January 20, 2026 • 30 mins
Part 2 - “Fostering human connection is the first step in healing, establishing healthy relationships and creating a better life because we all need someone to tell it to.” www.someonetotellitto.org
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, I'm Selvia Moss. This is Inside. I'm glad to
decide to join us for part two of the show
with the folks from a new organization known as Someone
to Tell It To. I'm going to welcome back to
my guests Mike gang Raid co founder and Chief Values Officer,
Tom Caden, co founder and co Chief Encouragement Officer, and
Angie Dickinson, co Chief Encouragement Office. I'm sure part one
(00:23):
of the shows certainly in a lot of our listeners
have got so much more to tell you. First of all,
I want to share more about it and encourage you
and also ask you please get anyone you know and
love to listen to parts one and two because you're
going to get a lot of good stuff out of
it for your everyday life. First of all, got to
get back to where we left off. We were talking
(00:44):
to Angie about she's responsible right and for training a
lot of the listeners, and I wanted to ask you,
first of all, how you got involved with Somebody Someone
to Tell It To.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Great question, I would love to tell you. Okay, I've
been following the story of Someone to Tell It To
since they began, so I've kind of been watching from
the outside, just observing and just always really identified with
what they were doing and really respected everything that they
were about. I decided to take their training and become
(01:17):
a volunteer. So that's how I started. I started as
a volunteer and started listening, and then just got more
and more involved and found myself working with the training
team and the listening team and working to really build
the training program into something that was accessible to a
lot of people. So that's the work that I've been
(01:38):
up to.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
That's cool. Well, let me ask you this is two part.
What's been the toughest part about what you do? And
what do you like the best about it?
Speaker 3 (01:47):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (01:48):
I love coming up with ways to connect people with
things that make their lives better, that bring them joy.
Any time that I get to sit down and listen
to someone and hear the words you know, I don't
(02:10):
know why I told you that, or I've never told
anyone that before, that just really makes me feel like
I've been able to provide a space for someone to
open up and say something that needs to be said.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
Bet you you've been listening to other people, You've had
your own epiphanies, haven't you? Always?
Speaker 2 (02:28):
You know, I think listening is always a two way street.
If you do it well, there is a lot of
energy that needs to go into it. So it's it's
not just listening, It is so much.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
More than that.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
It takes a lot of energy and time and intention
and something that is very rewarding.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
For anybody who might be considering becoming a volunteer. What's
involved you said training? How much training and what's required
of you.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
We have two listening courses, so we have listening one
on one, which is our base course. That course is
good for anyone who would like to begin to listen
better in any of their spheres of influence, it through
other they're at the grocery store, or whether they're with
their family, or in their jobs or with their children.
That course is great for everyone. And then following that course,
there is a certification course which is our Listening one
(03:17):
O two and people take that course. It has a
little bit more practice involved and experience with listening and
teaches how we do listening within our organization. And following
those two courses, people are certified as a volunteer listener
with our organization.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
So are they assigned to schedule every week or do
they come when they're available to help out.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
So we gather information from our volunteer listeners about their availability,
and then when we have listening assignments, those we form
a team for an assignment and then they meet together.
So that is something that is unique to our organization
that we always have two listeners on every listening connection
(03:58):
that we form, and so it does take a little
bit of coordination with people. But there are several ways
that we actually connect with people that come to us,
and one is through our website.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
People can reach.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Out, fill out a form and that request goes in
that way. We also then meet with people in person
coffee shops, go for walks if they're in the Harrisburg area,
and then we also can do zoom so virtual visits
that way and also telephone calls and also, believe it
or not, email is very popular because there are some
(04:32):
people who would rather write their very articulate writers and
they like to have the ability to write something and
then have time to have a thoughtful response before they
write again. And also some people with language barriers have said,
you know what, I'd prefer email because it gives me
a chance to really think about it as I respond.
So there are a lot of ways that people can
(04:53):
connect for listening. You know what, I'm one of the
things I'm most concerned about in here a lot is caregivers,
especially women who are raising children, working and they're as
they say, they call them sandwich and are responsible. Especially
the oldest child is pretty much always the one that's
(05:14):
most responsible for an aging parent.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
How does what you do help them? Because we could
never pay them as caregivers in the nursing homes, We
can never pay them what they're worth. What do you
offer to them? Are they do they take these courses
and you have other educational courses that might help them, right,
And it goes kind of goes along with what you're
saying as being a resource and nothing. I know because
(05:39):
I do that all the time too. Nothing fills my
heart more than when I hear somebody talking about somebody
and I say, Okay, here's what you do, and I
write down who to talk to. This is what they
tell my toy. You call, They'll take care of you.
I love it. I love it makes me feel like
I made a difference.
Speaker 4 (05:54):
One of the things we do in our workshop is
we teach. It's actually the sixth module, but we actually
argue could probably be the first module, and it's all
about self care and to try and normalize the importance
of self care because when you listen, you're listening to
really hard things, or sometimes you're listening to things that
you don't agree with. We have talked about that in
episode one. Sometimes you're just put in really precarious situations
(06:17):
and so listening is hard work. So the importance especially
as like a caregiver, you're investing in somebody else, but
you need to make sure that your cup is full.
And so we have an entire module just on listening
to yourself essentially and what your own needs are, because
self care is everything, because we can't pour from an
(06:37):
empty cup.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
But we as women, if you'll allow me to say this,
and a lot of it is my generation of women especially,
we don't know the difference between selfish and self caring, right,
And could you explain that to all the women out there?
The thing, well, I can't do that for myself because
I got to take care of them.
Speaker 4 (06:56):
Yeah, I mean, I live with my wife at home
every day and we have four care so I try
to remind her consistently how important it is that she's
investing in herself. It's not easy, but I think that, Yeah,
I think you're right. I think there they are generations
past who maybe didn't place as much an emphasis on.
Speaker 5 (07:13):
That as as we should have. And you see the
results of it.
Speaker 4 (07:16):
You see arms get burnt out and tired, and we
all need to be our best selves and we need
to invest in ourselves so that we can be the
best for the world.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
And I like to add too, that we actually listen
to a lot of caregivers. People who are caring for
a spouse who might be terminally ill, are are someone
you know, are our mothers are, and or fathers who
whose children you know? They might have issues with their children,
(07:47):
a variety of things.
Speaker 5 (07:49):
But we we will listen.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
I mean, that's one of the ways we can help
because we'll listen to caregivers because we realize that caregivers,
whomever they are, get often get overlooked and do not
get the kind of attention. Especially if you're caring for
someone who's sick. Everyone will ask you if you say
you're the caregiver, they will ask you, well, how how
(08:12):
is he doing?
Speaker 1 (08:12):
How is she?
Speaker 3 (08:13):
How is she doing with this? But they will never
ask how are you doing exactly throughout this and so
I think, you know, we we offer that and that's
sometimes some of the most powerful listening we can do
to those who who have been caregivers who often just
get ignored.
Speaker 4 (08:34):
Well, some of the most important work that we've done
over the last really the last fifteen years, as we've
had several contracts where we've gone in. Most recently we're
at Hamilton Health and Harrisburg where we're going in and
listening to employees, nurses, doctors who are exhausted. We did
it with our listeners right before the holidays because that's
historically a really difficult time for caregivers and employees. So
(08:58):
that's the type of listening we can do an organization
too that's been really invaluable is to help keep everyone healthy.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
I love it that throughout they're talking to and during
during COVID, the most difficult time of COVID five years ago,
four or five years ago, we went to Messiah Lifeways
in the Harrisburg area and and listen primarily to you know,
it was for four caregivers, for for nurses, for others
(09:27):
who who were you know, just dealing with a lot
of loss, a lot of death and and not knowing
how to process it and trying to give them an
outlet to to to just talk about what they've experienced
as caregivers. So we you know, we we've done a
lot of you know, we've gone into various hospitals and
(09:50):
to try to to try to be of health clinics,
to be of support.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
I'd like to say this to to the to the
listeners who are supporting the support people out there, the caregivers.
So many of us have no caregivers that are our
friends and our family, And I know that oftentimes we
want to fix the situation, but we want to be
able to provide something that will help to fix. But
I will say very strongly that listening is often the fix.
(10:19):
Listening to people so that they can unload and just
have a little bit of a pressure release about.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
And nobody's judging them, that big deal, And that's what
we fear.
Speaker 5 (10:31):
That's exactly right.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
I mean, we do not judge people. We don't tell
them what to do. We validate the way they're feeling,
you know, say that, yeah, that makes sense. We you know,
we try to as understand as much as we can
what they are going through and let them know that
it's it's basically it's normal, they're not alone, and helping
them to really discover the answers for themselves, because none
(10:56):
of us like to be have an answer imposed on
us for the most party, But when it's our idea,
when we're giving this space, and I think we're just
kind of like guides or permission givers to help people
get to that place where they inside them, where they
know what the answer is, they know what they need
to do.
Speaker 4 (11:16):
It makes could I come back actually doing an earlier
question that you had asked Angie.
Speaker 5 (11:20):
You had asked her a two part question.
Speaker 4 (11:21):
She answered the first part, which is what gives us
joy as listeners, But I think you had asked her,
what's probably the part of the job that's most difficult
or historically is.
Speaker 5 (11:31):
Like kept us up at night.
Speaker 4 (11:33):
And I think it's important for us to just be
very honest about the fact we're a nonprofit.
Speaker 5 (11:38):
We started out that way.
Speaker 4 (11:39):
We made a commitment since day one and we never
want to turn anybody away based on their inability to pay.
So we've never turned anybody away in our fifteen years,
which we're really proud of that.
Speaker 5 (11:49):
But we rely heavily.
Speaker 4 (11:50):
On donors, individual donors, and a lot of the research
that's out there they say that seventy percent of your
annual budget should come from individual donors. We're really fortunate
that we have a lot of generous people. So if
anybody's listening to this would love to support our work,
we would love for you to reach out to any
three of us. Angie at someone to tell to you,
Tom at someone to tell you dot org, or Michael
(12:11):
at someone to tell you dot org. We'd love to
have a conversation with you. But we do get some compensation.
We have a fee for service side of our work
that we do in organizations like I just mentioned, where
employees will pay us to come in and listen to
employees or lead workshops. But it doesn't make up our
full budget, and so we need individual donors and we
rely heavily on those and that's what keeps us.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
Up and.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
That's the hardest part. But the actual work that we do,
while it's hard work, we all love it. We know
that we've been created and made to do this. It
is a calling for us. Or we probably or probably would't,
we wouldn't be doing it, but it is that it
is that practical financial aspect. Sure, that is the hardest because,
(12:54):
to be honest, listening is still not taken serious.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
That's right, Mike, you are absolutely it is not. Oh
it's just your opinion.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
Yeah, well, or it's just you just the number of
times we have heard so you just listen as if
everybody and does that really well, and it's that it's
easy and it's hard work.
Speaker 4 (13:15):
I'd love to give you just a little bit of
research too. We had mentioned in the first part just
around the loneliness epidemic, and just there's been so much
research over the last ten years that has supported our work.
In fact, one of our bigger donors has said to us,
your work is more needed now than ever before, and
you have the research now to support it. I mean,
the former Surgeon General had all kinds of statistics about
the loneliness epidemic. Brene Brown and one of our most
(13:37):
recent books, Braving the Wilderness, as an old chapter on loneliness,
and just a couple of statistics to kind of put
this in to flesh it out a little bit more.
In the nineteen eighties, only twenty percent of people said
that they feel sometimes feel lonely and now in this
current day and age, it says the most recent studies
forty percent of people feel severely lily so and then
(13:58):
they had done a study in twenty twenty four with
one hundred and forty two countries and twenty four percent
of the world population is dealing with severe amounts of loneliness.
And this affects our mental, emotional, spiritual health and our
physical health too. Is that is like it decreases our
chance to survival by I think twenty years. So it's
it's a serious issue, and we can't emphasize that strongly enough.
Speaker 3 (14:22):
Loneliness is just as impactful on our health as his
heart disease, of obesity or diabetes. To answer all the
things that we are afraid of getting that can kill us,
loneliness is one of those things and that just doesn't
get the same amount of attention and you know, and
(14:43):
being talked about as So we really are grateful that
we can talk about it with you today.
Speaker 1 (14:49):
Oh and we'll talk more in a couple of minutes.
But I want to also besides all the listening that
you do and training of your listeners, you also have
a blog and you I didn't know you had a podcast,
who does it? Tell me about your guests, what you do,
and tell me about your blog.
Speaker 3 (15:06):
We're in the eighth eighth season now of that.
Speaker 1 (15:09):
Where have I been?
Speaker 3 (15:11):
And uh, well if for most of the time it's
been Tom and me, but now and she's been joining
us for some of the pot for some of the episodes,
and she does a great job and is pretty much
a natural at it, and just as she is today,
this is your first radio Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
She's pretty cool. She's doing a great job.
Speaker 3 (15:30):
You are really doing what I uh and now I don't, well,
tell me what you talk about.
Speaker 4 (15:42):
Yeah, we interview you guests from literally around the world.
We're a part of a community that is literally around
the world called the International Listening Association, And so sometimes
we'll pull and I think it's in how many countries,
thirty five countries? Yeah, Yeah, And sometimes we'll interview people
who are members of the internetational and primarily academics, but
(16:02):
we're practitioners and authors. But we interview people from a
variety of sectors of society and because we can see
how listening intersects with every aultor yeah, so it could
be an education, it could be you know.
Speaker 3 (16:17):
Healthcare, doctors, business, even you know, in business, we've we've
we've you know, we've talked with some actually some best
selling authors, which has been really really neat.
Speaker 6 (16:30):
You must have a lot of followers more, because I'll
tell you that that's how a lot of people get
more better, bigger guests, by the number of followers that
they have.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
But let me ask you this, where are you? How
do I find you? Podcasts?
Speaker 5 (16:46):
Yeah, we're on any podcast app.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
That you anytime on any part Okay, and it is
someone that just someone to tell you to someone to
someone to tell it to podcast. Yeah. Yeah, you can
find it on the website as well. Okay, Oh that's good.
There's a link on there. That's really important. You had
just talked about what your needs were, and that was
what I was going to ask you about. But something
(17:09):
that worked out real well for you was a connection
you had to mister Rogers. I love that story. Talk
about that how that all came to pass on what
you did, it's really neat.
Speaker 3 (17:22):
Early on, actually literally before Tom and I created someone
to tell it to, we read a book together entitled
I'm Proud of You My Friendship with Fred Rogers. We
both loved the book. It was just heartwarming and funny
at times, sad at other times, just touching. We reached
(17:47):
out to the author, we found him reached out to
when we called him, he took our phone call and
we invited him to come to Harrisburg for our very
first fundraising event in our second year of existence, and
he came. His name was Tim Madigan. He's a journalist
in Texas. He had been invited to our accidy given
(18:09):
an assignment to go to Pittsburgh and interview Fred Rogers.
Spent four days with him and they just really connected strongly,
and for the last eight years of Fred's life they
remained close and in touch. So that's that's how we
that began. We kept in touch because we connected so
(18:31):
well with Tim the author. We connected and we believed
in in in the in Fred work and his life
and how just what a what a human saint he
was and also from Pennsylvania, so you know, a hero
of this state. And anyway, over the years Tim would
(18:52):
tell us about they were they were thinking about making
this into a movie, and ultimately that didn't happen, even
though there was a movie very very similar. It was
much like the story, but that they made Tim and
a professor a theater co wrote a play based on
the book. Tom and I were invited and it premiered
(19:13):
in Fort Worth, Texas, where Tim lived. Tom and I
were invited to see the play by Tim. We fell
in love with it, said it needs to be seen
more than in Fort Worth. It needs to come to Pennsylvania, Fred,
where Fred is from.
Speaker 5 (19:26):
And we.
Speaker 3 (19:29):
Reached out to Open Stage Theater here and they picked
it up and we co produced it together last year.
A year ago, we were starting just about ready to
do the rehearsals. Tom asked me in a private moment
one day, knowing that I had some acting experience, know
that I liked to do that and wish I could
(19:51):
do more, He said, why don't you would you be
interested in trying out for the part of Fred. So
I did and I got the part. Of course, well
not of course no, I think I picture you, thank you,
But I got I got the part, and a year
ago I was immersed in desperately trying to learn lines
(20:13):
because it was a big part and and also a
very famous part. And I knew that I was going
to get the most scrutiny because everybody knew who knew
who this guy was, and if I screwed it up,
it was you know, its gonna be disastrous.
Speaker 1 (20:27):
How do you do? Guys? Absolutely no doubt.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
And I know because every single performance was fantastic of
them and.
Speaker 4 (20:38):
It was a fundraiser for someone to tell to and
and open stage, and we we shared all the profits
and the revenue and so all the ticket sales went
to support our work, and Angie and I were able
to introduce each and every show and every performance, and
then we were able to do talkback sessions. In fact,
the author came up for a couple of the performances
and it was just such a rewarding.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
It was do you think you do it again?
Speaker 3 (21:00):
I would do it in a second.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
What's involved in doing that? Just getting permission again?
Speaker 3 (21:05):
Well? Right now? Uh, the the author, Tim and the
his co play writer are there in the process of
trying to find an agent because they they've now done
done it in five different locations. Three of them were
in Texas, one was in Minnesota, where the author Tim
is from, and then and then here in Harrisbring.
Speaker 1 (21:24):
I thought they were surprised to hear from you when
you first called them.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
Uh, I think they were even more surprised that I
got the part to play Fred because the author Tim Tim,
I emailed him and said, you know, done this and
he said, he said, what you you know, didn't didn't
know so much about my background and that strong interest.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
We didn't do if they take it to Broadway.
Speaker 3 (21:51):
Well, seriously, when we had one of the talkbacks, somebody
asked about that, where would you, like, what do you
envision you know, for this moving forward? And Tim's answer,
you know, in our talkback after one of the performances,
was a Tony Award, which is what you get on
you know.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
When for you better get me tickets when you're on
broad That would.
Speaker 4 (22:12):
Be that would just be coming back just to the
nature of the play too. I mean you had asked
in the beginning just around some of the issues that
people are highlighting when they call into your program, and
mental health being one of those. And the whole storyline
is about this journalist Tim Madigan, who was very vulnerable
in the book about kind of a crossroads in his
(22:33):
own life. He was like his marriage was not doing well,
and he was a very successful journalist, but just was
feeling like a lack of purpose in his life. And
I think at that point maybe he was in his
forties and just kind of felt stuck and very similar
to my own journey, and he needed somebody like Michael
did for me. Fred did the same thing for him
and provided that safe space for Tim Beole to process
(22:55):
his own mental health. So I think, yes, certainly, we
would love to see the the show come back to
Harrisburg or somewhere else in the state. We've talked about
going it going to Pittsburgh, where Fred was from, but
I think there's other ways that we're also trying to
advocate and address mental health. We have an event that's
going to be coming up the spring, and it's actually
(23:16):
at WITF headquarters where we're bringing in another journalist who
actually did a documentary that aired on PBS called Mister
Rogers and Me. He came to one of the I'm
Proud of You performances, he approached Angie and I one
of the evenings the show. We met with him afterwards,
and he has another documentary that comes out on PBS
(23:37):
the spring, and it's all about his own mental health journey.
He's very vulnerable in the whole hour documentary, and as
soon as we had been given permission to watch the documentary,
we said, we got to bring this guy to Harrisburg.
So we're going to be having him as a speaker
for a big event that's coming up the spring, and
we'll probably have a panel to just talk about mental
health and how we can be better at addressing it.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
You know, one of the things I want to ask,
you've been doing this now fifteen years, was there a
moment when you realize, oh my gosh, do you realize
how many people we felt? Can you remember something like that?
Did it hit you?
Speaker 3 (24:16):
I think it's been less a hit than just sort
of gradual.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (24:22):
Michael's better at slowing down than probably Angie and I
is just like, his aura and his being is probably
more Fred Rogers asque. I just like and we need
more of that in our lives. But I think I
sometimes just have a hard time stopping and slowing down.
But I think you're right. I mean, it's so important
to dude, because I think we have had massive impact,
(24:42):
and more impact than we even are aware of. I mean,
listening by nature is just very intangible, and that's always
a difficulty, is how to make it tangible for people
to understand the importance of it.
Speaker 1 (24:53):
So I mean, we all desperately need it. That's a
number one thing I think we need what we say.
Speaker 2 (24:59):
I had moment just the other night. I was in
a call with someone and they were explaining to me
about their business, their small business, and how impactful the
training they attended was. They use it every day when
they're talking to customers and when they're talking to their staff.
And you begin to think, if it has been that
(25:20):
impactful for one person, and that person interacts with several people,
lots of people during the week, then what could the
ripple effect be? What could we do in this world
If we are learning these skills, and if we are
believing the best about people, and we are creating the
space for good listening, and we are asking questions that
(25:40):
open up conversation instead of shutting it down. If we
can do those things, the ripple effect will be enormous.
Speaker 1 (25:47):
Oh my god, Well, dealing with people from all over
the world. When you talk to people from different parts
of the world, do they have the same issues that
we do?
Speaker 3 (25:56):
Absolutely, that's the human experience we all experience. It's the
same kinds of fears, loneliness, grief, regret, doubt, insecurity. I
think I mean maybe some of our physical circumstances obviously
might be different, but the issues are real and they're human,
(26:17):
and that's.
Speaker 5 (26:19):
Where we try to connect. Because that's the case.
Speaker 3 (26:21):
I wanted to just quickly answer, I did have a
there is a moment that I realized we are having
an impact, and that was actually years ago. We received
an email one day from a psychiatrist at the Hershey
Medical Center here in the Harrisburg region who basically said
he was seeing someone who he and that's how he
(26:43):
heard about us, because that person was also seeing us
with someone to tell it to, and wrote, can I
refer people to you? There's a psychiatrist. I wanted to
refer people to us because you could see from this
one person and with whom we had also met, and
and and that person talked about us that that we
(27:06):
were doing something that he couldn't do so much as
a psychiatrist, so that they didn't even really need him
as much as they need a friend because they were lonely.
Speaker 1 (27:18):
Why do you think it works for so many people?
Speaker 3 (27:23):
Because because so many, so many well, so many people
are lonely. So many people there was there's this huge
disconnection in the world and for all the technological advancements
that we made that are wonderful and that connect us
in so many ways. I mean, there are a lot
of people just because of this technology right here who
(27:46):
are going.
Speaker 1 (27:46):
To hear us all which accident.
Speaker 3 (27:53):
What we hope they will.
Speaker 5 (27:55):
That's wonderful.
Speaker 3 (27:56):
But despite the electronic digital connectivity that we all have,
we are more emotionally and relationally disconnected.
Speaker 5 (28:09):
But than probably ever.
Speaker 1 (28:11):
What caused it?
Speaker 3 (28:12):
Though?
Speaker 1 (28:12):
Are we? Is it a fast society that we put
all that's interesting?
Speaker 4 (28:17):
Actually I had mentioned some research earlier, but there was
a book that I read in grad school by a
guy named Robert Putnam, and then everybody looks at this
as just like a foundational resource now to talk about
the loneliest epidemic. And it was called Bowling Alone. And
he wrote in this book, and I think it came
out in like the nineties, and it's it's been a
long time, but it still gets reference all the time
because he essentially wrote in the book that maybe in
(28:40):
the eighties people would go to like smoking bowling alleys
on a Thursday night and they'd have these bowling leagues,
and maybe they were more connected to churches. And we
know that numbers and churches are declining in a lot
of ways, and so people are just longing for community
as we always have been, and we don't maybe have
those resources as we once did, or we're not seeking
(29:02):
them out as much as once what we once did.
So you know, people look to social media sometimes to
fill this gap and this void. And you could have
you could have a thousand friends on Facebook, and you
have almost no one who actually knows you.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 4 (29:14):
And like the effects of having just one or two
or three people in your corner who are sharing life
with you. It's just the effects are massive, especially on
your health, on your physical health.
Speaker 1 (29:28):
You know what, I loved having you guys here today.
I'm probably gonna run this program down the road again too,
because you gave us basics of being happy, truly and helping.
And the whole thing is I always think, when I'm
in a situation and I don't want to turn this
into religious, what's the right thing to do? What would
God want me to do? And I can totally see
why you are successful because you're providing so much comfort
(29:51):
and sort of a sense of direction to people. And
I just loved you guys. Your website is someone to
tell it to Dot or my guests again, Mike Gingrick,
co founder, Chief Values Officer, Tom Caine, co founder, co
Chief Encouragement Officer, and Andie Dickson, co Chief Encouragement Officer. Again.
Please keep in mind the true human connection goes from compassionate,
(30:15):
judgment free listening, and that's what these folks are offering. Guys,
thanks so much again, this has been wonderful. This is
Sylvia Moss telling you that you want want to miss
part one, so check out part one and come back
for part two. I guess again or from someone to
tell it to check it out on our show that
there was every Sunday on our ten Nighthearts stations or
anytime on our favorite podcast. Remember, Insight is always there
(30:39):
for you. Thanks so much for listening. To see you
next week.
Hi, I'm Selvia Moss. This is Inside. I'm glad to
decide to join us for part two of the show
with the folks from a new organization known as Someone
to Tell It To. I'm going to welcome back to
my guests Mike gang Raid co founder and Chief Values Officer,
Tom Caden, co founder and co Chief Encouragement Officer, and
Angie Dickinson, co Chief Encouragement Office. I'm sure part one
(00:23):
of the shows certainly in a lot of our listeners
have got so much more to tell you. First of all,
I want to share more about it and encourage you
and also ask you please get anyone you know and
love to listen to parts one and two because you're
going to get a lot of good stuff out of
it for your everyday life. First of all, got to
get back to where we left off. We were talking
(00:44):
to Angie about she's responsible right and for training a
lot of the listeners, and I wanted to ask you,
first of all, how you got involved with Somebody Someone
to Tell It To.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Great question, I would love to tell you. Okay, I've
been following the story of Someone to Tell It To
since they began, so I've kind of been watching from
the outside, just observing and just always really identified with
what they were doing and really respected everything that they
were about. I decided to take their training and become
(01:17):
a volunteer. So that's how I started. I started as
a volunteer and started listening, and then just got more
and more involved and found myself working with the training
team and the listening team and working to really build
the training program into something that was accessible to a
lot of people. So that's the work that I've been
(01:38):
up to.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
That's cool. Well, let me ask you this is two part.
What's been the toughest part about what you do? And
what do you like the best about it?
Speaker 3 (01:47):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (01:48):
I love coming up with ways to connect people with
things that make their lives better, that bring them joy.
Any time that I get to sit down and listen
to someone and hear the words you know, I don't
(02:10):
know why I told you that, or I've never told
anyone that before, that just really makes me feel like
I've been able to provide a space for someone to
open up and say something that needs to be said.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
Bet you you've been listening to other people, You've had
your own epiphanies, haven't you? Always?
Speaker 2 (02:28):
You know, I think listening is always a two way street.
If you do it well, there is a lot of
energy that needs to go into it. So it's it's
not just listening, It is so much.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
More than that.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
It takes a lot of energy and time and intention
and something that is very rewarding.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
For anybody who might be considering becoming a volunteer. What's
involved you said training? How much training and what's required
of you.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
We have two listening courses, so we have listening one
on one, which is our base course. That course is
good for anyone who would like to begin to listen
better in any of their spheres of influence, it through
other they're at the grocery store, or whether they're with
their family, or in their jobs or with their children.
That course is great for everyone. And then following that course,
there is a certification course which is our Listening one
(03:17):
O two and people take that course. It has a
little bit more practice involved and experience with listening and
teaches how we do listening within our organization. And following
those two courses, people are certified as a volunteer listener
with our organization.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
So are they assigned to schedule every week or do
they come when they're available to help out.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
So we gather information from our volunteer listeners about their availability,
and then when we have listening assignments, those we form
a team for an assignment and then they meet together.
So that is something that is unique to our organization
that we always have two listeners on every listening connection
(03:58):
that we form, and so it does take a little
bit of coordination with people. But there are several ways
that we actually connect with people that come to us,
and one is through our website.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
People can reach.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Out, fill out a form and that request goes in
that way. We also then meet with people in person
coffee shops, go for walks if they're in the Harrisburg area,
and then we also can do zoom so virtual visits
that way and also telephone calls and also, believe it
or not, email is very popular because there are some
(04:32):
people who would rather write their very articulate writers and
they like to have the ability to write something and
then have time to have a thoughtful response before they
write again. And also some people with language barriers have said,
you know what, I'd prefer email because it gives me
a chance to really think about it as I respond.
So there are a lot of ways that people can
(04:53):
connect for listening. You know what, I'm one of the
things I'm most concerned about in here a lot is caregivers,
especially women who are raising children, working and they're as
they say, they call them sandwich and are responsible. Especially
the oldest child is pretty much always the one that's
(05:14):
most responsible for an aging parent.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
How does what you do help them? Because we could
never pay them as caregivers in the nursing homes, We
can never pay them what they're worth. What do you
offer to them? Are they do they take these courses
and you have other educational courses that might help them, right,
And it goes kind of goes along with what you're
saying as being a resource and nothing. I know because
(05:39):
I do that all the time too. Nothing fills my
heart more than when I hear somebody talking about somebody
and I say, Okay, here's what you do, and I
write down who to talk to. This is what they
tell my toy. You call, They'll take care of you.
I love it. I love it makes me feel like
I made a difference.
Speaker 4 (05:54):
One of the things we do in our workshop is
we teach. It's actually the sixth module, but we actually
argue could probably be the first module, and it's all
about self care and to try and normalize the importance
of self care because when you listen, you're listening to
really hard things, or sometimes you're listening to things that
you don't agree with. We have talked about that in
episode one. Sometimes you're just put in really precarious situations
(06:17):
and so listening is hard work. So the importance especially
as like a caregiver, you're investing in somebody else, but
you need to make sure that your cup is full.
And so we have an entire module just on listening
to yourself essentially and what your own needs are, because
self care is everything, because we can't pour from an
(06:37):
empty cup.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
But we as women, if you'll allow me to say this,
and a lot of it is my generation of women especially,
we don't know the difference between selfish and self caring, right,
And could you explain that to all the women out there?
The thing, well, I can't do that for myself because
I got to take care of them.
Speaker 4 (06:56):
Yeah, I mean, I live with my wife at home
every day and we have four care so I try
to remind her consistently how important it is that she's
investing in herself. It's not easy, but I think that, Yeah,
I think you're right. I think there they are generations
past who maybe didn't place as much an emphasis on.
Speaker 5 (07:13):
That as as we should have. And you see the
results of it.
Speaker 4 (07:16):
You see arms get burnt out and tired, and we
all need to be our best selves and we need
to invest in ourselves so that we can be the
best for the world.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
And I like to add too, that we actually listen
to a lot of caregivers. People who are caring for
a spouse who might be terminally ill, are are someone
you know, are our mothers are, and or fathers who
whose children you know? They might have issues with their children,
(07:47):
a variety of things.
Speaker 5 (07:49):
But we we will listen.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
I mean, that's one of the ways we can help
because we'll listen to caregivers because we realize that caregivers,
whomever they are, get often get overlooked and do not
get the kind of attention. Especially if you're caring for
someone who's sick. Everyone will ask you if you say
you're the caregiver, they will ask you, well, how how
(08:12):
is he doing?
Speaker 1 (08:12):
How is she?
Speaker 3 (08:13):
How is she doing with this? But they will never
ask how are you doing exactly throughout this and so
I think, you know, we we offer that and that's
sometimes some of the most powerful listening we can do
to those who who have been caregivers who often just
get ignored.
Speaker 4 (08:34):
Well, some of the most important work that we've done
over the last really the last fifteen years, as we've
had several contracts where we've gone in. Most recently we're
at Hamilton Health and Harrisburg where we're going in and
listening to employees, nurses, doctors who are exhausted. We did
it with our listeners right before the holidays because that's
historically a really difficult time for caregivers and employees. So
(08:58):
that's the type of listening we can do an organization
too that's been really invaluable is to help keep everyone healthy.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
I love it that throughout they're talking to and during
during COVID, the most difficult time of COVID five years ago,
four or five years ago, we went to Messiah Lifeways
in the Harrisburg area and and listen primarily to you know,
it was for four caregivers, for for nurses, for others
(09:27):
who who were you know, just dealing with a lot
of loss, a lot of death and and not knowing
how to process it and trying to give them an
outlet to to to just talk about what they've experienced
as caregivers. So we you know, we we've done a
lot of you know, we've gone into various hospitals and
(09:50):
to try to to try to be of health clinics,
to be of support.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
I'd like to say this to to the to the
listeners who are supporting the support people out there, the caregivers.
So many of us have no caregivers that are our
friends and our family, And I know that oftentimes we
want to fix the situation, but we want to be
able to provide something that will help to fix. But
I will say very strongly that listening is often the fix.
(10:19):
Listening to people so that they can unload and just
have a little bit of a pressure release about.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
And nobody's judging them, that big deal, And that's what
we fear.
Speaker 5 (10:31):
That's exactly right.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
I mean, we do not judge people. We don't tell
them what to do. We validate the way they're feeling,
you know, say that, yeah, that makes sense. We you know,
we try to as understand as much as we can
what they are going through and let them know that
it's it's basically it's normal, they're not alone, and helping
them to really discover the answers for themselves, because none
(10:56):
of us like to be have an answer imposed on
us for the most party, But when it's our idea,
when we're giving this space, and I think we're just
kind of like guides or permission givers to help people
get to that place where they inside them, where they
know what the answer is, they know what they need
to do.
Speaker 4 (11:16):
It makes could I come back actually doing an earlier
question that you had asked Angie.
Speaker 5 (11:20):
You had asked her a two part question.
Speaker 4 (11:21):
She answered the first part, which is what gives us
joy as listeners, But I think you had asked her,
what's probably the part of the job that's most difficult
or historically is.
Speaker 5 (11:31):
Like kept us up at night.
Speaker 4 (11:33):
And I think it's important for us to just be
very honest about the fact we're a nonprofit.
Speaker 5 (11:38):
We started out that way.
Speaker 4 (11:39):
We made a commitment since day one and we never
want to turn anybody away based on their inability to pay.
So we've never turned anybody away in our fifteen years,
which we're really proud of that.
Speaker 5 (11:49):
But we rely heavily.
Speaker 4 (11:50):
On donors, individual donors, and a lot of the research
that's out there they say that seventy percent of your
annual budget should come from individual donors. We're really fortunate
that we have a lot of generous people. So if
anybody's listening to this would love to support our work,
we would love for you to reach out to any
three of us. Angie at someone to tell to you,
Tom at someone to tell you dot org, or Michael
(12:11):
at someone to tell you dot org. We'd love to
have a conversation with you. But we do get some compensation.
We have a fee for service side of our work
that we do in organizations like I just mentioned, where
employees will pay us to come in and listen to
employees or lead workshops. But it doesn't make up our
full budget, and so we need individual donors and we
rely heavily on those and that's what keeps us.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
Up and.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
That's the hardest part. But the actual work that we do,
while it's hard work, we all love it. We know
that we've been created and made to do this. It
is a calling for us. Or we probably or probably would't,
we wouldn't be doing it, but it is that it
is that practical financial aspect. Sure, that is the hardest because,
(12:54):
to be honest, listening is still not taken serious.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
That's right, Mike, you are absolutely it is not. Oh
it's just your opinion.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
Yeah, well, or it's just you just the number of
times we have heard so you just listen as if
everybody and does that really well, and it's that it's
easy and it's hard work.
Speaker 4 (13:15):
I'd love to give you just a little bit of
research too. We had mentioned in the first part just
around the loneliness epidemic, and just there's been so much
research over the last ten years that has supported our work.
In fact, one of our bigger donors has said to us,
your work is more needed now than ever before, and
you have the research now to support it. I mean,
the former Surgeon General had all kinds of statistics about
the loneliness epidemic. Brene Brown and one of our most
(13:37):
recent books, Braving the Wilderness, as an old chapter on loneliness,
and just a couple of statistics to kind of put
this in to flesh it out a little bit more.
In the nineteen eighties, only twenty percent of people said
that they feel sometimes feel lonely and now in this
current day and age, it says the most recent studies
forty percent of people feel severely lily so and then
(13:58):
they had done a study in twenty twenty four with
one hundred and forty two countries and twenty four percent
of the world population is dealing with severe amounts of loneliness.
And this affects our mental, emotional, spiritual health and our
physical health too. Is that is like it decreases our
chance to survival by I think twenty years. So it's
it's a serious issue, and we can't emphasize that strongly enough.
Speaker 3 (14:22):
Loneliness is just as impactful on our health as his
heart disease, of obesity or diabetes. To answer all the
things that we are afraid of getting that can kill us,
loneliness is one of those things and that just doesn't
get the same amount of attention and you know, and
(14:43):
being talked about as So we really are grateful that
we can talk about it with you today.
Speaker 1 (14:49):
Oh and we'll talk more in a couple of minutes.
But I want to also besides all the listening that
you do and training of your listeners, you also have
a blog and you I didn't know you had a podcast,
who does it? Tell me about your guests, what you do,
and tell me about your blog.
Speaker 3 (15:06):
We're in the eighth eighth season now of that.
Speaker 1 (15:09):
Where have I been?
Speaker 3 (15:11):
And uh, well if for most of the time it's
been Tom and me, but now and she's been joining
us for some of the pot for some of the episodes,
and she does a great job and is pretty much
a natural at it, and just as she is today,
this is your first radio Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
She's pretty cool. She's doing a great job.
Speaker 3 (15:30):
You are really doing what I uh and now I don't, well,
tell me what you talk about.
Speaker 4 (15:42):
Yeah, we interview you guests from literally around the world.
We're a part of a community that is literally around
the world called the International Listening Association, And so sometimes
we'll pull and I think it's in how many countries,
thirty five countries? Yeah, Yeah, And sometimes we'll interview people
who are members of the internetational and primarily academics, but
(16:02):
we're practitioners and authors. But we interview people from a
variety of sectors of society and because we can see
how listening intersects with every aultor yeah, so it could
be an education, it could be you know.
Speaker 3 (16:17):
Healthcare, doctors, business, even you know, in business, we've we've
we've you know, we've talked with some actually some best
selling authors, which has been really really neat.
Speaker 6 (16:30):
You must have a lot of followers more, because I'll
tell you that that's how a lot of people get
more better, bigger guests, by the number of followers that
they have.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
But let me ask you this, where are you? How
do I find you? Podcasts?
Speaker 5 (16:46):
Yeah, we're on any podcast app.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
That you anytime on any part Okay, and it is
someone that just someone to tell you to someone to
someone to tell it to podcast. Yeah. Yeah, you can
find it on the website as well. Okay, Oh that's good.
There's a link on there. That's really important. You had
just talked about what your needs were, and that was
what I was going to ask you about. But something
(17:09):
that worked out real well for you was a connection
you had to mister Rogers. I love that story. Talk
about that how that all came to pass on what
you did, it's really neat.
Speaker 3 (17:22):
Early on, actually literally before Tom and I created someone
to tell it to, we read a book together entitled
I'm Proud of You My Friendship with Fred Rogers. We
both loved the book. It was just heartwarming and funny
at times, sad at other times, just touching. We reached
(17:47):
out to the author, we found him reached out to
when we called him, he took our phone call and
we invited him to come to Harrisburg for our very
first fundraising event in our second year of existence, and
he came. His name was Tim Madigan. He's a journalist
in Texas. He had been invited to our accidy given
(18:09):
an assignment to go to Pittsburgh and interview Fred Rogers.
Spent four days with him and they just really connected strongly,
and for the last eight years of Fred's life they
remained close and in touch. So that's that's how we
that began. We kept in touch because we connected so
(18:31):
well with Tim the author. We connected and we believed
in in in the in Fred work and his life
and how just what a what a human saint he
was and also from Pennsylvania, so you know, a hero
of this state. And anyway, over the years Tim would
(18:52):
tell us about they were they were thinking about making
this into a movie, and ultimately that didn't happen, even
though there was a movie very very similar. It was
much like the story, but that they made Tim and
a professor a theater co wrote a play based on
the book. Tom and I were invited and it premiered
(19:13):
in Fort Worth, Texas, where Tim lived. Tom and I
were invited to see the play by Tim. We fell
in love with it, said it needs to be seen
more than in Fort Worth. It needs to come to Pennsylvania, Fred,
where Fred is from.
Speaker 5 (19:26):
And we.
Speaker 3 (19:29):
Reached out to Open Stage Theater here and they picked
it up and we co produced it together last year.
A year ago, we were starting just about ready to
do the rehearsals. Tom asked me in a private moment
one day, knowing that I had some acting experience, know
that I liked to do that and wish I could
(19:51):
do more, He said, why don't you would you be
interested in trying out for the part of Fred. So
I did and I got the part. Of course, well
not of course no, I think I picture you, thank you,
But I got I got the part, and a year
ago I was immersed in desperately trying to learn lines
(20:13):
because it was a big part and and also a
very famous part. And I knew that I was going
to get the most scrutiny because everybody knew who knew
who this guy was, and if I screwed it up,
it was you know, its gonna be disastrous.
Speaker 1 (20:27):
How do you do? Guys? Absolutely no doubt.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
And I know because every single performance was fantastic of
them and.
Speaker 4 (20:38):
It was a fundraiser for someone to tell to and
and open stage, and we we shared all the profits
and the revenue and so all the ticket sales went
to support our work, and Angie and I were able
to introduce each and every show and every performance, and
then we were able to do talkback sessions. In fact,
the author came up for a couple of the performances
and it was just such a rewarding.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
It was do you think you do it again?
Speaker 3 (21:00):
I would do it in a second.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
What's involved in doing that? Just getting permission again?
Speaker 3 (21:05):
Well? Right now? Uh, the the author, Tim and the
his co play writer are there in the process of
trying to find an agent because they they've now done
done it in five different locations. Three of them were
in Texas, one was in Minnesota, where the author Tim
is from, and then and then here in Harrisbring.
Speaker 1 (21:24):
I thought they were surprised to hear from you when
you first called them.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
Uh, I think they were even more surprised that I
got the part to play Fred because the author Tim Tim,
I emailed him and said, you know, done this and
he said, he said, what you you know, didn't didn't
know so much about my background and that strong interest.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
We didn't do if they take it to Broadway.
Speaker 3 (21:51):
Well, seriously, when we had one of the talkbacks, somebody
asked about that, where would you, like, what do you
envision you know, for this moving forward? And Tim's answer,
you know, in our talkback after one of the performances,
was a Tony Award, which is what you get on
you know.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
When for you better get me tickets when you're on
broad That would.
Speaker 4 (22:12):
Be that would just be coming back just to the
nature of the play too. I mean you had asked
in the beginning just around some of the issues that
people are highlighting when they call into your program, and
mental health being one of those. And the whole storyline
is about this journalist Tim Madigan, who was very vulnerable
in the book about kind of a crossroads in his
(22:33):
own life. He was like his marriage was not doing well,
and he was a very successful journalist, but just was
feeling like a lack of purpose in his life. And
I think at that point maybe he was in his
forties and just kind of felt stuck and very similar
to my own journey, and he needed somebody like Michael
did for me. Fred did the same thing for him
and provided that safe space for Tim Beole to process
(22:55):
his own mental health. So I think, yes, certainly, we
would love to see the the show come back to
Harrisburg or somewhere else in the state. We've talked about
going it going to Pittsburgh, where Fred was from, but
I think there's other ways that we're also trying to
advocate and address mental health. We have an event that's
going to be coming up the spring, and it's actually
(23:16):
at WITF headquarters where we're bringing in another journalist who
actually did a documentary that aired on PBS called Mister
Rogers and Me. He came to one of the I'm
Proud of You performances, he approached Angie and I one
of the evenings the show. We met with him afterwards,
and he has another documentary that comes out on PBS
(23:37):
the spring, and it's all about his own mental health journey.
He's very vulnerable in the whole hour documentary, and as
soon as we had been given permission to watch the documentary,
we said, we got to bring this guy to Harrisburg.
So we're going to be having him as a speaker
for a big event that's coming up the spring, and
we'll probably have a panel to just talk about mental
health and how we can be better at addressing it.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
You know, one of the things I want to ask,
you've been doing this now fifteen years, was there a
moment when you realize, oh my gosh, do you realize
how many people we felt? Can you remember something like that?
Did it hit you?
Speaker 3 (24:16):
I think it's been less a hit than just sort
of gradual.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (24:22):
Michael's better at slowing down than probably Angie and I
is just like, his aura and his being is probably
more Fred Rogers asque. I just like and we need
more of that in our lives. But I think I
sometimes just have a hard time stopping and slowing down.
But I think you're right. I mean, it's so important
to dude, because I think we have had massive impact,
(24:42):
and more impact than we even are aware of. I mean,
listening by nature is just very intangible, and that's always
a difficulty, is how to make it tangible for people
to understand the importance of it.
Speaker 1 (24:53):
So I mean, we all desperately need it. That's a
number one thing I think we need what we say.
Speaker 2 (24:59):
I had moment just the other night. I was in
a call with someone and they were explaining to me
about their business, their small business, and how impactful the
training they attended was. They use it every day when
they're talking to customers and when they're talking to their staff.
And you begin to think, if it has been that
(25:20):
impactful for one person, and that person interacts with several people,
lots of people during the week, then what could the
ripple effect be? What could we do in this world
If we are learning these skills, and if we are
believing the best about people, and we are creating the
space for good listening, and we are asking questions that
(25:40):
open up conversation instead of shutting it down. If we
can do those things, the ripple effect will be enormous.
Speaker 1 (25:47):
Oh my god, Well, dealing with people from all over
the world. When you talk to people from different parts
of the world, do they have the same issues that
we do?
Speaker 3 (25:56):
Absolutely, that's the human experience we all experience. It's the
same kinds of fears, loneliness, grief, regret, doubt, insecurity. I
think I mean maybe some of our physical circumstances obviously
might be different, but the issues are real and they're human,
(26:17):
and that's.
Speaker 5 (26:19):
Where we try to connect. Because that's the case.
Speaker 3 (26:21):
I wanted to just quickly answer, I did have a
there is a moment that I realized we are having
an impact, and that was actually years ago. We received
an email one day from a psychiatrist at the Hershey
Medical Center here in the Harrisburg region who basically said
he was seeing someone who he and that's how he
(26:43):
heard about us, because that person was also seeing us
with someone to tell it to, and wrote, can I
refer people to you? There's a psychiatrist. I wanted to
refer people to us because you could see from this
one person and with whom we had also met, and
and and that person talked about us that that we
(27:06):
were doing something that he couldn't do so much as
a psychiatrist, so that they didn't even really need him
as much as they need a friend because they were lonely.
Speaker 1 (27:18):
Why do you think it works for so many people?
Speaker 3 (27:23):
Because because so many, so many well, so many people
are lonely. So many people there was there's this huge
disconnection in the world and for all the technological advancements
that we made that are wonderful and that connect us
in so many ways. I mean, there are a lot
of people just because of this technology right here who
(27:46):
are going.
Speaker 1 (27:46):
To hear us all which accident.
Speaker 3 (27:53):
What we hope they will.
Speaker 5 (27:55):
That's wonderful.
Speaker 3 (27:56):
But despite the electronic digital connectivity that we all have,
we are more emotionally and relationally disconnected.
Speaker 5 (28:09):
But than probably ever.
Speaker 1 (28:11):
What caused it?
Speaker 3 (28:12):
Though?
Speaker 1 (28:12):
Are we? Is it a fast society that we put
all that's interesting?
Speaker 4 (28:17):
Actually I had mentioned some research earlier, but there was
a book that I read in grad school by a
guy named Robert Putnam, and then everybody looks at this
as just like a foundational resource now to talk about
the loneliest epidemic. And it was called Bowling Alone. And
he wrote in this book, and I think it came
out in like the nineties, and it's it's been a
long time, but it still gets reference all the time
because he essentially wrote in the book that maybe in
(28:40):
the eighties people would go to like smoking bowling alleys
on a Thursday night and they'd have these bowling leagues,
and maybe they were more connected to churches. And we
know that numbers and churches are declining in a lot
of ways, and so people are just longing for community
as we always have been, and we don't maybe have
those resources as we once did, or we're not seeking
(29:02):
them out as much as once what we once did.
So you know, people look to social media sometimes to
fill this gap and this void. And you could have
you could have a thousand friends on Facebook, and you
have almost no one who actually knows you.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 4 (29:14):
And like the effects of having just one or two
or three people in your corner who are sharing life
with you. It's just the effects are massive, especially on
your health, on your physical health.
Speaker 1 (29:28):
You know what, I loved having you guys here today.
I'm probably gonna run this program down the road again too,
because you gave us basics of being happy, truly and helping.
And the whole thing is I always think, when I'm
in a situation and I don't want to turn this
into religious, what's the right thing to do? What would
God want me to do? And I can totally see
why you are successful because you're providing so much comfort
(29:51):
and sort of a sense of direction to people. And
I just loved you guys. Your website is someone to
tell it to Dot or my guests again, Mike Gingrick,
co founder, Chief Values Officer, Tom Caine, co founder, co
Chief Encouragement Officer, and Andie Dickson, co Chief Encouragement Officer. Again.
Please keep in mind the true human connection goes from compassionate,
(30:15):
judgment free listening, and that's what these folks are offering. Guys,
thanks so much again, this has been wonderful. This is
Sylvia Moss telling you that you want want to miss
part one, so check out part one and come back
for part two. I guess again or from someone to
tell it to check it out on our show that
there was every Sunday on our ten Nighthearts stations or
anytime on our favorite podcast. Remember, Insight is always there
(30:39):
for you. Thanks so much for listening. To see you
next week.
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