Peaceful Hugs Podcast

In this special midseason episode of the Peaceful Hugs Podcast, hosts Mark Zahringer and Lorelei Cromer step away from guest interviews for a conversation that is entirely their own — reflecting on the remarkable people they've met in the first half of the season, and the life-changing journeys that took them both far from home. Lorelei just returned from her third trip to Uganda, where Unbridled...

In this episode of the Peaceful Hugs Podcast, hosts Mark Zahringer and Lorelei Cromer sit down with Sophia Campana — Italian-American elite gymnast, YouTube creator, and founder of the Fire Within experience — for a conversation that is equal parts inspiring, sobering, and deeply empowering. From sneaking out of her childhood bedroom in the middle of the night to practice gymnastics in the basemen...

In this episode of the Peaceful Hugs Podcast, host Lorelei Cromer and Mark Zahringer sits down with her old high school friend and fellow storyteller Danielle Damrell — serial entrepreneur, life story coach, podcast host, and founder of Rise Leadership Collective — for one of the most raw, redemptive, and deeply personal conversations the show has ever aired. These two go way back, and it shows. T...

In this episode of the Peaceful Hugs Podcast, hosts Mark Zahringer and Lorelei Cromer sit down with Reverend Antoine Colvin — pastor of Historic Little Rock Missionary Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan — for a rich, energizing conversation about faith, community, calling, and what it truly means to shine your light beyond the four walls of a church. Reverend Colvin's story begins in Baltimore, M...

In this episode of the Peaceful Hugs Podcast, hosts Mark Z and Lorelei Cromer sit down with Chad Wheeler — Executive Director of Open Door in Lubbock, Texas — for a candid, deeply moving conversation about what it truly looks like to love your neighbors, especially the ones most people would rather not see. Chad traces Open Door's remarkable origin back nearly 30 years to a returned missionary nam...

In this episode of the Peaceful Hugs Podcast, hosts Mark Z and Lorelei Cromer sit down with Jillian — Licensed Social Worker, therapist, and Mark's own counselor — for one of the most open and disarmingly honest conversations the show has ever hosted. Recorded during Mental Health Awareness Month, this episode pulls no punches: Mark shares his own journey through a called-off wedding, a traumatic...

In this episode of the Peaceful Hugs Podcast, hosts Mark Z and Lorelei Cromer sit down with Patty Stewart — missionary kid, pastor's wife, nurse, musician, and author of No More Pat Answers: Living in the Not Knowing — for one of the most quietly powerful conversations the show has ever had. Patty's story spans continents, decades, and depths of suffering most people will never know — and yet she...

In this episode of the Peaceful Hugs Podcast, hosts Mark Zahringer and Lorelei Cromer sit down with Temwa Wright — Executive Director of Pamoza International — for a moving and deeply inspiring conversation about faith, service, radical generosity, and what it truly means to help people help themselves. Temwa shares the remarkable story of how Pamoza came to be, from her father Dr. Mike Mtika's so...

In this episode of the Peaceful Hugs Podcast, hosts Mark Zahringer and Lorelei Cromer sit down with James Canty III — FIDE Master, chess boxing world champion, streamer, coach, and entrepreneur — for an energizing conversation about resilience, reinvention, and what chess can teach you about life. James shares the journey that took him from the chess clubs of Detroit — where his father used the ga...

In this episode of the Peaceful Hugs Podcast, hosts Mark Zahringer and Lorelei Cromer sit down with Pastor B, founder and executive director of the Denver Dream Center, for a raw and inspiring conversation about faith, community, and what it really means to love people where they are.  Pastor B shares the journey that took him from small-town Illinois to the basketball courts of Los Angeles — and...

In this episode of the Peaceful Hugs Podcast, hosts Mark Zahringer and Lorelei Cromer sit down with David Farmer, a longtime leader with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), for a powerful conversation about faith, sports, leadership, and identity. David shares the origin story of FCA and how athletes and coaches have used their platform to live out their faith with courage and purpose. The...

In this episode of the Peaceful Hugs podcast, hosts Mark Zahringer and Lorelei Cromer engage in a deep conversation with Danny Silk, a counselor, social worker, and author. Danny shares his personal journey from a chaotic upbringing to becoming a relationship expert. He discusses the importance of understanding repentance and reconciliation in relationships, the power of love and connection, and t...

What happens when two people from different generations sit down—not to debate, but to understand? In the very first episode of the Peaceful Hugs Podcast, hosts Mark Zahringer and Lorelei Cromer welcome Pastor Tat, a remarkable guest whose life story spans continents, revolutions, and decades of ministry. From growing up in Iran as the child of American missionaries to being deported during the 19...

What happens when two people from different generations sit down—not to debate, but to understand? In the very first episode of the Peaceful Hugs Podcast , hosts Mark Zahringer and Lorelei Cromer introduce the heart behind the show: real conversations, real stories, and a commitment to kindness in a world that feels increasingly divided. From Detroit to Cañon City, from seminary to the Middle East...