The Kindness Chronicles

⚽💧 What if the world's greatest team wasn't playing for a trophy...but for clean water?

In this special episode of The Kindness Chronicles, we welcome the Salesforce and WASH for Life volunteers who traveled to Malawi, Africa, for what we call The World Cup of Kindness.  Representing five countries across four continents, this international team united with one mission: to bring hope, dignity, and clean water to children and communities in need.

Together, they:
💙 Celebrated 7 new well boreholes providing easier access to clean water for more than 2,000 students
🌱 Supported regenerative agriculture at Tembwe Farm
🏫 Improved schools and dormitories through volunteer service and donor generosity
🎁 Delivered school supplies, clothing, bedding, soccer equipment, and countless acts of kindness

Along the way, they were welcomed with joyful songs, traditional dances, heartfelt hospitality, and unforgettable moments that forever changed their perspective on service, gratitude, and what it truly means to be part of one team.  You'll hear inspiring stories from "Coach 'Papa' Steve," Jon and Julia Neustedter, Phillip, Sarah, and other volunteers as they reflect on a journey that proved kindness has no borders.  Because in this World Cup...Everyone wins.

If this episode inspires you, please Like, Subscribe, and Share to help us spread more stories that celebrate the power of kindness.

#KindnessChronicles #WorldCupOfKindness #Malawi #WASHForLife #Salesforce #CleanWater #Volunteer #Kindness #Africa #Service #Hope #GivingBack

What happens after the spotlight fades? 

On this episode of the Kindness Chronicles, John, Steve, and Jeff welcome former Limited Warranty lead guitarist Erik Newman, joining them from his off-grid ranch on Hawaii’s Big Island. Erik reflects on his remarkable journey—from learning guitar as a teenager at Bloomington Lincoln High School, to helping transform Limited Warranty from a local cover band into one of the Twin Cities’ most beloved original acts. He shares stories about recruiting the late Dale Goulet, whose voice helped define the band’s signature sound, winning Star Search, touring with legendary artists, and experiencing the whirlwind of sudden success. 

But this conversation goes far beyond the band’s glory days. Erik opens up about life after Limited Warranty: forming Holiday Ranch, stepping away from music, navigating divorce and remarriage, becoming a father, moving to Hawaii, and rediscovering his passion for songwriting with his current project, Space Hug. It’s an honest conversation about friendship, reinvention, gratitude, and the courage to embrace life’s unexpected chapters—proving that sometimes the most meaningful part of the journey begins after the applause fades. 

If you enjoy stories of resilience, kindness, and new beginnings, be sure to like, subscribe, and share this episode with someone who could use a little encouragement.

Reviving a Marching Band Legacy: How Teachers Build Community in Forest Lake | The Kindness Chronicles 

Steve and Jeff fill in for John and discuss Steve’s volunteer experience at the Special Olympics USA Games ESPN Unified Sports Challenge at Allianz Field, where he accompanied producer Jimmy "Jam" Harris and various celebrity sideline coaches. 

They then welcome Forest Lake educators Jake Matheson and Katie DuBois to discuss how music and marching band create belonging as the U.S. nears its 250th birthday. Jake recounts starting on tuba, being mentored by teachers like Sandy Briggs and Rich Hahn, advocating to restore Forest Lake’s marching band, and later rebuilding it in 2016 from a program that had disappeared to 140 members, supported by fundraising and scholarships. Katie describes how her passion for the clarinet evolved, joining the University of Minnesota marching band, and helping design field formations for her alma mater, while both emphasize teacher support, community, and inclusion.

Minnesota Nice at Lionel Richie & Earth, Wind & Fire + A Day with Jimmy Jam at Special Olympics 

The hosts recap attending the Earth, Wind & Fire and Lionel Richie concert in St. Paul, including memories of their first concert together decades ago, Earth, Wind & Fire’s energetic set and deep catalog, and a merch moment that coincided with seeing a recent KCP guest. Lionel Richie opened the tour with “Hello” but appeared unwell, sweating and dizzy, performed “Dancing on the Ceiling” seated, called an unexpected intermission, and was later reported hospitalized; a band member announced the show couldn’t continue. 

The hosts highlight how the crowd responded with concern and applause rather than anger, calling it a proud example of Minnesota kindness. They also discuss why artists start tours in Minnesota, tangent into guitar solo rankings, and share a story about guiding Jimmy Jam at an ESPN Special Olympics Unified Sports Challenge, describing him as gracious and dedicated, including his weight-loss journey and family reconnection.

In this episode, we welcome strategic executive leader and event producer Kelly Olson, joined by her husband Eric Scott Olson, to discuss her career in live events and television and her current work on the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games in the Twin Cities. 

Kelly shares her origin story working on the 1991 Special Olympics opening ceremony, including an early assignment to find a piano for Prince, and traces her path through major productions, including Oprah (six years), LA events, and later PR work after leaving New York following 9/11 and anthrax concerns. 

The conversation highlights the scale of the USA Games, unified sports growth, venues, opening and closing ceremonies, celebrity participants, and the impact of mentorship, networking, and service-minded production.

In this episode, the hosts reflect on KG’s father’s memorial and the support from family, friends, and organizations, then share details for the July 12 Semper Fi Flo hole-in-one challenge fundraiser at Loggers Trail Golf Course in Stillwater. 

The conversation features special guest Jeff Meslow, a 25-year NCAA football official and 10-year Big Ten line judge, who describes his path from starting as a college freshman to working major rivalry games and the Big Ten Championship, balancing officiating with a full-time job, and the behind-the-scenes production of televised games. 

Meslow discusses officiating pressures, communication with coaches, controversial calls like holding, replay review via the Big Ten command center, fan behavior, and memorable human moments including Iowa’s Children’s Hospital wave, a MN Gophers moment of kindness and more.

At a Minnesota Masonic Charities scholarship event, the CEO explains a scholarship program designed to recognize everyday kindness by having students nominate a peer and share the award. The program’s purpose is to uncover and celebrate stories of service that often go unnoticed, highlighting how simple actions can create ripple effects across schools and communities. Throughout the night, several nominations are read and discussed, featuring special young people who consistently put others first through inclusion, support during difficult times, volunteering, leadership, and service to people with disabilities, younger students, seniors, and community organizations. Families and guests reflect on the values behind these actions and the importance of compassion, forgiveness, and noticing those who feel alone. The event concludes by thanking attendees and encouraging future students to keep nominating quiet difference-makers.

The KCP crew holds their annual live Selfless Scholar Awards at the Ives Auditorium. Some pretty heartwarming moments shared. 

On The Kindness Chronicles podcast, John Schwietz surprises Winona State student Addison Nash—called while she’s on a boat—after her friend Sienna nominates her for a Minnesota Masonic Charities Selfless Scholarship, awarding $5,000 shared between Addison and Sienna; they discuss Addison’s empathy, the death of her brother Tommy from sudden cardiac arrest, and the family’s Be Like Tommy nonprofit that provides acts of kindness and “joyful experiences,” including sending campers to YMCA Camp Manitou. The episode then features Mario Esteb celebrating his Syracuse graduation and plans to pursue documentary development work, followed by his mother Rose describing a faith experience at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, Wisconsin, where repeated photos and video showed a moving light-like “apparition” pointing toward crosses; staff and nuns called it a miracle and noted the “Miracle of Roses” connection to her name. The hosts close with John recounting a claustrophobic MRI experience, mentioning newfound fear of heights, and offering condolences for Kevin Gorg after his father’s death and upcoming service.

KCP Crew Reacts to Eric Church’s “Six Strings of Life” UNC 2026 Commencement The KC Crew discuss graduation season and family updates, including a daughter graduating from the University of Minnesota, then do a “reaction video” to Eric Church’s 2026 University of North Carolina commencement speech. Church frames life like a six-string guitar, urging graduates to keep key “strings” in tune: faith, family, spouse/partner, ambition and resilience, community and belonging, and staying true to yourself amid social pressure, stressing that “the world does not need another cover song.” The hosts reflect on how the message applies beyond graduates, share tangents about music and community ties like reunions, and emphasize being honest about setbacks and failures as part of real life.