An Army of Normal Folks

An Army of Normal Folks

Our country’s problems will never be solved by a bunch of fancy people in nice suits talking big words on CNN and Fox, but by An Army of Normal Folks just deciding “hey, I can help.” Hosted by Coach Bill Courtney from the Oscar-winning Undefeated, this podcast is building the Army and celebrating its extraordinary members. New episodes are released every Tuesday.

Episodes

July 4, 2025 14 mins

For Shop Talk, we feature Army member Erik Lokkesmoe's reflections on what he wishes someone had told him when he was 30 or 40 years old. 

Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premium

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark as Played

When Father Dennis Lewis was assigned to St. Michael’s parish in Milwaukee, he discovered a growing number of Hmong and Laotians seeking refuge from the Vietnam War. Many were subjected to a terrible slumlord and so Father decided to start a homebuying ministry that helped coach them through the process. 33 years later, Acts Housing has helped 4,000 low-income families purchase homes!

Support the show: https://www.normalfolks....

Mark as Played

When Father Dennis Lewis was assigned to St. Michael’s parish in Milwaukee, he discovered a growing number of Hmong and Laotians seeking refuge from the Vietnam War. Many were subjected to a terrible slumlord and so Father decided to start a homebuying ministry that helped coach them through the process. 33 years later, Acts Housing has helped 4,000 low-income families purchase homes!

Support the show: https://www.normalfolks....

Mark as Played
June 27, 2025 12 mins

For Shop Talk, Coach Bill reflects on Army member Erik Lokkesmoe's powerful article, "For All The 50-Year Old Men Who..." 

Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premium

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark as Played

Kevin was tired of walking by people experiencing homelessness, not doing anything, and undermining his own humanity and theirs each time. So he finally did something and his accidental nonprofit Miracle Messages has since reunited over 1,100 people with their families!

Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premium

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark as Played

Kevin was tired of walking by people experiencing homelessness, not doing anything, and undermining his own humanity and theirs each time. So he finally did something and his accidental nonprofit Miracle Messages has since reunited over 1,100 people with their families!

Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premium

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark as Played
June 20, 2025 14 mins

For Shop Talk, we explore the idea of potentially experimenting with a few local chapters of the Army this year. 

Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premium

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark as Played
June 17, 2025 43 mins

Ginny Manguno, a teacher at Briarcrest Christian School, assigned listening to the podcast in her high school class. And so we decided to interview Ginny and her 15 students! 

Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premium

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark as Played
June 17, 2025 35 mins

Ginny Manguno, a teacher at Briarcrest Christian School, assigned listening to the podcast in her high school class. And so we decided to interview Ginny and her 15 students! 

Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premium

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark as Played

For Shop Talk, Coach Bill shares his deeply personal experience with Father's Day. 

Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premium

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark as Played

9/11 firefighter Tim Brown helped save lives that fateful day, but he also lost 100 friends who chose to save others knowing it would likely be the last act of their lives. His mission is to honor this Army of Normal Folks and make sure that America never forgets them.

Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premium

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark as Played

9/11 firefighter Tim Brown helped save lives that fateful day, but he also lost 100 friends who chose to save others knowing it would likely be the last act of their lives. His mission is to honor this Army of Normal Folks and make sure that America never forgets them.

Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premium

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark as Played
June 6, 2025 14 mins

For Shop Talk, Coach Bill reflects on Army member Andrew Maue's email. 

Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premium

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark as Played

When Kim found out that thousands of kids in her suburban community were going hungry in the summer, she couldn’t look away from the problem. Her nonprofit Festa now feeds over 800 children in the summer, but as Kim puts it, they don’t just want to help people live in poverty a little bit better. So they serve 1,166 people with America's only 3-generation family English as a Second Language program, to help their f...

Mark as Played

When Kim found out that thousands of kids in her suburban community were going hungry in the summer, she couldn’t look away from the problem. Her nonprofit Festa now feeds over 800 children in the summer, but as Kim puts it, they don’t just want to help people live in poverty a little bit better. So they serve 1,166 people with America's only 3-generation family English as a Second Language program, to help their famili...

Mark as Played
May 30, 2025 13 mins

For Shop Talk, Coach Bill reflects on some fascinating studies that show people are far more willing to help us than we might expect. And what this means for the Army. 

Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premium

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark as Played

John Norman is a normal dude who made a blood platelet donation one day. When his colleague told him that donated platelets helped save her life, John decided to keep rolling with the donations. He donates every other week, which is now over 160 times! 

Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premium

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark as Played

John Norman is a normal dude who made a blood platelet donation one day. When his colleague told him that donated platelets helped save her life, John decided to keep rolling with the donations. He donates every other week, which is now over 160 times! 

Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premium

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark as Played

For Shop Talk, Coach Bill tells the story of learning about "church schools" from his football players. It's a sad history that is not well known. 

Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premium

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark as Played

Tanya is a hairstylist who decided to bake some cakes for some firemen. And next thing you know, she’s baking over 450 cakes a year for firemen on their birthday! We cannot wait for you to meet “The Cake Lady”. 

 

Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premium

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    United States of Kennedy is a podcast about our cultural fascination with the Kennedy dynasty. Every week, hosts Lyra Smith and George Civeris go into one aspect of the Kennedy story.

    Stuff You Should Know

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    Dateline NBC

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.

    Crime Junkie

    Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.

Advertise With Us

Host

Bill Courtney

Bill Courtney

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.