturing, and drug use.
Today’s episode is an interview with Restoration Grad Matt Waller.
Matt was born into drug culture. His parents got together because of drugs. His dad cooked meth and taught Matt to cook too. To Matt, cooking meth was a way to support the family and his own drug habits. In his early 20s, Matt’s dad retired from cooking and Matt took over. That’s when he started having run-ins with the law. He went to prison three different times. Then Matt found God and came to Victory Mission to learn how to live as a Christian. Now he’s building a whole new life for himself.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Follow Victory Mission on Facebook and Instagram:
Facebook: @springfieldvictorymission
Instagram: @springfieldvictorymission
YouTube: @springfieldvictorymission
25 min - Finding A Place To Serve Your Community with Dan Reiter
I got to sit down with General Manager of the Springfield Cardinals Dan Reiter to talk about his volunteer experience with Victory.
Before he started volunteering, Dan knew he wanted to help the community but wasn’t sure how. He certainly never imagined he would be teaching a life skills class at our Men’s Shelter.
Dan and I had a great time together. I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did.
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Follow Victory Mission on Facebook and Instagram:
Facebook: @springfieldvictorymission
Instagram: @springfieldvictorymission
YouTube: @springfieldvictorymission
47 min - Putting God First: Restoration Graduate Testimony with Johnny Cruz
Today’s episode is an interview with Johnny Cruz, who graduated from Victory's Restoration Program in November 2022.
Johnny grew up in a loving and attentive family, but he still felt a little outcast. As a young adult he started seeking validation through relationships that were often codependent. He found career success as a junior stockbroker in New York City, then as a personal banker in Texas. But he ended up losing everything. He came to Victory Mission in search of something different for his life and that’s exactly what he’s found.
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Follow Victory Mission on Facebook and Instagram:
Facebook: @springfieldvictorymission
Instagram: @springfieldvictorymission
YouTube: @springfieldvictorymission
43 min - What Doing Life Together Really Means with Anna Wallace & Caitlin Culleny
What does it really mean to do life with someone?
That’s what Anna, Caitlin, and I talked about on this week’s episode. Anna and Caitlin are the Life Together Coaches at Victory. That means they spend a lot of time interacting with the community and walking through life with people. They shared some great tips on doing life with people, boundaries, and managing burn out. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.
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Follow Victory Mission on Facebook and Instagram:
Facebook: @springfieldvictorymission
Instagram: @springfieldvictorymission
36 min - Finding A Purpose: Restoration Graduate Testimony with Daniel Whitaker
Content Warning: This episode mentions sensitive topics, including drug use
Today’s episode is an interview with Daniel Whitaker, who graduated from Victory's Restoration Program in November 2022.
Daniel was on his own a lot when he was younger. His dad left when he was 11, and Daniel left home at 15 or 16 years old. He spent years on the streets being furious with the world. Eventually, he felt like he couldn’t keep going. He wanted something different so he came to Victory Mission. Now he’s on a new path in life.
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Follow Victory Mission on Facebook and Instagram:
Facebook: @springfieldvictorymission
Instagram: @springfieldvictorymission
37 min - The Cost of Doing Life with Others - Part Two with Bryan Stallings
Today’s episode is part 2 of the conversation I had with Bryan Stallings from Elevate Branson.
This time we dove in deeper: what does it look like to serve your neighbors hands-on? We talked about the responsibility of serving and the sacrifice that comes with it, and the importance of having a supportive community.
Listen in as Bryan and I wrap up our conversation on the cost of serving others.
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Follow Victory Mission on Facebook and Instagram:
Facebook: @springfieldvictorymission
Instagram: @springfieldvictorymission
38 min
About Brighter Stories
From the publisher's feed
Brighter Stories is a podcast about eliminating poverty and empowering people by giving them the tools they need to build independent lives that they love. We’ll tackle a variety of topics such as…
trauma informed care, outreach, paternalism, and more. We’ll also hear testimonies from Graduates of the Restoration Program, Victory Mission’s long-term discipleship program that transforms lives through a “wholistic” approach.