February 27, 2025 • 32 mins
What would it take to break the cycle of domestic violence and create a safe haven for survivors? Join us for a moving conversation with Tina Bronson, Director of Mission Advancement at Alexandra House, as we uncover the persistent impact of domestic, sexual, and relationship violence on our communities. Tina shares the powerful story of Alexandra House, from its origins in a social justice group in 1976 to the establishment of the first emergency shelter in Anoka County by 1980, and its expansion to serve the entire seven-county metro area. We explore the heartbreaking realities faced by individuals affected by violence and highlight the transformative journeys of resilience and recovery that Alexandra House supports.
Our episode doesn't stop there, as we shine a spotlight on Linus' Pet Haven, an innovative initiative part of Alexandra House's holistic approach to support survivors and their beloved pets.
We offer thanks to all of our listeners as we celebrate this, our 100th episode! We wouldn't be here if not for your support. Thank You!
#domesticassault #resilience #survivors
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It's one thing to highlight the kindness that we see in the world, but it's another to, as I put in many of my social media posts, #bethechange. I am donating all of my royalties from the sale of my book, Change A World; In Order to Change The World to local and national non-profits. Your help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, hello there and welcome.
You are listening to theKindness Matters podcast and I
am your host, mike Rathbun.
What is this podcast all about?
It's about kindness.
It's a pushback againsteverything negative that we see
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(00:20):
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(00:43):
Check us out.
We're even on LinkedIn underMike Rathbun.
Check us out and, in themeantime, so sit back, relax,
enjoy and we'll get into theKindness Matters podcast.
Hey, welcome to today's episodeof the Kindness Matters podcast
.
We are honored to have with usTina Bronson, the Director of
(01:04):
Mission Advancement at AlexandraHouse.
If you've never heard ofAlexandra House, it's a renowned
organization dedicated tosupporting individuals
experiencing domestic, sexualand relationship violence,
including elder abuse and sextrafficking.
Alexandra House has been abeacon of hope and safety for
(01:27):
countless individuals facing theharrowing reality of violence
in their lives.
Did you know that, according torecent statistics, one in three
women and one in four men haveexperienced some form of
physical violence by an intimatepartner.
Moreover, on average, nearly 20people per minute are
(01:53):
physically abused by an intimatepartner in the United States,
equating to more than 10 millionindividuals each year.
Tina is going to be sharinginvaluable insights into who
Alexandra House is and whatservices they provide, how you
could help someone experiencingdomestic or sexual violence,
(02:14):
some exciting information abouta new program called Linus'
Haven, and she'll offer someadvice on how you can get
involved with Alexandra House.
Welcome to the show today, tina.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Well, thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
Ah, it's great to have you.
It's certainly a Monday, isn'tit?
Speaker 2 (02:32):
It is.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
But we're professionals and we're going to
roll with it.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
We are, we are.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
We are, and you know what I had lived.
I live in Ham Lake.
I had lived up here forprobably five to six years
before I ever heard of AlexanderHouse.
You guys, I mean and I you knowmaybe it's not something you
(02:57):
want to publicize Is there adouble sword there between
getting the word out about yourservices and maybe also not
letting abusers know you're outthere and helping?
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Well, you know what I think, having been with the
organization almost 11 years now.
I think what is interesting andwhat I have found is that you
may have heard of us and noteven realized it.
Many people don't need, youdon't need to know about us
until you need us or you are in,you know, involved with us.
(03:33):
You know people often want toshy away from topics that are
sensitive or they don't want tothink about or how they might
impact their lives.
But you know the statistics.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
You read them already those are eye-opening.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Yeah, so I mean, the chances that someone in your
life has experienced some formof domestic or sexual violence
is really high, but as a societywe don't want to talk about it.
So I think the organization asa whole has done a really good
job of talking about who we are,what we do, how we help people.
But until you need our services, it's not top of mind.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
Right, right.
So how did Alexander House getstarted?
What happened?
What was the impetus?
Did somebody say we need ashelter up here?
Speaker 2 (04:28):
You know it's really an amazing story when I think
about it, researching ourhistory.
It came out of a social justicegroup back in 1976, four women
around a kitchen table talkingabout domestic violence in the
community.
You know they were talkingabout the first shelter forming,
(04:50):
which was women's advocates,here in St Paul.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
The first shelter in the country.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
So Minnesota has really been on the forefront of
a lot of work within the women'smovement and in the domestic
violence movement.
But they were talking about howthese issues were here in Anoka
County and how this needed tobe founded.
And these women got togetherand they started reading books
(05:19):
and talking about these issuesand what could they do here.
And they founded a helpline andby 1977, we had a helpline and
by 1980, they had opened thefirst emergency shelter in Anoka
County.
Pretty amazing when you talkabout how quickly they were able
to Four years.
(05:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
Because nothing gets done that fast, especially when
you're a nonprofit right.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
No, I mean that's revolutionary in today's time,
like how quickly they did it.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
Yeah, there'd have to be committee meetings and blah,
blah, blah and this and thatand the other thing.
Well, I mean, thank goodnessthey did so.
Now, youth service is it justnorthern Anoka County?
Is it all of Anoka County?
Is it all of Anoka County?
Who can come to you for help?
Speaker 2 (06:10):
You know, alexandra House primarily serves Anoka
County but the seven countymetro area, but people really
all over Minnesota and even outof state in their journeys to
find safety, we will find themcoming here.
So it really you know whoeverneeds services will help them.
(06:30):
What I will say is you're goingto find people who are out of
state or out of county who willcome into the emergency shelter
because it's about where are thebeds.
If we have a bed and they canget into a bed, you know that's
where they're going to be.
When you're talking abouton-call hospital response, where
(06:52):
we're responding to a hospitalcall of a victim who's been
abused or assaulted, you'regenerally talking about
something that happened here inAnoka County because we're
responding to the hospitals andclinics here in Anoka County.
When you're talking aboutgetting an order for protection,
a no contact order, againyou're talking here in Anoka
(07:12):
County because that's where thecrime was committed.
So some things are local to thecounty, whereas you know our
shelter you could be coming fromout of state or great.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
Minnesota Sure and you guys work pretty closely
with the justice system and thelaw enforcement up here?
Speaker 2 (07:32):
right, we do.
We are very well embedded withour legal systems, the court
systems and our law enforcement,because we know the barriers
that our victims face.
And if we can be embedded andtry to you know, because we know
the barriers that our victimsface, and if we can be embedded
and try to break down some ofthose barriers and work to make
the systems work better, that'sthe work we're going to be doing
(07:52):
.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Yeah, fantastic.
So how can we help somebodyelse?
And we talked about that in theintro and I look at it and I go
I'm just some guy.
How can I be helping somebodythat might be experiencing this?
Speaker 2 (08:17):
That's a great question.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Because it seems so daunting.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
So if someone tells you that they are experiencing
abuse first, that's amazing.
It's amazing that they trustyou to that level that they are
going to tell you this.
What, for many people, is ashame-filled secret in their
life is an embarrassing thing.
So the fact that they confidedthis in you, please don't break
(08:48):
that trust.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
Right.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
Take the moment and pause and then thank them for
saying you know, for saying that, say thank you for trusting me
with this, and then ask them howcan I support you?
Do you want me to listen?
Do you want advice?
Do you want resources?
Do you need a shoulder to cryon?
Speaker 1 (09:13):
What do you need?
Speaker 2 (09:14):
What do you need?
And they might not know.
So then the next thing is doyour own work.
Go out and look for theresources.
Go to the Alexandra Housewebsite.
Find out what you can find out.
Call one of our advocates.
They'll talk to you as a friendand family member and they will
(09:36):
give you resources on how youcan help someone and then find a
way to safely share thatinformation with the individual
who confided with you.
You know, don't write it down,Don't hand them a piece of paper
.
You know, find a safe way tocommunicate that information
with them.
(09:56):
And I would be asking the personwho told me that information
what's a safe way to tell youthis information?
Is it in person?
Is it via phone call?
Is it a text message?
Do you have a safe email?
Because you don't know if theirperpetrator is tracking any of
this information.
So you want to be very carefulin how you give them information
(10:19):
, how you communicate with them,and understand that it takes
victims many times if they havebeen abused, if they're in an
abusive relationship, it takesthem many times to leave.
It's hard.
They don't want to leave therelationship.
They want the abuse to stop andthat can be an exhausting place
(10:44):
for you as a friend and familymember to be.
But what the abuser wants is toisolate.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
Sure.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
If you, you can create healthy boundaries and
still support them, but rememberthat they want you out of the
picture, so you can't be thereto support the person.
Speaker 1 (11:04):
The abuser does yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
Right.
So try to find a healthy waywhere you can safely support
them without exhausting your ownmental capacities.
If the person has been sexuallyassaulted, you know there's a
different level of care therethat you're providing.
So it's believing them, it'snot questioning.
You know how this happened tothem.
(11:26):
Nobody asked for that to happento them, right?
Speaker 1 (11:29):
Right.
I think we have a tendency todo that, don't we?
Just as a general society.
Well, what were you wearing?
Or you know, whatever the casemight be, why?
Speaker 2 (11:37):
were you out so late?
Why were you drinking?
People don't ask for thesethings to happen to them.
Nobody wants their lifeimploded.
Um you know people are lookingfor ways to victimize others.
It's, it's not an invitationright for sure?
Speaker 1 (11:55):
um, yeah, because I think and and I have been in a
situation where I suspected it Ihave been in a situation where
I suspected it, but the personnever said anything to me and
it's like do I ask, do I, youknow?
Because that's a hard positionto be in, isn't it?
Speaker 2 (12:16):
Yeah, and I think you can ask questions like hey, I
saw this interaction or I heardthis interaction, I'm worried
about you, are you safe?
And you leave the door open andyou can just say I'm a safe
person.
If you ever need something, I'mhere.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
Go ahead.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
Yeah, you.
Just you leave the door openand you can.
You keep checking in with them.
You know I'm a safe person.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
Keep reinforcing that .
Yeah, and I've noticed at thehospital now.
They always say do you feelsafe at home?
Speaker 2 (12:59):
I mean, those protocols are in place for a
reason they separate you fromyou know.
They want to bring you backalone so that they can ask you
questions, so that they canascertain if you're safe.
You questions so that they canascertain if you're saved,
because they have found thatthat might be the only time that
you're away from your abuser orthey can ask those questions.
(13:19):
So those of us who are in thework and we could ask those
questions, we know where they'recoming from, because that might
be the very only time where atrafficking victim is separated
from their trafficker.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
Yeah, and I have a really bad habit and I'll be the
first one to admit this when Ithink of Alexandra House, I
simply think of domestic abuse,I don't think of sexual, I don't
think of trafficking.
Is that number up?
(13:53):
I mean, we hear a lot about itmore in the news these days, I
think.
But are we seeing a lot moretrafficking?
I mean, I heard about it.
I think every time the SuperBowl gets played, they always
talk about how the number goesup.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
I would say that the number doesn't go up.
I think it's just a convenienttalking point to you know, it's
when people are willing to talkabout it or hear about it that
that's always happening.
I think they just had a casewhere there was a woman who was
kidnapped but she was beingtrafficked by her boyfriend.
(14:36):
That's very common and it's acommon mechanism to get
individuals into trafficking iswhere you befriend them, you
give them something they seem tobe missing, if that's money,
relationship, a home, to bringthem into that.
(14:57):
And there can be labortrafficking and there can be sex
trafficking.
So there's a lot of traffickingin this world.
Just on its face that you knowit's a different type of slavery
, um, and so it never went away,it just went, it transformed
yeah, I have never heard oflabor trafficking.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
What is that?
Well, labor trafficking iswhere you I mean, it sounds like
I should know what it is papers, um, uh, so you are keeping
them here.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
So you know you bring them over from another country
and you, you hold theirdocumentation so that they can't
leave.
You hold their passport, theirvisa, you don't pay them and you
keep them working, and so youknow you just withhold anything
that will allow them to leave,and so yeah, Shoot mate, Go
(15:54):
ahead.
It's despicable how people aretreated, but then you think
about like youth are often Ithink they say within the first
72 hours are often sextrafficked if they are homeless
and on the street.
So it's.
You know we have a hugepopulation of youth who end up
(16:19):
out of their homes because abuseis present in their homes and
they're not safe there anymore.
So then they end up on thestreets and then they end up a
victim of trafficking and sothere's a lot of
interconnectedness of violenceand how it perpetrates.
You know the inequities ofpoverty and homelessness and
(16:41):
just different.
You know violence in thestreets.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
Yeah, and it is.
It's all interconnected.
So domestic abuse at the homemay force a child to leave, and
he or she has nowhere to go, andthey're on the streets, and
then they get picked up andthey're trafficked.
That's just, and sometimes italmost makes you want to cry,
right, what humanity does tohumanity, or what humans do to
(17:07):
each other.
If I was doing your job, Idon't know how long I could do
that.
You've been there for a while,though.
You've been doing this.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
I've been here almost 11 years.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
I'm sorry.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
I said I've been here almost 11 years.
Oh my gosh, I'm sorry.
I said I've been here almost 11years.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
Oh my gosh, what is your coping mechanism?
I mean, you see this on aday-to-day basis and then you go
home and you're like, oh my God.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
How do you do that?
Well, there's a couple ofthings.
First, I read a lot of fantasy.
Really.
Well, you know you can't, um,and you try to stay.
You know you stay current onthe news, but you also try to
bury yourself in in analternative reality so that you
(18:07):
have a good balance of ofescapism.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
Okay, all right.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
And then I will say the work that Alexandra House
does is transformative and ofcourse, it's not what we do.
It is the work that theparticipants are doing.
They are transforming theirlives.
We are just along on thatjourney and the monetary gifts
(18:33):
that we get, the in-kind giftsthat we get, allow us to be a
part of that journey.
Participants are an expert intheir own lives.
They know what it takes tosurvive because they have been
surviving in violence for solong.
But we are able to say here arethings that could help you,
(18:53):
here are resources, let us helpyou break down barriers.
But we aren't doing the work,we're just coming alongside
while they're transforming theirlives.
And that is something that whenyou get to see that, and when
they blossom because they havebeen beaten down for so long and
(19:13):
they take that step and they doit on their own and they're
like I can do this, I've gotthis, and then they come back
and share their story.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
Oh, that's cool.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
The things that keep you going.
Speaker 1 (19:25):
I love that they come back and share their stories,
yeah, yeah, and I see I'vespoken to people and you know
how.
They just people who talkedabout what their abuser did.
I mean, aside from the beatingportion, which is ghastly.
(19:46):
You know, wearing long-sleevedshirts in Florida in the summer
might be a good clue, but justtalking to them.
You know, wearing long sleeveshirts in Florida in the summer
might be a good clue, but justtalking to them.
You know, nobody will ever wantyou.
You're dumb as a box of rocksor just whatever.
And they hear that over andover and over again.
And is that maybe one of manythings that keep people from
(20:12):
seeking help?
Is that they believe this stuffbecause they hear it all the
time?
Or, conversely, they don't knowwhat resources, what tools are
available to them?
They just think I could leave,but then there's nothing.
Speaker 2 (20:31):
I think there are multiple factors, I mean.
I think there are multiplefactors, I mean.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
I know there are multiple factors.
And everybody's different.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
Everybody's different .
So you have the demoralizationof yourself, where you don't
even have the.
They've stripped everythingaway and it starts small, so
that you no longer evenrecognize what you've lost along
the way, where you've lost yourcenter.
You've lost all the peoplearound you, you no longer have a
(20:59):
support system and you have noself-worth.
And then you know, if you had ajob, you don't have a job
anymore.
It's been so long that youcan't get a job without starting
at the very bottom.
If you do get a job, they'resabotaging it or they've
(21:20):
destroyed your credit and so youcan't leave if you wanted to.
And then, if you do leave,they're stalking you, they're
calling your work and gettingyou fired.
You know it's these layerswhere you don't get to escape.
It doesn't end because you'veleft.
(21:40):
It continues If you havechildren with your perpetrator,
they use them, they use thecourt system to further their
abuse.
So you know it's not an easypath.
How do you fully leave whenyou're tethered?
Speaker 1 (22:00):
Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
And so for a victim, like the fact that they get away
and they rebuild their livesand they become whole citizens,
that contribute is I mean, it'sa heroic amount of effort that
some people cannot achieve.
They just can't and the factthat they do should be
(22:23):
celebrated.
People should understand, likeyou're taking someone who's been
stripped down to nothing, leftwith nothing, who's having to
rebuild their entire life,rebuild relationships and fight
every day for everything theyhave.
That, like most people can't dothat, and and these people have
(22:46):
been survivors from thebeginning the fact that they
left is the smallest thing thatthey've done that day.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
Oh, wow, yeah, and when you say it like that, it's
incredible.
But that said, you guys hadsome happy, happy news and a new
.
Tell me all about Linus' PetHaven, because this is amazing.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
Yes, we are so excited we have become a
pet-safe shelter, which means wehave gone through the world
work to renovate spaces in ourshelter so that families and
individuals can bring their petswith them when they flee the
violence in their lives, so theydon't have to leave their pets
(23:35):
behind.
Not all shelters are pet safe.
A lot are trying to become petsafe but through some really
amazing funders, this wassomething we were able to do.
We've been working on it for acouple of years and, uh, january
13th was the big day that weopened our doors and said pets
(23:55):
can now come with their families, and so Alexandra House will um
intake the pets with theirfamilies, and that means things
like if they haven't gottencurrent on their vaccinations,
if they haven't beenmicrochipped, we will cover
those costs.
That includes spay andneutering.
If they have been injured dueto abuse you know we have a
(24:20):
great vet partner that you knowthey'll go, they'll get seen by
a vet.
You know they'll go, they'llget seen by a vet.
We will provide crates, litterboxes, pet food, collars,
leashes, toys all of this stuffMuch like when individuals come
to our shelter and they have.
you know, they flee and theydon't have anything.
They will leave with what we'veprovided for them, and that's
(24:46):
it's just simply amazing that weare able to do this and we're
just, we're so grateful that thecommunity has rallied for this.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
Yeah, no kidding, I mean because and we were just
talking about all the differentreasons that people don't leave
One of those is because theydon't want to leave their pet
behind.
Speaker 2 (25:03):
Yes, we know that individuals who will abuse
animals are highly likely toalso abuse people, and so that
is an indicator of increasedviolence.
We also know that people willuse violence against animals to
control their partners and theirchildren, and so we know
(25:23):
bringing their pet with them isa way to ensure that they will
leave, and so this is just onemore barrier we can remove for
people fleeing for their ownsafety.
Speaker 1 (25:36):
That's so cool.
I'm so excited that you guysgot to do that.
And where did the name comefrom?
Linus's Haven?
Where did the name come fromLinus's Haven?
Speaker 2 (25:45):
So Linus's Pet Haven is named after one of our former
participants' pet and herbulldog's name is Linus, and
Linus has since passed away.
But Candace was not able tocome to shelter and she could
have desperately used ourservices of emergency shelter
(26:07):
but she couldn't leave Linus.
Our services of emergencyshelter, but she couldn't leave
Linus.
So her and her son cobbledtogether housing by couch,
surfing and other means so thatLinus could stay with them.
But once she was free and safeshe came back and she met with
me and with Connie, ourexecutive director, and said
it's my heart's passion and mymission to make Alexandra House
(26:27):
a pet safe shelter.
How can we make it happen?
Speaker 1 (26:30):
That's so cool.
Linus the pity.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
So we had to make it.
We had to, you know.
We worked with her and we saidyou know, now that it's
happening, we have to name itafter Linus, because it wouldn't
have happened without you.
Speaker 1 (26:45):
Yeah for sure, because it wouldn't have
happened without you.
Yeah for sure, okay.
So I'm hoping that there arepeople out there that are
listening, that are thinking Ireally want to help.
How can people get involvedwith Alexander House?
What can they do?
Speaker 2 (27:03):
Well, as you can imagine, it takes an incredible
amount of money to keep thisorganization going because we
run 24 hours a day, 365 days ayear, with our emergency shelter
and our other programs.
So monetary donations keep thedoors open and keep providing
the professional level ofservices needed to help people
(27:26):
on their journey.
So donations atalexandrahouseorg will always be
a huge benefit.
Other ways you can volunteer Ifthat's a direct.
You want to work withparticipants.
If your heart is in helpingthem, we hold a volunteer
training twice a year.
That's on our website, again,alexandrahouseorg, under our Get
(27:50):
Involved section, and you canlearn how to become a regular,
ongoing volunteer.
Or if you're like that's alittle too close, I'd rather do
a one-time thing, you could dosomething as simple as come in
and prepare meals in our shelteror volunteer at an event.
So we have different optionsfor people.
And then of course, there areother things like hey, maybe
(28:13):
Linus's Pet Haven really touchedyou and maybe you would want to
donate.
You know leashes and dog bowls,so there's a wish list under
our donate page, under our getinvolved page for contributed
goods or on Linus's Pet Havenpage.
You can find that.
So there are ways you candonate doing that as well.
So you know there are lots ofways to help.
(28:37):
You can also send us an emailon our donations at
alexandrahouseorg with ideas.
You know we always take thirdparty fundraisers, so you know
restaurants who want to do apercentage back or faith groups
who want to do a collection attheir you know service.
You know Girl Scout cookies andtie blanket projects, and you
(29:00):
know there's so many ways thatour community gives back that
are impactful in each of theirown ways.
Speaker 1 (29:07):
And each and every one of them is appreciated, I'm
sure.
Speaker 2 (29:09):
Yeah, totally.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
That's fantastic.
That's so cool.
I had never, I never, thoughtabout that.
I've got leashes and bowls here.
I'm sure somewhere we had fourdogs in our house at one point.
I must have something left over.
That's so cool.
You guys are really.
(29:32):
What you do is so impactful andso helpful and so needed these
days, I think, and at a timewhen some people are just it's
hard to see others as humanbeings.
And you guys are out there andyou're like I see you and it's
(29:58):
so amazing.
We will have links in the shownotes for alexandrahouseorg and
yeah, we'll have.
I might even put in a separatelink just for the donation page,
just kind of make them go tothat.
I'll just say it's a link andthey'll show up on your donation
page.
Well, as long as I'm here,perfect.
(30:20):
Oh, thank you so much for thetime that you spent with me
today, tina.
I really appreciate it.
That'll be edited.
Oh, thank you so much for thetime that you spent with me
today, tina.
I really appreciate it.
That'll be edited, so I don'tsound like a doofus.
No worries, I appreciate it andI appreciate the conversation.
It's a hard topic but you spellit out so well and you're so
(30:43):
good at it.
Speaker 2 (30:44):
Oh, thank you.
I appreciate you sharing ourmessage.
Speaker 1 (30:47):
Well, thank you, I appreciate you sharing our
message.
Well, I will uh, very good, wewill keep in touch and um, if
you, if you feel like you needto volunteer somewhere, head
over to um alexanderhouseorg anduh check them out.
Thanks, and we'll talk soon.
Speaker 2 (31:03):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
I want to thank you for taking this time to listen
to this episode with my guest,tina Bronson.
I hope you were able to takesomething positive from the time
that you spent with us.
Maybe you'll be inspired.
Maybe you'll be motivated.
Maybe you'll be inspired, maybeyou'll be motivated.
Maybe you'll be moved.
If you experienced any of thosepositive feelings, please
(31:32):
consider sharing this podcastwith your friends and family.
I am always striving to offeryou a better podcast, so give me
some feedback, let me know howyou think I'm doing, email me,
leave me a message on my socialsit would mean the world Also
free to follow us on our socialslike Facebook, instagram,
(31:52):
linkedin and TikTok.
For now, this podcast is part ofthe Mayday Media Network.
If you have an idea for apodcast and need some production
assistance, or have a podcastalready and are looking for a
supportive network to join,check out MaydayMediaNetworkcom
(32:13):
and check out the many differentshows, like Afrocentric Spoil,
my Movie Generation Mixtape In aPickle Radio Show, wake Up and
Dream with D'Anthony Palin,staxo Pax and Time Pals.
We will be back again next weekwith a new episode and we would
(32:34):
be honored if you would join us.
You've been listening to theKindness Matters Podcast.
I'm your host, mike Rathbun.
Have a fantastic week.
Well, hello there and welcome.
You are listening to theKindness Matters podcast and I
am your host, mike Rathbun.
What is this podcast all about?
It's about kindness.
It's a pushback againsteverything negative that we see
in the news and on social mediatoday, and it's a way to
(00:20):
highlight people, organizationsthat are simply striving to make
their little corner of theworld a little better place.
If you want to join in on theconversation, feel free, Go
ahead and follow us on all ofyour social media feeds.
We're on Facebook, instagram,tiktok.
We're even on LinkedIn underMike Rathbun.
(00:43):
Check us out.
We're even on LinkedIn underMike Rathbun.
Check us out and, in themeantime, so sit back, relax,
enjoy and we'll get into theKindness Matters podcast.
Hey, welcome to today's episodeof the Kindness Matters podcast
.
We are honored to have with usTina Bronson, the Director of
(01:04):
Mission Advancement at AlexandraHouse.
If you've never heard ofAlexandra House, it's a renowned
organization dedicated tosupporting individuals
experiencing domestic, sexualand relationship violence,
including elder abuse and sextrafficking.
Alexandra House has been abeacon of hope and safety for
(01:27):
countless individuals facing theharrowing reality of violence
in their lives.
Did you know that, according torecent statistics, one in three
women and one in four men haveexperienced some form of
physical violence by an intimatepartner.
Moreover, on average, nearly 20people per minute are
(01:53):
physically abused by an intimatepartner in the United States,
equating to more than 10 millionindividuals each year.
Tina is going to be sharinginvaluable insights into who
Alexandra House is and whatservices they provide, how you
could help someone experiencingdomestic or sexual violence,
(02:14):
some exciting information abouta new program called Linus'
Haven, and she'll offer someadvice on how you can get
involved with Alexandra House.
Welcome to the show today, tina.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Well, thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
Ah, it's great to have you.
It's certainly a Monday, isn'tit?
Speaker 2 (02:32):
It is.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
But we're professionals and we're going to
roll with it.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
We are, we are.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
We are, and you know what I had lived.
I live in Ham Lake.
I had lived up here forprobably five to six years
before I ever heard of AlexanderHouse.
You guys, I mean and I you knowmaybe it's not something you
(02:57):
want to publicize Is there adouble sword there between
getting the word out about yourservices and maybe also not
letting abusers know you're outthere and helping?
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Well, you know what I think, having been with the
organization almost 11 years now.
I think what is interesting andwhat I have found is that you
may have heard of us and noteven realized it.
Many people don't need, youdon't need to know about us
until you need us or you are in,you know, involved with us.
(03:33):
You know people often want toshy away from topics that are
sensitive or they don't want tothink about or how they might
impact their lives.
But you know the statistics.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
You read them already those are eye-opening.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Yeah, so I mean, the chances that someone in your
life has experienced some formof domestic or sexual violence
is really high, but as a societywe don't want to talk about it.
So I think the organization asa whole has done a really good
job of talking about who we are,what we do, how we help people.
But until you need our services, it's not top of mind.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
Right, right.
So how did Alexander House getstarted?
What happened?
What was the impetus?
Did somebody say we need ashelter up here?
Speaker 2 (04:28):
You know it's really an amazing story when I think
about it, researching ourhistory.
It came out of a social justicegroup back in 1976, four women
around a kitchen table talkingabout domestic violence in the
community.
You know they were talkingabout the first shelter forming,
(04:50):
which was women's advocates,here in St Paul.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
The first shelter in the country.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
So Minnesota has really been on the forefront of
a lot of work within the women'smovement and in the domestic
violence movement.
But they were talking about howthese issues were here in Anoka
County and how this needed tobe founded.
And these women got togetherand they started reading books
(05:19):
and talking about these issuesand what could they do here.
And they founded a helpline andby 1977, we had a helpline and
by 1980, they had opened thefirst emergency shelter in Anoka
County.
Pretty amazing when you talkabout how quickly they were able
to Four years.
(05:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
Because nothing gets done that fast, especially when
you're a nonprofit right.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
No, I mean that's revolutionary in today's time,
like how quickly they did it.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
Yeah, there'd have to be committee meetings and blah,
blah, blah and this and thatand the other thing.
Well, I mean, thank goodnessthey did so.
Now, youth service is it justnorthern Anoka County?
Is it all of Anoka County?
Is it all of Anoka County?
Who can come to you for help?
Speaker 2 (06:10):
You know, alexandra House primarily serves Anoka
County but the seven countymetro area, but people really
all over Minnesota and even outof state in their journeys to
find safety, we will find themcoming here.
So it really you know whoeverneeds services will help them.
(06:30):
What I will say is you're goingto find people who are out of
state or out of county who willcome into the emergency shelter
because it's about where are thebeds.
If we have a bed and they canget into a bed, you know that's
where they're going to be.
When you're talking abouton-call hospital response, where
(06:52):
we're responding to a hospitalcall of a victim who's been
abused or assaulted, you'regenerally talking about
something that happened here inAnoka County because we're
responding to the hospitals andclinics here in Anoka County.
When you're talking aboutgetting an order for protection,
a no contact order, againyou're talking here in Anoka
(07:12):
County because that's where thecrime was committed.
So some things are local to thecounty, whereas you know our
shelter you could be coming fromout of state or great.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
Minnesota Sure and you guys work pretty closely
with the justice system and thelaw enforcement up here?
Speaker 2 (07:32):
right, we do.
We are very well embedded withour legal systems, the court
systems and our law enforcement,because we know the barriers
that our victims face.
And if we can be embedded andtry to you know, because we know
the barriers that our victimsface, and if we can be embedded
and try to break down some ofthose barriers and work to make
the systems work better, that'sthe work we're going to be doing
(07:52):
.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Yeah, fantastic.
So how can we help somebodyelse?
And we talked about that in theintro and I look at it and I go
I'm just some guy.
How can I be helping somebodythat might be experiencing this?
Speaker 2 (08:17):
That's a great question.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Because it seems so daunting.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
So if someone tells you that they are experiencing
abuse first, that's amazing.
It's amazing that they trustyou to that level that they are
going to tell you this.
What, for many people, is ashame-filled secret in their
life is an embarrassing thing.
So the fact that they confidedthis in you, please don't break
(08:48):
that trust.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
Right.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
Take the moment and pause and then thank them for
saying you know, for saying that, say thank you for trusting me
with this, and then ask them howcan I support you?
Do you want me to listen?
Do you want advice?
Do you want resources?
Do you need a shoulder to cryon?
Speaker 1 (09:13):
What do you need?
Speaker 2 (09:14):
What do you need?
And they might not know.
So then the next thing is doyour own work.
Go out and look for theresources.
Go to the Alexandra Housewebsite.
Find out what you can find out.
Call one of our advocates.
They'll talk to you as a friendand family member and they will
(09:36):
give you resources on how youcan help someone and then find a
way to safely share thatinformation with the individual
who confided with you.
You know, don't write it down,Don't hand them a piece of paper
.
You know, find a safe way tocommunicate that information
with them.
(09:56):
And I would be asking the personwho told me that information
what's a safe way to tell youthis information?
Is it in person?
Is it via phone call?
Is it a text message?
Do you have a safe email?
Because you don't know if theirperpetrator is tracking any of
this information.
So you want to be very carefulin how you give them information
(10:19):
, how you communicate with them,and understand that it takes
victims many times if they havebeen abused, if they're in an
abusive relationship, it takesthem many times to leave.
It's hard.
They don't want to leave therelationship.
They want the abuse to stop andthat can be an exhausting place
(10:44):
for you as a friend and familymember to be.
But what the abuser wants is toisolate.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
Sure.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
If you, you can create healthy boundaries and
still support them, but rememberthat they want you out of the
picture, so you can't be thereto support the person.
Speaker 1 (11:04):
The abuser does yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
Right.
So try to find a healthy waywhere you can safely support
them without exhausting your ownmental capacities.
If the person has been sexuallyassaulted, you know there's a
different level of care therethat you're providing.
So it's believing them, it'snot questioning.
You know how this happened tothem.
(11:26):
Nobody asked for that to happento them, right?
Speaker 1 (11:29):
Right.
I think we have a tendency todo that, don't we?
Just as a general society.
Well, what were you wearing?
Or you know, whatever the casemight be, why?
Speaker 2 (11:37):
were you out so late?
Why were you drinking?
People don't ask for thesethings to happen to them.
Nobody wants their lifeimploded.
Um you know people are lookingfor ways to victimize others.
It's, it's not an invitationright for sure?
Speaker 1 (11:55):
um, yeah, because I think and and I have been in a
situation where I suspected it Ihave been in a situation where
I suspected it, but the personnever said anything to me and
it's like do I ask, do I, youknow?
Because that's a hard positionto be in, isn't it?
Speaker 2 (12:16):
Yeah, and I think you can ask questions like hey, I
saw this interaction or I heardthis interaction, I'm worried
about you, are you safe?
And you leave the door open andyou can just say I'm a safe
person.
If you ever need something, I'mhere.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
Go ahead.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
Yeah, you.
Just you leave the door openand you can.
You keep checking in with them.
You know I'm a safe person.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
Keep reinforcing that .
Yeah, and I've noticed at thehospital now.
They always say do you feelsafe at home?
Speaker 2 (12:59):
I mean, those protocols are in place for a
reason they separate you fromyou know.
They want to bring you backalone so that they can ask you
questions, so that they canascertain if you're safe.
You questions so that they canascertain if you're saved,
because they have found thatthat might be the only time that
you're away from your abuser orthey can ask those questions.
(13:19):
So those of us who are in thework and we could ask those
questions, we know where they'recoming from, because that might
be the very only time where atrafficking victim is separated
from their trafficker.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
Yeah, and I have a really bad habit and I'll be the
first one to admit this when Ithink of Alexandra House, I
simply think of domestic abuse,I don't think of sexual, I don't
think of trafficking.
Is that number up?
(13:53):
I mean, we hear a lot about itmore in the news these days, I
think.
But are we seeing a lot moretrafficking?
I mean, I heard about it.
I think every time the SuperBowl gets played, they always
talk about how the number goesup.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
I would say that the number doesn't go up.
I think it's just a convenienttalking point to you know, it's
when people are willing to talkabout it or hear about it that
that's always happening.
I think they just had a casewhere there was a woman who was
kidnapped but she was beingtrafficked by her boyfriend.
(14:36):
That's very common and it's acommon mechanism to get
individuals into trafficking iswhere you befriend them, you
give them something they seem tobe missing, if that's money,
relationship, a home, to bringthem into that.
(14:57):
And there can be labortrafficking and there can be sex
trafficking.
So there's a lot of traffickingin this world.
Just on its face that you knowit's a different type of slavery
, um, and so it never went away,it just went, it transformed
yeah, I have never heard oflabor trafficking.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
What is that?
Well, labor trafficking iswhere you I mean, it sounds like
I should know what it is papers, um, uh, so you are keeping
them here.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
So you know you bring them over from another country
and you, you hold theirdocumentation so that they can't
leave.
You hold their passport, theirvisa, you don't pay them and you
keep them working, and so youknow you just withhold anything
that will allow them to leave,and so yeah, Shoot mate, Go
(15:54):
ahead.
It's despicable how people aretreated, but then you think
about like youth are often Ithink they say within the first
72 hours are often sextrafficked if they are homeless
and on the street.
So it's.
You know we have a hugepopulation of youth who end up
(16:19):
out of their homes because abuseis present in their homes and
they're not safe there anymore.
So then they end up on thestreets and then they end up a
victim of trafficking and sothere's a lot of
interconnectedness of violenceand how it perpetrates.
You know the inequities ofpoverty and homelessness and
(16:41):
just different.
You know violence in thestreets.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
Yeah, and it is.
It's all interconnected.
So domestic abuse at the homemay force a child to leave, and
he or she has nowhere to go, andthey're on the streets, and
then they get picked up andthey're trafficked.
That's just, and sometimes italmost makes you want to cry,
right, what humanity does tohumanity, or what humans do to
(17:07):
each other.
If I was doing your job, Idon't know how long I could do
that.
You've been there for a while,though.
You've been doing this.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
I've been here almost 11 years.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
I'm sorry.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
I said I've been here almost 11 years.
Oh my gosh, I'm sorry.
I said I've been here almost 11years.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
Oh my gosh, what is your coping mechanism?
I mean, you see this on aday-to-day basis and then you go
home and you're like, oh my God.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
How do you do that?
Well, there's a couple ofthings.
First, I read a lot of fantasy.
Really.
Well, you know you can't, um,and you try to stay.
You know you stay current onthe news, but you also try to
bury yourself in in analternative reality so that you
(18:07):
have a good balance of ofescapism.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
Okay, all right.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
And then I will say the work that Alexandra House
does is transformative and ofcourse, it's not what we do.
It is the work that theparticipants are doing.
They are transforming theirlives.
We are just along on thatjourney and the monetary gifts
(18:33):
that we get, the in-kind giftsthat we get, allow us to be a
part of that journey.
Participants are an expert intheir own lives.
They know what it takes tosurvive because they have been
surviving in violence for solong.
But we are able to say here arethings that could help you,
(18:53):
here are resources, let us helpyou break down barriers.
But we aren't doing the work,we're just coming alongside
while they're transforming theirlives.
And that is something that whenyou get to see that, and when
they blossom because they havebeen beaten down for so long and
(19:13):
they take that step and they doit on their own and they're
like I can do this, I've gotthis, and then they come back
and share their story.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
Oh, that's cool.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
The things that keep you going.
Speaker 1 (19:25):
I love that they come back and share their stories,
yeah, yeah, and I see I'vespoken to people and you know
how.
They just people who talkedabout what their abuser did.
I mean, aside from the beatingportion, which is ghastly.
(19:46):
You know, wearing long-sleevedshirts in Florida in the summer
might be a good clue, but justtalking to them.
You know, wearing long sleeveshirts in Florida in the summer
might be a good clue, but justtalking to them.
You know, nobody will ever wantyou.
You're dumb as a box of rocksor just whatever.
And they hear that over andover and over again.
And is that maybe one of manythings that keep people from
(20:12):
seeking help?
Is that they believe this stuffbecause they hear it all the
time?
Or, conversely, they don't knowwhat resources, what tools are
available to them?
They just think I could leave,but then there's nothing.
Speaker 2 (20:31):
I think there are multiple factors, I mean.
I think there are multiplefactors, I mean.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
I know there are multiple factors.
And everybody's different.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
Everybody's different .
So you have the demoralizationof yourself, where you don't
even have the.
They've stripped everythingaway and it starts small, so
that you no longer evenrecognize what you've lost along
the way, where you've lost yourcenter.
You've lost all the peoplearound you, you no longer have a
(20:59):
support system and you have noself-worth.
And then you know, if you had ajob, you don't have a job
anymore.
It's been so long that youcan't get a job without starting
at the very bottom.
If you do get a job, they'resabotaging it or they've
(21:20):
destroyed your credit and so youcan't leave if you wanted to.
And then, if you do leave,they're stalking you, they're
calling your work and gettingyou fired.
You know it's these layerswhere you don't get to escape.
It doesn't end because you'veleft.
(21:40):
It continues If you havechildren with your perpetrator,
they use them, they use thecourt system to further their
abuse.
So you know it's not an easypath.
How do you fully leave whenyou're tethered?
Speaker 1 (22:00):
Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
And so for a victim, like the fact that they get away
and they rebuild their livesand they become whole citizens,
that contribute is I mean, it'sa heroic amount of effort that
some people cannot achieve.
They just can't and the factthat they do should be
(22:23):
celebrated.
People should understand, likeyou're taking someone who's been
stripped down to nothing, leftwith nothing, who's having to
rebuild their entire life,rebuild relationships and fight
every day for everything theyhave.
That, like most people can't dothat, and and these people have
(22:46):
been survivors from thebeginning the fact that they
left is the smallest thing thatthey've done that day.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
Oh, wow, yeah, and when you say it like that, it's
incredible.
But that said, you guys hadsome happy, happy news and a new
.
Tell me all about Linus' PetHaven, because this is amazing.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
Yes, we are so excited we have become a
pet-safe shelter, which means wehave gone through the world
work to renovate spaces in ourshelter so that families and
individuals can bring their petswith them when they flee the
violence in their lives, so theydon't have to leave their pets
(23:35):
behind.
Not all shelters are pet safe.
A lot are trying to become petsafe but through some really
amazing funders, this wassomething we were able to do.
We've been working on it for acouple of years and, uh, january
13th was the big day that weopened our doors and said pets
(23:55):
can now come with their families, and so Alexandra House will um
intake the pets with theirfamilies, and that means things
like if they haven't gottencurrent on their vaccinations,
if they haven't beenmicrochipped, we will cover
those costs.
That includes spay andneutering.
If they have been injured dueto abuse you know we have a
(24:20):
great vet partner that you knowthey'll go, they'll get seen by
a vet.
You know they'll go, they'llget seen by a vet.
We will provide crates, litterboxes, pet food, collars,
leashes, toys all of this stuffMuch like when individuals come
to our shelter and they have.
you know, they flee and theydon't have anything.
They will leave with what we'veprovided for them, and that's
(24:46):
it's just simply amazing that weare able to do this and we're
just, we're so grateful that thecommunity has rallied for this.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
Yeah, no kidding, I mean because and we were just
talking about all the differentreasons that people don't leave
One of those is because theydon't want to leave their pet
behind.
Speaker 2 (25:03):
Yes, we know that individuals who will abuse
animals are highly likely toalso abuse people, and so that
is an indicator of increasedviolence.
We also know that people willuse violence against animals to
control their partners and theirchildren, and so we know
(25:23):
bringing their pet with them isa way to ensure that they will
leave, and so this is just onemore barrier we can remove for
people fleeing for their ownsafety.
Speaker 1 (25:36):
That's so cool.
I'm so excited that you guysgot to do that.
And where did the name comefrom?
Linus's Haven?
Where did the name come fromLinus's Haven?
Speaker 2 (25:45):
So Linus's Pet Haven is named after one of our former
participants' pet and herbulldog's name is Linus, and
Linus has since passed away.
But Candace was not able tocome to shelter and she could
have desperately used ourservices of emergency shelter
(26:07):
but she couldn't leave Linus.
Our services of emergencyshelter, but she couldn't leave
Linus.
So her and her son cobbledtogether housing by couch,
surfing and other means so thatLinus could stay with them.
But once she was free and safeshe came back and she met with
me and with Connie, ourexecutive director, and said
it's my heart's passion and mymission to make Alexandra House
(26:27):
a pet safe shelter.
How can we make it happen?
Speaker 1 (26:30):
That's so cool.
Linus the pity.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
So we had to make it.
We had to, you know.
We worked with her and we saidyou know, now that it's
happening, we have to name itafter Linus, because it wouldn't
have happened without you.
Speaker 1 (26:45):
Yeah for sure, because it wouldn't have
happened without you.
Yeah for sure, okay.
So I'm hoping that there arepeople out there that are
listening, that are thinking Ireally want to help.
How can people get involvedwith Alexander House?
What can they do?
Speaker 2 (27:03):
Well, as you can imagine, it takes an incredible
amount of money to keep thisorganization going because we
run 24 hours a day, 365 days ayear, with our emergency shelter
and our other programs.
So monetary donations keep thedoors open and keep providing
the professional level ofservices needed to help people
(27:26):
on their journey.
So donations atalexandrahouseorg will always be
a huge benefit.
Other ways you can volunteer Ifthat's a direct.
You want to work withparticipants.
If your heart is in helpingthem, we hold a volunteer
training twice a year.
That's on our website, again,alexandrahouseorg, under our Get
(27:50):
Involved section, and you canlearn how to become a regular,
ongoing volunteer.
Or if you're like that's alittle too close, I'd rather do
a one-time thing, you could dosomething as simple as come in
and prepare meals in our shelteror volunteer at an event.
So we have different optionsfor people.
And then of course, there areother things like hey, maybe
(28:13):
Linus's Pet Haven really touchedyou and maybe you would want to
donate.
You know leashes and dog bowls,so there's a wish list under
our donate page, under our getinvolved page for contributed
goods or on Linus's Pet Havenpage.
You can find that.
So there are ways you candonate doing that as well.
So you know there are lots ofways to help.
(28:37):
You can also send us an emailon our donations at
alexandrahouseorg with ideas.
You know we always take thirdparty fundraisers, so you know
restaurants who want to do apercentage back or faith groups
who want to do a collection attheir you know service.
You know Girl Scout cookies andtie blanket projects, and you
(29:00):
know there's so many ways thatour community gives back that
are impactful in each of theirown ways.
Speaker 1 (29:07):
And each and every one of them is appreciated, I'm
sure.
Speaker 2 (29:09):
Yeah, totally.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
That's fantastic.
That's so cool.
I had never, I never, thoughtabout that.
I've got leashes and bowls here.
I'm sure somewhere we had fourdogs in our house at one point.
I must have something left over.
That's so cool.
You guys are really.
(29:32):
What you do is so impactful andso helpful and so needed these
days, I think, and at a timewhen some people are just it's
hard to see others as humanbeings.
And you guys are out there andyou're like I see you and it's
(29:58):
so amazing.
We will have links in the shownotes for alexandrahouseorg and
yeah, we'll have.
I might even put in a separatelink just for the donation page,
just kind of make them go tothat.
I'll just say it's a link andthey'll show up on your donation
page.
Well, as long as I'm here,perfect.
(30:20):
Oh, thank you so much for thetime that you spent with me
today, tina.
I really appreciate it.
That'll be edited.
Oh, thank you so much for thetime that you spent with me
today, tina.
I really appreciate it.
That'll be edited, so I don'tsound like a doofus.
No worries, I appreciate it andI appreciate the conversation.
It's a hard topic but you spellit out so well and you're so
(30:43):
good at it.
Speaker 2 (30:44):
Oh, thank you.
I appreciate you sharing ourmessage.
Speaker 1 (30:47):
Well, thank you, I appreciate you sharing our
message.
Well, I will uh, very good, wewill keep in touch and um, if
you, if you feel like you needto volunteer somewhere, head
over to um alexanderhouseorg anduh check them out.
Thanks, and we'll talk soon.
Speaker 2 (31:03):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
I want to thank you for taking this time to listen
to this episode with my guest,tina Bronson.
I hope you were able to takesomething positive from the time
that you spent with us.
Maybe you'll be inspired.
Maybe you'll be motivated.
Maybe you'll be inspired, maybeyou'll be motivated.
Maybe you'll be moved.
If you experienced any of thosepositive feelings, please
(31:32):
consider sharing this podcastwith your friends and family.
I am always striving to offeryou a better podcast, so give me
some feedback, let me know howyou think I'm doing, email me,
leave me a message on my socialsit would mean the world Also
free to follow us on our socialslike Facebook, instagram,
(31:52):
linkedin and TikTok.
For now, this podcast is part ofthe Mayday Media Network.
If you have an idea for apodcast and need some production
assistance, or have a podcastalready and are looking for a
supportive network to join,check out MaydayMediaNetworkcom
(32:13):
and check out the many differentshows, like Afrocentric Spoil,
my Movie Generation Mixtape In aPickle Radio Show, wake Up and
Dream with D'Anthony Palin,staxo Pax and Time Pals.
We will be back again next weekwith a new episode and we would
(32:34):
be honored if you would join us.
You've been listening to theKindness Matters Podcast.
I'm your host, mike Rathbun.
Have a fantastic week.
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