In times of division and discord like we’ve been experiencing, how do we come back together?  How do we heal our communities and move forward into healthier ways of living together?  How do we do justice and grow the economy?
​
Opposing viewpoints and civil strife have always been with us, even in times of relative calm.  Not all voices have been heard or represented and our communities reflect this.  It’s easy to despair.  But, working diligently, for over 50 years, Arizona Town Hall has sought to give all voices an equal chance to speak and contribute.  AzTH has facilitated 100s of conversations in communities across our state, and included all the voices, so that we can work toward the kind of solutions that make things better for everyone.  

Our guest this week is Tara Jackson. Tara has served as president of Arizona Town Hall since July of 2006. Az town Hall exists to bring diverse and often opposing parties together to solve the most complex and challenging issues facing the state. Tara works with Arizona’s public universities, the media, elected leaders and other stakeholders to determine the best approach for addressing tough conversations.  

Before joining the staff of Arizona Town Hall, Tara practiced law for 16 years and taught law for ASU’s Law School. 

Tara is no single-minded policy or legal grind. She has a creative side she nurtures with online creative writing classes. AND she is a certified yoga instructor and mindfulness teacher. Tara teaches yoga and mindfulness for educational institutions, businesses, yoga studios, local gyms, and non-profit organizations. We get to talk in this interview about the links between community policy and mindfulness. That kind of combo is right in our sweeeeeet spot. 

Tara is a real inspiration - she is whip smart and has the life skills and experience to support this vital practice of helping people from all perspectives come together to find real solutions to the all-too-real problems facing our towns, cities, and state.  But she also has cultivated the deep empathy and self-knowledge that makes her the kind of person we can all trust with our honesty and vulnerability.  In this episode, you’ll get to learn about how Tara works her magic and the real genius of organizations like Arizona Town Hall.

​Rate &  Review

• On Podchaser
• On iTunes

Music Credits: 
A Hawaiian in Paris feat.-Pierre-Grill

SHOW NOTES
​Key Takeaways: 

• Conversation about shared values and shared goals can bridge differences
• Include everyone in the conversation, especially traditionally marginalized or forgotten people.
• Mindfulness and breathing techniques can actually be part of community building as they help us stay calm and rational

Do Tara’s Science:

• Listen to someone with whom you don’t agree without trying to argue or convince. 
• Breathing/Mindfulness
  • Keep your mouth shut! Breath through your nose
  • Slowly, steadily, completely exhale

References:

•  Arizona Town Hall
  • Main Website
  • Criminal Justice Topic
  • Vibrant Communities  Project (Ongoing)
  • Video of the Town Hall Process 
• ASU Center for Mindfulness, Compassion, and Resilience 

Complementary Episodes 

• Episode 16 How to Live and Epic Life with Claire Louge
• Episode 45 NACOG Revealed with Teri Drew

​​
 Go Deeper on the Topic: 

• Vibrant Community Background Document
• Criminal Justice Background Document
• Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Assessment
• Attend an AZ Town Hall Event 
• Become a AZ Town Hall Member
• FREE Yoga and Mindfulness Videos ​

How long do you have to be in business before you start thinking about your legacy, before you start giving back and building a better future for others? How big is big enough to help the community?  

State Forty-Eight is an apparel company run by people who realized early on that they wanted more than just to get ahead in business.  Their vision of success included being an active part of solutions for people in the state they champion.  After only 7 Years in business, they started a foundation to support budding entrepreneurs and serve youth and activate the community in volunteerism and local pride.  State Forty-eight engaged in charitable partnerships nearly from the beginning, but saw that they could do even more with their own non-profit foundation.  Listen to this episode to learn how this group of creative entrepreneurs used their hearts and their smarts to create what will surely be a major force for good in Arizona.  

​

Although this is a story about a specific Arizona company and foundation, we hope listeners in other areas get some inspiration to look for - or create - similar businesses that count community and philanthropy as part of their bottom lines.

Our guest this week is Mike Spangenberg.  He is one of three friends who started State Forty-Eight back in 2013 as a way to celebrate their passion for Arizona and have a blast making us all look good.  They leveraged partnerships and collaborations with friends, other businesses, and local non-profit foundations to get off the ground and get their brand in front of people, but their hearts were focused the whole way on using their business to make their beloved state better for all Arizonans and create a culture of pride, inclusiveness, and well-being.  

In 2020 Mike and his partners launched the State Forty Eight Foundation, which is dedicated to the prosperity of Arizona and its community members, through the support of our local organizations, local people, and natural landscapes.  

We are inspired by State Forty Eight’s style and substance, and we really enjoyed talking with Mike about what it takes to make a business work, what success really means, and how business and community fit together.  Stick around to get some great insight and advice on how to rock business and life from Mike Spangenberg.

SHOW NOTES: 
Key Takeaways: 

• Fill a need/solve a problem
• Stay passionate and focused
• Build a passionate team
• Don’t expect to make money right away
• Develop key partnerships and allies
• Be open to feedback and be ready to adapt
• Continue to be innovative  

References:

• State Forty Eight clothing brand
• State Forty Eight Foundation
• ​State Forty Eight on Facebook 
• State Forty Eight on Instagram

​Do Mike’s Science:

• Create a daily “MUST DO” to-list with just five items. 
• Make sure to complete those high-value items before finishing the day. ​

Go Deeper on the Topic 

• Relevant podcast episodes  
  • Episode 50, How to Be a Local Hero with Thomas Barr
  • Episode 21B Women in Business
  • Prescott Woman Podcast
• Examples of “Triple Bottom Line” companies with great design
  • Lush Cosmetics
  • Patagonia Clothing 
• Triple Bottom Line Concept
  • Small Business Chronicle article - Ways for a Small Business to Show Social Responsibility
    
  • Harvard Business Review - What Small Businesses Know About Corporate Responsibility

We are grieved to announce that we've pulled this week's episode at the request of our guest, Eric Bourgault. We apologize to your, our community of listeners. 

We believe we had crafted an interesting, powerful interview with a fascinating message. Unfortunately, Eric felt that his own words did not represent his ideas the way he wanted them to. Out of respect for his wishes, we have deleted the episode from our feed. We're sad because we believe this deprives you all of something uplifting and intriguing. 
​
We're leaving these show notes and episode description intact so you can learn more about Eric and digital wellness, even without the audio episode. 

Guest Bio:
Eric Bourgault is an accidental social entrepreneur, offline entertainer, poet and trailblazer. He is also one of the grassroot pioneers of the Digital Detox Movement and initiator of the first National Day of Unplugging in Canada and India.

During his early career, he made many transitions between the Canadian Force, the circus and the entertainment world, and emerged as a as a public speaker. In 2008 he was forced to leave everything behind to find a solution to a tech breakdown which was consuming is life. This healing journey, mostly on a bicycle,  gave him the opportunity to connect with hundreds of communities around the world and find the inspiration he needed to create DigiPause.

Today, he is using his Laughter Yoga Teaching and his coaching skills as a landmark for his work as a Wellness Experience Designer.  He is currently in Portugal preparing new DigiPause programs while finishing his first book and a new website.

We know that constant doom-scrolling, Insta-comparing, and Facebook raging are not good for us. We KNOW we need to re-engage with nature and with organic human communities. But HOW do we re-remember how to put down the phone and pick up the messier, subtler, and less immediately rewarding well-being of offline life? 

Eric believes that by using the activities and coaching through DigiPause offers, the possibility of a Life-tech balance is accessible to anyone. Stay tuned for some concrete actions you can take today for more balanced well-being and tap into a reservoir of joy, happiness and purpose.​

SHOW NOTES: 
Key Takeaways:  

• Science shows that social media makes us less happy.
• With awareness, we gain choice. 

Do a Science:
Set up a digital free zone where you go without your phones or any screens. Stock your DFZ with journals, printed books (remember those?), stationary, musical instruments, puzzles, dumb bells, etc.  
Spend just few minutes each day in the DFZ alone or with family members. 

Episode References:

• Connect with Eric Bourgault
  • LinkedIN
  • Facebook
  • Cycling Blog (in French) 

​For a Deeper Dive: 

• The ManKind Project
• Media Theorist Marshall McCluan
• Social Media and Mental Health for Teens
• The Social Dilemma trailer 
• 8 Ways to Beat Your Facebook Addiction 
• The Benefits of a Social Media Detox

Live Life by the Bucketful

Why should you make a bucket list? Our guest, The Bucket List Guy, Travis Bell, would suggest that making and realizing your own true list of desires - no matter how small or how odd, will bring energy and purpose flooding into your life.
Do we have to say what a bucket list is? I assume most people know, but just in case you don’t, it’s a list of things you need to do before you die so you can kick the bucket without regret.
Travis Bell had early success in business, growing his fitness coaching company into an enterprise with 10s of thousands of clients across Australia. Then his business and life hit some bumps, but Travis was determined to rise above the disappointment and depression. He “became his own experiment” and started signing up for workshops, retreats and empowering experiences. After a few years of this self-healing work, he realized he had discovered something he could offer others.
Trav and his Bucket List team now work with thousands of people a year, using the Bucket List concept as a tool to get at the truth of what people really want and what we all can achieve when we get out of our own way. He just published a book called The Bucket List Blueprint that is a manifesto and instructional guide for living a more fulfilling life.
If you need to get your groove back, come with us on this journey with Travis Bell to spark the connections of our own creativity and power using the Bucket List tool. We get pretty excited to realize and remember some of the badass things we’ve already done and we feel the energy rise up to help fuel the ride to our next stop.

 Rate &  Review
​www.podchaser.com/heretogether

Music Credits: A Hawaiian in Paris feat.-Pierre-Grill

SHOW NOTES
Do a Science:

• Create your “Reverse Bucket List” of all the remarkable things you’ve done or experienced that give your life meaning. 
• Write down 10 New Bucket List items per day for a week. 

References:

• Positive Psychology
• The Bucket List Guy Homepage
• Become a Certified Bucket List Coach
• Order Trav’s Book - The Bucket List Blueprint​

Kelly’s Bucket List Examples: 

• Meet Oprah
• Hike the Southwest Coast Path in Cornwall
• Book a “Service Vacation” - go be useful somewhere
• Get a monthly massage and a quarterly facial
• Reach 1 million people with the podcast

Charles’s Bucket List Examples: 

• Float the full Grand Canyon in a dory
• Start a scholarship program
• Play guitar everyday for a week/month/year
• Go to a pistol range
• Interview Dax Shepard and Brene Brown

Happy and consequential Martin Luther King/Civil Rights Day to you. After the 2020 we had, I can’t think of an MLK day more poised between worlds than this one. So much of the racism and white supremacy that had long been conveniently ignorable to us white folks finally became completely un-ignorable. Thank god!

Today feels like a day to mourn all the losses and pain and separation that became inescapable to almost all of us. AND it feels like a day to hope for much, much better times ahead. For all Americans.

In honor of the day we were going to re-release the HERE.together episode we recorded right after the murder of George Floyd. Re-releasing an old episode also gives us a chance to work on the new pod studio. We’ve moved the gear from the front room, into the spare bedroom. Maybe you can tell from the echo, that we haven’t figured out the best, most cost effective way to baffle and soften the walls! Work in progress. 

In that episode from May, Kelly and I struggled with coming to terms with our own ingrained racism, our new understanding of anti-racist thought and action, and called on our whole community to do the hard work of acknowledging, grieving and moving forward - individually and together. Seemed like an appropriate convo to re-visit.

But our friend, pod guest and super H.ttie Laura Fitton reminded us this morning that today is a day for white folks to pass the mic and make way for the voices of people of color. Today cannot just be a day about white folks grappling with racism or anything that looks like virtue signalling. 

So, instead… we’re releasing this micro episode to direct you to other listening, reading and viewing experiences. Listen on for our curated options for you to learn, explore, and challenge yourself with today.​ Or just use the show notes on this page to start an adventure. 

SHOW NOTES: 
Do a Science:

1. Pass the mic to a person of color
2. Be of service
3. Listen to one of the podcasts or watch one of the shows we recommend.

Podcast Recommendations: 

• Rowdy Duncan’s Inclusive Activism Podcast
• Kelly’s Recommended Throughline Episodes
  • The Modern White Power Movement
  •  The Invention of Race
  • What the Constitution Means to Me
  • The United States vs. Billie Holiday
  • James Baldwin's Fire
  • Reframing History: Mass Incarceration
• Uncivil Podcast - Stories Left Out Of The Official History
• Wendell Pierce’s interview on Marc Maron Podcast. The whole episode is wonderful but check out the brilliant riff on jazz, Led Zeppelin, acting, police violence, and what it takes to get to be American starting at 1:07:20.  

Book Recommendations:

• The Broken Earth Trilogy - N.K. Jemisin
• How to Be an Anti-Racist - Ibram X. Kendi

 TV Recommendations: 

• Watchman on HBO
• Lovecraft County on HBO
• Self-Made: Inspired by the life of Madame CJ Walker on Netflix

Using the Media for Good, not Evil

If you think publicists are just for celebs and big business, you haven’t met today’s guest.  In the middle of a 20-year campaign to free an innocent man from death row, she woke up to the value of using media for causes like justice and civil rights.  She also realized she was really good at it, as you’ll hear, and went on to make a career of cultivating media exposure for her diverse client list.

Tracy Lamourie is the Founder and Managing Director of Lamourie Media and the author of the upcoming book GET REPPED - Build Your Brand With Effective Public and Media Relations. In addition to helping her clients succeed in their chosen fields and endeavors, Tracy has used her considerable PR skills to advocate for human rights, anti racism, and criminal justice reform. Tracy is the Winner of the FIRST PLACE PLATINUM award HamiltonSpectator ReadersChoice for PR 2018, Diamond 2019. She is a 2020 RBC Women of Influence Nominee and a 2020 Universal Women's Network Woman of Inspiration Nominee and was also recently nominated for the internationally prestigious 2020 Tällberg/Eliasson Global Leadership Prize. She is also a regular contributor to Medium and to Los Angeles based Prosperi Press.

This week, Tracy is here to share some of what she’s learned. She’s also Canadian, so this marks our first international podcast.
​
​Buckle up for a very energetic guest and get ready to learn some tricks of the trade, as we find out how a savvy understanding of media can help you give your gifts and promote your causes, whether you are an entrepreneur growing a new business, an artist looking to breakthrough, a  nonprofit with a critical mission or an established professional building thought leadership in your field.

Rate &  Review
It’s so easy!  Just click the link and write us a little note!  What do you like?  Do we make you laugh?  Do you like the questions we ask?  Do you like the guests we have on?  Do you like the topics we tackle?  Let us know!!   www.podchaser.com/heretogether

Music Credits: A Hawaiian in Paris feat.-Pierre-Grill

Show Notes
Key Takeaways: 

• Write a concise pitch touting your story and/or expertise
• Include ideas for stories or segments in your pitch
• Send press releases with interesting/engaging subject lines
• Match your content to ongoing news or cultural events  
• Submit a royalty free article (detailed press release) to provide context and thought leadership
• Create a Medium account and submit writing

Do the Science:

1. Use Matchmaker.fm to get booked on a podcast
2. Use Help a Reporter to respond to a story or quote request

References:  

• Lamourie Media Website
• How to Survive Death Row - Jimmy Dennis's story in Rolling StoneOW

Resources: 

• How to start writing on Medium
• ​Podcast Matchmaker site
• ​Help a Reporter

Extended Episode​

We can’t even imagine cooking a moose - why would we want to do that?  If that’s what you’re thinking, don’t worry, today’s episode is all about writing and being human and the ongoing struggle to live in community.  A moose does get cooked in our guest Kate Christensen’s second memoir of the same name, but we will save that for you to discover on your own. 

​Guest Bio:
Kate Christensen is an award-winning author of 7 novels and 2 memoirs that have a lot to do with the glory of food, coping with being human, finding community, and the tenuous beauty of life.  Her characters, including the character of herself in the memoirs, are broken and beautiful, they are finding their way home to themselves and uncovering their places in this world.  They are messy and real and we love them.  
We talk with Kate about the writer’s life, about growing up in our shared home town of Jerome, Arizona, about the difference between NYC and rural Maine/NH.  

This conversation is full of laughter and discovery. It also contains references to the physical abuse Kate witnessed growing up and the ongoing sexual assault she suffered as a minor. We don’t go into the details but we wanted you to know in case it’s not healthy for you to hear those kinds of stories. We are grateful to Kate for her vulnerability and openness… we think these kinds of stories are a way forward and out of the dark for us all. 

Before we go any further… 
we want to let you know that you get to choose which version of this podcast to listen to. Our conversation with Kate lasted nearly 3 hours and every part of it was chock full of fascinating stories and important ideas. We couldn't leave much of that precious audio in the delete bin so we are releasing two versions. 

1. One version is the highly edited and leaves out 25 minutes of Kate’s recollections of her high school life, Charles’s very different version of Kate’s high school life, Kelly’s passionate thoughts about community and the story of Dingo the Dog.
2. The other version (How to Eat a BIGGER Moose) is longer, fuller, more complete.  It's perfect for those who want to know more about the writing process, want to hear more about what happens "behind the scenes" and/or who want to remember what life was like in Jerome, AZ in the 80s. 

Do a Science:

• Consider the onion. Over the course of a week, find a different way to cut and use an onion each night. 

References:

• Episode 31 You’re Never Too Old For A Coming Of Age with Bill Konigsberg  
• Episode 51 How to Raise the Bar with Ruth Ellen  and Tim Elinski

Resources: 

• 5enses article about our podcast!!
• Shift your mindset about stuff.
• RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) is the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization. RAINN created and operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline (800.656.HOPE, online.rainn.org y rainn.org/es) in partnership with more than 1,000 local sexual assault service providers across the country and operates the DoD Safe Helpline for the Department of Defense. RAINN also carries out programs to prevent sexual violence, help survivors, and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice.
• Check out Kate’s books and blog here
• Some info on Sustainable community food systems
• Cultivating Community website &  Instagram
• More about Somali farmers in Maine

Rate &  Review
It’s so easy!  Just click the link and write us a little note!  Or write a note to the friend you hope will discover us! What do you like?  Do we make you laugh?  Do you like the questions we ask?  Do you like the guests we have on?  Do you like the topics we tackle?  Let us know!!   www.podchaser.com/heretogether

Music Credits: A Hawaiian in Paris feat.-Pierre-Grill

What would you change if you had your very own coach?  Someone who would tell you honestly and clearly how to meet your goals? What would you work on?  Your business?  Your health?  Your relationship? Personal growth - along with healthy relationships and community engagement is part of the troika we promote here all.the.time! 

That’s what you get to hear Kelly and me work on together in real time pretty much every week on this podcast. If you’re listening to this, we’re pretty sure you’re interested in creating a fuller, more authentic life… or maybe you just like listening to us as we muddle around and through the process.

The New Year is when most of us take some time to evaluate how we’re doing and resolve to do better.  If you’re like me, you’ve designed your own life-change program over and over again and tried to gut it out until at least mid-February before backsliding or giving up outright.  (and it’s so friggin painful and disheartening) Sometimes we beat the odds and make major changes.  But is there a key, a trick to making meaningful change? Maybe a coach can be part of the process? 
  
Guest Bios:
This week we not only talk with, but get counseled by two professional coaches.  Friend of the pod Tom Check is back with us and our new friend Ken Kilday joins us to help unpack what coaching is and isn’t, and we explore together the nature of change.  

Ken Kilday has over 20 years experience in corporate leadership that gives him a rich background to draw from. [You can check out their bona fides in the show notes] His defining insight, though, is that people and relationships are what make teams - no matter the size - capable of thriving and adapting. Ken now coaches corporate teams, small businesses and entrepreneurs get what they want from their business. 

Tom Check has been a network admin, a rambling photographer, a nonprofit leader, and now runs a thriving business called Choice Coaching. Tom has a set of communication and listening skills he uses to help individuals make decisions and cultivate changes in whatever area of life that is most important to them, whether it’s quitting smoking, getting in shape, or sustaining their business.      

In this episode, we learn more about personal and business coaching, how it differs from therapy, and how Tom and Ken approach it. THEN, you get to sit in on an actual coaching session as these two smarties help Charles and me figure out some important ways we’ve been blocking ourselves.  Each session only took about ten minutes to really get down to the nitty gritty - we were astonished - and we’re curious what you’ll think.  ​

Show Notes
Key Takeaways: 

• Personal growth takes persistence, focus, and help. 
• First step in creating change is determining if you are actually ready to change. 
• Make changes that make a difference… don’t just take the pill, remove the source of the problem. 
• Commit to small, measurable steps. 

Do a Science:

•  Go after the cause of your dissatisfaction, rather than the symptom. ​

References:

• Ken Kilday’s coaching website
• Tom Check at Choice Coaching 
• The Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS)

Resources: 

• Episode 6 Coaching and Community Weaving with Tom Check. 
• Episode 48 How to Question Everything with Mary Hodges.

Rate &  Review
www.podchaser.com/heretogether

Music Credits: A Hawaiian in Paris feat.-Pierre-Grill

This week, we bring you Laird Christensen, someone who has thought deeply about how we can move ourselves and our communities forward through overlapping crises. This episode covers a LOT of ground: Anarchy, literature, activism, guitar playing, fatherhood, hope, despair, and potlucks as activism. Most importantly, Laird reminded us to ask “What if?” 

Laird Christensen, is the Director, MS in Resilient and Sustainable Communities at Prescott College. Laird grew up in timber country in Oregon, amidst the clear cuts and lumber mills and developed a deep-seated need to connect to wild spaces.  Part of Laird’s intriguing story, though, includes his conscious decision to separate himself from the wilderness and the forests - and to leave the protest lines - to work upstream. To go from protecting one forest to transforming the culture that endangers the forests in the first place. 

We talked about how our culture and economy is based on the idea of scarcity and how the opposite of scarcity is not abundance but sufficiency… can we take what we need and leave enough for others and future generations. 
​
We have such huge challenges in front of us. Getting through covid, repairing our economy, rebuilding our communities. Laird points out, though, that these kinds of crises are the new normal and that we have to work together to build in resilience. Fortunately, he and others have been thinking about how to do just that. Even better, building resilience is something we can do as individuals, neighborhoods, and towns. Listen to the whole episode and see if you don’t get some inspiration and ideas that will help keep you hopeful and engaged.

Rate &  Review
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Music Credits: 
​A Hawaiian in Paris feat.-Pierre-Grill

HOW NOTES:
Key Takeaways: 

• Disruption, pandemics, hurricanes, and wildfires are the new normal.
• A way to avoid despair is to ask “What if?”
• Sustainability and resilience works at the relationship and neighborhood level.
• Potlucks and music jams can be a way to reduce polarization. 

 
Do a Science:

•  Ask “What if?”

​
References:

• Barry Lopez
• The Timber Wars Podcast
• The Hero’s Journey Wheel
• Wendell Barry
• Tree Communication
• Joanna Macy
• Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
• Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
• The City Repair Project 

Resources: 

• Resilient And Sustainable Communities Program at Prescott College
• 350.org Bill McKibben’s organization
• Extinction Rebellion
• Sunrise Movement
• Transition Town Movement

 
​Related Episodes 

• Ep 55 with Pete Pierson How to Not Know 
• Ep 36 with Rowdy Duncan How to Write a New Story 
• Ep 56 with Charles &Kelly How to Feed a Wolf

What’s it like combating an entrenched problem like homelessness during a pandemic?  What skills and mindset make the difference in good times and bad? How does one get selected Prescott Woman of the Year?

This week we are sharing an episode from another podcast we produce - The Prescott Woman Podcast. In this interview, we talk to Jessi Hans, a nonprofit director who lives a bold and dedicated life. We talked with Jessi a few hundred years ago when we were just starting out and this interview is just as full of community, leadership, and her bold, crazy mission to end homelessness.  It was great catching up with Jessi and if you missed her the first time, go back and check out episode 8.

In 2018, Jessi and her team set the bold (Crazy?) intention to end homelessness in Prescott.  Since Covid, they have redoubled their efforts to house every member of the Prescott community and connect their clients to the services that will help get them back on their feet and back to their lives.  

We talk with Jessi about the Housing First philosophy, leading her team with authenticity and transparency, the value of partnerships, and how to stay human when things get tough.

Guest Bio:
After 16 years in the human services field, Jessi Hans has an understanding of how addiction, trauma, mental illness, and systemic barriers can put people out on the street. Jessi takes a collaborative approach to problem-solving, bringing together people and organizations with the gifts and skillsets to make meaningful progress on difficult problems.  She also works consciously to shift the narrative around people experiencing homelessness to help everyone see what she sees: human beings, citizens, neighbors, members of the community.

Born and raised in Iowa, Jessi earned her B.F.A. at Northwest Missouri State University and she’s lived in Arizona since 2005. She has a wife and three young children. Jessi enjoys quality time with her family, traveling, reading, creating art, and singing.

Jessi was recently named Women of the Year by Prescott Area Leadership. When we asked her the uncomfortable question of why she was chosen for this honor, she told us she thought the award honored her role more than her actions. We think she might be being too humble, but we’ll let you decide why you think Jessi deserves the win.

This is also a perfect episode for this difficult season. In it, we talk about what it means to serve those less fortunate, what it means to have a safe place to live, and how we can make a difference not just by writing checks, but by extending compassion. Anyone else feeling more of the holiday spirit, just hearing those words? Not yet? Keep listening. 

SHOW NOTES
Key Takeaways: 

• Leadership in a crisis demands transparency & collaboration.
• Vulnerability is actually a precursor to agility and creativity. 
• Courage includes tears.  
• Homelessness is solvable.
• Thinking about people as experiencing homelessness rather than being homeless changes the frame from that of helping others, to working with our neighbors.​

References:

• Housing First model
• Simon Sinek - Leaders Eat Last
• Brene Brown - Dare to Lead ​

​Resources: 

• Coalition for Compassion and Justice 
• CCJ Social Media
  • ​Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
• Not from Prescott? Consider donating to Feeding America ​

Rate &  Review
www.podchaser.com/heretogether
​