Find Your Spark

On this episode of Find Your SPARK, Chad explores the power of saying no for your mental health. Saying yes to everything is often just habit, not a real choice. A meeting, a favor, a commitment agreed to before we've even thought it through. Most of the time we don't decide, we default. That default has a cost. Chad digs into why we tend to say yes on autopilot, what it's actually costing us, and...

In honor of the International Day of Peace, Stephanie Fox sits down with longtime friend and colleague Mara Gleason Olson for a conversation about what peace actually requires, starting from the inside out. Mara is the co-founder of One Solution, where Stephanie served as Middle East Director, and together their teams worked with young people in Gaza and, through Rebels for Peace, on Chicago's Sou...

In this episode of Find Your SPARK, Brooke & Nicole sit down for a conversation in honor of the loved ones they've each lost to suicide. Recorded in their memory, this episode shares the message Nicole and Brooke bring to the people SPARK serves every day: understanding the nature of thought can change how we move through our lowest moments. Sometimes we think of a low mood as a trap with no way o...

This week, in recognition of World Suicide Prevention Day (September 10th) and Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, Chad joins us for an honest, unfiltered conversation about mental health and stigma. Together we explore how stigma keeps people from asking for help, what it really means to check in on someone, and how each of us can help uncover a sense of hope and wellbeing in the people around us...

Burnout awareness is having a moment, with schools and organizations across the country finally giving it the attention it deserves. In this episode, Chad sits down with Makayla Wheeldon to unpack what burnout really means, where it comes from, and why it shows up in so many forms, mentally, physically, and emotionally. The conversation turns to the helping professions closest to SPARK's work, esp...

In this episode, hosts Brooke and Chad sit down to talk about what mentorship really means to them and why it matters so much, both in life and in their work with SPARK. They dig into the different forms a mentor can take: a teacher, a boss, an older sibling, or someone who never fits neatly into any of those categories at all. Sometimes the most influential mentors show up in the most unlikely pl...

This week, we're doing something a little different and a lot more personal. Brooke and Nicole are celebrating their August birthdays in true Leo fashion. In this episode, the two co-hosts reflect on what it means to be born in the sign of the lion: natural leaders, fiercely loyal, endlessly passionate about the people they serve and an almost stubborn refusal to give up on those they believe in....

In honor of National Non-Profit Day on August 17, Chad sits down with special guest Nicole Wilson, SPARK's Special Initiatives Manager, for a conversation about the heart behind nonprofit work. Nicole has been with SPARK for a decade, spending those years leading community initiatives and gaining a firsthand understanding of what it takes to serve others well. Together, Chad and Nicole dig into wh...

In this episode, Shawn hands over the mic for a rapid-fire Q&A with Carter Reece, one of Brooke's kiddos, age 14. Rather than the usual format, Shawn lets Carter take the floor, asking him about the issues he sees today, the struggles young people face, and opinions he doesn't often get asked to share. It's a rare chance to hear directly from a young voice on topics that shape his generation. Educ...

In honor of International Day of Friendship, Brooke welcomes her work and real-life best friend Ashley Hunt to the podcast for a heartfelt celebration of the bond they share. Brooke arrives with a surprise she has been working on for an entire year: a gift called "30 Reasons Why You're My Bestie." Listen in as she reads excerpts aloud to Ashley for the very first time, and stay for the laughter, t...

This week, Chad sits down with Afreen Gootee, a thought leader in trauma-informed care, retired educator, and founder of Thoughtful Minds Consulting. Afreen brings decades of experience in education and training to an honest conversation about what it truly means to see and support the people around us. Together, they explore her journey through the classroom, her work as a trainer, and the passio...

What if the worry you carry every day isn't actually protecting you? This week, Chad sits down with special guest Ashley Hunt to explore a powerful passage from Mavis Karn's book It's That Simple: A User's Manual for Human Beings. Together, they unpack how worried thinking so often becomes a habit, one we convince ourselves is keeping catastrophe at bay. In reality, that constant mental rehearsal...

This weekend, America turned 250. On this episode of Find Your SPARK Podcast, Chad takes a moment to reflect on what that really means. The conversation starts where it should: freedom. Not just fireworks and cookouts, but the freedom to make our own choices, live our own lives, and decide who we want to become. What does freedom mean to you, personally? Chad celebrates the freedom we enjoy as Ame...

Chad hits pause this week, and he's inviting you to do the same. In a lighthearted reflection on summer, he speaks directly to the students and educators SPARK serves and reminds us all that rest isn't something you earn, it's something you need. Summer is the perfect time to recharge, and this episode is your permission slip to do exactly that.

History gives us perspective. It reminds us that change is possible, that progress takes courage, and that the work is never truly finished. In this episode, Chad reflects on what Juneteenth means beyond the holiday itself. Freedom is at the heart of this day, but freedom looks different depending on who you are and where you come from. What does freedom mean to you? What does opportunity look lik...

In this episode, Chad sits down with SPARK's newest team member, Shawn Adkins, for a fun and candid conversation about all things Shawn. With a background in case management and a lifelong heart for working with youth, it's no surprise that SPARK felt like home from day one. Shawn shares what brought him to SPARK, what his role looks like, and the impact he's already witnessed from the curriculum...

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, but if we're being honest, mental health deserves our attention every month of the year. In this episode, Chad sits down for a candid, heartfelt conversation about the realities of mental health: the stigma that keeps too many people silent, the way our mental wellbeing shapes everything we do, and the quiet power of choosing to understand rather than judge, s...

In our final episode of the series, Brooke and Chad sit down with the woman whose words started it all: Mavis Karn. You may not have known her name, but chances are you've felt the truth in her words: "My state of mind is the most important thing to me." That simple statement became the heartbeat of this entire series. And now, Mavis is here to tell us what she really meant. She starts with a stor...

Some words stop you in your tracks. And when you're lucky, someone else in the room felt it too. In this episode, Brooke is joined by Stephanie Fox, one of the only other people present the day Mavis Karn said the words that changed everything: "My state of mind is the most important thing to me." Both women heard it, and both were moved in remarkably similar ways. In the weeks that followed, they...

What if the key to showing up as your best self wasn't a practice you had to perfect, but simply an awareness you could come back to, moment to moment? In this episode of the State of Mind series, Chad sits down with Jena Travise for a conversation that is as honest as it is eye-opening. Jena shares her understanding that state of mind isn't fixed. It's fluid, shifting from one moment to the next....

What if your first reaction to "my state of mind is the most important thing to me" was... that's a little selfish? That's exactly where Makayla started. In this episode, Brooke sits down with Makayla Wheeldon for an honest, wide-ranging conversation about navigating a demanding career, the realities of wedding planning, and what it actually takes to show up fully in a relationship. As they dig de...

In this third installment of the State of Mind series, Chad sits down with Nicole Wilson to explore one of the most foundational truths we can embrace: that state of mind is everything. Together they unpack how your state of mind isn't just how you're feeling in a given moment — it's the root of everything you respond and react to, and the filter you're looking at life through. Nicole shares why s...

In this episode, Brooke is joined by SPARK team member Ashley Hunt for an honest and heartfelt conversation about what it really means to prioritize your state of mind. When Ashley first encountered the idea that your state of mind is the most important thing to you, she was stopped in her tracks because for as long as she can remember, she's been the person who puts everyone else first. In this e...

Have you ever heard something that completely shifted the way you see yourself and the world around you? "My state of mind is the most important thing to me." These words sparked something powerful, and in this brand new 7-part series, Find Your SPARK hosts Brooke & Chad are diving deep into what that really means. In this first episode, Brooke & Chad introduce the State of Mind series and Brooke...

After a few weeks of hosting solo episodes, Brooke and Chad are back together and catching up on the whirlwind start to 2026 at SPARK. From packed schedules to meaningful moments in the classroom, they reflect on the busyness of the past two months and what it’s been teaching them. Chad shares insights from his recent classes, including the unexpected “uproar of six seven” and what it revealed abo...