Meet Izzy Boring, this is her story. Between the incarceration of her father, her mom's journey raising 5 kids while battling cancer, Izzy was no stranger to suffering growing up. In freshman year, Izzy met her boyfriend Cade. As they started dating, they began to plan a life together- the dream was to go to the same college, play basketball together, and eventually get married. But all those plans suddenly shattered when Izzy lost Cade to suicide during their senior year of high school. Although Izzy's story is one she would have never chosen for herself, she knew she wanted to use her story and her voice to bring hope to other people by reminding them that they aren't alone and life is worth sticking around for.

In this podcast, Izzy shares more of her story. She shares her grief journey, some of the bullying she experienced growing up, her own struggle with mental health, what she's learned about social media, and what life living life day by day looks like for her now.

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To watch Izzy's video, see the full show notes, and access resources: ⁠www.only7seconds.com/izzy

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To learn more and support the I KNOW LONELY Project: ⁠click here⁠.

Connect with us on social media: ⁠Instagram⁠ | ⁠Facebook⁠ | ⁠Twitter⁠ | ⁠LinkedIn⁠

Music written & produced: ⁠Dash8

This month, we were honored to have David Siegel as our bonus podcast guest. David Siegel is the CEO of Meetup, the largest platform for finding and building local community. He has over 20 years of experience as a technology and digital media executive leading organizations through innovative product development, rapid revenue growth, and digital traffic acceleration. He is an adjunct professor at Columbia University where he teaches strategic planning and entrepreneurship. He hosts the podcast Keep Connected which is dedicated to the power of community. David’s book, Decide & Conquer, lays out the framework for decision-making that leaders can use to ensure organizational and personal success.

This has quickly become one of our favorite conversations so far because David, not only deeply understands the deep need for connection, but he has practical tips that you can start implementing today to intentionally grow your connections with others.

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Get connected throught Meetup

Connect with us on social media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn

For more information about loneliness & the work we do here at Only7Seconds: www.only7seconds.com 

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Music written & produced: Dash8

Meet Ethan Wall. If you've been around the Only7Seconds world in the past few years, chances are you've probably heard a bit of Ethan's story. But in this episode, Ethan shares about the experience that led to inspire his mom, Kristin Wall to start Only7Seconds. He reflects on what he's learned about friendships, the importance of asking for help, and navigating differences in friendships. 

He gets vulnerable by talking about the transitioning from high school in a small rural town to college in a suburb of Seattle and how that revealed some insecurities he was carrying. Lastly, he shares some of the values he's learned to live from that have grown his connection with others. He says: "When you are enthusiastic, like a joy-giver and life-bringer to a situation- it rubs off on people and you can see the result. That then creates a lot of deep bonds because then people love being around you and you love being around them."

Ethan is currently working as a graduate assistant as he pursues his master's degree at Northwest University.

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To watch Ethan's short video, see the full show notes, and access resources: www.only7seconds.com/ethan

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To learn more and support the I KNOW LONELY Project: click here.

Connect with us on social media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn

Music written & produced: Dash8

We're back with another bonus episode, this time Luke sat down to chat with Alisa Keeton.  Alisa Keeton is an author, speaker, and the founder and CEO of Revelation Wellness. As a fitness professional for nearly 30 years, Alisa carries a deep passion for bringing fresh meaning to the world of health and fitness.

Last fall, the community of RevWell rallied together to support Only7Seconds and our mission to end loneliness by donating 20% of their proceeds from their wellness challenge, Project Stress Relief. Together they raised nearly $14,000 towards our work to end loneliness. Today, Alisa is sharing part of her own story with loneliness. She shares how her faith and the power of community became a safe space, not only for her own story, but to invite others to find a place of belonging as well.

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Connect with Alisa 

Learn More about Revelation Wellness

Connect with us on social media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn

For more information about loneliness & the work we do here at Only7Seconds: www.only7seconds.com 

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Music written & produced: Dash8

Meet Mariah Paz, our 6th storyteller for the I KNOW LONELY Project. Mariah shares her journey over the last 2 years since we originally sat down to hear her story. The video shares a lot of her early story, so we highly recommend taking a few minutes to watch that. You can find her video here: www.only7seconds.com/mariah. In this conversation, we pick up after that time and Mariah caught us up on what the past few years have been for her. Although there has been a lot of challenges, she's learned that healing takes time. But her heart to help other people and make a positive impact really shines through. We hope you love hearing from her!

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To learn more and support the I KNOW LONELY Project: click here.

Connect with us on social media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn

Music written & produced: Dash8

Join Luke as he chats with college football analyst for FOX & radio host, Brock Huard. As a starting quarterback for the University of Washington and later being drafted to the NFL and playing for both the Seattle Seahawks and the Indianapolis Colts, Brock shares a bit of his origin story and how sports are a base for connection. He also shares how he got connected to Only7Seconds and the , the power of influence, and so much more!

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Connect with Brock: @brockhuard

Hear more from Brock on his podcast: Brock Huard's Above & Beyond: The Intersection of Faith and Sports

Connect with us on social media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn

For more information about loneliness & the work we do here at Only7Seconds: www.only7seconds.com 

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Music written & produced: Dash8

Kicking off our first podcast of the 2023 with a solo episode from our host, Luke Wall. In this short episode, Luke takes some time to reflect on the highlights of 2022, some of the moments and stories that have been most impactful for him personally, and a little peak into some of our goals for 2023.

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Connect with us on social media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn

For more information about loneliness & the work we do here at Only7Seconds: www.only7seconds.com

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Music written & produced: Dash8

It's "the most wonderful time of the year", but not for everyone.

Joining us for the final bonus podcast of 2022, our guest Kaylee Kron works as a community outreach liaison for Eating Recovery Center and Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Center. With her 10 years in social work and grief counseling, we wanted to have a conversation about the loneliness of grief, especially during the holiday season. Kaylee has practical advice for how we can help support those who are grieving and how we can get curious about our own emotions and grief. Luke and Kaylee also share a little about parenting kids that are equipped with the emotional skills and language they need for future experiences with grief.

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Connect with us on social media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn

Connect with Kaylee: @the.exhausted.millennial

For more information about loneliness & the work we do here at Only7Seconds: www.only7seconds.com

For additional resources from Pathlight Eating Disorders and Mood & Anxiety Center, visit their website: www.pathlightbh.com

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Music written & produced: Dash8

Meet Mac Potts, one half of our two-part story this month. Born totally blind, Mac discovered his love for music as a young child. While music quickly became a big part of his life, he shares that he often felt like a kid who struggled to find a place of belonging. But when he discovered he could just be authentically himself, he also discovered music could be used as a tool for connection. That connection with music is how he met Hailey, his now wife.

Hailey's early story also starts with music. As an extremely shy child who struggled with a lot of social anxiety, she found her voice through music. Music became her dream and although she almost gave up on it at one point, she has learned to be authentic with her story as well. Together with a sense of humor and their three little girls, Mac & Hailey are living out their dream as a full time recording artist and piano teacher.

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To watch Mac & Hailey's video, see the full show notes, and access resources: www.only7seconds.com/the-potts

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To learn more and support the I KNOW LONELY Project: click here.

Connect with us on social media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn

Music written & produced: Dash8

This month's story from the I Know Lonely Project is a special one- meet Mac & Hailey Potts, our double feature storytellers.

Mac and Hailey share a video, but individually share their story in more depth on the podcast. Born totally blind, Mac discovered his love for music as a young child. While music quickly became a big part of his life, he shares that he often felt like a kid who struggled to find a place of belonging. But when he discovered he could just be authentically himself, he also discovered music could be used as a tool for connection. That connection with music is how he met Hailey, his now wife.

Hailey's early story also starts with music. As an extremely shy child who struggled with a lot of social anxiety, she found her voice through music. Music became her dream and although she almost gave up on it at one point, she has learned to be authentic with her story as well. Together with a sense of humor and their three little girls, Mac & Hailey share their journey.

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To watch Mac & Hailey's video, see the full show notes, and access resources: www.only7seconds.com/the-potts

Stay tuned for Mac's side of this two-part story, releasing Tuesday December 6th.

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To learn more and support the I KNOW LONELY Project: click here.

Connect with us on social media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn

Music written & produced: Dash8