The Gratitude Spark Podcast: Recent Episodes
Mike Good
Are you looking for something to spark amazing changes in your life and in the lives of those around you? Do you want to learn how to become more content, healthier and, well, just, happier? If so, great news...you’ll have to look no further than The Gratitude Spark Podcast. Join us as we witness how real gratitude shows up for real people, and how it became a spark that ignited incredible change in their lives and in the lives of those around them. Through the stories of amazing and inspiring people just like you, we provide ways for you to think about the power of gratitude and the role it can play in your life. We share insights about how you can leverage gratitude to become more joyful, content and happier, and in the process, how you can become a game-changer of goodness in our world. To hear more about how this amazing phenomenon called gratitude gives ordinary people extraordinary results, join us as we explore - The Gratitude Spark.
Ever wonder what you can do to make an impact on Earth Day?
Well, this Friday is Earth Day and we couldn't think of a better episode to rerun than our conversation with Vikas Narula - founder of Neighborhood Forest. We talked to Vikas earlier this year and it was such an amazing and inspiring conversation that we just had to replay the episode this week to celebrate what he and his team are bringing the world
Neighborhood Forest is a non-profit that provides children the priceless joy of planting and watching trees grow. Over the last few months, Vikas and his group of tree-loving volunteers have worked tirelessly to get ready to provide trees to a record 40,000 kids in 48 states (including Canada) for Earth Day 2022! FORTY THOUSAND!!!!!
The goal of Neighborhood Forest is to beautify our neighborhoods, to put a significant dent in our carbon footprint, and to help instill in the hearts of our little ones a sense of magic, wonder, and love for our planet.
So let's listen in again as we celebrate our amazing planet this week with Vikas Narula.
You can learn more about what Vikas is doing at: https://www.neighborhoodforest.org
Have you done it? I bet you have. What is your immediate reaction when someone says "How are you doing?". Your answer is "I'm fine" ... or something pretty close to it. But are you really? Fine?
On today's episode we're chatting with Lori Sites who is the CEO of Zen Rabbit and host of the podcast “Fine is a 4-Letter Word.” Lori is an award-winning writer, speaker, and broadcaster...oh, and one fantastic podcast guest.
The experience of leaving a 22-year marriage inspired her transformational program called "F*ck Being Fine" program. Through it, she guides corporate teams and private clients who are finished living in a dumpster fire, to a place of unprecedented clarity, peace, and productivity. Using a collaborative approach, she’s teaching the world to be grounded and centered, which leads to improved relationships, increased sales, and better overall health.
As a bonus, Lori is inviting you to take part in a 6-minute "Gratitude Meditation". Just click here: https://zenrabbit.com/meditation
So with that...enjoy.
So, I have a question for you.
How would you handle it?
When Isabelle Mosca learned that one of her twins was on the Autism Spectrum, she went searching for resources. She scoured for information and support, but hit a wall that changed her life.
In an attempt to carve out her path, she spoke with a man from an organization in Northern NJ who said, "well, we don't have enough people in your area to support an organization, but you can start one”.
And thus began her non-profit, Faces4Autism - where she and her children have supported thousands of families affected by Autism. Since then, they’ve written a children’s book and she’s also created a support group for caregivers called “Life on the Bright Side”, where she shares the lifestyle she’s adopted since becoming the parent of a neurodivergent child.
Isabelle chooses to live each day in joy and gratitude BECAUSE of the opportunities she’s recognized in special-needs parenting, and she’s here to tell us how her journey has her Living “Life on the Bright Side”.
Ever wonder how you might teach a child about gratitude? Yeah? Well, listen in!
Welcome to our last conversation for Women's History Month where we celebrate the incredible and often-overlooked contributions of women to our countrys history. Just like every episode this month, it's an opportunity for us to choose to honor strong and grateful women that have been part of The Gratitude Spark Podcast.
Today we are jumping back to Episode 13 which was recorded in April of 2021. It was an amazing conversation with Tara Gettles who, along with her French Bulldog named Awesome Butch, has put together a pretty amazing journal for kids. She talks about what it means to Be Grateful and to Be Awesome.
On today's episode, we are chatting with Tara Gettles, and we couldn't be more excited to share the project she's been working on.
Tara and her French Bulldog "Awesome Butch" have teamed up to end bullying and bring a practice of gratitude to children in their developmental years.
She decided to use the mindfulness practices that work for her colleagues in their professional life and simplify the process to give children an early start on this journey. To that end, Tara created the beAwesome Journal which is a seasonal, quarterly gratitude journal designed to help children develop daily positive mindset rituals. This simple and fun journal provides instruction and encourages children to begin each day with a grateful heart, growth mindset, and awesome intentions.
Listen as Tara and Awesome Butch tell us how the beAwesome Journal was created and what they are doing to create am attitude of gratitude in the very early years.
You can find Tara's beAwesome Journals on Amazon and learn more about what she is doing by visiting her Facebook page called "Be Awesome Journal" (https://www.facebook.com/beawesomejournal).
Enjoy!
How would YOU whip this world into SHAPE?
Today we're talking with Amanda Lindsey. She's been a long time and highly engaged member of the Gratitude Spark and you may be remember her from a podcast episode she did with us about a year ago. Amanda has dealt with chronic illness for the past 25 years, and we just wanted to chat with her to find out how she keeps such a positive vibe and grateful attitude while her body literally attacks itself at times. You can hear all about it in Episode 11 of Season 1.
It’s been one heck of a year for Amanda since that episode. Even In the midst of surviving a hurricane and losing her home to a fire, Amanda has taken big steps, both literally and metaphorically, and we're gonna hear about that today.
Last year, Amanda created a Facebook community called Project SHAPE, which stands for Spreading Happiness around Planet Earth, and proves everyday that she's well on her way to doing just that. She shares Hugs and Smiles with each person lucky enough to have contact with her, and she continuously inspires others by living this quote of hers:
"I have chosen to work with the ups and downs, twists and turns, to the best of my ability. Instead of fighting with futility to have the life I had prior to my illness, I aim to enjoy every moment of my current situation and live my best life—the one that I am blessed with."
In addition to Project SHAPE, she writes about her Chronically Fabulous journey in her own chapter of a new book coming out called "Sacred Surrender" that is coming out on April 1, 2022.
Lets talk with Amanda about all the goodness she's putting out into Planet Earth - I can pretty much guarantee it’ll put a smile on your face.
So with that…enjoy.
Welcome to our next conversation for Women's History Month where we celebrate the incredible and often-overlooked contributions of women to United States history. Just like last week, it's an opportunity for us to choose to honor strong and grateful women that have been part of The Gratitude Spark Podcast.
Today we are jumping back an earlier conversation with Julie Cara Hoffenberg who showed us all what it means to go from homeless to happy.
Julie is a spiritual artist and author. Her latest book is "Homeless to Happy in a Split Second", in which she shares her story of life behind the wheel while living in her Hyundai Tucson, and how it allowed her to tap more deeply into her joy and purpose. She feels her purpose here on earth is simply to love and be loved, and her art and books are the channel through which she does this. She's passionate about seeing someone's eyes light up when they have an "a-ha" moment, and loves connecting deeply with those around her. Nature is her greatest inspiration and can often be found on van trips with her wife or photographing the beauty she finds on a trail. It's Julie's hope that her books and art will bring a sense of love and grace to the world, encouraging people to claim their innate power within and live the lives they feel most aligned with! To learn more, please visit www.JulieCaraHoffenberg.com.
In this episode, Julie will share her story about how she camped on cliffsides, attained work in an unfamiliar town, met a hugging saint, and spent nearly a year watching sunrises and sunsets along the California coast. She talks about resistance and surrender, pain and pleasure, and an abundance of gratitude along the way.
Join us as Julie takes us on her journey from homeless to happy.
Have you ever felt defeated?
It's Women's History Month and we couldn't think of a better way to do this than to devote the entire month of March to women and their incredible journeys of gratitude.
To that end, we are jumping all the way back to Episode 2 which was recorded in February of 2021. It was an amazing conversation with Amy Christiansen who showed us all what it means to be strong, powerful, resilient and grateful.
Amy has been a member of The Gratitude Spark since late 2019 and has an amazing story about the power of gratitude and how it's shown up in her life - through some pretty incredible circumstances. She will share with us how gratitude has helped shape her life and how it has provided an amazing perspective...a perspective that helped her navigate a next-to-impossible traumatic situation on her path to healing and recovery.
Can you remember a time you thought you were fully committed to an idea or the meaning behind a quote, and then something quickly swept the rug out from underneath you?
In this episode, Gina and I are talking about just that. Some time ago, we created an Alexa routine called "Sparks of Gratitude" which provides you with a different gratitude quote every day (if you don't know about it, definitely check it out!).
Gina happened to hear one of the quotes that we included in Sparks of Gratitude that took her by surprise, so we just had to explore why. And with that, we’re having an important and much needed discussion about discernment.
So join us for some of our opinions that just might surprise you…but in a good way.
Educators - the impact they have on the children who are our future can't be overstated.
- Have you wondered why people choose to become an educator?
- Have you wondered how educators can learn from the children they teach?
- Have you wondered how gratitude shows up for those who teach our children?
On today's episode we're chatting with June Johnson - a lifelong educator who started out her career as a Special Education teacher and then moved into administration as an elementary school principal.
June chose to spend her career with one thing in mind - “paying it forward”. In this episode, she discusses how that one simple ACT of gratitude shaped both her and the children in ways unimaginable. She talks about her motivation for her servant heart and that “how you make someone feel” will always be more important than whatever it is that you’re trying to teach them.
So join us, to hear June's story of empathy, goodwill, gratitude and impact.
"A Better Society" - the adventure created through an epiphany, a set of connections, and a small step in bravery.
Question for you - have you had that amazing idea - you know, the one that will completely change the world? The only problem - you really have no idea how to make it a reality?
Heather Tran did just that. She's the Executive Directory of a non-profit called ... you guessed it..."A Better Society" - it's an idea incubator that helps social entrepreneurs take their ideas and turn them into a reality.
In this episode, Heather will share with us how you can take small and simple steps to turn that idea into something real - one that can make the world a better place and how gratitude can play an incredibly important role in this process. As Heather points out - Creating a better society is all about bringing hope, blessings and joy into the world- and that it isn't necessarily about creating the big things, it's about focusing on the little things and creating a ripple of a positive impact.
So if you've got that idea that you want to bring to the world, but are feeling just a little stuck in how to go about doing that....join our conversation with Heather. You just might walk away with that aha moment you need to turn your idea into a reality - the one that will allow you to start creating a better society.
To learn more about A Better Society: https://www.abettersociety.org/
What can trees teach us about gratitude? In this episode, we're going to find out!
We're going to be chatting about....trees...yup - trees and one man's journey to give every child the priceless joy of planting and watching a tree grow. We'll learn about how a simple tree can help instill in us a sense of magic, wonder, gratitude and love for our planet.
Vikas Narula has always had a love for trees and in 2010, after a death-bed experience, founded an organization called Neighborhood Forest. Since 2010, Neighborhood Forest has reached over 400 schools, libraries, and youth groups – over 100,000 families – and planted over 50,000 trees through the hands of children and parents across North America. In 2021, through a series of amazing events and people, Neighborhood Forest went viral and gave almost 20,000 kids in 35 states their very own tree to plant on Earth Day this year!
This conversation hit home for me as I remember when I was in 3rd or 4th grade and got a pine tree seedling on Earth Day. I walked home with excitement for the opportunity to plant and take care of this tree. Even after a transplanting to a new home when we moved, my tree thrived and is standing about 40 feet tall today and it still brings a sense of joy and wonder every time I see it when I come back to my childhoood home.
So join us to hear more about Vikas's personal journey which isn't unlike the journey of a tree from seedling to something that creates a beautiful and incredible impact on our environment. It's a journey filled with hope, challenges, a death-bed experience and incredible gratitude.
To learn more about Vikas and Neighborhood Forest, click here: https://www.neighborhoodforest.org/
How GRATITUDE in the hardest work at the most remote locations left this award-winning expeditionist feeling more connected to the world than ever.
In this episode, Polar Expeditionist Ann Bancroft explains just that. In 1986, she became the first woman ever to reach the North Pole on ice. It didn’t end with that adventure. Couple her many incredible polar expeditions with her founding of the Ann Bancroft Foundation - an organization which inspires and encourages girls to imagine something bigger to achieve their full potential and Ann has created the recipe to spend her life merging her passions…exploring, teaching and inspiring.
So, bundle up a bit and listen in to hear more about exploring your deep gifts and sharing those gifts with others!
To learn more about Ann and the impact she is making on the world: : https://www.annbancroftfoundation.org/about/ann
It's a walk down memory lane!!! In this episode, Mike and Gina will be doing a recap of the incredible journeys of gratitude that was Season 1!!! Listen in and learn from some amazing people as we talk about the themes that we touched on over the course of our first season like mental health, entrepreneurship and the workplace, parenting, job transitions, resiliency and life-changing traumatic events. The Gratitude Spark Podcast is about sparking change in our world...and this group of people do just that...in a major way!
The stories of our guests’ are inspiring, uplifting, encouraging...and, of course, filled with a perspective of gratitude that can change the way you approach your life.
In this episode, we remember the challenges and struggles that many of our guests spoke of but also the drive and determination that they all had to make a positive impact on our world through their focus on a grateful mindset.
We were beyond grateful to have had each of our guests share their story this season. It goes without saying that they all embody what this podcast is all about...The Gratitude Spark.
Want to be a more effective Leader?
In this episode, you’ll learn strategies on becoming a better and more effective leader. We will focus on how an intentional practice of gratitude and a focus on empathy and compassion can change the way you lead within your organization. You’ll hear the story of Carolyn Mozell and how those three things have led her on her journey from being an organizational leader, to coaching organizational leaders.
Holding some of the highest staff level leadership positions in local government for over 20 years, Carolyn learned early on that leadership is a privilege and that it can literally change someone's life. She's seen it happen; She's made it happen. Although she is an entrepreneur who consults and coaches on leadership, communications engagement, and building better business relationships, her previous experience within the government and public sector taught her to be grateful for each day that she got the privilege to use her gift of leadership to improve the quality of someone’s life.
Carolyn is the CEO and President of Leaders Who Connect And Inspire - a coaching and consulting firm that focuses on teaching business leaders how to lead their organizations through compassion, integrity and accountability.
You can learn more about Carolyn and her coaching and consulting work at: https://www.leaderswhoconnectandinspire.com/
How can you create a stronger future generation simply by showing grace and gratitude to the children of today? On today’s episode, you’ll learn strategies that we can all apply to how we interact with the children in our lives to empower and encourage them to a path of greatness.
Today we're chatting with Dwayne Reed - or "Mr. Reed" as he is known to his scholars. He is the teacher you always wished you had.
Back in 2016, Dwayne was catapulted into notoriety by his blockbuster video, "Welcome to the Fourth Grade", which has received close to 2 million views. In fact, Dwayne and his work have been featured on things like Good Morning America, World News Tonight, BBC News, The Jimmy Kimmel Live Show, and in The Washington Post and Time Magazine.
This past March, his debut novel, Simon B. Rhymin', was released. Through this book, and the adventures of Simon Barnes, Dwayne is inspiring young readers everywhere to use their voice to create change within their communities.
Join us as he shares his story of how he is impacting our future generations through grace, gratitude .... and some pretty awesome rapping.
Dwayne is “America's Favorite Rapping Teacher” and Chief Enthusiasm Officer of TeachMrReed, the global education company inspiring the world to make learning fun again.
You can find Dwayne's debut novel, Simon B. Rhymin on Amazon or wherever you purchase your books. You can also find him pretty much everywhere on YouTube and on his Social Media platforms @TeachMrReed.
What drives an 8-year old boy to forego a Make-A-Wish trip to Disney World and instead, donate all of the money that would have gone to the trip to an all-inclusive, wheelchair accessible park in his hometown? Well, that's the story of Vinny Skaro and his family.
On today's episode, join us to learn about grit and determination and how we can all weave a grateful mindset into all that we do - even if you’re 8 years old!!!
Today we are chatting with Vinny Skaro and his mom, Nicole. This is a story about the challenges and struggles of one family - many of which most of us couldn't even imagine. It's also a story of gratitude and good will. It's a story of inspiration and the amazing ways one young old boy is changing the world.
Vinny has had special needs since he was a couple of days old. He has had feeding tubes, holter monitors, countless medical exams, and several acute life threatening episodes. Vinny has a rare genetic disorder that causes a multitude of symptoms including epilepsy and he suffers from the most severe - including night time seizures. Even with all of that, Vinny has a love of life that is nothing short of inspiring. He is the life of the party and always loves to crack a good joke - and, just as a heads-up, I have no doubt that Vinny will bring a smile to your face during this conversation.
In 2020, Make-a-Wish offered to send Vinny and his family to Disney World. Unfortunately, COVID-19 got in the way of those plans and the trip was postponed. But, Vinny had other ideas! This 8-year old boy, with a heart of compassion, decided instead of the whole family going to celebrate life at Disney World, that he'd rather donate the money to help build an inclusive playground in his hometown so all kids with special needs can play at the park.
It is gratitude and compassion like that that can only be learned from the examples and actions of a mom and dad. So join us as we hear this inspiring story of challenge, struggle, inspiration and gratitude and the life choices one little boy is making to literally change the world.
To learn more about the Vinny and the Skaro family and what they are doing to change the world, please visit: https://theskaro5.com/.
Changing career paths is a scary thing! Changing career paths at age 57 is REALLY scary!!! Join us to learn about techniques and strategies, all based on a grateful mindset, that can be life transforming and empowering in your pursuit for a joyful life.
On today's episode we're chatting with Pamela Chester. Pamela is an independent woman, a Life Coach extraordinaire and a guru of empowered adventure.
Pamela's journey has taken her from Philadelphia to New York to Southern California. At each stop, she has endured plenty of new beginnings and new opportunities, as well as her fair share of struggles and challenges, But, at 57 years of age, Pamela's life took a dramatic turn. It was then that she found true joy and really dug into gratitude - a life-changing journey to the most foreign of lands - Bali. Since then, her mission became showing would-be-travelers that there is nothing to fear in creating their own solo adventures and finding joy and gratitude along the way!
Her programs are designed to help with complete personal transformation and to empower women to bring out their inner warrior spirit. She is encouraging women of all ages to cast a vivid vision of their futures, and to seize the opportunity to search for joy and gratitude through the experience of travel.
To learn more about Pamela and her life coaching opportunities, check out her Instagram account (@1PamelaChester) or visit her website at: https://lifecoachpamela.coachesconsole.com/dream-to-destination-copy.html
On today's episode we're chatting with Debbie Matull. Debbie is a wife of a Vet, and mother of active duty service members, so she's all too familiar with the separation of military life.
When she was looking for a way to get a surprise to her kid far away, she stumbled upon a facebook group called "Birthday Wishes", and in doing so, stepped into her "retired-life" purpose!
Listen in as we talk about the stories of gratitude that have shaped her recent journey, the people who helped her, and the many that she continues to help...just to deliver a little piece of "magic from a mom" to our service men and women.
So with that...let's meet Debbie.
On today's episode, we are chatting with Matt Udermann. Matt is the County Commissioner for Carver County - a community that lies just outside Minneapolis, MN.
Matt lives his life based on gratitude, compassion and connection. His campaign slogan of “YOU MATTer” didn't just apply to his public service aspirations. In fact, it's not just a slogan - it's the way in which Matt lives his life. His focus is on the person - he believes that every person matters - their ideas matter, their concerns matter, their involvement matters and he believes that their connection to the bigger picture matters.
Listen in as Matt shares his story from his early childhood growing up in Iowa, to his first gig in the Big Apple to his return back to the Midwest. At each step along the way there has been a common theme for Matt - a desire to lead his life with a grateful perspective and to always know that YOU MATTer.
So with that...let’s meet Matt.
To learn more about what Matt is doing and how he is creating a positive ripple in his community, feel free to check him out on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/youmattertomatt/posts/1944493415688104
On today's episode, we are chatting with Tara Gettles, and we couldn't be more excited to share the project she's been working on.
Tara and her French Bulldog "Awesome Butch" have teamed up to end bullying and bring a practice of gratitude to children in their developmental years.
She decided to use the mindfulness practices that work for her colleagues in their professional life and simplify the process to give children an early start on this journey. To that end, Tara created the beAwesome Journal which is a seasonal, quarterly gratitude journal designed to help children develop daily positive mindset rituals. This simple and fun journal provides instruction and encourages children to begin each day with a grateful heart, growth mindset, and awesome intentions.
Listen as Tara and Awesome Butch tell us how the beAwesome Journal was created and what they are doing to create am attitude of gratitude in the very early years.
You can find Tara's beAwesome Journals on Amazon and learn more about what she is doing by visiting her Facebook page called "Be Awesome Journal" (https://www.facebook.com/beawesomejournal).
Enjoy!
On today’s show, we're taking a break from the norm to introduce ourselves!
If you've grown with "The Gratitude Spark", you might know a little about me (Mike Good), and if you came from "Gratitude Gains", you probably know a bit about Gina Low, but we thought it was time to share our individual stories and fill you in on our own personal gratitude journey.
Ironically (or maybe not), it sounds like the "aha" moment for both of us came after a big loss.
Just further confirmation that life doesn't have to be anywhere close to perfect to feel grateful.
Listen, as we get personal about the events that led us here today, the inspiration that we continue to receive from all of you and the sparks of gratitude that we are collectively pushing out into the world
So with that….enjoy.
On today’s show, we bring in a long-time member of The Gratitude Spark community, and talk with Amanda Lindsey.
Gratitude has always been part of Amanda's journey, but, over the last 10 years it has been taken to a whole new level. She is highly engaged in The Gratitude Spark and you can find her both posting inspirational messages of her own and hyping other members. Her bright smile matches her beautiful spirit and happy-go-lucky disposition.
But...behind the happy-go-lucky...she’s endured 23 years worth of chronic illness. She’s been diagnosed with multiple syndromes and each day brings a different pain and different ability for every muscle in her body. That, combined with some pretty severe sensory issues limit her ability to participate in what she used to know as “regular life”.
And so, she’s defined her “new regular”... one that is accepting, willing, and grateful. But before that, her story has taken many twists and turns which started back in the mid-1990’s. So join Gina and I as Amanda shares her powerful story as she moves from Chronically Ill to Chronically Fabulous. Oh, and just as an aside, there are a couple swear words at the very end of the episode which we wanted to give you a heads-up about.
So with that...enjoy.
On today's show, we'll talk with Maddieson Low. Maddiesson is a wife, a real estate professional, a mom and someone who has an incredible perspective on life.
In this episode, she shares her journey as a mom to a beautiful daughter named Ava who brings an incredible impact to the world and to those around her. It also just so happens that Ava has Down's Syndrome as well. But, that doesn't stop her from the impact she creates.
Maddieson will share with us the lessons she's learned from Ava over the last 6 years and how those lessons have changed her perspective on life. She talks about how it's ok to not be ok at times and how gratitude has played an important role in her journey over the course of Ava's life.
So join us for Maddieson's powerful story of gratitude and compassion...one that definitely has lessons for all of us.
Enjoy...
On today's show, we'll talk with Matt Ladhoff. There is one word that comes to me when describing Matt and his story - and that word is...inspiring. Matt is an eternal optimist. A life enthusiast. A story teller and, in a nutshell, a game changer for the world around him.
In this episode, Matt will share his journey from living a life within the corporate world to living a life traveling around the world. A journey that allowed him to create a ripple effect of goodness that is, quite literally, changing the world. One of Matt's goals has always been to cultivate relationships and create meaningful connections across communities. In the pursuit of this goal, Matt stated a bit of a social experiment during those adventures around the world back in 2018. On this trip, Matt started handing out medals to individuals that he observed doing amazing things - random people that were performing random acts of kindness, spreading positivity, and living a life that lifts those around them. And so began...The People's Champ Award.
At the core, Matt's impact on our world is rooted in his focus on gratitude, optimism ..and..his quest of finding and recognizing the next People's Champ.
So join us as he shares his inspiring and encouraging journey that is filled with intentionality, connection and purpose.
To learn more about Matt and the impact he's having on our world, check out @ThePeoplesChampAward on Instagram or his website at www.mattladhoff.com.
On today's show, we'll talk with Tessa Foss. Tessa's story is one of inspiration and encouragement and is focused around creating a positive impact on others.
In this episode, Tessa will share with us her journey from the snow-covered mountains of Colorado to the Land of 10,000 lakes in Minnesota. She will talk about her personal journey with health and nutrition and how it led her to her passion to become a personal trainer, helping others to build not only a healthy lifestyle but also, and perhaps more importantly, a healthy mindset. Her impact on others is rooted in both gratitude and a positive attitude that she helps to cultivate with her clients in their own personal transformations.
So join us as she shares her inspiring and encouraging journey as well as the life lessons she has learned along the way from some pretty amazing people. To learn more about Tessa's coaching and training services, feel free to reach her at CoachTessaFoss@gmail.com.
On today's show, Gina Low, the other half of The Gratitude Spark, jumps into our conversation with Jeremy Ridlington.
Jeremy is an Alaskan Native, born and raised in the interior village of Nenana, Alaska. In this episode, Jeremy will share his story about the hardships and challenges growing up in that small Alaskan village to his service in the United States Army that took him to places like Germany and Saudi Arabia. Jeremy will share with us some of the challenges he faced from his battle with drugs and alcohol to the loss of his sister who was one of the most important people in his life. Along the way, Jeremy fully leaned into a practice of gratitude which, according to him, changed the course of his life. He now leads with gratitude in all that he does and he spends his time living in the present moment appreciating all that he has.
Join us as shares his incredible story of pain and hardship to grit and determination to love and gratitude.
So with that...enjoy.
On today's show, Gina Low, the other half of The Gratitude Spark, jumps into our conversation with Julie Cara Hoffenberg.
Julie is a spiritual artist and author. Her latest book is "Homeless to Happy in a Split Second", in which she shares her story of life behind the wheel while living in her Hyundai Tucson, and how it allowed her to tap more deeply into her joy and purpose. She feels her purpose here on earth is simply to love and be loved, and her art and books are the channel through which she does this. She's passionate about seeing someone's eyes light up when they have an "a-ha" moment, and loves connecting deeply with those around her. Nature is her greatest inspiration and can often be found on van trips with her wife or photographing the beauty she finds on a trail. It's Julie's hope that her books and art will bring a sense of love and grace to the world, encouraging people to claim their innate power within and live the lives they feel most aligned with! To learn more, please visit www.JulieCaraHoffenberg.com.
In this episode, Julie will share her story about how she camped on cliffsides, attained work in an unfamiliar town, met a hugging saint, and spent nearly a year watching sunrises and sunsets along the California coast. She talks about resistance and surrender, pain and pleasure, and an abundance of gratitude along the way.
Join us as Julie takes us on her journey from homeless to happy.
On today's show, we'll talk with Erin O’Donoghue. Erin’s story is one of inspiration and true gratitude during an incredibly challenging situation. It's also a story that is not just hers. It's one that is completely intertwined with the story of her son. Erin is a Physician Assistant Professor, but job #1 for her is being a mom to an amazing young cancer "warrior".
In this episode, Erin will share with us her journey over the course of her son's illness - from the moment she received the devastating news, to the unending treatments, to months in the hospital and to impossible setbacks. But along with the pain and uncertainty that weaved its way into her journey, she also found the power of gratitude and, with the help of her son's wisdom, she found the importance of living in the moment (and having ice cream for dinner). She hopes to use her story to raise awareness and improve treatment options for pediatric cancer. In the meantime, Erin and her son celebrate the little victories and are grateful for each day.
Erin and her son's story is one of incredible challenges, but, it is also one of incredible power and inspiration and one that I'm so grateful she is sharing with all of us.
So with that....enjoy.
On today's show, we'll talk with Robin Berkstresser Walters. Robin is the founder of a recruiting agency called Rogue Recruitment. I met Robin back in 2019 when I was looking for my next opportunity. One morning I was sitting in a coffee shop when I got a number from someone in Tulsa, OK - it was Robin. And looking back on that call, I could not be more grateful. She did help me land an amazing job, but, more importantly than that, I came out of that process with a great friend. That's the thing with Robin and Rogue Recruitment - she's transforming the staffing industry and she's doing it by focusing on the people and process instead of the result.
In this episode, Robin will talk about the successes she's had in building Rogue Recruitment. But, she also provides an incredibly raw and transparent perspective into the challenges she's had over the last several years with respect to her mental health. She will give us a sense of the sheer power of depression and the toll it can take on someone who is experiencing it. And with that, she'll also share how gratitude has weaved its way through her mental health journey - going from non-existent at some points to something that has played an incredibly important role in her ability to heal and recover from some next-to-impossible challenges.
Robin's is a story of incredible challenges but also one of incredible inspiration. It's powerful , and one that I'm so grateful she is sharing with all of us.
Enjoy.
It has happened to so many of us. You get called into an unexpected meeting only to see someone from HR sitting at the table. Your heart sinks because you know what's coming. You're part of a "workforce reduction". That's what happened to Mark Herfurth after a long 26 year career with his company.
I met Mark a few years ago after a panel discussion where I had been talking about The Gratitude Spark and how gratitude had played a role in my life through some pretty challenging situations. After the meeting, Mark introduced himself and mentioned that he had recently been going through a pretty dark time as he was in the midst of a job transition.
Over the course of 2020, far too many of us experienced the journey of a job transition. In this episode, Mark will talk with us about his journey - the struggles he had, the uncertainties that came with the transition, the lessons he learned along the way. Mark's story is one of struggle, introspection, resilience and how his intentional focus on gratitude not only led him to a new opportunity, but also to a new perspective on life.
It's easy to be grateful during the good times, but, it's far more difficult to find gratitude when dealing with some of life's challenges. The challenges that Amy Christiansen experienced are difficult to even imagine. In this episode, she will share with us how gratitude has helped shape her life and how it has provided an incredible perspective - a perspective that has not only been a core theme over the course of her life, but also one that helped her navigate a next-to-impossible traumatic situation on her path to healing and recovery.
By the time Alex Golimbievsky turned 35, he had been married for 15 years, had two beautiful kids and had either founded or led five companies. Alex has had an entrepreneurial mindset his entire life, and with that, has experienced some definite highs but also some deep, deep lows. He'll share with us how gratitude has weaved its way into his life, from his early days enduring some very challenging situations in Ukraine to his family life and on to his entrepreneurial ventures. Throughout his journey, Alex cultivated a mindset of gratitude, which has sparked opportunities for change, provided incredible perspective and created meaning in his life.
Are you looking for something to spark amazing changes in your life and in the lives of those around you? Do you want to learn how to become more content, healthier and, well, just, happier? If so, great news...you’ll have to look no further than to the practice of gratitude.
Join us as we witness how real gratitude shows up for real people, and how it became a spark that ignited incredible change in their lives and in the lives of those around them. Through the stories of amazing and inspiring people just like you and me, we provide ways for you to think about the power of gratitude and the role it can play in your life. We share insights about how you can leverage gratitude to become more joyful, content and happier, and in the process, how you can become a game-changer of goodness in our world.
To hear more about how this amazing phenomenon called gratitude gives ordinary people extraordinary results, join us as we explore - The Gratitude Spark.