Crazy Good Turns listeners like you sent in more than 120 nominations of organizations that are helping others. In this show, we profile four of those organizations who were selected to receive a $10,000 grant. They are: Heart of Mary House, a hospice in the Nashville area that specifically serves patients who have nowhere else to go. Volunteer Rebecca Grunkemeyer nominated the group. You’ll hear from her and organization founder Kim Derrick. Teens4Teens Help, a platform for teenagers who are suffering from mental or emotional health challenges. This nonprofit was founded by two parents, Jeff and Kathy Long, who created the help they wished they had when their daughter went through a tough time. They share the story. Joshua’s Heart Foundation, a Miami Beach nonprofit doing two crazy good turns: fighting food insecurity and helping young people develop job skills and life skills. Founder Joshua Williams, who started the organization when he was just 4 years old, joins us. Pine Ridge Reconciliation Center, a ministry located on the Pine Ridge Native Reservation of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Located in South Dakota in the poorest county in the nation, the center is the only place many residents can go for basic needs. Pastor Dan Johnson explains. Don’t forget to subscribe or follow us on Apple Podcasts so you can stay up to date on the good news, including future shows and book giveaways. If you already subscribe, please leave us a 5-star review: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crazy-good-turns/id1137217687 We appreciate you listening and sharing our episodes with anyone you think will enjoy. Thank you! 

When Luther’s daughter, Jane Lockwood, was just 5 years old, she was diagnosed with a rare and incurable form of muscular dystrophy.  Luther and his family resolved to do something about it. During the two decades since, they founded the McColl-Lockwood Laboratory and dedicated enormous resources to creating more effective treatments for the disease to help not only Jane, but thousands of others like her.  In this episode, Luther and Jane share their experience. Jane describes what it’s been like to live with the disease – and how it hasn’t stopped her from achieving her dream of enrolling in law school. Meanwhile, Luther gives insight to their global search for the best minds researching muscular dystrophy, and how that may be leading to new and effective treatments.  We’re joined in this conversation by Frank’s friend Larry Powell. Larry has been an inspiration for and informal advisor to our podcast for a long time. He suggested that we feature Luther and Jane’s story, and we liked the idea so much we asked him to be a part of it.  Don’t forget to subscribe or follow us on Apple Podcasts so you can stay up to date on the good news, including future shows and book giveaways. If you already subscribe, please leave us a 5-star review: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crazy-good-turns/id1137217687 We appreciate you listening and sharing our episodes with anyone you think will enjoy. Thank you! 

We mark 1 year since the October 7 attacks by speaking with Dan Senor.  Dan is the host of ‘Call Me Back,’ a podcast that is home to some of the most thoughtful and thorough reporting on the multi-front war Israel now faces. Dan’s work provides a valuable service to all of us – especially to people like myself, and many other Americans, who have only a general understanding of the conflict.  Outside of the podcast, Dan is also a foreign policy expert, investor and author of two books about Israel, “Startup Nation” and, more recently, “The Genius of Israel.” That second book explores how things like national service and a sense of purpose unite the people of Israel, and seem to help them avoid modern maladies like addiction, depression and suicide.   Follow Dan on Twitter @DanSenor, or find more information about him at dansenor.com.  Don’t forget to subscribe or follow us on Apple Podcasts so you can stay up to date on the good news, including future shows and book giveaways. If you already subscribe, please leave us a 5-star review: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crazy-good-turns/id1137217687 We appreciate you listening and sharing our episodes with anyone you think will enjoy. Thank you!   

Jenn is the first woman to climb the “seven second summits,” or the second-highest mountain peaks on all seven continents – which are arguably even tougher to climb than the tallest ones, for reasons which will surprise you.  She is also a successful businesswoman, a mother of seven children, and the author of “BreakProof: 7 Strategies to Build Resilience and Achieve Your Life Goals.” During our interview, she’ll share lessons to help you conquer the mountains (metaphorical or otherwise) you face in your own life.  Want to connect with Jenn? Text the word “Everest” to the number 33777. She’ll send you a video of the Milky Way Galaxy going over Everest Base Camp. Don’t forget to subscribe or follow us on Apple Podcasts so you can stay up to date on the good news, including future shows and book giveaways. If you already subscribe, please leave us a 5-star review: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crazy-good-turns/id1137217687 We appreciate you listening and sharing our episodes with anyone you think will enjoy. Thank you! 

Alongside two African pastors, Justin founded Untold - a nonprofit that helps support the physical, spiritual, and mental health of those affected by AIDS and HIV in Eastern and Southern Africa.  During the past 17 years, their organization has helped more than 40,000 people let go of their stigma and embrace a more positive future.  Justin’s story is especially impressive because his commitment began in college, and has remained steady ever since. In this episode, Miller describes how his organization assists more than 100 communities throughout Kenya, Tanzania and Africa. Hear his incredible story.   

In her new book "Morning After the Revolution: Dispatches from the Wrong Side of History," Bowles documents how she risked her career – and her friendships – by continuing to ask questions after being told not to.  As a reporter for the New York Times, Nellie tackled some of the most controversial topics of our times, from the George Floyd protests to Defund the Police to DEI. Her writing was fundamentally sympathetic to the causes, but also clear-eyed about where they may have gone astray. Nellie's approach of reporting, rather than advocacy, is increasingly rare in today’s media. And the courage she showed by engaging these topics with an open mind is a crazy good turn.  Follow Nellie on Twitter @NellieBowles, or find more information about her at nelliebowles.com.  Don’t forget to subscribe or follow us on Apple Podcasts so you can stay up to date on the good news, including future shows and book giveaways. If you already subscribe, please leave us a 5-star review: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crazy-good-turns/id1137217687 We appreciate you listening and sharing our episodes with anyone you think will enjoy. Thank you!   

Stephanie was a stay-at-home mom struggling to make ends meet. Then her skill with coupons made her a national sensation. After helping millions save money, Nelson is paying it forward with a book, “Imagine More: Do What You Love, Discover Your Potential,” which aims to guide people with big dreams. And she’s not stopping there. Nelson also is offering seed funding to those dreamers. She’s giving away her book advance as grants to help people get their ideas off the ground.  In our conversation, Nelson shares her remarkable journey and the leap of faith that led her down this unexpected but crazy good path.  Find more information about Stephanie, her new book, and those generous grants at stephanienelson.com.  Don’t forget to subscribe or follow us on Apple Podcasts so you can stay up to date on the good news, including future shows and book giveaways. If you already subscribe, please leave us a positive review: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crazy-good-turns/id1137217687 We appreciate you listening and sharing our episodes with anyone you think will enjoy. Thank you!   

Renowned entrepreneur Seth Godin discusses meaningful work, strategic quitting, and creating opportunities for yourself and others. Topics include recognizing when to quit or persist, revolutionizing charity auctions with Good Bids, influential book recommendations, and the power of generosity and kindness.

Travis Ellis joins Crazy Good Turns to talk about his fundraising efforts for the SHARE Military Initiative at Shepherd Center in Atlanta. Those efforts include a 684-mile run from Atlanta to Washington D.C. and then a journey twice as long from Boston back to their home down south.  Follow us on social media:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crazygoodturns/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crazygoodturns Thank you for listening to Crazy Good Turns. Don’t forget to subscribe or follow us on Apple Podcasts so you can stay up to date on the good news, including future shows and book giveaways.  Your feedback means a lot to us. If you like what you hear, please leave us a positive review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crazy-good-turns/id1137217687 We also very much appreciate you sharing our episodes and social posts with your friends, family, and anyone else you think will enjoy. Thank you! 

Walter Kirn is the bestselling author of “Up in the Air,” which became a smash hit movie starring George Clooney. Now Kirn is taking a risk on a longshot business that views America as one giant small town. And that’s just the beginning. In addition to his writing, Kirn is a non-partisan political commentator who appears regularly on TV and in podcasts, including one of my personal favorite shows, “America This Week,” which features Walter alongside investigative journalist Matt Taibbi. In a society where algorithms decide what we do and don’t see, and which feed us more and more of the same material, Walter is helping people discover new topics and viewpoints. I’m excited that you’ll discover a little more about him through this interview. You can also connect with Walter on X: https://twitter.com/walterkirn Photo by Max Savage Levenson/Montana Free Press