the WONDER podcast

This week’s guest is singer-songwriter, Jonathan Peyton. Sydney and her brother, Brayden, had the opportunity to open for Jonathan and his wife, Abby, at a house show several months ago and one of the things that stuck out to them while watching Jonathan and Abby perform was the honesty they pursued in their art. A lot of their songs deal with the topic of mental health in one way or another and whenever Sydney meets other artists whose passion is to use their gifts (and their story) to help others… she's a fan.

Sydney loves meeting people whose desire to create leads to HUGE shifts in their lives. Today’s guest, Zach Riddle, is a local Chattanooga artist whose life and art is a reflection of that shift. As a young creative herself, Sydney's come to appreciate a community that encourages and uplifts those who want to use their art to create positive change in the culture. This week’s episode is for those who have an appreciation for art and might be looking for a little inspiration to pursue their dreams. 

The guest on this week's episode is Sarah Miranda, the Southeast Region Coordinator for the Mental Health Association of East Tennessee (MHAET). In this conversation, she shares the story of finding her vocation, some of her thoughts about the current state of mental health within the younger generation, and more about the Mental Health PSA MHAET and BTCYI are collaborating on!

This week's guest is Kyshona Armstrong. Kyshona is an artist and activist. Throughout her career, she's done some incredible things, like performing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, traveling all around the world, and creating a music program in Nashville (@your_song_org) focused on connecting communities to promote healing through songwriting. On this episode, you'll hear more of Kyshona's story and find out why she's incredibly passionate about encouraging people to use their voices! Her heart for others is undeniable and you can understand that when listening to this conversation! 

Sydney met today’s guest, Ryan Rose, through her friends @twloha. This past September at BTCYI's first Concert For A Cause, Sydney and her family raised over $2000 for National Suicide Prevention Month, which they split between their friends at Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network & TWLOHA. Sydney reached out to her friend, Amber, who she's ALSO had on the podcast (check out Episode 10) to see where BTCYI should send the money and on their fundraising page they found Ryan’s INSANE campaign to raise $10K for them by ROLLERBLADING ACROSS THE COUNTRY! Sydney and her family knew instantly that they wanted to support her efforts because it underscores everything they're about at BTCYI: the simplicity of using your gifts and talents to help others. (Though NOTHING she did was simple!) 

This week’s episode is a conversation between Sydney Guerrette, and her mom, Deirdre Catlett, BTCYI’s Director of Operations. They talk reflections from this past year and plans moving forward in 2022. Sydney shares that as each year passes, they always seem to have more clarity about the direction of their nonprofit. And the title of this week’s episode reflects where that clarity and direction came from.

On today’s episode of the WONDER podcast, Sydney and Deirdre talk about some of their family’s Christmas traditions, including the Community Advent Calendar, something they grew up doing as a family. Sydney also talks about the time her mom told her and her siblings, out of frustration, the truth about Santa… TWO DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS! They didn’t realize it at the time, but that moment definitely was a pivotal one for them because it changed HOW they celebrate the holiday.

Sydney and Deirdre also talk about their #GiveBackChatt activity for Dec 3rd: Create a Giving List (And, if you listen to today’s episode of the podcast, you’ll understand why they picked that activity for today.) It’s SUPER simple: Grab a piece of paper and write down 3-5 names of people you want to GIVE gifts to this year. (Instead of compiling a list of things you want to receive!) And then spend some time thinking about personal gifts that you can put together.

On this week's episode, Sydney and Deirdre talk about BTCYI's Community Advent Calendar, #GiveBackChatt. For the month of December, they've created a Community Calendar that includes acts of kindness for your own family and friends AND for the community as a whole. (If you follow BTCYI on instagram, @bethechangeyi, the link will be in the bio.)

Sydney talks about how growing up in a home that always encouraged her and her siblings to think of others, especially around the holidays, had a HUGE impact on the people they're becoming. 

You might think your kids are too young, but they aren’t. Youth pay attention, and when the people in their lives set examples such as serving others around them, it can really influence the way they choose to impact the world. You’re CREATING traditions now that they will talk about for decades. 

So, listen to this episode to learn more about simple ways you can get involved this month, and hopefully within the next year to come. 

Today’s guests are Chris Wood, co-owner of a local coffee-shop in Chattanooga called becaffeinated, and Tyler Kraha, manager of their Northshore location. Sydney and her family have been so EXCITED to partner with becaffeinated this month! They have graciously offered to have Be The Change Youth Initiative be their community giveback, which Sydney, Chris, and Tyler talk more about later during this episode. 

If you spend any time with Chris and Tyler, it becomes very apparent, very fast, that they care about community and they invest their time and their resources in people and that’s what BTCYI is all about. So, please listen to this conversation and hear more about the heart behind this business. You won't regret it. 

On this week’s episode of the Wonder Podcast, Sydney's talking to Viridiana Marín, founder of Chattanooga Community Fridge. Last month, with your help, BTCYI provided over $750 worth of groceries to the fridge in an effort to raise awareness about food insecurity as well as simple ways we can give back to our neighbors in every day tasks. (i.e. like picking up a few extra items when we go to the grocery store)

One of the things that stands out in today’s conversation is the honesty and passion that exudes from the guest. But, if you spent any time with Viri outside of hearing her on this episode, you’d see that same fire and desire to cultivate change. Her heart for people and advocacy for mutual aid is beautiful and inspiring. There’s so much wisdom to glean from Viri’s story and experiences. So, please listen attentively; can’t wait for you to learn more about the Chattanooga Community Fridge.