Proof Positive: Recent Episodes
Stephen
This show has two primary goals. First, I hope to prove to you that there is plenty of good in the world if we only effort to find it. Second, I hope that after hearing these inspirational stories of good deeds and random acts of kindness you are motivated to go out and create your own good news.
On today’s show I’ll share two interviews of communities working with their members to help one another. To often we think ‘there’s nothing I can do’, our problems are so massive no one person can make a difference.
I hope today’s show will change your opinion on that and spur you to take action and help someone. Remember there’s no telling how much impact an act of kindness can have.
1st up we will listen to my interview with Matthew from the Circle of Hope church. Their pastor has created a program they call Debt Annihilation to help members of the congregation escape from credit card debt hell.
Next my interview with Stephanie Enos from the Human Services Center. Which provides a number of important social services to members of the community including free tax preparation.
Episode Notes
Theme music from Purple Planet
https://www.purple-planet.com/
Circle of Hope Church
circleofhope.net
Human Services Center
Website:
hscc-mvpc.org
Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/humanservicescenterturtlecreek/
Link to sign up for a volunteer shift:
https://volunteer.uwswpa.org/search-new?shareId=eee9b159118c438abcde55066261a9c6
I’m delighted to have found Julie Akins another example of synchronicity. Julie’s solution to providing the homeless not only with a place to live but also mobility is so ingenious that upon hearing about it I knew she would be a wonderful guest for the show.
I think you will indeed find that to be true but what I found after speaking to her was that beyond her inginuity Julie brings a compassion and passion to her work that we can all admire and hope to emulate.
Episode Notes
Theme music from Purple Planet
https://www.purple-planet.com/
Journey Home Foundation – formerly VehiclesforChanges
https://journeyhomefoundation.com/
On today’s show I will share my interview with the Co-Founder and CEO of 412 Food Rescue.
Through the cooperation of numerous restaurants, bakeries and grocery stores along with a team of dedicated volunteers the 412 Food Rescue organization redirects fresh, healthy food from going to landfills to serving those who are food insecure.
The name derives from the area code for Pittsburgh Pennsylvania but as we’ll learn the organization has expanded its reach well beyond Pittsburgh and has even larger goals for the future.
Episode Notes
Theme music from Purple Planet
https://www.purple-planet.com/
412 Food Rescue
https://412foodrescue.org/
School Principal Writes Adorable Letter to the Tooth Fairy After Distraught Boy Loses Tooth During Recess
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/principal-writes-letter-to-tooth-fairy-after-boy-loses-tooth/
US veteran fixes cars for free
https://hardluckauto.org/
Our 1st story gave us the title for this episode The Beauty and Serentity of the Water Lantern Festival
Let’s listen to my interview with Katie from the Water Lantern Festival to find out more.
Episode Notes
Theme music from Purple Planet
https://www.purple-planet.com/
Grassroots Compassion
https://uplift.tv/2019/maya-soetoro-ng-grassroots-compassion/?utm_source=UPLIFT&utm_campaign=755d15c3a6-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_11_28_05_47&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_19c1fc07c2-755d15c3a6-116703029
How Andrew McCutchen plans to give back to Pittsburgh this fall
https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/pirates/2019/09/27/andrew-mccutchen-news-pittsburgh-voluteer-week/stories/201909290017
Welcome to the Proof Positive podcast A podcast providing proof there are plenty of good things going on in our world despite what we hear and read. With a second goal of motivating you to go out and create your own good news.
Episode 22 The incredible story of one man's efforts to help others
On today’s show I share an interview with Jon Potter of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
Jon started an initiative that he calls Pittsburgh Good Deeds and the name says it all. Jon along with an occasional supporter do good deeds throughout the area for people in need.
That however severely underestimates the lengths Jon will go to help others. To find out more stay tuned…
Theme music from Purple Planet
https://www.purple-planet.com/
Pittsburgh Good Deeds
https://pghgooddeeds.org/
https://www.facebook.com/pghgooddeeds/
Pittsburgh Post Gazette article
https://www.post-gazette.com/news/health/2019/08/19/reddit-kidney-donation-pittsburgh-jon-potter-good-deeds/stories/201908190063
Pittsburgh Good Deeds on Reddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/pittsburgh/comments/4s4j06/pittsburgh_good_deeds/
He had been homeless for decades. Then old friends saw his photo in a newspaper.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2019/10/15/he-had-been-homeless-decades-then-old-friends-saw-his-photo-newspaper/
Coy Featherston Go Fund Me Page
https://ie.gofundme.com/f/coy-featherstone
Contact Me
ProofPositivePodcast@Gmail.com
Welcome to the Proof Positive podcast A podcast providing proof there are plenty of good things going on in our world despite what we hear and read. With a second goal of motivating you to go out and create your own good news.
Episode 21 Mind to Matter the powerful healing properties of our minds
I mentioned EFT (emotional freedom techniques) and Tapping on an early show. Today I’m pleased to have the leading expert on those topics on the show.Theme music from Purple Planet
https://www.purple-planet.com/
Dawson Church
https://mindtomatter.com/
Welcome to the Proof Positive podcast A podcast providing proof there are plenty of good things going on in our world despite what we hear and read. With a second goal of motivating you to go out and create your own good news.
Episode 23 FACT it is not to late to save planet Earth
There’s no doubt that the Earth faces multiple challenges some of which can seem daunting. The press coverage regarding climate change seems to portend a coming apocalypse whereby conditions are so hopeless there is nothing we can do.
This is short cited and worrisome to me. If people believe there is nothing they can do well guess what they’ll do nothing!
Also, it fails to recognize the inherent healing powers of the Earth itself. Recently I came across two examples of this that are under-reported.
First was a visit to Lake Erie for my first go at fly fishing for steelhead which are a lake or ocean run rainbow trout strain. I remember talk of Lake Erie being dead as a teenager. Last week I witnessed thousands of fish anxiously awaiting their chance to run up the streams to spawn.
Another example came via a speaker at our monthly sportsmen’s club meeting. He was there to talk about the hellbender and water dogs strange looking creatures who nonetheless help to identify clean water since they require it to survive. Today there is a healthy population of both species in the rivers and streams near Pittsburgh.
The speaker noted that in the early 1900’s a scientist declared the Ohio river at Pittsburgh to be dead. There had been over 30 species of fresh water clams in the river and effectively all had been killed off due to pollution from the industrial revolution.
Flash forward to 2019 and biologists have identified that over ½ of those species have returned to the river.
These are just two examples showing that all is not lost. We can and I believe will do what it takes to help restore and improve our planet.
Theme music from Purple Planet
https://www.purple-planet.com/
2040 Official Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-rTQ443akE
US wind energy capacity is now more than 100 gigawatts, according to new report
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/31/us-wind-energy-capacity-now-over-100-gigawatts-says-new-report.html?__source=iosappshare%7Ccom.apple.UIKit.activity.Mail
Bison back on new Badlands land for the first time since 1870.
https://oilcity.news/general/2019/10/14/bison-back-on-new-badlands-land-for-first-time-since-1870-video/?utm_source=The+Goodnewsletter&utm_campaign=3156ff92cc-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_10_15_05_02&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b0e357ccff-3156ff92cc-105218361&goal=0_b0e357ccff-3156ff92cc-105218361&mc_cid=3156ff92cc&mc_eid=a353de97ed
Plastic bag use down 90% in England since 5p levy
Welcome to the Proof Positive podcast A podcast providing proof there are plenty of good things going on in our world despite what we hear and read. With a second goal of motivating you to go out and create your own good news.
Episode 20 How just saying GOOD can brighten your day
Did the title of today’s show intrigue you? I hope so because in just a few seconds you will learn how just saying the word GOOD can indeed change your perspective and turn negative experiences into positive ones.
I’ve been anxious to get this first story to you but we had a string of excellent guests so it kept getting pushed back. Well today is finally the day where I teach you (hopefully) to say GOOD!Theme music from Purple Planet
https://www.purple-planet.com/
Are You Ready for a ‘Good’ Challenge?
https://upliftconnect.com/are-you-ready-for-a-good-challenge/
Smiles for Inner and Outer Peace
https://upliftconnect.com/smiles-for-inner-and-outer-peace/
An Indigenous View on Oneness
https://uplift.tv/2019/indigenous-view-oneness/
Cancer is a disease that sadly has touched most of us in some way. Chances are you have a loved one, neighbor or friend who has been stricken by it.
On today’s show my guest Teresa Segelson will talk to us about the American Cancer Society’s Road to Recovery program. I’m a volunteer for the program which provides rides for cancer patients to and from their treatments.Episode Notes
Theme music from Purple Planet
https://www.purple-planet.com/
American Cancer Society
https://www.cancer.org/
1-800-227-2345
The title for today’s show comes from my interview with Gaianna (Guy Anna) Sophia which you will hear later in today’s show.
Gaianna is the creator of the podcast Conscious Planet Network which I highly recommend. She introduces a thought-provoking idea regarding our current challenges of dealing with all the negative news we are inundated with on a daily basis.
It helped me gain a new perspective and it just may do the same for you.
Episode Notes
Conscious Planet Network
https://gaiannasophia.podbean.com/
Theme music from Purple Planet
https://www.purple-planet.com/
Contact Me
ProofPositivePodcast@Gmail.com
***On today’s show we’ll discuss and hear going the extra mile to do good. As I’ve noted frequently we only need to “look up” to see opportunities to do good. But once we’ve seen the need will we follow through? Are we willing to go the extra mile?
First up is my interview with Reverend Jimmy Dispenis***
Jimmy is a friend of mine, with an infectious positivity about him. When I heard about the work he does ministering to inmates it blew me away.
Episode Notes
Theme music from Purple Planet
https://www.purple-planet.com/
Kairos Prison Ministry International
http://www.kairosprisonministry.org/
One of my concerns with all the negative news we are being deluged with is the impact it can have on our health. Not only emotionally but also physically. Unfortunately the risk to both is high enough we need to become aware and take action.
I just completed reading a book entitled Mind to Matter by Dawson Church and the author mentions a quote that is realevant to today’s topic. Optimists have half the mortality rate of pessimists, and lowering your stress can add 10 years to your life span
On today’s show we’ll discuss this danger and how we can combat. Including an interview with Steve Stearns from Pure Health 365
Theme music from Purple Planet
https://www.purple-planet.com/
Steve Stearns YouTube Channel & Website for Pure Health 365
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc2gfprZAvo&list=PLaiiZcCtx595YTb3a39bDa14jjndQE_db
https://stevestearns365.com/
National Neighborhood Day
https://connect2affect.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/c2a_GoodNeighborDay_AsWritten_REV-1.mp4
What is Tapping? And How To Do EFT with Dawson Church
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZDjAhuo_6Y
Can a Glass of Wine Benefit Your Health?
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/benefits-of-wine
“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” — Nelson Mandela, Former President of South Africa
I’m grateful to have author Wendy Gilhula on the show today. She has written a series of books featuring Pika Bunny a lovable character who helps children to learn how to be kind and deal with their fears.
Wendy didn’t just dream up pika bunny, it is a very real albeit rare creature and she has folded the life style of the actual pika bunny into her stories.
Theme music from Purple Planet
https://www.purple-planet.com/
Wendy Gilhula
https://www.wendygilhula.com/
Pika Bunny Kindness Tracker
Available in the App store from Apple
Collared Pika Prepares For Winter | Wild Alaska | BBC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8edS07_Cys
Contact Me
ProofPositivePodcast@Gmail.com
Welcome to the Proof Positive podcast A podcast providing proof there are plenty of good in our world if we are willing to seek it out. With a second goal of motivating you to go out and create your own good news.
Today’s show is Episode 72 The Workplace Positivity Workbook Part 1 of my 2 part interview with Neal Nybo.
I spend a lot of time sharing evidence with you about the benefits of kindness. But have you ever considered its impact in the workplace? On today’s show we’ll learn more about the Workplace Productivity Workbook and how it can help to benefit your organization.
Theme music from Purple Planet
https://www.purple-planet.com/
Neal Nybo
https://www.nealnybo.com/
Human Kind: Changing the World One Small Act At a Time
https://tinyurl.com/ycbemnf3
Contact Me
ProofPositivePodcast@Gmail.com
On today’s show I will share my interview with the Co-Founder and CEO of 412 Food Rescue.
Through the cooperation of numerous restaurants, bakeries and grocery stores along with a team of dedicated volunteers the 412 Food Rescue organization redirects fresh, healthy food from going to landfills to serving those who are food insecure.
The name derives from the area code for Pittsburgh Pennsylvania but as we’ll learn the organization has expanded its reach well beyond Pittsburgh and has even larger goals for the future.
Let’s listen in as Leah gives us an overview of 412 Food Rescue
Theme music from Purple Planet
https://www.purple-planet.com/
412 Food Rescue
https://412foodrescue.org/
School Principal Writes Adorable Letter to the Tooth Fairy After Distraught Boy Loses Tooth During Recess
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/principal-writes-letter-to-tooth-fairy-after-boy-loses-tooth/
US veteran fixes cars for free
https://hardluckauto.org/
Contact Me
ProofPositivePodcast@Gmail.com
Today’s show is Episode 73 The Workplace Positivity Workbook Part 2 of my interview with Neal Nybo.
In part one we were introduced to the workbook and the ideas behind it. On today’s show we are going to take a look at the numbers, statistics that I found shocking regarding the workplace and how the Workplace Productivity Workbook can help your organization gain a competitive edge by simply doing the right thing.
Theme music from Purple Planet
https://www.purple-planet.com/
Neal Nybo
https://www.nealnybo.com/
Contact Me
ProofPositivePodcast@Gmail.com
Welcome to the Proof Positive podcast. A podcast providing proof there are plenty of good things going on in our world despite what we hear and read. With a second goal of motivating you to go out and create your own good news.”
Episode 45 An interview with The Commonheart
I love music, across most genres. In particular I enjoy artists who express their passion thru their music.
Music has the unique effect of bringing us together, uniting us, inspiring us and motivating us. On today’s show I am priviedged to have the lead singer and founder of the band The Commonheart on the show to discuss their music and their message.
Here’s a brief bio from Clinton
“This band is therapy for me to bring myself back to being a better person, and I hope people come along with me,” says powerhouse singer Clinton Clegg of The Commonheart.
To start the show let’s take a listen to Aloysius off their debut album “Grown”, they have subsequently released their second album “Pressure” and we will be hearing a track from that to close the show.
Theme music from Purple Planet
https://www.purple-planet.com/
The Commonheart
http://www.thecommonheart.com/
Contact Me
ProofPositivePodcast@Gmail.com