Be the Difference

Nick Jackson is an educator, a coach, a motivational speaker, and the founder of Speak Love. Through his impactful speaking abilities and his desire to teach on a skill he is practicing himself, Nick has reached over 1,000,000 people through his keynote addresses. Speak Love is a transformative Craveable Culture organization led with the belief that excellent character and unwavering love will all...

What happens when we speak without considering our words first? Today, Chris shares about an experience on a recent family adventure and how his interaction with a stranger led to considering deeper the power of our words and how and where reconciliation can occur. In this episode, Chris and Sammy discuss a staggering set of statistics regarding civility, or a lack of it, in the workplace and how...

Join us this week as we welcome back Fred Oduyoye! Fred first aired on the Be The Difference podcast in episode four! He lives in Cincinnati, Ohio and is the Founder of Reachable Reconciliation, Inc. Fred draws on his nearly twenty years of experience bridging urban and suburban communities to create intentional spaces for conversation about race, diversity, and responsibility in a small group set...

Today is Be the Difference Podcast’s 50th episode! Thank you to all our faithful listeners for joining us in this journey of talking to everyday people about the remarkable ways they’re being the difference. In this episode, Chris and Sammy discuss a staggering statistic on teens who age out of the foster care system and are thrust into the world. Hear how this impacts them both individually and w...

Jes Biondo is a daughter, a former Back2Back staff member, a traveler, a teacher, lifelong learner, creator of Sprezza Foundry Shop, and Executive Director and Podcast host of Collected Ministries & Podcast. Jes attributes her desire to say yes, even when she doesn’t know the outcome, to her parents and a teacher from her childhood.  She has taught English camps in Thailand, served the vu...

Who do you know? When Be the Difference Podcast began, the goal was simple - highlight everyday people making the difference at their jobs, in their communities, and around the world. We realize, though, people don’t often know where to be the difference if there aren’t eyes to see and speak on the difficulties and hardships in the world. In this episode, Chris and Sammy discuss a staggering stati...

Another full year of stories of how everyday people are being the difference for one! Together, we’ve listened to stories of grit, determination, following promptings without knowing how things will end, and how people, everyday, choose to show up for others and leave an impact that won’t be forgotten. Thank you for joining us, sharing with us, and gathering around others to ensure they feel known...

‘ Tis the season! For two seasons of the Be the Difference Podcast, we have gathered together to hear of everyday people making an impact in the lives of those around them. We don’t need fancy job titles or a lot of money to come alongside others and offer our time, energy, and resources. As Sammy and Chris reflect on the stories we’ve heard and the lives changed as a result of those stories, they...

Kelly and Steve Carr are husband and wife and Co-Founders of Echo Church in Walnut Hills, Cincinnati, Ohio. Steve formerly led the church, but in recent years, Kelly has stepped into the Lead Pastor role. Echo Church was founded in 2005 and is a body of believers united by common relationship with Jesus. They believe when we listen to what God is saying, we begin to see the world in a different li...

Michayla White is a wife, mother, lover of Jesus, and Executive Director of International  Network of Children’s Ministry (INCM). INCM exists  to connect children’s ministry leaders to what they need - training, resources, and community. Michayla attributes her passion for children’s ministry and those who lead it to her mother, a volunteer children’s ministry director, and seeing her co...

November is here! This means many things, but for the Be the Difference Podcast, it means a month of new guests who bring their own stories and experiences in being the difference. It also means we are highlighting a new topic: voices in leadership! To kick off, Sammy and Chris meet with special guest, Beth Guckenberger, and ask for her insight on women in leadership and why it matters. Beth is co...

Brad Wise is a husband, a father, a creative, and the founder of Boonrise - a video production company that exists to tell a better story through videos, experiences, and workshops that spark hope and action. Brad loves looking at things one way and asking if there’s a better or different way to do it; this intrigue and passion started in his adolescence when, instead of writing a paper on the eff...

Check out this bonus episode of Be the Difference! Today, our faithful producer Mikeyy shares a teaser for next week's episode with Brad Wise, founder of Boonrise. Sammy asks Brad who fostered the creative spirit in him, and Brad’s response is a beautiful story of how his mom stepped in, let him experiment, and formed the storyteller that he is today. Links to learn more: Learn more about Back2Bac...

Katie Guiliano is an artist and the founder of Hosanna Revival, a company that exists to excite people about engaging in scripture by creating beautiful and intentional tools for their lives. Katie’s relationship with Jesus began after she graduated high school and truly flourished, along with her business idea, in Spain while reading her plain black covered, bilingual Bible. What started in a sec...

Welcome to season two of Be the Difference! It’s a new month, which means the Be the Difference Podcast is highlighting a new theme. In season two, Chris and Sammy will highlight one big question every month and dive into that question with our guests. October is here, and we are focusing on one big question - how can we be the difference in others’ lives through art and creativity? Do you conside...

Toni Steere is a mother, comes from a long line of women who “give their lives away,” and is the Director of Legacy 68:5 - an adoption, foster, and orphan care ministry within Houston’s First Baptist Church. Legacy 685 connects, equips, and sustains families and organizations locally and internationally with resources, education, and practical help. In this episode, Toni shares about how her heart...

Check out this bonus episode of Be the Difference! Today, our faithful producer, Mikeyy Evans, shares a teaser for episode 38 with Toni Steere, whose work is all about walking alongside kids in difficult spaces. Sammy poses a question - “Why do you keep doing it?” And Toni’s response is just the motivation we all need to step into the gap for the vulnerable and to remember that Jesus trumps trauma...

Mike Wilson is a husband, biological and adoptive father, and the Co-Founder of myLIFEspeaks - a non-profit organization whose vision is for every Haitian child to experience family. Mike and his wife, Missy, have never wanted to come in and “Americanize” the culture of Haiti. Rather, they celebrate the Haitian culture while investing in locals to lead others and together elevate the future of Hai...

Welcome to season two of Be the Difference! In this episode, we are kicking off a new season filled with fresh stories and intentional conversations. In season two, Chris and Sammy will highlight one big question every month and dive into that question with our guests. September is here, and we are focusing on one big question - how can we be the difference in the world of adoption and foster care...

After one life-altering moment, Brian Berman sold everything he owned and walked away from a successful career in business to move to the Dominican Republic. He has spent over a decade of his life since then investing in people. In 2010, Brian and his wife, Nebraska, co-founded Project Mañana International. They are dedicated to helping to break the cycle of poverty through nutrition, education,...

Anna Valdez is the Director of Programs at Fostering Hope in Austin, Texas. Anna trains and coordinates trauma informed efforts for volunteers, churches, foster parents, caregivers, and institutions, both locally and internationally. She served for five years with Back2Back Ministries in Monterrey, Mexico as a full time caregiver to teenage girls. Drawing from this learning and experience, Anna ha...

(This episode was originally published on May 25th, 2021) Mashawn Rigmaiden is the co-founder of Strip Church Dayton and co-owner of Bangs Salon and Spa. She is convinced Jesus loves every person and the church can be a place that welcomes hard stories. Strip Church Dayton’s goal is to offer hope, healing, forgiveness, and freedom to the women and men in the adult entertainment industry. In this w...

(This episode was originally published on Mar 2nd, 2021) Todd and Beth Guckenberger live with their family in Cincinnati and serve as the co-executive directors of Back2Back Ministries. After college graduation, the Guckenbergers packed up an Isuzu trooper and moved to Monterrey, Mexico where they lived for 15 years. Between biological, foster, and adopted children, they have raised eleven childre...

(This episode was originally posted on October 26th, 2021). For 13 years, Chuck has served as a teaching pastor at Crossroads Church. Prior to being a pastor, Chuck spent nine years in the corporate world at Procter & Gamble. Today, he is the founder of Courageous Love, a nonprofit organization built to unite and ignite people for racial justice through programming and intensives that take par...

This week, we announce the end of season 1, and the plans for season 2! Take a listen to hear some of the things we have in store, and all about our plans for the summer. Thanks for being the difference with us!  — Learn more about Back2Back Ministries Follow Back2Back Ministries on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook