Hope Is My Middle Name

The Unbreakable Bond: Service Dogs and Their Life-Saving Impact with Jennifer Arnold

Kate Tucker — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Educating dogs to change the world, that’s the work of Canine Assistants founded in 1991 by Jennifer Arnold, in the wake of her father’s unexpected death and her diagnosis of multiple sclerosis at age 16. Fueled by legacy and limitation, Jennifer funded her scrappy startup with wide-ranging odd jobs and a donation bucket at the local Walmart. To date, the non-profit has placed over 3,000 service dogs with people who have mobility difficulties, Type 1 Diabetes, epilepsy/seizure disorders, and other special needs. Their Community Service Dogs provide therapy in Children's Hospitals for patients, families, and staff, and their Community Facilitators are helping scale their work across America.

Join us for poignant and heartwarming stories of superhero dogs who love us enough to save our lives, and learn a bit about the science behind their impressive capabilities. And if you’re looking for tips and tricks for your own pup, Jennifer Arnold shares her Bond-Based Approach to teaching dogs, which forgoes traditional training methods, focusing instead on the powerful bond between humans and our canine companions.

Visit HopeIsMyMiddleName.com for episode transcript, videos, and links to Jennifer Arnold and Canine Assistants.

If you liked this episode, listen next to Hope and Healing for Kids and Families Living with Autism: Dr. Theresa Hamlin, Hope Is My Middle Name season 4, episode 9.

Hosted and executive produced by Kate Tucker, Hope Is My Middle Name is a podcast by Consensus Digital Media in collaboration with Reasonable Volume.

If you like the show, please follow us on your favorite podcast platform, and leave us a 5-star rating and review. It makes a big difference in helping us reach more people with more HOPE.

Thanks so much for listening!

Hope and Healing for Kids and Families Living with Autism: Dr. Theresa Hamlin

Kate Tucker — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 06:00:00 -0500

“What happens here matters everywhere” is the motto for The Center for Discovery, tucked away in the hills of upstate New York, where for the past forty years Dr. Theresa Hamlin has been hard at work revolutionizing care for people with autism and other complex needs. With a robust team of researchers, Dr. Hamlin developed the HealthE6 model, a holistic approach to calibrating brain, body, and environment through diet, movement, and stress management. In autism, stress is a major factor and the HealthE6 model offers tangible ways to find equilibrium. We have a long way to go in understanding autism, but at The Center for Discovery there is real healing and hope.

Join us for a powerful conversation with Dr. Theresa Hamlin as she shares stories of breakthroughs, and innovative approaches that can help kids and families living with autism, and all of us, manage stress, build confidence, and find joy in the process.

Visit HopeIsMyMiddleName.com for episode transcript, videos, and links to Dr. Theresa Hamlin and The Center for Discovery.

If you liked this episode, listen next to Veterans Turning PTSD into Posttraumatic Growth with Boulder Crest’s Ken Falke, Hope Is My Middle Name season 4, episode 6.

Hosted and executive produced by Kate Tucker, Hope Is My Middle Name is a podcast by Consensus Digital Media in collaboration with Reasonable Volume.

If you like the show, please follow us on your favorite podcast platform, and leave us a 5-star rating and review. It makes a big difference in helping us reach more people with more HOPE.

Thanks so much for listening!

Empowering Art and Community In and Out of Prison: Rahsaan “New York” Thomas

Kate Tucker — Tue, 03 Dec 2024 06:00:00 -0500

What if art could build a bridge from incarceration to liberation? For Rahsaan “New York” Thomas the road was long, but he turned a 55 to life prison sentence into an opportunity. Through art, he would empower fellow incarcerated artists to transcend the limits of their sentences, and maybe even one day walk free, like Rahsaan did in 2023.

Today Rahsaan directs Empowerment Avenue, a non-profit he founded while inside San Quentin and now runs on the outside, along with a myriad of creative endeavors including the San Quentin Film Festival, and his work on the Pulitzer-prize winning podcast, Ear Hustle.

Rahsaan takes us through his life like the skilled storyteller he is, from growing up in Brownsville, Brooklyn, to landing in prison in California, to finding his voice as an artist inside San Quentin, and running the New York Marathon as a free man, with a dream to empower art that fosters inclusivity, which he believes could ultimately heal the root causes of crime.

Join us for a transformative conversation on art as a lifeline to hope and lifelong community.

Find episode transcript and links for Rahsaan “New York” Thomas and Empowerment Avenue at HopeIsMyMiddleName.com

Photo of Rahsaan "New York" Thomas by Nigel Poor

If you liked this episode, listen next to Landing a Life-Changing Job Out of Prison and Addiction with Kyle Wedge, Hope Is My Middle Name season 3, episode 4.

Hosted and executive produced by Kate Tucker, Hope Is My Middle Name is a podcast by Consensus Digital Media in collaboration with Reasonable Volume.

If you like the show, please follow us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and leave us a 5-star rating and review. It makes a big difference in helping us reach more people with more HOPE.

Thanks for listening!

A Tornado Destroyed Greensburg So They Rebuilt as America’s Greenest Town

Kate Tucker — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Growing up on a farm in Kansas, Bob Dixson never dreamed of being mayor. But when a tornado leveled 95% of his small town he came out of retirement and into rebuilding from the rubble, a thriving climate resilient community. Today Greensburg is America’s greenest town, powered entirely by renewable energy with smart infrastructure for water conservation, and the most LEED-certified buildings per capita in the US.

Hear the story of Greensburg, as Bob tells it, from the night the tornado took the roof off his house, to the example it is today of resilience, small town values, good ol’ Midwest pragmatism, and hope.

Find episode transcript and links for Bob Dixson and Greensburg at HopeIsMyMiddleName.com

If you liked this episode, listen next to Doug Naselroad: Building Instruments to Recover from Floods and Addiction in Appalachia, Hope Is My Middle Name season 2, episode 8.

Hosted and executive produced by Kate Tucker, Hope Is My Middle Name is a podcast by Consensus Digital Media in collaboration with Reasonable Volume.

If you like the show, please follow us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and leave us a 5-star rating and review. It makes a big difference in helping us reach more people with more HOPE.

Thanks for listening!

Veterans Turning PTSD into Posttraumatic Growth with Boulder Crest’s Ken Falke

Kate Tucker — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Ken Falke loves jumping out of airplanes. As a 21-year veteran bomb disposal specialist in the U.S. Navy, he’s a high risk, high pressure kind of guy. But when a jump went bad at age 27, he found himself out of commission and staring down a discharge. At that moment, Ken faced a decision he says all trauma survivors must make – he chose to be a victor, not a victim.

What seemed like the end, held in it the seed of a transformative mission Ken would launch with his wife in 2010 to help veterans, first responders and their families trade PTSD for Posttraumatic Growth. Through Boulder Crest Foundation’s Warrior PATHH program, survivors learn to reframe their trauma and become experts in their own healing. Boulder Crest programs are free for the over 100,000 people they’ve served, they use zero meds, and Warrior PATHH is 5-7 times more effective than traditional approaches to PTSD.

Hear why Ken Falke is determined to transform mental healthcare across America, and how his experience in military special ops makes him the perfect man for the job.

Find episode transcript, links for Ken Falke and Boulder Crest at HopeIsMyMiddleName.com

Listen next to Jon Turner: Veteran on a Life-Giving Mission, Hope Is My Middle Name season 1, episode 2.

Hosted and executive produced by Kate Tucker, Hope Is My Middle Name is a podcast by Consensus Digital Media in collaboration with Reasonable Volume.

If you like the show, please follow us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and leave us a 5-star rating and review. It makes a big difference in helping us reach more people with more HOPE.

Thanks for listening!

From Teen Motherhood to Saving Lives with Nurse-Family Partnership’s Maria Rush

Kate Tucker — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Sometimes it just takes a moment to change someone’s life. That’s what Maria Rush understands as a nurse advocating for mothers and babies in Cleveland, Ohio. Maria has a superhero-sized calling, born from a near-death experience during childbirth at the age of fifteen. She’s dedicated her life to saving mothers and their babies just like the nurse who took a moment to see what Maria truly needed on that delivery room table, and to speak life-giving, literally life-saving words.

America has one of the highest mortality rates for mothers and babies among developed nations. The infant mortality rate more than doubles for Black babies, and Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy related cause than White women. These statistics are on the mind of Maria Rush every morning as she goes to work for the Nurse-Family Partnership, a nation-wide program that helps first-time moms have healthy pregnancies and healthy babies, become knowledgeable and nurturing parents, achieve education and employment goals and provide their children with the best possible start in life.

Join us for a powerful conversation on motherhood, breaking generational cycles, and the importance of community in caring for our children and families.

Find episode transcript, links and more about Maria Rush at HopeIsMyMiddleName.com

Listen next to An American Dream to End Hunger with Ron Pringle on Hope Is My Middle Name season 2, episode 2.

Hosted and executive produced by Kate Tucker, Hope Is My Middle Name is a podcast by Consensus Digital Media in collaboration with Reasonable Volume.

If you like the show, please follow us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and leave us a 5-star rating and review. It makes a big difference in helping us reach more people with more HOPE.

Thank you, thank you for listening!

Elevating Teachers and Their Exponential Impact with Nínive Calegari

Kate Tucker — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Why aren’t we paying teachers for their exponential impact? We all have teachers who have made a difference in our lives and we might be surprised to learn how little they are compensated. In fact, 62% of parents advise against a career in education due to this wage gap. Teacher morale is the lowest in our lifetime. Yet we know that education is so important when it comes to ensuring the health of our economy, our democracy, and our very existence on this planet.

That’s why former social studies teacher Nínive Calegari started the Teacher Salary Project. She’s on a mission to make teaching the prestigious, financially viable and professionally exciting job that it can and should be. With her Mexican-American heritage and intergenerational perspective, Nínive inspires us to do better when it comes to fostering our country’s greatest asset, our young people. Join us for a powerful conversation on what the future could be if we step up and support our teachers.

Find episode transcript, links and more about at Nínive Calegari at HopeIsMyMiddleName.com

Listen next to Building Bridges Across America: The American Exchange Project with David McCullough III on Hope Is My Middle Name season 4, episode 3.

Hosted and executive produced by Kate Tucker, Hope Is My Middle Name is a podcast by Consensus Digital Media in collaboration with Reasonable Volume.

If you like the show, please follow us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and leave us a 5-star rating.

Thanks for listening!

Building Bridges Across America: The American Exchange Project with David McCullough III

Kate Tucker — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Do you think America is more divided than ever? Do you feel we’re more different than we are alike? What would happen if you took a free week-long trip to a community vastly different from your own? And then brought folks from that far off town to your neighborhood?

These are the questions we’re exploring on the new episode of Hope Is My Middle Name with the fabulous David McCullough III, co-founder and CEO of the American Exchange Project.

Through week-long summer youth exchanges, AEP invites high school seniors to experience life in communities far different from their own. These experiences foster connection, upend stereotypes, and restore a sense of ownership and pride of place as youth cross the threshold into independence.

It all started with a road trip David took in college, where he realized that Americans were less polarized than we might think, and that adventuring together could be an antidote to division. Fast forward just a few years after the launch of American Exchange Project and they’ve already sent over 1,000 students to 75 towns in 36 states.

David envisions the American Exchange Project as a civic coming of age ritual, something that will eventually become as intrinsic to the high school experience as the senior prom. And in Jonathan’s Haidt’s new book, The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, he references AEP as an antidote to anxiety.

Join Kate Tucker as she sits down with David McCullough III for a powerful conversation on bringing people together across divides, establishing a civic coming of age ritual, and trading anxiety for adventure.

Find the video version of this podcast, along with episode transcript, links and more at HopeIsMyMiddleName.com

Listen next to Tim & Beth Reese: Building Small Town Resilience in West Virginia on Hope Is My Middle Name season 2, episode 3.

Hosted and executive produced by Kate Tucker, Hope Is My Middle Name is a podcast by Consensus Digital Media in collaboration with Reasonable Volume.

If you like the show, please follow us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and leave us a 5-star rating.

Thanks for listening!

Transforming Neighborhoods: The Radical Hospitality of Deep Listening with De'Amon Harges

Kate Tucker — Tue, 08 Oct 2024 06:00:00 -0500

From dyslexia to deep listening, De'Amon Harges transformed his life and the life of his Indianapolis neighborhood by practicing radical hospitality. As the “Original Roving Listener,” he would go door to door asking folks to tell him their stories. In listening, De'Amon discovered such a wealth of talent and opportunity on his street that he started a consulting company with his neighbors. Today, The Learning Tree advises organizations and municipalities across America in developing social capital through community-centered models of growth, like Asset Based Community Development.

De'Amon is a born storyteller and a practiced listener, and he shares unconventional tips on how to get over your fears and connect with pretty much anybody. Hear why De'Amon and his neighbors got a visit from the US Surgeon General, and how they’re now building a multimillion dollar center for radical hospitality to strengthen their community for generations.

In this episode we explore:

Transforming dyslexia into a superpower
Cultivating community, economy, and mutual delight
How to practice deep listening
Combatting the loneliness epidemic in America
Walking with a neighbor to reduce anxiety
Sharing our birth stories
Storytelling to build trust and opportunity
Asset Based Community Development
Inviting institutions into the community
The power of hosting a good party
Identifying alternative currencies: social capital, talent, belonging, and trust
Empowering community chaplains
Neighborhood Economic Vitality Index
Friendship as a reason to hope

Find the episode transcript, links to De'Amon’s work, and more at HopeIsMyMiddleName.com

Listen next to A Radical Take on Helping the Homeless with Alan Graham on Hope Is My Middle Name season 3, episode 2.

Hosted and executive produced by Kate Tucker, Hope Is My Middle Name is a podcast by Consensus Digital Media in collaboration with Reasonable Volume.

If you like the show, please follow us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and leave us a 5-star rating.

As always, thanks so much for listening!

Connecting Faith and Science to Solve the Climate Crisis with Katharine Hayhoe

Kate Tucker — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Chief Scientist at the Nature Conservancy, climate researcher, “Science Mom,” and evangelical Christian, Katharine Hayhoe is not out to save the planet, she’s out to save us from the devastating impacts of climate change. As a scientist, Katharine knows that the earth will adapt to global warming, but the conditions, if left unchecked, will ultimately lead to our extinction. As a Christian, she views climate change as a failure to love, since its effects are already impacting those who have contributed the least to its cause. With Biblical mandates to care for God’s creation and love our neighbor as ourselves, Katharine is helping people of all backgrounds and faiths better understand, address, and combat climate change with compassion and hope. Join us for a joyful conversation on the power of science and faith joining forces to solve the climate crisis.

Discover videos, links, and more about Katharine Hayhoe in the show notes at HopeIsMyMiddleName.com and connect with Kate Tucker on Instagram @katetuckermusic

If you liked this episode, listen next to Bayou Dave: Cleaning Up Trash to Save the World, Hope Is My Middle Name season 2, episode 7.

If you like the show, please follow us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and leave us a 5-star rating and review.

As always, thank you so much for listening!

Hosted and executive produced by Kate Tucker, Hope Is My Middle Name is a podcast by Consensus Digital Media in collaboration with Reasonable Volume.

Hope Is My Middle Name: Stories that Inspire Hope

Kate Tucker — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Welcome to Hope Is My Middle Name, the podcast where Kate Tucker interviews everyday Americans doing big daring things to make the world a little better. Hope can be complicated these days, and hearing their stories reminds us that we too can make a difference, wherever we are.

Join us for a new season of Hope Is My Middle Name, every Tuesday now through December.

New to Hope? Start with "John Christian Phifer: Finding Life in Death with Natural Burial" season 2, episode 1 on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.

Connect with Kate on Instagram and Youtube, and subscribe to the Hope newsletter for behind-the-scenes stories of hope and the people who inspire us.

If you like what you hear, please follow Hope Is My Middle Name on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and leave us a rating and review! Your feedback makes a huge difference in helping us reach more people with more hope.

Hosted and executive produced by Kate Tucker, Hope Is My Middle Name is a podcast by Consensus Digital Media in collaboration with Reasonable Volume.

Special thanks to the following Hope guests, featured in this season 4 trailer, in order of appearance:

Kevin Berthia - Listening to Understand the Mental Health Crisis
Dr. Theresa Hamlin - forthcoming Hope Is My Middle Name season 4
Doug Naselroad - Building Instruments to Recover from Floods and Addiction in Appalachia
John Christian Phifer - Finding Life in Death with Natural Burial
Jennifer Arnold - forthcoming Hope Is My Middle Name season 4
Sergeant Kevin Briggs - Listening to Understand the Mental Health Crisis
Maria Rush - forthcoming Hope Is My Middle Name season 4
Sally Sears - Transforming a Toxic Wasteland into a Wildlife Haven

What’s in the Water: West Virginia’s WaterKeeper on the Future of Appalachia’s Rivers

Kate Tucker — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 10:00:18 -0500

Almost Heaven, West Virginia isn’t just coal mines and country roads. Called the Birthplace of Rivers, the state sits on the Eastern Continental Divide, where 40 rivers and 56,000 miles of streams provide drinking water for millions of people from the Chesapeake Bay out to the Gulf of Mexico.

And yet, while West Virginia serves the country with her pristine headwater streams, there are entire counties in the state that have been on boil water alerts for years, with wells contaminated by coal mining and fracking, with no infrastructure for clean drinking water, with no funding, and no real plan. Compounding that are issues of food insecurity, poverty, and addiction. With limited access to well-paying jobs, education, and broadband, West Virginia’s population continues to dwindle, and it leads the nation in opioid deaths.

Where is the hope for a place like West Virginia? It’s in the people, and it's in the water, according to Angie Rosser, West Virginia’s Headwaters WaterKeeper and executive director of West Virginia Rivers Coalition. As Angie says, “We're well-positioned geographically, resource-wise, to have this paradigm shift around what it means to develop natural resources [...] as something to preserve and hold up, as something we are the keepers of. You can experience this and it will make meaning for your life, your family, your connection to nature and the bigger world around us. So I'm excited about that and that’s why I'm not leaving. I'm staying here.”

Join us for a delightful conversation on rivers, resilience, and restoration born in the hills of Appalachia on this season finale episode of HOPE.

Learn more about Angie Rosser and West Virginia Rivers Coalition at https://wvrivers.org/

If you liked this episode, listen next to Tim and Beth Reese: Building Small Town Resilience in West Virginia on HOPE Is My Middle Name season 2, episode 3.

Follow Kate’s adventures through West Virginia on Made In America, now streaming on YouTube.com/ConsensusDigitalMedia

Connect with Kate on YouTube.com/KateTucker and instagram.com/katetuckermusic and please follow, rate, and review the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, it means a lot to us!

Hosted and executive produced by Kate Tucker, Hope Is My Middle Name is a podcast by Consensus Digital Media in collaboration with Reasonable Volume.

Fighting Wildfires with 5,000 Rescue Goats

Kate Tucker — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 10:00:44 -0500

Terri Oyarzun can’t imagine life without goats. She grew up with goats, she met her husband out herding goats, and together they rescued 55 “Charlie Brown” goats and trained them to fight wildfires. Today, the 5,000 strong Goats R Us herd works with government agencies, universities, and communities to find innovative solutions for fire control and prevention, while advancing animal husbandry and livestock management in California’s increasingly challenging climate. “Fire season is twelve months out of the year now. The goats are protecting people. They're the four-legged firefighters of California.” Get ready for a fun and insightful conversation on goats–what we can learn from their many wonderful quirks and how they are helping us build a more resilient ecosystem.

See Terri and her goats at GoatsRUs.com

If you liked this episode, listen next to Bayou Dave: Cleaning Up Trash to Save the World, Hope Is My Middle Name season 2, episode 7.

Connect with Kate on instagram.com/katetuckermusic and please follow, rate, and review the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, it means a lot to us!

Hosted and executive produced by Kate Tucker, Hope Is My Middle Name is a podcast by Consensus Digital Media in collaboration with Reasonable Volume.

Building Climate Resilience in a Coastal Florida Floodplain

Kate Tucker — Tue, 31 Oct 2023 09:00:52 -0500

What do you do when your hometown has been ranked in the top 4 US cities most vulnerable to coastal flooding? If you’re Nancy Metayer Bowen, you run for office. And you become the first Haitian-American to be elected to office in Coral Springs, Florida. Now as a city commissioner, Nancy is hard at work, what storms may come – hurricanes, Imposter Syndrome, sea level rise – building a more sustainable future for her family, her community, and the rich and diverse ecosystem of the South Florida Everglades.

Join us for a courageous and enlivening conversation on finding hope to outlast the storm.

To learn more about Nancy and her work in Coral Springs, visit metayerbowen.com

If you liked this episode, listen next to Transforming a Toxic Wasteland into a Wildlife Haven with Sally Sears on HOPE Is My Middle Name season 3, episode 3.

Connect with Kate on YouTube.com/KateTucker and instagram.com/katetuckermusic and please follow, rate, and review the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, it means a lot to us!

Hosted and executive produced by Kate Tucker, Hope Is My Middle Name is a podcast by Consensus Digital Media in collaboration with Reasonable Volume.

Landing a Life-Changing Job Out of Prison and Addiction

Kate Tucker — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 09:00:15 -0500

Out of prison and addiction into a full-time job with big-time responsibility, Kyle Wedge transformed his life in no small way, with the help of a whole host of folks who had faced that same hard recovery. Now, as Field Operations Manager at MaineWorks, he is helping people move from incarceration and addiction into aliveness and connection.

Founded in 2010 by Margo Walsh, MaineWorks is an employment company offering support, structure, and accountability for people facing real barriers to employment, like felony convictions and substance use disorder, by providing quality, long-term job placement in the fields of construction, carpentry, masonry, roadwork, bridges, demolition, landscaping, and more.

As Kyle says, “We can't define someone by everything that they've done in the past. The person that needs that second chance could be the most valuable person that you add to your company or team, because that person has hit all the pain in the world and they're willing to go to any lengths to be their best self.”

Kyle’s voice is heartwarming, his story heart-wrenching, and ultimately– incredibly inspiring. Join us as he shares his perspective on the power of service, sobriety, and good hard work.

Find out more at MaineWorks.us, and support the work at UnitedRecoveryFund.org

Special thanks to Margo Walsh and to Sternman Productions, Tom Hildreth and Ian McCrudden, for clips from the amazing documentary, Hopeful: The Story of MaineWorks.

If you liked this episode, listen next to Doug Naselroad: Building Instruments to Recover from Floods and Addiction in Appalachia.

Connect with Kate on YouTube.com/KateTucker and instagram.com/katetuckermusic and please follow, rate, and review the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, it means a lot to us!

Hosted and executive produced by Kate Tucker, Hope Is My Middle Name is a podcast by Consensus Digital Media in collaboration with Reasonable Volume.

If you or someone you know needs support now, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org

Transforming a Toxic Wasteland into a Wildlife Haven

Kate Tucker — Tue, 17 Oct 2023 09:00:39 -0500

Where’s your creek? Atlanta’s own Sally Sears asks, as she spills the tea on how she and her neighbors discovered an urban paradise, hidden in swaths of kudzu, swamped with sewage and asbestos, but there nonetheless, waiting for them to reclaim it.

This is the story of Zonolite Park, an industrial wasteland abandoned for decades, declared a brownfield by the EPA, only to be rescued by a handful of locals who believed it could be done. From court battles to coordinated clean up, the people of South Fork Conservancy built a veritable wildlife haven between two major interstates. And it’s only the beginning… With five miles of pathway and three new public parks along Peachtree Creek, they plan to connect and restore 31 miles of thriving watershed.

A lifelong journalist and co-founder and CEO of South Fork Conservancy, Sally shares her wealth of experience covering urban growth in the South. “When you can help a little thing like a creek, you start to see some of those intertwining connections that make for a much more rich life for yourself, as well as for the world around you, and you inspire other people to do it too. [...] It's a purpose. It's a unifier. We are not here alone. We are here as part of something bigger.”

Learn more about the restoration of Zonolite Park at SouthForkConservancy.org

And connect with Sally Sears on LinkedIn

Listen to the podcast episode Sally referenced: Bayou Dave: Cleaning Up Trash to Save the World

Connect with Kate on youtube.com/katetucker and instagram.com/katetuckermusic and please follow, rate, and review the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, it means a lot to us!

Hosted and executive produced by Kate Tucker, Hope Is My Middle Name is a podcast by Consensus Digital Media in collaboration with Reasonable Volume.

A Radical Take on Helping the Homeless

Kate Tucker — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 09:00:41 -0500

When a young Alan Graham chided a homeless man panhandling next to a taco stand in Austin, he could not have imagined that 36 years later he’d be living in a vibrant neighborhood of formerly homeless people, a neighborhood that he built.

In 1998, real estate developer Alan Graham launched Mobile Loaves and Fishes to help communities offer food, housing, and employment for neighbors coming up off the streets. What started out as one food truck and a mission to meet people where they are turned into a multi-million dollar operation with tens of thousands of volunteers who have never missed a night, delivering more than 6 million meals from their food trucks and lifting folks into permanent housing, jobs, and most importantly, community. Today, Community First! Village is a thriving neighborhood still growing to span 178 acres and eventually provide 1,900 permanent homes for people coming out of chronic homelessness, alongside those who support and care for them.

As you'll hear, Alan didn't plan on dedicating his life to serving the homeless, but a twist of fate and a leap of faith changed everything for him and for so many others.

For more on Alan Graham and Mobile Loaves and Fishes, visit mlf.org

Read Alan Graham’s book, Welcome Homeless

Connect with Kate on youtube.com/katetucker and instagram.com/katetuckermusic and please follow, rate, and review the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, it means a lot to us!

If you liked this episode, listen next to Ron Pringle: An American Dream to End Hunger, from season 2, episode 2.

Hosted and executive produced by Kate Tucker, Hope Is My Middle Name is a podcast by Consensus Digital Media in collaboration with Reasonable Volume.

How a Philly Bouncer Became an Organic Farmer

Kate Tucker — Tue, 03 Oct 2023 09:00:07 -0500

Kegan Hilaire was hard at work as a bouncer in Philly, with no plans to become an organic farmer. Until one day, he cracked open a pasture-raised egg with an impossibly orange yolk and he wondered, “Why is this egg so much better than the ones in the grocery store?”

This is the story of a nightclub bouncer who found himself in the middle of a field with a handful of seeds and a dream to bring healthy, organic food to everyone, especially those who can least afford it. Today, Kegan Hilaire is the owner of Blackbird Farms, an organic vegetable farm in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, and as Small Farms and Diversified Vegetable Consultant for Rodale Institute, he’s helping folks start their own sustainable agriculture ventures. Kegan’s love for food, farming, and community is absolutely inspiring and he’s eager to share practical tips for how anyone can grow anything anywhere.

To see what Kegan’s growing at Blackbird Farms, go to https://blackbirdfarms.square.site/

And to learn more about how you can benefit from organic farming visit RodaleInstitute.org

Connect with Kate on youtube.com/katetucker and instagram.com/katetuckermusic, and please follow the show and leave a review, it means a lot to us!

If you liked this episode, check out Jon Turner: Veteran on a Life-Giving Mission (season 1, episode 2)

Hosted and executive produced by Kate Tucker, Hope Is My Middle Name is a podcast by Consensus Digital Media in collaboration with Reasonable Volume.

Doug Naselroad: Building Instruments to Recover from Floods and Addiction in Appalachia

Kate Tucker — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 11:00:38 -0500

Doug Naselroad says, “Recovery from a substance abuse disorder is not that different than recovery from a catastrophic disaster. It's a work that you're going to be doing for the rest of your life.” That understanding energizes Doug’s work helping people recover from addiction by teaching them to build stringed instruments. Doug lives in the small town of Hindman, Kentucky, which on July 28, 2022 was all but destroyed after severe rains caused the Troublesome Creek to rise into a thousand year flood. We heard Doug in a news interview as he stood in four feet of water trying to save 100-year-old instruments from rushing downriver, and it resonated that in the midst of utter disaster, people were working to recover instruments of song, of story, of Appalachian history, all the while holding on to hope.

Learn more about Doug Naselroad and the Culture of Recovery at troublesomecreekguitars.com.

This is the last episode of Season 2, but we’ll be back again next fall with more HOPE. In the meantime, connect with Kate Tucker on instagram.com/katetuckermusic and follow, rate, and review the show, it makes a BIG difference.

Hosted and produced by Kate Tucker, Hope Is My Middle Name is a podcast by Consensus Digital Media in collaboration with Reasonable Volume.

Bayou Dave: Cleaning Up Trash to Save the World

Kate Tucker — Tue, 17 Jan 2023 11:00:37 -0500

Bayou Dave, aka David Rivers, has a calling. It involves a whole lot of trash and a vision for a clean, healthy, vibrant world that his kids can grow up in. So every day, he goes out on Houston’s Buffalo Bayou on a big makeshift barge and picks up trash—167 dump truck loads every year. He’s been called King of the Bayou, and he notices every little shift in the ecosystem. To hear him talk about the return of the snakes, or the bald eagles—his delight is contagious and his commitment, compelling.

To see Bayou Dave take on rivers of trash visit BuffaloBayou.org

Connect with Kate Tucker on instagram.com/katetuckermusic

Hosted and produced by Kate Tucker, Hope Is My Middle Name is a podcast by Consensus Digital Media in collaboration with Reasonable Volume.

Please follow, rate, and review this podcast, it makes a BIG difference. Thank you!

Betty Reid Soskin: Remembering a History for All Americans in Our National Parks

Kate Tucker — Tue, 13 Dec 2022 11:00:29 -0500

Betty Reid Soskin became a park ranger at the age of 85, bringing a wealth of experience to the National Park Service. As Betty says, “What gets remembered is a function of who’s in the room doing the remembering,” and Betty’s history is helping other untold stories come to light at Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, California. From working in a Jim Crow union hall during the war, to starting one of the first Black-owned record shops in America, to receiving a Presidential Medal, Betty has lived many lives and she’s fully shown up for all of it. Now 101, Betty shares with us why she has even more hope for the future.

For more about Betty’s memoir, and forthcoming documentary, visit SignMyNameToFreedom.com

Find your local National Park at FindYourPark.com

Connect with Kate Tucker on instagram.com/katetuckermusic

Hosted and produced by Kate Tucker, Hope Is My Middle Name is a podcast by Consensus Digital Media in collaboration with Reasonable Volume.

Please follow, rate, and review this podcast, it makes a BIG difference. Thank you!

Mary Goddard: Restoring Native Culture with Regenerative Tourism in Alaska

Kate Tucker — Tue, 06 Dec 2022 11:00:47 -0500

In the age of TikTok and Instagram, it seems there’s no place we haven’t seen, but if you’ve ever been to Alaska, you know there’s a whole lotta world left to discover—a world on the forefront of climate change, the energy transition, advocacy for Native rights, and... regenerative tourism. Because in the midst of all that Alaskans are navigating, including challenges with transportation, supply chain, and food security, they’re seeing unprecedented numbers of tourists. The islanded town of Sitka swells from under 9,000 to nearly half a million in the summertime, coming in on cruise ships. These ships bring opportunities, and they also bring complications for the people who live there, and for the environment. In her role as regenerative tourism catalyst, Mary Goddard relies on Alaska Native values of sustainability and hospitality to build a healthy relationship between her community and the tourists who visit, inviting us to join in stewarding the land, the sea, and the culture.

Mary Goddard's food blog is ForestFreshAlaska, and you can find her artwork at AlaskaMary.com. If you want to visit Sitka, she recommends you stay at CampStarlightAlaska. And if you’re a veteran or first responder, Mary and her husband invite you to reconnect with nature at Waypoint for Veterans.

Mary's references in the episode include: AIANTA (American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association), Spruce Root; Sustainable Southeast Partnership, and Sealaska.

Connect with Kate Tucker on instagram.com/katetuckermusic

Hosted and produced by Kate Tucker, Hope Is My Middle Name is a podcast by Consensus Digital Media in collaboration with Reasonable Volume.

Kevin Berthia & Kevin Briggs: Listening to Understand the Mental Health Crisis

Kate Tucker — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 11:00:09 -0500

Kevin Berthia and Kevin Briggs are an unlikely pair. But their friendship saves lives. And it was hard won, founded on what matters – mutual respect, trust, and listening. They met when Sergeant Briggs was in the state highway patrol and Kevin Berthia was jumping off a bridge. Today they stand side by side as suicide prevention advocates, helping people know they’re not alone, that there is hope and a future. It’s been many years now since they met and we are honored to be part of their ongoing conversation.

Learn more about Kevin Berthia and his work at kevinberthiafoundation.org

And Kevin Briggs at pivotal-points.com

Find Kate on instagram.com/katetuckermusic

Hosted and produced by Kate Tucker, Hope Is My Middle Name is a podcast by Consensus Digital Media in collaboration with Reasonable Volume.

If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, please call or text 988. Or you can talk online at 988lifeline.org

Warning Signs of Suicide

• Talking about wanting to die

• Looking for a way to kill oneself

• Talking about feeling hopeless or having no purpose

• Talking about feeling trapped or unbearable pain

• Talking about being a burden to others

• Increasing the use of alcohol or drugs

• Acting anxious, agitated or recklessly

• Sleeping too little or too much

• Withdrawing or feeling isolated

• Showing rage or talking about seeking revenge

• Displaying extreme mood swings

What to Do

• Do not leave the person alone

• Remove any firearms, alcohol, drugs, or sharp objects that could be used in a suicide attempt

• Call or text 988 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

• Take the person to an emergency room or seek help from a medical or mental health professional emergency room, or seek help from a medical or mental health professional

Tim & Beth Reese: Building Small Town Resilience in West Virginia

Kate Tucker — Tue, 15 Nov 2022 11:00:17 -0500

Are America’s small towns in decline? Not if you ask Beth and Tim Reese. They’re part of a powerful revitalization effort in Capon Bridge, West Virginia, a town of 400 nestled on the Cacapon River, at the “Gateway to the Mountains” of Appalachia. The community of Capon Bridge believes that restoring old buildings, rather than tearing them down, attracts young people and new businesses, like the Farmer’s Daughter Market & Butcher serving up “West Virginia’s Finest Finest” including one of America’s best burgers. A son of West Virginia, Tim’s heritage is in coal, but he sees a future “mining West Virginia sun,” and his early investment in solar power is catching on throughout Hampshire County. Though they’ve lived in Capon Bridge for over twenty years, the Reeses still see themselves as newcomers, and they take a community-directed approach to building resilience.

More about Tim & Beth Reese at https://www.facebook.com/taprootfarmwv

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Hosted and produced by Kate Tucker, Hope Is My Middle Name is a podcast by Consensus Digital Media in collaboration with Reasonable Volume.

Ron Pringle: An American Dream to End Hunger

Kate Tucker — Tue, 08 Nov 2022 11:00:02 -0500

Ron Pringle believes in a hunger-free America. And he’s determined to help build it. But with more than 38 million people, including 12 million children, experiencing food insecurity in the United States, it could take a lifetime. Ron's powerful personal story energizes his work as CEO of Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, a massive force for good in North Carolina’s Raleigh-Durham area, growing and serving millions of pounds of food per year with innovative programs that address the root causes of hunger. Because, as Ron says, “If you want to break a pattern, it starts in the mind. And if food is present, a child can hope, a child can dream, a child can grow up to give back.” Like Ron did.

See Inter-Faith Food Shuttle in action on Farms Across America now streaming on YouTube.

For more about Ron’s work, visit FoodShuttle.org and follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @foodshuttle

Follow Kate Tucker on Twitter and Instagram at @katetuckermusic

Hosted and produced by Kate Tucker, Hope Is My Middle Name is a podcast by Consensus Digital Media in collaboration with Reasonable Volume.

John Christian Phifer: Finding Life in Death with Natural Burial

Kate Tucker — Tue, 01 Nov 2022 10:00:58 -0500

John Christian Phifer’s life revolves around death. He performed his first burial at the age of six, wrapping a grasshopper in a shroud of leaves, and today he digs bigger graves on a sweeping nature preserve in the hills of Tennessee. With each funeral, the land is restored and loved ones have wide open space to grieve and to celebrate the life we all are so lucky to live. Hear how John Christian went from mortician to man with a life-giving mission in this first episode of HOPE season 2.

To find out more about Larkspur, visit LarkspurConservation.org and follow John Christian on Instagram.

Hosted and produced by Kate Tucker, Hope Is My Middle Name is a podcast by Consensus Digital Media in collaboration with Reasonable Volume.

A Tale of Two Truckers: Hauling Hope Across America

Kate Tucker — Wed, 22 Dec 2021 11:00:03 -0500

Truckers make the world go round, especially these days with serious supply chain disruptions, the ongoing crisis of the pandemic, and the ever-increasing importance of front-line workers. We talk with two truckers out there delivering hope and crucial supplies on rough roads, in bad weather, in the face of loneliness, isolation and invisibility. They’re risking their lives for us every day, and they have some great stories to tell. From a truck stop in Kentucky, we hear from Shelli Conaway who started Trucks with Room to Spare to bring life-giving supplies to victims of natural disaster; and in a forest in Ohio, Kate talks with her dad, Kevin Tucker, because it was riding shotgun in his semi, that she learned to love the road and all its unpredictable adventure.

Connect with Kate Tucker on instagram.com/katetuckermusic

Hosted by Kate Tucker, Hope Is My Middle Name is a podcast by Consensus Digital Media in collaboration with Reasonable Volume.

Please follow, rate, and review this podcast, it makes a BIG difference. Thank you!

George Patterson: From Mine Land to Farmland

Kate Tucker — Thu, 14 Oct 2021 10:00:54 -0500

Twenty-six year-old farmer George Patterson expands on his family’s coal-mining heritage with a new enterprise—reclaiming abandoned mine land to grow food and restore the land for generations to come. When George’s dad told him he could go to business school or go into business, he set up shop in a shipping container on a mine site, with air mattress and shotgun in tow. George worked by day and binged YouTube by night to teach himself the art and science of agriculture as an economic driver. Now he’s got a full-fledged farm in not one, but seven shipping containers, with four full-time employees and zero air mattresses. And he’s sleeping in a real bed, bought and paid for with his hard-earned profits. Today, business is booming, but it’s not about profit for George, it’s about helping a community find hope in good hard work and fantastically delicious food, food that is truly wild and wonderful like its West Virginia home.

Hosted by Kate Tucker, Hope Is My Middle Name is a podcast by Consensus Digital Media in collaboration with Reasonable Volume.

Hope Is My Middle Name is more than a podcast; it’s a community. We want to know who’s giving you hope today. Post #reasonstohope on your socials and tag @katetuckermusic for more hope.

Jon Turner: Veteran on a Life-Giving Mission

Kate Tucker — Thu, 17 Jun 2021 09:00:04 -0500

Iraq War veteran Jon Turner takes us from an ambush in Ramadi to a homestead in Vermont, where he’s found a way to heal a traumatic brain injury through farming. Hands in the dirt, boots on the ground, Jon Turner is on a mission to build community and serve our country as a farmer, father, teacher and always, as a veteran.

Hosted by Kate Tucker, Hope Is My Middle Name is a podcast by Consensus Digital Media in collaboration with Reasonable Volume. Read about Jon Turner and Wild Roots Farm Vermont at garden-and-health.com.

Hope Is My Middle Name is more than a podcast; it’s a community. We want to know who’s giving you hope today. Post #reasonstohope on your socials and tag @katetuckermusic for more hope.

Brittany Comins: Hiking to Healing on the Appalachian Trail

Kate Tucker — Thu, 03 Jun 2021 09:00:11 -0500

Grief can make us do the wildest things, and sometimes it takes getting lost in the middle of nowhere to find where we belong. For our debut episode, we follow long-distance hiker Brittany Comins on a 2,000 mile journey through loss, gratitude, and the great outdoors.

Hosted by Kate Tucker, Hope Is My Middle Name is a podcast by Consensus Digital Media in collaboration with Reasonable Volume.

Hope Is My Middle Name is more than a podcast; it’s a community. We want to know who’s giving you hope today. Post #reasonstohope on your socials and tag @katetuckermusic for more hope.

Hope Is My Middle Name Trailer

Kate Tucker — Mon, 19 Apr 2021 23:10:30 -0500

We’re striking out across the country in search of hope, bringing you voices of people doing big daring things to make the world better, even in the most challenging of times. These people give me hope, and I think they'll give you hope too. I’m Kate Tucker, and Hope is My Middle Name.