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Find Your Spark

180 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 days ago - ★★★★★ - 17 ratings

“FIND YOUR SPARK” is a podcast that shares real-life stories of realizing the potential and impact of your SPARK, in the middle of a busy life. Your hosts Brooke Wheeldon-Reece, President of The SPARK Initiative – a non-profit organization – and Ashley Hunt, Director of Program Development, dive deep into conversations about life, family, running a business, the youth they work with, and the impact their work has daily. The episodes are funny, digestible, honest, and profoundly helpful. As working moms and entrepreneurs, Brooke and Ashley navigate the sticky realities of daily life, all while working to make this world a better place.

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Episodes

178 :The Beauty of Access

March 26, 2024 09:00 - 27 minutes - 13.7 MB

In this episode, Chad talks about the importance of access and how there is beauty in how we choose to navigate it throughout our experiences. Join us as we discover how impactful life can get when we choose ourselves, minds, souls, and energy based on the access we decide to give or not to give!

177: What it Means to Just Be You

March 12, 2024 04:05 - 18 minutes - 16.9 MB

In this episode, Brooke and Ashley discuss what it means to truly “be you”. They recently listened to a podcast from Michael Neill, and gained some insight around what they see to be true about their “true” selves. Listen as they share stories of when they have gotten caught up and tried to be the version of themselves they "think" they should be, and other times when they just are being, without trying. The podcast episode Brooke and Ashley referred to in this episode can be found here: Ca...

176: Exploring Our Values: No One Is Broken

March 05, 2024 05:10 - 22 minutes - 20.7 MB

In this episode, Ashley and Stephanie explore a value at the core of our organization – our belief that no one is broken. While labels such as “broken” can be well-intentioned to describe the hurt, pain, and suffering that someone is enduring, we believe that at our core, humans are still whole. There is an untouchable, unbreakable essence to us – our SPARK. We discuss how we’ve seen this to be true working with vulnerable populations over the last 10 years, including a recent training in Li...

175:Sharing the Secret of Self-Esteem and Confidence

February 23, 2024 13:01 - 24 minutes - 22.2 MB

In this episode, Nicole, Mari, and Jena discuss SPARK's approach to self-esteem and confidence for International Boost Self-Esteem Month. Listen as they share different experiences where they thought self-esteem and confidence sounded like a lot of work, when in fact, it's something that's always there and you can rely on and trust at any given moment.

#174: Exploring Our Values: Love Wins

February 16, 2024 07:45 - 18 minutes - 16.8 MB

In this episode, Brooke and Stephanie kick off a new podcast series discussing our eight values. These values act as our compass, guiding both business and personal decisions. In honor of the month of Valentine’s Day, this episode explores why we believe that Love Wins. For us, this value points to a state of mind characterized by clarity, ease, compassion, and understanding. When you come from a place of Love (your SPARK), you tend to ‘win’ at whatever you are trying to do. Difficult conver...

#173: Feeling The Feels With Jena, Nicole and A.J.

January 23, 2024 05:01 - 32 minutes - 44.4 MB

Whether you're angry, sad, happy or glad there are ways to "feel your feels" and be OK! Tune in and listen to Jena, Nicole and A.J. as they share their different experiences of anxiety, depression and allowing yourself to just BE in the feeling without reacting.

#172 Year End Reflections From The SPARK Team

December 18, 2023 21:48 - 50 minutes - 69 MB

The SPARK Team takes a look back at 2023, what we've learned and what we look forward to in 2024.

#171 Insight To Well Being with Jordan Brimlow, Jena Travise and Mari Latham

December 05, 2023 05:05 - 59 minutes - 82.1 MB

In this special episode for Giving Tuesday, Jena and Mari speak with Jordan Brimlow of Operation Barnabas about the impact that SPARK's local community programs have had on his life. Jordan offers wonderful insights as he shares about his life as a father, business owner, and community leader, while reflecting on his past experiences with addiction and incarceration. As an Insight to Well-Being graduate, Jordan is able to connect his commitment to change to the awareness of his mind that he...

#170 Find Your SPARK...LIVE!

October 03, 2023 04:05 - 18 minutes - 5 MB

We are so happy to announce that our "Find Your SPARK" podcast is now going to be featured on our new YouTube page as well as hosted on our website. Look for more interaction with our subscribers hosting a variety of mentoring related topics and guests.  Check out the first one here and subscribe for updates on future podcasts.

169 Autism Rocks & Rolls with Sam Mitchell

August 25, 2023 04:05 - 5 MB

In this episode, Chad and Mari explore the world of Autism with Sam Mitchell. Living with Autism himself, Sam has a thriving podcast that consistently takes us on a journey of his daily struggles, life-improving advice, and Self Empowering lessons. Join us as we embrace the empowering message of Sam.

#168 SPARKING Change With Intern Angie

August 11, 2023 04:05 - 5 MB

In this episode, our host Nicole chats with "SPARKing Change" Intern, Angie about her experiences with our Leadership Program here. Through the internship, Angie is able to find things out about herself including her ability to be creative and learning about how people have different outlooks and perspectives, although we all live in the "center of our own mind". She also shares ideas for her "passion project" and why suicide prevention is the direction she wants to go.

167: Michelle's Insights to Well-being During and After Jail

August 03, 2023 17:36 - 28 minutes - 5 MB

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK podcast, Chad and Ashley are joined by a very special guest, Michelle Chambers. Michelle was a participant in our Insight to Well-being program that SPARK runs in our local jail. Michelle was recently released and wanted to share her story on our podcast. Listen as Michelle shares the profound insights she feels made a difference in her journey. If you would like to donate to our local programs, you can find all the ways to donate here: https://thespar...

166: Chad's Story - All the Paths that Led to SPARK

June 22, 2023 14:41 - 11 minutes - 5 MB

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK podcast, Chad sheds light on his upbringing, from living in Jamaica to finding his true self. Chad also discusses his love for helping and giving to others. Tune in as Chad shares groundbreaking thoughts and impactful stories about his life and experiences and why he chose SPARK.

165: Mari's Story - All the Paths that Led to SPARK

June 08, 2023 15:30 - 27 minutes - 5 MB

In this episode, Mari tells Jena about the experiences that led her down the path to SPARK. Having come to Tampa from Chicago, she recalls the changes she's made to her perspective in order to accomplish her goals. Mari discusses how she discovered her passion to help people by seeing her mother's compassion toward others and the strength of her grandparents' love for each other and the family they created. Listen as Mari recognizes moments her SPARK showed up to bring her to this very moment.

164: One Year After the Attack, Gabriella Speaks

May 18, 2023 18:21 - 15 minutes - 5 MB

One Year After the Attack, Gabriella Speaks One year ago, a sweet 12-year-old girl in 7th grade was violently attacked at her Middle School by her classmates. Sadly, this story line could apply to countless incidents of bullying across the county. Our podcast this week is a follow-up to the attack on Brooke's daughter, Gabriella. Brooke spoke about this incident previously, and if you haven't done so already, please listen to this episode first for the context. This special episode was rec...

163: SPARK's Story - All the Paths that Led to What SPARK is Today

May 03, 2023 17:33 - 47 minutes - 5 MB

In this episode of Find Your SPARK, Ashley and Brooke are joined by a LIVE audience at the Boost Conference in Palm Springs, CA. Because we had a brand-new audience, this was the perfect chance to tell SPARK’s story. Brooke and Ashley share how SPARK started, and then all the things that unfolded to get to where SPARK is today. Listen to hear about the very humble beginnings, and all the changes and growth made along the way! 

#162: Jena's Story - All the Paths that Led to SPARK

April 20, 2023 13:00 - 33 minutes - 5 MB

In this episode, Jena shares her personal journey of how she got to SPARK! From growing up in Florida, joining the Air Force and traveling all over, to returning to Florida and finding her path. Jena talks about the knowing inside that has guided her along the way and the importance of connection. Listen as Jena shares about the moments in her life that she just knew what the next best steps were. In her words…when you know, you just know!

161: Nicole's Story - All the Paths that Led to SPARK

April 13, 2023 19:25 - 33 minutes - 5 MB

In this episode, Nicole shares the key life events that led her to SPARK and how her seven-year journey with our organization has allowed her to finally be her true self. Like many of us, she describes how her younger self felt shy, insecure, and never enough. Even in the midst of that, she was able to follow life's little nudges and begin to peel back the layers of insecurity. While she wishes she could have had her current confidence as a teenager, she can also now see how those so-called ...

160: Stephanie's Story - All the Paths that Led to SPARK

April 06, 2023 13:10 - 32 minutes - 5 MB Video

In this episode, Stephanie describes the key events and insights that led her to join SPARK. Born and raised in a small farming town in Minnesota, she describes how college opened her eyes to the wider world and the suffering that existed. Inspired by working with children and adults who had experienced profound tragedy, she has dedicated her career to ending human suffering. Her own personal low led her to explore what she was missing in her efforts. Through this exploration, she met Brooke...

159: Ashley's Story- All the paths that led to SPARK

March 23, 2023 07:29 - 31 minutes - 28.7 MB

Inspired by one of our favorite podcasters, we thought it would be fun and (hopefully!) interesting to record a series highlighting our team's 'origin stories,' or what led us to SPARK. Through this series, we hope to give you a better sense of who we truly are. In this episode, Ashley shares with Stephanie her own personal journey of where she came from and all the paths that led her to now. Listen to learn things you'd never guess about Ashley and how her SPARK helped her discover who she ...

158: Sparking Internal Motivation

March 16, 2023 04:05 - 20 minutes - 18.6 MB

In this episode, Ashley and Nicole speak about differences they have seen in being internally motivated. Nicole shares how she went from, " I could NEVER go back to college", to now being in school, with a daughter and a full-time job! She shares how her internal motivation showed up for her and took her much further than any person on the outside telling her "you can do it" . Ashley then shares that she has been lacking motivation to get active for quite some time now, continually looking t...

Strength in Solitude

March 09, 2023 15:40 - 9 minutes - 8.56 MB

In this episode, Mari reflects on the impact of an affirmation she's been utilizing for a few months. She discusses how she's been able to reframe her perspective during times that feel difficult or when old habitual thoughts make their way back into her mind. Tune in to hear how a simple statement has helped shift Mari's perspective during those moments that can feel hard to overcome.

The Day I Became a Gazelle

March 03, 2023 05:05 - 10 minutes - 9.31 MB

In this week’s podcast, Stephanie shares the story of how she went from a lifetime of loathing running to all of the sudden not only doing it, but actually enjoying it. With no effort, one day her legs just took off in a group exercise class. This shocking phenomenon occurred when she listened to a quiet little voice inside that nudged her to run. This podcast is an invitation for you to get curious about the nudges your body might be giving you. Is there something you might actually enjoy d...

155: Recovery and Beyond

February 10, 2023 05:05 - 30 minutes - 27.5 MB

In this episode of the Find Your Spark podcast, Jena and Ashley are joined by a special guest, Anamarie Patch. Anamarie was in the Insight to Wellbeing program that SPARK runs at our local jail. She has since been released and called to update Jena and Ashley on how she has been. We invited her on the podcast to share her recovery experience since being released from jail, and now celebrating 1 year of sobriety! Listen as she shares what insights she gained from the program, and how she hope...

154: In 2023: It All Works Out for Me!

January 27, 2023 05:15 - 26 minutes - 24.6 MB

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK podcast, Brooke and Ashley share a VERY exciting announcement!  After Brooke and Ashley learned about this fantastic news, many fears and doubts started to bubble up. However, it was right at that moment they both heard EXACTLY what they needed to hear, in a very unlikely place...TikTok!   Listen as they share their insights and the moment their fears and doubts turned to excitement and knowing!

153: Feeling MLK: Stephanie Reflects on her Visit to the National Civil Rights Museum

January 20, 2023 05:05 - 21 minutes - 19.3 MB

In a small tribute to the life and teachings of MLK Jr., Stephanie recalls the profound experience she had while visiting the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis last summer. Many visitors have commented that it’s difficult to put the experience into words. Stephanie concurs. However, she tries to describe what it was like to be physically, mentally, and spiritually transported to the times before and during the civil rights movement. The experience evoked a range of human emotions and a ...

152: Reflecting on 2022

December 30, 2022 05:10 - 30 minutes - 28 MB

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK podcast, Brooke, Ashley, Nicole, Jena, Stephanie, and Mari all reflect on the past year and share what they learned in 2022. They share some of their lows, and highs, while also reflecting on the amazing way that each person went through things. The SPARK staff also share their hopes for 2023 and are all so excited to point in a direction of growth and lean into this! Listen as they share what they hope is to come, cheers to 2023!

151: Rebels for Peace: Giving Hope for Our Youth

December 15, 2022 19:13 - 40 minutes - 37.3 MB

This week’s episode is extra special, as we have four amazing guest speakers from the Rebels for Peace. Rebels For Peace is a youth-led organization that wants to spread its message of bringing hope and faith back to the community of Chicago and the world. They believe understanding the mind as the source of everything we see in society is crucial to making any change. Instead of looking to outside forces to make a change, these Rebels feel that every human being has it within themselves to ...

150: No Solution to a Feeling

December 07, 2022 17:26 - 34 minutes - 31.6 MB

In this episode of the #FindYourSPARK podcast, Brooke is joined by one of her very best friends and colleagues from Scotland, Lynne Robertson to discuss what they have learned from the simple phrase "There is no Solution to a Feeling". Listen as Brooke and Lynne walk down the memory lane of their friendship and talk about how the work they both do has led them on the path of continuous "seeing and reseeing" that they have come to cherish.

149: Learning to Listen to Myself: What Tampa Taught Me This Year

November 30, 2022 16:05 - 22 minutes - 20.8 MB

In this episode, Mari reflects on living in Tampa, Florida for a full year and the life changes that occurred during that time. Having been born and raised in Illinois, Mari remembers how leaving the state felt like an impossible option for most of her life simply because she was so focused on fitting into the same lifestyle as those around her, yet struggling to feel fulfilled in the spaces she was occupying. Mari remembers how difficult it was for her to "dive into self-awareness" and make...

148:It's My Party & I’ll Cry if I Want to! 

November 15, 2022 19:05 - 11 minutes - 10.6 MB

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK Podcast, Nicole Wilson shares her experience of saying goodbye to 30 and hello to 31 with many emotions that followed. She expresses how her birthday started with crying lots of tears while feeling bitter about closing the 30th chapter of her life, to then having a shift of mind and insight about turning 31 and age in general. As she allowed herself to feel all the emotions that came with turning 31, it gave her the space to see something beautiful abou...

147:  Forget the Elephant, Anxiety is in the Room! 

November 02, 2022 15:05 - 21 minutes - 19.6 MB

In this episode of the Find Your Spark podcast, Chad takes us on his journey of how he managed to tackle his anxiety and find peace throughout his life. He also shares the obstacles he faced during the dark sides of anxiety and how he was able to navigate his true self through awareness, Self-love, and Self-care. Chad also touches on the importance of allowing our thoughts to be processed and the benefits of doing so. #Anxiety #FindYou

146: Igniting the SPARK with Selah Freedom Survivors

October 14, 2022 18:22 - 25 minutes - 23.7 MB

In this episode, with Nicole Wilson and Selah Freedom's Assessment Coordinator, Angelea Valenti, they explore the partnership that SPARK and Selah have shared for over 7 years together. Angelea shares the impact of SPARK and her personal story being a Selah graduate and going through the SPARK program years ago when we first started our partnership. Nicole shares some of her experiences leading the weekly meetings and why it's so important to continue doing this work with Selah Freedom. Sela...

145: SPARKING Change Experiences & How You Can Help

October 05, 2022 20:05 - 22 minutes - 20.7 MB

In this episode, Nicole, Emily and Macy share some upcoming event details about the SPARKING Change Youth Leadership FUNdraiser! Macy and Emily share the importance of this program and what was their biggest take away. Nicole shares why its impactful for our community's young people to have this opportunity to see their SPARK inside and create the change they want to see. Nicole also shares some upcoming details for our online FUNdraiser event and our guest speakers, Dicken Bettinger, Cathy ...

144: New Challenges, New Thinking

September 22, 2022 15:46 - 16 minutes - 15.4 MB

In this episode of the Find your SPARK podcast, Jena shares about her recent challenges and how she has navigated through them with a new lens. Jena talks about all the changes that have been taking place and how she has been in a stressful state of mind, but when a new challenge arrives, it completely shifts everything! Tune in to hear Jena reflect on tearing her Achilles tendon, how it made her become aware of what was going on in her mind, and why she is thankful for it all.

143:Speaking to the Truth of the Mind around Suicide

September 08, 2022 18:36 - 31 minutes - 28.7 MB

In this episode, Nicole Wilson and guest speaker, Jay Spires, speak to the importance of having awareness of the mind and how that alone can create change around suicide. Jay shares his story with suicide and how he was able to overcome the fight with his thoughts. Nicole then shares why being aware of this understanding of how the mind works and seeing your natural resilience is the solution that everyone deserves to know about. "This is a human thing; we are all in this together and you ar...

142: Kids Back to School: Riding the Waves of Emotions

August 31, 2022 23:35 - 14 minutes - 13.7 MB

On this episode of the Find Your Spark podcast, Ashley and Jena discuss the many emotions they’ve experienced as their kids have returned to school. This year, both Jena and Ashley had their “babies” start middle school. And as if that wasn’t enough of an emotional milestone, Ashley’s oldest entered high school. Ashley and Jena both share how they have been handling things as fear, anxiety, and sadness have come in like waves. Listen as they talk about navigating through these waves of emoti...

141:Welcome, Tara Phillips, Educator Extraordinaire! 

August 25, 2022 19:07 - 30 minutes - 28.2 MB

In this episode we welcome our newest team member, Tara Phillips! Tara joins SPARK after 16 years teaching elementary school in Texas, Florida, and Abu Dhabi. Her love for her kids and passion for bringing out the best in them is infectious and what drew us together. Tara shares her perspective on educating the whole child, her reasons for changing careers, why she chose SPARK, and what parents and our educational leadership can do to help all kids realize their potential. Tune in to hear wh...

140: Eavesdropping on the Internal Dialogue: Who is Actually Talking? 

August 11, 2022 15:34 - 19 minutes - 18.2 MB

In this episode Brooke and Ashley discuss the first chapters of Michael Singer's New York Times bestseller, The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself. Focusing on the way Singer describes the part of our mind that is constantly having its own conversation-with or without the REAL us participating. Brooke found insight because she realized just how easy it is for us to get swept up in the back-and-forth of our constant dialogue and lose sight in that fact that we are not our internal d...

139: Catching a Glimpse of our Youthful SPARK

July 21, 2022 16:26 - 25 minutes - 23.6 MB

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK Podcast, Nicole and Mari talk about their experiences working with the young child program at the Children’s Board Family Resource Centers and sharing the differences between working with the population of 5-8 year old’s and working with the teens and adults. They both notice how young children are so in tune with their SPARK inside that this comes very natural for them to understand. They also say it’s very refreshing to be able to see how young childr...

138: Exploring The Art Spirit by Robert Henri

July 07, 2022 16:25 - 13 minutes - 12 MB

In this episode, Stephanie is fresh off a relaxing vacation and excited to share reflections on a profound book she was given. The Art Spirit, written by Robert Henri in 1923, describes his philosophy on life and art. He beautifully articulates many of the same principles that resonate both personally and professionally with Stephanie and Spark. Among these, is that master works of art are created when we glimpse beyond the surface level of life and are able to put into form what we have see...

137: New SPARK Intern Andres Medina Dropping Truth Bombs

June 16, 2022 16:24 - 26 minutes - 24.4 MB

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK Podcast, Stephanie and SPARK Intern, Andres Medina, discuss the most impactful parts of recent SPARK facilitator training and reflect on their most meaningful moments. Andres hopes to use his time with the SPARK Initiative to gain experience mentoring individuals through the curriculum and become an influential leader. While sharing their passion for criminal justice, Stephanie and Andres state the importance of following your spark, even if it means li...

136: Brookes Broken Heart Breaks Silence

June 02, 2022 08:00 - 25 minutes - 23 MB

This week’s episode of the Find your Spark podcast is more like an open letter to those close to the SPARK family and those who are challenged to do the work of creating a better place for all of humanity. With humility and vulnerability, Brooke opens up about a recent heartbreaking incident involving her daughter that brought her family to their knees and ended up in the national spotlight for a few days. Listen as Brooke navigates her raw emotions surrounding this incident and straddles th...

135:Welcoming SPARK's Newest Team Members!

May 24, 2022 05:37 - 26 minutes - 24 MB

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK Podcast, Nicole introduces The SPARK Initiative’s 2 new employees, Mari and Chad. Mari is our new Research and Development Coordinator, and Chad is our Executive Assistant. Since their first day, they have been pretty busy learning their roles, completing the Insight to Well-Being curriculum training with Beyond Recovery, and Mari has also done some shadowing in our local support group with Selah Freedom’s sex-trafficking survivors. In this podcast, you...

Remembering Our Own Mental Health

May 12, 2022 19:39 - 24 minutes - 22.5 MB

In this episode, Stephanie opens up about a recent low state of mind she had been in. She recalls the moments that she started to realize her own mental health was just as important as those around her that she helps on a daily basis. She shares how she knew something needed to shift internally and that it meant taking action externally. At the moment of this insight, she didn’t know what action to take but was in a new state of being, open to seeing something. In a way, the aperture on her ...

133:What if there's Cake?

May 05, 2022 21:21 - 25 minutes - 23.1 MB

This weeks’ episode of the Find your Spark podcast was very special, as we had our first ever live audience while recording our podcast! Brooke and Ashley were in Palm Springs, Ca last week for the BOOST conference, and during the conference they were given this unique opportunity to go live! Brooke kicked off the podcast by sharing a story of something that happened right before leaving for this conference, that normally would have had her unpacking her bags and deciding to stay home. Howev...

132: What If Everything Wasn't Personal?

April 28, 2022 19:23 - 19 minutes - 17.9 MB

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK Podcast, Stephanie and Jena share their personal stories about taking things personal. But what if everything wasn’t personal? Jena talks about her kids not doing their chores and instead of taking it as a direct attack, they come up with a new solution that is more helpful in their day-to-day life. Stephanie speaks about her recent experience involving her landlord. From new people being in the building to email exchanges, listen to what lead Stephanie...

131: When Our Imagination Takes Us for a Crazy Ride!

April 21, 2022 20:30 - 17 minutes - 16.2 MB

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK podcast, Brooke and Ashley talk about how our thoughts can take us for a crazy ride! Brooke shares a story about how her losing her keys led her to thinking intruders were “casing the joint” and going to break into her house. Listen to hear where they really were, and how her imagination got the best of her! Trust us, you will want to listen to how this story all played out!

130: Inmate Insights to Well-Being

April 05, 2022 20:55 - 26 minutes - 24.2 MB

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK Podcast, Nicole, Jena and Zaria come together to share their stories and experiences during the past 5 weeks delivering the Insight to Well-Being program to male Veterans and a group of women at the Falkenburg Jail. They each share some insights and ah hah moments they saw from the participants and the impact this program left on them all. They also share how they felt a deeper connection in the groups when they shared personal stories and talked at a h...

129: Remembering Everyone has a SPARK

March 31, 2022 07:17 - 10 minutes - 9.76 MB

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK Podcast, Ashley and Brooke talk about the importance of trusting that others have everything they need inside to make their own decision, even when we may not agree with them. Ashley speaks about how recent events have highlighted this fact for her, and how she was able to find peace over fear by understanding that everyone has a SPARK, and therefore they will come to their own decisions on what they feel may be right for them. It’s not on us to decide ...