April 10, 2024 • 72 mins
Amy Hanna, a dynamo in youth advocacy and community leadership, shares her insights on the transformative power of recognizing the potential in our younger generation. Through her diverse experiences, from directing Youth for Christ to her pageantry days and authoring children's books, Amy offers a unique perspective on guiding young talents to flourish. Our conversation traverses her journey from an aspiring "Travel Channel girl" to a passionate educator and speaker. Her story is a vibrant illustration of the fulfillment of aligning one's career with one's passions—a message she eagerly imparts to the teens she mentors.
Within the heartfelt dialogue, the essence of mentorship shines through as Amy and I delve into the mission of Youth for Christ and the art of fundraising. Amy discusses the challenges and jubilation of connecting donors with causes that directly impact the lives of young people while also revealing how her personal and professional worlds merge with her husband's role as the DeKalb County Lead for YFC. This episode celebrates the collective efforts of those dedicated to uplifting youth and the joy of watching them soar toward their dreams.
Wrapping up, we reflect on the underestimated capabilities of today's youth and the need to support and validate their efforts to foster change. Parenting, with all its complexities, is also a topic we touch upon as Amy shares personal anecdotes on guiding her daughters through life's intricate social landscapes. Listen as we navigate the fine line between sheltering children and preparing them for the world, underscoring the importance of honesty, even when the truth is tough to swallow. Join us for an inspiring episode as we emphasize empowering our youth for a brighter, more hopeful tomorrow.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Working with students , you can kind of see that.
You know, as they come intothose teenage years, you can
watch them and really start tosee what their future is going
to start to look like.
Even if they can't see it asadults, we can see it and I
(00:20):
think that's why it's soimportant to speak that truth
into them at such a young age.
You know, I really I feel likeyou've really got a gift at
whatever that might be, BecauseI feel like when we speak that
into them at that young age,they really start to see what it
(00:41):
is that we can see in them fortheir future, see what it is
that we can see in them fortheir future.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Welcome to the Mic'd Up and Motivated podcast, where
we interview passionateprofessionals who empower young
people, impact lives and createpositive change in schools,
organizations and communities.
Oh, motivated.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Motivated, motivated.
Speaker 4 (01:33):
Motivated, Motivated, Turn up, turn up, turn up, turn
up the problem.
Turn up, turn up, turn up, turnup.
I'm motivated.
Turn up, turn up, turn up, turnup the problem.
Welcome to the Mic'd UpMotivated Podcast.
(01:55):
I'm your host, Jason A Dixon,and in this episode I interview
Amy Hanna, who is a regionaldirector for Youth for Christ,
serving DeKalb, Noble, Steubenand LaGrange counties in Indiana
.
She is also the founder andformer executive director of the
Respect Team, a non-profitorganization that serves youth
(02:18):
K-12 across northeast Indiana.
Outside of the office, Amy runsan online vintage clothing
business called Classy and Sassy, is the co-director for Miss
Fort Wayne and Miss Northeast,and is an author of three
children's books and twodevotions.
Amy has received multipleawards over the years for her
(02:39):
community service and was namedthe 2022 Torchbearer Award
winner by the Indiana Commissionfor Women.
Amy is married to Jessie Hanna,the DeKalb County lead for YFC,
and has two beautiful daughters.
Amy Hanna, how are you doing?
Thank you so much for joiningtoday.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
Yes, I'm doing well.
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 4 (03:02):
You know, I really appreciate you joining me.
And you know, as people that Ireally admire from afar, and I
look at them and I see all thework they're doing and I say
this person is just.
They're so amazing.
It's like you know that songwhere it said all I do is win,
win, win.
No matter what I look at youand you're like that person,
like everything I see you doing,I see you winning at it, like,
(03:26):
do you feel like that?
Do you feel like, yeah, I'mlike, I'm winning in everything
I do?
Speaker 1 (03:31):
I feel like I am now just because you were saying
that you got along with me, justtelling me how good I am.
Thank you so much.
Speaker 4 (03:40):
No, I really do see that.
I mean, I see, you know, it'speople that just have that aura,
the aura of greatness.
And the first time I met you, Ijust knew immediately and you
were so responsive and with myemails and this stranger
reaching out to you, you were soaccessible.
And then I started researchingyou and looking at all the stuff
that you do and I'm like thiswoman is a game changer.
(04:06):
So I realized that right offthe bat.
So it really does.
We know that it's not as easyas it looks when you're doing
this work, but you make it lookvery, very easy.
It's like you're winning allthe time.
I see that, thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
We can end this right now.
My head is not going to fitthrough the door.
I'm feeling really good aboutmyself, oh, man.
Speaker 4 (04:34):
Well, we could end it , but I don't know if the
audience and the people who getto listen to this podcast.
We want to know why you'rewinning.
We want to dive in and figureout, like your secrets, and get
your perspective on all thesethings, because there's a secret
to why you're winning.
We want to dive in and figureout, like your secrets, and get
your perspective on all thesethings, because there's a secret
(04:54):
to why you're successful.
And that's really what thispodcast is about.
It's giving professionals whowork with young people a
platform to talk about theirexperiences, but, even more so,
to talk about their journey.
You know, we know, working withyoung people it's like we were
always doing the work, but Ioften do.
People get to hear about thethings that we've gone through
and the things we overcame toget to the position we're in,
(05:16):
and so I'm excited to hear moreabout your journey and about all
the things that you had toovercome to get where you are
right now.
So let's start with this Atthis point in your life, with
what you're doing right now,could you have imagined yourself
doing what you're doing today,let's say, 20 years ago?
Speaker 1 (05:37):
Oof, that's a good deep us right in.
Perfect, Okay.
Yeah, you know, when I was inhigh school, I got asked all the
time to be the person in theschool assemblies who would
announce whoever the nextspeaker was going to be, or if
(05:58):
we had a band coming that day orsomething like that.
But they were always coming tome and saying, Amy, do you want
to come stand up in front of theentire school?
And so I think I was alwayscomfortable with speaking,
comfortable with being in frontof people, comfortable being in
(06:23):
crowds, and had that confidence.
Did I see myself as part ofnonprofit world?
No, I actually.
I'll just I'm going to give youan insight.
So what I really really wantedto do I wanted to be the travel
(06:46):
channel girl.
I wanted to be able to get paidto go to different countries,
eat their food, stay in theirdifferent places, do different
activities and then report on it.
That's what I really, reallywanted to do.
Speaker 4 (07:02):
Wow, I could see you doing that too.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
Let me tell you In my retirement oh yeah.
It happened.
Speaker 4 (07:12):
You already got the checklist ready.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
I got it.
I don't know if you've everwatched the Reluctant Traveler.
I think it's on Apple TV orsomething like that.
It's the guy from Schitt'sCreek, daniel Levy, I think, is
his name.
Anyways, so he travels to allthese different and I watch all
(07:37):
of that.
I'm like, okay, yes, I can makethat happen.
Speaker 4 (07:41):
You can see yourself doing that.
You're inspired.
By it.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
I'm doing that.
Except I wouldn't be reluctant,I would be that happen, you can
see yourself doing that, you'reinspired by it.
Speaker 4 (07:49):
I can see myself doing that, except I wouldn't be
reluctant, I would becompletely on.
You're on board.
Yeah, you would be embracingevery opportunity.
I have to check that out.
Definitely, I have to checkthat out.
It's good that you can seeyourself in that person, in that
character, doing that.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
Yeah, so I actually went to Ball State University
because I thought that I wasgoing to.
I thought telecommunicationswas what I was going to do, and
then I graduated from Ball StateUniversity with an elementary
education degree.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Wow, that's kind of how my life goes.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
Sometimes I have this plan, I know exactly what it is
that I'm going to do, and thenlife just kind of goes nope,
you're going to go thisdirection instead.
Speaker 4 (08:33):
I know exactly what you mean, yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
Yeah.
So I came from a family ofteachers and so it really made
sense for me to go intoeducation.
The end of my sophomore year mydad called me up and he said
how are you feeling about thistelecommunications pack?
(08:55):
I said, you know, I mean I likeit, I don't really know.
And he said how are you feelingabout getting a job?
Speaker 4 (09:04):
A million dollar question and I said I are you
feeling about getting a job Amillion?
Speaker 1 (09:06):
dollar question and I said I don't know.
And he kind of suggested that Igo into education, just because
it was a sure thing.
So I changed my entire plan,shifted to elementary education,
graduated, taught second gradefor two years and hated it.
(09:30):
I loved the kids, loved thekids, hated the teaching part,
hated.
Just.
I was good at it, I was reallyreally good at it, but I wasn't
passionate about it and that'ssomething that I teach kids, you
, you have to.
Just because you're good atsomething doesn't mean that
(09:51):
that's what you're supposed tobe doing.
You have to also be reallypassionate about it.
And for me, I would wake up inthe morning and I would dread it
.
I didn't.
I didn't want to be a teacher.
I loved kids, but I, I justwasn't.
Just because I was good at it,I wasn't.
I wasn't passionate about it.
And because I missed thatpassion part, I eventually
(10:16):
stepped out of teaching and hadboth of my baby girls who who
are now grown and doing theirown thing grown adults but you
know, I stayed, I stayed home.
I always say I put the quotesaround, the stayed home I.
I didn't really stay home.
(10:36):
I was always active indifferent things.
But I stayed home with them,was really involved in their
schools and in those types ofthings, always into creative
things and doing different stuffand entrepreneur and you know,
starting my own businesses andcreative ideas and those types
of things.
And then I decided, when myyoungest was in first grade
(11:08):
youngest was in first grade Idecided that it was time for me
to go back into some sort offull-time work.
But I had a teaching degree butI knew I didn't want to teach.
My passion was working withteenagers, I loved speaking.
So I just thought is theresomething that I can combine
those you know three thingstogether.
So there was a position thatwas opened at a nonprofit called
(11:31):
A Hope Center, which isbasically like a crisis
pregnancy center.
Speaker 4 (11:35):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
And get this title, are you?
Speaker 4 (11:40):
ready, I'm ready.
Abstinence Educator was mytitle, oh wow.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
Take a second and think about me walking into a
high school.
Speaker 4 (11:50):
Yeah, it's an attention grabber.
You would have their attention,right off the bat.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
It's a something it's a something Definitely.
Speaker 4 (12:00):
What was that like?
You got to tell me what thatexperience was like.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
You know.
So Indiana is an absence-onlyeducation state.
So really what I?
Because I had the teachingbackground, I could write the
curriculum and I could, you know, kind of finesse the current
curriculum that they had,curriculum that they had and so
(12:27):
I focused more on healthyrelationships, how to have a
good healthy relationship, howto avoid those toxic types of
relationships, noticing the redflags, those types of things.
So, even though my title wasabstinence educator, I was
really teaching our studentsjust the whole aspect of good,
healthy relationships.
So I did that for five years.
(12:51):
They never did change my title,I begged every year.
Speaker 4 (12:56):
But, like you said, you were able to finesse it and
that's how you know you're agifted teacher, a gifted
educator, a gifted communicatorthat you had the sense of
awareness to do that and make itsomething that was relevant and
relatable to young people atthat time.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
So that's awesome.
Yeah, so I did that for fiveyears.
At pretty close to the end ofthat fifth year, we had a
transition of leadership, whichsometimes happens and not
happens Right At a transition ofleadership.
When that transition happened,the new person ended my program,
(13:38):
which meant I was out of a job.
Yeah, and the other threespeakers were also out of jobs.
But because I was theconnection to the schools, the
schools continued to contact mebecause for five years, I was
(13:59):
going into the classrooms andspeaking and those types of
things, and so they continued tocontact me and I said you know,
I don't want to continue to dothis on a volunteer basis.
Maybe we should launch ournonprofit.
So myself and a couple of thespeakers, we sat around my
kitchen table and basicallypooled our money together and we
(14:26):
filed for a 501c3.
And that's how the Respect teamwas born back in 2015.
Speaker 4 (14:37):
Oh my goodness, this is amazing.
I'm getting chills justthinking about it.
Do you get to share that storyoften?
Speaker 1 (14:44):
You know I share it in certain pockets.
I don't get to go into the fulldetail about it.
Certain times I get to share alittle bit about that.
Speaker 4 (14:57):
No, I love it and I want you to continue.
I just want to say I love whatyou just shared because, again,
this is what the podcast is allabout, because people see Amy
Hanna on the public doing herthing, inspiring young people
leading, but not often do peopleget to see the behind the
(15:17):
scenes.
We see it with celebrities andathletes and we get to hear
about the stories that help themget to where they are, but we
don't hear it about the peoplewho are on the front lines doing
work like this.
So when you share that thebeginning of the Respect team
I'm thinking like I'm soinspired by that what you shared
(15:39):
, so I'm going to let youcontinue.
So what happened next after youguys pulled your money together
and you came up with thisvision?
And here it is, we're about tostart it.
So what happened next after youguys pulled your money together
and you came up with thisvision?
And here it is, we're about tostart it.
What happened next?
Speaker 1 (15:49):
Yeah, yeah, we panicked.
Speaker 4 (15:54):
The natural next step , right when you don't really
know the natural next step is topanic Right, what are we doing?
Speaker 1 (16:00):
Yeah, yeah, it really did.
For the first few years, Iwould tell myself, okay, you can
do this.
And then in the next breath, Iwould say, what am I doing?
And then, yes, you can do this.
And what am I doing?
It was just this constant backand forth of just trying to
(16:21):
launch this vision that we had,trying to launch this vision
that we had and yet at the sametime, trying to figure out the
finances and you know just howdo we trademark our name and we
had all of these funny thingsthat kept happening within our
organization.
It was a lot of growing pains atthe very beginning, of growing
(16:43):
pains at the very beginning, butwe just had such a heart for
kids and we really the wholereason we called it the Respect
Team was because our focus wason the whole person.
So we wanted our students tounderstand self-respect, how to
respect other people.
We kept that healthyrelationship piece from before,
(17:04):
but we also talked about healthyfriendships and how to have
good, healthy family dynamicsand how to make wise choices on
social media and how to getconnected to mental health
resources.
So we really focused on thewhole kid, not just the
relationship aspect of ourstudents.
(17:25):
And you know the schools, theyliked us, we came in and we were
a free program.
So you know when you tellschools, hey, we're free.
Speaker 4 (17:36):
Yeah, eyes light up Suddenly.
Everybody's interested.
Speaker 3 (17:41):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
They jumped in.
Yeah, so we started with 12schools in one county.
Within a few years we grew to40 schools in six counties.
But at this point our focus isNortheast Indiana, with our
(18:09):
students there and reallyimpacting kids' lives.
Speaker 4 (18:13):
Wow, wow.
So I just want to have atimeline.
So how long has the Respectteam been in existence?
Speaker 1 (18:22):
Since 2015.
Speaker 4 (18:24):
2015.
Okay team been in existenceSince 2015.
2015.
Okay, nine years.
So I want to go back.
So during that moment, wasthere ever a time where you
wanted to give up on this vision, where you felt like, okay, I
don't know if this is reallygoing to be something that comes
to fruition for us?
Speaker 1 (18:48):
to be something that comes through fruition for us.
Oh, yes, multiple times, yes, I, I think, probably the time
that I almost completely threwthe towel in.
Uh, we were maybe about thefirst year, our 501c3, and we
got slammed with a trademarkdispute because there was
(19:09):
another organization.
So our legal name is Respect360.
We do business as the Respectteam, but there was another
organization that had a programthat was called Respect 360 out
in California and we had paid alawyer to make sure that our
(19:32):
name was trademarked, thoughtthat that lawyer had trademarked
our name.
Turns out that lawyer had nottrademarked our name.
And then we got slammed with atrademark dispute.
We had to rebrand everything,we had to pay lawyers and lawyer
fees and, uh, about almostsixteen thousand dollars later
(19:54):
in our first year of just tryingto make ends meet, we were, we
were dealing with a trademarkdispute and it was.
It was really hard, it wasreally difficult, but it but I
almost threw in the towel.
Speaker 4 (20:08):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
This is not worth it.
I am not going to go throughthis, and we decided to push
through it, and I'm so glad thatwe did.
Speaker 4 (20:17):
Yeah, wow, it's good to hear that and I know hearing
that and even for me that'sencouragement and I know people
when they hear that.
It may be encouragement forsomeone else who's going through
something similar or may havethat experience down the road.
What was it that kept you going?
What was it like?
A singular moment?
Was it a person?
(20:38):
What was?
Speaker 1 (20:45):
it that kept you going and said you know, I'm not
going to quit, despite whatwe're going through right now.
Yeah, you know, at the verybeginning of our organization, I
was pretty much the mainspeaker going into the schools
connecting with the students.
So when we were going throughall of that, I was still the one
boots on the ground connectingwith the kids, talking with the
(21:05):
kids, and we would get surveysafterwards and they they had a
little section in the surveywhere they could write comments
and things that they've learnedand and I would get those
surveys after class and it wouldsay things like you changed my
life, I'm so glad that you camein today.
(21:26):
I was thinking about ending itall.
I was thinking about that andtoday I learned that I'm
valuable and my life matters.
And it was in those moments thatI just thought okay, we've got
to figure this out because we'remaking a difference in the
lives of these kids.
(21:46):
We're impacting thousands andthousands of students that
ultimately would have probablyfallen through the cracks.
We're connecting hundreds ofstudents to counseling resources
.
Just because we're going into aclassroom for maybe an hour and
we're coming out with a handfulof kids who say, hey, I need to
talk to a counselor, probablywould have never told anybody
(22:11):
that they needed to talk to acounselor.
And so when you have thosekinds of experiences, you just
can't.
You can't quit, you just haveto push through, because you
know that you're making adifference.
Speaker 4 (22:24):
Right, yeah, and I'm glad you did, and I'm sure there
are thousands of young peopleand schools that are glad that
you didn't stop.
In that moment and that's soinspirational.
Was there a moment when youfelt like, okay, after all this
work, we've arrived?
This is the vision that I sawwhen we were at that table
(22:48):
pulling our money together.
The Respect team, thisorganization, we're here now.
We're making a difference.
People know who we are.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
When was that?
Yeah, so I would say it wasprobably four or five years, in,
which is not always veryencouraging to those that are
just starting out.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
Yeah, you're right.
Speaker 1 (23:11):
But you know, once you hit that four or five year
mark, you know it is a matter ofokay.
We're either doing what wewanted to do or we're not.
And we have this fundraisinggala that we do every year it's
called the 360 awards and wehonor local high school students
(23:32):
who are making a positivedifference.
And I got to the location wherewe were having everything and I
got early, nobody else hadgotten there yet to set up and
all those types of things and Iwalked in and I just started
bawling because I saw all ofthese tables that had been set I
(23:55):
mean, we had 300 and somepeople who were coming just to
support the respect team and tosupport our local students.
And when I walked in and I'mjust standing in that room by
myself looking around and justthinking, okay, we've arrived.
Speaker 4 (24:11):
Yeah, that was a moment, wow that was a moment.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:15):
Yeah, it was.
It was really incredible and wecontinue.
We've given over $40,000 inscholarships to local students
through that program, which hasreally been amazing, and seeing
students just then go on to doincredible things and to look
back at their respect team andsay that's the first time that
(24:38):
I've ever been honored for justmaking a positive difference,
just being kind, just doing theright thing.
I didn't have to do with sports, I didn't have to do with
academics, I just, I just was agood kid.
Speaker 4 (24:52):
And being a good person.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
Just nice yeah.
Speaker 4 (24:54):
And.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
I was recognized for that and, um, just hearing those
stories and and seeing thosekids and how, how they have gone
on to, on to really pass thaton within their life has really
been a really cool experience.
Speaker 4 (25:12):
Yeah, man, I love this.
I love just hearing your storyand I heard I think it was one
of my mentors said this to mebefore and I feel like you
embody this as well.
But he really encouraged me tojust focus on being a servant
leader and when you're a servant, your opportunities will find
(25:32):
you.
You still have to do the work,but when you focus on just
serving others and impactingthem in that way, opportunities
are going to seek you out and Ifeel like you are the embodiment
of that.
You just have a servant's heart.
Opportunities are going to seekyou out and I feel like you are
the embodiment of that.
You just have a servant's heart.
You want to make an impact andpeople can see the genuine and
authentic nature of who you areand people gravitate for that.
(25:54):
Like, do you feel that?
I know you're a humble person,so you're not going to brag, but
like, do you sense that aboutyourself?
Speaker 1 (26:02):
Like, do you sense that about yourself?
And I tell you, my friend, youshould know how to just make me
feel real good about myself.
Speaker 4 (26:12):
Well, I'm just being honest, I'm going to speak the
truth.
Speaker 1 (26:15):
I love that, thank you.
Yeah, you know I'm intentionalI think is the best way to say
this about being a servantleader.
I think when you step in toleadership positions it's it's
really easy to get kind of fullof yourself and oh, look at me,
(26:38):
I just got asked to be a keynoteat this event and I just got
this award at this other eventand I just got recognized for
this.
It's really easy to step intothat world and let that consume
you and forget what it is thatyou are doing and why it is that
you are doing it.
I'm very intentional aboutbeing a servant leader and
(27:04):
taking the people around me andshoving them into that spotlight
yeah it's not me anymore now,it's you yeah, I love that
really I love.
I love being able to to mentorpeople and put them into those
positions where they really getto shine, and I just get to step
(27:26):
back and say, yeah, that's mypeople.
Speaker 4 (27:29):
Oh, I love that.
When we connected a few yearsago, I knew there was something
about you.
I knew it was something aboutyou, like what you just said.
I really believe that sums itup.
Like you are that person.
I really believe that there arecertain people who are like the
I'll use an example like thegateway for others.
(27:50):
You know, other people can'tmake it unless this one person
opens the door for them.
I feel like you're that personand then you have this heart to
like, push other people in thespotlight and help them see what
they may not have seen inthemselves.
And I love that about you andit's amazing.
I can tell that's one of thereasons why you're so impactful
(28:12):
in what you do.
Now I want to ask you this Now,with respect team, this was
your baby.
You saw it.
Your birthday.
You saw it grow.
You've become.
You talked about that momentwhere it was like we've arrived
and you're falling, when it wastime to pass the baton and it's
time to move forward.
What was that one like?
Speaker 1 (28:33):
Oof.
It was rough.
It was really rough Now leadingup to that decision.
Some of the things that led tothat decision were things that
were out of my control.
That's one of the reasons thatI had to step out my husband's
(28:55):
job.
He ended up stepping out of hisjob.
We had two kids in college andhe was the primary breadwinner
in our household as well as theinsurance carrier.
So when you have something likethat happen, it is kind of a
panic moment of okay.
(29:16):
If somebody is going to get ajob quickly within this
community, it's probably goingto be me, because of the
connections that I had.
So stepping out of the Respectteam probably would not have
been in my timing.
However, looking back at it now, the timing was perfect.
At the time it did not feelperfect.
Speaker 4 (29:37):
Right, I know about that.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
Yeah, yeah, but we're you know, we're a year and a
half past that now, in almosttwo years and and the timing
definitely was perfect.
So the person who stepped infor that executive director
position at the Respect Team isone of my past students, and so
that's been a really full circlemoment.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
I've known him since he was 15.
Wow, and he is a former teacherand he was moving back to the
area a former teacher.
And he was moving back to thearea and he had heard that we
were looking for an executivedirector position and he reached
out to me and said do you thinkthis is something that I should
apply for?
And I said definitely.
(30:22):
And so he applied and weinterviewed him and the rest is
history.
And it's been a really amazingexperience with him because not
only the full circle moment, buthe trusts me and so, as a
founder of an organization,having someone else step in to
(30:46):
that position sometimes causes,you know, some issues where you
have a founder who is stillinvolved and then you have the
new person.
We work really, really welltogether because we have such a
trust relationship.
He contacts me on a regularbasis and says what do you think
about this?
What do you think about this?
(31:07):
And I have really had to learnhow to hold the organization
with open hands.
And he came to me and said hey,I'm thinking about changing the
logo, and I just went oh yeah,I can imagine what that was like
.
Oh yeah, it's difficult.
However, his reasoning behindit.
(31:30):
It wasn't just a flippantdecision of you know, I want to
do something different.
It was.
There was thought behind it.
There was reason behind it.
He took his time on it.
He talked to our board, hetalked to our student board.
It it was very intentional andbecause he, because he
(31:51):
understands that the respectteam is my baby and he's very
careful with that, it just helps.
The transition has been reallysmooth, which has been great.
Speaker 4 (32:12):
Wow, that's in that position where you, you know you
, it's that that season's over,you have to move on.
It's time to give somebody elsean opportunity.
And you talked about the fullcircle moment with a former
student.
Uh, what can you attribute thatto?
Just the willingness and andbeing able, you know, put pride
aside, put, you know, ego aside,whatever it may be, and be able
(32:36):
to work with someone,especially someone who
represents the youngergeneration, which is not always
easy when you know you have theolder generation and the younger
generation coming together,especially in work like this,
and they don't see eye to eye.
What do you attribute that to?
The fact that you were able tojust with open arms.
I know there were moments, butfor the most part, you were able
(32:57):
to just let him do what heneeds to do with respecting.
What do you attribute that to?
Speaker 1 (33:04):
Yeah, I think it comes down to do I want him to
be successful and do I want theorganization to be successful?
If, if both of those answersare yes, well then that that's a
pretty easy decision for me.
To step out, right, uh, to stepback.
No, he will be the first totell you please don't step out,
(33:27):
please don't step right pleasecome alongside me and help me.
Because, he's still learning,but he's doing an amazing job
and I'm just so proud of him.
So I think again, it comes downto intentionality of I want
that to be successful.
(33:48):
And in order for that to besuccessful, he also has to feel
like he's being successful.
And if I'm trying to come inthere and say, no, you got to do
it like this or no, I already,I always did it like this, so
you need to always do it likethat, well then he doesn't feel
successful and then theorganization in itself is going
to fail.
So you know when, when you'rethinking through succession
(34:11):
plans and those kinds of things,part of a succession plan is
preparing yourself as thefounder to be able to release
that to that next person and sayI want them to be successful, I
want the business to succeed aswell, yeah, that's so good.
Speaker 4 (34:31):
I love that.
Now I want to ask you one morequestion regarding the Respect
team then you know, transitioninto your current role and what
you're doing now, because Ithink you shared some great
stuff in regards to how youstarted the Respect team and
just that journey that I thinkwill be able to help a lot of
people listen to the podcast,will be able to help a lot of
(34:54):
people listen to the podcast.
What advice would you give to aperson who may have a nonprofit
organization within theeducational space, or a person
who has the aspirations to startone?
What would you say is the thingthat they need to know to help
it be successful?
Speaker 1 (35:10):
Hold on tight Because it is a ride.
I tell you there are going tobe lots of ups and there are
going to be lots of downs, andbe prepared for that.
Because if you're not preparedfor that, all of a sudden
there's a really big down andyou become discouraged and you
(35:32):
feel like, can I do this?
And you want to quit and allthose kinds of things.
But if you go into it knowingthat there's going to be ups and
downs, it just helps you to say, okay, this is a moment where
we're really down, but I knowwhat's coming.
I know we're going to go backup and that is coming eventually
(35:53):
.
So that's the first thing thatI would say.
The second thing that I wouldsay is get a really good
business mentor.
I'm so thankful for my businessmentors.
I would reach out to themanytime I had a question about
something, or I was confusedabout something, or I didn't
know how to do something, or Ijust needed someone like you,
(36:15):
jason, to be able to say you gotthis.
You're amazing.
Do you know how cool you are?
I needed that in my life,especially in those down moments
, that I could call my businessmentor and say walk me through
this.
Tell me why I'm doing it.
Remind me, remind me that.
Walk me through this.
Tell me why I'm doing it.
Remind me, remind me that I,that I can do this, and so
(36:36):
that's yeah.
That's definitely.
The second thing that I wouldsay on that is is make sure
you're, make sure you have agood business mentor too.
Speaker 3 (36:44):
Please welcome Jason A Dixon.
Everybody in here has a talentand you have a gift and you were
given that gift so that you cango change the world.
There's a world out herewaiting for you.
There's a world out here thatneeds your talent.
Speaker 5 (37:05):
From a struggling teen to a first-generation
college graduate.
Coach Jason is one of today'srising youth motivational
speakers for middle school, highschool and college students.
Equipped with passion and theunique ability to create a
heartfelt connection, hisempowering message of hope and
resilience drives lasting changeand resonates with audiences on
multiple levels.
(37:26):
If your school, organization orevent is looking for a dynamic
speaker to inspire, motivate andhelp increase student success,
book Coach Jason today.
Speaker 4 (37:42):
That's so great.
I love that, and what youshared is encouragement for me
as well, and so I appreciate yousharing that.
And now I want to transition towhat you're doing now and talk
a little bit about just thebeginning stages of that, and
(38:03):
what was the moment where youknew, okay, I'm where I'm
supposed to be now, because Iknow transitioning from what was
your baby and still is yourbaby to something new is hard.
But what was that moment now?
What was that moment where youknew, okay, I'm exactly where I
need to be?
Speaker 1 (38:23):
I think I'm still waiting for that moment.
Speaker 4 (38:24):
Yeah, yeah, I know what you mean.
Speaker 1 (38:30):
Yeah, I'm almost two years in about a year and a half
and when I stepped into thecurrent position that I hold so
I am a regional director forYouth for Christ Going from a
non-faith-based organization toa faith-based organization.
(38:51):
There's a lot of differencesbetween those A lot of hurdles
and hoops and red tapes and allsorts of things that I didn't
have to deal with as part of theRespect Team of the Respect
(39:14):
Team being the person who madeall of the decisions to then
stepping into an organizationwhere I have a boss that I
answer to, I have a team that wework together Not that I didn't
work with my team over at theRespect Team.
I had an amazing team who I wasconstantly relying upon for
everything, but it was differentthan stepping into this
(39:35):
organization where, if I wantedto do something, there are three
other people that need to signup on it before I can do that.
Some major growth opportunityfor me as just as a person and
as a leader, to really learnsome humbleness when it came to
(40:00):
working in an organization whereI wasn't the head of it.
So, yeah, so I'm still stillfiguring that piece out of.
What does that look like and amI in the position where I'm
supposed to be?
I think yes, for right now.
Definitely, I am content in theposition that I'm in.
(40:24):
I love being able to connectwith community members and being
able to be in my northerncommunities.
So I focus mainly on thesmaller communities in northeast
Indiana and I love thosecommunities and I love the
people in those communities.
I think the piece that I'mmissing, that I'm constantly
(40:47):
seeking out in other areas, isgetting to hang out with the
kids and miss, miss the studentsyeah my, my role is more
administration and and workingwith adults, and so I'm
constantly looking for ways ofhow can I pull students into
(41:08):
this project, because that'swhere my heart is, that's where
my passion is.
Speaker 4 (41:13):
Yeah, and it's who you are.
You know it's who you are.
I just want to acknowledge thisbecause it's not often when you
have a person in any type ofspace, but especially on a
podcast, be so transparent andvulnerable and say you know, I'm
(41:33):
still waiting for that momentto realize this is where I'm
supposed to be.
I'm still waiting, you know,and you know, I know.
You know sometimes when, asadults and when we work in this
space with young people andministry or ministry, you know,
any type of nonprofit thatrequires you to work with young
(41:56):
people you have to kind of puton this I don't want to say a
facade, but a stoic nature, likenothing bothers you or nothing
penetrates you, or justeverything is like perfect, I
have all the answers.
When you have that moment ofvulnerability, you say I don't
know, I don't have anything, I'mstill searching.
(42:16):
It's like that's a very specialmoment and I just wanted to
acknowledge that because, again,I think that's what makes you
who you are and just the personyou are and the success that has
followed you everywhere you'vegone.
I think that's part of why Ibelieve that's the case is
(42:40):
because that does speak to yourhumility and that growth mindset
and always trying to learn andgrow.
So I just wanted to acknowledgeyou and say that.
Speaker 1 (42:48):
Thank you so much.
You're welcome, I would love tobe able to say I am exactly
where I'm supposed to be oh yeah.
That's not.
I'm a very real person.
What you see is what you get,and so, yeah, so I'm still an
(43:10):
amazing organization withincredible people who care about
me not just as an employee, butreally truly care about me as a
person, which, when you canfind that kind of an
organization, you hold ontightly, because there really
are not that many organizationsthat are like that.
Speaker 4 (43:31):
Very true.
Speaker 1 (43:32):
They truly care about you as a person and your family
and those kinds of things.
So I'm very fortunate that thatis the organization that I
stepped into.
Speaker 4 (43:42):
Okay, Awesome.
So talk a little bit more aboutthat.
Talk about Youth for Christ,the mission, what it entails and
what you do specifically forYouth for Christ.
Speaker 1 (43:53):
Yeah.
So Youth for Christ works withstudents.
We say 11 to 19.
The best way to say that issixth graders to seniors in high
school.
So sometimes our sixth gradersare as young as 11, and
sometimes our seniors are as oldas 19.
So we say 11 to 19.
We work with them, connectingthem with trusted adults, and we
(44:17):
run different kinds of programs.
The program that most peoplewill know is called Campus Life.
So Campus Life goes into themiddle schools and the high
schools and we put trustedadults into the lives of kids.
We give them the opportunity tohave a faith in Jesus.
But it's our mission, our realhope is to be able to just put
(44:42):
good, positive people into thelives of kids, whether they come
to an understanding of whoJesus is and having faith that
we're not.
We just want them to be knownand loved and cared for.
So that's really the heartbehind Youth for Grace.
That's awesome, yeah.
(45:03):
And then what I get to dospecifically I am a development
is the best way to say that mytitle is regional director, but
it's mainly what I do is a lotof fundraising.
Speaker 4 (45:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (45:17):
A lot of fundraising.
Speaker 4 (45:19):
Which is very important.
It's very important.
Speaker 1 (45:23):
It is probably the thing that I disliked the most
when I was with the respect team, which is really funny that
that is what the main part of myjob is, Right right, oh man.
So I've had to.
We have a love fundraising andI have a love-hate relationship.
Speaker 4 (45:42):
Oh man, trust me, that's something I do not like
as well, you know, but it'sagain.
It takes a gifted person to bein that position.
Speaker 1 (45:50):
It does, it does.
And I have to step out of myown way and I have a tendency to
say, oh, I really don't want toask so-and-so for this and that
.
And anytime that I get out ofmy own way and just say you know
what, just ask.
They're typically the ones thatsay, yeah, why didn't you ask
(46:12):
three months ago?
I would have given it to youthen Right.
So I have to consciously andintentionally tell myself get
out of the way and just ask andgive them the opportunity to
give, because a lot of peoplethey want to give, they don't
know how to give or they don'tknow what they want to give to,
(46:35):
and so when you give them thoseopportunities, then all of a
sudden, you know that linesitself up.
So as non-faith leaders it isreally hard to just say I just
got to ask.
Speaker 4 (46:51):
Yeah, it's tough.
Now, as a person, a man offaith as well, a believer myself
, I'm not in a position where Ihave to fundraise, but I know
how important.
When you're working innonprofit, I know how important
that aspect is, and I alwaysrecall something a pastor of
mine used to say back in the dayit's like don't give other
(47:13):
people an opportunity to be ablessing.
You know, I think sometimes,when we lack faith or when we're
worried about what people mightthink about us, oh, I don't
want to ask for a donation, or Idon't want to ask for somebody
to pray for me or whatever itmay be, we may be blocking
(47:34):
somebody, somebody else'sopportunity to be a blessing
because we're worried aboutperception, you know, and so I
really give you credit for justagain humbling yourself and
being in that space and reallyallowing God to use you in
various types of ways to helpother or encourage other people
to be a blessing for someoneelse.
Speaker 1 (47:55):
Yes, and I have a good friend who says it like
this.
They say don't say no forsomebody else.
Speaker 4 (48:04):
Right, yeah, I love that, don't be fair no.
Speaker 3 (48:06):
Let them know, If they're going to say no, they'll
say no but don't say it.
Speaker 1 (48:11):
I felt like that was just really good advice.
Yeah, that is.
Speaker 4 (48:14):
That's awesome advice .
Now tell me if you see this.
But as you were talking andthis is just how my mind works
but as you were going talkingabout the journey from the
respect team to now, I look atit as kind of I see the two
intertwine a bit and I look atit as kind of I see the two
(48:34):
intertwine a bit and I look atit as kind of like a graduation,
so to speak.
So what you were doing withrespecting and how you were
focusing on that aspect now withYouth for Christ, I feel like
the two connect to where thisperson, I'm meeting this person,
(48:55):
where they are at this point intheir lives to ultimately get
them to this point where youhave an opportunity to help them
find their identity in Christand grow in their faith and
different things like that.
I just see that connection.
That's how my mind works.
I know it may be weird.
What do you think?
Speaker 1 (49:07):
Yes, there's actually tons of connections and
actually some of our Campus Lifestaff are speakers for the
Respect Team.
Speaker 3 (49:17):
Oh, wow.
Speaker 4 (49:19):
Wow, okay, that's awesome.
I'm glad I wasn't off base withmaking that observation.
Speaker 1 (49:27):
It's so long no, no, that's actually very true,
because you know if, if therespect team is all about
teaching our students how tovalue themselves, finding
trusted adults in their livesthat they can go to, and then
youth for christ is the trustedadults yeah it.
Just it makes sense for thatconnection.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, so I will.
(49:51):
I'll give you a little positivespin on everything that
happened with my husband.
So when I stepped into myposition at Youth for Christ,
about two or three months later,a position opened up in one of
my counties for a campus lifedirector.
Speaker 4 (50:10):
Oh, wow.
Speaker 1 (50:10):
So I of course said I happen to know someone that
would be an amazing campus lifedirector.
Oh wow.
So I of course said I happen toknow someone that would be an
amazing campus life director.
Speaker 4 (50:16):
Oh really, Don't tell me it's your husband.
Speaker 1 (50:19):
It was my husband.
Oh my goodness.
Oh, wow, Don't cry.
No nepotism in you for cries.
I wasn't part of the interviewsor any of those kinds of things
.
I hired him on his own, but heand I get to work together,
which is in one of our counties.
Wow, that's amazing.
He speaks for the Respect Teamand then he works for Youth, for
(50:42):
Christ.
Speaker 4 (50:42):
Wow, that's so amazing.
Another full circle moment.
Look at that.
Wow.
And again, you know, the keyfactor in that is you.
You're like the glue I thinkyou used that term earlier the
connector.
Speaker 1 (50:57):
Yeah, I love connecting people.
I have this random side job.
You know, when you're anentrepreneur, you can really
never fully turn it off.
Speaker 4 (51:09):
Yeah, yeah, I know, I know all about that.
Speaker 1 (51:12):
Yeah, yeah, I know, I know all about that, yeah, so
even though I have thisfull-time job, I have all these
side businesses because I justcan't, I can't turn the
entrepreneur side of my head off.
So I do this little side thingfor a cookie place here in town
that's called Dirty DoughCookies.
Speaker 4 (51:29):
If you've heard of Dirty Dough Cookies, I have not
Now, I have, and I have to domore research on it.
Yes, you'll have.
Speaker 1 (51:36):
So, yeah, so, and the Dirty Dough Cookies in Fort
Wayne, indiana is a little bitdifferent than the Dirty Dough
Cookies around the nation.
Okay, Our Dirty Dough is allabout giving back to the
community.
Dirty Dough is all about givingback to the community,
connecting with nonprofits, youknow, service and those kinds of
(52:01):
things.
So very, very different than alot of the other stores across
the nation.
However, they hired me to be acommunity connector because I
have lots of different people inthe community and nonprofits
that I can connect them to.
Now they get to give money backto nonprofits and those kinds
of things.
So that connector title I likethat title.
(52:24):
Yeah, it is.
Speaker 4 (52:26):
It's awesome.
I have to share this becauseyou reminded me of a good friend
I have and there was a momentthis was maybe like 10 years ago
and she was struggling, tryingto figure out what, like she was
transitioning and going througha transitional period.
She's trying to figure out whatthe next step was.
(52:48):
And I remember talking to herand I told her that I want you
to go home and I want you tojust sift through, like old
pictures from childhood and tryto find pictures of you doing
just random things.
And the reason I told her thiswas because I just had a feeling
in my heart and my spirit thatshe was going to find a picture
(53:11):
that was going to help her ortrigger or remind her that she
needs to be doing that in thisseason of her life.
So she was going to find apicture that was that was going
to remind her this is exactlywhat I'm supposed to be doing.
And she called me I think it wasthe next day and she was like
Jason, jay, I found a picture ofme, uh, with a school, uh,
(53:33):
teacher's outfit on and I wasstanding by a chalkboard and I
had this, this, this stick, andI was pointing at the chalkboard
teaching and she was like youknow I'm I've always had a
passion and a love to be ateacher.
That's what I'm supposed to bedoing.
So she took that and she wentback to grad school, got her
(53:53):
master's.
Now she's teaching at a collegeas a professor.
And you remind me of thatbecause at the beginning you
shared a story about when youwere in school, how you were.
People always wanted you to dothings and they always wanted
you to introduce the speakers.
So even at that point in yourlife, you were being a connector
(54:14):
.
And now here you are continuingto be a connector.
Speaker 1 (54:19):
Yes, it is very interesting and in working with
students you can kind of seethat you know, as they come into
those teenage years, you canwatch them and really start to
see what their future is goingto start to look like.
Even if they can't see it asadults, we can see it and I
(54:44):
think that's why it's soimportant to speak that truth
into them at such a young age.
You know, I really I feel likeyou've really got a gift at
whatever that might be, becauseI feel like when we speak that
into them at that young age,they really start to see what it
(55:04):
is that we can see in them fortheir future.
So I think that's yes.
I think probably because I hadpeople who were speaking that
into me as a young person thatthat's the direction that I now
turn yeah, now you're doing itand now you're living and paying
it forward and I love that.
Speaker 4 (55:27):
Now and to.
We talked about a lot of greatstuff with just your journey in
the nonprofit space and yourcalling, and one of the things I
love about you is that not justthat you're a connector, but
you have so much wisdom, so muchexperience and I know a lot of
(55:51):
people well.
Again, I'm assuming a lot ofpeople lean on you and come to
you for advice and for yourperspective and different things
that are going on.
So let me ask you this questionwhen you look at today's young
people and also kind of a loadedquestion but when you look at
this generation of young people,what comes to mind?
(56:13):
What do you think about?
Speaker 1 (56:15):
Oof, I'm so excited.
I know not everybody looks atour young people and thinks that
Right.
You talk to different peopleand they say, oh, I'm really
worried about our young people.
And our young people are reallystruggling with this and they're
going down this path or thatpath.
(56:36):
I look at our young people andI'm super excited.
And our youth today?
They have so much energy.
They have so much access to somany different things.
They're so aware of what ishappening, not just in their
(56:57):
school, not just in theircommunity, but in their world,
and they're passionate about it.
They want to see change.
They are the change makers.
When we think about the thingsthat need to change in our world
, it's our young people that aregoing to make it happen,
because they have the energy todo it.
Speaker 4 (57:17):
Right.
Speaker 1 (57:18):
We're all like oh, I'm tired.
They're like give it to me, Letme do it.
But two, they have the passionand you know, and they're very
aware of what needs to happenand how to do it and who to talk
to.
And these are the resources andthose kinds of things, and I
(57:40):
think that we don't give ouryoung people enough credit for
the things that they're alreadydoing and the things that they
are going to be doing andcontinue to be doing here in the
future.
So, for me, I look at the youngpeople and I'm like yes, go,
how can I help you?
Let's go.
Speaker 4 (58:02):
I love that.
I love that and you know, I kindof set you up a little bit.
I'm going to be honest, I setyou up because I knew, just
knowing you, I knew the, I knewthe answer you were going to get
, because we're like minded, wethink a lot and I wish I could
take that and cut it up and makeit a public service
(58:22):
announcement for the older gen,just people like ourselves and
the older generation people wholook at this, the younger,
younger, younger generation, genZ and all you know, the younger
people, youth you're advocatingfor them, you're being an ally
(58:53):
and you're helping people seewhat is really inside of these
young people, not you know, whatyou see on the news or what you
hear read about in thenewspapers and what happens in
the schools.
It's like that may represent asmall percentage, but for the
most part, the you know this iswhat the young people are
capable of doing and it's peoplelike you who speak truth and
(59:17):
help people see that.
So again, I commend you and Iapplaud you for that.
Is it hard sometimes?
Speaker 1 (59:26):
Oh, yes, of course I know.
Yeah, I have two young adultsin my house.
Speaker 4 (59:33):
Yeah, so you're living it?
I'm living it, yes, I tell youwhat.
Speaker 1 (59:41):
I have raised two fierce young women in my house.
They know who they are, theyare strong in who they are.
They are confident in who theyare.
They are confident in who theyare.
They don't put up with a wholelot of anything, you know,
they're just.
They're fierce fierce forces ofnature.
(01:00:02):
Yeah, yeah, I'm super proud ofthat.
It's hard as the parentsometimes when you've raised two
fierce young men, but at thesame time, you know I'm super
proud of them and excited whatthey're going to continue to do
in their future.
And they have a heart, liketheir mama and like their daddy.
(01:00:26):
They want to help people, theywant to make change, they want
to impact the world around themand I'm I'm here for it.
Speaker 4 (01:00:41):
I don't know your daughters, but I can tell you I
bet they are Well.
I know they're lucky to haveyou as a just knowing you and
and seeing how you interact withyoung people who aren't your
kids.
You, you treat them like family.
So I know the love is real whenat home, and so I know you and
your husband, lady, an amazingfoundation.
(01:01:03):
So I want to I want to tap intothis a little bit, because I'm
sure the audience, listenerswill appreciate this a a little
bit of some parenting advice orperspective from you.
So I you know I do a little alittle live coaching with
(01:01:24):
parents, and one of thequestions that I was posing to
those parents is this questionwhat does your teenager or young
adult or child in general needto hear that you're afraid to
tell them because you're worriedit might ruin their confidence
(01:01:46):
or it might make them I don'tknow upset with you or whatnot.
And so I ask that questionbecause I coach basketball and
when you get to a certain point,it's you know.
I feel like you have to behonest with young people and
tell them okay, maybe this isn'tfor you, maybe you need to
start channeling your energy inanother area, and it could be
(01:02:10):
anything.
Maybe they want to go toHarvard and their grades may not
reflect that.
So the question I have for you,looking back with you and your
daughters what was something, atruth that you needed to tell
them, that was hard for you totell them as they were growing
up, because you were worried itmay not go over so well?
Speaker 1 (01:02:30):
It may not go over so far.
Yeah, I think having daughters,you have to be really careful.
Yeah, yeah, everything that yousay and how you say it, and all
those types of things.
Raising girls is very differentthan raising boys.
Yeah, so with my daughters, ittypically had to do with
(01:02:50):
friendships and withrelationships.
Yeah, so with my daughters, ittypically had to do with
friendships and withrelationships.
Yeah, seeing a friendship that Iknew I could see on the outside
, this is not a healthyfriendship.
This is a toxic friendship.
But you know, for my daughter,no, this is my best friend.
I'm going to live and die forthis person.
(01:03:13):
You know, my best friend.
And watching from the outside ofthis is not going to end well.
And then you know, strugglingwith how do I say, hey, this
isn't going to end well, thismight not be a healthy
friendship.
I feel like this friendship isjust using you, um, and
(01:03:35):
sometimes I would step in thereand say that, and sometimes I I
would kind of let things takeits course.
Um, and nine times out of ten,that's exactly what ended up
happening.
And then being there for themin the aftermath of that of not
(01:03:57):
in a I told you so kind of way,but in a okay, what did?
What did we learn from thesituation and how can?
How can we make sure that we'regoing to have healthy
friendships for the future?
And same with relationships too?
Watching a relationship, havingto keep your mouth shut about
(01:04:17):
certain things and that it'shard.
It's really really difficult,especially as they go into young
adult and you know wanting,wanting to be there for them,
wanting, wanting to save themand protect them from anything
that's going to hurt them andyet, at the same time, trying to
(01:04:53):
pick them back up after thatfailure and dusting them off and
saying, okay, try again, let'sdo it again.
Speaker 4 (01:04:59):
Yeah, wow, that's amazing advice.
Now, amy, I know you don't getto work with young people as
often as you did previously nowthat you're in a new role, but I
just want to tell you thatagain, you still have it.
You still have a lot to offerand just the wisdom and the
(01:05:23):
advice, and it's amazing to seeyou know it really is, and I
hope that opportunities comewhere you continue to have that
opportunity to impact and speaklife into young people, because,
again, they need you, theydefinitely need you, they really
(01:05:43):
do.
Speaker 1 (01:05:46):
I look for it, that's for sure.
Speaker 4 (01:05:48):
Like you need help with the kids, yes, yeah, when
you have someone like that, it'sjust it's part of who you are,
it's part of your DNA and youngpeople know it.
Like again, they need peoplelike yourself and you know to be
a part of their life and tohelp them so they can stay on
(01:06:09):
that path, and so, again, it'sinspiring to see.
So I want to give you anopportunity to talk a little bit
about how people can supporteither the Respect Team or Youth
for Christ, how they can becomeinvolved in that.
We're listeners and just be apart of what you do.
Speaker 1 (01:06:33):
Yeah, so I'll start with the Respect Team, so they
can just go to respectteamcom.
Pretty simple, it has all theinformation on there how to
donate, how to get involved.
If they're in Northeast Indianalearning about the different
things, the different programsthat the Respect Team does,
(01:06:56):
showing up to the 360 Awards, ifthey're in the area Coming and
supporting our teenagers at TeenSpeak, which we didn't even
talk about.
Teen Speak, and that's a wholeother program that the Respect
Team does, which is reallyamazing too, and all of that
information is on the websitefor the Respect Team does, which
is really amazing too, and allof that information is on the
website for the Respect Team andfor Youth for Christ.
(01:07:17):
It's just and I'm going to Ialways mess this up YFCNINorg,
so it stands for Youth forChrist of Northeast Indiana, but
there's no E in there, soYFCNINorg is the website for Use
(01:07:39):
for Christ of Northeast Indiana.
Speaker 4 (01:07:41):
Okay, awesome, awesome.
Well, it's great opportunitiesto get involved.
I know I'm looking forward tostaying connected and getting
involved more so, uh, and I wantto.
I want to wrap it up by askingyou this question what's next
for amy hannah, the superstar?
Amy hannah, the, the connector,the one who's making, leaving a
(01:08:02):
legacy and making an impacteverywhere she goes what's next
for you?
Speaker 1 (01:08:07):
yeah, that's boy.
That is a great question.
I will say this.
So one of my side things is I'ma children's book author and so
I've published a couple ofbooks and that's been a little
(01:08:29):
passion project on the side.
So I'm in the process ofwriting the third book, which
Congratulations.
Thank you, and it's always anexciting thing when you start
that whole process because itallows my creativity to come out
and you know, just being ableto go through that writing
(01:08:52):
process, I think, is just it'sgood, it's good for me.
Speaker 3 (01:08:57):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:08:58):
Yeah, it allows me to have.
It allows me to flex the otherside of my brain Right, right.
And the first two books wereactually illustrated by a past
student of mine.
She illustrated the first bookwhen she was just a senior in
high school.
She came to me and said I wantto be a children's book
(01:09:20):
illustrator and I said fantastic, I have a book, I wrote a book.
Speaker 4 (01:09:24):
Let's do this together.
Yeah, wow.
Speaker 1 (01:09:26):
So I, so I taught her how to do all of that, and then
she illustrated the second bookas well, which was really cool.
So hopefully she'll be able toillustrate the third book.
She's a junior in, or to be ajunior in, college and so she's
a little bit busier.
But that's, I guess, on thetable of next is getting that
(01:09:49):
next book going getting thatnext book going.
Speaker 4 (01:09:58):
You're so gifted, just so multi-talented, and
giving opportunities to theyounger, like the people you
mentor and work with.
Again, that's evidence of justthe impact that you're having
when people want to come back.
Usually young people are in ahurry to get rid of you.
Right, Just go leave, Like youhave young people circling back
and coming back to you andyou're giving them opportunities
(01:10:18):
.
And so, again, that's howamazing you are.
And then the books writingbooks, you know, and all the
stuff that you're doing.
You're amazing.
And so the next step I know thenext chapter is going to be
even better than this chapter,and so I'm step.
I know the next chapter isgoing to be even better than
this chapter, and so I'm lookingforward to continue to see you
grow and shine.
Speaker 1 (01:10:39):
Thank you so much, my friend.
You've just made my whole day.
I feel really good about myself.
Speaker 4 (01:10:48):
Well, you know what.
You do that for others, and soI think it's only natural for
people to make you feel the sametype of love that you extend
out there.
So thank you so much again foreverything you do.
Speaker 1 (01:11:01):
Yes, thank you.
Thank you for today, thank you.
Speaker 3 (01:11:07):
It is time to realize your potential, unlock your
passion and graduate to greater.
Speaker 2 (01:11:14):
Thank you for tuning into this episode of the Mic'd
Up and Motivated Podcast broughtto you by Inspire to Reach
Higher, the youth motivationalspeaking company for students,
parents and educators.
We'll see you next time.
Outro Music.
Working with students , you can kind of see that.
You know, as they come intothose teenage years, you can
watch them and really start tosee what their future is going
to start to look like.
Even if they can't see it asadults, we can see it and I
(00:20):
think that's why it's soimportant to speak that truth
into them at such a young age.
You know, I really I feel likeyou've really got a gift at
whatever that might be, BecauseI feel like when we speak that
into them at that young age,they really start to see what it
(00:41):
is that we can see in them fortheir future, see what it is
that we can see in them fortheir future.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Welcome to the Mic'd Up and Motivated podcast, where
we interview passionateprofessionals who empower young
people, impact lives and createpositive change in schools,
organizations and communities.
Oh, motivated.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Motivated, motivated.
Speaker 4 (01:33):
Motivated, Motivated, Turn up, turn up, turn up, turn
up the problem.
Turn up, turn up, turn up, turnup.
I'm motivated.
Turn up, turn up, turn up, turnup the problem.
Welcome to the Mic'd UpMotivated Podcast.
(01:55):
I'm your host, Jason A Dixon,and in this episode I interview
Amy Hanna, who is a regionaldirector for Youth for Christ,
serving DeKalb, Noble, Steubenand LaGrange counties in Indiana
.
She is also the founder andformer executive director of the
Respect Team, a non-profitorganization that serves youth
(02:18):
K-12 across northeast Indiana.
Outside of the office, Amy runsan online vintage clothing
business called Classy and Sassy, is the co-director for Miss
Fort Wayne and Miss Northeast,and is an author of three
children's books and twodevotions.
Amy has received multipleawards over the years for her
(02:39):
community service and was namedthe 2022 Torchbearer Award
winner by the Indiana Commissionfor Women.
Amy is married to Jessie Hanna,the DeKalb County lead for YFC,
and has two beautiful daughters.
Amy Hanna, how are you doing?
Thank you so much for joiningtoday.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
Yes, I'm doing well.
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 4 (03:02):
You know, I really appreciate you joining me.
And you know, as people that Ireally admire from afar, and I
look at them and I see all thework they're doing and I say
this person is just.
They're so amazing.
It's like you know that songwhere it said all I do is win,
win, win.
No matter what I look at youand you're like that person,
like everything I see you doing,I see you winning at it, like,
(03:26):
do you feel like that?
Do you feel like, yeah, I'mlike, I'm winning in everything
I do?
Speaker 1 (03:31):
I feel like I am now just because you were saying
that you got along with me, justtelling me how good I am.
Thank you so much.
Speaker 4 (03:40):
No, I really do see that.
I mean, I see, you know, it'speople that just have that aura,
the aura of greatness.
And the first time I met you, Ijust knew immediately and you
were so responsive and with myemails and this stranger
reaching out to you, you were soaccessible.
And then I started researchingyou and looking at all the stuff
that you do and I'm like thiswoman is a game changer.
(04:06):
So I realized that right offthe bat.
So it really does.
We know that it's not as easyas it looks when you're doing
this work, but you make it lookvery, very easy.
It's like you're winning allthe time.
I see that, thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
We can end this right now.
My head is not going to fitthrough the door.
I'm feeling really good aboutmyself, oh, man.
Speaker 4 (04:34):
Well, we could end it , but I don't know if the
audience and the people who getto listen to this podcast.
We want to know why you'rewinning.
We want to dive in and figureout, like your secrets, and get
your perspective on all thesethings, because there's a secret
to why you're winning.
We want to dive in and figureout, like your secrets, and get
your perspective on all thesethings, because there's a secret
(04:54):
to why you're successful.
And that's really what thispodcast is about.
It's giving professionals whowork with young people a
platform to talk about theirexperiences, but, even more so,
to talk about their journey.
You know, we know, working withyoung people it's like we were
always doing the work, but Ioften do.
People get to hear about thethings that we've gone through
and the things we overcame toget to the position we're in,
(05:16):
and so I'm excited to hear moreabout your journey and about all
the things that you had toovercome to get where you are
right now.
So let's start with this Atthis point in your life, with
what you're doing right now,could you have imagined yourself
doing what you're doing today,let's say, 20 years ago?
Speaker 1 (05:37):
Oof, that's a good deep us right in.
Perfect, Okay.
Yeah, you know, when I was inhigh school, I got asked all the
time to be the person in theschool assemblies who would
announce whoever the nextspeaker was going to be, or if
(05:58):
we had a band coming that day orsomething like that.
But they were always coming tome and saying, Amy, do you want
to come stand up in front of theentire school?
And so I think I was alwayscomfortable with speaking,
comfortable with being in frontof people, comfortable being in
(06:23):
crowds, and had that confidence.
Did I see myself as part ofnonprofit world?
No, I actually.
I'll just I'm going to give youan insight.
So what I really really wantedto do I wanted to be the travel
(06:46):
channel girl.
I wanted to be able to get paidto go to different countries,
eat their food, stay in theirdifferent places, do different
activities and then report on it.
That's what I really, reallywanted to do.
Speaker 4 (07:02):
Wow, I could see you doing that too.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
Let me tell you In my retirement oh yeah.
It happened.
Speaker 4 (07:12):
You already got the checklist ready.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
I got it.
I don't know if you've everwatched the Reluctant Traveler.
I think it's on Apple TV orsomething like that.
It's the guy from Schitt'sCreek, daniel Levy, I think, is
his name.
Anyways, so he travels to allthese different and I watch all
(07:37):
of that.
I'm like, okay, yes, I can makethat happen.
Speaker 4 (07:41):
You can see yourself doing that.
You're inspired.
By it.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
I'm doing that.
Except I wouldn't be reluctant,I would be that happen, you can
see yourself doing that, you'reinspired by it.
Speaker 4 (07:49):
I can see myself doing that, except I wouldn't be
reluctant, I would becompletely on.
You're on board.
Yeah, you would be embracingevery opportunity.
I have to check that out.
Definitely, I have to checkthat out.
It's good that you can seeyourself in that person, in that
character, doing that.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
Yeah, so I actually went to Ball State University
because I thought that I wasgoing to.
I thought telecommunicationswas what I was going to do, and
then I graduated from Ball StateUniversity with an elementary
education degree.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Wow, that's kind of how my life goes.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
Sometimes I have this plan, I know exactly what it is
that I'm going to do, and thenlife just kind of goes nope,
you're going to go thisdirection instead.
Speaker 4 (08:33):
I know exactly what you mean, yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
Yeah.
So I came from a family ofteachers and so it really made
sense for me to go intoeducation.
The end of my sophomore year mydad called me up and he said
how are you feeling about thistelecommunications pack?
(08:55):
I said, you know, I mean I likeit, I don't really know.
And he said how are you feelingabout getting a job?
Speaker 4 (09:04):
A million dollar question and I said I are you
feeling about getting a job Amillion?
Speaker 1 (09:06):
dollar question and I said I don't know.
And he kind of suggested that Igo into education, just because
it was a sure thing.
So I changed my entire plan,shifted to elementary education,
graduated, taught second gradefor two years and hated it.
(09:30):
I loved the kids, loved thekids, hated the teaching part,
hated.
Just.
I was good at it, I was reallyreally good at it, but I wasn't
passionate about it and that'ssomething that I teach kids, you
, you have to.
Just because you're good atsomething doesn't mean that
(09:51):
that's what you're supposed tobe doing.
You have to also be reallypassionate about it.
And for me, I would wake up inthe morning and I would dread it
.
I didn't.
I didn't want to be a teacher.
I loved kids, but I, I justwasn't.
Just because I was good at it,I wasn't.
I wasn't passionate about it.
And because I missed thatpassion part, I eventually
(10:16):
stepped out of teaching and hadboth of my baby girls who who
are now grown and doing theirown thing grown adults but you
know, I stayed, I stayed home.
I always say I put the quotesaround, the stayed home I.
I didn't really stay home.
(10:36):
I was always active indifferent things.
But I stayed home with them,was really involved in their
schools and in those types ofthings, always into creative
things and doing different stuffand entrepreneur and you know,
starting my own businesses andcreative ideas and those types
of things.
And then I decided, when myyoungest was in first grade
(11:08):
youngest was in first grade Idecided that it was time for me
to go back into some sort offull-time work.
But I had a teaching degree butI knew I didn't want to teach.
My passion was working withteenagers, I loved speaking.
So I just thought is theresomething that I can combine
those you know three thingstogether.
So there was a position thatwas opened at a nonprofit called
(11:31):
A Hope Center, which isbasically like a crisis
pregnancy center.
Speaker 4 (11:35):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
And get this title, are you?
Speaker 4 (11:40):
ready, I'm ready.
Abstinence Educator was mytitle, oh wow.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
Take a second and think about me walking into a
high school.
Speaker 4 (11:50):
Yeah, it's an attention grabber.
You would have their attention,right off the bat.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
It's a something it's a something Definitely.
Speaker 4 (12:00):
What was that like?
You got to tell me what thatexperience was like.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
You know.
So Indiana is an absence-onlyeducation state.
So really what I?
Because I had the teachingbackground, I could write the
curriculum and I could, you know, kind of finesse the current
curriculum that they had,curriculum that they had and so
(12:27):
I focused more on healthyrelationships, how to have a
good healthy relationship, howto avoid those toxic types of
relationships, noticing the redflags, those types of things.
So, even though my title wasabstinence educator, I was
really teaching our studentsjust the whole aspect of good,
healthy relationships.
So I did that for five years.
(12:51):
They never did change my title,I begged every year.
Speaker 4 (12:56):
But, like you said, you were able to finesse it and
that's how you know you're agifted teacher, a gifted
educator, a gifted communicatorthat you had the sense of
awareness to do that and make itsomething that was relevant and
relatable to young people atthat time.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
So that's awesome.
Yeah, so I did that for fiveyears.
At pretty close to the end ofthat fifth year, we had a
transition of leadership, whichsometimes happens and not
happens Right At a transition ofleadership.
When that transition happened,the new person ended my program,
(13:38):
which meant I was out of a job.
Yeah, and the other threespeakers were also out of jobs.
But because I was theconnection to the schools, the
schools continued to contact mebecause for five years, I was
(13:59):
going into the classrooms andspeaking and those types of
things, and so they continued tocontact me and I said you know,
I don't want to continue to dothis on a volunteer basis.
Maybe we should launch ournonprofit.
So myself and a couple of thespeakers, we sat around my
kitchen table and basicallypooled our money together and we
(14:26):
filed for a 501c3.
And that's how the Respect teamwas born back in 2015.
Speaker 4 (14:37):
Oh my goodness, this is amazing.
I'm getting chills justthinking about it.
Do you get to share that storyoften?
Speaker 1 (14:44):
You know I share it in certain pockets.
I don't get to go into the fulldetail about it.
Certain times I get to share alittle bit about that.
Speaker 4 (14:57):
No, I love it and I want you to continue.
I just want to say I love whatyou just shared because, again,
this is what the podcast is allabout, because people see Amy
Hanna on the public doing herthing, inspiring young people
leading, but not often do peopleget to see the behind the
(15:17):
scenes.
We see it with celebrities andathletes and we get to hear
about the stories that help themget to where they are, but we
don't hear it about the peoplewho are on the front lines doing
work like this.
So when you share that thebeginning of the Respect team
I'm thinking like I'm soinspired by that what you shared
(15:39):
, so I'm going to let youcontinue.
So what happened next after youguys pulled your money together
and you came up with thisvision?
And here it is, we're about tostart it.
So what happened next after youguys pulled your money together
and you came up with thisvision?
And here it is, we're about tostart it.
What happened next?
Speaker 1 (15:49):
Yeah, yeah, we panicked.
Speaker 4 (15:54):
The natural next step , right when you don't really
know the natural next step is topanic Right, what are we doing?
Speaker 1 (16:00):
Yeah, yeah, it really did.
For the first few years, Iwould tell myself, okay, you can
do this.
And then in the next breath, Iwould say, what am I doing?
And then, yes, you can do this.
And what am I doing?
It was just this constant backand forth of just trying to
(16:21):
launch this vision that we had,trying to launch this vision
that we had and yet at the sametime, trying to figure out the
finances and you know just howdo we trademark our name and we
had all of these funny thingsthat kept happening within our
organization.
It was a lot of growing pains atthe very beginning, of growing
(16:43):
pains at the very beginning, butwe just had such a heart for
kids and we really the wholereason we called it the Respect
Team was because our focus wason the whole person.
So we wanted our students tounderstand self-respect, how to
respect other people.
We kept that healthyrelationship piece from before,
(17:04):
but we also talked about healthyfriendships and how to have
good, healthy family dynamicsand how to make wise choices on
social media and how to getconnected to mental health
resources.
So we really focused on thewhole kid, not just the
relationship aspect of ourstudents.
(17:25):
And you know the schools, theyliked us, we came in and we were
a free program.
So you know when you tellschools, hey, we're free.
Speaker 4 (17:36):
Yeah, eyes light up Suddenly.
Everybody's interested.
Speaker 3 (17:41):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
They jumped in.
Yeah, so we started with 12schools in one county.
Within a few years we grew to40 schools in six counties.
But at this point our focus isNortheast Indiana, with our
(18:09):
students there and reallyimpacting kids' lives.
Speaker 4 (18:13):
Wow, wow.
So I just want to have atimeline.
So how long has the Respectteam been in existence?
Speaker 1 (18:22):
Since 2015.
Speaker 4 (18:24):
2015.
Okay team been in existenceSince 2015.
2015.
Okay, nine years.
So I want to go back.
So during that moment, wasthere ever a time where you
wanted to give up on this vision, where you felt like, okay, I
don't know if this is reallygoing to be something that comes
to fruition for us?
Speaker 1 (18:48):
to be something that comes through fruition for us.
Oh, yes, multiple times, yes, I, I think, probably the time
that I almost completely threwthe towel in.
Uh, we were maybe about thefirst year, our 501c3, and we
got slammed with a trademarkdispute because there was
(19:09):
another organization.
So our legal name is Respect360.
We do business as the Respectteam, but there was another
organization that had a programthat was called Respect 360 out
in California and we had paid alawyer to make sure that our
(19:32):
name was trademarked, thoughtthat that lawyer had trademarked
our name.
Turns out that lawyer had nottrademarked our name.
And then we got slammed with atrademark dispute.
We had to rebrand everything,we had to pay lawyers and lawyer
fees and, uh, about almostsixteen thousand dollars later
(19:54):
in our first year of just tryingto make ends meet, we were, we
were dealing with a trademarkdispute and it was.
It was really hard, it wasreally difficult, but it but I
almost threw in the towel.
Speaker 4 (20:08):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
This is not worth it.
I am not going to go throughthis, and we decided to push
through it, and I'm so glad thatwe did.
Speaker 4 (20:17):
Yeah, wow, it's good to hear that and I know hearing
that and even for me that'sencouragement and I know people
when they hear that.
It may be encouragement forsomeone else who's going through
something similar or may havethat experience down the road.
What was it that kept you going?
What was it like?
A singular moment?
Was it a person?
(20:38):
What was?
Speaker 1 (20:45):
it that kept you going and said you know, I'm not
going to quit, despite whatwe're going through right now.
Yeah, you know, at the verybeginning of our organization, I
was pretty much the mainspeaker going into the schools
connecting with the students.
So when we were going throughall of that, I was still the one
boots on the ground connectingwith the kids, talking with the
(21:05):
kids, and we would get surveysafterwards and they they had a
little section in the surveywhere they could write comments
and things that they've learnedand and I would get those
surveys after class and it wouldsay things like you changed my
life, I'm so glad that you camein today.
(21:26):
I was thinking about ending itall.
I was thinking about that andtoday I learned that I'm
valuable and my life matters.
And it was in those moments thatI just thought okay, we've got
to figure this out because we'remaking a difference in the
lives of these kids.
(21:46):
We're impacting thousands andthousands of students that
ultimately would have probablyfallen through the cracks.
We're connecting hundreds ofstudents to counseling resources
.
Just because we're going into aclassroom for maybe an hour and
we're coming out with a handfulof kids who say, hey, I need to
talk to a counselor, probablywould have never told anybody
(22:11):
that they needed to talk to acounselor.
And so when you have thosekinds of experiences, you just
can't.
You can't quit, you just haveto push through, because you
know that you're making adifference.
Speaker 4 (22:24):
Right, yeah, and I'm glad you did, and I'm sure there
are thousands of young peopleand schools that are glad that
you didn't stop.
In that moment and that's soinspirational.
Was there a moment when youfelt like, okay, after all this
work, we've arrived?
This is the vision that I sawwhen we were at that table
(22:48):
pulling our money together.
The Respect team, thisorganization, we're here now.
We're making a difference.
People know who we are.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
When was that?
Yeah, so I would say it wasprobably four or five years, in,
which is not always veryencouraging to those that are
just starting out.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
Yeah, you're right.
Speaker 1 (23:11):
But you know, once you hit that four or five year
mark, you know it is a matter ofokay.
We're either doing what wewanted to do or we're not.
And we have this fundraisinggala that we do every year it's
called the 360 awards and wehonor local high school students
(23:32):
who are making a positivedifference.
And I got to the location wherewe were having everything and I
got early, nobody else hadgotten there yet to set up and
all those types of things and Iwalked in and I just started
bawling because I saw all ofthese tables that had been set I
(23:55):
mean, we had 300 and somepeople who were coming just to
support the respect team and tosupport our local students.
And when I walked in and I'mjust standing in that room by
myself looking around and justthinking, okay, we've arrived.
Speaker 4 (24:11):
Yeah, that was a moment, wow that was a moment.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:15):
Yeah, it was.
It was really incredible and wecontinue.
We've given over $40,000 inscholarships to local students
through that program, which hasreally been amazing, and seeing
students just then go on to doincredible things and to look
back at their respect team andsay that's the first time that
(24:38):
I've ever been honored for justmaking a positive difference,
just being kind, just doing theright thing.
I didn't have to do with sports, I didn't have to do with
academics, I just, I just was agood kid.
Speaker 4 (24:52):
And being a good person.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
Just nice yeah.
Speaker 4 (24:54):
And.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
I was recognized for that and, um, just hearing those
stories and and seeing thosekids and how, how they have gone
on to, on to really pass thaton within their life has really
been a really cool experience.
Speaker 4 (25:12):
Yeah, man, I love this.
I love just hearing your storyand I heard I think it was one
of my mentors said this to mebefore and I feel like you
embody this as well.
But he really encouraged me tojust focus on being a servant
leader and when you're a servant, your opportunities will find
(25:32):
you.
You still have to do the work,but when you focus on just
serving others and impactingthem in that way, opportunities
are going to seek you out and Ifeel like you are the embodiment
of that.
You just have a servant's heart.
Opportunities are going to seekyou out and I feel like you are
the embodiment of that.
You just have a servant's heart.
You want to make an impact andpeople can see the genuine and
authentic nature of who you areand people gravitate for that.
(25:54):
Like, do you feel that?
I know you're a humble person,so you're not going to brag, but
like, do you sense that aboutyourself?
Speaker 1 (26:02):
Like, do you sense that about yourself?
And I tell you, my friend, youshould know how to just make me
feel real good about myself.
Speaker 4 (26:12):
Well, I'm just being honest, I'm going to speak the
truth.
Speaker 1 (26:15):
I love that, thank you.
Yeah, you know I'm intentionalI think is the best way to say
this about being a servantleader.
I think when you step in toleadership positions it's it's
really easy to get kind of fullof yourself and oh, look at me,
(26:38):
I just got asked to be a keynoteat this event and I just got
this award at this other eventand I just got recognized for
this.
It's really easy to step intothat world and let that consume
you and forget what it is thatyou are doing and why it is that
you are doing it.
I'm very intentional aboutbeing a servant leader and
(27:04):
taking the people around me andshoving them into that spotlight
yeah it's not me anymore now,it's you yeah, I love that
really I love.
I love being able to to mentorpeople and put them into those
positions where they really getto shine, and I just get to step
(27:26):
back and say, yeah, that's mypeople.
Speaker 4 (27:29):
Oh, I love that.
When we connected a few yearsago, I knew there was something
about you.
I knew it was something aboutyou, like what you just said.
I really believe that sums itup.
Like you are that person.
I really believe that there arecertain people who are like the
I'll use an example like thegateway for others.
(27:50):
You know, other people can'tmake it unless this one person
opens the door for them.
I feel like you're that personand then you have this heart to
like, push other people in thespotlight and help them see what
they may not have seen inthemselves.
And I love that about you andit's amazing.
I can tell that's one of thereasons why you're so impactful
(28:12):
in what you do.
Now I want to ask you this Now,with respect team, this was
your baby.
You saw it.
Your birthday.
You saw it grow.
You've become.
You talked about that momentwhere it was like we've arrived
and you're falling, when it wastime to pass the baton and it's
time to move forward.
What was that one like?
Speaker 1 (28:33):
Oof.
It was rough.
It was really rough Now leadingup to that decision.
Some of the things that led tothat decision were things that
were out of my control.
That's one of the reasons thatI had to step out my husband's
(28:55):
job.
He ended up stepping out of hisjob.
We had two kids in college andhe was the primary breadwinner
in our household as well as theinsurance carrier.
So when you have something likethat happen, it is kind of a
panic moment of okay.
(29:16):
If somebody is going to get ajob quickly within this
community, it's probably goingto be me, because of the
connections that I had.
So stepping out of the Respectteam probably would not have
been in my timing.
However, looking back at it now, the timing was perfect.
At the time it did not feelperfect.
Speaker 4 (29:37):
Right, I know about that.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
Yeah, yeah, but we're you know, we're a year and a
half past that now, in almosttwo years and and the timing
definitely was perfect.
So the person who stepped infor that executive director
position at the Respect Team isone of my past students, and so
that's been a really full circlemoment.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
I've known him since he was 15.
Wow, and he is a former teacherand he was moving back to the
area a former teacher.
And he was moving back to thearea and he had heard that we
were looking for an executivedirector position and he reached
out to me and said do you thinkthis is something that I should
apply for?
And I said definitely.
(30:22):
And so he applied and weinterviewed him and the rest is
history.
And it's been a really amazingexperience with him because not
only the full circle moment, buthe trusts me and so, as a
founder of an organization,having someone else step in to
(30:46):
that position sometimes causes,you know, some issues where you
have a founder who is stillinvolved and then you have the
new person.
We work really, really welltogether because we have such a
trust relationship.
He contacts me on a regularbasis and says what do you think
about this?
What do you think about this?
(31:07):
And I have really had to learnhow to hold the organization
with open hands.
And he came to me and said hey,I'm thinking about changing the
logo, and I just went oh yeah,I can imagine what that was like
.
Oh yeah, it's difficult.
However, his reasoning behindit.
(31:30):
It wasn't just a flippantdecision of you know, I want to
do something different.
It was.
There was thought behind it.
There was reason behind it.
He took his time on it.
He talked to our board, hetalked to our student board.
It it was very intentional andbecause he, because he
(31:51):
understands that the respectteam is my baby and he's very
careful with that, it just helps.
The transition has been reallysmooth, which has been great.
Speaker 4 (32:12):
Wow, that's in that position where you, you know you
, it's that that season's over,you have to move on.
It's time to give somebody elsean opportunity.
And you talked about the fullcircle moment with a former
student.
Uh, what can you attribute thatto?
Just the willingness and andbeing able, you know, put pride
aside, put, you know, ego aside,whatever it may be, and be able
(32:36):
to work with someone,especially someone who
represents the youngergeneration, which is not always
easy when you know you have theolder generation and the younger
generation coming together,especially in work like this,
and they don't see eye to eye.
What do you attribute that to?
The fact that you were able tojust with open arms.
I know there were moments, butfor the most part, you were able
(32:57):
to just let him do what heneeds to do with respecting.
What do you attribute that to?
Speaker 1 (33:04):
Yeah, I think it comes down to do I want him to
be successful and do I want theorganization to be successful?
If, if both of those answersare yes, well then that that's a
pretty easy decision for me.
To step out, right, uh, to stepback.
No, he will be the first totell you please don't step out,
(33:27):
please don't step right pleasecome alongside me and help me.
Because, he's still learning,but he's doing an amazing job
and I'm just so proud of him.
So I think again, it comes downto intentionality of I want
that to be successful.
(33:48):
And in order for that to besuccessful, he also has to feel
like he's being successful.
And if I'm trying to come inthere and say, no, you got to do
it like this or no, I already,I always did it like this, so
you need to always do it likethat, well then he doesn't feel
successful and then theorganization in itself is going
to fail.
So you know when, when you'rethinking through succession
(34:11):
plans and those kinds of things,part of a succession plan is
preparing yourself as thefounder to be able to release
that to that next person and sayI want them to be successful, I
want the business to succeed aswell, yeah, that's so good.
Speaker 4 (34:31):
I love that.
Now I want to ask you one morequestion regarding the Respect
team then you know, transitioninto your current role and what
you're doing now, because Ithink you shared some great
stuff in regards to how youstarted the Respect team and
just that journey that I thinkwill be able to help a lot of
people listen to the podcast,will be able to help a lot of
(34:54):
people listen to the podcast.
What advice would you give to aperson who may have a nonprofit
organization within theeducational space, or a person
who has the aspirations to startone?
What would you say is the thingthat they need to know to help
it be successful?
Speaker 1 (35:10):
Hold on tight Because it is a ride.
I tell you there are going tobe lots of ups and there are
going to be lots of downs, andbe prepared for that.
Because if you're not preparedfor that, all of a sudden
there's a really big down andyou become discouraged and you
(35:32):
feel like, can I do this?
And you want to quit and allthose kinds of things.
But if you go into it knowingthat there's going to be ups and
downs, it just helps you to say, okay, this is a moment where
we're really down, but I knowwhat's coming.
I know we're going to go backup and that is coming eventually
(35:53):
.
So that's the first thing thatI would say.
The second thing that I wouldsay is get a really good
business mentor.
I'm so thankful for my businessmentors.
I would reach out to themanytime I had a question about
something, or I was confusedabout something, or I didn't
know how to do something, or Ijust needed someone like you,
(36:15):
jason, to be able to say you gotthis.
You're amazing.
Do you know how cool you are?
I needed that in my life,especially in those down moments
, that I could call my businessmentor and say walk me through
this.
Tell me why I'm doing it.
Remind me, remind me that.
Walk me through this.
Tell me why I'm doing it.
Remind me, remind me that I,that I can do this, and so
(36:36):
that's yeah.
That's definitely.
The second thing that I wouldsay on that is is make sure
you're, make sure you have agood business mentor too.
Speaker 3 (36:44):
Please welcome Jason A Dixon.
Everybody in here has a talentand you have a gift and you were
given that gift so that you cango change the world.
There's a world out herewaiting for you.
There's a world out here thatneeds your talent.
Speaker 5 (37:05):
From a struggling teen to a first-generation
college graduate.
Coach Jason is one of today'srising youth motivational
speakers for middle school, highschool and college students.
Equipped with passion and theunique ability to create a
heartfelt connection, hisempowering message of hope and
resilience drives lasting changeand resonates with audiences on
multiple levels.
(37:26):
If your school, organization orevent is looking for a dynamic
speaker to inspire, motivate andhelp increase student success,
book Coach Jason today.
Speaker 4 (37:42):
That's so great.
I love that, and what youshared is encouragement for me
as well, and so I appreciate yousharing that.
And now I want to transition towhat you're doing now and talk
a little bit about just thebeginning stages of that, and
(38:03):
what was the moment where youknew, okay, I'm where I'm
supposed to be now, because Iknow transitioning from what was
your baby and still is yourbaby to something new is hard.
But what was that moment now?
What was that moment where youknew, okay, I'm exactly where I
need to be?
Speaker 1 (38:23):
I think I'm still waiting for that moment.
Speaker 4 (38:24):
Yeah, yeah, I know what you mean.
Speaker 1 (38:30):
Yeah, I'm almost two years in about a year and a half
and when I stepped into thecurrent position that I hold so
I am a regional director forYouth for Christ Going from a
non-faith-based organization toa faith-based organization.
(38:51):
There's a lot of differencesbetween those A lot of hurdles
and hoops and red tapes and allsorts of things that I didn't
have to deal with as part of theRespect Team of the Respect
(39:14):
Team being the person who madeall of the decisions to then
stepping into an organizationwhere I have a boss that I
answer to, I have a team that wework together Not that I didn't
work with my team over at theRespect Team.
I had an amazing team who I wasconstantly relying upon for
everything, but it was differentthan stepping into this
(39:35):
organization where, if I wantedto do something, there are three
other people that need to signup on it before I can do that.
Some major growth opportunityfor me as just as a person and
as a leader, to really learnsome humbleness when it came to
(40:00):
working in an organization whereI wasn't the head of it.
So, yeah, so I'm still stillfiguring that piece out of.
What does that look like and amI in the position where I'm
supposed to be?
I think yes, for right now.
Definitely, I am content in theposition that I'm in.
(40:24):
I love being able to connectwith community members and being
able to be in my northerncommunities.
So I focus mainly on thesmaller communities in northeast
Indiana and I love thosecommunities and I love the
people in those communities.
I think the piece that I'mmissing, that I'm constantly
(40:47):
seeking out in other areas, isgetting to hang out with the
kids and miss, miss the studentsyeah my, my role is more
administration and and workingwith adults, and so I'm
constantly looking for ways ofhow can I pull students into
(41:08):
this project, because that'swhere my heart is, that's where
my passion is.
Speaker 4 (41:13):
Yeah, and it's who you are.
You know it's who you are.
I just want to acknowledge thisbecause it's not often when you
have a person in any type ofspace, but especially on a
podcast, be so transparent andvulnerable and say you know, I'm
(41:33):
still waiting for that momentto realize this is where I'm
supposed to be.
I'm still waiting, you know,and you know, I know.
You know sometimes when, asadults and when we work in this
space with young people andministry or ministry, you know,
any type of nonprofit thatrequires you to work with young
(41:56):
people you have to kind of puton this I don't want to say a
facade, but a stoic nature, likenothing bothers you or nothing
penetrates you, or justeverything is like perfect, I
have all the answers.
When you have that moment ofvulnerability, you say I don't
know, I don't have anything, I'mstill searching.
(42:16):
It's like that's a very specialmoment and I just wanted to
acknowledge that because, again,I think that's what makes you
who you are and just the personyou are and the success that has
followed you everywhere you'vegone.
I think that's part of why Ibelieve that's the case is
(42:40):
because that does speak to yourhumility and that growth mindset
and always trying to learn andgrow.
So I just wanted to acknowledgeyou and say that.
Speaker 1 (42:48):
Thank you so much.
You're welcome, I would love tobe able to say I am exactly
where I'm supposed to be oh yeah.
That's not.
I'm a very real person.
What you see is what you get,and so, yeah, so I'm still an
(43:10):
amazing organization withincredible people who care about
me not just as an employee, butreally truly care about me as a
person, which, when you canfind that kind of an
organization, you hold ontightly, because there really
are not that many organizationsthat are like that.
Speaker 4 (43:31):
Very true.
Speaker 1 (43:32):
They truly care about you as a person and your family
and those kinds of things.
So I'm very fortunate that thatis the organization that I
stepped into.
Speaker 4 (43:42):
Okay, Awesome.
So talk a little bit more aboutthat.
Talk about Youth for Christ,the mission, what it entails and
what you do specifically forYouth for Christ.
Speaker 1 (43:53):
Yeah.
So Youth for Christ works withstudents.
We say 11 to 19.
The best way to say that issixth graders to seniors in high
school.
So sometimes our sixth gradersare as young as 11, and
sometimes our seniors are as oldas 19.
So we say 11 to 19.
We work with them, connectingthem with trusted adults, and we
(44:17):
run different kinds of programs.
The program that most peoplewill know is called Campus Life.
So Campus Life goes into themiddle schools and the high
schools and we put trustedadults into the lives of kids.
We give them the opportunity tohave a faith in Jesus.
But it's our mission, our realhope is to be able to just put
(44:42):
good, positive people into thelives of kids, whether they come
to an understanding of whoJesus is and having faith that
we're not.
We just want them to be knownand loved and cared for.
So that's really the heartbehind Youth for Grace.
That's awesome, yeah.
(45:03):
And then what I get to dospecifically I am a development
is the best way to say that mytitle is regional director, but
it's mainly what I do is a lotof fundraising.
Speaker 4 (45:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (45:17):
A lot of fundraising.
Speaker 4 (45:19):
Which is very important.
It's very important.
Speaker 1 (45:23):
It is probably the thing that I disliked the most
when I was with the respect team, which is really funny that
that is what the main part of myjob is, Right right, oh man.
So I've had to.
We have a love fundraising andI have a love-hate relationship.
Speaker 4 (45:42):
Oh man, trust me, that's something I do not like
as well, you know, but it'sagain.
It takes a gifted person to bein that position.
Speaker 1 (45:50):
It does, it does.
And I have to step out of myown way and I have a tendency to
say, oh, I really don't want toask so-and-so for this and that
.
And anytime that I get out ofmy own way and just say you know
what, just ask.
They're typically the ones thatsay, yeah, why didn't you ask
(46:12):
three months ago?
I would have given it to youthen Right.
So I have to consciously andintentionally tell myself get
out of the way and just ask andgive them the opportunity to
give, because a lot of peoplethey want to give, they don't
know how to give or they don'tknow what they want to give to,
(46:35):
and so when you give them thoseopportunities, then all of a
sudden, you know that linesitself up.
So as non-faith leaders it isreally hard to just say I just
got to ask.
Speaker 4 (46:51):
Yeah, it's tough.
Now, as a person, a man offaith as well, a believer myself
, I'm not in a position where Ihave to fundraise, but I know
how important.
When you're working innonprofit, I know how important
that aspect is, and I alwaysrecall something a pastor of
mine used to say back in the dayit's like don't give other
(47:13):
people an opportunity to be ablessing.
You know, I think sometimes,when we lack faith or when we're
worried about what people mightthink about us, oh, I don't
want to ask for a donation, or Idon't want to ask for somebody
to pray for me or whatever itmay be, we may be blocking
(47:34):
somebody, somebody else'sopportunity to be a blessing
because we're worried aboutperception, you know, and so I
really give you credit for justagain humbling yourself and
being in that space and reallyallowing God to use you in
various types of ways to helpother or encourage other people
to be a blessing for someoneelse.
Speaker 1 (47:55):
Yes, and I have a good friend who says it like
this.
They say don't say no forsomebody else.
Speaker 4 (48:04):
Right, yeah, I love that, don't be fair no.
Speaker 3 (48:06):
Let them know, If they're going to say no, they'll
say no but don't say it.
Speaker 1 (48:11):
I felt like that was just really good advice.
Yeah, that is.
Speaker 4 (48:14):
That's awesome advice .
Now tell me if you see this.
But as you were talking andthis is just how my mind works
but as you were going talkingabout the journey from the
respect team to now, I look atit as kind of I see the two
intertwine a bit and I look atit as kind of I see the two
(48:34):
intertwine a bit and I look atit as kind of like a graduation,
so to speak.
So what you were doing withrespecting and how you were
focusing on that aspect now withYouth for Christ, I feel like
the two connect to where thisperson, I'm meeting this person,
(48:55):
where they are at this point intheir lives to ultimately get
them to this point where youhave an opportunity to help them
find their identity in Christand grow in their faith and
different things like that.
I just see that connection.
That's how my mind works.
I know it may be weird.
What do you think?
Speaker 1 (49:07):
Yes, there's actually tons of connections and
actually some of our Campus Lifestaff are speakers for the
Respect Team.
Speaker 3 (49:17):
Oh, wow.
Speaker 4 (49:19):
Wow, okay, that's awesome.
I'm glad I wasn't off base withmaking that observation.
Speaker 1 (49:27):
It's so long no, no, that's actually very true,
because you know if, if therespect team is all about
teaching our students how tovalue themselves, finding
trusted adults in their livesthat they can go to, and then
youth for christ is the trustedadults yeah it.
Just it makes sense for thatconnection.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, so I will.
(49:51):
I'll give you a little positivespin on everything that
happened with my husband.
So when I stepped into myposition at Youth for Christ,
about two or three months later,a position opened up in one of
my counties for a campus lifedirector.
Speaker 4 (50:10):
Oh, wow.
Speaker 1 (50:10):
So I of course said I happen to know someone that
would be an amazing campus lifedirector.
Oh wow.
So I of course said I happen toknow someone that would be an
amazing campus life director.
Speaker 4 (50:16):
Oh really, Don't tell me it's your husband.
Speaker 1 (50:19):
It was my husband.
Oh my goodness.
Oh, wow, Don't cry.
No nepotism in you for cries.
I wasn't part of the interviewsor any of those kinds of things
.
I hired him on his own, but heand I get to work together,
which is in one of our counties.
Wow, that's amazing.
He speaks for the Respect Teamand then he works for Youth, for
(50:42):
Christ.
Speaker 4 (50:42):
Wow, that's so amazing.
Another full circle moment.
Look at that.
Wow.
And again, you know, the keyfactor in that is you.
You're like the glue I thinkyou used that term earlier the
connector.
Speaker 1 (50:57):
Yeah, I love connecting people.
I have this random side job.
You know, when you're anentrepreneur, you can really
never fully turn it off.
Speaker 4 (51:09):
Yeah, yeah, I know, I know all about that.
Speaker 1 (51:12):
Yeah, yeah, I know, I know all about that, yeah, so
even though I have thisfull-time job, I have all these
side businesses because I justcan't, I can't turn the
entrepreneur side of my head off.
So I do this little side thingfor a cookie place here in town
that's called Dirty DoughCookies.
Speaker 4 (51:29):
If you've heard of Dirty Dough Cookies, I have not
Now, I have, and I have to domore research on it.
Yes, you'll have.
Speaker 1 (51:36):
So, yeah, so, and the Dirty Dough Cookies in Fort
Wayne, indiana is a little bitdifferent than the Dirty Dough
Cookies around the nation.
Okay, Our Dirty Dough is allabout giving back to the
community.
Dirty Dough is all about givingback to the community,
connecting with nonprofits, youknow, service and those kinds of
(52:01):
things.
So very, very different than alot of the other stores across
the nation.
However, they hired me to be acommunity connector because I
have lots of different people inthe community and nonprofits
that I can connect them to.
Now they get to give money backto nonprofits and those kinds
of things.
So that connector title I likethat title.
(52:24):
Yeah, it is.
Speaker 4 (52:26):
It's awesome.
I have to share this becauseyou reminded me of a good friend
I have and there was a momentthis was maybe like 10 years ago
and she was struggling, tryingto figure out what, like she was
transitioning and going througha transitional period.
She's trying to figure out whatthe next step was.
(52:48):
And I remember talking to herand I told her that I want you
to go home and I want you tojust sift through, like old
pictures from childhood and tryto find pictures of you doing
just random things.
And the reason I told her thiswas because I just had a feeling
in my heart and my spirit thatshe was going to find a picture
(53:11):
that was going to help her ortrigger or remind her that she
needs to be doing that in thisseason of her life.
So she was going to find apicture that was that was going
to remind her this is exactlywhat I'm supposed to be doing.
And she called me I think it wasthe next day and she was like
Jason, jay, I found a picture ofme, uh, with a school, uh,
(53:33):
teacher's outfit on and I wasstanding by a chalkboard and I
had this, this, this stick, andI was pointing at the chalkboard
teaching and she was like youknow I'm I've always had a
passion and a love to be ateacher.
That's what I'm supposed to bedoing.
So she took that and she wentback to grad school, got her
(53:53):
master's.
Now she's teaching at a collegeas a professor.
And you remind me of thatbecause at the beginning you
shared a story about when youwere in school, how you were.
People always wanted you to dothings and they always wanted
you to introduce the speakers.
So even at that point in yourlife, you were being a connector
(54:14):
.
And now here you are continuingto be a connector.
Speaker 1 (54:19):
Yes, it is very interesting and in working with
students you can kind of seethat you know, as they come into
those teenage years, you canwatch them and really start to
see what their future is goingto start to look like.
Even if they can't see it asadults, we can see it and I
(54:44):
think that's why it's soimportant to speak that truth
into them at such a young age.
You know, I really I feel likeyou've really got a gift at
whatever that might be, becauseI feel like when we speak that
into them at that young age,they really start to see what it
(55:04):
is that we can see in them fortheir future.
So I think that's yes.
I think probably because I hadpeople who were speaking that
into me as a young person thatthat's the direction that I now
turn yeah, now you're doing itand now you're living and paying
it forward and I love that.
Speaker 4 (55:27):
Now and to.
We talked about a lot of greatstuff with just your journey in
the nonprofit space and yourcalling, and one of the things I
love about you is that not justthat you're a connector, but
you have so much wisdom, so muchexperience and I know a lot of
(55:51):
people well.
Again, I'm assuming a lot ofpeople lean on you and come to
you for advice and for yourperspective and different things
that are going on.
So let me ask you this questionwhen you look at today's young
people and also kind of a loadedquestion but when you look at
this generation of young people,what comes to mind?
(56:13):
What do you think about?
Speaker 1 (56:15):
Oof, I'm so excited.
I know not everybody looks atour young people and thinks that
Right.
You talk to different peopleand they say, oh, I'm really
worried about our young people.
And our young people are reallystruggling with this and they're
going down this path or thatpath.
(56:36):
I look at our young people andI'm super excited.
And our youth today?
They have so much energy.
They have so much access to somany different things.
They're so aware of what ishappening, not just in their
(56:57):
school, not just in theircommunity, but in their world,
and they're passionate about it.
They want to see change.
They are the change makers.
When we think about the thingsthat need to change in our world
, it's our young people that aregoing to make it happen,
because they have the energy todo it.
Speaker 4 (57:17):
Right.
Speaker 1 (57:18):
We're all like oh, I'm tired.
They're like give it to me, Letme do it.
But two, they have the passionand you know, and they're very
aware of what needs to happenand how to do it and who to talk
to.
And these are the resources andthose kinds of things, and I
(57:40):
think that we don't give ouryoung people enough credit for
the things that they're alreadydoing and the things that they
are going to be doing andcontinue to be doing here in the
future.
So, for me, I look at the youngpeople and I'm like yes, go,
how can I help you?
Let's go.
Speaker 4 (58:02):
I love that.
I love that and you know, I kindof set you up a little bit.
I'm going to be honest, I setyou up because I knew, just
knowing you, I knew the, I knewthe answer you were going to get
, because we're like minded, wethink a lot and I wish I could
take that and cut it up and makeit a public service
(58:22):
announcement for the older gen,just people like ourselves and
the older generation people wholook at this, the younger,
younger, younger generation, genZ and all you know, the younger
people, youth you're advocatingfor them, you're being an ally
(58:53):
and you're helping people seewhat is really inside of these
young people, not you know, whatyou see on the news or what you
hear read about in thenewspapers and what happens in
the schools.
It's like that may represent asmall percentage, but for the
most part, the you know this iswhat the young people are
capable of doing and it's peoplelike you who speak truth and
(59:17):
help people see that.
So again, I commend you and Iapplaud you for that.
Is it hard sometimes?
Speaker 1 (59:26):
Oh, yes, of course I know.
Yeah, I have two young adultsin my house.
Speaker 4 (59:33):
Yeah, so you're living it?
I'm living it, yes, I tell youwhat.
Speaker 1 (59:41):
I have raised two fierce young women in my house.
They know who they are, theyare strong in who they are.
They are confident in who theyare.
They are confident in who theyare.
They don't put up with a wholelot of anything, you know,
they're just.
They're fierce fierce forces ofnature.
(01:00:02):
Yeah, yeah, I'm super proud ofthat.
It's hard as the parentsometimes when you've raised two
fierce young men, but at thesame time, you know I'm super
proud of them and excited whatthey're going to continue to do
in their future.
And they have a heart, liketheir mama and like their daddy.
(01:00:26):
They want to help people, theywant to make change, they want
to impact the world around themand I'm I'm here for it.
Speaker 4 (01:00:41):
I don't know your daughters, but I can tell you I
bet they are Well.
I know they're lucky to haveyou as a just knowing you and
and seeing how you interact withyoung people who aren't your
kids.
You, you treat them like family.
So I know the love is real whenat home, and so I know you and
your husband, lady, an amazingfoundation.
(01:01:03):
So I want to I want to tap intothis a little bit, because I'm
sure the audience, listenerswill appreciate this a a little
bit of some parenting advice orperspective from you.
So I you know I do a little alittle live coaching with
(01:01:24):
parents, and one of thequestions that I was posing to
those parents is this questionwhat does your teenager or young
adult or child in general needto hear that you're afraid to
tell them because you're worriedit might ruin their confidence
(01:01:46):
or it might make them I don'tknow upset with you or whatnot.
And so I ask that questionbecause I coach basketball and
when you get to a certain point,it's you know.
I feel like you have to behonest with young people and
tell them okay, maybe this isn'tfor you, maybe you need to
start channeling your energy inanother area, and it could be
(01:02:10):
anything.
Maybe they want to go toHarvard and their grades may not
reflect that.
So the question I have for you,looking back with you and your
daughters what was something, atruth that you needed to tell
them, that was hard for you totell them as they were growing
up, because you were worried itmay not go over so well?
Speaker 1 (01:02:30):
It may not go over so far.
Yeah, I think having daughters,you have to be really careful.
Yeah, yeah, everything that yousay and how you say it, and all
those types of things.
Raising girls is very differentthan raising boys.
Yeah, so with my daughters, ittypically had to do with
(01:02:50):
friendships and withrelationships.
Yeah, so with my daughters, ittypically had to do with
friendships and withrelationships.
Yeah, seeing a friendship that Iknew I could see on the outside
, this is not a healthyfriendship.
This is a toxic friendship.
But you know, for my daughter,no, this is my best friend.
I'm going to live and die forthis person.
(01:03:13):
You know, my best friend.
And watching from the outside ofthis is not going to end well.
And then you know, strugglingwith how do I say, hey, this
isn't going to end well, thismight not be a healthy
friendship.
I feel like this friendship isjust using you, um, and
(01:03:35):
sometimes I would step in thereand say that, and sometimes I I
would kind of let things takeits course.
Um, and nine times out of ten,that's exactly what ended up
happening.
And then being there for themin the aftermath of that of not
(01:03:57):
in a I told you so kind of way,but in a okay, what did?
What did we learn from thesituation and how can?
How can we make sure that we'regoing to have healthy
friendships for the future?
And same with relationships too?
Watching a relationship, havingto keep your mouth shut about
(01:04:17):
certain things and that it'shard.
It's really really difficult,especially as they go into young
adult and you know wanting,wanting to be there for them,
wanting, wanting to save themand protect them from anything
that's going to hurt them andyet, at the same time, trying to
(01:04:53):
pick them back up after thatfailure and dusting them off and
saying, okay, try again, let'sdo it again.
Speaker 4 (01:04:59):
Yeah, wow, that's amazing advice.
Now, amy, I know you don't getto work with young people as
often as you did previously nowthat you're in a new role, but I
just want to tell you thatagain, you still have it.
You still have a lot to offerand just the wisdom and the
(01:05:23):
advice, and it's amazing to seeyou know it really is, and I
hope that opportunities comewhere you continue to have that
opportunity to impact and speaklife into young people, because,
again, they need you, theydefinitely need you, they really
(01:05:43):
do.
Speaker 1 (01:05:46):
I look for it, that's for sure.
Speaker 4 (01:05:48):
Like you need help with the kids, yes, yeah, when
you have someone like that, it'sjust it's part of who you are,
it's part of your DNA and youngpeople know it.
Like again, they need peoplelike yourself and you know to be
a part of their life and tohelp them so they can stay on
(01:06:09):
that path, and so, again, it'sinspiring to see.
So I want to give you anopportunity to talk a little bit
about how people can supporteither the Respect Team or Youth
for Christ, how they can becomeinvolved in that.
We're listeners and just be apart of what you do.
Speaker 1 (01:06:33):
Yeah, so I'll start with the Respect Team, so they
can just go to respectteamcom.
Pretty simple, it has all theinformation on there how to
donate, how to get involved.
If they're in Northeast Indianalearning about the different
things, the different programsthat the Respect Team does,
(01:06:56):
showing up to the 360 Awards, ifthey're in the area Coming and
supporting our teenagers at TeenSpeak, which we didn't even
talk about.
Teen Speak, and that's a wholeother program that the Respect
Team does, which is reallyamazing too, and all of that
information is on the websitefor the Respect Team does, which
is really amazing too, and allof that information is on the
website for the Respect Team andfor Youth for Christ.
(01:07:17):
It's just and I'm going to Ialways mess this up YFCNINorg,
so it stands for Youth forChrist of Northeast Indiana, but
there's no E in there, soYFCNINorg is the website for Use
(01:07:39):
for Christ of Northeast Indiana.
Speaker 4 (01:07:41):
Okay, awesome, awesome.
Well, it's great opportunitiesto get involved.
I know I'm looking forward tostaying connected and getting
involved more so, uh, and I wantto.
I want to wrap it up by askingyou this question what's next
for amy hannah, the superstar?
Amy hannah, the, the connector,the one who's making, leaving a
(01:08:02):
legacy and making an impacteverywhere she goes what's next
for you?
Speaker 1 (01:08:07):
yeah, that's boy.
That is a great question.
I will say this.
So one of my side things is I'ma children's book author and so
I've published a couple ofbooks and that's been a little
(01:08:29):
passion project on the side.
So I'm in the process ofwriting the third book, which
Congratulations.
Thank you, and it's always anexciting thing when you start
that whole process because itallows my creativity to come out
and you know, just being ableto go through that writing
(01:08:52):
process, I think, is just it'sgood, it's good for me.
Speaker 3 (01:08:57):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:08:58):
Yeah, it allows me to have.
It allows me to flex the otherside of my brain Right, right.
And the first two books wereactually illustrated by a past
student of mine.
She illustrated the first bookwhen she was just a senior in
high school.
She came to me and said I wantto be a children's book
(01:09:20):
illustrator and I said fantastic, I have a book, I wrote a book.
Speaker 4 (01:09:24):
Let's do this together.
Yeah, wow.
Speaker 1 (01:09:26):
So I, so I taught her how to do all of that, and then
she illustrated the second bookas well, which was really cool.
So hopefully she'll be able toillustrate the third book.
She's a junior in, or to be ajunior in, college and so she's
a little bit busier.
But that's, I guess, on thetable of next is getting that
(01:09:49):
next book going getting thatnext book going.
Speaker 4 (01:09:58):
You're so gifted, just so multi-talented, and
giving opportunities to theyounger, like the people you
mentor and work with.
Again, that's evidence of justthe impact that you're having
when people want to come back.
Usually young people are in ahurry to get rid of you.
Right, Just go leave, Like youhave young people circling back
and coming back to you andyou're giving them opportunities
(01:10:18):
.
And so, again, that's howamazing you are.
And then the books writingbooks, you know, and all the
stuff that you're doing.
You're amazing.
And so the next step I know thenext chapter is going to be
even better than this chapter,and so I'm step.
I know the next chapter isgoing to be even better than
this chapter, and so I'm lookingforward to continue to see you
grow and shine.
Speaker 1 (01:10:39):
Thank you so much, my friend.
You've just made my whole day.
I feel really good about myself.
Speaker 4 (01:10:48):
Well, you know what.
You do that for others, and soI think it's only natural for
people to make you feel the sametype of love that you extend
out there.
So thank you so much again foreverything you do.
Speaker 1 (01:11:01):
Yes, thank you.
Thank you for today, thank you.
Speaker 3 (01:11:07):
It is time to realize your potential, unlock your
passion and graduate to greater.
Speaker 2 (01:11:14):
Thank you for tuning into this episode of the Mic'd
Up and Motivated Podcast broughtto you by Inspire to Reach
Higher, the youth motivationalspeaking company for students,
parents and educators.
We'll see you next time.
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