Heromakers Podcast

In this episode of the Heromakers Podcast, Laurie and Ann talk with Hector Guadalupe, founder of A Second U Foundation, which empowers formerly-incarcerated individuals with a second chance at life through career training, employment, and community. Growing up in a poor family in Brooklyn, Hector found himself on the street much of the time, eventually getting involved in drugs. By 23, he was convicted of drug trafficking and sentenced to 10 years to life in prison. By 33, he was up for parole. With a newfound vision for wellness and personal training, he was hopeful, but soon found that no one would hire him because of his past.

Enter his entrepreneurial spirit and A Second U Foundation. In this episode, we talk about his own journey and what ASUF is doing to change the lives of many former inmates. We talk about what we can't see and why second chances sometimes begin with just understanding that someone is a person.

You can find A Second U Foundation on IG at @asecondufoundation or on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/ASecondUFoundation. You can find their website at: https://asecondufoundation.org. 

Heromakers can be found on IG @heromakersmovement and on FB @heromakersmovement. You can also visit our website at: www.heromakersmovement.com. Like us and follow us today!

We are now on PATREON and we would love if you'd become a partner! Check it out here: https://www.patreon.com/heromakersmovement. 

In this episode of the Heromakers Podcast, Laurie and Ann talk with Sasha Wolff, founder of Still I Run, which raises awareness for mental health. Sasha shares about her own journey with depression and how that led her to found an organization whose sole purpose is to help those with mental illness to find courage and strength. Still I Run focuses on utilizing physical activity as a way to health while also providing support and community for those who have dealt with any type of mental illness.

We highly encourage you to check out their website and to follow them on social.

We hope this episode encourages you help break the stigma of mental illness and to be brave and courageous in fighting for the good and safety of those dealing with depression, anxiety, or any other mental illness.

You can find Sasha on IG at @SashaWolff. You can find Still I Run on IG at @StillIRunCommunity or on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/stillirun. 

Heromakers can be found on IG @heromakersmovement and on FB @heromakersmovement. You can also visit our website at: www.heromakersmovement.com. Like us and follow us today!

We are now on PATREON and we would love if you'd become a partner! Check it out here: https://www.patreon.com/heromakersmovement. 

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Published: Oct. 22, 2020 @ 3AM Edit

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In this episode of the Heromakers Podcast, Laurie and Ann talk with Daron Babcock, Founder/Executive Director of Bonton Farms, which is located just outside of Dallas, TX.

Their website reads: "Our community was, not so long ago, one of the last places you’d go to find hope for a better tomorrow. The people here were sick and experienced high rates of diabetes, stroke and cancer. Having faced a long history of oppression, including racially motivated fire-bombings and a population wherein 48% of the people lived in poverty, we knew this community needed help cultivating change."

In comes Bonton Farms. Daron talks about the decision to move into the neighborhood, the systemic structures holding many in poverty back, and what it's like to be a hope-giver to many who have forgotten what hope feels like.

"We created a country built on a fabric that not everyone is created equal, and in fact people of color are not human. And now the attitudes have changed, but the system that was put in place hasn’t."

"There’s nothing that prevents us from coming in and doing this work that rights the wrongs that were put in place."

"I don’t make any money anymore, but I feel like the richest man in Dallas."

"Everybody has a role to play, so find your role."

We hope this episode encourages you to listen well, love well, and find ways to offer hope to those around you.

You can find Bonton Farms on IG or Facebook at @bontonfarms. 

Heromakers can be found on IG @heromakersmovement and on FB @heromakersmovement. You can also visit our website at: www.heromakersmovement.com. Like us and follow us today!

In this episode of the Heromakers Podcast, Laurie and Ann talk with American Ninja Warrior Abel Gonzalez about what he has had to overcome to become the person he is today. Growing up homeless and in a violent setting, he learned early the importance of family and the need for resiliency. Abel's story traverses many obstacles - both physical and emotional - and yet through it all he has come to understand how to truly sacrifice and to fight even when things seem impossible.

Break out a box of tears. You'll be smiling and crying by the end of the episode. We hope this episode encourages you to believe that even in the most difficult situations, a new day will dawn.

You can find Abel on IG @weareallabel and his gym, Axios Warrior Academy on Facebook here. 

Heromakers can be found on IG @heromakersmovement and on FB @heromakersmovement. You can also visit our website at: www.heromakersmovement.com. Like us and follow us today!

In this episode of the Heromakers Podcast, Laurie and Ann talk with Susan Agel, President and CEO of Positive Tomorrows, about homelessness and its effects on children. Positive Tomorrows is based in Oklahoma City and is Oklahoma's only school dedicated just to serving children who are homeless.

Susan and her team and doing incredible work in providing a solid education for the kids while also addressing all the issues that come with being homeless, including systemic pains such as hopelessness and helplessness. Susan has dedicated her life to this work and is changing lives for the better.

We hope this episode encourages you see the homeless and those on the margins in your area as having infinite value and worth and then acting in ways that give them a positive tomorrow.

You can find Susan on IG @agelsusan and Positive Tomorrows @positivetomorrows. You can visit their website at positivetomorrows.org.

Heromakers can be found on IG @heromakersmovement and on FB @heromakersmovement. You can also visit our website at: www.heromakersmovement.com.

In this episode of the Heromakers Podcast, Laurie and Ann talk with Pauline Avila, aka the "Tiny Ninja" on American Ninja Warrior, but more importantly, an ICU nurse who is on the frontlines of fighting Covid-19. Pauline talks about how things have changed in the past six months and what it's like to care for patients who are unable to have their families present. 

We talk about her hero and what it was like to go on American Ninja Warrior, inspiring many to go for their dreams despite any real or perceived limitations. 

We hope this episode encourages you to believe that you can step into fear and find that you are an overcomer. 

You can find Pauline on IG @paulinemae31 or on Facebook @Pauline Avila. 

Heromakers can be found on IG @heromakersmovement and on FB @heromakersmovement. You can also visit our website at: www.heromakersmovement.com.

In this episode of the Heromakers Podcast, Laurie and Ann talk with Rebecca Bender, human trafficking survivor and founder of the Rebecca Bender Initiative and the Elevate Initiative. Rebecca talks about how she went from growing up in a smaller community in Oregon to being the victim of sex trafficking and how, after 6 years, she finally was able to escape. Her story is one of courage and grit as she openly shares her story so that others would be encouraged. Today she trains law enforcement to combat trafficking and helps survivors to take back their lives and pursue their dreams. It's a don't-miss episode.

We hope this episode encourages you to believe that your past doesn't define you; in fact, your past may hold a key to being the heromaker you were made to be.

You can find Rebecca on IG or Twitter @imrebeccabender or at https://rebeccabender.org. Her book, In Pursuit of Love: One Woman's Journey from Trafficked to Triumphant, is sold wherever books are sold. 

Heromakers can be found on IG @heromakersmovement and on FB @heromakersmovement. You can also visit our website at: www.heromakersmovement.com.

In this episode of the Heromakers Podcast, Laurie and Ann talk with Clint Baldwin, executive director of Word Made Flesh, which works to care for and love those in the most neglected communities of our world. The three talk about why it is we sometimes overlook those unlike us and what we can learn from those not usually considered heroes. Covid-19 has devastated many who live in poverty and in unhealthy conditions, and yet Clint has found heromaking to be an everyday event, with compassion and hope in full force.

We hope this episode encourages you to believe that you are always making a difference and that your eyes would be turned more and more to those who often go unseen.

You can find Clint on IG or Twitter @cbtbaldwin and Word Made Flesh @wordmadeflesh. Please visit the WMF website at: https://wordmadeflesh.org.

Heromakers can be found on IG @heromakersmovement and on FB @heromakersmovement. You can also visit our website at: www.heromakersmovement.com.

In this special episode of the Heromakers Podcast, Laurie and Ann talk to Belinda Bauman, founder of One Million Thumbprints and author of Brave Souls: Experiencing the Audacious Power of Empathy. After last week's U.S. Presidential debate, many are left feeling upset, angry, and unsure of where to go from here. Belinda suggests that we go to the only place that can bring true life--to empathy. Here, the three dive into what it means to be a person of empathy and why anyone can be that person.

We hope this episode encourages you to step into relationships with those around you for the sake of yourself and others, and to know that you are not alone as you experience a myriad of difficult emotions.

You can find Belinda on IG or Twitter @belindajbauman.

Heromakers can be found on IG @heromakersmovement and on FB @heromakersmovement. You can also visit our website at: www.heromakersmovement.com.

In this episode of the Heromakers Podcast, Laurie and Ann talk to Sheridan Richards, a mom and full-time HR leader who is also running for City Council in Little Rock, Arkansas. The three talk about juggling many responsibilities, why Sheridan made the move from HR to public service, and what it's like to be an under-40 black woman with a strong leadership mindset. Sheridan helps us understand why we can all fight for those on the margins and those who need housing, education, food security, and more.

We hope this episode encourages you to say yes to whatever it is that is on your heart.

Visit Sheridan's website here.

You can find her on IG @votesheridanrichards.

Heromakers can be found on IG @heromakersmovement and on FB @heromakersmovement. You can also visit our website at: www.heromakersmovement.com.