Mississippi doesn’t need more silos; it needs a shared table. We sit down with community leader and author Tina Lakey to discuss practical hope and how coordinated mentoring, cross‑denominational partnerships, and consistent prayer can move the needle on poverty, food insecurity, and youth outcomes across the state. From the work at the Methodist Children’s Home to the bold vision of Unite Mississippi, we walk through real models that bring people together and keep the focus on serving children and families.

Tina’s leadership story pulls back the curtain on what it takes to break barriers. She rose from a frontline role to become the first woman in management at CenterPoint Energy in Mississippi, then led a multi‑state division. Her core lesson is disarmingly simple: trust people, learn fast, and lead as service. That same posture fuels her work today, mentoring in schools, partnering with churches and law enforcement, and building coalitions that measure progress in changed lives, not press releases.

We also explore the heart behind her devotional project, Conversations with God. Born from grief after her mother’s passing, Tina’s daily writings grew into a community and then a book that readers use to start their mornings. She shares the messy middle, publishing hurdles, spiritual resistance, and the persistence required to keep showing up. With a refreshed edition on the way and a new volume in development, she offers a roadmap for anyone called to turn personal healing into public help.

If you’ve wondered how to help beyond weekends and hashtags, this conversation gives you next steps: mentor one student, join a prayer luncheon that drives action, adopt ten anchor scriptures to guide your year, and choose service over titles. Subscribe, share this with a friend who cares about Mississippi’s future, and leave a review with the one action you’ll take this week.

Join us for new episodes on the 1st and 15th of each month as we continue sharing stories of transformation from across Mississippi. Each story reminds us that when we contribute our unique gifts, Mississippi rises together.

Hope Mississippi's Mission: The sobering reality remains: one in four Mississippi children lives in poverty, and one in five experiences food insecurity. These statistics aren't just numbers—they're our collective challenge. Through these conversations, we discover that Mississippi's transformation occurs through individual commitments to mentor, encourage, and be present for others. The small acts of hope accumulate into the broader "miracles" we celebrate.