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 1, 2025 41 mins

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....

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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....

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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..." 

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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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! 

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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June 6, 2025 14 mins

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

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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...

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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...

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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. 

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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.

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