Stacey Jones and Misi Rose are the Executive Director and Director of Operations, respectively of Mercy Mall of Virginia. Mercy Mall was founded by Stacey and her family in 2011 soon after they had moved to Virginia from Arkansas. Misi joined Stacey about a year or so later as a volunteer and now helps Stacey run this wonderful “ministry that serves individuals and families that are overcoming the obstacles to stability”. Stacey and Misi told Paul how they have 150-200 volunteers a week and that they help people by building relationships with them. They talked about their community partners and the general community that helps them provide the best resources to people in need. Stacey, Misi, their staff and all the people at Mercy Mall live their mission and they carry it out every day with passion and by focusing on the needs of the people they serve. If you would like to volunteer or donate items or money, you can find Mercy Mall at mercymallva.org.

Barry Todd returns to the podcast, but this time he brought a friend, Sheriff Mark Lamb. Paul started by having both Barry and Mark give a high level summary of their backgrounds. Barry and Mark are, on the surface, unlikely friends. Barry had a terrible ordeal with the U.S. justice system and Mark was a two time elected Sheriff of Pinal County, Arizona. They are friends though because they are honorable men, share a lot of the same perspectives on a variety of subjects and they discussed what they like and respect about each other. The three of them had a great discussion about Barry’s case, the justice system and how all of us, no matter who we are, can make changes and make a difference. Paul ended with what advice Barry and Mark would give to his 23 year old son and young people that are starting out. Their advice was outstanding!

Mark Johnson grew up in Sutton, Massachusetts which was rural at the time and his family can trace their roots back to the folks that landed at Plymouth Rock. Mark and his family have been in Virginia for over 15 years and told Paul they had to make some changes when it came to the difference in pace between New England and the South. They talked about Mark’s brushes with the music industry. He made it clear to Paul that it was not due to musical talent, but to the work he did and a house that he owned in Worcester. Mark went to school, got in the optical field and told Paul about his career and they discussed the difference a good leader can make in both your work and personal life. Mark described a tragedy that happened to their family when his young son Alec died. This led the family to the decision to get an emotional support animal. Due to his wife’s allergies, they couldn’t get a dog, but instead got a Kunekune pig and they named him Tucker. Mark talked about Tucker and all the good he did not only for Mark and his family, but the local community as well.

Christian Ray Flores has led a very unique life. Christian was born in Moscow, Russia and by the time he was nine, he had lived in four countries and spoke four languages. When he was fourteen, he was back in Russia and in 1991, he received his master’s degree in Economics. Then in 1993, he entered the music entertainment industry as a singer and became an immediate success. One of his songs became an anthem for the political campaign of Boris Yeltsin. Christian met his wife Deb while at an event in Los Angeles and he told Paul that he pursued her. She moved to Russia a few months later and they were married about nine months after they met. Christian and Deb were ready for a change and moved to United States in 2004. Paul and Christian talked about all the many things they have done over the years, what he is doing now and how they have made their home in Austin, Texas.

Bryan Kirk is a very good friend of Brett McCreight (Episode 323) and he joins Paul on the podcast. Bryan and Paul first talked about his wife Kristin, their three kids and about being a grandfather. He told Paul he grew up outside of Charlotte and that his parents had two sets of twins. They all attended a small Christian school which was a part of their church and he and his twin sister made up half of their graduating class of four! He then attended Campbell University which is where he met Brett. Bryan commissioned at Campbell and spent over twenty-seven years of active duty in the United States Army. They discussed his U.S. Army career including going through Ranger school, becoming a Green Beret and retiring at the rank of Colonel. Bryan had several different assignments throughout his career including multiple tours overseas. They also discussed his current position at the University of North Georgia as the Associate Vice President and Chief of Staff for the Cadet Leadership Academy at UNG.

Barry Todd grew up in a military family and he spoke about his mom’s military service, her time working for the FBI and the fact that she spoke five languages. Barry grew up in many different places and enlisted in the United States Army in 1980. They discussed how he was very blessed during his twenty-one years in the U.S. Army, attending Ranger school and he told Paul about a very important lesson he learned about from his Ranger brothers. Barry and Paul then spoke about an experience he had that changed his life and one that has led to him writing a book. In 2014, Barry was arrested after an incident that took place where he was defending himself. His book is about the legal battle that he faced as well as some of the flaws and inner workings of the United States Justice System. He told Paul that the book’s purpose is to bring this subject matter into the light and help everyday Americans understand a little more about the U.S. Justice system through his experience. All proceeds will be going to a foundation he helped establish that will assist people that have been wrongly accused. They finished by talking about his wife, Cisi, their three kids and four grandkids.

Barry’s book is called Stand Your Ground: One Man’s Self Defense Nightmare and it can be found where you purchase books or at standyourgroundbook.com

Amber Lancaster comes to the podcast through recent guest Brett McCreight. Amber grew up in an idyllic setting in Ohio and she and Paul had a quick chat about parenting and some of the differences between GenX and GenZ and how they raise their kids. Amber had a life changing experience when she went with her parents to visit some friends in Europe and she told Paul that she caught the travel bug. She followed up on that goal when she went to the University of Delaware and studied abroad all four years. After college, she became a U.S. Government contractor for two agencies - one allowed her to travel around the U.S.A. and the other to different parts of the world. She moved to Virginia and met her husband through an unexpected source and they started a family. In 2021, Amber founded Start1Spark, a non-profit that brings communities together through helping disadvantaged youth. They provide athletic equipment, musical instruments, etc. that give young people the resources they need to participate in extra curricular activities. You can find their website at Start1Spark.org - please consider volunteering for or donating to this great organization!

John Streitmatter and Paul worked together a while back and they have reconnected to have a chat. They first discussed leadership, the journey of making changes to improve the workplace and the relationships between management and their employees. They discussed John growing up in Illinois, playing sports and becoming an Eagle Scout. John attended Indiana University, played a lot of pick up basketball and they talked about the culture of basketball in Indiana and what it means to the state and the people that live there. John had an incredible mentor after college and he told Paul how the man literally changed the course of his life. John talked about some of his professional experiences and how he got his Masters Degree (MBA) from Harvard. They discussed John finding what he was meant to do and some of the advice that he gives to his clients and folks he meets through his profession. They finished by John telling Paul about his wife, Michelle, and their three sons.

It’s couples week on Stories as Kerri Cobb Harrison joins the podcast. Her husband Tommy Harrison just talked to Paul the other day and Paul started by commenting that he has not met a couple so compatible as Kerri and Tommy. Kerri grew up in New Kent, Virginia and told Paul that she had a great childhood playing sports and spending time on the James River with her grandparents. Kerri was a two sport athlete in college where she played basketball and softball at Lynchburg University and Christopher Newport University. Kerri had been teaching softball since her senior year in high school, but after graduating from CNU, she turned it into a real business. She has been teaching and/or coaching softball for 34 years and 2025 will mark the 24th year of her All American Fastpitch Softball camp. They discussed Kerri’s teaching philosophy and how she teaches life lessons along with softball fundamentals. Kerri is also a competitive body builder and they had a great discussion about what they entails on a daily basis and overall. They finished by talking about her family including her parents who have had a huge influence on Kerri. 

Info on the 2025 All American Fastpitch Camp can be found at https://www.allamericanfastpitch.org/camp-landing-page

Gary Marx joins Paul through a connection with recent guest and friend Bret McCreight. Even though he has family ties to Germany from the 1800s, he told Paul he was no relation to Karl! Gary grew up in a military family and married his wife whom he met while they were in high school in Germany. After high school, his family moved back to the states and Gary went to James Madison and majored in Political Science. His work is in Public Policy/Public Affairs and he told Paul how he has worked on six presidential campaigns and has been to several conventions. They had a lengthy conversation about the Ukraine-Russia war and touched on Israel, NATO and current politics.  Gary has his own podcast which we encourage you to check out … Peace and Power Ukraine.