Thrive. Connect. Contribute.

Bracha Goetz was pursuing positions of power and privilege, when she says she met God at a garden party.

Bracha Goetz is the Harvard-educated author of 38 books that help children's souls shine. She is also the author of the candid memoir for adults about overcoming food addictions joyfully, Searching for God in the Garbage.

In 1977, Bracha was an undergrad at Harvard University. “I looked like a rising success story,” she told me. She had always wanted to rub elbows with the elite families of the world.

Finally, she received an invitation to an exclusive garden party. At first, she was dazzled, but after only a few minutes, she asked herself this one question. “Is this it?” She noted that, after climbing to her perceived pinnacle of success, there was no there, there.

When a sudden rainstorm blew through the party, Bracha was elated. “I skipped through the rain to my dorm room,” she says. “I learned that there was really nothing much up there on the highest peak that I had been striving to reach.”

That day was a turning point in in Bracha’s journey. That summer, she took what was supposed to be a short trip to Israel. There, she met a spiritual teacher, was introduced to her husband, and had children.

As her children played, Bracha sat in her garden and wrote out her first children’s book. She mailed the loose-leaf notebook paper to a publisher, who accepted it immediately. Since then, she has written 38 books for children.

Learn More About Bracha Goetz:

• Bracha Goetz’s books on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/spiritualkidsbooks-brachagoetz
• Bracha Goetz on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bracha.goetz.52
• Bracha Goetz on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brachagoetz

Audio Applesauce is a podcast for kids who want to have fun and learn cool things.

James, age 10, and Ella who is almost 8 years old, were at the end their spring break from school. They were looking forward to going back to school and reconnecting with their friends. But then, the coronavirus struck. School was closed for at least the next two weeks, probably longer.

James and Ella’s mom is Jackie Biederman. She is the cofounder of StoryPop Media where she helps companies to connect with customers and team through original podcasts. She told me “We were wondering what we could do to keep learning and having fun. We also wondered how we might help other kids.”

A couple of weeks earlier, James had setup a mini recording studio in a closet. The kids had been excited for quite some time to have a podcast, so their mom thought it might be fun to create one together.

James and Ella loved the idea of creating a show, creating something for their friends and family to hear.

Jackie says, “First we brainstormed names and then came up with some fun segments. Next, we thought of who we knew that could share something cool and educational at the same time.”

Since Audio Applesauce launched, the kids have been excited to hear their work. They have been receiving comments from loving family and friends about the impact they're making.

When I asked Stella what she had learned from the experience, she responded, “When some people are in a hard moment, it's good to help others and give them something from you.”

I asked James what people should be thinking about right now, especially in the face of COVID-19. He responded, “Stay calm and have hope that someday the coronavirus will go away.”

Great advice, indeed.

Learn More About Audio Applesauce:

• Audio Applesauce on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-567157082/tracks
• Audio Applesauce on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/audio-applesauce/id1503899830
• StoryPop Media: https://www.storypopmedia.com/
• Jackie Biederman’s Changemaker Podcast: http://www.changemakerpodcast.com/

In December 2018, I told a friend, "I don't want to be alive." I didn't want to harm myself. I just didn't get the point. After years as a corporate executive and after launching a startup company, I just didn't understand the point of it all.

That confession sent me on a journey to discover what it means to live a "Year of Personal Bests."

·      What would life look like if I was thriving?

• How would I know if I was thriving?
• What would I measure?
• How would I measure it?
• What action would I take?

I spent a year finding the answers to those questions. I’m ready to share the results of “My Year of Personal Bests.”

You can read more here:

https://thriveconnectcontribute.com/how-i-overcame-anxiety-found-the-purpose-of-life-and-lived-a-year-of-personal-bests/

Sometimes, even the most gifted storytellers get stuck. If you have a story to tell, here’s a way to quickly get started. Structure your story using the SOAR method.

Set the Scene: Tell us where you are, who you’re with, and your situation.

Obstacle: What are you up against? What’s your goal? Every story begins with a world out of balance.

Action: What did you do about the obstacle? If there is a problem, you take steps to solve the problem.

Results: What was the outcome? Maybe you succeeded and reached your goal. Or perhaps you failed utterly. Or maybe you overcame that obstacle only to be confronted by the next hurdle.

An Example of a Story Using SOAR

A friend of mine recently told me a story. She might not have known it, but she was using SOAR.

Set the Scene

Because of the COVID-19 virus, school is canceled. It feels a little scary and uncertain. Our house is a little too small for the whole family under the best of circumstances. My oldest daughter, Jane, is in a dark mood. She’s old enough to understand just how bad this can all be. And yet, she’s stuck in the house, away from her friends.

Henry and I are working from home. The only real workspace is our tiny kitchen table. Jane is sitting with us, trying to keep up with homework and her friends. There’s just not enough room, and things are getting tense.

Obstacle

Jane looks up from her laptop. “Holy crap.”

“What?” Henry and I ask at the same time.

“It’s Bill’s 90th birthday.”

Bill is the neighbor that everyone looks to for help. If your sink is dripping, or you need someone to water your plants while you’re on vacation, Bill is the first to step up. The entire neighborhood loves him. Because he is right next door to us, my family is very close to him. But Jane is closest to him of all. He is her surrogate grandfather, confidant, and provider of small hard candies. He used to give her two pieces of candy and tell her, “One for now and one for later.”

With the COVID-19 virus going around, we’re not going to host a party. And, just visiting with Bill at this point feels like it’s putting his life at risk.

Action

Jane comes up with an idea. What if we each write a birthday card and tape it to his window so that he can read it from inside? We scramble around the house, looking for birthday cards. Nothing.

We take our laptops off the kitchen table and break out the construction paper and crayons. We each write heartfelt messages on brightly colored construction paper. When we finish, we show each other our handiwork. On Jane’s birthday card, there’s a brightly colored piece of candy taped to the corner. Beside it, she wrote a note. “One for later.”

We find the tape and march over to Bill’s kitchen window, the one that looks toward our house. Jane taps on the window, and after a minute, Bill comes to the window and looks out. We all sing happy birthday, then one by one, we tape our birthday greetings to the window. Jane is last. Bill sees the piece of candy and loses it. We all lose it.

We make our way home with hugs.

Result

As we reach the side door to our house, my cell phone rang. I thought it was going to be Bill. Instead, it was the neighbor across the street, Ramona. She asked me what we were doing, and I told her. I look at Jan and add, “It was Jane’s idea.”

Ramona walked over to Bill’s house and took a picture. About five minutes later, I see that Ramona has posted the photo on Facebook and tagged Jane. Then, one family at a time, our neighbors walked over to Bill’s house and put up their cards. Pretty soon, the house is festooned with colorful paper on the windows.

More neighbors tagged Jane on social media and thanked her for such a bright idea. Today, the world feels friendlier, and we don’t feel so alone.

Do You Have a Story to Tell?

Share your story here: https://thriveconnectcontribute.com/pitch-a-story/

We're telling positive stories of people who thrive in life, connect with others, and contribute to the world in the face of adversity.

Who do you know who is modeling resilience during difficult times?

Have you heard any good stories lately? In this critical time, we’re surrounded by acts of heroism, both large and small.

For example, I heard a story today about an employee at Buzzfeed who gathered the houseplants from the cubicles of her coworkers and placed them in one area. That way she can come in during the shutdown and water the plants, so that the plants will be waiting for her coworkers when they return to work.

I heard another one about a small distillery in Pennsylvania that had retooled so that, instead of making whiskey, they’re making hand sanitizer.

Or the podcasting mom who launched a podcast with her children while they are out of school. 

What I'm Doing During the COVID-19 Crisis

I’m looking for these stories. I’ll bet you have heard stories like this. And, I’ll also bet that you have stories from your life. 

I am launching a new podcast called Thrive. Connect. Contribute. My hope is that we can share five to ten-minute stories of people who are finding ways to thrive in life, connect with others, and make a contribution to the world in the face of adversity.

These are episodic – short five- to ten-minute stories. Think of this like The Moth or StoryCorps.

I feel compelled to do this. The idea came to me yesterday, and I’m knocking this up as quickly as I can.

I am recording the pilot episode now, but it will be a few days before the first episode is in your favorite podcast app.

I am calling for stories. Here’s how it works.

You can nominate a story that you heard from someone else, or you can tell your own story.

Why "Thrive. Connect. Contribute."?

Last year I did a personal experiment called “My Year of Personal Bests.” (That’s another blog post.) If I boiled the entire year-long experience into one phrase, it would be this: 

You are here on earth to connect with others and contribute to the world. But before you can connect and contribute, you must first practice self-care. In other words, you must thrive. Thrive. Connect. Contribute. In that order. 

So, the mission of the Thrive. Connect. Contribute. podcast is “We tell positive stories of people who, thrive in life, connect with others, and contribute to the world.”

Take Control of Your Destiny

So, help me out, will you? Let’s find and tell the stories of people who are thriving, connecting, and contributing in the face of adversity.

Nominate someone to tell their story. Or, let us know about the story you have to tell.

We need these stories now more than ever.