With Gratitude, Matt

Chris Gathers is a brain cancer warrior and after the successful removal of his tumor, decided to do something to shake up his daily routine.  Inspired by a best friend, he started an Instagram page @culminationpoint in which he posts regular messages about surviving brain cancer, trauma and lessons learned about healing and growth. As the title of his page suggests, it came down to a choice of ei...

After releasing 56 shows over two and one-half years, the With Gratitude Matt show honors former guests by asking them to check in with their latest gratitude list and honors listeners by asking them to share highlights from past shows. With each episode, the intent is always to pass along life lessons, share stories that people can connect with, and talk about the power of gratitude, faith, and c...

Kathy and her husband Dave Leurck are the proud parents of 3 children, Andrew, Audrey, and Alexandra. As parents, we of course all hope that our children are born and develop perfectly. But sometimes God has other plans and our dreams change. In Drew’s early years, it was discovered he had special needs and his family did everything they could to understand his condition and “fix it”. However, as...

Jonathon Sams is no stranger to fighting adversity in his life. When he was 14 he was diagnosed with cancer the first time, then again when he was 39, and for a third time in the spring of 2022. He is a loving husband and father of 4 who sees overcoming cancer as one of his many roles in life. Now, after 3 battles with the disease, he is in a position where he can help others with fear when facing...

Chris Norton’s story and the person he is today truly define inspiration. You can find details of his journey from many sources including NBC NEWS , People Magazine , or the film made about his achievements titled, “7 Yards” (on Netflix). In 2010, Chris suffered a debilitating spinal cord injury while playing football for Luther College his freshman year. Paralyzed from the neck down, he was given...

Staying strong through a crisis is never easy. To endure and get to the other side of not one, but many hurdles, takes perseverance and the ability to lean on a solid foundation of character. For Dan deStefano, his strong upbringing where virtues where instilled by parents, friends, and the neighborhood and where a relationship with God was always part of the picture, he managed to sustain a serie...

After graduation from college, Susan Fulton was searching, as many of us do, for purpose and a path to follow. While her faith had always been part of her life and been a foundation, it did not necessarily provide a light. She was a perfectionist in which fulfillment came more from order and control. But shortly into her marriage to Rich, she turned over control to God and allowed her faith to bec...

Nate Forrestel makes a decision everyday that he is going to find a way to inspire others. He does this as a content creator and a social media influencer on TikTok and Instagram for his growing audience of 36,000 followers. What makes Nate’s videos so unique is that he is a golfer who plays with cerebral palsy, a condition that was so severe at birth, that doctors expected he would only survive f...

Dr. Eben Alexander spent over 25 years as an academic neurosurgeon, including 15 years at the Brigham & Women’s Hospital, the Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston. In 2008, Dr. Eben Alexander suffered a bacterial infection that put him a week–long coma in which his brain should have been severely damaged. His story of recovery from the near-death experience (NDE) was featur...

Kate McKay is a high-energy, results oriented success coach, business consultant, transformational speaker, best-selling author, executive entrepreneur, and ACE Certified Fitness & Health Coach. Her natural energy is contagious and no matter how you are feeling at this moment, this interview will lift you up. Kate’s wisdom and ability to help others comes from many lessons she has learned from...

Rodney Blunt’s mission every day is to help others. His foundation, City Streets to Students Athletes (CS2SA), focuses on deterring student athletes from drugs and crime. As a former running back at Clemson from 1989-1993 (he led the Tigers in rushing and touchdowns in 1991 and 1993), Rodney saw first hand the many temptations and challenges of being a student athlete. He then spent 18 years in la...

Author and podcast host Mary Marantz recognizes the beauty in her story and the gifts it has provided. But like many of us, it took time for her to see that beauty especially because she saw it as so different than what the “norm” is. Her journey starts modestly from her family’s trailer in West Virginia where she learned life lessons from her father, dealt with an absent working mother, and found...

Pat Sqroi is the President of Sgroi Financial, a firm started by his father Joe. The family business has grown significantly over its 50 plus years and helps countless families with their financial planning needs. Along the way, Pat has managed his way through plenty of obstacles but none perhaps more challenging than the loss of his brother, Jeff, to an aggressive skin cancer in 2016 followed by...

God’s plan for all of us is sometimes hard to see, but there is usually a purpose, no matter the journey traveled. China Darrington’s road started with obstacles many can hardly imagine. At a young age, some of her challenges included substance abuse, mental health issues, and human trafficking. After a 20 year battle, she entered recovery while pregnant and began rebuilding her story and her purp...

Adversity comes in many forms. We all have or will face an obstacle that seems daunting and overwhelming. Finding and developing the tools to cope sometimes takes a crisis for that needed strength to arrive. For Michael Merrgian, his adversity showed up on October 7, 2018 when he was struck by a car that nearly took his life. Shortly after being admitted in what would be a long hospital stay, Mich...

Wayne Box Miller is an award winning media professional, communications veteran and diversity consultant. He is also the pre-game and post-game host for the Cincinnati Bengals Radio Network, an author, and currently serving as the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati. Wayne’s philosophy is simple and effective, and sometimes is as easy as just saying...

An unexpected illness has many effects, physically and mentally, on a patient and on loved ones who surround that patient. When kidney cancer came around for a 2nd fight in 2018 with Matt, he went searching for ways to cope. One of the most common attributes he found with those who were successfully fighting a disease or some type of adversity in their life, was gratitude. The gratitude stories in...

Fr. Michael Graham spent over 30 years at Xavier University in Cincinnati, first as an assistant history professor in 1989, then as the VP for University Relations in 1994, and lastly, from 2001 to 2021 as the longest-serving University President. Fr. Graham’s achievements as the XU president are far and wide and include expanding the campus 80 acres, raising 500 million for the university and joi...

 Dr. Cara Hurley is a licensed clinical psychologist whose practices includes a broad range of concerns including anxiety, depression, relationship issues, life transitions, parenting approaches, grief, and trauma. She has specialized in many areas including women’s health, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Health Psychology all which inform her integrative approach to working with each client. Th...

Whether it be running into an old friend, healing from a disease, or just a random song that shows up at the right time, we often attribute events in our lives to just an amazing coincidence.  Or could it be that these coincidences are God’s presence in our day and we just don’t see it? In this podcast, let your faith take a ride as Paul Zucarelli shares his story where he experienced death after...

In 2011, Dr. Tom Jenike was a family practice physician in Charlotte raising his son and daughter. From the outside, you could see layers of success and achievement. But on the inside was a different picture. In the balancing of a grueling schedule, a commitment to patients and the demands of family, something wasn’t right and Tom realized he had found some blind spots that needed to be addressed....

Mary Curran Hackett is today a popular author of several novels and a highly sought after international ghostwriter. Her story to reach this point is inspiring and brave as she has risen up from a low point after surviving a rape over 20 years ago. This tragedy propelled her in many directions but it was these challenges that shaped many of her strengths today. In much of her writing and speaking...

Brian Morris is a loving husband and father of 5 and the head golf pro at Ocean View Golf Course in Bermuda. He grew up around golf and always hoped for a chance to play in a PGA event. However in 2019, the 54 year old was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer. He is today being treated regularly for his esophageal and stomach cancer. But supporting this treatment plan is his incredible spirit and positi...

Luke Kuechly is considered to be one of the best NFL linebackers of all-time. He played 8 seasons with the Carolina Paranthers, beginning in 2012 when he led the league in tackles and won the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award. In 2013, he became the youngest ever to win the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award and began a streak of 6 straight Pro Bowl selections. Luke’s lists of awards pile...

John Sabatalo is a man full of charisma and kindness who cares deeply about others. Early on he was called to be a coach and those characteristics helped him succeed on the field and in the boardroom for many years and for many teams. He is currently the President of Planes Companies in Cincinnati, Ohio where since 1991 he has helped grow the business into one of the premiere moving, warehousing,...