Damascus Road is a non-profit organization in the Fox Valley dedicated to fighting for victims of human sex trafficking, and Lisa Sennholz is at the front of the battle. 
She started the organization and her dedication to serving the survivors of trafficking and advocating for their freedom is her heartbeat.
Emily and Stacy had no idea how big and how wide the web of sex trafficking has spread, right here in our backyards. Lisa is a warrior, she's a voice for those who don't have one and she is compassion personified. 

Whether you know a little, or a lot about this issue, you are guaranteed to come away from this podcast better educated and inspired to join the fight against human trafficking!

School safety wasn't something talked about much 20-30 years ago. In recent years, parents, students and faculty have had to learn how to navigate a new normal where staying safe at school is a real and present concern. 
Months ago we had this interview with School Resource Officer and member of the Oshkosh Police Department, Officer Deana Brandl, scheduled for this week. The plan was to air it in 2020 during Season 3. Last week the reality of school safety and ALICE drills hit home as our community experienced an officer-involved shooting at one of the area high schools and we think this conversation is so important we are airing it now!
The timing of this podcast can't be a coincidence and after talking to Officer Brandl about her job in our schools we were encouraged and our appreciation for all the resource officers and the local police department couldn't be higher. 
We know you will feel the same!

Rob is back! We may make this a tradition to end every season of What's It Like with a fun, hilarious and enlightening conversation with our friend Rob.
Per usual, Rob tells us what he's reading and we hear awesome and heartwarming stories about the U.P!  We also talk about what it's like to be a stay-at-home Dad and also about aging. And we laughed folks, A LOT!

Best of all, we got to sample some of the holiday cookies that Rigoni Bakery is whipping up and all of our listeners get 10% off their order if you use the code: WIL at www.rigonibakery.com

Thanks for sticking with us for Season 2 everyone - we appreciate you so much!

Our listeners know by now that we LOVE to hear stories about how God weaves families together. Susan and her husband Beau have their own story about how they have found themselves to be "mom and dad" again to their grand children. 

Some of their story involves hard, painful things. But the beauty far outweighs the ugly and we want to celebrate this family and how they made some tough choices to give their grand kids the family they need. 

Get ready to meet your new heroine!

This was such a fun and informative conversation! Lindsay Loewe, a mental health and substance abuse counselor at Collaborative Wellness in Ripon, WI, took some time out of her day to talk all things mental health with us. 
As we all know, mental health is generating a ton of buzz lately and for good reason. Younger kids and teens are experiencing a rise in anxiety and depression more than ever before and Lindsay has some fascinating insight into why. 
She's encouraging and passionate about her job and her patients. Join us in this conversation as we all could use a little more mental wellness. 

Four women, over coffee dish on the perks, the challenges, the misconceptions and the judgement we all feel at different times and for different reasons in parenting.

All of us come from different places, our lives look different, but we share similar insecurities and worries and the same deep desire to be a really good mom. 

We all walked away feeling heard, validated and able to offer a little more grace to each other and ourselves. There is no right or wrong way to be a mom, and when we take the time to listen to each other our village becomes stronger!

To quote John "Remember, it's all make believe and there's a craft to it!"

John Pata is a movie maker right here in the Fox Valley who has made his childhood dream come true....to make horror movies! John and his friends are passionate about film making and have seen some of their projects find success on the film festival circuit and even make it onto VOD platforms!

John dispelled our misconceptions about the kind of person who makes horror films. He is engaging, charming, kind and smart. His love for movies, and specifically horror movies started as a young boy. He cares about our community and he offers inspiration to those who want to create and achieve, right where they are. 

Sandrah and Donte are like any other married couple with a bunch of kids. You will find them at their kids sporting events, you will see them at the grocery store or out to eat. What does make them unique is that Donte is deaf, Sandrah is not. 

This was a great conversation about family, survival, a desire to connect, isolation and how laughing your way through the tough times is sometimes the best medicine. 

Sandrah also speaks about the challenges they face as a couple and a family because Sandrah is white, Donte is black. 

Ultimately, we were reminded that as humans, we all share a desire to be accepted and included. And going outside of our comfort zones to engage people different than ourselves makes our community better and stronger!

Matt Lewis, head coach of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh men's basketball team shares what it's like to coach a championship team! 
A former college basketball player himself, Matt has a great perspective on how to coach, how to recruit and how to foster greatness in his players!

He is a super like-able guy and we can't wait to cheer on the Titans this coming season!

It's the phone call you never want to get. It's the story you never want to live. Heather joins us on this podcast and shares the story about losing her son in a tragic accident, the immediate ripple effect it had on her family and how she has been able to continue to live well in the midst of the grief. 
One of things we loved about Heather is that she didn't sugar coat the pain, but yet she communicates hope by living faithfully, loving people well and being honest about how it's changed her.

We are really thankful for this conversation.