Sheryl Pabatao comes from a hardworking Filipino family. Early on in the pandemic, she was concerned about her parents, both healthcare workers, who became ill while on the job helping others. Her dad got sick first, and died within a week from COVID-19. Her mother’s situation deteriorated, and she died soon after. Sheryl applies for and is awarded a charitable relief grant from the Brave of Heart Fund, which delivers much-needed aid.

Expert Insight: Trudy Lindsey Dinkins is a program delivery manager for E4E Relief working with the Brave of Heart Fund to ensure the emotional and financial needs of frontline healthcare workers’ families who lost a loved one to COVID-19 are served.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Charlten Henderson trained as a mental health counselor and witnessed first-hand the reticence in his community to seek formal counseling. So, when he opened the Plaza Style barbershop in Springfield, Missouri, it wasn’t just to cut hair and boost confidence; he intended to create a place where community members feel comfortable sharing their personal challenges.

Expert Insight: Allison Task, career coach, life coach, and author of Personal Revolution: How to Be Happy, Change Your Life, and Do That Thing You've Always Wanted to Do shares how people can develop a more purpose-driven livelihood.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt was diagnosed as bipolar in his early teens and spent much of his youth struggling to find his footing. When an injury at a restaurant derailed his plans to become a chef, he discovered the field of technology, where he realized he had the extraordinary ability to fixate and focus on problem solving. He is now established as a software engineer in cutting-edge health tech.

Expert Insight: Vanessa Greenwood, researcher, author, and professor of Media at Montclair State University, discusses the importance of media literacy and technology for youth as they navigate the world and innovate the future.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Same-sex couple Renee and Kate made a life changing decision to grow their family and adopt through the foster care system. Their intention to adopt one child over the age of ten quickly shifts to adopting two sets of younger siblings with very different backgrounds, including trauma and special needs. It may get noisy around the house at times, but they wouldn’t have it any other way.

Expert Insight: Scarlet Bell Moore, an attorney specializing in Child Custody, with an 18-year affiliation with the Department of Social Services in South Carolina, shares her experience of advocating for children in foster care and adoption cases.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Guest: Jamel Jones, Company Commander, U.S. Army, grew up in a community where every day was a fight to survive and there was little hope or expectation for an education. But the encouragement, guidance, and love from the unsung heroes in the local Boys and Girls Club and others in Jamel’s life propelled him to move forward, to fulfill his dream of attending college. Longing to be a leader and give back to his community, he heads down an unanticipated path into the military. And, as his friend Shelby says of him, ‘the arrow has not landed yet’.

Expert Insight: Dr. Steven Rose, President of Passaic County Community College discusses the challenges and opportunities for first generation students and issues of financial aid for low income families.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Love Takes Action is a new podcast exploring rich and compelling stories of people putting their love in action in everyday situations or during extraordinary events, sharing emotional moments of love, strength, resiliency and humanity. Independent experts offer insights, takeaways and inspiration. The series is presented by New York Life Insurance Company.

Produced by FC Podcasts / Fashion Consort.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices