37: Hope Loves Company: A Powerful Journey of Grief, Healing, and Helping Families Facing ALS
Release Date: 05/26/2022
52: Special Encore: Becoming A Deliberate Listener
Respect Circles - The Podcast
From the beginning, our mission with Respect Circles has been to foster open communication, learning, and respectful dialogue. We’ve referenced the importance of deliberate listening, and we’ve specifically mentioned a popular past episode of Respect Circles about this subject. That’s why we thought it would be timely to present a special encore of that episode on becoming a deliberate listener, for listeners who haven’t yet heard that discussion, or as a refresher for long-time listeners to deepen their learning. Deliberate listening can dramatically improve the quality of our...
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51: Time to Call B.S.
Respect Circles - The Podcast
In our last episode, we looked back at some of our most impactful conversations and we talked about how we can put what we have learned into action. At the time we were recording, another school shooting had just occurred in Nashville, Tennessee, where three 9-year old children and three teachers were killed. We shared our frustration at the escalation of gun violence here in the United States, and the apparent lack of action to change it. In this episode, we decided to call B.S. on the complacency and lack of real action on this critical issue. The solutions should be common sense, as...
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50: Celebrating 50!
Respect Circles - The Podcast
It’s the 50th episode of Respect Circles, and we’re excited to take this opportunity to celebrate all the great conversations and guests we’ve had on the podcast the last year and a half! In this episode, we reflect upon some of our most meaningful lessons and share what we hope to carry forward from our learning. We want to thank each of you who has listened, subscribed and shared our podcast, and provided feedback and encouragement along the way. We’re looking forward to all the good that is possible as we continue to grow and expand our reach. Don’t...
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49: The Pursuit of Happiness
Respect Circles - The Podcast
When we think about the documents that have framed and influenced our nation, there are few that are more important than The Declaration of Independence. While there were a number of edits and updates made to Jefferson’s original version, one thing that remained constant or consistent throughout were the rights that were given to all Americans for things like life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. For many years, researchers have studied the meaning of happiness, which has provided valuable clues to what it takes to live happy and healthy lives. Most recently however, reports...
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48: Connecting Across Our Differences
Respect Circles - The Podcast
In this episode, join us as we explore the cultural divide in our country and discuss what it means to be proud of who you are and where you come from. What do you hear when someone says they are proud to be black? And how does the meaning change if they are proud to be white? What’s possible if we learn to connect across our differences? This concept is an important part of our mission here at Respect Circles, and in this episode we deepen the discussion about the ‘whys’ behind the cultural divide and keep looking for ways to foster respect and...
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47: Survival & Forgiveness: Powerful Lessons with Dylan Pryor & Cory Spain
Respect Circles - The Podcast
On today’s episode of Respect Circles, we are honored to be joined by guests Dylan Pryor and Cory Spain, as they share their perspectives of a tragic incident that happened 5 years ago in Lone Tree, Colorado. March 22nd, 2018 is a day that neither Cory or Dylan will forget, and in this episode, they share the events of that day and the powerful lessons they have learned from it, including the power of forgiveness, what true friendship really is, why adversity does not need to define you, and how to become better, not bitter, in the face of challenging times. You’ll also hear...
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46: When We Know Better, We Should Do Better
Respect Circles - The Podcast
At the time of this recording, it’s been two and a half years since the murder of George Floyd. As we kick off Black History Month in February, it feels relevant and timely to look back and to see what progress has been made since his death. We believe one of the ways we continue to create a more just society is to ensure all citizens are provided the same rights, protections, pursuit of happiness and justice that are still important to us...and to keep having the hard conversations about it. We also want to look at what opportunities still lie ahead. Each of us has...
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45: Modern Friendship: Meeting People Where They Are
Respect Circles - The Podcast
Today we discuss our perspectives on friendship, exploring what it means to be a friend and what happens when what we give in a relationship feels out of balance. As we share our own personal experiences, we’ll talk about ways that each of us can show up as the best version of ourselves for the friends in our lives. How are you doing with our initiative? Comment below and then share your efforts and successes on social media and tag us @respectcircles in your post. We’ll share your posts in our stories and may even give away some prizes as we kick off the...
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44: Gifts of the New Year
Respect Circles - The Podcast
Happy New Year! This time of year is such a fun time of gift giving and celebration with the people that we love, so today we thought it would be timely to share our perspectives on this timely topic. Gift giving looks different for everybody, and is very personal, so we hope that what we share today helps you be more intentional when giving, and receiving, gifts! Movement is medicine, and we all know we need to move more, which is why we’re introducing . We may have gotten out of the habit over the past 2-3 years as we’ve worked from home and stayed in more (thanks...
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43: Looking Forward: So Much More To Talk About
Respect Circles - The Podcast
Here we are at the end of 2022, and in this episode, we take time to reflect on some of our topics this past year, as well as what we’re proud of at Respect Circles. We also look forward to what else is possible with this platform we’ve built, and to consider the conversations ahead this upcoming year. Looking forward, there are so many topics we want to talk about, including the importance of reducing the stigma associated with focusing on mental health, as well as how critical self-care and movement are to our overall well-being. In this episode, we explore different ways to show...
info_outlineToday we are joined by a very special guest, Jodi O’Donnell-Ames, as we learn about her journey and the amazing work she is doing to make a difference in the world and the lives of others. Jodi is a speaker, coach, author, and founder of Hope Loves Company - a non-profit organization with the mission of supporting children and young adults who love someone with ALS.
Jodi’s story of caring for her husband as he lived with, and eventually passed away from, ALS is a powerful one. In this episode, she helps us open up a dialogue on ALS, the experiences she had in caring for her husband, her own process of grief and healing, and the ways she now helps others who are dealing with difficult loss.
We also explore some of the challenges that people who have limited mobility face daily, and how we can all be more aware and advocate for increased accessibility for all. It’s a big issue that most of us may not think about if it doesn’t impact us directly, but we can all be part of the solution in minimizing and eliminating these barriers.
We truly appreciate Jodi for stepping into the circle and trusting us by sharing her story on the podcast. She is a beautiful human being on a powerful mission. We encourage you to check out Jodi’s resources to learn more and to then take action to help (you can donate to Hope Loves Company by clicking here, or at the link in the show notes.) The beautiful thing about Respect Circles is we always learn something and can take action to make a difference.
You can also invite Jodi to speak to your group or organization through her website.
As always, we love to hear your feedback. If you have a question or topic that you’d like us to discuss in a future episode, please go to https://www.respectcircles.com/voicemail/ to leave us a message.
You can also reach us by email, [email protected], on social media at https://www.facebook.com/respectcircles and https://www.instagram.com/respectcircles/, or by visiting our website at www.respectcircles.com too. We look forward to hearing from you!
Thanks so much for listening. We’d love to have you subscribe to the podcast, leave us a rating and review, and share with your friends!
In this episode you’ll hear:
- What ALS is and how Jodi came to learn about it in a very personal way [5:49]
- The first steps Jodi and her husband took after receiving the devastating diagnosis and the ways in which they got busy advocating [9:26]
- Where she got the tremendous will to fight and how she knew that she was born for the role of caregiving and helping others [13:29]
- What she did to use grief to propel her forward on her mission, and how a certain event shifted her entire perspective on her family’s situation [18:26]
- Jodi’s philosophy on caregiving and showing up to help someone in needed, even when you may not know the right way to do it [21:51]
- How she used love and memories to move forward and create Hope Loves Company [28:45]
- What we need to be aware of about accessibility issues and becoming an advocate for change in this area [32:36]
- The actions steps we can take to become a better ally for these causes today [39:35]
Links & Resources:
Jodi’s Website, Instagram, Facebook & Twitter
Her Books, Someone I Love Has ALS: A Family Caregiver Guide & The Stars That Shine
Share the Care: How to Organize a Group to Care for Someone Who Is Seriously Ill by Cappy Capossela & Sheila Warnock
Hope Loves Company’s Website, Instagram & Facebook
Hope Loves Company Documentary
Register for Camp HLC 2022 & Apply for a Hug of Hope Care Package
CBC News Article, Here are the N.B. beaches that have accessibility features
36: Climbing Your Second Mountain: Creating Joy and Leaving a Legacy In the Second Half of Your Life