Hope Motivates Action

Tragedy doesn’t always happen in isolation. Sometimes tragedy hits an entire community, impacting hundreds of households and thousands of lives. That was the case in December 2021 when the Marshall fire hit the town of Superior, Colorado, a suburb of Denver.

With so many families displaced, those impacted could find solace in their community. This week on the podcast, I’m talking to one of those survivors.

Reina Pomeroy’s family had just moved to the area from California 20 weeks prior, thinking they were escaping the risk of wildfires in their new community. And being so new to the area at the time of the fire, and in the midst of Covid, Reina’s family had made few connections and friends.

In the devastation and grief of the fire and being one of 1,086 families to lose their home, Reina found support and hope in the mobilization and rebuilding of the community. Though the process is far from over, Reina’s and other families are dealing with the grief by going through it together and despite the many steps backward, they’re finding hope in the progress they’re making.

About Reina Pomeroy:

Reina Pomeroy is a former Social Worker turned Community Builder in her professional life. In December 2021, Reina and her family lost their home in the Marshall Fire. She and other fire survivors banded together to build a network and community to support others who lost everything as they navigate their way home.

Mentioned In This Episode:

• Disaster Psychology Helps to Explain our Response During Crisis
• Wellness Webinar
• Expert in Hope

Hope and beauty have a lot in common. They can work together, one can inspire the other, and they can both encourage someone to take action. All three are true for this week’s guest, Nina Kins.

After a number of very difficult life circumstances, Nina was just starting to get back on her feet when she received a cancer diagnosis. A fighter, she put her head down and went to battle, but she didn’t think a lot about having hope of getting out the other side. At the same time, she watched many other cancer patients, many with much bleaker outcomes, exude hope in every doctor’s waiting room she sat in.

Eventually, Nina started to see hope in her situation. And some of that hope came from the beauty of watching others fight.

Now cancer free, Nina continues to navigate this new life she finds herself in and is digging back into childhood to tie hope and beauty together in a new podcast. Her new perspective is helping her to align her walk with her talk as she brings a love of beauty, in all its forms, to others.

Nina and I are so aligned in how we look at hope and beauty and the science behind it. If you’ve been a long-timer listener, you’re going to be nodding along as you listen.

About Nina Kins:

Writer and self-proclaimed Beauty Explorer, Nina Kins hosts This is Beauty Podcast where she invites us to reimagine the role of Beauty in our lives. Educated as a journalist and social historian, and trained as a marketing research analyst, Nina brings a unique blend of expertise and experience to her combined roles as a producer and host of the show. 

Nina began her career in advertising with Ogilvy Advertising before transitioning into media and film production, working first as a production coordinator and then as a stylist on advertising campaigns for major brands After returning to school to pursue her masters, Nina moved to the Silicon Valley where she worked in mobile technology development before transitioning into branded entertainment in Los Angeles. 

Though Nina's personal passions for history, science, culture, literature and the arts have been instrumental in shaping her podcast, her primary mission is to entertain and inspire her listeners by taking them on a voyage of discovery into the very heart of beauty where moments of joy, hope, and wonder still abound. 

Mentioned In This Episode:

• This is Beauty Podcast
• Follow Nina’s podcast on Instagram and Facebook
• Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness by Ingrid Fetell Lee
• Wellness Webinar
• Expert in Hope

There’s no avoiding adversity and challenges. Some we can prevent with careful planning and setting ourselves up for success. But many we can’t. No one can predict a tragedy or accident and be adequately prepared for it. It just happens, and we have to pick up the pieces and manage the aftermath.

This week’s podcast guest has lived through tragedy and turmoil, burnout and overwhelm, all of which has led her to where she is today. It was standing at the 9/11 memorial in New York City, in the midst of yet another big life change, where she had a big ah-ha moment that changed her mindset about her circumstances.

Diana Gremillion is a former chef and an international speaker and master life coach who looks at life circumstances as ingredients to a recipe. Sometimes you have good, fresh ingredients while other times you have to do what you can with what you have in your pantry. This incredible perspective on life is something we can all learn from so we can build the resilience we need to thrive.

About Diana Gremillion:

When Diana lost her hair and her chef career due to burnout, she decided to follow her dreams, quit her 9-5, and move to Hawai'i to start her own business. Through Savor Life LLC and The Body Positivity Podcast, Diana loves inspiring others to achieve their dreams - even when traumatic crisis makes hope seem impossible. In the words of Lisa Nichols, Diana’s dynamic stories and insights as an international speaker, serial entrepreneur, 9/11 survivor and chef are "food to my soul."

Mentioned In This Episode:

• Diana Gremillion’s website
• Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
• Wellness Webinar
• Expert in Hope

Young parents and parents-to-be have so much hope in their growing families. They start to imagine who their babies will become, even from the first positive pregnancy test.

But as we all know, not every pregnancy is the same. And some end in tragedy.

That was the case for this week’s guest, Lindsey Hannan. And it was the case not only once but twice. A daughter and a son both were born with a rare genetic condition that unfortunately has a 100% mortality rate. And while Lindsey, her husband, and their first daughter certainly grieved and suffered, Lindsey particularly found hope in her faith and in Jesus Christ.

As a devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Lindsey learned that hope and faith isn’t just about what good comes from life and that you have to let go of the expectations you have. She believes that everything that feels unfair in life is made right by the atonement of Jesus Christ.

I can’t imagine the pain and suffering that Lindsey and her family endured, but it’s so hopeful to see how her faith and courage has helped her to be a great mother and community member.

About Lindsey Hannan:

Lindsey Hannan is a wife and mother to three beautiful children: Emily, Élodie, and Henry. She works as an attorney and is also a certified end of life doula and is working on becoming certified as a grief counselor.

Mentioned In This Episode:

• Wellness Webinar
• Expert in Hope

Sometimes adversity is just the thing to bring us to a place where we’re supporting others in our communities. That’s part of the path for Candace Plattor, this week’s guest. 

After a 15-year addiction to opioids, Candace has been in recovery and supporting families of addicts for the last 35 years. Candace is an addictions therapist and recognizes that there’s a lack of support for family members supporting a loved one through addiction. Just one reason why that’s her focus as a therapist.

In our conversation, Candace and I talk about prioritizing yourself through recovery and identifying and using the language that correctly describes how we’re feeling. We also talk about one of my favorite topics, boundaries: how to set them and how to communicate them to others so everyone is on the same page. I love the example Candace shared of exactly how to set a boundary with a loved one in addiction.

Candace’s story illustrates that people can and do come back from addiction and they can impact so many.

About Candace Plattor:

Candace Plattor is an Addictions Therapist in private practice, where she specializes in working with the family and other loved ones of people who are struggling with addiction. As a former opioid addict with 35 years clean and sober, Candace has learned that overcoming addiction is a family condition: everyone in the family is affected by addiction and everyone needs to heal. For more than three decades, she has been helping both addicts and their loved ones understand their dysfunctional behaviours and make healthier life choices.

The results Candace achieves have been astounding: addicts stop using and families regain their lives from the ravages of addiction. Not only has her success led to a waiting list of clients but she is a sought after speaker in the field of addictions. As the developer of the Love With Boundaries Family Addiction Counselling and Therapy method, Candace now works with her team of top counsellors, helping both the families and their addicts break the devastating cycle of addiction for good. Candace is also the author of an Amazon best-selling book titled, Loving an Addict, Loving Yourself as well as a TEDx Speaker.

Mentioned In This Episode:

• The Power of Collective Hope with Charmaine Hammond
• Love With Boundaries
• Narcissism & Codependency: What’s Love Got to Do With It?
• Loving an Addict, Loving Yourself by Candace Plattor
• Language of Mental Health
• Wellness Webinar
• Expert in Hope

Emotions are all over the place when you’re faced with a life-threatening illness. When it’s your young child with the diagnosis, it’s easy to fall into denial and despair. Instead, this week’s guest took hope, grew her belief, and turned it into faith.

When her 11-year-old daughter, Celeste, was diagnosed with pineoblastoma in 2011, Laura relied on following doctor’s orders. Eventually though, something told her that she should start researching the diagnosis. In a 1 to 23.5 billion chance, Laura found another girl the same age as Celeste with the same diagnosis at the same time.

The two girls met and navigated some of the treatment together and Laura fostered a relationship with the other mom. What Laura discovered through it all was the importance of maintaining hope, believing in something bigger than yourself, and faith that all will work out as it should.

Laura’s story is incredibly powerful, from a tragic accident as a young girl to the work and hope she’s spreading today.

About Laura Lane:

Laura Lane specializes in providing loving faith-based support for moms whose kids are fighting for their lives. Laura offers hope in a hopeless situation for caregivers who want to learn how to develop grace under pressure during the daily care of their child.  As a professionally trained transformational workshop leader and cancer mom herself, she is there to support them along the way, help them learn needed skills and feel understood. Laura engages her audiences in deep spiritual conversations that help bring more joy and gratitude and a closeness to God during the dark nights of the soul. 

Mentioned In This Episode:

• Connect with Laura on LinkedIn
• Follow Laura on Instagram
• Subscribe to Laura’s YouTube channel
• Wellness Webinar
• Expert in Hope

One of the most hopeful things about living today is that we’re constantly developing new tools and strategies to treat ailments that people of yesterday simply had to live with. Sometimes those tools have stigma put upon them by society, but with conversations and medical research, this week’s guest, Len Wiens, is hopeful that the tides may change.

Len and I have a fascinating conversation around the use of psychedelics to treat addiction, OCD, PTSD, and even end of life anxiety. As a researcher on the nature of perception, meaning, consciousness and the nature of reality, Len shares the history of psychedelics and what we can do to start to remove the stigma that alternative treatments have in our culture.

While neither Len nor I are medical professionals, there truly is emerging evidence to support psychedelic therapy. And those in this community see a lot of hope and optimism around their acceptance. Listen in to us walking through some of the challenges of using psychedelics and where the practice may go in the future.

About Len Wiens:

Len is a technology entrepreneur with a successful start-up in Canada's Top 100 growth companies and an avid researcher on the nature of perception, meaning, consciousness and the nature of reality.  He supports select people on their healing journey, with a focus on depression, addiction and end-of-life care.

Mentioned In This Episode:

• Follow Len on Medium
• John Hopkins Center for Psychedelic & Consciousness Research
• Wellness Webinar
• Expert in Hope

In July 2022, Pope Francis visited Canada to apologize for the treatment of Indigenous peoples and residential schools. This week’s guest, Tim Fox, a proud member of the Blackfoot confederacy from the Blood (Kainai) reserve, was invited to participate in the event. And while he had mixed feelings about attending, it was his 11-year-old daughter who truly surprised him and gave him hope that tomorrow truly can be better than today.

Tim is vice president of Indigenous Relations & Equity Strategy at Calgary Foundation and he’s the child of two residential school survivors. He knows first hand the impact that the extraction of Indigenous people from their land, resources, and community. And he’s dedicated his work to educate people and organizations about how we can all take action and do better.

This big message? We need to remember and learn from our history, and Indigenous history goes well beyond residential schools and modern limiting beliefs. It’s much deeper than that and it’s important for others to understand that.

Tim’s entire message is so filled with hope and he has such a generous heart despite his community having the potential for so much anger and resentment. Instead, you’ll hear Tim’s compassion and call for education and action ring loudly.

About Tim Fox:

Tim Fox is a proud member of the Blackfoot confederacy from the Blood (Kainai) reserve located two hours south of Calgary. He has lived and worked in Calgary for the past 15 years although still considers the Blood reserve his home. Tim is the vice president of Indigenous Relations & Equity Strategy with Calgary Foundation where he hopes to strengthen and enhance the culture and practice while incorporating work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Racial Equity, both internally and in the broader community.

Tim comes from the not-for-profit children and youth sector and serves as a board chair for The Circle on Philanthropy and Aboriginal People’s in Canada.

Tim consults in strategic planning through an Indigenous approach, legacy education, and transformational learning/unlearning design and delivery.

Indigenous culture is rooted in oral tradition. He can't help but notice the parallels in this paradigm to the work of the Calgary Foundation through stories of impact, giving nature and work of the heart. Tim holds strong to his Siksikaitsitapi (Blackfoot Confederacy) value of Kimmapiiypitsinni: kindness and compassion to all things. He believes this work is generational. And there are ways this journey (work) can continue to thrive for generations to come.

Mentioned In This Episode:

• Murray Sinclair: Why can’t you get over it?
• Calgary Foundation
• Wellness Webinar
• Expert in Hope

Sometimes, when we don’t have hope ourselves or haven’t learned it yet, looking to someone who does can help us along the path. This week’s guest grew up in Detroit, Michigan in the 1980s and 1990s in a time of turmoil and racism for Black residents. But she watched her father first thrive in his career, then turn to mindfulness and hope as he battled for his life after a multiple sclerosis diagnosis and subsequent car accident.

As Shawntà Hooks shares, if someone who seemingly has no reason to be hopeful demonstrates hope, it sets an example of so many possibilities. She took what she learned from her father and the sudden death of her mentor and build on that knowledge to bring hope and mindfulness into her work.

Listen in as Shawntà talks about how she helps others get past the roadblock of the language around mindfulness and how the idea of teaching mindfulness to her young son brings her hope. So inspiring!

About Shawntà Hooks:

Shawntà Hooks’s mission in life is to help people increase their capacity as leaders, innovators, and compassionate human beings. After 20 years of corporate experience, it dawned on her that she had never meditated at work, for the purpose of work. Sure, she had attended yoga classes at work and wellness seminars, but she had never experienced a corporate learning offering that linked the benefits of mindfulness to corporate and DE&I strategy. Shawntà found this puzzling because science was finally beginning to explain the drastic improvements meditators experience in areas of focus, agility, resilience, compassion, and critical thinking – all key ingredients to strategy execution. As a result, she created Mindful Culture Creators™ during the COVID-19 pandemic as a space for employees to learn how to embed mindfulness into the way they work so that their work is more meaningful and productive (aka, more effective and efficient).

Mentioned In This Episode:

• Mindful Culture Creators™
• Follow Shawntà on Instagram
• Jim Carrey MIU Commencement Speech
• Wellness Webinar
• Expert in Hope

Difficult times are often a catalyst for change. And change can only come with action. There’s science to prove this and this week’s podcast guest discovered this for himself after a particularly difficult time.

Chris Castelino lost a friend to suicide in 2018, then just as he was reeling from this had a terrible bike accident with a long recovery. He spent years isolating and questioning his ability to help others.

Then, in 2021, Chris decided to take action. It was hope that got him to that point.

Chris’s perspective and desire to bring hope and support to others is inspiring and he’s leaned on the experiences of others to help. In this episode, we talk about what worked for him, why optimism is impossible without hope, and taking agency over making things better in your life.

I love Chris’s take on hope being a prerequisite for motivation and pursuing our goals. I couldn’t agree more. I hope you’ll tune in to this inspiring conversation!

About Chris Castelino:

With a passion for people and process, Chris has had the privilege of assisting job seekers in finding success in the Canadian job market over the last three years. His commitment is to building excellent relationships and delivering the very best in client care and service quality. From building powerful portfolios to preparing candidates for interviews, his company's mission is to empower professionals to make an impact and stand out in a crowded and often competitive market. Follow Chris’s company, Maple Road Consulting, on Instagram or connect with Chris on LinkedIn.

Mentioned In This Episode:

• Maple Road Consulting
• Connect with Chris on LinkedIn
• Season 1, Episode 2: Hope as a Tool for Motivation with Andrea Torraville
• Wellness Webinar
• Expert in Hope