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When she was a freshman in high school, Meg Busing was in a tragic car accident with some of her friends. She ended up with a traumatic brain injury and as a teenager had to learn how to navigate life with a distinct set of new challenges. She was able to successfully graduate high school, but a few years later in college, she had her first seizure and was diagnosed with epilepsy. She managed to achieve her dream of graduating with her degree in nursing, but then a few years later during a pregnancy her seizures increased and she had to pull back on her nursing career. This was when she decided to start her nonprofit, the Midwest You Can Foundation. The goal of her foundation is to create community and empowerment for those living with epilepsy.

One of the purposes of the Midwest You Can Foundation is to run a yearly summer camp for kids with epilepsy. Meg wants these kids to experience for themselves the power and confidence that can come with reminding yourself of what you CAN do. Their slogan is ‘with epilepsy, too many days are filled with reminders of what shouldn’t be done, we’re on a mission to change that.’

Listen to the podcast to hear more of Meg’s story and journey, to learn about the summer camps she runs and the good experiences kids and parents have had with them, and also hear some sweet encouragement from Meg for anyone that might be living with epilepsy or helping their child navigate it as well.

Links mentioned in the episode:
Midwest You Can Foundation Website
Midwest You Can Foundation Instagram
Midwest You Can Foundation Facebook

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Jen Simonic and Masey Kaplan are both crafters at heart and have been friends for over 30 years. After having their own experiences with finishing crafting projects for other friends and loved ones who had passed away, they started tossing around the idea of a nonprofit where they could create a community of crafters who would be available to finish projects families and individuals would like finished that their loved ones had started.

Now their nonprofit, Loose Ends, has a community that spans 64 countries and over 24,000 people. Their mission is to ease grief, create community, and inspire generosity by matching volunteer handwork finishers with projects people have left unfinished due to death or disability.

I loved talking with Jen and Masey and hearing the obvious passion and joy they find in the work they do with their nonprofit. They share some great stories of some of the projects they’ve seen people finish, and the real sense of community and even lifelong friendships that are formed in the process. 

This episode will give you a new found appreciation and love for all the crafters in your life and it’s also a good reminder of the real sense of belonging that can be found when people serve and create together.

Links mentioned in the show:
Loose Ends Project Website
Loose Ends Project Instagram
Loose Ends Project Facebook

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It’s Mother’s Day coming up this Sunday here in the United States…so this episode is dedicated to all the good women out there and the good service they do with their own families and those around them.

First, I'm sharing some pretty personal thoughts about a conversation I had years ago that gave me a shift on my motherhood and navigating the challenges of life. And I’m also sharing a fun poem I wrote a few years ago that highlights all the good daily work Mother’s do. My goal is that when you hear it, it makes you smile.

Listen to the podcast to hear more and don't forget to share it with a good mother you know!

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Melanie Rodger lost her first son just 32 hours after his birth when she was 20 years old. That loss prompted her to want to seek community and not feel alone as she navigated the grieving process. During that time, she learned about 'Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep', a nonprofit that provides remembrance portraits to parents experiencing the death of a baby. Melanie had known she wanted to be a part of other families' stories in a way that others had been there for her, and when she was ready she started volunteering for 'Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep'.

She has served as a dispatcher to help find photographers for families, as a photographer herself, and now also works for 'Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep'. This episode is definitely a tender one as Melanie shares her own experience of losing her baby boy, and what it’s like being a photographer for others experiencing their own losses. She talks about the especially vital role their organization played during the pandemic, providing many family members with the only way they were able to see and remember these babies through the pictures they took.  She shares how it’s an honor to be invited into these spaces with families and I appreciated the beautiful advice she gave at the end saying that ‘you should never let the fear of emotion stop you from helping and being part of somebody else’s story.’

Links mentioned in the episode:
Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Website
Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Instagram
Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Facebook

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Several years ago Krysti Wright felt nudged to more intentionally start using her gifts and talents to make a difference in the world. She had always loved doing long-arm quilting and decided that was where she could make her contribution. She started off with a small group of women who worked together making and donating quilts to different causes. But then she started having other groups reach out to her who wanted to help or needed service projects to do, and that’s when she realized what her real role was. 

Now her nonprofit, Stitching Hearts Worldwide, provides service opportunities for individuals, groups, and businesses wanting to help those in need. They provide the necessary tools and materials to make handmade essential items for people in local communities and and all over the world who suffer from natural disasters, human injustices, or other unforeseen tragedies beyond their control. As Krysti says so perfectly in this episode…it’s not always about how many projects they produce, but more about the many people that are getting the opportunity to serve.

I loved this interview. There were a few technical difficulties when we recorded, but thankfully Krysti’s complete genuineness and caring heart come through. Listen to this episode and be inspired by her story and get the reminder of how powerful it can be to create and serve with other people.

Links mentioned in the episode:
Stitching Hearts Worldwide Website
Stitching Hearts Worldwide Instagram
Stitching Hearts Worldwide Facebook

Talk by Cheryl A. Esplin that Krysti mentions in the episode

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Time! We all wish we had more of it! Especially when it comes to serving and helping others, many of us feel we wish we had time to do more of those good things we’ve felt inspired or nudged to do. In this episode I’m sharing some of my thoughts on time and submitting the idea that we are more in control than we think.  I talk about the famous ‘Good Samaritan’ study done back in the 70s that looked at this concept of serving others and time, and I’m sharing 5 tips to help inspire you on how to make time for service and volunteering in your life.

Email for thoughts and feedback: [email protected]

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Janelle Christensen has been involved with Family Haven in a myriad of ways for almost 15 years and right now she serves as the Director. On this episode of the podcast she shares how Family Haven fulfills its primary purpose of preventing and treating child abuse.

What impressed me in this interview is Family Haven truly believes in coming at this sensitive issue from all sides. First by empowering families and giving them the tools they need to be healthy and succeed, through things like parenting classes and providing child care that parents can access for any reason. They also provide therapy and treatment so those who have experienced abuse or families trying to break generational cycles can find the hope and healing they need.

The powerful message I took away from this interview is that no family or child needs to walk the road of life alone. Whether it’s getting help and support for the current season you’re in, or finding healing from past experiences, there is help and hope to be found and it is places like Family Haven that work hard to provide that for their community.

Links mentioned in the show:
Family Haven Website
Family Haven Instagram
Family Haven Facebook

UtahFamilies.org-find Family Support Centers across Utah
National Family Support Network

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Brady and Andrea Murray are the parents of 11 children, 7 of them they adopted into their family. Their journey with adoption and their passion for advocating for children began after their first son was born with Down syndrome. Soon after that, they became aware of the fate that many children born with Down syndrome around the world face of being abandoned or left in orphanages.

That fueled their idea to create a nonprofit to help many of those children find families and homes. The mission of their nonprofit now is to inspire families to answer the call to adopt children with Down syndrome or other unique circumstances, and they call their nonprofit Rods Heroes.

This was an inspiring episode! Brady and Andrea are very honest about some of the realities of adoption and the feelings they’ve experienced along the way with their journey, but they also share the light, hope, and joy in bringing children and families together.

Listen to the episode  to learn more about their nonprofit, some of the programs they do to further their cause, and the many miracles they’ve seen along the way.

Links mentioned in the episode:
Rods Heroes Website
Rods Heroes Instagram
Rods Heroes Facebook
Rods Heroes App
Brady and Andrea's Podcast 'See the Miracle'

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This week the podcast is celebrating one year! I am so proud of putting out an episode each week for one whole year. I also am so, so grateful for every guest that graciously gives of their time to come on the show, and each person that downloads, follows, or shares.

This episode is a fun one celebrating the podcast...I'm sharing some fun stats, talking about some favorite episodes, and answering some of the questions I regularly get about the podcast.

Give it a listen to learn a little more about the behind the scenes and celebrate!

Links mentioned in the show:
Samsung Mic (what I use to record)
Alitu (what I use to produce the podcast)
Buzzsprout (my host)
Email with questions, feedback, or comments: [email protected]

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‘People Helping People’ is a non-profit organization that likes to say they are often in the business of building confidence. They help primarily women and single mothers gain and keep good employment so they can provide for themselves and their families. 

My guest on the podcast this week Kristen Carr is the Community Outreach Coordinator, and she shared that many of the women and single mothers that come into their program have gone through hard and traumatic experiences. But through the mentoring and coaching those women receive at People Helping People, they learn to see the talents and skills they already have to offer, and build on those as they seek to gain meaningful employment or start a career.

This organization truly believes that one of the best ways to help children and families out of poverty, is to empower women and give them the confidence and skills they need to be successful in the workforce. 

Listen to the podcast to learn more about People Helping People and also hear some great stories of women who have found success through their programs.

Links mentioned in the episode:
People Helping People Website
People Helping People Instagram
People Helping People Facebook

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