Find Your Spark

In this special episode, Brooke is joined by former co-host, and decade-long team member, Ashley Hunt to celebrate her 10 incredible years at SPARK. Together, they look back on Ashley’s journey, from her very first days on the team to the countless moments that have shaped her both professionally and personally. Ashley opens up about how working at SPARK far exceeded anything she expected when she...

In this Giving Tuesday special, Chad takes the mic to talk about why this day of global generosity means so much to us at SPARK. He shares the powerful impact he’s witnessed first-hand in SPARK classrooms, including our current initiative reaching 780 local middle school students with life-changing lessons on resilience, wellbeing, and understanding the mind. Chad also gives listeners an inside lo...

In this special episode, Brooke is joined by Ashley Hunt, Makayla Wheeldon, and Jena Travise to reflect on their incredible experience traveling to San Francisco for Dreamforce. Together, they share moments of gratitude for the opportunity to represent a small nonprofit like SPARK at one of the world’s biggest innovation conferences — and the inspiration that came from it. The conversation dives i...

In honor of Veterans Day, Brooke and Chad take a moment to reflect on the powerful influence of role models — both those who have served and those who embody the same spirit of courage, sacrifice, and leadership. Veterans remind us daily of what it means to give selflessly for a greater purpose, and this episode explores how that same strength shows up in our own lives and communities. As SPARK me...

In this episode, Brooke shares her deeply personal journey of adopting her three children, offering an honest and heartfelt look at the joys, challenges, and profound connections that come with building an adoptive family. She reflects on how her adoption story has inspired much of the work we do at SPARK, fostering programs and approaches that focus on human potential, resilience, and connection....

As Brooke and Chad settle into their new roles as co-hosts, they take time to share important updates from The SPARK Initiative and dive into the heart of nonprofit work. This episode explores what it really means to be a not-for-profit organization, why this work matters, and how donations directly fuel life-changing impact in schools, communities, and beyond. With honesty and gratitude, Brooke a...

Now it’s Brooke’s turn to ask the questions—and this time, co-host Chad Hudson is in the spotlight. As Operations Coordinator and mentor at The SPARK Initiative, Chad shares openly about his journey, the work that drives him, and the experiences that shaped who he is today. Just like Brooke, he didn’t know what was coming, so expect a mix of lighthearted fun and meaningful insights. Get to know Ch...

In this episode, Chad flips the script and puts co-host Brooke Wheeldon-Reece in the hot seat! Without knowing the questions ahead of time, Brooke, President & CEO of The SPARK Initiative, fields a mix of fun, lighthearted questions and deeper, work-related ones. From laughter and personal stories to thoughtful reflections on leadership and impact, listeners get an inside look at Brooke beyond her...

We’re kicking off a new chapter of the Find Your SPARK podcast! In this episode, hosts Brooke Wheeldon-Reece and Chad Hudson sit down to reintroduce themselves and share what you can expect from this revamped format. From their personal journeys with SPARK to their vision for where this podcast is headed, Brooke and Chad give you a behind-the-scenes look at why they’re excited to bring you weekly...

The original four founding team members of The SPARK Initiative are back together to celebrate Jena’s 9-year workiversary! In this special episode of the Find Your SPARK podcast, Brooke, Ashley, and Nicole ask Jena a mix of fun, personal, and work-related questions, highlighting her incredible growth and contributions over the past nine years. Tune in for laughs, stories, and a true celebration of...

In recognition of National Recovery Month, Stephanie explores the different dimensions of what “recovery” can mean. Drawing on her own experience of stepping away from alcohol, she reflects on how different definitions—from Oxford’s “return to a normal state of health” to SAMHSA’s process-oriented approach—shape our understanding. Stephanie shares why the idea of recovery resonates as a return to...

In this week’s episode, Brooke opens up about a deeply personal moment while moving her oldest daughter into her new apartment for her junior year of college. What started as a late night argument over planning turned into something much more, a real time lesson in awareness, anxiety, and breaking habitual cycles. Brooke shares how the emotional umbilical cord she and her daughter have wrestled wi...

In this episode, Brooke and Nicole explore the connection between understanding the mind and how it can impact suicide prevention. They discuss the power of thought, how easily it can be misunderstood, and the ways those misunderstandings can shape how we think, feel, and respond to life. In honor of Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, we invite you to listen to this discussion and please reach ou...

Nicole reflects on a powerful team conversation that reminded her we are all born whole, carrying our SPARK—our innate wellbeing—within us. She shares a touching story about her 7-year-old daughter, whose simple, genuine reminder helped her reconnect with that truth and remember that she’s okay, just as she is.

In this week’s episode, Makayla reflects on the past week’s SPARK & IWB Implementation Training and the unexpected lessons it brought about awareness and presence. Coming into the training after a whirlwind July, Makayla was already navigating a busy state of mind. But just hours into the first day, life intervened — a gut-wrenching phone call from her mom revealed that her dog, Tank, was immobile...

In this episode, Jena explores the power of curiosity and how it often shows up in the most unexpected ways. What begins with a simple moment—her son sneezing—turns into a playful and reflective dive into the question, “What if I don’t say bless you?” Through this lighthearted story, Jena invites listeners to notice how even small moments can spark deeper awareness. Sit back and enjoy an episode t...

In this episode, Stephanie celebrates her first year alcohol-free by sharing how listening to her inner guidance—her SPARK—transformed her relationship with alcohol. After 30 years of drinking and many unsuccessful attempts to quit, an unexpected auto-renewal charge for the Reframe app became a turning point. Rather than dismissing the event, Stephanie recognized it as her SPARK nudging her toward...

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK Podcast, Chad speaks about how overthinking the smallest things, like whether or not to text someone first, can reveal a deeper struggle with confidence, fear, and trusting your SPARK to guide your social instincts.

In this week's podcast, Mari reflects on the impact that the SPARK Mentoring Program is having on the young people at a Hillsborough County Juvenile Detention Center and the importance of making programs like ours available to individuals experiencing incarceration.

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK Podcast, Makayla opens up about her personal journey as a forward thinker—someone who’s always looking ahead, planning, and preparing for what’s next. While this mindset has its strengths, Makayla shares how it can also pull us away from fully experiencing the moments right in front of us. She invites listeners to pause, let go of worries about the past or fu...

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK Podcast, Nicole shares a powerful realization: you don’t have to feel a certain way to take action. She dives into the idea that while emotions are natural and ever-changing, focusing too much on the unhelpful ones can hold us back. Nicole explains that waiting to feel motivated or "ready" isn’t necessary—you’re capable of doing hard things even when it doesn...

In this episode, Stephanie shares her recent experience when her partner suffered a stroke. She reflects on the divine timing of the event, which occurred just one day after she resolved to stop scaring herself with her own thoughts. Tune in to discover the resilience she has found through this experience.

In this episode, Jena and Nicole open up about what the SPARK Team has been up to lately. Since the year began, the team has joined Michael Neill’s training program, “How to be Really Happy and Love Your Life”. Over the course of these trainings, the team has gained incredible insights, but this episode focuses on one in particular – the insight that what we focus on grows. Listen as Jena describe...

In this episode, Brooke and Ashley sit down once again to debrief and discuss some of the many incredible insights that have occurred over the last few months. This time, Brooke describes her trip home from Nashville with Ashley, and how running out of pre-saved Netflix episodes on her flight somehow landed her as a guest on an episode of “Connect with Jonathan Mark”. Jonathan is a Celebrity Psych...

In this reflective episode, Brooke and Ashley discuss some behind-the-scenes struggles they were both internally battling but not communicating about. This ongoing internal dialogue led to Brooke stepping up to ask a question during the live recording of Kim Lessing and Kate Arend’s podcast “Million Dollar Advice” at SXSW EDU. This podcast details the way that our thoughts can make us jump to conc...