
Sign up to save your podcasts
Or


Text or voice message the show
Sometimes we think of service as one more thing to add to an already full calendar. But what if meaningful service could become a natural part of the life we're already living?
In this episode of Pebbles of Light, Anne Maxson welcomes Melissa Draper, host of the Do Something More podcast, for a thoughtful conversation about everyday kindness, acting on good intentions, and finding meaningful ways to make a difference.
Through her podcast, Melissa shares stories of people and organizations doing good in their communities. Her conversations have helped her recognize that there's no single right way to serve—and that our individual experiences, relationships, and abilities often give us unique opportunities to help.
Together, Anne and Melissa explore:
Melissa also shares the influence of her parents, including her father's ability to make strangers feel loved and her mother's example of advocating for others and caring for her husband through dementia.
A question to carry with you: Is there a kind thought you've had about someone that you haven't yet shared?
About Melissa Draper
Melissa Draper is the host of Do Something More, a podcast highlighting organizations and ordinary people making a difference through service.
Listen to her podcast by searching for Do Something More on your favorite podcast app.
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/do-something-more-nonprofit-spotlights-ways-to-serve/id1676139918
Youtube & Instagram: @dosomethingmore.podcast
Facebook: @dosomethingmorepodcast
Support Pebbles of Light
If these conversations have meant something to you, you can find ways to help support the podcast here:
https://annemaxson.com/pebblesoflightpodcast/#support
Support the show
Don’t forget to subscribe, review, and share this episode with someone who needs encouragement today.
Affiliate Disclaimer - As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, we may earn advertising or referral fees from qualifying purchases. Thank you for supporting Pebbles of Light!
Follow Pebbles of Light
Support Pebbles of Light
Text or voice message the show
Jess Southfield has spent a lot of years learning that loving ten children well doesn't mean parenting ten children exactly the same way.
In this conversation, Jess and Anne talk about the pressure to look like you have family life figured out, the grace that comes from realizing you don't, and the shift from focusing primarily on behavior to thinking more deeply about relationship.
Jess shares why she wants her children to know that even when she is frustrated or disappointed, their mistakes don't change how she feels about them as human beings.
They also talk about discovering ADHD as adults, the coping systems we can build without realizing it, the importance of small family traditions, and Jess's experience of wishing she could return to the early years of motherhood with everything she knows now.
The conversation moves into grief as Jess remembers losing her dad to stomach cancer at 48 and the small traditions that continue to connect him with grandchildren who had very little time with him.
Jess and Anne also have an honest conversation about Jess's decision to step away from the church community they once shared—and what has allowed their friendship to remain intact. Rather than trying to convince one another to leave or stay, they talk about respecting each other's agency, recognizing loving intent while still setting boundaries, and remembering that a person's value is not dependent upon making the same choices we do.
In this episode:
A question to carry with you
Rather than asking whether you handled every interaction perfectly, consider asking:
How did this person feel in my presence?
That question may tell us more about our influence than perfection ever could.
Guest
Jess Southfield Instagram -
https://www.instagram.com/afullnestbyjess/
Support Pebbles of Light
If Pebbles of Light has brought something meaningful into your week, you can support the podcast here:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2593690/support
Support the show
Don’t forget to subscribe, review, and share this episode with someone who needs encouragement today.
Affiliate Disclaimer - As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, we may earn advertising or referral fees from qualifying purchases. Thank you for supporting Pebbles of Light!
Follow Pebbles of Light
Support Pebbles of Light
Text or voice message the show
When Laura Bratton began losing her sight as a teenager, she wasn’t asking, “Why me?”
She was asking, “How am I going to get through this?”
In this conversation, Laura talks candidly about the grief, anxiety, identity changes, and uncertainty that accompanied her gradual vision loss—and the practices that eventually helped her build a life within a reality she never would have chosen.
One of the most important was self-compassion.
Instead of demanding that she be positive or telling herself she should be handling things better, Laura began learning to acknowledge a simpler truth: this was hard, and it made sense that it felt hard.
Laura and Anne also explore the relationship between grit and gratitude, why gratitude does not require calling the difficult thing a blessing, the role laughter can play after we have had time to grieve, and why moving forward does not mean grief has ended.
Laura shares two stories from her time as a hospital chaplain that beautifully illustrate how an experience she would never have chosen still allowed her to connect with people in unexpected ways.
The conversation also touches on faith, identity, vulnerability, and one three-minute conversation with a college administrator that gave Laura permission to grieve for the rest of her life.
In this episode:
This Episode’s Pebble
Is there something you’ve been telling yourself you should already be over?
Consider giving yourself permission to acknowledge that it still hurts without treating that grief as evidence that you have failed to move forward.
Connect with Laura
Laura Bratton:
https://LauraBratton.com
Support the show
Don’t forget to subscribe, review, and share this episode with someone who needs encouragement today.
Affiliate Disclaimer - As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, we may earn advertising or referral fees from qualifying purchases. Thank you for supporting Pebbles of Light!
Follow Pebbles of Light
Support Pebbles of Light
Text or voice message the show
What happens when someone who has struggled deeply with reading and writing begins asking whether the problem is not intelligence or effort—but the way the learning process itself has been designed?
In this episode of Pebbles of Light, Anne talks with dyslexia researcher Russell Van Brocklin about his own experience navigating education with significant reading and writing difficulties, the academic experience that became a turning point for him, and the work that followed.
Russell describes receiving extensive accommodations during a New York State Assembly internship, only to later have his academic grade changed to failing by his university. He shares how that experience helped set the direction for his later work in dyslexia research and education.
The conversation explores Russell’s belief that many dyslexic learners function more like specialists than generalists. He explains why he focuses heavily on a learner’s area of intense interest during intervention and describes his approach to writing, reading, vocabulary, word analysis, articulation, and moving from highly specific ideas toward broader understanding.
Russell also walks through practical examples involving children he has worked with and shares student outcomes that he attributes to his methods.
Anne and Russell also discuss ADHD, the different ways learning struggles can appear in boys and girls, motivation, frustration, self-confidence, and what can happen when a child begins to experience themselves as capable rather than continually behind.
And at the end of the episode, Russell reflects on two educators who became “pebbles of light” in his own life—people whose influence helped shape the work he ultimately chose to pursue.
In This Episode
A Note for Listeners
Russell shares his own research, educational framework, and reported student outcomes throughout this conversation. These claims and approaches are presented as his perspective and experience. Families making decisions about dyslexia, ADHD, special education, or learning interventions may wish to consider a range of qualified educational and clinical resources for their individual situation.
Connect With Russell
Website mentioned in the episode: dyslexicclasses.com
Additional resource mentioned by Russell: Skool — search “Dyslexia Classes”
[Add any confirmed social media links here]
Support Pebbles of Light
If these conversations bring something meaningful into your week, you can support the show here:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2593690/support
Support the show
Don’t forget to subscribe, review, and share this episode with someone who needs encouragement today.
Affiliate Disclaimer - As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, we may earn advertising or referral fees from qualifying purchases. Thank you for supporting Pebbles of Light!
Follow Pebbles of Light
Support Pebbles of Light
Text or voice message the show
What does it mean to love someone enough to let them go?
In this episode of Pebbles of Light, Anne sits down with Jody Hudson—author, advocate, and founder of the Alex Hudson Lyme Foundation—to reflect on a decade-long journey through her daughter Alex’s illness, the uncertainty of a medical mystery, and the sacred moment that changed everything.
This conversation explores grief, faith, resilience, and the quiet ways people we love continue to guide us—even after they’re gone. Jody shares how Alex’s strength and compassion reshaped her understanding of purpose, and how loss can become something that leads us toward deeper connection and service.
If you’ve ever faced a long season of uncertainty, or wondered how to move forward after loss, this episode offers a grounded and honest perspective.
In this episode:
Connect with Jody:
Website: https://www.alexhudsonlimefoundation.org
Support the show:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2593690/support
Support the show
Don’t forget to subscribe, review, and share this episode with someone who needs encouragement today.
Affiliate Disclaimer - As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, we may earn advertising or referral fees from qualifying purchases. Thank you for supporting Pebbles of Light!
Follow Pebbles of Light
Support Pebbles of Light
Text or voice message the show
Can curiosity deepen faith rather than threaten it?
Doug Ell is an MIT-trained mathematician and former atheist who describes spending more than three decades examining questions at the intersection of science and belief. In this conversation, Doug shares the experiences that first led him away from faith, the unexpected moment that caused him to reconsider what he believed, and why he eventually began looking to science itself as part of his search for God.
Doug and Anne talk about DNA, the apparent fine-tuning of physical constants, the origins of life, beauty in the natural world, and the questions Doug believes point toward design and a Creator. These ideas represent Doug’s interpretation of the scientific evidence, and throughout the conversation he explains why asking questions became more important to him than winning arguments.
But the conversation also reaches beyond science.
Doug reflects on raising young people in a culture of comparison, the “counterfeit gods” of money, status, appearance, and power, and why he believes faith can give people a deeper sense of identity and worth.
And when Anne asks about the people who have placed Pebbles of Light in his path, Doug remembers a high school math teacher who helped him recognize what he was capable of—a quiet reminder that sometimes one person seeing potential in us can change the direction of a life.
In this episode:
This Episode’s Pebble
Notice something small this week—a pattern, a detail, or something in the natural world you normally overlook—and allow yourself a quiet moment of wonder.
Learn more about Doug Ell
Counting to God: https://countingtogod.com
The God Proofs: https://thegodproofs.com
Doug also mentions his MIT presentation, which can be found by searching “Doug Ell MIT” on YouTube.
Support Pebbles of Light
If these conversations mean something to you and you’d like to help support the show:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2593690/support
Support the show
Don’t forget to subscribe, review, and share this episode with someone who needs encouragement today.
Affiliate Disclaimer - As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, we may earn advertising or referral fees from qualifying purchases. Thank you for supporting Pebbles of Light!
Follow Pebbles of Light
Support Pebbles of Light
Text or voice message the show
When Life Doesn’t Follow the Script
Anne Maxson talks with Rachel Kennington about resilience, faith, and the ways a meaningful life can unfold differently than expected. Rachel shares how her understanding of purpose shifted when marriage and motherhood did not happen on the timeline she once imagined, and how serving a mission, pursuing education, and choosing to love others shaped the life she has now.
Key topics
Timestamps
(0:00) Introduction to Rachel and the theme of a life that changes course
(0:36) Rachel introduces herself and the things she loves
(2:29) The life Rachel imagined as a young girl
(3:48) Growing up with family-centered expectations
(5:08) Realizing her original plan may not happen
(6:58) Choosing to serve a mission and seeing her path differently
(10:12) Learning that fulfillment is not tied to external milestones
(11:05) Finding “the adventure” and choosing happiness now
(13:26) Becoming an aunt-like presence to nieces, nephews, and friends’ children
(15:12) Showing up through everyday support, including teaching a niece to drive
(19:03) Mentoring teens in Young Women and preparing them for unexpected futures
(21:00) Watching one young woman grow from quietness to serving a mission in Cambodia
(23:39) Rachel’s education and career path from Utah State to member support leadership
(28:34) The lesson: be the best at the job you have today
(30:27) Looking back and seeing that God was present throughout the journey
(33:26) Learning to let go of total control and trust the path
(35:24) Advice for listeners whose lives are not turning out as planned
(38:39) Pebbles of light from Charles and Zella Dalquist, Troy Bechert, and Scott Slivka
(44:34) Closing
Support the show
Don’t forget to subscribe, review, and share this episode with someone who needs encouragement today.
Affiliate Disclaimer - As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, we may earn advertising or referral fees from qualifying purchases. Thank you for supporting Pebbles of Light!
Follow Pebbles of Light
Support Pebbles of Light
Text or voice message the show
In this episode of Pebbles of Light, Anne Maxson sits down with H. Jackson Calame for a conversation about service, faith, contrast, and the way life’s difficult or humbling moments can shape a larger sense of purpose.
Jackson shares how growing up between very different home environments gave him early exposure to both peace and pain. He reflects on learning to “sell peace” as a child, watching different examples of fatherhood, and deciding what kind of life he wanted to build. He also shares how his mission in Uruguay changed the way he saw poverty, privilege, education, business, and service.
A central thread in this conversation is Jackson’s guiding question: how can I serve the person in front of me as best I can? From learning to speak about love on his mission to building businesses and teams with a larger vision, Jackson’s story reminds us that service is not always grand or complicated. Sometimes it looks like planning well, noticing someone in need, giving what we can, or choosing to keep going when the path feels overwhelming.
Anne and Jackson also talk about imposter syndrome, faith in the effort rather than the outcome, the lessons missions can teach about business and discipline, and the quiet ripple effects of small acts of kindness.
In this episode, we talk about:
This Episode’s Pebble
Take a few minutes this week to notice the person in front of you. It might be someone at home, at work, in a grocery line, or in your community. Ask yourself, “How can I serve this person as best I can?” Then do one small, sincere thing.
Guest Information
Learn more about Jackson and his work:
Vision Pros Live: visionproslive.com
First Class Business: firstclassbusiness.io
Oportunidades Latinas: oportunidadeslatinas.com
Support the show
Don’t forget to subscribe, review, and share this episode with someone who needs encouragement today.
Affiliate Disclaimer - As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, we may earn advertising or referral fees from qualifying purchases. Thank you for supporting Pebbles of Light!
Follow Pebbles of Light
Support Pebbles of Light
Text or voice message the show
What happens when we choose to truly see someone—not for their past, but for their potential?
In this episode of Pebbles of Light, Anne sits down with Norma Jaeger, Executive Director of Recovery Idaho, to explore the intersection of justice and mercy, the realities of addiction and incarceration, and the quiet power of dignity.
Drawing from decades of experience in substance use treatment, criminal justice reform, and recovery advocacy, Norma shares stories that challenge assumptions and invite deeper understanding. From women leaving incarceration with nothing but the clothes on their backs to moments of profound human connection in treatment courts, this conversation highlights how small acts of recognition can change the trajectory of a life.
Together, Anne and Norma reflect on:
At its core, this episode is a reminder: people are more than the worst thing they’ve done—and being seen can be the beginning of something new.
Resources & Links:
A film that Norma helped produce, “I Married the War” on Amazon - https://amzn.to/4sEEbHD
Justserve - https://www.justserve.org/
Salvation Army - https://www.salvationarmyusa.org/volunteer/
St. Vincent de Paul - https://ssvpusa.org/
Boise Rescue Mission - https://boiserm.org/get-involved/
💛 Support the Show:
If you’d like to support Pebbles of Light, you can do so through Buzzsprout https://www.buzzsprout.com/2593690/support
🎧 Listen to the full episode:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3BsMFWIg6KKrj6inrlkxai
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pebbles-of-light/id1534389323
Support the show
Don’t forget to subscribe, review, and share this episode with someone who needs encouragement today.
Affiliate Disclaimer - As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, we may earn advertising or referral fees from qualifying purchases. Thank you for supporting Pebbles of Light!
Follow Pebbles of Light
Support Pebbles of Light
Text or voice message the show
What if the hardest moments in life are actually invitations to grow?
In this episode of Pebbles of Light, Anne Maxson sits down with Michele Kehrer, author of Brave Shift. Michele shares how unexpected challenges—including four cancer diagnoses—became catalysts for powerful personal transformation.
Through stories of resilience, mindset shifts, and the courage to embrace change, Michele explains how even life’s most difficult detours can help us reconnect with what truly matters.
In this conversation, we explore:
• Why people often stay in the “unhappy known”
• How fear and excitement are often separated by breath
• Why expressing emotions is essential for healing
• The surprising lessons Michele learned while writing her book
• How gratitude and nature can help shift perspective
• The importance of genuine conversations and human connection
Michele’s story reminds us that transformation doesn’t require changing everything at once—sometimes it begins with just one brave shift.
Connect with Michele
Resources:
Support the show
Don’t forget to subscribe, review, and share this episode with someone who needs encouragement today.
Affiliate Disclaimer - As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, we may earn advertising or referral fees from qualifying purchases. Thank you for supporting Pebbles of Light!
Follow Pebbles of Light
Support Pebbles of Light
From the publisher's feed
Pebbles of Light strives to help you recognize those who have helped light your path and become the person you are. This helps you to have direction and courage in sharing your light with others.…
Pebbles of Light is all about finding and sharing small moments that bring hope, healing, and connection. Each episode is created with the belief that one story, one insight, or one act of kindness can ripple outward and make a lasting difference.
Host Anne Maxson has taught multiple times at BYU-Idaho's Education Week and has had numerous articles published in Liahona Magazine, LDSLiving.com, and Tiny3DTemples Blog, among others.