By Her Hands

A global podcast that elevates the voices, leadership, and lived wisdom of young women ages 13 to 25 and creates space for shared experiences and learning — brought to you by WaterStep. Here, young women talk honestly about the things that shape their lives: purpose, identity, belonging, confidence, leadership, faith, fear, friendship, the future - and the small, everyday moments that teach them who they are and who they’re becoming. What It Is and What It’s Not: Inspiring and impact-driven stories form the heart of each episode. Real anecdotal stories, not interviews. Laughter, vulnerability, and reflection are expected and welcome. No adult lectures. For more information visit www.WaterStep.org

Leadership, Courage, and the Power of Voice 08/06/2026

Leadership, Courage, and the Power of Voice Episode 11: In this episode of the By Her Hands podcast, Lydia, Lexi, Justine, and Daniel discuss how courageous voices can transform communities. Daniel shares stories from his nonprofit work in Colombia, explaining that lasting change comes from listening to local leaders and helping amplify their voices rather than speaking for them. The conversation explores the unique challenges women face in being heard and why authentic partnerships create stronger communities. Together, the hosts reflect on leadership, service, cultural barriers, and the importance of standing up for what matters. The episode encourages listeners to recognize that they already have a voice and the ability to inspire change. Episode Transcript: You can feel it when something needs to be said and you have a split second to decide. Do I say it or do I let it go? Because speaking up can change things, but it can also shift how people see you. So how do you decide? Today we're talking about the power of voice, how women and girls speaking up can shift conversations, challenge what's accepted, and change what happens next. __________ You are listening to the By Her Hands Podcast, a space where young women figure things out together, who we are, what we want, and the power we already carry. It's brought to you by WaterStep a global leader in safe water innovation. Learn more about how women and girls are shaping healthier futures, each by her own hands at WaterStep.org. __________ Lexi: Hi, it's Lexi and welcome back to the By Her Hands podcast. Lydia: Hey, it's Lydia and it is so good to be here. Justine: Hi everyone. Very happy to be with you again. Lexi: So today I want to welcome our new guest, Daniel from Columbia. Daniel, can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Daniel: Sure. It's nice to be with you guys over here. Well, obviously I'm Daniel from Columbia. I have a family of four, two kids. They're ages eight and six. They eat like they are 18 and 16. Very active boys. They play football, baseball, so they're very active and they keep us active. So it's great. And probably, well, what you know about me is that I started Fundación Doulos, an NGO in Columbia 15 years ago actually. And so far we have been connecting and pretty much serving and being there for amazing people, inspiring individuals. Lexi: Can you tell us a little bit more about what your nonprofit does? Daniel: So when we started, we started to figure out that there were lots of initiatives already trying to do something, but we wanted to be there for those in communities that were doing amazing things, as I call them all the time, inspired individuals who were simply standing up for their community, for their people. So we wanted to be there for them. And that's why we decided to start Doulos, to help those who help and to pretty much be an initiative to walk alongside people and pretty much support them in any way we can. And we do that through, of course, training, but also it requires lots of mentoring and just being there for people, but also connecting them with resources. So that's pretty much what we do. Lexi: Wow, that's awesome. I know connecting them with resources, I know you have an amazing story. Can you share that with everyone listening? Daniel: Yeah, so it's pretty much stories like the one I had the opportunity to present at the WaterStep event recently about amazing people who are willing to even cross bridges of animosity and communities that have been divided for years and people who have been inspired to actually build a bridge where there is none. Like my friend Alex from a region called Choco, he actually took his water machine and turned it into a bridge to connect communities. So that's the type of resources we share. So when you share resources with these people who have this amazing perspective and initiative, it's simply amazing what they do with it. So it's never really about the resources per se. It's what people do with it. And what we find is that if you put the resources in the right hands, amazing things can happen. Lexi: Absolutely. So how are you involved with Alex in that process of bridging that gap between those two communities? Daniel: Yeah, so pretty much we connected over what I consider one of the cornerstones of development, which is . So if you don't have safe water, you pretty much don't have anything. Even if you can solve the food problems and all that, even the nutrition is impacted by bad quality of water. But if you don't have water around you, you get sick. If you don't get water around you, guess who are the ones who are tasked to go and fetch water even miles away sometimes? Sometimes in some communities it's children, but most of the time women are the ones who are tasked to do that. So that hinders your ability to go to a school. So in any way you can, you start to see how that happens. So pretty much what we do is, okay, so if we can work together with these amazing leaders to solve these initiatives, to solve these problems, that's how initiatives start. And that's pretty much what we do. We work with them to solve those essential issues. Lydia: So I remember hearing event and just being in awe of how much you have done and how you're so confident in your projects and just you seem like you really are someone who's excited to be doing the work that they're doing. And I'm sure that there's always ups and downs, but how do you stay focused and strong whenever there's issues? Daniel: Well, there are always hard days, as you know. I was just remembering, for instance, that in the team now we have some elements in place for self-care because to deal with when you go to communities and you see human need and pain, there's no way you cannot be touched by it. So in a way to have a team around you that supports you and that you can talk through issues, that's usually something that's very good to have. But to be honest, you cannot give up because the amazing people in communities are not giving up. So sometimes in this type of work, you tend to focus probably on the people who are supporting them. But in reality, when you go there, you share life with them, you go to their place, you even have some running jokes and all that. When you start to share life with them, they are the ones who actually start to teach you and support you. So in a way, it's never about. I don't think development is about a one-direction flow of resources, but rather actually becoming a community with trust, with the confidence to work with each other. And that to me is what actually development is about togetherness, people coming together to solve common issues and to work together, even with our differences and all that. But when you start to build that type of relationship with the leaders, they start to teach you as much as you can give them. So that's the way you keep grounded, you keep working, and you keep going. Justine: And Daniel, thank you for sharing. And as you're speaking, we hear about the impact and it's great. And it made me think going back to my field experience, people don't always realize what it takes actually to have that impact, to create that impact, that togetherness, and the work that needs to happen before. You mentioned earlier how you listen to what is important to the communities. And I was wondering, what would you say about the courage it takes to speak up? Because we're talking about the importance and the power of voice. And if no one is there to speak up either because they need water or there is a conflict going on, but there is someone who's just brave enough to say, "Hey, enough is enough." How does it work in the space that you are in? How important is picking up and just being brave and saying the right thing or saying the truth even if it's scary? Daniel: Well, I can tell you that in our context in Columbia, definitely speaking up is not the safest of activities. In many of the communities we are, actually, it can cost you your life. But when I talk to friends who are particularly in areas where there's no state, but rather the illegal groups are the ones who are governing. I think what they usually say is that it's never about them. Sometimes when you have this individual approach that, okay, so I want to play safe and I don't want to create some tension or anything because I'm caring about myself, but these guys care about their community and their care. It's so big that they're willing to risk anything. And I think that's the perspective as well. I think these type of people or these inspiring individuals definitely, they have something about stopping to only see it from an individual perspective, but they gain this awareness of what's going on. And that awareness is what keeps them going to do what they do. And you cannot imagine the importance of people being listened to. When in a society or a community people, they don't feel listened [to]. That's the source of so many elements and issues within a society. So I think that to have people to be listened, I think that's very important in the process even. Lexi: Absolutely. So in your story, in the two communities, do you feel like they're both too afraid to speak up and Alex was the one that took that initiative and was not afraid to say something? Or how did that work and how did he have the courage to do that? Daniel: Yeah, I think as people, as they see, that's the importance of sometimes these individuals rising up because when you see someone doing that, people gain courage. And again, it's like you find a strength in numbers. Okay, so if I do it and I see more people daring to speak up, I suddenly gain that courage to also do it. And I see that as well. Sometimes we think in terms of development about the big resources and the amounts and all that, and I don't see it that way. I think I see development as sometimes starting by one person, the power of one as someone who framed it. Someone who start to do that and out of that courageous initiative to stand up, a movement sparks and something start to happen in a community. Justine: Absolutely. Yeah, you definitely show us how once just someone who's willing to speak up can create change. It can just give the courage to others who find their own voice in that. It really starts with one. And I'm wondering how does it then go from, let's say from Alex, have you seen how Alex's courage and voice and leadership has sparked other interests or other people speaking up? In your line of work, how is what worked in one area inspiring others to speak up as well and take charge and create change? Daniel: Thank you for bringing that, Justine, because that's particularly one of the things that we do in our strategic view as Fundación Doulos. So pretty much a big chunk of my time is just making people meet each other and having, for instance, Alex walk into a room full of other leaders just to share his experience. And in that way, what's happening over there definitely inspires other people to do that. Probably to give you a bit of context about who Alex is, Alex is one of the leaders who have worked with Fundación Doulos probably since the beginning. He lives in a region called Choco in, Colombia, which is one of the poorest regions probably in the continent. It's home for the largest probably indigenous population in the country. Also, many people from African descendants were taken to that region over there because it reaches in minerals. So they share a common story of being traditionally forgotten by government structures. Just to give you a perspective, probably big NGOs are just entering to the area probably in five years time. So they have been traditionally neglected even by the development sector sometimes. So to find these type of people like Alex, when we found him, to be honest, we didn't need to start anything. He already has everything. This ambition for his community for development. The only thing we did was just connect with him and walk with him and build trust and a relationship enough to where he trusts us as well. So we share now this walk together. And the question we are always doing is, okay, so we have solved this, so what else can we solve together? And that's probably what a path of development looks like. Justine: How many women do you have? How many young girls do you see from, I would say, the movement you created, the momentum that you are having? What can you tell us about women and girls in that space, in areas where Alex lives and that they are forgotten? It's a very powerful word and it really. Yeah, it does something to my heart. It's like, how do you hear that word nowadays with all the means that we have? So it just made me wonder, what about women and young girls in such a difficult context, I would say? Daniel: I can tell you lots of stories. Actually, from the initiatives that we are probably running, probably 70% are women. The inspiring individuals I was talking about are probably mostly women. I can tell you lots of stories about many friends. Actually, I have one that's really fresh because of everything that is happening in Venezuela, in our neighborhood country with the earthquake. There is a lovely lady over there. She's called Zoraido. From the beginning, her house was damaged by the earthquake, but she hasn't stopped working ever since it happened. She has been going to the most affected region, La Guaira, from one community to the earth to check if everybody in her neighbor is safe. She has been working nonstop. And we've tried to say to her, "Hey, what about yourself?" And all that. But I know, but I know people are suffering. So I cannot rest until I am sure that everybody is safe. I can tell you about Ruth in a city called Cartagena in Colombia, running an amazing initiative in one of the poorest neighborhoods over there. She's a cancer survivor. And even though she has been in pain for months, she still has the energy to keep going and to keep helping people. And to be honest, I was sitting down with her probably a couple months ago and ask her, "How do you even do it?" To me, it's like, how do you find the energy? And pretty much what you find these people is that they look beyond themselves. Sometimes we can be so consumed about our needs as individuals that you find strength by looking around you and that gives you inspiration, courage, that gives you vision, that gives you energy, that gives you power, what you need to start and to lead. And I think that's something I've learned from them, from all of them actually. Lydia: It is incredible to hear about this because I feel like a lot of the people we've talked to in where they live, especially the ladies living in the places in Africa and in Asia, just that women are not allowed to participate and not allowed to make a difference. And they've had to push so hard to be able to be included. So it makes me feel good to hear that that is not the case everywhere and that not all ladies have to fight to be able to even make a difference in the first place. For your all's social system, is it allowed for ladies to have positions of power and to speak in their voices? __________ Before we continue with our episode, let me take a minute to remind you that By Her Hands is a global program empowering women and girls through safe water access menstrual health management and economic opportunity. The program and this podcast are brought to you by WaterStep. Together, we believe that when a young woman can protect her own health, she leads. When she leads her family thrives, and when her family thrives, her whole community grows stronger. Learn more about how women and girls are shaping healthier futures each by her own hands at WaterStep.org. ___________ Daniel: Yeah, thank you for bringing that up, Lydia, because I think I would see that as an iceberg situation where you have a system where you are pretty much from a legal point of view, you're allowed to speak and all that. But there are also probably some things that we cannot see around culture and around communities that sometimes prevent women to effectively doing so. So sometimes you have, okay, so if you look at Columbia and you go to probably, I don't know, Wikipedia or wherever you search on the internet, you will say, oh yeah, women can stand up and all that. But for some people and in some communities, that's simply not the case. And that's probably something that is hidden from what's happening. Probably what I would say in our context, what hinders the voice of women is probably what you cannot see as opposed to what you can see. If you go to our constitution in paper, everybody's subject to rights and all that and you can speak up. But if you actually go to the territories and probably the furthest places in Colombia, you would see that quickly that's simply not the case. So again, it's not a fight just about the structures that you can see. Probably the deepest probably hindrance to development is the structures you cannot see. And sometimes it's difficult to point out because it's invisible, but it's there. And definitely it's a barrier. So we need to break that barrier in order to press forward and to move ahead. And that's what women in our context struggle with. So there's nothing in constitution that prevents them to run on all that, but how many presidents have we had? Women, I mean, zero. If you look across the political spectrum, it's pretty much the same. So again, it's probably an awareness that there are two types of structures. So what you could see, but what you have to really pay attention, that's something that only experience in the context can give you is what you cannot see, the hidden barriers. Lexi: So I'm wondering how do you navigate that with women? Say Alex in that situation had been a girl, do you think it would've led to the same outcome? How do you support women in finding their voice and speaking up for things that they don't see right? Daniel: Lexi, that's a very good question, I would say. Yeah, definitely Alex's story would have been different. What I can tell you about probably the way we approach this subject, it's probably taking the longer path. So the shorter path would be a perspective where you are going to break barriers for the women in order for them to move ahead. And that's probably what you consider, okay, yeah, it makes sense. I can do that, so I'm going to do that. But to be honest, development is probably about taking sometimes the longer path about them breaking their own barriers. You simply see yourself as someone who is there for them. But probably the message I'm trying to convey is that they are the main characters of their own story. You don't take that away from them. They are to be the heroes of the story. They are to be the main characters who break the barriers. And sometimes it obviously takes probably longer than you would expect if you would be the savior that comes from outside to solve a community's problem. That's easier. And that's probably more rewarding for social media, I would say, for instance, because it would make for amazing stories and amazing pictures like, "Oh yeah, I'm Daniel, I'm taking a selfie here, solving everybody's problem." But to be honest, that's great for social media, not so great for development. So I would say that the only way that barriers can be turned is by the main actors themselves. And simply what the conversations you have around is probably so they feel probably listened [to] and you walk with them, not pushing them, but walk with them, trying to inspire toward conversations, trying to think about what's possible, but they have to make the decision to go through. That's something you cannot do for people. And that's the hard part of development, I would say. Justine: You are just speaking to my heart right now. It's so powerful. It's so true. The fact that we overlook the actual society dynamics. We tend... /episode/index/show/c7f8ba3c-aeeb-40b4-85ed-a3e5bb6c2196/id/42343205

Why Authenticity Begins with Self-Acceptance 07/23/2026

Why Authenticity Begins with Self-Acceptance Episode 10: In this episode of the By Her Hands podcast, Yara shares her personal journey of learning to embrace her Mexican heritage after years of feeling pressure to fit in. Together, Lydia, Lexi, Justine, and Yara explore how culture, family, school, and friendships shape identity and confidence. The conversation examines the challenges of balancing multiple cultures, overcoming insecurity, and finding communities where people feel accepted for who they truly are. The group encourages listeners to celebrate what makes them unique while respecting others' experiences. Authenticity is a lifelong journey built on self-acceptance, courage, and meaningful relationships. Thanks for being here with us on the By Her Hands podcast. We hope you've enjoyed the conversation and take some time to think about what makes you authentic. Remember that you already belong and that you carry more power than you think. You've been listening to the By Her Hands podcast brought to you by WaterStep. Around the world, girls carry so much responsibility, hope, and the work of caring for their families. WaterStep equips them with tools and training that help them protect their own health, support their schools, and lead change in their communities. When girls have the tools they need, their power isn't something they search for, it is something they carry. And if you want to help women and girls around the world be authentically themselves, visit WaterStep.org. Disclaimer: Listeners are reminded that the ideas, opinions, and information expressed on the By Her Hands podcast belong solely to the guests and do not necessarily reflect the views, policies, or positions of WaterStep, its staff, partners, donors, or affiliates. This podcast is provided for informational and educational purposes only, and is not intended as professional advice of any kind. WaterStep assumes no responsibility for actions taken based on the information provided. For more Information about WaterStep and It’s Mission Website: If this episode inspired you, please Like, Subscribe, and Share to help more young women discover the confidence to become positive influences in their own communities. #ByHerHands #WomenEmpowerment #Authenticity #BeYourself /episode/index/show/c7f8ba3c-aeeb-40b4-85ed-a3e5bb6c2196/id/42157835

The Power of Influence: Reem's Journey to Empower Women in Lebanon 07/09/2026

The Power of Influence: Reem's Journey to Empower Women in Lebanon Episode 9: In this episode of the By Her Hands podcast, Lexi, Lydia, Justine, and special guest Reem, explore how Influence shapes the lives, beliefs, and opportunities of young women around the world. Reem shares her inspiring journey as a feminist activist from northern Lebanon, describing how a high school sexual harassment incident led her to launch an anonymous podcast that empowered girls to share their stories safely. The discussion examines how language, trust, courage, and community engagement can create meaningful social change, even in cultures where difficult conversations are often discouraged. Reem reflects on building Brightful, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering women through education, leadership, and advocacy. The group also discusses the importance of choosing positive influences, maintaining resilience through setbacks, and caring for one's mental health while leading others. They also agree that authentic leadership begins with listening, compassion, and a willingness to challenge harmful norms. The episode concludes by encouraging young women to believe in themselves, embrace their voices, and recognize the lasting impact they can have on their communities. Episode Transcript There are things you believe that didn't start with you. When you hear them enough from your friends on social media, or even that phrase your mom has said your whole life, you don't question it. Then at some point you start to ask yourself, did I actually come to this on my own? What do I really believe? Think about the last time you changed your mind about something. Why? Did someone or something shape your decision? Or did you come up with it on your own? Today, we're talking about Influence and how it shows up in the lives of young women, how the people around you, the conversations you're part of, what you see every day, all of it plays a role in shaping how you think. But also, how recognizing it that changes things, because once you see it, you can question it, push back on it and decide what's actually yours. __________ You are listening to the By Her Hands Podcast, a space where young women figure things out together, who we are, what we want, and the power we already carry. It's brought to you by WaterStep a global leader in safe water innovation. Learn more about how women and girls are shaping healthier futures, each by her own hands at WaterStep.org. __________ Lexi: Hi, it's Lexi and welcome back to the By Her Hands podcast. Lydia: Hey, it's Lydia. It's good to be here. Justine: Hi, Justine here. Nice to be with everyone. Lexi: I want to welcome our special guest today, Reem from Lebanon. And today we're talking about influence. Reem: Hello. Thank you so much for having me. My name is Reem. I'm 23 years old. I'm from North Lebanon. I'm a feminist activist and most of my work focuses on women's empowerment and combating gender-based violence and promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights. I founded an organization called Brightful, in North Lebanon. It's basically an intersectional collective group that works to empower youth and women in disadvantage areas. We use non-formal education program to equip women with skills and also to let them lead the initiative in their small communities. So basically all my work is around activism and also empowering women. Lexi: Wow. So what made you want to start that? Reem: Yeah, so basically it started back in high school. There was a sexual harassment incident that happened in my high school back in 2019, and suddenly a young girl from the high school posted on Facebook about the sexual harassment incident and the post went viral. So many NGOs and many activists started advocating and to supporting girls to speak up about this incident. And also they start to make complaints and even legal complaints and pressuring the high school administration to remove the teacher. But at the same time, the parents and the community started questioning this incident and to stop this, you're exaggerating. There's no sexual harassment. It's because of you. Yeah. So I felt very involved. I was very passionate about advocating for this incident. So I started an anonymous podcast. I invited the girls to share their experience and talk without sharing their names. I even changed the voice and girls start to talk and to speak up about their experience. Also, we started to share these voice messages via WhatsApp. So parents started to heard these stories and they started to be convinced that it's not a personal issue, it's a collective incident, and a lot of girls were involved in this incident. So after that podcast, I went online on my Instagram page and I started to do campaigns, even live streaming about sexual harassment. And I started to do campaigns about “the personal is political” and our issue as girls are not only personal issues, but these issues are political and we have to take our rights and we have to speak up no matter what people and what communities it is like say, yeah. So everything started back in high school. Justine: So Reem, quick question and wow. Wow. Just wow Reem. You're talking and I'm thinking about the courage that it took you because I understand the uproar from the non-for-profit, non-community, the organizational, the right-base organizations, that's what they do. But you were in your hometown, you were in your own school, right, with your own community. And I was wondering how, because the families were reacting in a way that they protect themselves. And I can understand that as far as cultural pushback where you don't want to have the truth out there or the dirty laundry of the community out there. How did you manage that? How did you navigate that, the need for you to speak up and to change things with the pushback from your community and your family? And how was it in your own family? How did you manage that? Because we heard about where you are right now and what you did, but as women and as, I can't help but think about that, your own journey to that. Reem: Yeah, yeah, actually it was very hard because I was raised in a very rural village in North Lebanon. It's a village near the border with Syria, it's called Akkar. And even in Akkar, girls are not allowed to pursue education, to travel, to have their own lives. And even the basic rights are not allowed. So I used to be very strong and I used to, I know people language, I know how to navigate things with my communities. I use very flexible language. And back then I was very sure that I knew that I will pursue something related to activism. So yeah, I had to be strong. And I did a lot of debate with my parents, with my brothers. You are not allowed to do that. You will be in risk. You are risking girls' lives because some families are very conservative. So when it come to sexual harassment, it's a taboo for them. So if they knew that their girls is speaking about something related to sexuality and harassment, so they might attack her. So I heard a lot of these sentences, and even if you heard about the revolution as a feminist revolution, we had a very backlash year in North Lebanon on feminist activists. So I used to confront people, but I always use very flexible language and I don't directly talk about sexual stuff. I started with human rights. What about what if we have a conversation? What if we listen to each other opinions, especially when I discuss such things with parents. I found that most of the time the problem is that parents don't give girls the opportunity to talk. They don't listen actively to them. So yeah, I started to convince them in a very flexible language. And the first topics is about basic rights. We are not asking for anything that is luxurious. We're asking for our privacy to have control on our bodies, to take our own decision to even choose what major I want to follow. Because even some parents take control of girls' decision when it's come to education, like you should follow this field, you should choose this career. So yeah, it's not a single problem. There are a lot of root causes and intersectionality. The intersectionality is a good approach because when you saw this as a lot of conditions that impact our life as girls, like from the systems, the traditions, the norms, the religious, you can propose good approaches to convince such communities. Justine: I'm just in awe. And the fact that you, you're talking to things that are so deeply rooted in the community, and I think it's around the world. We always have seen in many communities where girls are not equally treated or they don't have the same access. I am just so interested about the whole process of influencing them. And something that you really said was resonating with me, it's around the language. How do you approach people in order to get them to listen to you? And I feel like that's the first step in influencing. And I'm wondering Lydia or Lexi, do you guys have any experience with that where you realize that the best path to influencing or to having the other one listen to you as Reem shared it’s really about the language that we use, where you have to balance out between your firm convictions, but also with your audience? Lydia: Absolutely. I think if you're trying to get anybody to help you out and support your cause, if you talk in words, I don’t know, because every single person is different. And you have to know your audience and you have to know what they're going to listen to, what they think is important, and you have to make your cause important to them. So for me, whenever I've put together a few different charity events and anytime I'm trying to ask for money and for sponsors is difficult and it's scary, but knowing each person and being like, well, some people want to know why it's important to you. Some people want to know how this came about, what their money's going to. Some people just want to throw a check at you, some want a bunch of paperwork. So in that way I've experienced it. Obviously I haven't created a nonprofit, did all of these incredible things, but just in fundraising I kind of get that. Lexi: Absolutely. I think what you said, Lydia, it's all about your audience. You have to learn how to approach the people that you're trying to target. And I think for me, I see this a lot, especially what you're saying Reem about how the community just sort of didn't want to listen. And even the parents, it sort of stemmed from that. And I'm sure it obviously made the girls feel very uncomfortable to be having these conversations in the first place. And I felt like I saw this on a really big scale. I went to the UN Women's Conference this past year, and gender-based violence was one of the most prevalent topics. And I think something that was so huge about it was that people feel like they can't speak on it. And even if they do, they feel like they're not believed. So I'm sort of wondering how do you build that trust between the girls to be able to shift that dynamic with their parents and be able to talk to you about it or you even approaching the parents and then the parents being able to shift their perspective on how the rest of the community views it. Reem: So basically I was part of a network. It's the Access Program Network. It's a network for high school students. And as part of this network, we were doing a lot of community service projects. So we were already friends and we trusted each other. So when my friend posted on Facebook about the sexual harassment, I said, why we don't speak up online and we'll have a lot of people who want to support our initiative and support us? So we started from a close friendship and we took this friendship to do an initiative. And now even, we're still very close and we're still managing projects and initiative from time to time. So it started, we were very close, so they trusted me and we were involved in community service. So we believe in impact and we believed that our voices might be heard when we were live streaming online. Yeah. But I think it might be harder if we weren't close because I should convince them and protect them and ensure that I'm not risking their lives. __________ Before we continue with our episode, let me take a minute to remind you that by her hands is a global program empowering women and girls through safe water access menstrual health management and economic opportunity. The program and this podcast are brought to you by WaterStep. Together, we believe that when a young woman can protect her own health, she leads. When she leads her family thrives, and when her family thrives, her whole community grows stronger. Learn more about how women and girls are shaping healthier futures each by her own hands at WaterStep.org. ___________ Justine: You keep saying, “we believe, we believe.” Where did that belief come from? Where did it come from Reem, because I understand the culture, the restrictions, but it seems that you were born like that, right? You were like, okay, I'm a believer, I'm strong. Where did it come from? And when we talk about influence, all these steps that you took with your friends, what was the biggest impact? What kept you going? Reem: Yeah, actually, as you said, I'm very passionate about women's rights and everything related to real change. Not only making noise. And I participated in this conference and I did that, I did that. I want real change. And even in my adulthood, like 80, eighties and nineties, I used to read books. If you don’t know, Nawal Saadawi, she's a feminist activist, Arabic feminist activist. And she will, Justine: I don't. I'm going to write her name down. Reem: Sure. Yeah, yeah. Nawal is very known about her approach. She even invented a lot of feminist approaches. And so I was really influenced by her opinions and how she envisioned as a feminist movement and even how she decolonized feminist values and everything related to, she even transformed the MENA region, to the SWANA region because she was very interested in not only advocating for women's rights, but making a change on a policy level and on very high level. Justine: Quick vocabulary thing, So MENA, I know it's Middle East and North Africa region. So it went from MENA region to what region? Reem: South Africa and North Africa. Yeah, she added South Africa. Justine: Nice. Reem: Because we have Algeria, we have Tunisia. And so I was very influenced by her and by her thoughts. And also I wanted to make, as I said, a real change. So I saw that real change started from us as young people and youth, and as used and I used my resources. As I said, I was involved in many networks and I had a lot of resources and funding and also experts and people who are ready to support me. So I started this initiative and now as I told you, my initiative became a nonprofit, a legally registered nonprofit organization. And we are running four programs annually, each year. And even earlier this year we received a huge funding to open a space, a safe space for women. It's a fourth space in Akkar. As I said, Akkar is a very rural area and we don't have a space that are designated for women. So we renovated the space and now we are ready to launch new programs in this space. So basically the space will provide women with access to arts courses, also free laptops, internet and everything related to capacity building. So yeah, we started as a small initiative, but now we are local organization that is running the program and doing a lot of huge work. We're still youths like me and my co-founders, but we have a lot of plan and we have a lot of ambition. Justine: Wow. Wow. Yeah, I feel like to me you made two points, right? You are influencing, but your hunger for influence also stems from the fact that you were influence yourself. How do we feel about that ladies? Who has influenced you so far? Because really we have Lydia and Lexi and they are leaders in terms of community service and service work. And I'm curious, Lydia, who influenced you to get you where you are today? Lydia: Honestly, probably my dad because he has just been such, if we're talking community service and all that, ever since I was little, he is been like it's the greatest thing you can do is give back to your community and making impact there. So he's always been a really big influence on me too. I don’t know, to serve the people around me and to do it in my own way, not just volunteer at the soup kitchen because that's the normal go-to, to kind of branch out and meet different people. And yeah, he's been a huge influence for that. What do you think Lexi? Lexi: I think for me it's been Mark, I feel like I sort of learned about WaterStep in fifth grade and ever since he's sort of invited me part of the family and always encouraged me that's like, you are making it a friends, you have value in this. And so I think it just pulls it back to the idea that who you surround yourself with is how you can build that influence even larger. And so I think for Reem, for you, obviously once you talk to your family, did you get their support and then that's how you're able to build it? Or was it just that core group of girls and then you sort of took it from there? And then also I'm sort of wondering, when you created this anonymous podcast, did you think it would grow and have the influence that it did or what did you think? What did you expect it to be? Reem: Yeah, of course. At the beginning I didn't expect it that influence, but after we started the campaigns online and we started to share anonymous codes from the girls, the post went viral and a lot of NGOs started to text to request interviews from me. I even went to a conference in Indiana, in United States, and I shared my experience and how I started the campaign online. So at the beginning I didn't expect, but through that journey I was very passionate and I wanted to speak up whether I will have supporters or no. So I wanted to do that and I was very, as I said, I was very active to do it, whatever that is as a result is. Yeah. Lexi: So what I'm sort of hearing is I feel like you have influenced so many other people, but I'm sort of wondering, is there one person in your life that had a lot of influence on you and sort empowered you to create this and keep going? Or was it really just your activism inside and you just felt like this was the right thing to do? Reem: Yeah, of course. My mom supported me a lot. It wouldn't be that easy without her support because I have to travel and to participate in many trainings, conferences, like scholarships. So I wanted her support and she was there. But also I confronted a lot of challenges from my father, but I was able to convince him and most of the times I did what I saw, it's the right, without taking his approval, his final approval. But with that time, he started to trust me and now he changed her way he treat my sister and very different way because he was convinced, but by my choices. So yeah, it was like mix of challenges, but also there was my mom who supported me. Justine: Wow. Reem: And I just wanted to correct. The SWANA region is Southwest Asia and North Africa. So basically it's like she transformed Middle East, we're middle to who? It's just a decolonial way. Justine: I love that. [Inaudible] will love that too because I know they're big and decolonization and also the work that you do with them in [inaudible] program is amazing. But I wanted to come back to something you just mentioned. I was going to ask you because this is huge, right? You are doing amazing work. The fact that you are doing it with people around you in your inner circle, but also reaching out to around the world, I would say. I cannot help but think that when just that being hard, that might have made you uncomfortable at some point. What are things up to now that are still hard to pass or to face,... /episode/index/show/c7f8ba3c-aeeb-40b4-85ed-a3e5bb6c2196/id/41984980

The Cost of Comparison | Lessons from Tori Murden McClure 06/25/2026

The Cost of Comparison | Lessons from Tori Murden McClure Episode 8: In this episode of the By Her Hands podcast, Lydia, Lexi, Kristina, and special guest Tori Murden McClure explore the challenges of comparison, self-worth, competition, and personal growth. Tori shares lessons from her remarkable adventures and leadership experiences. She shares perspectives about how comparison can become harmful when people measure their inner struggles against others' outward successes. The group examines the impact of social media, societal expectations, sibling comparisons, and the pressure many young women feel to fit in. They also discuss the importance of authenticity, healthy relationships, compassion, and self-acceptance. Tori encourages listeners to choose friends who inspire growth, embrace their unique strengths, and resist the urge to define themselves through constant comparison. The discussion also highlights the difference between healthy competition and destructive comparison, emphasizing that character and kindness matter more than status or achievement. They conclude the conversation with a powerful reminder that everyone is fighting battles we cannot see and that true confidence comes from being unapologetically yourself. Episode Transcript Lydia: How often do you hear that little voice in your head? Am I good enough? You see somebody and it starts. She has the internship I wanted. She got into the college I was hoping for. She walks into a room and doesn't think twice before she speaks. I wish I look like her. And then suddenly you feel like you're not good enough. That's what we're talking about today, the cost of comparison. What happens when you're focusing on someone else's life and not your own? What do you miss? And how can young women build each other up? Instead of comparing who we are to each other. __________ You are listening to the By Her Hands Podcast, a space where young women figure things out together, who we are, what we want, and the power we already carry. It's brought to you by WaterStep a global leader in safe water innovation. Learn more about how women and girls are shaping healthier futures, each by her own hands at WaterStep.org. __________ Lydia: Hello and welcome back to The By Her Hands podcast. This is Lydia. Lexi: And this is Lexi. It's great to be here. Lydia: And Justine is not here today. She's being a French translator is what I've heard. But we do have someone else in here, Kristina, another lady from WaterStep who has guided our teen board and led this project along with Justine. And we are so happy for you to be here. Kristina: Great. Super excited to be here. Lydia: Alright. And we of course also have our special guest. Kristina, you're special, but you're not that special. No, I'm kidding. I'm kidding. Kristina: Not as special as our other guest. Lydia: So, we have . She is the former President of Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky. She is best known as the first woman and first American to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She rode a 23 foot boat alone and without physical support, a distance of more than 3,300 miles. Tori was also one of 2 women and 6 Americans who were the first women and first Americans to travel over land to the geographic South Pole, skiing 750 miles from the ice shelf to the pole. An avid mountaineer has climbed on several continents, and she was the first woman to climb Lewis Nunatak Summit in Antarctica. Welcome. Tori Murden McClure: Thank you. Lydia: So that is a long list of achievements there. Which one's your favorite? Tori Murden McClure: Oh, I think my favorites are not on the list. Lydia: Oh, okay. What's your favorite achievement? Tori Murden McClure: It's not so much an achievement as I am, well, my most recent achievement is I became a wilderness medicine instructor for the National Outdoor Leadership School. Lydia: Oh, wow. Tori Murden McClure: So I can teach wilderness medicine, EMTs, wilderness first responders, wilderness first aid. Lydia: That is incredible. So you've done all these incredible things. What were you like when you were our age? Mine and Lexi’s. Tori Murden McClure: I was extremely nerdy. I had a crush on John Quincy Adams. That's how nerdy I was. Everyone else was in love with television personalities and what would be influencers now. And I was in love with historical figures. Lydia: I mean John Quincy, that's not a bad pick I don't think. Tori Murden McClure: No, I mean he was in service to the citizens of the United States from the age of 13. Lydia: Oh wow. Tori Murden McClure: And he died on the floor of the House of Representatives, had a stroke and went over. Lydia: He did. He did what he loved. Pretty dramatic. Tori Murden McClure: Yeah, it's pretty dramatic. Kristina: Yeah. Tori Murden McClure: Yeah. He was allegedly very cold and stiff. But I too can be cold and stiff, if I'm uncomfortable. Lydia: We can be cold and stiff together. Tori Murden McClure: Yes. Not cold and stiff, like dead, like Antarctica, dead. Not that kind of cold and stiff. Lydia: But you would know about Antarctica dead. So what all have you done in Antarctica? Because when I'm reading this list and preparing of how I'm going to say all of this without messing up, you have all these adventures in Antarctica and that is incredible. What all have you done there? That's one of my favorite things is just… Tori Murden McClure: Antarctica is a magical place. And you come to understand why folks who live in snowy environments have so many different names for snow. It’s not all the same. The Inuit have, I don't know how many multiple names, like 20 or 30 names for different kinds of snow. Lydia: Oh wow. Tori Murden McClure: Because that's the environment they live in. And so that sort of crusty snow that gets all wet is called one thing. And the real fluffy powdery stuff is called something else. And you get a sense of why they have different names. We skied 750 miles, over the continent. Crossed a side of the continent that had not been traversed before. So we were literally putting a foot down where no one had walked, at least not in the last a hundred million years. And it was pretty special. Lydia: It's pretty cool. Pretty cool. It is absolutely an honor to have you here today, by the way. It is so lovely to meet you and just to be able to sit in the presence of such an incredible woman. Tori Murden McClure: Well, I think we have five incredible women here. Lydia: Well, we appreciate that. How did you begin these adventures? How does one just decide, Yeah, I think I'm going to row across the Atlantic Ocean next week? Tori Murden McClure: I think you take one reasonable step and then another reasonable step, and then somewhere along the line you pass the boundaries of reason and don't realize it. I think I read a statistic once that 98% of young people grow up in a dysfunctional household, which means most of us, if not all of us. And I had a pretty hard way growing up, but my life since then has been magical. And so I think I began to see the woods as safe and civilization as dangerous because I grew up with a brother who's intellectually disabled and he was bullied and I was bullied, because I was his chief protector. And so the sense of people are dangerous, trees are safe, was kind of how I came to want to be outside. And then as I grew older and started to take on challenges in civilization, the wilderness was a place to heal. And so I would take a burnout job working with unhoused people, and then I'd go climb a mountain to feel better about the world. And so it became this balance. I'd balanced the back country adventure with the urban adventure or weren't precisely a balance, the urban adventure with a back country adventure, back country adventure was the place where I went to sort of make sense of things and heal back up and then come back to continue fighting the good fight. Lydia: That is beautiful. Have you ever felt like you needed to do more in the urban things? Have you ever? Tori Murden McClure: Always, I'm teaching emergency medical technicians these days and I was asked to give an awards banquet speech, and as I was working on the speech, I was saying to my husband, I'm not doing enough to give back. I'm just not doing enough to give back. And at the awards banquet, two young men I had helped to teach, become EMTs, one medals of valor for their response to the UPS plane crash that was here. Lydia: Oh, that's incredible. Tori Murden McClure: And you'd have thought I was related to them. I was so proud. But that sense of feeling like there's always more we can do, if we really let ourselves see the pain of the world, it calls us to try to do more. Lexi: Yeah. Do you still feel like you compare yourself to others in things? Tori Murden McClure: Yeah, I was thinking about that and getting ready for this. And of course I think we're just naturally wired to understand hierarchy. And you can set up a hierarchy in any kind of framework. You say, okay, line yourself up by height, line yourself up by X. Line yourself up by power. And people will naturally put themselves where they think they are. And women usually give themselves a harder time than men do when it comes to rating their own intelligence or rating their own ability or even rating their own sense of power. And I think we could do a lot to improve our sense of self. But I think the challenge for us is we're always comparing our insides, which are very messy to other people's outsides, which used to just be polished and have some makeup, but now they're AI-enhanced. There's no way we're ever going to measure up. Lexi: So one thing I'm wondering is obviously all your accomplishments are so amazing in every single thing. It's like you were the first woman to do all of these things. So do you ever feel like people sort of pinpoint that as, oh, she's a woman versus a man making these accomplishments? And how do you internalize that and how do you deal with that? Tori Murden McClure: I don’t usually, that doesn't usually register for me too much, unless there are certain guys who say it a certain way and it's intentionally demeaning, then I'll get my backup. People will always say, first woman to roll across the ocean. They won't say first American. They'll always say First woman to ski to the South Pole. I won't say first American. Now, I wasn't alone at South Pole, but you all touched the pole at the same time. So we'd each claimed to have been the first. I got called out by a colleague who was on that expedition. I went to speak in his hometown and they listened to me as the First American and the first woman, he goes, what am I, chopped liver? And I was like, I used to be really good about saying there were this many Americans or this many women. And yeah, I'm not responsible for folk’s editing. Kristina: Well, I'm curious about that when you are thinking about comparison, for you ladies too, do you feel like it's more internal or external? The reason that I ask that is that there is a story that I know you've told before about the newspaper and where they wanted to put you in the feature section even though you were clearly an athlete and belonged in the sports section. And so I'm curious about whether that external comparison is something that you think about when it comes to that. Is it really external or internal? __________ Before we continue with our episode, let me take a minute to remind you that by her hands is a global program empowering women and girls through safe water access menstrual health management and economic opportunity. The program and this podcast are brought to you by WaterStep. Together, we believe that when a young woman can protect her own health, she leads. When she leads her family thrives, and when her family thrives, her whole community grows stronger. Learn more about how women and girls are shaping healthier futures each by her own hands at WaterStep.org. ___________ Tori Murden McClure: Yeah, I mean, I think there are unhealthy things when we're comparing our internal selves to folks we interact with in the exterior world. Then there are pigeonholes that we get put in. And when I think of sort of sexism in the world, I feel like it's a pigeonhole. And typically I don't experience a lot of sexism because I'm six feet tall and I'm built like a guy. And I sometimes have trouble finding feminine clothing that fits me well. And so I look like a guy and guys will forget that I'm not a guy. And so I get away with saying things that smaller, more feminine women just can't get away with. Or I will be in, I remember the days when I'd be in a big meeting and some petite woman would say something perfectly reasonable and right on target and be completely ignored. I would repeat what she'd say and they would think, oh, that's brilliant. And I look across the table and go, sorry. But yeah, when I was rowing across the Atlantic Ocean, the Courier Journal, which was still run by a very close friend of mine, one of my mentors, the guys wouldn't cover me in the sports section, they put me in the feature section next to the cooking and wardrobe advice. I was a woman and the women in the news office had to fight to get me covered at all. And then the day of my arrival, they got around the sports versus features by just putting me on the front page, which worked out okay. Lydia: I'd say that's a fair, fair trade right there. Kristina: I'm curious for you ladies, what are some times recently in your lives that you have compared yourselves to others? Who was it? What was that like the moment? What do you do about it? After hearing what Tori has talked about? Lydia: I mean, right now I'm comparing myself to Tori. I mean, I'm not much of an athlete and I'm thinking all these incredible things that you've done. And I mean, I used to play hockey and now I just kind of sit on my butt and I want to be like you and I want to go outside and go. I mean, I love kayaking. That's kind of, it's on water in a boat. So now you're making me want to kayak and to do more things like that. Lexi: I think for me, I think it's just social media and who you surround yourself by. Even my friends, I feel like sometimes we're almost in competition with each other of, oh, we're supposed to look a certain way and I'll talk the same way and all these beauty standards. And I think sometimes it gets really hard. And I think just taking a step back and just reminding myself to be my own person. Don't compare yourself to others. But I definitely think with social media and AI and all of these fake photos and just projecting your life on social media as this perfect life and you're only going to put up the best thing. Sometimes it's really, really hard to not compare yourself to that and be like, wow, look how much fun they're having. Or wow, look how beautiful this girl is. So I think a lot of that, Lydia, I'm sure you can relate to some of that. Lydia: I have never been more sad than when I was trying to fit in with everybody around me. I went from a private school to a new school, went from a class of 24 to 400, and it was really hard and I've talked about it on here before, but I just wanted to blend in and I didn't want any to draw any attention to myself, and I wanted people to like me. I felt like at my old school, I was too much. I was too loud, I was too smarty pants. I knew the answers to the questions and I needed to sit back and let someone else answer them. And I just muted myself and I had all this pressure, you need to wear a new outfit every day. You cannot repeat outfits. You have to wear makeup and make sure do your hair every single night so it'll be ready for the morning. And you sit in your seat very nice and you don't say anything to make anybody upset. You don't say anything to make anybody else feel bad. And that was it. And eventually, of course, as you can probably tell, that didn't work. It didn't last very long. I'm an energetic person when I am not exhausted, and I’m kind of loud a little bit and I like to joke around and I like to have fun in my class as well. So doing my things and eventually once I made some good friends, they kind of pulled me out of my shell a little bit and I started to have more and more of myself show through. But I remember just being so alone when I was trying to make myself something I wasn't. And it wasn't until I stopped caring and then it got bad and I started wearing pajamas to school and I didn't brush my hair. You have to find a balance. Even though I do miss wearing PJs to school. Tori Murden McClure: I think I often think about it as competition versus compassion. I think competition is good. I'm a competitive person. I like to win. I don't think that's the problem. It's what you do after you win or what you do after you lose and how that affects your relationships. And if I'm on the water and there's a guy in front of me, I want to catch him. Lydia: Absolutely. Tori Murden McClure: There's nothing wrong with my desire to want to catch him and grind him into dust. But if I'm in a competitive relationship with someone, it doesn't help me to figure out how we're the same. It only helps me to figure out how we're different so I can exploit those differences. If I'm in a compassionate relationship, it doesn't help me to figure out how we're different. It only helps me to figure out how we're the same so we can find common ground. And it's really how competition or compassion affects your relationships. And then I think there's nothing wrong with competition as long as you're not a jerk about it. When I worked with Muhammad Ali, I knew plenty of, well, I don't know plenty. I knew a few famous athletes who were like, I'm great, you stink. I'm fabulous. You are a peasant. Mohammad wouldn't like that. Muhammad's like, I'm the greatest in the world and if you're hanging out with me, you must be great too. And that's a very different way of interacting with the world. And I think it's totally fine to be very good at something and not be a jerk about it. Lydia: Right. And I remember when I was playing ice hockey, we were the first girls team where we were playing and it was really big deal. And there wasn't a girls league, so we were always playing the guys team. And we actually, their parents stopped. They talked to our coaches and they're like, we don't want our kids playing your girls anymore because they play too mean. Because I, when I would play hockey, I was always an aggressive player. It's why I played hockey because I kept getting fouls and flags and penalties and everything else I tried. In hockey, it's part of the game and I still have my stories. I got ejected, I got suspended, whatever. But it was more part of the game. I remember walking out of the rink and they said, if you girls want to play hockey, you have to play tougher than that. And we came out and three of us fouled out, and I think I punched a kid from the boards and I wasn't even in the game. I was out on injury. It was just like that competition between we're girls trying to prove our spot here and then eventually getting pulled out of the league because we were too mean. Tori Murden McClure: Yeah, I played in a co-ed league when I was in divinity school, at Harvard. Lydia: Oh my gosh. Tori Murden McClure: And it was a league between the graduate schools. My divinity school league team got kicked out of the league for fighting. Kristina: In divinity school. Good job, Tori. Lydia: That's awesome. Tori Murden McClure: It was a co-ed league, but I was the only woman I ever saw on the court. And this one evening I went up for a rebound and dislocated my wrist and this string of expletives flew out of my mouth. And somebody on the other team says, Hey, watch your mouth, there's a lady on the court, somebody on my team says that was the lady. ... /episode/index/show/c7f8ba3c-aeeb-40b4-85ed-a3e5bb6c2196/id/41797255

The Real Meaning of Legacy: A Conversation with Lonnie Ali 06/11/2026

The Real Meaning of Legacy: A Conversation with Lonnie Ali Episode 7: In this episode of the By Her Hands podcast, Lydia, Lexi, and Justine sit down with Lonnie Ali (the wife of Muhammad Ali) to explore the meaning of legacy, impact, and living a life of purpose. Drawing from her experiences with Muhammad Ali and her own work as a philanthropist and leader, Lonnie explains that legacy is not something we intentionally build for recognition but rather the result of the positive impact we have on others. The conversation highlights the importance of authenticity, compassion, service, and standing firmly by one’s values. The group discusses how everyday actions, mentorship, and caring for others can create lasting influence that extends across generations. Lonnie encourages young women to focus on making an impact rather than pursuing fame, reminding them that meaningful change often begins with small acts of kindness and leadership. Together, they reflect on the role of family, community, and role models in shaping future leaders. The episode ultimately reinforces that anyone can leave a powerful legacy by helping others and leaving the world better than they found it. Episode Transcript Lydia: Today we're talking about legacy. It's a big word. People attach it to famous names, to history, to the end of someone's life. Most of the time they tie it to a person's influence, their accomplishments, what they're known for. But how do we define legacy? And is it something we even think about early in our lives? Can we shape our own legacy or do others define it? Maybe it's being formed in real time, in what we do, what we tolerate, and how we treat people. Have you ever thought about Legacy? Justine: You're listening to the By Her Hands podcast, a space where young women figure things out together, who we are, what we want, and the power we already carry. It's brought to you by WaterStep, a global leader in safe water innovation. Learn more about how women and girls are shaping healthier futures each by her own hands, at WaterStep.org. Lydia: Hi, I am Lydia and welcome back to the By Her Hands podcast. Lexi: Hi, I'm Lexi. It's good to be back. Justine: Hi everyone, this is Justine. Good to be here with you. Lydia: I want to welcome a very special guest today. We are honored to have Mrs. Lonnie Ali here with us, a philanthropist, businesswoman, and of course the wife of the late and legendary boxer and humanitarian Muhammad Ali. She is also the co-founder and vice chair of the Muhammad Ali Center. So welcome and thank you for being here today. Lonnie: Well, thank you all of you for inviting me. It's a pleasure to be here. Lydia: So to you, what is legacy? Lonnie: Legacy when you're talking about my husband's legacy is huge. Lydia: Yes! Lonnie: Bigger than the word, actually. I mean, there's so much to his legacy. I always like to think of his legacy as a tapestry with many threads, different colored threads and ribbons going through it. Very layered, very textured, right? And that's because his legacy means so much. Muhammad meant so much to so many people in many different ways and he touched so many different people. So, when I think about Muhammad’s legacy, it's a huge responsibility for me because I know I have to be the guardian of that legacy, protect that legacy, promote that legacy, because legacy is not important to me unless it's mobilized. And that's important to me is to mobilize Muhammad's legacy because he left us so many wonderful examples of how to be, how to show up in the world, how to treat people, how to be compassionate, how to stand on your convictions, and to uplift people, to inspire people. So, there's so much to his legacy, so much to tend to, so much to take care of. I will never be bored. Lydia: How do you live on carrying on his legacy and not just in his shadow? Lonnie: I think because I had an opportunity to be with Muhammad after he retired from boxing and had actually been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, I sort of became his partner, because it affected him in many different ways. Later on, it was mobility and his speech, but I sort of became his mouthpiece. And so everything we did and everywhere he went, we did together. So we were real partners. We were like one person together. And I've never looked at what I do as being in his shadow and he never presented himself or wanted me to be in his shadow. He wanted me always to be at his side. And that's where I still see myself, at his side, because even though it's not the work that I originally started and did, it's what I supported him in what he was doing. It was important work and I was happy to do it, but I shared in the experience and in the rewards of being able to help other people. Lydia: That's beautiful. That's beautiful. Lonnie: Thank you. Lydia: So, what has been your favorite work in carrying on? I'm curious. I want to know. Lonnie: Muhammad’s? Lydia: Yes. Lonnie: Well, one thing Muhammad taught me and children around him, his kids, is that you have to be kind to people. And he was like that when I met him when I was six years old. He's always had the kindest, most generous heart of anybody I ever knew. And it's how you treat people and how you show up every day. And he was never a glum individual, even when he lost a fight or things weren't going well in his life. He had the draft where he was prosecuted for not accepting to go to Vietnam, but he never let that take over who he was. It was something that was happening to him, but he didn't let it destroy his outlook on life, on people or this country. So I have to take that example and do the same. I don't let things that a lot of people might let bother them, especially today, I just walk through it. That's what he did and show up on the other side. Muhammad always did what he thought was right. He had a moral compass that was well-calibrated and he didn't worry about the rest. But he also exhibited patience because he knew things would not happen overnight. And sometimes even with him, people would not understand him immediately. But over time, as we know, people became very aware of who Muhammad was and what he stood for. Justine: What I really love about, I'm listening to you and I'm reminding and recalling all the videos, the videos that we saw, and I have three boys and one of them won a drawing contest because he drew Muhammad Ali's gloves and the famous phrase I think float like a butterfly… Lydia: “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” Justine: Exactly. And he won that. And I was like, okay, why did you take that? He said, just because of who He's who he was. And I kept listening to him and he was 12, right? And it's Zachary, he was on the podcast as well. And listening to you, I just realized that yes, we talk about legacy, but you've been mentioning who he was and it made me think about what legacy is about. It's not he started up with wanting to build a legacy. He was just being himself. Right? And role-modeling and demonstrating what he believed in. And I find it super, super inspiring because when we talk about legacy, you always think about something big that's been built with the intention to be carried over. But listening to you, I feel like it didn't start like that, did it? Lonnie: No, it did not. Just what you said, it was just him being him. He was always his authentic-self. But what is beautiful about what you said is this, your 12-year-old son wanted to draw Muhammad's gloves and put that phrase, that monicker, I mean that saying, he used to always say on those gloves, but that's one thing Muhammad always wanted. He always wanted to be able to connect to that next generation. He knew the day would come where there'd be a generation of young people who never saw him in the ring, never saw him on an interview. And how do you continue that? And you do it by example. Muhammad was the kind of person I think children still find interesting because he was humorous, he was funny, he was engaging, he was authentic, and people trusted him. And they continue to trust him. Children trust him I think in some of the things he says, they've lost trust in institutions, but they still trust in personalities. We did a compassion report at the , the Muhammad Ali Index, and it showed that we are losing trust in institutions, but people are gaining trust in individuals like sports figures, clergy teachers, people who are in the community who are leaders, that's who they trust, not so much institutions anymore. So Muhammad is a huge figure on that sports platform, even still today. You can't go a week really without seeing something about Muhammad. There's always, I mean even if he shows up as part of set dressing on a show, I'm serious. He's always somewhere and his energy is still floating around here. Justine: That's amazing. Lonnie: Not just here, but in a lot of places, because he was that big. Justine: And you mentioned also mobilizing, because I'm big on words when I listen to people, there are words that just trigger something. Right? And you mentioned mobilization, and to me it speaks to action. It speaks to what is it that you do on a daily basis? So legacy is just not about, okay, when I'm gone, what I do or what I did, it's about what people are still doing in remembering or true inspiration or because something just meant the world to them. Lonnie: Yeah. What are they going to hold onto? Justine: Yes. Lonnie: What example did you set or what about you do they want to identify with and hold onto? And for, like I said, for many people it's different things with Muhammad. Some of them want to hold onto the social activism of standing on their convictions and speaking up. And then there's some who want to empower other people, people around them. They don't only want to ascend themselves, they want to help other people to ascend. And then there's others who want to be that compassionate heart to reach out to people in need and lift them up as well. And Muhammad was one of those people when he saw something, he couldn't unsee it. So whatever that was, he was going to address it. Lexi: I think that kind of makes me start to wonder if can people our age and young girls start to try intentionally build their legacy? What does that look like? Or is it just something you think about once somebody's gone? Lonnie: That's a very good question, Lexi. People say things to me about what is your legacy? I don't think ever about what my legacy might be. Lexi: I think I'm the same. Lonnie: I mean, I really don't because it's not about for me, I'm not trying to be a reference point in history. I just want to live the way I know I should live and set that example. But the legacy is what, like I said, what is it that people will carry on that they learn from you after you're gone? So that legacy lives on whether you're here or not, for generations. And some of that comes through your children, your grandchildren, which I hope it will. But you never know who you're influencing. You never know who's watching your example and what they're thinking and how they take it and how they're inspired by it. You just think you're just being you and it's just no big deal. But to some people, it's a huge deal. It really is. So I don't intentionally think about legacy. I think about his intentionally, but not mine, because I think we're so intertwined that whatever uplifts his legacy, I'm always going to be a part of it. Lexi: So then do you feel like it's more intent or more impact? Because I feel like Muhammad is a perfect example of the mixture of both because he was intentional about his everyday actions, but then also the impact was 10 times bigger. Lonnie: Well, think of somebody when we think about females, we both grew up in Catholic schools. Lydia: I did too actually. Lonnie: I did too. Lydia: Well see there. Lonnie: Now think about, and this is getting real sort of nostalgic and going back, but think about . Lydia: That was who I thought you were going to say right there. Lonnie: Now what do you think? Do you think that little woman was thinking about what her legacy was? She was thinking about the impact she could make, in the moment. How could she help and change someone's life who was standing in front of her? That was what she was thinking about. But when she thought about that, she thought about uplifting them, helping them. But through her work and her passion for her work of trying to make that impact, her legacy was built and it will be everlasting. We will always attribute kindness, compassion, care for those who cannot care for themselves, with Mother Teresa. She's like the epitome of goodness and love. And for people who have nothing, she didn't care. And that's the way she trained her novices as well, to be that same way. But that legacy was built on action. Who knows how many hours that woman worked a day, especially when she was younger. And that's the way we have to approach things. And if we want to make impact, legacy has to, if you're thinking about it has to make impact. If you don't make impact, then what's there to remember? So when I think about young women and what's wonderful about women, we can do anything. Justine: Right? Lonnie: Honest to God. And that's one thing I loved about Muhammad. People think, yeah, he was born of that generation and he was Muslim, but Muhammad was one of the most empowering people I ever met, for me. He's the one who told me, you get in the best school you can get into. He would sort of tutor me on the world and things and what's available for women. He always wanted to empower not just me, but his children as well. And when I think about that, and my father was the same way, always. There was nothing, the sky was the limit in his eyes of what women could accomplish and we can do it all. We can even give birth. Men can't do that. Justine: No, they can't. They can't. I could just sit here and listen to you all day long. And it feels good in a way as a woman, but also just knowing that we have examples that were set. Right? And legacy doesn't mean that you have to be that big figure, big personality from the get-go for you to create a legacy. You said something that's really important to me. It's like, it's not about how much impact you have, it's about just having that impact. Because you never know who's watching. You don't know how far it goes, but when you are in the moment, take action, make the best out of it, change somebody's life if you can or make that moment better for them. To me, that's what we should always be thriving to do because either you make impact or you empower them or you inspire someone and you can't control that. I feel like all those examples that we have, the history has shown us that as long as you are working toward the right thing and making people feel good or get better, you are always going to build something because you don't know who's going to take the next piece. And that's very encouraging. When I think about our setting, this podcast and all the people that we have the honor to meet, it always sparks that intention to do good, that intention to reach out and help. But also there is the level of authenticity and just being that person who wants to do good. And it always comes back to that and knowing that it's so powerful that you, that's the starting point I want to say for legacy. I hope it inspires a lot of listeners right now, a lot of girls that are anywhere in the world and feeling hopeless. But if there's anything for me, it's understanding that if you help one person in front of you like Mother Theresa or did, if you stand your ground and you always stay true to yourself, because that's something that to me that really, if you ask me about Muhammad Ali, that's what I would say. He was never afraid of telling people the way it is because that's what he believed in and he was ready to face the consequences. Right? It will take you far no matter who you are or where you are. And that's really powerful. That's pretty powerful. Lonnie: I'd like to say too that, well, a couple of things. When we talk about legacy, think about grandmothers who toiled in fields or did labor, but we're that matron of the family. Who guided the family, and even though they may not have accomplished professionally everything they may have wanted to, they nurtured those beneath them, their offspring, their grandchildren, and to go out into the world and do fabulous things. And we see families like that. It's never too late and it's never too early to start that process of inspiring a child to create impact, even when they're little. And if they are surrounded by people who do that and are conscious and intentional and think like that, then they're going to become like that. And that's why we see Lexi and Lydia sitting here today making impact because that's the families they were raised by. And the example was set so true. And the bar is high and it's expected, and we have to do that. We have to put those expectations out there. But I'd hate for any child in any part of this world who feels like they're worthless or cannot achieve to think they're not valuable and valued. They have to be. And if you're not thinking about yourself, think about your children, how are you going to inspire them? Right? And that's really about legacy, it’s passing that torch forward and making children, or that next generation of children, understand that doing good in this world is not something to be dismissed or minimized. If it weren't for people taking care of other people, we wouldn't have community. We wouldn't have a family. I mean, that's what makes a community right? And makes it stronger. So, I would encourage anybody out there who feels like they're at a loss, there's always a way to find a path to become something more than what you see yourself as today. Justine: Absolutely. Absolutely. Lydia: There's a story of a family from my school where the mother grew up, was in an abusive relationship, married, had kids at 14, 15 years old and ended up their father either passed away, divorced, I'm not sure. I don't remember the whole story. But she had two sons and single mother in the fifties and sixties. She gave everything to these boys. They grew up, went through my school, graduated, and they now are filthy, disgusting rich. They give these massive scholarships every single year to kids at my school in honor of their mother who just inspired that and has, it's named after her and she has left. It is the perfect example to what you were saying. She has left her legacy just by raising her boys to get a good education. Lonnie: Right. And to give back. Lydia: And to give. Exactly. Exactly. Justine: Beautiful. _________ Before we continue with our episode, let me take a minute to remind you that by her hands is a global program empowering women and girls through safe water access, menstrual health management and economic opportunity. The program and this podcast are brought to you by WaterStep. Together, we believe that when a young woman can protect her own health, she leads. When she leads, her family thrives. And when her family thrives, her whole community grows stronger. Learn more about how women and girls are shaping healthier futures each by her own hands, at WaterStep.org. ________ Lydia: I see it. I see it in my own life. Do you think legacy, well, I feel like we've kind of touched on it, but it does it have to be something big and how can you leave a legacy without being the greatest boxer ever? Lonnie: When you think about legacy, I look at it as what did you do to help somebody else that you can take, you can claim their success as part of yours, right? It's like a coach who's out there teaching a little leaguer, how to bat a ball across the fence. He's not the one. And that person grows up to be a major league batter in the major leagues and a... /episode/index/show/c7f8ba3c-aeeb-40b4-85ed-a3e5bb6c2196/id/41604715

The Power of Hope: Inspiring Conversations About Resilience and Purpose 05/28/2026

The Power of Hope: Inspiring Conversations About Resilience and Purpose Episode 6: In this episode of the By Her Hands podcast, the conversation centers around the meaning of hope and how it shapes personal growth, resilience, and leadership. Mark Hogg, Founder and CEO of WaterStep, shares powerful stories about building a mission-driven organization and overcoming rejection while staying committed to a long-term vision. They discuss how hope can serve as both a feeling and a conscious decision, especially during moments of uncertainty, stress, or self-doubt. Through personal experiences involving school, leadership, service, and global advocacy, you’ll hear how hope is strengthened through community, faith, encouragement, and shared experiences. The conversation also explores the importance of empowering young women to pursue their dreams despite societal expectations and challenges. Hope grows when people support one another and choose optimism even during difficult seasons. Ultimately, the discussion reinforces that hope is not passive. It is an intentional mindset that can inspire action, resilience, and positive change in others. Episode Transcript Lydia: Hope doesn’t feel the same for everybody. It changes depending on who you are and what you’re going through. Sometimes, you’re excited about the future and really believe you can make your dreams come true. Other times, it feels like everything is impossible. Hope can come and go that fast. When you have hope, does it change how you think, the way you act? Does it help you keep going when things feel heavy? Do you even need hope at all? In this episode, we talk about what hope feels like, when you’re still figuring your life out and trying not to completely freak out. It’s an honest conversation about the pressure, the confusion, the spiraling thoughts and the hopeful moments, both big and small, that somehow break through. Justine: You're listening to the By Her Hands podcast, a space where young women figure things out together, who we are, what we want, and the power we already carry. It's brought to you by WaterStep, a global leader in safe water innovation. Learn more about how women and girls are shaping healthier futures each by her own hands, at WaterStep.org. Lydia: Hello and welcome back to the By Her Hands podcast. I'm Lydia, and today I'm joined by... Lexi: …Lexi, Justine: And Justine. Lydia: It's good to be back in here and we have another guest with us today. Do you want to go ahead and introduce yourself, Mark? Mark: Oh man, it's great to be here. So thankful to have you guys invite me. My name is Mark Hogg and I am the Founder and CEO of WaterStep. Lydia: That is incredible. And we are very grateful that you decided to come out and spend your, what is it, Wednesday? Wednesday afternoon with us here recording this. Mark: I'll spend any afternoon with you guys. Lydia: Oh, corny. But today we're talking about hope and what hope means to each of us and not just the name. So Mark, what's your hope? Mark: I'd tell you, I think hope is an incredible word to imagine. Some people think it's a feeling. Some people wait for it to ebb and flow and wander through their lives and in out of their lives. Some people wonder what is the foundation for hope. I think it carries with it a tremendous need for thought and practice living out. But I think hope has the potential to really be a guiding force in our life, and it has been in mine. Justine: Wow, I really like that. The fact that you mentioned feelings, events, thoughts, living experience. And when I was getting ready for this discussion today, I was really reflecting on hope. What does it mean for me? And all it brought is feeling, right? It's a feeling that I keep asking myself, how do I carry that? Is it often, is it something that is being triggered or so on? So Lexi, what do you think? Lexi: Yeah, absolutely. I think it can definitely be triggered in sort of small events, but sort of turning into something big. So for me, this past summer, I did an internship at Norton in the ICU and my very first day I walked in and I saw about a 15-year-old girl, and she was completely unconscious, intubated, very, very sick. We didn't know if she was going to make it, and I was just like, wow, that could have been me. We go back the next day to the same unit. We see that same girl. She was extubated. She only had the tube in, she was sitting up, she had her hair braided and the nurses were taking care of her. And I was just like, wow, this is incredible. And it was just that moment to remind me to not give up and always have hope. So I think it's a feeling that can definitely be fleeting and sometimes it's like ebb and flow, like you said, Mark. But I think what I learned from that experience was to never let go of it and just to always keep it close to heart. Mark: I like the way you said that. I think it's a decision that you've got to come to a point in your life to make that decision. I am going to live a life of hope. You've got to have that foundation. For me, it's wrapped up in my faith and my trust that no matter what's happening, that there is something bigger than myself around me. I'll be honest with you, my day can shift. I'm a pretty emotional person if anybody knows me very well, so I can be up and down. So I can be great one minute, get a phone call and I'm just a poopy pants. But that's real different than hope. It's not how I'm wrapped up in the moment in what I'm feeling, but that I realize that no matter what's happening, I have the hope that life will eventually see me to a place that I can breathe, even if there's great tragedy and pain in the midst of that, that I will come through that. And I think we've all had those kind of experiences in our lives where we thought, will this ever end? Lydia: I've absolutely been there and I feel like right now I'm kind of in one of those states a little bit. Everything was, I mean, it was going well. And then I mean, I don't know what happened. My car, it's not working right now, so I have no car and prom is in three days and I need my car and I'm doing poorly on all of my tests. And I have three going on right now that are multi-days. And the hard part is that there's such big deals for me to graduate. I'm taking the AAPPEL and it's something for, so you can get your certificate of bilingual proficiency, and I've taken five years of Spanish and this test is kicking my butt and it's so, it's just a lot going on. And it’s hard for me to keep track of everything and to remember eventually even in a week, so much of this will be over and I just need to keep hold onto that hope of it's a temporary feeling and it will end. The due date will come whether I'm ready for it or not, and I can get out of it. Mark: I like the way you're talking about that because I don't think hope is about looking through a magnifying glass. I think it's about looking at the horizon and realizing so much more, so muchbigger. There's so much things that we want to sweat, but I mean for those of us, I know all of us in this room that have been a part of bigger events in our lives and places where young ladies are lying in bed intubated, that we know things could be a whole lot worse than what we got. And I feel like that's living with people in those situations, reminding of myself, of where I've been and where I've come to that keeps me thinking without a magnifying glass, but on the horizon. Justine: That's very interesting that you say that, Mark. And let's not forget, you're the CEO, the founder of WaterStep, right? We're having that podcast today also because of the mission of WaterStep and the passion and the commitment that we have for betterment of lives, especially women and girls. And I can't help but ask you that question. Mark, everything that you just said is just so right. At the same time I look at the 30 years of WaterStep and I'm just like, how did you manage that Mark from the first day, the first time, the first minute you had that horizon, but at the same time you knew that you had it. I would say you have to get up every day or every hour to keep pushing. What is it like, and after so many years of doing that, what would be one thing that you would tell young people or everybody who's listening when it comes to hope and when it comes to achieving? Mark: I think that horizon-view has to be able to, and it takes practice, I think protect you from what other people say, from experiences that you have, from let downs or times of when you've failed somebody else. I mean, there's times when I've done very poorly in a relationship and I have felt a very deep sense of hopelessness with myself and what might happen in that relationship. I remember you were talking about the growth of WaterStep over the years, which happened many, many years before we even started. And in dreaming about that, I'll never forget, I met with these three men at a Denny's restaurant once a week, early morning, about 6:30, 6:00 in the morning. And they would kind of mentor me, and I was always excited about the chance of building an organization where it could have something to do with water and with young people. And so in the midst of that, there were other things happening in the city that we were a part of together. And I saw that driving to that central goal. Well, they wouldn't actually talk to me about investing in what we were doing. They wanted it to be something different. Mark, this is what it really needs to look like. And it really wasn't the vision that I had. And so I had a meeting with three other men. They met me at a restaurant and they said, Hey, we're really excited about what you're doing. We want to invest to get this thing started. We want you to work with the people. We want to be a part of this and we're going to invest thousands of dollars to get this jump started. And so I went back to those guys at Denny's. I could not wait to go to Denny's to see these guys. So I told them about the meeting and they said, what are you talking about? We had no thought. We don't know what you’re doing. We had no thought that you would want to do this, and we don't support this at all. And one gentleman called me incorrigible, and as they were talking, they one by one, they left me at the table until I was all by myself. They all three had their time to yell at me and shout at me. And I was left there and tears started screaming down my face. And one of the things was I didn't know what incorrigible really meant, so I had to go home and look it up and the dictionary. But I realized this great sense of hopelessness in that moment. Marcia came home that afternoon and I was just. I'm sorry. Marcia is my wife. Yes, yes, absolutely. She's amazing. Strong woman. But she came home and found me that way. And I think what I've been able to do with my life is to just, when I'm told no, it kind of rubs something inside me that shoves me to the side and says, I'm going to fix this. And so it just took everything I said, I'm going to keep moving. And so that's that. Every day you get up in the morning and say, okay, this is the vision I've got. This is the hope I have. I'm going to figure out how I'm going to move through whatever happens. Lexi: So what I'm hearing from that is you are a visionary, you are a go-get it type of person. I feel like you always have hope. Even though those people were turning you down, you were still like, I'm going to go get this. That sort of makes me wonder. I feel like for me, I'm more of like a realist. Yes, I hope, but it's sort of a quiet hope. I feel like when I really want to get something, I'm scared that I might not get it. So I just sort of take a step back and yes, I'm hopeful, but I don't really want to tell anybody about it yet. It might not happen. So do you feel like hope is different for girls rather than boys? Mark: Well, that's a great question and as a man, I don't know that I can answer that. Lydia: I mean, I have the same kind of tendencies that you do. Mark. I can tell you recently with my school's radio station, we had the opportunity to go to New York for an award show. And my teacher was like, I don't know if this is going to work out. I don't really know. And I pushed and pushed and pushed for months, planned this whole trip, and we ended up with 48 hours in New York. I was sitting through a school board meeting just to make sure that they approved it. And emailing superintendent, I was like, we need to go. Here’s what's happened. We've done it before and I need to make sure that this happens. Mark: But I don't know that that, back to what you were saying, Lexi. I think hope doesn't look the same in each of us. I don't think that what you're saying is not hopeful. And I don't think that I'm saying that I've never felt like you're feeling and describe that feeling. And I had hope in my life. So we've got to define hope for ourselves and find that foundation for me. Find that foundation for you where hope finally sits. When you're like, gee, I'm not sure if this is going to happen or not. And I've got to find somewhere to land that. And for me, I land that on my faith and I just realize that, okay, there's something bigger than I. God is here at work in a way that I don't understand, and I'll practice again and again and again in my life until I can finally, at least no matter how I'm feeling, I can't always trust my feelings. But no matter how I'm feeling that I know that that's reality for me. And I think that's exactly what you're talking about you do. It just doesn't come out of your mouth the same way, but you're doing it. You know what I'm saying? Justine: I want to be back on what you're saying, Lexi, in terms of what is hope for girls or women. And I want to say that the things that inspired me the most throughout my career in international development, it's when I was sitting with young women talking about their dreams and realizing it. And I remember that particular young girl or young woman in Senegal, she was the only mechanic student in a professional program. And everybody was talking about it. Everybody was talking about her, and she had the pros and the cons where she's a girl, why isn't she doing hair? And so on. And she just said, I dreamt about it. I've always been attracted to cars, to mechanic. My role models are my older brothers, my father and I wanted to do it. And I have so many other stories like that. And for me, hope in young women that are connected to their dreams, it's game changer. It's a game changer because it's always inspiring. It's always a first. But the side part for me is that they have to go against so many standards and norms. And for me, it's listening to all of you, especially you Mark, and the fact that it's about not giving up. It's about not taking no for an answer. Really, It drives the point home in my mind, it's as a woman, it's really what it is about. Because so many women and girls will hear, no. Will hear that, oh, this is not how it's done. And I have so many moments where I was told that when you get to leadership and you're just like, everybody's expecting you to do it like everyone else, and they're like, oh, this is not how we do it. And then you're like, okay, but I'm going to be the first one. Why? Because I have a horizon. Why? Because I believe in myself and I have a dream. And I think that's also what hope is about. It's just not letting go of your dream and just keep pushing. Mark: And that hope that you're talking about and that dream, whatever that is, and that foundation that we're talking about, it will transcend to that time that you're waiting, gee, is this going to happen? Because isn't that in that the middle time right there? Is it going to happen? Is it going to not? I mean, that's where the hope really, that's where you're banking on it and the glass is half full or the glass is half empty. Well, in a little bit of time you'll figure out if the glass is going to be drained out empty or if it's going to be filled up. You just got to be able to hope in the midst of that. Lexi: Absolutely. I think we've all been saying it in different words, but hope is a choice. Yes, it's a feeling, but at the end of the day, it's you waking up every single day and choosing to be hopeful, choosing to see the positive. And I think especially for young women, we do get told no a lot of times. And sometimes society tells us our dreams are silly or that's not what you're supposed to be doing. But I think having a support system around you can help you keep that hope and wake up every day and choose it again and again. _________ Before we continue with our episode, let me take a minute to remind you that by her hands is a global program empowering women and girls through safe water access, menstrual health management and economic opportunity. The program and this podcast are brought to you by WaterStep. Together, we believe that when a young woman can protect her own health, she leads. When she leads, her family thrives. And when her family thrives, her whole community grows stronger. Learn more about how women and girls are shaping healthier futures each by her own hands, at WaterStep.org. ________ Lydia: I think hope has become the fire or I think hearing no has become kind of a fire under me. And just in that kind of hope with, if I hear, oh, well, I don't know if that's going to work. I'm going to make it work now. You said the words, now I'm going to make it work. So I completely, I get it. I get it. And in a weird roundabout way, even though everything right now for me kind of feels like it sucks, I still sitting here can remember, okay, it's really not that much going on and I have a lot of good happening and I just need to keep hanging on. Justine: And it's worth it. It's worth it to keep pushing because the end is just what you want. So it's worth it fighting for. And also to me, the other side of us feeling hope and working from it, it's for it, it's also the fact that we need to realize that people are watching, people are listening, and we are giving them hope just by achieving, just by pushing through. And I'm going to come back to you, Mark, because I started with how did you get here? But at the same time, the work that is being done with WaterStep, it's also bringing hope to others. Right? And I think that hope is just encompassing. It's about what I'm feeling, what I want to do, how I'm doing it, but also what it brings to others or what it inspires others to continue having hope and go for it. Mark: It's magnified in each other. It can bring it to somebody else, and it grows in somebody else. Justine: I love that. I love that. So it becomes a responsibility. And I think that just thinking about the others, I wonder how we can amplify, magnify because it’s so big. It’s so beautiful that we can just keep it for ourselves. Lydia: My mom always jokes and she's like, Lydia, you give me hope for the future. Your generation gives me hope for the future and everything. And I don't know what she did when she was little. I don't know what her generation was up to, but she's always talking about how when she sees my friends, me taking care of my friends or them taking care of me when my car was down, Yara took me to school every day for a month and a half, the first time my car was down. So when she sees that and when she sees everybody coming out to support the local events that we have and how the community comes together in support of people, she's like, this really gives me hope. It's one of her sayings, hope for the future and maybe everything will be okay. So I think to talk, I mean, hope is such a big idea and there's a lot of really big thoughts with what is it and how do you understand it? But to be able to experience it, a lot of times I feel like we feel just hopeless. It's not until you really sit down and look at your life... /episode/index/show/c7f8ba3c-aeeb-40b4-85ed-a3e5bb6c2196/id/41437135

Pressure and Perseverance 05/14/2026

Pressure and Perseverance Episode 5: In this episode, the conversation explores the themes of pressure, perseverance, and personal growth through honest and relatable stories. The group discusses how challenges, expectations, and difficult moments can shape confidence and resilience over time. Through personal experiences, the speakers reflect on the importance of pushing through discomfort, learning from setbacks, and finding strength in supportive relationships. The dialogue also highlights the value of authenticity, self-awareness, and encouraging others through difficult seasons of life. Throughout the conversation, the guests emphasize that perseverance is not about perfection, but about continuing to move forward despite uncertainty or fear. The discussion creates a space for vulnerability while also offering encouragement to young people navigating their own struggles. Ultimately, the episode reinforces that growth often happens during the moments that test us the most. Episode Transcript Lydia: Why does everything feel so heavy? Like you're carrying 10 different things at once, school, your family, your friends, your future, and some how you're supposed to handle all of it without falling apart, or at least looking like you're not falling apart. This episode is about that feeling and how we keep going even on the days we feel worn out. We get honest about pressure and what perseverance actually looks like when you're living it, not pretending Justine: You're listening to the By Her Hands podcast, a space where young women figure things out together, who we are, what we want, and the power we already carry. It's brought to you by WaterStep, a global leader in safe water innovation. Learn more about how women and girls are shaping healthier futures each by her own hands, at WaterStep.org. Lexi: Hi everyone, this is Lexi and welcome back to Episode 5 about pressure and perseverance. Lydia: Hey guys, it's Lydia and welcome back to the By Her Hands podcast. Justine: Hi everyone, this is Justine. Very happy to be here again with everyone. Lexi: Today we have our second global guest. Her name is Doreen and she is from Kenya. Doreen, can you introduce yourself a little bit? Doreen: Hi everyone. My name is Doreen. I come from Kenya, Nairobi. I have been a WaterStep volunteer for the last 12 years now. By the end of this year we'll be 12 years of volunteering with WaterStep in the field-work that we're doing with different communities across Kenya. Lexi: I feel like when we're talking about this idea of pressure and perseverance, pressure I feel like we can often see as an external factor, but I think sometimes it's internal too, and that's something that resonates with me the most. Lydia, do you resonate with that? Do you feel like pressure is more internal or an external factor for you? Lydia: I think the pressure I feel has stemmed from such a small moment in my life, all of it. It goes back to when I was in, I mean it had to have been fifth-grade and my parents were like, college is expensive and you'll have to work for scholarships. And I feel like everything has spurred from that one moment. And it's not like my parents to this day are telling me you have to do all these things to get scholarships, but it's just that pressure on myself from that moment to succeed and to push and to do everything to achieve that goal. Lexi: Yeah, absolutely. I feel like for me it's sort of the same thing with my parents, but it's not really my parents putting the pressure on me. It's more like the pressure I'm putting on myself sort of based on their expectations, I guess. So for me, I mean I have five brothers and a little sister and I'm, I have two older brothers and the rest are younger, but I have sort of put this burden on myself that I'm supposed to be the perfect child almost. And so I feel like this kind of brings pressure into every aspect of my life, whether it's school or college or sports or whatever it may be, but it's not my parents pressuring me to be that way. It's just more what I expect of myself and what I feel like and what I'm assuming that they expect of me. So I feel like oftentimes it can be really challenging and the only way to sort of persevere through it is just taking it one step at a time, one day at a time. Lydia, how do you persevere through that pressure? Lydia: I mean, I wish I had rock solid advice to give you, I mean just what you said each day, take it as it comes and I don't know, I just try not to let the fear of the future birded me too much and to let it control my life. I remember freshman year I got terrified of how I was going to afford college and a house and all these things and my future that I just had no idea. I didn't know what I wanted do. I didn't know anything. I just knew with my parents I have to go to college and I have to get a good job and I didn't even know what I wanted to do from there and it just exploded into this constant stress bubble I was in. And it was I guess to persevere through that. I really just kind of popped the bubble and I just stopped letting those thoughts control me. I just started taking it each day as it came and taking each problem as it occurs and not stressing and stressing for the future. Not that it's bad to plan, but just it was harming me more than it was doing good. Justine, what do you think? Justine: I think you guys all right. I think that it's one thing to look at pressure and perseverance as being bad or not healthy or hindering you. Another way to look at it's that it takes us further. It opens up horizons for us because as we persevere, we find a way to deal with pressure. And I want to say it's the story of my life. Being a woman raised with certain expectations. Where you are expected to get married, to have children, to take care of your family, yet the person that I am being ambitious had to take on that pressure to understand the expectations but also to persevere so that you can do something for yourself as well as managing the pressure and expectations of everyone. So Lexi, you mentioned something around pressure and perseverance, being external, internal, and I think that that's really what it comes down to. Which one is external and which one is internal? And I find that it's like a fight, a constant fight as we go through life. So you get pressure and I want to say that the pressure is external, as far as my experience, and we go deep into ourselves to find that spark of perseverance, of strength, of everything we've already talked about, courage to keep pushing so that you turn that thing into a positive. And for me that's really what it is about the pressure and the pressure that I'm still feeling, right? It's a factor into being able to push through and listen to your own dreams so that you have a balance between what everyone is expecting from you and what you want for yourself in my world, in my professional profession, in how I tackle things. Yeah, so I think listening to all of you in every single space that we are, there's always a need to persevere, but the question is would you do it if you don't have a pressure, right? If you don't feel the pressure, would you be persevering? So yeah, Lexi, I think that's what it is. Lexi: Absolutely. I think we often see pressure and perseverance as sort of a bad thing, especially pressure. It's like nobody wants pressure, but I think at the end of the day it means that you have something good ahead of you. You have the pressure to be able to be in this space. You have something to look forward to. You have expectations of yourself or people have expectations of you. And yes, there is pressure that comes with it, but it's that pressure that I feel like makes you work 10 times harder. And I think also I think as girls and women, we're sort of with this pressure afraid to fail. So we sort of sit in this in-between and sort of not try to tip the scale too much one way because we don't want to not succeed. We're supposed to be expected to do well and everything else. So is there a time where you guys felt like you didn't do something or you were just in this fear because you were afraid to fail? Lydia: Lexi, that was beautiful and I so totally relate to that. And I mean I've talked about this so many times now, but it really just had that much of an impact on me is being the only girl in the room and how much harder you have to work. How much harder I feel this is all in my head, but I feel like I have to work to prove that I have the right to be there and that I can succeed and do the same things as every other guy in this room. And I remember it's as little as in my STEM Club when I was in middle school and elementary and we would do these paper bridge things and making towers out of mushrooms, marshmallows and spaghetti straws. And I just felt like if I messed up and if I did something wrong as a girl in this room, then everyone's going to make fun of me because I'm the only girl in here and I can't do it. And if I can't win, then why am I here? Lydia: Doreen, have you felt something like this? Doreen: Thank you Lydia. Thank you Lexi. I can relate to your pressure. And more specifically to Justine. Having grown up in African communities, there's a lot of pressure from women and girls especially on wanting them to succeed, to be the role model in the society. There is that societal aspect and expectations of us as women and girls growing in those communities. I want to share a personal story, more of myself and what really happens in my community. I come from come Kenya and more in Meru county. Meru county is one of the counties for seven counties in Kenya. I to be the fourth born in a family of five, so with two elder sisters and my mother was a teacher. And we're expected to participate in the economic upbringing and also the pressure of maintaining a family and a home and land. And at that point you to go to school, you have to go and do domestic chores for the family. You have to go to farm, all that you're being looked at as a girl and having two boys in a family, even if my mom came in and at this point and the utensils have not been done, she would not ask my brother. She would just ask me just because I'm a girl, we're all in the same family, we all have the same responsibilities, but she expects me, Doreen, to be the one doing the cleanup, making sure everyone, everyone has eaten and whatever needs to be done is being looked at as a girl. And then there comes the issue of the society and the menstruation management for the young girls. First, there is a lot of stigmatization around the topic of the menstrual, especially you cannot talk openly about your menstrual cycle as a girl. First you can't go to your father and say, I need some money to buy the sanitary pants or sanitary wares. That one, you have to either talk to your elder sister or you talk to your mom. But in an African society where I come from, that is not a priority. It's a taboo to discuss it openly. That brings a lot of pressure now as young girl, to whom do I share this challenge with? At times you find it has been left to the teachers in the school. And if your teacher is not close to you, they may not even be able to you on water do. Then is the issue of water and sanitation. You find yourself at that time you're on your menstrual periods and then there is no clean sanitation. There's no privacy. The toilets are communal, you are sharing. It kind of brings some shame. You want to hide, so you don't want anyone to know what you're going through that you're on your period. So you're looking for ways now to maneuver. There's that pressure you want to hide, you don't to class, you don't do anything at home. You just want to keep underground. And then the society, they're looking up to you for other activities at home. So as a woman, as a girl growing up in those African society, it's really pressure and personally some of those experiences I have gone through. And then therefore it gave me the motivation as Doreen to really want to succeed. I wanted to work even as a young girl, I wanted to be a nurse. I didn't want to be an academia. I found myself in the field of academics and this moment I'm wondering how did I head up being in the academic and not in the nursing area where I really wanted to do? Justine: Doreen, this is such a revelation moment for me, for you to be able to have gone through it and be able to talk about it. Would you say that it's because of the pressure that you lived through, that you were able to step up? And how did you do it? What made you keep going while you were feeling the pressure as yourself, but also transferring it the girls around you? Doreen: I really wanted to succeed. I really wanted to change the society I’m in. I wanted that stigma (to change) because it was not something that is discussed openly. I wanted a society where girls can talk about it, the boys can support the girls, the sisters. I mean now I'm the same house with my brother, but I'm learning from him that he doesn't know I'm on my period. So I really wanted a society where the boys are coming in, the men are coming in to support the girl children who have this pressure and also to support in whichever way. That gave me a motivation to pursue more, to talk more about it and to really, really persevere. Keep on going, working hard towards improving myself and also getting the girls around me to come on board. Justine: You're being very humble, Doreen honestly, because I know you, we are all inspired by the work that you do at with WaterStep, but also in your community. Tell us this pressure that you lived and how you actually needed such an impactful and beautiful thing around you. I know you're being humble. You're being so...you want to go under the radar, but the schools that you work with, the girls, the pressure that they live in because you know what it is your perseverance. Can you tell us more about what it did to the schools? ------------ Before we continue with our episode, let me take a minute to remind you that by her hands is a global program empowering women and girls through safe water access, menstrual health management and economic opportunity. The program and this podcast are brought to you by WaterStep. Together, we believe that when a young woman can protect her own health, she leads. When she leads, her family thrives. And when her family thrives, her whole community grows stronger. Learn more about how women and girls are shaping healthier futures each by her own hands, at WaterStep.org. ----------- Doreen: It was not easy and it's not easy. And at the moment, remember there is the aspect of stigmatization. What are you talking about? Why can't you see this one is women affairs, you don't have to bring it on board with the girls. So one of the things that really made me want to pursue this was a time in school and I walked to a class and I found boys laughing at a girl. She had messed up. She was on her period. She had messed up her dress and she felt that that was the hint. She didn’t want to come back to school. She wanted to commit suicide because that's something shameful. No one wants be associated with someone with being laughed around in the school. So that was a motivation for me to and to bring peer mentorship to the schools. It has not been easy. It's not easy. We keep on pushing. At times, you go to some schools and they really don't want to open up their doors for you. You keep on pushing, pushing, pushing. And after a month you write a letter, you tell them we still want to visit you. So there's been someone pushing, pushing and pushing. Yes. Lexi: I'm curious, Doreen, how do you feel like this changed you having to see other girls go through this and having to go through it yourself and how do you feel like maybe the initial way that you dealt with it has changed over time into sort of where you are now and helping these other girls face the shame that they feel? Do you feel like you felt defeated at first, and then that now motivated you or sort of how did it shape you? Doreen: See, I grew up in Kenya. We mostly live in our villages. Then maybe as I progressed with my education, I moved to the city. Then over the holidays, I happened to go to my rural home and I found the same situation is still happening. There is no provision for sanitary towels. The girls expect them to do 1, 2, 3 in their community and also to take care of their families. And it brought back the memories of when I was growing up, the things that we had to go through. I went to elder sisters, but it was not easy. It was not a conversation that we could have on table, sharing on what we're going through. So I didn't felt for me, I needed and that's why it was a turning point for me to go to do community work apart from being in the academia. That's where it was a turning point for me to join the community work. And then when WaterStep came in in 2014, when it was introduced to us, I praised it, because it gave me a platform to go back to my society and then help bring out these issues in the community through a small group of girls. Even you get these two or three, it's a milestone. It's a change that I felt I'm doing some impactful work to them. Lydia: Doreen, that is incredible. And I feel like here where I live, girls kind of have, it's not nearly on that same level, but we still have that stigma of kind of don't talk about your period and don't talk to a guy about it and that they don't know anything. And there's a really funny story of one of my friends who is like, why do girls need tampons? Can't they just hold it in? And of course, everybody laughed at him and thought it was funny. But it's still just that reminder of the difference between how people just don't talk about, people still don't talk about women's health management and what happens. It's a regular part of life. How do you think, what can I do in my town to stop this and bring more to shed more light on menstrual health and fight that stigma about not talking about it. Doreen: Lydia, thank you for your input. I think one of the things that can be done maybe is having peer to peer conversations. Having young girls talk to other young girls on menstrual cycle and again having also to bring on the male child on board. Apart from being the men that they have, they have also that responsibility to take care of the young girls. To show them at least some sort of love and kindness. And again, having an economic empowerment even to the women because if they were to choose between buying sanitary towels and buying food and paying school fees, they'll go for food and school fees. Sanitary towels will become the list in their basket. So it's a conversation relay that needs to be kept on moving and to bring everyone on board. Justine, what are your thoughts on that? Justine: Well this is really speaking up to me, especially the question that Lydia you asked. But a quick one, Doreen, I relate so much to what everything you shared and just focusing on the menstrual health management. It is something that is really affecting millions of girls' lives around the world and especially in some undeserved area. And if you don't know it, all of you listening, please, you can join us, you can join, you can check it out on WaterStep. But so we're talking about pressure and perseverance and something as simple for most of us, it's just changing the lives of so many girls. So I really wanted to acknowledge that. Now Lydia, your question and around what you can do, what any of us can do? I think as a mom of three boys, I'm putting pressure on myself to do something about it because most of the challenges that we find is either because of the lack of awareness or just plain simple meanness, being mean, but it's mostly coming from boys and men. And sometimes my question is why? The first... /episode/index/show/c7f8ba3c-aeeb-40b4-85ed-a3e5bb6c2196/id/41280365

Nothing Is Small 04/30/2026

Nothing Is Small Episode 4: In this episode, the conversation centers around how small actions and seemingly insignificant moments can have a lasting impact on our lives. The group explores the idea of the “butterfly effect,” sharing personal stories about kindness, taking risks, and unexpected opportunities that shaped their paths. From simple acts like inviting someone to sit at lunch or offering encouragement, to saying yes to new experiences, each story highlights how meaningful change often starts small. The discussion also touches on cultural differences, personal growth, and the balance between technology and human connection. Throughout the dialogue, the speakers emphasize the importance of being present, following your instincts, and supporting others. They reflect on how kindness and connection build confidence and community over time. Ultimately, the episode reinforces that nothing we do is truly small when it comes to impacting others. Episode Transcript Lydia: It’s kind of ridiculous how the smallest things stick with you. Not the big problems, the tiny stuff: someone’s tone, a friend taking forever to text back, or that one random comment that wasn’t even meant to be deep but your brain is like, “Great, let’s replay that all day.” Those can hurt and be confusing. But what about those little moments that turn into something else? A realization, a decision or the sense that you need to do something differently. It can feel like a quiet nudge to take back control. These are the small moments that can end up shaping how you think, what you care about, and the choices you make next. In today’s episode we’ll explore these questions. What if you don’t need more time, more confidence or more permission? What if it doesn’t matter where you live or whether you’re a girl? What if starting something small is actually the point? What if that’s how real change begins? It’s someone deciding they’re not too young, not too small, and not powerless, after all. Justine: You're listening to the By Her Hands Podcast, A space where young women figure things out together, who we are, what we want, and the power we already carry. It's brought to you by WaterStep, a global leader in safe water innovation. Learn more about how women and girls are shaping healthier futures, each by her own hands, at WaterStep.org. Lydia: Lexi, do you know what the “butterfly effect” is? Lexi: Isn't it the thing where everything happens for a reason? Lydia: Kind of. So, the butterfly effect is the idea that I very firmly believe in where every little thing you do has some sort of effect on your life. And there's an episode of my favorite TV show where all he does is save a butterfly and the entire town sets on fire. Every little action leads to some sort of, it changes your life and your life trajectory. I'm a firm believer in the butterfly effect. My mom doesn't believe it as much. I tell her in the mornings, I have a tardy problem. Let's be real. I'm a senior. Senioritis is bad. I've had senioritis since sophomore year. The minute, you know what? The minute I walked into my high school freshman year, I had senioritis. But let me tell you my attendance, I figured out the system, but they still get me sometimes. But I tried to tell my mom, it's okay. It’s the butterfly effect. If I had left the house on time, maybe I would've gotten in a car accident on the way to school, maybe, I don't know. Something could have caught on fire. Maybe the dog would've gotten out. I don't know. You have no idea. And I mean, it's not like I'm wrong, so you should be grateful that I even just made it to school at all. I also got voted worst driver of my senior class, so she really should be grateful that I made it to school at all. I've got a bad record, so I really don't understand why she doesn't see it the way I do that at least I made it and my decision to be late could have saved my life. What do you think? Lexi: Yeah, absolutely. I mean I think no, truly, I think everything happens for a reason. I mean, even me being here at WaterStep, it all started with the fifth-grade project. I mean, I was so young. They told us, it was called our exhibition project and they told us pick a United Nations school and then pick a nonprofit organization and try to create some sort of partnership with them and create a project. And so I was like, okay. And so I got recommended WaterStep next day. I know I'm on a Zoom call with Mark Hogg, the CEO. Lydia: What a guy. Lexi: Yeah, I am like fifth-grade on this Zoom call trying to act professional and everything. Lydia: I'm sure that Zoom call was like four hours long. Lexi: Oh, it was, but I love him. He was very, very inspiring and really taught me about the whole safe water crisis. And I, to be honest at this point, had probably no knowledge about it. And then I did a shoe drive because that's how they made a lot of their funding. And then he was like, you want to join the Teen Board? And I was like, all right, sure. The power of saying yes right there. And then since then I have been on the Teen Board and am now co-presidents with Lydia. We are loving it. We are walking it. We just did a 5K, but I don't know, it was crazy how such a small moment and I was just so young and didn't really even know what I was getting myself into as turned into what it has now and really developed my passion for safe water, and for women and girls specifically. So I think it is so awesome how something so small turned into something so impactful on my life. Justine: We're really happy to welcome a new guest today. Z, would you like to introduce yourself? Z: Hi, my name is Zainab. I prefer to go by Z and I'm a sophomore. Lexi: Z, do you have a story to share or something small that had an impact on you like that? Z: Yes, so I'll start with what happened to me back in my country. It's really such a memory. Justine: When you say your country, what do you mean? Z: I mean Ghana. Justine: Okay. Z: Back at home in Ghana, there's this one phone policy that we have here in Jefferson County, obviously, but I want to hit the point that it's really amazing how I have moved from not being cool with phone to being cool with phone now, although I'm not very comfortable with it still now. So back in my country we have this, you'll not see a kid with phone holding phone just texting or Instagram or anything. You'll not see that. It's not common in my country, especially being in middle school. It's not at all common. But when I came here to the USA, it's really blown my mind to expecting how I see in the hallway, students holding phones, everyone busy with phones, using AI and all that. It was mostly going with traditional way. You were either paper or pen or paper and pencil. You cannot get away with coming to school with a phone. No, no one even liked bringing their phone to school. You have, even if you had a phone and I just got my phone. I think that was this freshman year. Yeah, I just got my phone, my first phone, which I’m using. Lydia: Congratulations. Thank you. It's a big step. I mean, yeah, and it's funny you say that because I'm picturing the four year olds I see in restaurants with the giant iPads and that's every day here. That is my sister. That's how you raise kids. Lexi: That’s my sister. Actually, I have a four-year little sister and she loves her big iPad watching shows all the time. So… Z: My 14-year-old sister still doesn't have a phone. My dad is like, if you pass your eighth-grade year, you're going to get a phone. Lydia: Yeah, I got one eighth-grade year and I was actually the last person in my grade to get a phone was being in eighth-grade. I had a Kindle fire before then, which is still technically technology, but I got ice cream in the charger port, so it doesn't really count because once it died it was dead. So I kind of had a phone. Justine: This is so interesting. I'm thinking I'm listening to you, Z, and I'm thinking, okay, wow, something so small a phone, right? That's already in everybody's life for you. A year ago you were already were very surprised by that. What was the difference for you coming from an environment in Ghana where you didn't have a phone to now being with your phone every day, even at school, what was the impact? How do you see it now and is there anything, would you wish for it to change back in your home country or would you rather have that aspect of your experience in Ghana coming back here? I'm curious to know. Z: That's a really good question though. So a really big difference that's hitting me right now is being able to, that transformation was really quick. I feel like it's really quick and I thought is there environment that I'm in that's changing me? And the negative impact will probably be right now I feel like I'm obsessed with my phone too much. Lexi: Yes. We all relate. Z: Yeah, especially with those apps. Instagram and TikTok, although I don't use TikTok, but I feel like maybe we got to take a step back and think about it. We're still kids. We're growing up. It's good that we have technology, there's positive and negatives towards that, but as I'm looking at it, I feel like there's more positive towards it. You going traditional way, you think about it, back in the olden days, they didn't have phones, didn't come until later on they were using paper and pencil. Look at how many inventions they've made that we're able to use now. But looking at now, okay, there are some inventions that some people are making, but it's not too much. You got to take a step back, go back to your traditional way, use your brain, step away from AI, try to, yeah… Justine: She said AI. Lydia: No, I'm really proud to have never used AI on an assignment that is my big flex and the big 2026 as a senior in high school never AI’d an assignment. Well, okay, okay. So if I get stuck on a math problem, I might take a picture of it and be like, so what's going on here Google? And sometimes you know what? Google gets calc wrong. So yeah, AI isn't perfect. Let me tell you. Justine: The other thing I like about it is that as you were talking, I was thinking, okay, well we don't have phones. There is more connection. Maybe we are more sensitive to listening to seeing people around us and being more aware of some impacts that we have. What do you think, Lexi, thinking about your story with how you started with a small project in fifth-grade and then now you end up in being part of improving the world with WaterStep, did you think that just being part of that or having a discussion could have impacted you in a way where you feel like you're making positive changes around you? Lexi: Yeah, I mean I feel like could have, I mean never imagined that this is to the point it would bring me, but I definitely over time and as I got older, I saw the importance of just saying yes, having those conversations, meeting those people, building your network. It all adds up and you never know where it's going to get you. And most of the time you're going to be surprised and you're going to look back and be like, wow, I'm really, really glad I did that. And WaterStep is most definitely one of those big moments for me, but started as something so small. So I am absolutely grateful for that. Justine: Before we continue with our episode, let me take a minute to remind you that By Her Hands is a global program empowering women and girls through safe-water access, menstrual health management and economic opportunity. The program and this podcast are brought to you by WaterStep. Together, we believe that when a young woman can protect her own health, she leads, when she leads her family thrives and when her family thrives, her whole community grows stronger. Learn more about how women and girls are shaping healthier futures, each by her own hands, at WaterStep.org. Lydia: And I get that because back in I talked to, we talked about purpose and I talked about how I felt like my purpose was kind of to serve and I found that through, Z this is fun for you to hear, I found that through a very messy, not even messy, I was just an emotional 15-year-old and I was going through a breakup and that's it. That's the whole story. My whole tragic tale is a boy broke up with me. Lexi: It’s why she's at WaterStep. Lydia: And then I got sad and I was like, I need something to fill my time. And so I ended up doing WaterStep and now I'm sitting here across the table from some awesome people and next to some awesome people too. Justine, don't worry, I did not leave you out even though you're not across from me. Justine: Thank you. Lydia: I'm currently padding her on the arm, because I have to give audio descriptions. But anyway, and another funny thing is because I did my WaterStep shoe drive, I became friends with my school counselor who does all sorts of nonprofit things in my area. And he got me on the Youth Philanthropy Council and I've done a whole bunch of things to them and I've met the LYPC and Z, you're part of the LYPC. And so everybody's connected, I feel. And just that small thing has changed so much. But when I heard that the topic was something, Nothing Is Small, I wanted to talk about just I feel like what comes to my mind is kindness. No act of kindness is small. And I remember I went from a private school to a public school. My grade was 24 and it is now 404. So pretty big culture shock I would say. And I remember being terrified of making friends and dead set on, I can't, I'm not going to, I have only have friends at this school because I've known them all since I was four. And going into this new school, everyone's going to have their own groups. I'm never going to talk to anybody. And this girl just came up to me and was so sweet. She was just so sweet and grace, she invited me to sit at her lunch table and to hang out with her and go to the games with her. She told me about all her drama. She told me about her friends, the advice of the kids in our grade, all of everything I needed to know. I didn't go to middle school with any of them. And to this day we are still best friends and I go to visit her at her job and me and everybody at her job are best friends too. And I really owe, I think my high school success to her because she just came up to me and was so kind. And she was so confident in her kindness. She wasn't sitting there thinking, well, do I really want to talk to her? She came up and all smiles and just lovely and it changed. I'm naturally an extrovert. I'm sure you all can tell from how I talk. I'm not a very shy person. But going into that new school, I was terrified. Terrified and dead silent. And I was like, I have to be prim and proper and wear makeup and not move or say anything or have any opinions. And this girl just opened my shell. And I really think that nothing is small and no act of kindness is small and can just change somebody's life like that. Have you all experienced anything like that? Z: Yeah, I have experienced something very, very similar to that. But mine started with when I first moved from Ghana to here, my first middle school, which was my first middle school. So I entered the hallway, the teacher, she took me to the hallway. I was like, wow, what the what? Lydia: Because I say I'm complaining about going from Catholic school to public and you're going from Ghana to the United States. That's a big difference. Z: I also went to a private school before I moved to here. So I was in the hallway as I said, what the what? So I just stood there, a big, very big hallway. I was like, never seen something like this before. Class went by, everything went by until gym class. Gym class. We get to gym two girls, this one guy, he still goes to school with me. He's standing there. He was playing this one game and then these two girls, they're making fun of him. I was like, what? If you are in my state coming from a whole different country, you're going to, exactly. You see them in movies. That's what I see. Yeah, I see them first I think bully. So after gym class, he was going my way the same way I was going. So I was like, don't listen to whatever they say, just be yourself. And that moment, because I have seen those things in movies, I didn't really believe in that. I was like, what did I just do? Lydia: You were the hero. Z: Exactly. I didn't even think of that until I went. And then I saw him this high school, I just saw him. He was like, thank you for what you did. I was like, wow. That act of kindness that I showed, which I thought was nothing to them has been carried away through all those years to him. And now he's thanking me. I was like, wow. Lydia: That's incredible. Z: Yeah. Justine: That’s incredible. Absolutely. And what I love about that is that you are staying true to yourself and also Lydia, the story you were sharing with us, it's about following your instincts. It's about knowing that something better could be done and doing it. And it's just powerful for me. Lexi, do you have anything like that? Any story that you want to share? Lexi: Yeah, I would say going into high school, I played field hockey and it was picture day, so we're in our uniforms and everything and I'm on the freshman team and I have an older brother, he's two years older. And so these older girls come up to me and they're like, oh, do you want to get a picture? We love your brother. And so it was as simple as them talking to me, making that interaction, taking that picture. It made me feel seen and special and I don't know, just included. And so, from there it clicked that even these girls that were two years older than me in high school and they could have easily brushed me off and not said anything, showed me kindness. And it's truly that simple. And it really did change my whole day and whole outlook on that team. So it was really a positive experience. Lydia: My experience my junior year. Okay, this isn't as like, I don’t know, this changed me. Let me let me tell you. Junior year I'm feeling great. Sixth-period I'm like, oh my gosh, I feel terrible. I'm going to throw up. I'm like, I feel horrible and I'm going to throw up, run in the hallway, throw up in a trash can in the hallway. I had never thrown up in school ever. And I was real proud of it. I was always the kid who was like, I don't feel well. I'm going to go home. And the minute I get home, I throw up, I hold it in. So I'm throwing up in the hallway and I am disgusted with myself. I can't believe it. It's in a trash can. Let's be clear here. This random girl comes up and starts patting my back. I've never talked to this girl, but she pulls back my hair and she's like, it's okay. And I'm tearing up. I hate throwing up. Nobody likes it. But when I was little and we didn't know I was gluten-free, I used to throw up all the time and we had no idea why. So I have PTSD when I started knowing I'm going to throw up, but yeah, she just pulled back my hair and rubbed my back and she went in the bathroom and got me a little wet rag to wipe off my vomit-mouth. And it was just so sweet. If I saw someone thrown up in the hallway, I would've thrown up. I would've been like, no, no, I got to get out of here. I can't do it because sensitive like that, you know what, it's vomit. And that's really gross. And I think it's fair for me to want to run away if someone's throwing up. I don't think that's crazy. But yeah, she just came up to me, never seen or talked to this girl and would just pat my back and helped me out. And at the bell she kind of walked me out and turns out I was very sick and I got real weak and lightheaded and had to be picked up, because I usually drive to school. But yeah, I haven't talked to her since. I never caught her name. But anytime I see her, I just give her the biggest smile and I want to salute her. And if I'm valedictorian by some miracle,... /episode/index/show/c7f8ba3c-aeeb-40b4-85ed-a3e5bb6c2196/id/41049965

Courage Means Action 04/16/2026

Courage Means Action Episode 3: In this powerful episode, hosts Lexi, Lydia, and Justine welcome their first global guest, Faith from Uganda, to discuss the transformative nature of courage. The group redefines courage not as the absence of fear, but as the decision to take action despite being uncomfortable or afraid. Faith shares her inspiring story of speaking up to bring safe water to her village through WaterStep, saving local girls from long, dangerous journeys and allowing them to stay in school. Lexi and Lydia reflect on personal hurdles, from navigating chronic injuries to the isolation of being the only woman in male-dominated STEM spaces. Justine emphasizes that for women, courage often means pushing through criticism and accepting challenges to prove one's right to lead. Ultimately, the conversation highlights how one act of courage can create a ripple effect of change throughout an entire community. Episode Transcript: Disclaimer: Please note this episode includes discussions about sexual assault. Listener discretion is advised. Lydia: Being brave doesn’t feel calm at all. It’s like full-body panic mixed with okay, I’m doing this. It’s sending the message you’ve deleted 3 times. It’s trying something new and praying it doesn’t haunt you in your sleep. It’s raising your hand, even though you already know your words are probably going to come out all wrong. This episode is about that kind of courage. The kind that feels big and real on the inside, even if it looks like nothing to everyone else. How do you stand up for what’s right, whether it’s for you or for others? Justine: You're listening to the By Her Hands podcast, a space where young women figure things out together, who we are, what we want, and the power we already carry. It's brought to you by WaterStep, a global leader in safe water innovation. Learn more about how women and girls are shaping healthier futures, each by her own hands at WaterStep.org. Lexi: Hi everyone. This is Lexi. Lydia: Hey guys, it's Lydia and I'm so excited to be here. I've got a fun story today. Justine: Hi everyone, this is Justine. Good to be here again. Lexi: We have our first global guest today. Her name is Faith and she is from Uganda. Faith, would you like to introduce yourself? Faith: Hi guys. My name is Faith. I'm from Uganda and I'm in Kampala City. We’re living in Entebbe, it's like a state. So, I'm so glad to be on with you guys today. Thank you. Lexi: Something I often think about is saying my teacher told me about “20 seconds of insane courage.” She described it to me. We were on the UN trip a few weeks ago and we were sort of scared to go network with people we hadn't known and she was like, all it takes is 20 seconds of insane courage. And it really stuck with me because I feel like oftentimes courage we think of as not being afraid to do something. But oftentimes it means doing something you're going to be uncomfortable with, but just doing it anyways and then as 20 seconds can really change a lot. Lydia, do you have a similar experience or something you can relate to about 20 seconds of insane courage? Lydia: Well, I don't know if it was 20 seconds. I've been saying courage, but two years or two days I would say, I've been saying courage. In eighth grade my dad asked me if I want to play hockey and I was like, well, I don't know how to ice skate. I don't know even where I would play hockey and I know nothing about this. But he set me up with a team and I played ice hockey on an all-girls team for four years. I went in and knew no one, I didn't know how to skate, I didn't know how to hit a puck or do anything and it was terrifying. And my friend actually joined it and she was a part of the team as well and she ended up quitting. She's like, it's too much, it's too scary. I can't do it. But I remember just sticking it out because hopefully, I’ll love the sport and maybe this can be something fun. And it ended up being one of my favorite things that I've ever done. Justine: That's so great. I love it. I love that you actually had faith and you jumped in there. It really resonates with me because I had those, yeah, 20 seconds of courage, Lexi. It for me was a couple of days. Absolutely. And it was not jumping into a sport, but maybe joining a new team. You have confidence in your skills, you know your expertise, but then you are the new kid in the block. And then for me, it took courage to actually present my way of working and be accepted. And that was a whole process and where it really hit hard is when I had to lead a group of colleagues that are used to working together and the hardest part was I was the only woman in the room. So my story is really, I'm trying to get to where I'm figuring out whether the courage that we have to put up with as women is always bigger or stronger or it takes a lot because I ended up being in a room of men who are used to working together. They know their staff and I had to guide and lead the work that we needed to do. It was developing and designing a proposal for a new project and we spent a weekend in the hotel where they were expecting me to fail because I had to tell them how to do it, but also trust myself into knowing what needs to be done. But it was not easy because every single step of the way I would be second guessed or criticized or challenged. And I always thought, is it because I'm a woman? Is it because I'm new to the team or just that they don't realize or they don't accept what I'm saying? But in the end, we won the proposal, we won the project. We got the funding, but it really stuck with me. It really stuck with me in the sense that courage is also about accepting that you're going to be challenged and you're going to be criticized, but you keep pushing through. That's why I really like your story in terms of pushing through and ended up liking it because there's always success at the end. And Lexi, yeah, I'm glad it took you 20 seconds because it was a lot of time for me to get there. Lexi: Wow, that's a really impactful story. I really like what you touched on about courage is about accepting that you will be challenged. I feel like oftentimes we think courage means there's no fear. The presence of courage means the absence of fear, but I think it's the opposite. It's being able to step into the unknown, step into it knowing you're going to be uncomfortable knowing you're going to be challenged. For me, I actually did not have a 20 seconds of courage moment, but I think that's something that always comes to my mind when I'm in those uncomfortable moments. But something that definitely impacted me more was leg injuries that I've been dealing with since freshman year and I'm now a junior, so it's been a long time, many different injuries, all sort of continuous and as soon as I feel like I'm healing and I'm m PT and I'm about to graduate pt, then I'm right back to square one and then I'm in pain again. And I've had three surgeries, I still need one more and hopefully that will be the one to do it. But from this, I used to play field hockey and obviously with all these leg issues I was sort of put up pause of being a part of the team and being able to play for a long time. And so it was that courage that I had not up until very, very recently that I decided to step away from my sport and really focus on what would that new part of me look like? What's going to be my new passion? And so then I started leaning into school more and what do I want my career to look like? Let me get more involved with my service and just sort of tapping into all those other aspects of me. But it took a lot of courage and a lot of wavering in the in-between of is this something I fully want to commit to? But I think definitely that feeling of being alone, like you said, you were the only woman in the room. I sort of relate to that of being isolated with my injury. I think definitely just sometimes courage can be isolating and it can just be having the courage to step into the unknown and something that's uncomfortable. Faith, do you have a story that you want to share with us about a time that you had courage? Faith: Yes, please. I really do. So it was back then when I was, I think I was 12 years old by then, so I was living in this really remote area, but then we were a family that was somehow better than the rest who were living there. So, finding what that area was really hard. You have to move long distances to get the water, but then for me, I didn't have to do that because my dad had a way of getting for us water. But my friends used to have to move long distances to go and get that water. And what I mean by a long distance is leaving your village to the next village to go and get water. It was really far for people to move and the women who could do that. In Africa, we have this culture of a woman is supposed to do such kind works like fetching water and getting firewood and stuff like that. So they had to move long distances to get and some people could get r@ped on their way and then some others couldn't find their way back home. So this one time I was having a conversation with my dad and I'm like, why can't we find a way of bringing a source of water for the community, so that it's easier for people to get access to water instead of having to move a long distance? And it was really hard for them. So I really felt bad for people. So when I told him that, he was like, he doesn't know what he's going to do about it. But then this one time he talked to Lucy's dad because we got connected to WaterStep through Lucy Westlake's family. So if it wasn't for them, then I don’t how I would get connected to WaterStep. I'm really grateful for that as well. So my first project to these guys was the 24th January, 2017. That was my first ever project in my village called Atiriri, in eastern Uganda. I had to be courageous for these girls if I wasn't, because I was also scared to tell my dad that because I felt like he would be like, who are you to be concerned over that whatsoever? But then I'm so happy that when I got over my fears and I spoke up for them, they were able to get a water source in our area. We have a water source, we don't have to move long distance anymore. All thanks to WaterStep and me being courageous for them. Yeah, that's it. Justine: Before we continue with our episode, let me take a minute to remind you that By Her Hands is a global program empowering women and girls through safe-water access, menstrual health management, and economic opportunity. The program and this podcast are brought to you by WaterStep. Together we believe that when a young woman can protect her own health, she leads. When she leads, her family thrives and when her family thrives, her whole community grows stronger. Learn more about how women and girls are shaping healthier futures, each by her own hands at WaterStep.org. Lexi: Wow, that is incredible and really an impactful story. I think what you touched on was that you were afraid to talk to your dad, you were afraid to voice your concerns for these girls, but you knew it was what was needed for your community. So I think it was just the courage that you had to be able to do that. And it wasn't because you weren't afraid and it wasn't because you weren't uncomfortable, but you did it anyways, which I think is amazing. Justine: Faith, being from Senegal in Africa as well, I can understand the burden that you witnessed, right? I cannot begin to say how I wasn't thinking about speaking up or talking about it because all of the pressure that the community has and yes, kudos to you. You are so inspiring because you were able to speak up and as we talk about courage, I just want to understand what made you really speak up? Was it something that you could see girls your age or your friends going through? Is there something that really triggered you where you went, when I say trigger, it's like really that you witnessed and you were like, enough is enough. Because I keep wondering how much should we take on until we build up the courage to do what needs to be done? And what you did is so impactful and so amazing. What would you say really pushed you to do something? Faith: Well, so what pushed me to do that was because girls my age had to go and look for water, instead of being in school. I used to go to school and see these girls go because we used to have times whereby there is no rain, completely no rain, and you have to move that long distance to go to get water because it’s a basic need, and it's that we all have to have to use it for our daily life. So I used to go to school and my friends are not in school just because they're out looking for water for home. And I had this neighbor whose mom used to be like, you're going to come back to this house if you've not filled this drum to the brim. So that really pushed me and then I had to talk to my dad about it because it was getting out of hand. Girls my age had to drop out of school and those girls who got r@ped, they got r@ped a really young age and they had to carry their pregnancies and they couldn't handle that. So I wanted that to stop because it was really too much and it was sad looking at my mates going through all that. Lydia: Faith, do you think it was scarier for you to stand up and say something because you're a girl, would it have been easier if you were a boy? Faith: Well, yeah, because in Africa a girl is inferior. A boy is more superior compared to a girl. So they wouldn't listen that much to a girl. But then I was like, after what happen, just let me just do it. And if they take it serious, well then go. Then if they don't also, I just kept on hoping something would be done. Lydia: That's amazing for you to be the person who stands up. It's a corny saying, but the one day or day one thing, just to stand up and say something, it's incredible. And in my life I know how I've experienced being looked down on because I'm a girl, but never to such a level. And I understand we talked about earlier being the only girl in the room and having to work twice as hard at things to prove your right to be there. But that's unimaginable for me. Has it inspired more change in your community? Faith: Yes. Ever since the water source was put there because it's like a tank and then we pump water from somewhere. So everyone in the community somehow got to know that it was because of me that the water was there. So I inspired more people to actually not keep silent or whatever problem they're facing. So girls actually started standing up and sometimes they come and they tell me, Faith, this and this, help me and talk about this so that it's cleared out. So I'm just glad I actually inspired them and they always use me as an example to stand up for themselves as well. Justine: Wow, Faith, thank you so much for sharing that and just the part that it inspired the whole community to change it provided hope in terms of just things can change and it just takes one to start that change. I really like that our actions are impacting others, but I was wondering, as we all shared Lexi and you shared your own path and the own way that you felt courageous, how did it affect you at the end? Would you say it's something where once you do it once you're always ready to it more or is it always every situation with specific reaction or specific way to just pump yourself up and go, I can do it. Lexi: I think it gets a little bit easier every time. I feel like in recovery when I was doing really well and I was sort of at the very brink of being able to play again and then I started experiencing pain again and sort of going back downhill and back to square one. It was discouraging, yes, but also I found a little bit of comfort in knowing I've done this before and I'm going to get the answers I need and I know that I'm going to be the one to speak up when I know something is not feeling right. And I know my parents would've were going to advocate for me too. And after doctors and doctors and doctors' appointments, we finally found people that could diagnose me and tell what was going on. So I think to answer your question, it gets a little easier each time, but it's still hard and I think it's discouraging in a way, but also once you do it a couple of times you sort of build up a confidence that you're like, I know I got this. And so I think that's really cool that Faith was just that one act. People built up confidence in her and sort of saw her as that mentor for them. And I think that's so awesome that she's that spokesperson and somebody that can really listen for the girls in her community that they feel like they can come to. Lydia: And Faith, I'm in awe of your story and just how you had the courage to stand up to something so just morbid and terrible. And I just wondered, it's been eight years I think since that's happened. And how has it changed you today? How has it affected what you want to do in the future? Faith: Well, the way today now I'm not afraid to stand up for myself, as I was before. Right now I stand out for myself everywhere in school with my friends, wherever I really speak out. And also the way it has affected me right now is that I got inspired to do social work, so that I can help my community more after graduating from school so that I'll give back to them and stand for them more and more. Justine: We're all sharing our moments of courage and from being individual level or community level, whether it's professional or very close to home, to me it really is interesting in the way that every single meaningful moment will probably require some courage and every time you calling for that extra umpf where you need that to push forward because something is telling you this is the right thing to do or I got this, but either people don't think you do or people don't believe in you, or just because you're a girl you shouldn't be speaking up. When we get through that, it's just amazing the changes that we make either on ourselves or around the community or the impact that we have, whether it's being the best player in the team, right Lydia? Or just being that inspiring and role model in the community, Faith. Again at that time and the age you had at that time, I wasn't thinking about any of those, although it was part of my daily reality being in the community and in Africa as well. I understood that. Or Lexi, how you had the support of the whole, your support system was with you, but it was just life changing moments where you had to figure out how to push through. And I think for me, courage it, it's neither right or wrong, I don't know what you think about it, it's probably what the right ingredient you need to discover more about yourself or to grow more. And it is especially right for women that we will always have to be courageous in order to move the world or in order to just carry or spread the power that we have. Listening to you guys, that's really what came to mind. What do you think? Lydia: I love your story about being the only woman in the room and that's really what stuck with me when you said that, just that relatability. Because when I came to this episode, I thought that my big courage story was joining a new sport where everybody already knew what was going on. And then I remembered all the times I've been because I want to do engineering.... /episode/index/show/c7f8ba3c-aeeb-40b4-85ed-a3e5bb6c2196/id/40871500

The Path to Belonging 04/02/2026

The Path to Belonging Episode 2: Belonging - In Episode 2 of the By Her Hands podcast, hosts Lexi, Lydia, and Justine are joined by guest Zach to explore the complex theme of belonging and the search for where one fits in. Zach shares his unique perspective on being an outsider after moving between the U.S., Senegal, and Congo, ultimately concluding that belonging is not a fixed place but a sense of comfort one carries within themselves. The hosts contribute their own stories about the pressure to "perform" or change their personalities when entering new school environments, only to realize that authenticity is the key to finding true connection. The group also discusses how gender roles can influence social dynamics, highlighting the importance of being intentionally inclusive to ensure everyone feels seen and heard. A major takeaway from the conversation is that belonging is an ever-changing process that requires being present in the moment and trusting one's own values. Finally, the episode ties these personal reflections back to the WaterStep mission, empowering young women to recognize the inherent power they already possess to lead and shape their futures. Episode Transcript: Lydia: Where do I fit in and why is this so confusing? One moment you feel included and the next you walk into a room and forget what to do with your face. You start wondering if people want you there or if you're just hoping they do. You're standing there trying to decide if you should join the conversation or just disappear into the wall. This episode is about how we're all trying to figure out where we fit and what it feels like when we actually find a place where we belong. Justine: You're listening to the By Her Hands podcast, a space where young women figure things out together, who we are, what we want, and the power we already carry. It's brought to you by WaterStep, a global leader in safe water innovation. Learn more about how women and girls are shaping healthier futures, each by her own hands at WaterStep.org. Lexi: Hi, this is Lexi. Welcome back to Episode 2. We're back with Lydia and Justine, and we have a new guest, Zach. Zach: Hi, thank you for having me. It's great to be here. I'm Zach, obviously, and I go to school here in Louisville too. I'm a senior. And I recently heard the first episode you guys had. It was really amazing. A bunch of things that you guys touched on that I could even relate to. And background-wise, it's fair to say I've been around a lot. I was born in Arizona, then I moved to Senegal, and then I moved back to Louisville, then to Congo, and then back to Louisville. So I've had my fair share of experiences, perspectives. I've learned a lot too. Lydia: Can you tell us some about that and how your time was in Senegal and Congo and how has that affected you? Zach: Yeah, for sure. I'd say that it makes it very obvious that you're different from everybody else who's there, especially since they've had this consistent exposure to that place that you're just learning about. So, it really highlighted what it meant to belong and to be from somewhere for me. And I spent a lot of time thinking about that to the point where it became my main topic for my college essay that I recently wrote. But yeah, it's definitely something that I could tell was different. And for me, it felt unique just in general. Lydia: I kind of get what you mean in being different. It's not as severe as going from Arizona to Senegal to Louisville to Congo, yes, and then back to Louisville, I believe. But I was in a private school from pre-K all the way to eighth grade, and I knew all of those kids, all 24 of them, since kindergarten pretty much. And then I went to a public school, and my grade went from 24 to 400, and I knew all of two kids out of the 2,000 that attend my school. So that was a lot of fun. So I really, I do understand how ... And I did feel different. I felt like I had to change myself so they wouldn't perceive me as a snob or anything, and that I needed to blend into the people around me. And I was like, "Okay, I'm going to dress fine. I'm going to keep my mouth shut.” I'm a chatty person. I don't know if you can pick up on it or not. And I'm kind of loud. So I was like, "I need to play myself down to make friends and to blend into this new school." And it worked fine until my fourth period, first day of school, my friend said ... Well, my now friend at the time, I didn't know who she was. First thing anyone had said to me at this school was, "Are you gay? My friend thinks you're cute." And that is how I made all of my friends at my school. She was like, "Come sit with us at lunch." And I made friends with all of these girls, one of them who just did my nails and I love her so much. Justine: I love your nails. Lydia: Aren’t they cute? Justine: Yes. Very. Lydia: So we're still ... I mean, it worked out real well. I made some really good friends from there and it all worked out fine. And turns out I didn't have to pretend to be something I wasn't. And I just, I don't know. Opportunity just happens. I didn't have to worry about it. So how was it for you trying to make friends in Louisville after going through so much? Zach: Well, I think it's really funny that you say that because in my case, I think my sophomore year I was at a public school and then junior year, and even now I'm in a private school. So I kind of had the opposite of what you did coming from somewhere where not a lot of people really knew you to somewhere where you were in a tight and closed community and really just like a family and you were like just that, what's it called? The stepbrother that was just walking on in. The experiences at first are really something. It's a lot like what you said, you really don't expect it and you feel like there's a lot that you have to do to fit in. In my case, it was way too obvious that I was not like everybody else. In my school specifically, they take a lot of time to make sure that you can spend time outside of class to do what you want. We have clubs and activities in the middle of the day every single day. Although it's not a lot of time, it's still very important for the students to relate to one another and grow closer. So coming in, I thought I'd have to buy into that and do that as well. But it took me a long time to realize that it really wasn't the case. You could really just spend your time the way you saw a fit. Lexi: Actually, I wanted to touch on an idea that you said earlier. And Lydia, you touched on it too about going from either switching schools from public to private or from you is more switching from middle school to high school. I had been at my middle school and preschool with the same group of 40 kids since I was about five years old. So I knew them really, really well. And then going into high school, I sort of really wanted to break out of my shell and try to meet new people. And some of those girls still transitioned in high school with me, but it was a lot of new people. And so I walked in feeling out of place. I really felt like I didn't belong. But freshman year, these girls invited me to sit with them at lunch similar to you, Lydia. And it really helped me. It made me feel seen. It made me feel like, okay, this is where I'm supposed to be and people are paying attention and really making sure I feel included. Is there a time that either of you guys have felt similar and felt that sense of inclusion from somebody? Lydia: Absolutely. Yeah. It was that moment where she was like, "Here, just come sit with us at lunch. My friend wants to talk to you. " Yeah, you know what? I don't know anyone at this school. Sure, sure. That's fine. And I learned from that that everyone is scared too. It's not just me. I went into here thinking, okay, everyone's already going to have their friends and their groups and I'm going to have to try to squeeze my way in somewhere because everyone has told me, "You have to make friends in high school or everything will go bad. And if you don't make friends, you'll just have a terrible high school time and it's hard to make friends. Everyone's got their own things." There's so much fear going into it. And I'm sitting at this lunch table and it took me months to figure this out, but the kids I'm sitting with barely know each other. The three of them had been friends going into it and the rest of them had just been like, "Yeah, we kind of had the same classes and they all just became really chatty because we all wanted friends and we all wanted to have a good time." And it was a very diverse group of people at that table. Let me tell you a lot of interesting conversations, but I made some of my favorite memories from freshman year and from being in a public high school instead of a private one. And I found that I feel more comfortable there. I didn't have to put on a performance or anything and that I could just be who I was. Zach: No, it's cool that you say that because I can really relate to that. Maybe not the part where someone took the initiative to come and invite you in. But in my case, I think, again, opposite to you, I didn't really have that. But looking back, I think it's super and insanely important to be that person, to take that first step for people who don't have that courage to do so, because that's really all it takes to realize that there's no reason to feel that isolated or discomforted. But yeah, that's what I got. Even though I came from a public school and went to a private school, I got the same idea and the same message as you're talking about right now, Lydia. Justine: Listening to you, this is interesting. I have a question for you all and anybody can jump in at this point. Lexi, you mentioned how a girlfriend came to you and approached you to make you feel like you belong, right? Same for you, Lydia and Zach. There was nothing specific for that. It was more of a community. And I'm wondering if you feel like it's different, making someone belong or you feeling like you belong is different whether you're a boy or a girl. Yeah. Do you feel like it's different? Lydia: It definitely is, because if I was a guy, I do not think a guy would've came up to me and said, "Are you gay because my friend thinks you're cute." I think that's a very girl thing to do. Justine: Oh, wow. Zach, do you agree? Zach: I 100% agree. If a guy came up and said that to me, I don't think we'd be best friends. Justine: Wow. Alright. Zach: But I mean, it makes sense to think that it's different for genders because if you really think about it, a lot of it is how others have influenced you and that makes it easier to think about how your gender could tie into that. But I definitely do think that the gender does play a huge role in just in general, who you feel comfortable with and you can see that a lot in life just in general. Justine: Yeah. And Lexi then, do you think that ... We're talking about belonging, we talk about girls' empowerment by her own hands, right? How would it make it easier for one gender or another? Because I'm just thinking about it from a gender perspective. I'm just thinking about how, whether you felt like you belonged or somebody made you feel like you belong, is so important for you to carry on and to be who you're supposed to be. So how do you see that? Lexi: I think it's all about being inclusive. I mean, anybody can be inclusive, whether you feel like you belong or whether you don't, it's inviting that person to come sit or inviting them to be a part of the conversation, making sure you're always cognizant of what's going on around you. And if you're in a circle, try to keep that circle open so you're welcoming to inviting other people to the conversation. And I think that goes for both genders when you're in conversation, just really making sure that everyone feels seen and heard. And I also just think building a community where people feel supported, and that includes every single person, whether you feel out of place or you feel in place. And so it's building that community that supports one another and encourages one another. Lydia: For me, well, again, I went from a Catholic school to a public school, and at my old school, I feel like the gender roles were a little more enforced, not enforced, but it was just expected than it was at my current school. I remember, and it's as simple as PE classes. I didn't go to an all-girls school or anything. It was still mixed gender, but at PE class, the girls, we were dainty and kind of sat around and talked and maybe did some walks around the lap. And the guys played basketball and did all the athletic things and you had to make sure that you didn't make a fool out of yourself if you were a girl. And I went into my new school thinking that. So I came in and I was like, okay, every day. And you can tell from how I talk, I'm not a very feminine person. I've always been kind of loud and kind of obnoxious in a way and kind of like I'm a little out there and it's hard for me to bottle that in. It's unnatural. And I was like, okay, I have to bottle this in or everyone will hate me at this new school. And I came in and it was summer PE. It was summer PE because you can do PE at my school instead of doing it during class. And I was like, "Well, yeah, I'm going to do it over the summer for eight days instead of in school." Because I've heard all these, oh my gosh, I'm sure that you guys have heard all those gym locker room stories in school how like my parents were like, "Don't take PE in high school. You have to shower. Don't do it. It's so gross." So I'm sure you get that. But summer PE, everybody was just having a good time. It wasn't like, "Okay, well, the girls are going to go sit down on the bleachers and the guys are going to do all these things." So I spent my entire summer PE sweating and playing volleyball and having a good time. And I made so many friends that way. And I felt in that moment like my being a girl didn't matter and it was actually an advantage because Catholics love volleyball. So I had some volleyball experience at my school and because the girls played volleyball and the guys played basketball is how we were. And it didn't matter as much there. It was just everybody just wanted to make friends. And I feel that for girls when making friends, it's a fear of ... The first fear is, do I have friends? And the second fear is, do I want to be associated with these friends? And Zach, maybe I'm just assuming here, but I feel like with guys, it's a little more loosey goosey and just not as ... You don't have to worry too as much and you aren't affiliated as much with who you're friends with. Zach: No, that's definitely fair to say. But I think the general principles of what you were talking about and the fundamental idea is it's still there and that goes beyond just gender roles, in general. But you mentioned this, Lydia, as you were talking, but it's really important to be present in the moment because otherwise it becomes easy to get influenced by others and the norms and the things that people expect of you, or maybe things you expect of yourself as well. And to tie that back to my essay, that's really what I talked about for the most part, right? The idea of feeling like a spectator to things that are happening around you just because you weren't there for it. And the best way to make up for that is to try and be there while you can, rather than worry about whether you will or whether you can or because you weren't, it's important to make sure that you are right now. And again, that's really what my essay talked a lot about. For me personally, I came to this conclusion that being from somewhere doesn't just mean having a place to go back to, but really like somewhere to stand on, somewhere you can sit and feel comfortable around. And when you look at it that way, it can really be anything at all, whether it's people you know, places you've been to or just yourself in general. Justine: So basically, what I'm hearing is like belonging, it's not about the place, it's not about the people, it's about how you stand and how you behave, how you show up wherever at the moment, right? Zach: Right. Justine: Yeah. Not like that. Zach: For sure. Justine: And I can really relate to that statement. Like Lexi, I've also grew up in the same environment. I went to the same school all the way to senior, graduated, but then I was fortunate enough to have experience outside of my home country, right? So started having international experience and then I was excited to have my first shot at working back home. But when I showed up, I realized that I didn't belong. I didn't feel like I belonged as much as I hoped. And that's why, Zach, what you're saying is really resonating with me because I realized that belonging doesn't happen just one time and that's a done deal, right? It's like you always have to work toward that. And every single step, every single milestone that you take on or you achieve, it's going to affect the way you're going to be belonging even to your former group, your former community and people you knew before because you show up differently, you stand up differently and the moment is different. So yeah. Lexi: Thank you. Justine: Before we continue with our episode, let me take a minute to remind you that By Her Hands is a global program empowering women and girls through safe-water access, menstrual health management, and economic opportunity. The program and this podcast are brought to you by WaterStep. Together we believe that when a young woman can protect her own health, she leads. When she leads, her family thrives and when her family thrives, her whole community grows stronger. Learn more about how women and girls are shaping healthier futures, each by her own hands at WaterStep.org. Lexi: So what I'm hearing from this, I feel like we're all saying that belonging isn't a place or a group of people, but rather it's ever changing and it's multiple groups. And I feel like I can resonate with that so much. You belong to this group and that group and they can be vastly different, but it's being present in that moment, being present with those people. And really for me, what strikes me the most about belonging is surrounding yourself with people that have similar values as you, which is what's so important about my WaterStep family and really, really feeling like I belong here is because we have that same sense of similar values, wanting to help, having empathy and really wanting to create change and wanting to put in the work to get there. Lydia: Yeah. What you said with feeling like you need to be someone to belong, and then realizing that it's not really who you are, if you can belong or not, it's just that how you are in the moment. I really do feel that and resonate with that. And it's kind of the first time I've really thought about it in that way. I always just thought that I started belonging when I stopped caring what other people perceive me as much, but I like that way of just viewing it as being in the moment and being there. Zach: No, that's 100% true. I feel like something that's really ironic about this idea of belonging, it's that it's more about you than about the people or the environment that you try to belong to, right? This idea and this feeling of being okay with where you are is probably the biggest part about belonging. I know that I say my background is unique and stuff, but I think in my case, it's just more grand, having been all around the world, but it can be as small and as big as you'd want it to be, but fundamentally, and at the end of the day, what really matters is how you feel about the people around you and that's the idea behind belonging. Justine: What I'm hearing is it's about listening to yourself... /episode/index/show/c7f8ba3c-aeeb-40b4-85ed-a3e5bb6c2196/id/40672180

Figuring Out Your Purpose 03/19/2026

Figuring Out Your Purpose Summary: Episode 1: Purpose — “What am I even doing with my life?” Everyone acts like you’re supposed to already know your “thing,” but most of us are just trying stuff and hoping something feels right. This episode is about figuring out what actually matters to you, not what people expect, not some perfect plan, just those random interests or moments where you think, “okay… maybe this is me.” In this episode, we talk about what purpose feels like when you’re still figuring it out. Episode Transcript: Lydia: What am I even doing with my life? Everyone acts like you’re supposed to already know your thing, but most of us are just trying stuff and hoping something feels right. This episode is about figuring out what actually matters to you. Not what people expect. Not some perfect plan. Just those random interests or moments where you think, “Okay, maybe this is me.” Today, we’ll talk about what purpose feels like, when you’re still figuring it out or moments when you’re certain this is exactly where you’re supposed to be. Justine: You're listening to the By Her Hands Podcast, A space where young women figure things out together, who we are, what we want, and the power we already carry. It's brought to you by WaterStep a global leader in safe water innovation. Learn more about how women and girls are shaping healthier futures, each by her own hands, at waterstep.org. Lydia: My name is Lydia. I'm a senior in Indiana and I just got accepted into the college of my dreams, Purdue. Since first grade I've been dying to go there and be an engineer and I'm still sitting here and wondering, is this really what I'm supposed to do with my life? I'm at that crossroads point between high school and college and being independent and I still feel like I know nothing. Lexi: Hi, I'm Lexi. I'm a junior in Louisville, and I'm sort of still on that college search wondering have I done enough to get into the colleges that I want to go to and what's life going to look like after that, future career? So I'm just sort of trying to figure it all out with still keeping my values close to heart. Justine: Hi, I am Justine. I have 20 plus years of experience in international development around the world, and I'm here today participating in the podcast for the first time, and this is a new experience for me. Lydia: So Lexi, I have to ask you, have you gotten all those thousands of emails from colleges begging you to go there? Lexi: Yes, a hundred percent. Lydia: They're like, oh, we're going to give you a million dollars to go. And then you look at their website and they're like, tuition's only $4 million. So you're really looking out here. Lexi: Yes. Lydia: For me, it's actually really funny. I keep getting emails from Skidmore College and I really, it just threw me off because I thought it was just a funny name and I keep getting these emails from them and I searched it up and it's actually a really cool school. And then I'm sitting here thinking maybe I should go and be a skid at Skidmore College. Maybe that's what I should do with my life. Maybe I don't need to be an engineer and I don't need, I can go have fun and it's in New York, like going college in New York. That's awesome. So I don't know, every time I get one of those emails, I'm still sitting here thinking maybe I should open it. Maybe I should see if maybe Murray State or Skidmore is my home. Lexi: Yeah, I've been thinking the exact same thing. Not only where do I want to go and what's going to be the best fit for me, but also what's my career going to look like after that? What's future going to look like? And really what worries me the most is have I done enough to get to that point? Have I worked hard enough? Lydia: Oh my gosh. Yeah. No, I totally, seriously, that is the story of my life because growing up my parents were very heavy set on everything you do is for college, everything you do, your academics and your extracurriculars, everything is for college. So since fifth grade, I remember begging my parents, I was like, please, I need you guys to save money for college. And I'm like, how old are you in fifth grade? Like 10? I was little and I was like, there's no way. There's no way. And I think that nowadays the pressure on kids to know what they're supposed to do, it just keeps getting younger. For me, I've had it easier because in first grade I always say my papa indoctrinated me since first grade he's been like, you need to go to Purdue and you need to be a boilermaker just like I was. You need to do engineering. And he told us to all the grandkids, and I'm the one out of nine to have done it or to be doing it anyways. So for me, I feel like at least in that kind of standpoint, I've had it figured out, but am I even supposed to yet? I'm barely an adult and I mean I have a job technically, but I haven't really experienced life yet. Am I supposed to know what my purpose is and what I need to do? Do you understand the pressure to know who you are from the day you were born? Lexi: Yeah, a hundred percent even. I mean, my college shirts process has been a little bit different from yours. My parents are the type of parents that are, go get your dreams, you're going to do great. We believe in you. But they're not pressuring me since day one. But definitely in the past year or so, I've felt that pressure trying to figure out what's my future going to look like? What's that career that I want to get? How am I going to get there? The money, the classes, everything that becomes a part of it. And I feel like it just college and everything beyond that has become so competitive now that I feel like as a junior/senior in high school, we all relate to that feeling of am I going to have done enough and will I get to where I want to be? But I also know that when I talk to adults, I was just talking to my dad last night, he's like, it doesn't matter what college you go to or where you're going to grad school, whatever it is, you're going to end up where you want to be. So I always like to keep that in mind. Lydia: Justine, have you found your purpose yet? Justine: I want to say yes given the experience that I have, but it hasn't been easy listening to you guys about how everything around you has shaped you towards something specific, but then when you get there, you don't even have time to embrace it and celebrate it. You're already thinking about the next step. But what I really like about what you were saying is that you are already in that space where you're figuring out whether it's your purpose or not, whether you were prepared for that without even you acknowledging who you are or what you want. And I think that's a real question. So when you said Lydia, what's your purpose? Where are you right now? You are accepted into your dream school, but would you say that this is your purpose or would you define it differently? Lydia: I just don't know. I don't know. And I'm in calc and every single time I have to stay after school for calc help, I'm like, man, I just need to be an electrician. I can't do this anymore. It's exhausting. And it's that fear of if I get this poor grade on my test, I feel like I can't do it. I can't do it because I know everyone's telling me every single year you have to do this, you have to do more. You have to give more of who you are to find out or at least pretend to be who you're supposed to be. Lexi, when you were saying the college pressure and competition, it's so real. It's so real. Oh my gosh. And I'm sure that a lot of people can relate to it. Just that pressure of will I get in and competing for scholarships and it's a business and it's a battleground and it's cruel. But every single time that I sit there and I am in my ceramics class and I'm making this pot and I sit there and I think, and it's been since first grade, I've been like, I need to be an engineer. I want to be an engineer. And I enjoy math and science, but every time that I start making pots, I'm like, maybe I should just be a ceramicist. Maybe this is better. I don’t know how much money I can make doing that. I don’t know if I can afford rent, but maybe that's what I want to do. Justine: I like what you just mentioned because coming back to if I found my purpose or not, I'm saying yes because growing up and starting college, I went into business because that's what I felt like was going to give me money as soon as possible. And then I had the opportunity to get into college, in Tucson, Arizona to do my Master’s, and I went for my MBA, right? Because as you might have noticed, English is not my first language. I'm actually a French speaker, so hence the accent, and I'm from Senegal. So it was a big achievement for me, for my family and everything. And guess what? I didn't get into business college because I realized that it wasn't what I wanted to do. It wasn't me. And if I took that big leap into going abroad already being a mother, married, and I left everything behind to achieve a dream, that dream should have been worth it. And so I took eight months learning English and just being familiarizing myself around the campus. And I ended up wandering into the public health college. There was an event where the dean was speaking to prospective students and she said, one thing that really changed my life. She said, if you want to be part of improving people's lives, then you are where you should be. And that spoke to me and I realized that I wanted to make money, but most of it, I wanted to improve people's life. I wanted to be part of better for anybody around me. And I felt like that was my purpose and I just went for my Master’s of Public Health and I don't regret it. So I'm sharing that to say that it's not about the path that you take, it's about finding your purpose. For me, it's really going to be about what you make of the experience that you have. And you are always in the state that you are describing, always asking yourself questions. Is it really what I want? And so that gives you that surge and energy to keep going until you find it. So yeah, so Lexi asking all those questions, I think it's probably the right start, the first step into finding the purpose, but it doesn't mean that it's going to happen today or tomorrow for me. It happened way after, I would say. Lexi: Yeah, absolutely. I think what I've learned is it's all about showing up fully whatever season you're at in life and just really giving it your all. Because I think the biggest thing I've learned is that you're going to regret it if you don't. So for me, I kind of went into high school thinking I played sports, so I was like, okay, this is probably going to be the focus of my time in high school and I'm going to be on the high school field hockey team. Quickly, that was sort of a different path that I went. I got injured and I've been injured sort of the past three years and it just seems like these roadblocks keep popping up in my life to wanting to be an athlete and that being the primary focus of my life. And so I was like, okay, we're just going to have to switch tracks here. So I was like, I'm going to use that same work ethic that I would in sports to now channel that to school. So I put myself in all the hardest classes junior year, I'm focusing on, okay, where do I want to be for college? What do I want my future to look like? I'm thinking right now something in medicine, but really it's just I unfortunately was not able to play sports and I still am sort of not really able to, but I decided to instead channel that same energy and work ethic into what I could do. So it's just sort of meeting myself where I was at, at that season in my life. Lydia, do you have a similar experience of giving it your all at whatever season you're in? Lydia: Oh do I. No. I started high school and I was like, okay, my job is to be an absolute academic weapon and get a million dollar scholarship, and that's what I have to do. And that's what my parents said I had to do. That's what everyone in my family does. That's what I have to do. And now I'm on a full-ride and I'm going to be a quarterback in the NFL. No, I actually have a unique path. I feel like everyone's always like, I'm either going to do athletics or I'm going to do academics. And I found kind of my own outside of the two of them. So everyone has their first relationship, everyone has the first love or whatever nonsense that you want to call it. And mine was freshman and sophomore year and it was good and that it wasn't. And then we broke up and I was so sad and it's funny looking back on it, but I was heartbroken. I was devastated. I just cried and cried for weeks and I just didn't know what to do with myself. And I was like, I don't even know what's my purpose. What do I do with the rest of my life? I thought I was going to marry this boy and now I haven't. He's gone. It was like losing my best friend is how it is. And as funny as it is to be picturing myself with what was I 15, being like my life is over because as a boy in high school broke up with me, but it really did feel like that. And I know my parents noticed because my grades tanked. So it was no, I do love my parents. Let me be clear. So it was a difficult time and my dad, since I was in I think eighth grade, he had pushed me to be a part of this teen board at WaterStep. And this isn't a paid advertisement, they didn't tell me to say this, but honestly, this is my inciting moment. This is what I wrote all of my college essays about. This is what I tell people when they ask me, what do you do? How did you get involved and who are you? This is my story. He told me to and I went to a meeting and Lexi, you were there and you guys are like, I think we need to collect shoes or something. We need to do something you guys. We need to anything. And I was like, yeah, okay, I guess I'll do that. And I went to my school counselor who has his own nonprofit and does everything under the sun. And he became an inspiration. He was like, absolutely we can do this shoe drive. And we collected, I believe somewhere between two and 4,000 pairs of shoes. I think it was 2,000 pairs of shoes throughout my school. I was front page in the paper and a whole bunch of people in the community brought in shoes. And that was when the shoe initiative was still the core purpose and everything. And it was awesome. It was just awesome. And I felt like in that moment I figured out maybe this is kind of what I want to do. I would get out of class and run around and drag bags of shoes across the school and I was making posters and talking to people and doing interviews and I had just random people come in and help and help me haul stuff. Didn't say a word, just grabbed a bag and followed me wherever I was going. It was beautiful. And to see the community come together on such a thing, and I'm trying to think what I said in my essay, I worded it so well. That's how it is when you have a month to prepare, just everyone came around and helped so beautifully. And that idea of I'm spending my time on something that's benefiting the world and my community and I'm making connections through this, it just sparked something in me and I'm now kind of the service person, I guess. This isn't a teenage stereotype, you're not going to find the community service kid in the Breakfast Club. This isn't a typical teen thing I feel, but I had my cousin call me the other night, I'm trying to raise $2,500 for some Girl Scout uniforms. How do I do it? And my other cousin texted me a month ago and was like, I need service hours. Hook me up. And I get frequently people just, how do I raise money and how do I do these things and volunteer? And it's fun. It's fun to become this. And I feel like I found kind of what I need to do with my life and it's changed not only how I see the world and that I can see the beauty in the people around me and how people truly want to help and just to come together to support people across the globe, but also it's changed me. I used to think that maybe I wanted to live up in Minnesota or Michigan or something to get a lot of snow. I love the snow and now I'm like, maybe I want to live in Louisville and stay around here and stay around. Not only do I work with WaterStep, but I work with Blessings in a Backpack of Floyd County, and I work with Camp Golden Wing and the Youth Philanthropy Council and there's just so many wonderful people in my community and it has helped me find them and to find my purpose among them and to how I can help. And it's changed me from wanting to get out to loving my town and to wanting to come back here and being sad a bit to move away and go to Purdue. As much as I want to get out, I don't want to get out that bad. I feel like in a way, and maybe that'll change. I'm only 18 and there's so much life I have ahead of me, so I don't know how much this will change. Maybe I'll become, I don't know, what's the guy from a Christmas Carol? I'll become him. You guys know what I'm talking about and I'll just lock myself in my room and be greedy. But for now, I feel like my purpose has become to help out the people around me and do what I can to be a good person. Justine: I just love what you shared. It was a journey. It was a journey from what you were set out, what you raised and you set out to do to how you learn and you rise, you rose from your challenges and discover something new to a point where you are defining your purpose. What about you, Lexi? How do you see comparing where you are right now to where you are heading, how do you find your purpose or did you find it or how do you define it? Lexi: I think step one for me is going to be going to a place that I really feel supported and share common values. And so that's been the number one thing of where do I want to go to college? It's that place that the people around me have those similar values and we are going to maybe spend some nights working on a paper or some nights going out. Finding that balance between having fun and really working hard and getting towards our goals. But ultimately, I think my purpose is within service and within really just goal-driven. I would say I want to become a doctor someday. I want to have a future in medicine and healthcare. And so taking that path to get there, but then also staying unique to who I am, which I think a big part of that is service. Just like Lydia was saying, it just feels empowering when you help other people. There's no other way to put it. Seeing the community support one another and seeing the impact that a really, really small act can make on other people is inspiring, truly. Lydia: I totally agree. Justine: Before we continue with our episode, let me take a minute to remind you that By Her Hands is a global program empowering women and girls through safe-water access, menstrual health management and economic opportunity. The program and this podcast are brought to you by WaterStep. Together, we believe that when a young woman can protect her own health, she leads, when she leads her family thrives and when her family thrives, her whole community grows stronger. Learn more about how women and girls are shaping healthier futures, each by her own hands, at WaterStep.org. Justine: Wow. This is really enlightening and very exciting for me because listening to all of you and comparing it or relating to my own experience, it seems that service is a purpose for us. Being at the service of others each by her own hands. It's really something that seems to pop up as far as purpose, as far as moving forward and making a change around us. Lexi: Yeah, absolutely. I also think a common theme for us was it's okay to not have it all figured out. Purpose isn't something that people have it an... /episode/index/show/c7f8ba3c-aeeb-40b4-85ed-a3e5bb6c2196/id/40513375

Join Us for the Launch of the By Her Hands Podcast 03/04/2026

Announcing the Upcoming Launch of the By Her Hands Podcast 03/03/2026

The Origin Story of the By Her Hands Podcast 02/24/2026

The Origin Story of the By Her Hands Podcast WaterStep, an organization with 31 years of experience in safe water and sanitation, is launching a new initiative called "By Her Hands." Inspired by CEO Mark Hogg’s vision, this program focuses on the pivotal role women and girls play in global water solutions and community health. The "By Her Hands" podcast serves as a core component of this initiative, providing a platform for young women to share their own stories. Featuring local hosts and remote guests from Africa and Latin America, the show operates on the principle of not telling anyone's story without them. While the discussions will cover a broad range of topics including family and society, they will ultimately tie back to the essential role of water. The goal is to transform water from a daily burden into a source of empowerment and power for girls everywhere. This journey of discovery and change officially launches on March 19th across major platforms like Spotify, Amazon, and iHeart Radio. Through this podcast, listeners are encouraged to find the power they carry inside and spread it to those around them. Transcript of Discussion Jim Ray: And we are in the studios here in Louisville, Kentucky with a couple of good friends of mine from an organization called WaterStep, Kristina Gates and Justine Tou. Glad to see you all. Thanks very much for coming in. Let's talk about something that's going on at WaterStep. First of all, Kristina, if you would tell me a little bit about WaterStep. Kristina Goetz: Well, WaterStep has been around for 30 years, this is our 31st year. And we are all about safe water sanitation and hygiene. That's what we do in the world. We have one goal, Jim, and that is to bring safe water to anybody who needs it on the planet. Jim Ray: And you all are actively providing water solutions all over the African content, as well as, all over the United States. I mean, you guys are doing some really amazing stuff. I had the chance to go downtown and tour you all's facility a while back, and that's when you all let me know, Hey, there's a new initiative coming on. So Justine, tell me about this new initiative. How did it get started and what do you hope it will accomplish for us? Justine Tossou: Absolutely. So this initiative is called By Her Hands and By Her Hands is coming to life from a vision that our CO and founder Mark Hogg had. The inspiration is really around the place that women and girls have in the work that we do and the impact overall globally. And we realized that we wanted to focus on them, the place that they have, their inspiration, the hard work, the opportunities that they always bring in the work that we do around water. Jim Ray: It's amazing. As we've developed this, what you all have taught me is that a lot of times the girls are really responsible in these households for gathering the water and doing things. So that affects hygiene, that affects water, transportation back from the source back to the home. And they actually have a lot to do with that. You've also got hygiene and things like that where they're taking care of their families. And I think this “empowerment podcast” is going to be pretty exciting. With that being said, I may have let the cat out of the bag. You're launching a podcast. Tell me all about that. Justine Tossou: We are. So from the inspiration launching By Her Hands program, we realized that we also needed to hear more voices, more women voices, girls' voices that will be inspiring to others around the world, especially here in Louisville, Kentucky. Because what we do, we want it to be impacting. We want it to bring perspectives and opportunities to make change around their lives. And especially when it comes to women and girls. Jim Ray: I love this because we're going to have a couple of local hosts, some younger girls who are going to actually drive the podcast for us, but we're going to remote in some other younger girls from different countries, really anywhere from across Africa to South America, Latin America. This is going to be a pretty big vision. Wow. Justine Tossou: Absolutely. Absolutely, Jim, and I'm glad you're mentioning all the friends and the key actors that we have around the world, right? And when the team at WaterStep has been thinking and putting together this podcast we always wanted to go by, one thing is that we are not telling anybody's stories without them. And this is part of what we believe in. We live, we work, and we talk about things that matters to us with everybody around us, right, Kristina? Kristina Goetz: Yeah, absolutely. And what's exciting about this is that it's not just hearing the girls' voices, but it's giving them an opportunity to change the world. It's giving them an opportunity to help other women and girls just like them all around the world to have safe water. And you can log on to WaterStep.org to figure out how to do that. But this is one way to reach more and more people about the problems that women and girls have in the world, but also give them an opportunity to make change and solve those problems. Jim Ray: Well, what I love about this is it's going to deviate. It's going to focus not just on water issues, it's going to talk about society, it's going to talk about families, it's going to talk about a whole bunch of other things that these young women are dealing with, coping with, navigating in their day-to-day lives. But again, we're going to tie it back in various ways to, it comes back to water and how can water play a role in some of this? And then how can, on top of that, how can WaterStep provide essential element water? Justine Tossou: And when you think about it, Jim, water is so central to everybody's lives, right? But what is important here is to understand that in different places it means different things. It can be a burden, it can be a power. At the end of the day, what we want with the podcast with By Her Hands podcast is that we want water to empower girls and women so that they can be the change in their community, in their lives. And rather than carrying water as a burden, while water becomes their power. Jim Ray: That's outstanding. So Kristina, as we look at launching this, and just so everybody's aware, we're going to launch this on March 19th. Where are people going to be able to find this podcast? Kristina Goetz: So on Spotify, on Amazon, iHeartRadio, basically anywhere you listen to your podcast, you can find us there. We hope you'll check us out. Jim Ray: And you all have a pretty big social media presence already. We're going to post these up to Facebook and LinkedIn and also to the WaterStep YouTube channel. So we've got a lot of different ways you're going to be able to find this. I guess the first thing we would do is, hey, get ready, share the news here about what's coming by all means, Like and Follow this podcast. I think it's going to be an interesting journey. I think it's going to be a great experience and it's going to come back to, again, empowerment and just, wow, this is going to be a lot. You guys have so much passion that you've brought into the creation of this initiative, and I really want to give some kudos to Mark for having said, Hey, you know what? There's another way we can do this. It's not just about providing machines, it's not just about providing technology, it's also about helping society. And we're going to tie it all back to water. So once again, the Buy Her Hands initiative, which is kind of the macro, and this is one of the things that is an outgrowth and a support tool for that is the podcast. And they aptly named it By Her Hands podcast. So Justine, any closing thoughts? You're kind of heading up this initiative, so if you had one thing to say to everybody, how would you leave it? Justine Tossou: I would say that we all have, especially womens and girls, we all have a power inside us, and we hope that by following this podcast, you will find it, you would carry it, and you would just spread it around you. Jim Ray: Outstanding. Well, my friends, congratulations on getting this initiative together on getting ready to launch. We've been in the studio for days now, recording different elements and aspects of it and just planning this out. So looking forward to this going live once again on March 19th, and we'll be talking to you soon. All the best. Justine Tossou: Thanks you, Jim. Interested in Contacting WaterStep to Learn More? Website: That’s where we’ll leave the conversation for today. Before we close the file, we invite you to reach out to us with questions, suggestions or other comments. We’d love to hear from you. We hope you found this file insightful and helpful. Thank you for listening! /episode/index/show/c7f8ba3c-aeeb-40b4-85ed-a3e5bb6c2196/id/40220465

By Her Hands

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