Today’s episode is with our friend Julie Kirby. Learn more about Plain Values at https://plainvalues.com.

Julie is the founder of Hope’s House Foster Closet and a woman who has spent nearly two decades on the front lines of foster care. Julie and her husband fostered for over 18 years and opened their home to more than 100 children through emergency placements, respite care, and long-term fostering. 

Along the way, they adopted a sibling group of five, each carrying their own complex story shaped by trauma, instability, and loss.

In this raw and moving conversation, Julie explains the reality few see. Children often arrive with only the clothes on their backs. Foster parents must immediately scramble to buy wardrobes, schedule medical exams, enroll kids in new schools, and manage nonstop agency calls… all while helping frightened children adjust to yet another unfamiliar home. And the financial support? Often less than a dollar an hour.

Hope’s House was born from this gap.

After stepping away from active fostering, Julie knew she couldn’t step away from the children. She transformed an empty house in Kidron’s historic village into a fully stocked support center for foster families. In just three years, Hope’s House now provides 90–100% of what foster families need in those first overwhelming days: beds, car seats, clothes, school supplies, diapers, hygiene items, toys, and emotional comfort.

Welcome to the Plain Values Podcast, please meet our friend Julie Kirby ...

This conversation encapsulates what we hope to do here with the Plain Values Podcast, telling stories that matter and bringing us closer to the table.

If this conversation filled your coffee cup, we would humbly invite you to leave a thoughtful comment below and please, don’t be shy … the Like and Subscribe buttons help more friends find this episode. 

We’re always looking for more friends.

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Today’s episode is with our friends Chad and Kyla Kethcart. Learn more about Plain Values at https://plainvalues.com.

Chad and Kyla Kethcart’s journey began in the creative pulse of Chicago … he a musician, she an artist … bound by both love and struggle. 

When life’s storms hit in 2020, they were forced to confront what truly mattered. Out of hardship came a radical shift: rebuilding not just their marriage, but their foundation as a family.

Over the past five years, they’ve chosen a quieter, richer path … homesteading in Northeast Ohio with their four children. Here, amid soil and song, God’s grace has written a new story of healing and restoration. 

The Kethcarts’ days are now marked by creation in its purest forms: art, music, gardens, and the slow work of renewal.

Welcome to the Plain Values Podcast, please meet our friends Chad and Kyla Kethcart ...

This conversation encapsulates what we hope to do here with the Plain Values Podcast, telling stories that matter and bringing us closer to the table.

If this conversation filled your coffee cup, we would humbly invite you to leave a thoughtful comment below and please, don’t be shy … the Like and Subscribe buttons help more friends find this episode. 

We’re always looking for more friends.

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Today’s episode is with our friend Pam McCue. Learn more about Plain Values at https://plainvalues.com.

After a distinguished 30-year career as a senior executive in the U.S. Department of Defense, Pam McCue could have easily settled into a quiet retirement. Instead, she turned her lifelong curiosity toward one of the most studied (and most mysterious) artifacts in human history: the Shroud of Turin.

With both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in electrical engineering and decades of experience in defense science, Pam brings a deeply analytical mind to a subject often surrounded by both reverence and skepticism. 

The Shroud, believed by many to be the burial cloth of Jesus, is not only a religious relic, it’s a scientific puzzle that continues to intrigue researchers worldwide. For Pam, that intersection of faith and science is where the conversation gets truly meaningful.

She’s found that the extensive scientific study of the Shroud provides a powerful bridge between belief and reason … especially for those who think the two are incompatible. “Presenting the science of the Shroud gives people permission to reconsider their doubts,” she explains. “It opens hearts through evidence.”

What began as small presentations to interested groups has grown into a traveling display that has captivated audiences at churches and schools across the country. 

Today, Pam shares a stunning exhibit developed by Othonia International, combining her technical precision with a heartfelt mission: to help others encounter Jesus through His shroud.

Pam also supports the National Shroud of Turin Exhibit and is a dedicated volunteer with Othonia, working toward the goal of establishing a permanent Shroud display in Washington, D.C., a place where faith and inquiry can stand side by side.

Welcome to the Plain Values Podcast, please meet our friend, Pam McCue ...

This conversation encapsulates what we hope to do here with the Plain Values Podcast, telling stories that matter and bringing us closer to the table.

If this conversation filled your coffee cup, we would humbly invite you to leave a thoughtful comment below and please, don’t be shy … the Like and Subscribe buttons help more friends find this episode. 

We’re always looking for more friends.

Today’s episode is with our friend Griffin Long. Learn more about Plain Values at https://plainvalues.com.

Griffin and his wife Rachel live in Canton, OH with their three children Isaiah, Thomas, and Ely. 

Griffin is a founder and Executive Director of Sacred Ground, a faith based nonprofit whose mission is to cultivate an environment of belonging and purpose for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families. 

Welcome to the Plain Values Podcast, please meet our friend, Griffin Long ... 

This conversation encapsulates what we hope to do here with the Plain Values Podcast … telling stories that matter and bringing us closer to the table.

If this conversation filled your coffee cup, we would humbly invite you to leave a thoughtful comment below and please, don’t be shy … the Like and Subscribe buttons help more friends find this episode. 

We’re always looking for more friends.

Today’s episode is with our dear friend Josh Thomas. Learn more about Plain Values at https://plainvalues.com.

As Co-Founder of The Homesteading Family and School of Traditional Skills, Josh partners with experts in the homesteading world to help people learn the skills they need to create a healthy, free, and secure life.

Welcome to the Plain Values Podcast, please meet our friend, Josh Thomas ... 

This conversation encapsulates what we hope to do here with the Plain Values Podcast … telling stories that matter and bringing us closer to the table.

If this conversation filled your coffee cup, we would humbly invite you to leave a thoughtful comment below and please, don’t be shy … the Like and Subscribe buttons help more friends find this episode. 

We’re always looking for more friends.

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Today’s episode is with our dear friends Gabe and Mandy. Learn more about Plain Values at https://plainvalues.com.

Gabe McCauley is an actor and film director as well as the founder of the production companies, Soul Feather Studios and lilDRAGON. 

He has directed over eight seasons of television, feature films, commercials, and music videos. Gabe lives in Columbia, TN with his wife Mandy, the music supervisor of Reconnecting Roots, and is a proud daddy to Scout and Ash. 

As the host of Reconnecting Roots, Gabe combines his own comedic personality with his passion for telling stories with purpose. Gabe strives to use media to shape the culture for tomorrow.

Welcome to the Plain Values Podcast, please meet our friends, Gabe and Mandy ... 

This conversation encapsulates what we hope to do here with the Plain Values Podcast … telling stories that matter and bringing us closer to the table.

If this conversation filled your coffee cup, we would humbly invite you to leave a thoughtful comment below and please, don’t be shy … the Like and Subscribe buttons help more friends find this episode. 

We’re always looking for more friends.

Today’s episode is with our dear friends Ryan and Sara. Learn more about Plain Values at https://plainvalues.com.

Ryan Heckert is first and foremost a Jesus follower, husband, and father. He’s also CEO at TWi and lover of photography, bigfoot lore, baseball, golf and fantasy football. 

Welcome to the Plain Values Podcast, please meet our friends, Ryan and Sara ... 

This conversation encapsulates what we hope to do here with the Plain Values Podcast … telling stories that matter and bringing us closer to the table.

If this conversation filled your coffee cup, we would humbly invite you to leave a thoughtful comment below and please, don’t be shy … the Like and Subscribe buttons help more friends find this episode. 

We’re always looking for more friends.

Today’s episode is with our dear friend Sam Burchfield. Learn more about Plain Values at https://plainvalues.com.

Sam Burchfield is a musician. But wait, that’s an understatement …

Rooted in South Carolina and tempered by years of chasing and then rejecting “sparkly” offers from TV and major labels, Sam has learned the value of community, autonomy, and slow growth.

His latest album Nature Speaks is the culmination of that journey … a luminous record about real commitment, the quiet power of home, and the kind of love that steadies you through change.

Welcome to the Plain Values Podcast, please meet our friend, Sam Burchfield ... 

This conversation encapsulates what we hope to do here with the Plain Values Podcast … telling stories that matter and bringing us closer to the table.

If this conversation filled your coffee cup, we would humbly invite you to leave a thoughtful comment below and please, don’t be shy … the Like and Subscribe buttons help more friends find this episode. 

We’re always looking for more friends.

Today’s episode is with our dear friend Dave Stauffer. Learn more about Plain Values at https://plainvalues.com.

Dave is the Executive Director of SpringHaven Counseling Center with more than 30 years’ experience in community mental health, residential care, and private practice. 

A licensed professional clinical counselor and supervisor, he works with adults, couples, families, and individuals of all ages — integrating faith into the counseling process when requested.

When he’s not in the office, Dave enjoys life on his small farm with his wife and five grown children, spending his free time outdoors camping, mountain biking, hunting, and cutting firewood.

Welcome to the Plain Values Podcast, please meet our friend, Dave Stauffer ...

This conversation encapsulates what we hope to do here with the Plain Values Podcast … telling stories that matter and bringing us closer to the table.

If this conversation filled your coffee cup, we would humbly invite you to leave a thoughtful comment below and please, don’t be shy … the Like and Subscribe buttons help more friends find this episode. 

We’re always looking for more friends.

Today’s episode is with our dear friend Steve Axtell. Learn more about Plain Values at https://plainvalues.com.

Steve Axtell is the founder of Axtell Expressions, a world-renowned puppet and animatronics company whose creations are used by performers in more than 80 countries. 

From Disney and Universal to Broadway, Ripley’s, schools, and churches, his characters have delighted audiences everywhere.

Growing up the son of a Nazarene pastor, Steve’s love of puppetry began in childhood and eventually came full circle when Sesame Street reached out to say how much his work inspired them. 

Today, Axtell pushes the boundaries of performance with animatronics and AI-powered characters that can interact with audiences in any language.

Welcome to the Plain Values Podcast, please meet our friend, Steve Axtell ...

This conversation encapsulates what we hope to do here with the Plain Values Podcast — telling stories that matter and bringing us closer to the table.

If this conversation filled your coffee cup, we would humbly invite you to leave a thoughtful comment below and please, don’t be shy — the Like and Subscribe buttons help more friends find this episode. 

We’re always looking for more friends.