Find Your Spark

In this week's podcast, Mari reflects on the impact that the SPARK Mentoring Program is having on the young people at a Hillsborough County Juvenile Detention Center and the importance of making programs like ours available to individuals experiencing incarceration.

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK Podcast, Makayla opens up about her personal journey as a forward thinker—someone who’s always looking ahead, planning, and preparing for what’s next. While this mindset has its strengths, Makayla shares how it can also pull us away from fully experiencing the moments right in front of us. She invites listeners to pause, let go of worries about the past or future, and embrace the beauty of the present day. Tune in for an honest, heartfelt reminder about the power of being here, now.

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK Podcast, Nicole shares a powerful realization: you don’t have to feel a certain way to take action. She dives into the idea that while emotions are natural and ever-changing, focusing too much on the unhelpful ones can hold us back. Nicole explains that waiting to feel motivated or "ready" isn’t necessary—you’re capable of doing hard things even when it doesn’t feel that way. Once you recognize the power of your SPARK, you’ll see that action is possible no matter your emotional state.

In this episode, Stephanie shares her recent experience when her partner suffered a stroke. She reflects on the divine timing of the event, which occurred just one day after she resolved to stop scaring herself with her own thoughts. Tune in to discover the resilience she has found through this experience.

In this episode, Jena and Nicole open up about what the SPARK Team has been up to lately. Since the year began, the team has joined Michael Neill’s training program, “How to be Really Happy and Love Your Life”. Over the course of these trainings, the team has gained incredible insights, but this episode focuses on one in particular – the insight that what we focus on grows.

Listen as Jena describes her personal journey through knee replacement surgery, how her focus got the best of her and then ultimately, how it all worked out.

In this episode, Brooke and Ashley sit down once again to debrief and discuss some of the many incredible insights that have occurred over the last few months.

This time, Brooke describes her trip home from Nashville with Ashley, and how running out of pre-saved Netflix episodes on her flight somehow landed her as a guest on an episode of “Connect with Jonathan Mark”. Jonathan is a Celebrity Psychic Medium, widely known for helping law enforcement solve cases. Listen as Brooke and Ashley unpack the weight of the conversation that was had and the healing that followed.

If you or someone you love is dealing with thoughts of suicide or a mental health crisis, please reach out to the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.

Listen to the episode of “Connect with Jonathan Mark” referenced in this episode at the link below.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fighting-a-silent-battle-the-aftermath-of/id1760009567?i=1000702638463

In this reflective episode, Brooke and Ashley discuss some behind-the-scenes struggles they were both internally battling but not communicating about. This ongoing internal dialogue led to Brooke stepping up to ask a question during the live recording of Kim Lessing and Kate Arend’s podcast “Million Dollar Advice” at SXSW EDU.

This podcast details the way that our thoughts can make us jump to conclusions, the helpful insights that come from simply asking, the ability to recognize everyone’s unique strengths, and the realization that not everyone is going to mirror the expectations you have for them, but that’s okay too.

Listen to the episode of “Million Dollar Advice” referenced in this episode at the link below.

https://schedule.sxswedu.com/2025/events/PP155925

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK Podcast, Chad speaks about a chaotic grocery store trip that turned into an unexpected lesson in self-awareness, emotional check-ins, and the importance of listening when your SPARK says, "Slow Down!"

In this heartfelt episode, Ashley and Nicole dive into the impactful power of openness. They begin by reading a reflective passage that sets the tone for a rich conversation about how being open has shown up in their own lives—both personally and professionally.

Together, they explore how easy it is to fall into knee-jerk thinking like, “I can’t do this,” “This is too hard,” or “I don’t like this,” and how that thinking can close us off from incredible opportunities. But when we become aware of that resistance, something shifts. Openness creates space for fresh perspectives, new possibilities, and unexpected growth.

Tune in to hear real stories, honest reflections, and a reminder that so much more is available to us—when we’re simply open.

In this episode, Nicole highlights the importance of self-awareness and being able to recognize her state of mind, during a time where her and her family were personally impacted by the loss of a loved one. She shares the signals she experienced when her state of mind was at an all-time low and how self-awareness opened the door to the solutions she needed.