An Army of Normal Folks

Seth is a leading expert on fragile states across the world. And after a lot of people have asked him if America has become a fragile state, Seth dove into it. The result is his powerful book Fragile Neighborhoods: Repairing American Society, One Zip Code At A Time.  

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Seth is a leading expert on fragile states across the world. And after a lot of people have asked him if America has become a fragile state, Seth dove into it. The result is his powerful book Fragile Neighborhoods: Repairing American Society, One Zip Code At A Time.  

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And the story of how it was revealed in the most beautiful way possible, while serving with Sleep in Heavenly Peace! This couple has led their Gadsden, Alabama chapter to delivering 1,656 beds to kids without them. 

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And the story of how it was revealed in the most beautiful way possible, while serving with Sleep in Heavenly Peace! This couple has led their Gadsden, Alabama chapter to delivering 1,656 beds to kids without them. 

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For "Shop Talk", Coach Bill pays tribute to his late friend Bill Prest, and it's 12 years after his death. Now that's a legacy which outlasts how much money he made. 

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Florence “Flo” Brooks and Renardo Baker used to live the street life. Today with Memphis Allies, they’re on the frontlines of helping folks just like themselves to find a better way. 

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Florence “Flo” Brooks and Renardo Baker used to live the street life. Today with Memphis Allies, they’re on the frontlines of helping folks just like themselves to find a better way. 

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For the latest "Shop Talk", Coach Bill's tribute to his late friend Steve Davis, an Oklahoma quarterback and true servant leader.

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Belinda never dreamed of starting a birthday charity, until she was asked to provide a birthday party for a boy who wouldn’t otherwise have one. And only 5 years later, Celebrate Birthdays and their own Army of Normal Folks, have provided birthday celebrations to over 6,000 kids.

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Belinda never dreamed of starting a birthday charity, until she was asked to provide a birthday party for a boy who wouldn’t otherwise have one. And only 5 years later, Celebrate Birthdays and their own Army of Normal Folks, have provided birthday celebrations to over 6,000 kids.

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Tara is a NICU nurse who experienced the epidemic of newborns withdrawing from their moms’ drugs that they got in the womb. And she also experienced that they weren’t given great treatment. Tara stumbled into a solution that’s better for everyone (babies, parents, taxpayers), and her Hushabye Nursery has helped 695 infants & their families!

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Tara is a NICU nurse who experienced the epidemic of newborns withdrawing from their moms’ drugs that they got in the womb. And she also experienced that they weren’t given great treatment. Tara stumbled into a solution that’s better for everyone (babies, parents, taxpayers), and her Hushabye Nursery has helped 695 infants & their families!

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For our latest "Shop Talk", Coach Bill answers a premium member's question about the impact of the Army in our first year. 

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The story of the UPS driver who almost committed suicide, found healing, and accidentally started a viral ministry of delivering good vibes through dance. Today Russell is better known as “The Dancing UPS Man”, with 1.6 million followers on TikTok and 1.2 million on Instagram.

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The story of the UPS driver who almost committed suicide, found healing, and accidentally started a viral ministry of delivering good vibes through dance. Today Russell is better known as “The Dancing UPS Man”, with 1.6 million followers on TikTok and 1.2 million on Instagram.

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75% of the world's carpets and rugs are produced in Dalton, Georgia. For our latest "Shop Talk", Coach Bill tells the community's powerful assimilation story that's made it possible.  

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After losing his mom to cancer, Yuri was depressed and strangely enough found hope when he created an Instagram account. Posts from Army members Officer Tommy Norman and Rodney Smith lifted his spirits, and he even badgered Rodney to join one of his 50 state tours. Next thing you know these guys have gone on 5 Christmas tours together, with Yuri dressed up as a superhero bringing presents to kids with illnesses or disabilities.  

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After losing his mom to cancer, Yuri was depressed and strangely enough found hope when he created an Instagram account. Posts from Army members Officer Tommy Norman and Rodney Smith lifted his spirits, and he even badgered Rodney to join one of his 50 state tours. Next thing you know these guys have gone on 5 Christmas tours together, with Yuri dressed up as a superhero bringing presents to kids with illnesses or disabilities.  

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67% of America's students aren't reading at grade level. What is An Army of Normal Folks going to do about it? Coach Bill's latest Shop Talk.

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After the loss of his wife, Daron spiraled out of control and into brawls & cocaine. He found redemption in rehab and eventually dedicated his life to helping others write their redemption stories. Today, Bonton Farms is one of the largest urban farms in the country, but produce is far from its most important fruit. 

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After the loss of his wife, Daron spiraled out of control and into brawls & cocaine. He found redemption in rehab and eventually dedicated his life to helping others write their redemption stories. Today, Bonton Farms is one of the largest urban farms in the country, but produce is far from its most important fruit. 

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Like normal people. So said Coach Bill's daughter... and just wait until you hear his response on the latest Shop Talk. 

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Susan knew almost nothing about foster care. And when the blinders came off at 27 years old, her whole life completely changed. She started what is now National Angels, whose 19 chapters have volunteers doing life with 3,000 kids experiencing foster care and their foster parents! 

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For our latest Shop Talk, Coach Bill shares a fascinating perspective about these "ragged kids" coming up.

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And his goal is 1 million kids. But none of this would’ve happened if a high school teacher didn’t make the effort to teach Orrin chess and show him a better path than his gang life.

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And his goal is 1 million kids. But none of this would’ve happened if a high school teacher didn’t make the effort to teach Orrin chess and show him a better path than his gang life.

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At a time when only 38% of Americans are extremely proud of being American, Mike Rowe tells us about the patriotic tour de force that is his new film "Something To Stand For", which is in theaters everywhere. Coach Bill also surprises Mike with the impact that he's had on one of our Army members.

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When Jim and Melinda brought presents to a low-income family, they felt off and weird that the relationship would stop there. So they kept coming back to their largely immigrant mobile home park and families asked them to help their kids with homework. Today, their accidental nonprofit Path United operates community centers in 7 mobile home parks and serves 600 kids every week!

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When Jim and Melinda brought presents to a low-income family, they felt off and weird that the relationship would stop there. So they kept coming back to their largely immigrant mobile home park and families asked them to help their kids with homework. Today, their accidental nonprofit Path United operates community centers in 7 mobile home parks and serves 600 kids every week!

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For our latest “Shop Talk”, Coach Bill responds to a listener who is interested in working in government and disheartened by our tagline that our country's problems won't be solved by fancy people in DC.

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Professor Rhonda has assigned listening to and reflecting on our podcast to over 400 of her college students. And just wait until you hear her story that led to an extraordinary life of purpose.

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Professor Rhonda has assigned listening to and reflecting on our podcast to over 400 of her college students. And just wait until you hear her story that led to an extraordinary life of purpose.

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Our host brings us a special short episode on his difficult and yet redemptive experience with Father’s Day.

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For our latest “Shop Talk”, Coach Bill pays tribute to Ole Miss’ former Dean of Students who changed his life and countless others.

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Don is on the frontlines of challenging our broken 20th century education system with 21st century innovations. As a teacher, he brought unheard of things like “Genius Time” and “open-source learning” to his classroom. And his latest innovation is the StartedUp Foundation, which has helped Indiana teachers engage over 6,000 students with the most elite entrepreneurship pitch competition!

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Don is on the frontlines of challenging our broken 20th century education system with 21st century innovations. As a teacher, he brought unheard of things like “Genius Time” and “open-source learning” to his classroom. And his latest innovation is the StartedUp Foundation, which has helped Indiana teachers engage over 6,000 students with the most elite entrepreneurship pitch competition!

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She taught me a whole lot about grace. For our latest “Shop Talk”, Coach Bill pays tribute to his Gram.

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Carly has experienced molestation, prostitution, sex trafficking, addiction, loss, homelessness on Skid Row, and almost every trauma that you could imagine. Her escape and recovery have fueled her radical empathy for the least among us, starting with welcoming the homeless gentleman who appeared in her garden one day. Today, Miss Carly's has fed thousands out of her own home, and most importantly their volunteers walk alongside the homeless, helping 200 people achieve full recoveries and life transformation.

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Carly has experienced molestation, prostitution, sex trafficking, addiction, loss, homelessness on Skid Row, and almost every trauma that you could imagine. Her escape and recovery have fueled her radical empathy for the least among us, starting with welcoming the homeless gentleman who appeared in her garden one day. Today, Miss Carly's has fed thousands out of her own home, and most importantly their volunteers walk alongside the homeless, helping 200 people achieve full recoveries and life transformation.

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Not well enough at least. For "Shop Talk," Coach Bill Courtney gets vulnerable. 

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When Ronda Paulson found out that kids entering foster care slept in government offices while they waited to be placed, she got mad at God and heard ‘These are my children, what are you going to do?’ What Ronda did is build a beautiful home to welcome them into and there's now 22 of these Isaiah 117 Houses around the country. And they've loved on over 5,000 kids on what is often the worst day of their lives. 

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When Ronda Paulson found out that kids entering foster care slept in government offices while they waited to be placed, she got mad at God and heard ‘These are my children, what are you going to do?’ What Ronda did is build a beautiful home to welcome them into and there's now 22 of these Isaiah 117 Houses around the country. And they've loved on over 5,000 kids on what is often the worst day of their lives. 

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For our "Shop Talk" series, Coach Bill Courtney gives his hot take on a topic that a listener recommended he address... travel youth sports.  

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Robert was the beneficiary of older black men who assigned him to a church, placed him in a job, bought him $2,200 worth of professional clothing, and mentored him. They challenged him to do the same for the next generation and he's doing just that through his initiative called Friends After 5, which hosts happy hours to fix the sad reality that not enough black and white Americans are friends after the work day is done. By doing so, Robert believes that we can grow the middle class of both. 

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Robert was the beneficiary of older black men who assigned him to a church, placed him in a job, bought him $2,200 worth of professional clothing, and mentored him. They challenged him to do the same for the next generation and he's doing just that through his initiative called Friends After 5, which hosts happy hours to fix the sad reality that not enough black and white Americans are friends after the work day is done. By doing so, Robert believes that we can grow the middle class of both. 

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For our "Shop Talk" series, Coach Bill Courtney talks about why he calls his kids delicious. And promises that he's not into cannibalism. 

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Turkish immigrant Hakki Akdeniz ended up homeless in New York City after a friend didn't keep his promise to help him settle there. Through hard work and a ton of normal folks supporting his greatness, Hakki has built a food empire with 20 restaurants that includes Champion's Pizza and frozen pizza that's in 1,600 stores! This walking billboard of the American Dream has 35 million followers on Instagram and it’s largely because of his incredible generosity. We celebrate all of this as part of our Supporting Greatness series.

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Turkish immigrant Hakki Akdeniz ended up homeless in New York City after a friend didn't keep his promise to help him settle there. Through hard work and a ton of normal folks supporting his greatness, Hakki has built a food empire with 20 restaurants that includes Champion's Pizza and frozen pizza that's in 1,600 stores! This walking billboard of the American Dream has 35 million followers on Instagram and it’s largely because of his incredible generosity. We celebrate all of this as part of our Supporting Greatness series.

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For our "Shop Talk" series, Coach Bill pontificates on vacuums and when they can hurt you. 

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Scott is the founder of Church Health, the largest faith-based privately funded health clinic in the country. Over 1,000 doctors volunteer to serve 80,000 underinsured patients in Memphis!

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Scott is the founder of Church Health, the largest faith-based privately funded health clinic in the country. Over 1,000 doctors volunteer to serve 80,000 underinsured patients in Memphis!

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For our “Shop Talk” series, Coach Bill tells the inspirational story of Paralympic gold medalist Katie Holloway. And what we can all learn from her. 

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At 16 years old, Jeff was wrongfully convicted of raping and murdering a classmate. And after sixteen years in prison, he was finally exonerated. Rather than being dominated by victimhood that no one would have blamed him for, Jeff went to work fighting to free others who’ve been wrongly convicted and he's already freed 11 folks! 

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At 16 years old, Jeff was wrongfully convicted of raping and murdering a classmate. And after sixteen years in prison, he was finally exonerated. Rather than being dominated by victimhood that no one would have blamed him for, Jeff went to work fighting to free others who’ve been wrongly convicted and he's already freed 11 folks! 

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Adrien and his bride felt called to foster and adopt three boys. And then came another calling of building a technology platform that connects families whose kids shouldn't be in foster care, but are at-risk because they can’t afford basic needs, with churches and individuals in their area who want to serve those needs. CarePortal has helped 265,000 kids to date and they're just getting started! 

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Adrien and his bride felt called to foster and adopt three boys. And then came another calling of building a technology platform that connects families whose kids shouldn't be in foster care, but are at-risk because they can’t afford basic needs, with churches and individuals in their area who want to serve those needs. CarePortal has helped 265,000 kids to date and they're just getting started! 

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For our “Shop Talk” series, Coach Bill Courtney talks about the necessity of dreams, how they’ve built America, and the danger of unrealistic dreams.

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Pat Koch and an army of figurative elves respond to upwards of 30,000 letters per year that are addressed to Santa Claus and miraculously arrive in their town of Santa Claus, Indiana. No one is paying them to do this, they're just normal folks doing the right thing because they can. And Pat is officially the "Chief Elf" of the town!

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Pat Koch and an army of figurative elves respond to upwards of 30,000 letters per year that are addressed to Santa Claus and miraculously arrive in their town of Santa Claus, Indiana. No one is paying them to do this, they're just normal folks doing the right thing because they can. And Pat is officially the "Chief Elf" of the town!

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For our "Shop Talk" series, Coach Bill Courtney talks about Bill Clinton, standing on trophies, and life's true foundations.

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Richard is a Marine veteran who was subject to 4 IED explosions and concussions in Iraq, his best friend being killed next to him, a traumatic brain injury, and post traumatic stress. He came home dealing with a lot and the arts ultimately saved his life. Richard felt called to bring this secret weapon of healing to his fellow veterans and this year alone his nonprofit CreatiVets will serve over 800 veterans!

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Richard is a Marine veteran who was subject to 4 IED explosions and concussions in Iraq, his best friend being killed next to him, a traumatic brain injury, and post traumatic stress. He came home dealing with a lot and the arts ultimately saved his life. Richard felt called to bring this secret weapon of healing to his fellow veterans and this year alone his nonprofit CreatiVets will serve over 800 veterans!

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For our "Shop Talk" series, Coach Bill Courtney shares the story of Holiday Inn founder Kemmons Wilson yanking his chain and teaching him an important life lesson. 

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The COVID pandemic led to two problems that strangely existed at the same time. Millions of Americans were going hungry and yet thousands of commercial farmers were literally dumping food when customers such as restaurants and schools shut down. This didn’t make any sense to Ben Collier, Owen Dubeck, and their ragtag group of college friends, so they decided to become the link between these two worlds. Today, The Farmlink Project has delivered over 200 million pounds of food to people who need it!

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The COVID pandemic led to two problems that strangely existed at the same time. Millions of Americans were going hungry and yet thousands of commercial farmers were literally dumping food when customers such as restaurants and schools shut down. This didn’t make any sense to Ben Collier, Owen Dubeck, and their ragtag group of college friends, so they decided to become the link between these two worlds. Today, The Farmlink Project has delivered over 200 million pounds of food to people who need it!

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When a naked and bloody victim of gang violence ran into his Sunday service, Pastor Corey Brooks committed to staying on the rooftop of the motel that was the headquarters of this nonsense until he had enough money to buy it. 94 days later he succeeded and today his $38 million community center is being built there. The Pastor, along with his nonprofit Project Hood, has improved their neighborhood of Woodlawn from Chicago's 3rd most violent one to the 15th. And they're just getting started.

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When a naked and bloody victim of gang violence ran into his Sunday service, Pastor Corey Brooks committed to staying on the rooftop of the motel that was the headquarters of this nonsense until he had enough money to buy it. 94 days later he succeeded and today his $38 million community center is being built there. The Pastor, along with his nonprofit Project Hood, has improved their neighborhood of Woodlawn from Chicago's 3rd most violent one to the 15th. And they're just getting started.

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For our "Shop Talk" series, Coach Bill Courtney shares the behind-the-scenes story of the Oscar-winning documentary Undefeated. It’s on Amazon Prime and Esquire named it one of the top 20 sports films of all-time.

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Big Al is our first 2-time guest! After our story about his Christmas charity, Secret Families, Al told us that he and a small army of normal folks also respond to natural disasters. They serve however normal folks like themselves can, but it just can't be fluffy.

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Big Al is our first 2-time guest! After our story about his Christmas charity, Secret Families, Al told us that he and a small army of normal folks also respond to natural disasters. They serve however normal folks like themselves can, but it just can't be fluffy.

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For our "Shop Talk" series, Coach Bill Courtney pays tribute to his late employee Sam Quinn, who had an extraordinary redemption story.

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The Owens battled addiction in some of Memphis’ worst dope houses. When they left town to escape this life, Ben felt called to eventually come back to help those whom they left behind. Today, their nonprofit We Fight Monsters owns some of the very houses that they once used in, transforming them into hope houses for 75 people touched by recovery and sex trafficking.

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The Owens battled addiction in some of Memphis’ worst dope houses. When they left town to escape this life, Ben felt called to eventually come back to help those whom they left behind. Today, their nonprofit We Fight Monsters owns some of the very houses that they once used in, transforming them into hope houses for 75 people touched by recovery and sex trafficking.

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Veteran Richard McKinney hated Muslims and after returning from Iraq, he couldn't stand seeing "the enemy" in his community of Muncie, Indiana. He visited their mosque to justify his planned bombing of it, but their love for him completely transformed his heart. Ultimately, Richard converted to Islam and even served as the mosque’s President. 

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Veteran Richard McKinney hated Muslims and after returning from Iraq, he couldn't stand seeing "the enemy" in his community of Muncie, Indiana. He visited their mosque to justify his planned bombing of it, but their love for him completely transformed his heart. Ultimately, Richard converted to Islam and even served as the mosque’s President. 

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For our "Shop Talk" series, Coach Bill Courtney shares the story of an unlikely hero who inspired the largest collegiate philanthropy event in the country.

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After struggling with addiction for almost 2 decades, Scott Strode found hope while ice climbing. The healing power of nature and community radically transformed his life. And Scott couldn’t not share his secret with the rest of the world too. The Phoenix was born and this year their sober movement is expected to serve more than 400,000 people!

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After struggling with addiction for almost 2 decades, Scott Strode found hope while ice climbing. The healing power of nature and community radically transformed his life. And Scott couldn’t not share his secret with the rest of the world too. The Phoenix was born and this year their sober movement is expected to serve more than 400,000 people!

Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premium

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For our “Shop Talk” series, Coach Bill Courtney shares one of the most vulnerable stories of his life.

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After racking up 17 felonies, Trina finally had enough and had a vision for a resource center to help other women like herself. Today, her nonprofit Mending Hearts has grown into something far beyond her wildest imagination, owning 15 homes in Nashville that provide shelter, hope, and healing to women who are homeless due to addiction and mental health disorders. 

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After racking up 17 felonies, Trina finally had enough and had a vision for a resource center to help other women like herself. Today, her nonprofit Mending Hearts has grown into something far beyond her wildest imagination, owning 15 homes in Nashville that provide shelter, hope, and healing to women who are homeless due to addiction and mental health disorders. 

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Coach Bill Courtney answers this question from a premium member of An Army of Normal Folks.

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There are 677,000 volunteer firefighters across America and Ellen Yarborough joined their ranks at 45 years old. The history teacher then accidentally pioneered giving her students academic credit for their service as fire cadets, which they can do as young as 14 years old! Her model called “Schoolhouse to Firehouse” is inspiring the next generation of firefighters and community leaders. 

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There are 677,000 volunteer firefighters across America and Ellen Yarborough joined their ranks at 45 years old. The history teacher then accidentally pioneered giving her students academic credit for their service as fire cadets, which they can do as young as 14 years old! Her model called “Schoolhouse to Firehouse” is inspiring the next generation of firefighters and community leaders. 

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In Melvin’s family, you were either a drug dealer or a junkie. At 8 years old, he remembers choosing between these two options and joined his family’s cocaine ring that was arguably the largest in West Tennessee history. It led him to one of the most desperate situations you could imagine and making a deal with God to get out of it. He promised to save other inner-city Memphis kids just like him and that’s exactly what PURE Academy has done. 

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In Melvin’s family, you were either a drug dealer or a junkie. At 8 years old, he remembers choosing between these two options and joined his family’s cocaine ring that was arguably the largest in West Tennessee history. It led him to one of the most desperate situations you could imagine and making a deal with God to get out of it. He promised to save other inner-city Memphis kids just like him and that’s exactly what PURE Academy has done. 

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25 million books sold, a film starring Tim McGraw and Octavia Spencer, and tens of millions of lives touched. But the extraordinary impact of The Shack never would have happened if 3 different people didn't save the life of the author, William Paul Young. For our special "Supporting Greatness" series, Paul pays tribute to these unsung heroes. 

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25 million books sold, a film starring Tim McGraw and Octavia Spencer, and tens of millions of lives touched. But the extraordinary impact of The Shack never would have happened if 3 different people didn't save the life of the author, William Paul Young. For our special "Supporting Greatness" series, Paul pays tribute to these unsung heroes. 

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While working as a fashion designer, Christina found herself being the only girl volunteering with an army of tradesmen to renovate buildings for nonprofits—and she loved it! The amazing work of Servant’s Heart Ministry has turned out to be her true calling that she never could have expected. 

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While working as a fashion designer, Christina found herself being the only girl volunteering with an army of tradesmen to renovate buildings for nonprofits—and she loved it! The amazing work of Servant’s Heart Ministry has turned out to be her true calling that she never could have expected. 

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After marrying her husband whose son Bradley has an intellectual & developmental disability (IDD), Jane heroically gave up her own job to try to help train him for one. In our broken culture where 66% of adults like Bradley are not employed, Jane’s nonprofit called The H.E.A.R.T. Program has broken the mold and helped more than 1,000 adults with IDDs operate 90 vending machines, concession stands at Rockets and Texans games, and achieve their full potential. 

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After marrying her husband whose son Bradley has an intellectual & developmental disability (IDD), Jane heroically gave up her own job to try to help train him for one. In our broken culture where 66% of adults like Bradley are not employed, Jane’s nonprofit called The H.E.A.R.T. Program has broken the mold and helped more than 1,000 adults with IDDs operate 90 vending machines, concession stands at Rockets and Texans games, and achieve their full potential. 

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After decades working as a traditional real estate developer, one day Tim Sittema was shocked by a study that ranked his city of Charlotte as dead last in upward mobility out of the top 50 cities and he couldn’t unsee this reality. Tim felt called to dedicate 50% of his time on a type of development that you would never do if your goal was to make money: affordable housing. He’s since built around 500 affordable housing units, with another 500 on the way! 

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After decades working as a traditional real estate developer, one day Tim Sittema was shocked by a study that ranked his city of Charlotte as dead last in upward mobility out of the top 50 cities and he couldn’t unsee this reality. Tim felt called to dedicate 50% of his time on a type of development that you would never do if your goal was to make money: affordable housing. He’s since built around 500 affordable housing units, with another 500 on the way! 

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In 1996, Alice decided to “bloom where you’re planted”—in prison. After receiving an unexpected life sentence, she got to work serving her fellow prisoners by helping them with vocational training, organizing plays, the very first Special Olympics events in a prison, and even loving some as they died as a hospice volunteer. And once she got pardoned, Alice’s service has only accelerated. 

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In 1996, Alice decided to “bloom where you’re planted”—in prison. After receiving an unexpected life sentence, she got to work serving her fellow prisoners by helping them with vocational training, organizing plays, the very first Special Olympics events in a prison, and even loving some as they died as a hospice volunteer. And once she got pardoned, Alice’s service has only accelerated. 

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Jessica is a survivor of child molestation and human trafficking, who found her calling helping other survivors transform painful reminders of their past into symbols of hope. Her nonprofit Atlanta Redemption Ink, and their network of 80 tattoo shops across the country, have helped 673 people get tattoos removed and covered up that were from their sex traffickers, gangs, addiction, or self-harm.

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Jessica is a survivor of child molestation and human trafficking, who found her calling helping other survivors transform painful reminders of their past into symbols of hope. Her nonprofit Atlanta Redemption Ink, and their network of 80 tattoo shops across the country, have helped 673 people get tattoos removed and covered up that were from their sex traffickers, gangs, addiction, or self-harm.

Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premium

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.