Find Your Spark

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK Podcast, Nicole introduces The SPARK Initiative’s 2 new employees, Mari and Chad. Mari is our new Research and Development Coordinator, and Chad is our Executive Assistant. Since their first day, they have been pretty busy learning their roles, completing the Insight to Well-Being curriculum training with Beyond Recovery, and Mari has also done some shadowing...

In this episode, Stephanie opens up about a recent low state of mind she had been in. She recalls the moments that she started to realize her own mental health was just as important as those around her that she helps on a daily basis. She shares how she knew something needed to shift internally and that it meant taking action externally. At the moment of this insight, she didn’t know what action t...

This weeks’ episode of the Find your Spark podcast was very special, as we had our first ever live audience while recording our podcast! Brooke and Ashley were in Palm Springs, Ca last week for the BOOST conference, and during the conference they were given this unique opportunity to go live! Brooke kicked off the podcast by sharing a story of something that happened right before leaving for this...

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK Podcast, Stephanie and Jena share their personal stories about taking things personal. But what if everything wasn’t personal? Jena talks about her kids not doing their chores and instead of taking it as a direct attack, they come up with a new solution that is more helpful in their day-to-day life. Stephanie speaks about her recent experience involving her l...

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK podcast, Brooke and Ashley talk about how our thoughts can take us for a crazy ride! Brooke shares a story about how her losing her keys led her to thinking intruders were “casing the joint” and going to break into her house. Listen to hear where they really were, and how her imagination got the best of her! Trust us, you will want to listen to how this story...

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK Podcast, Nicole, Jena and Zaria come together to share their stories and experiences during the past 5 weeks delivering the Insight to Well-Being program to male Veterans and a group of women at the Falkenburg Jail. They each share some insights and ah hah moments they saw from the participants and the impact this program left on them all. They also share how...

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK Podcast, Ashley and Brooke talk about the importance of trusting that others have everything they need inside to make their own decision, even when we may not agree with them. Ashley speaks about how recent events have highlighted this fact for her, and how she was able to find peace over fear by understanding that everyone has a SPARK, and therefore they wil...

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK Podcast, we are honored to introduce the newest member of the SPARK team, Mike Bates. Mike has dedicated the last 37 years of his life to working with education and leadership teams around the world. We are inspired by Mike’s passion to see the potential in all students—especially those in need of intensive academic and behavioral intervention. Tune in to hea...

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK Podcast, Brooke and Ashley sit down to talk about the nurturing ability we have to intentionally find space within ourselves, even in the midst of overwhelm. Recently, Brooke moved her family of 7 into a new house that has a lot more space than her pervious town house and it showed her, in real time, how physical space allowed for the release of tension and o...

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK Podcast, Jena and Nicole talk about uncomfortable situations and the ability to adapt to change. They also share certain situations they’ve experienced uncomfortable feelings and how they navigated through it with a different perspective of the mind. Trusting your potential and ability is key and the only thing that gets in our way sometimes is our own thinki...

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK Podcast, Jena and Ashley sit down to talk about mental health needs for adults, specifically educators. Our youth intern, Carys Mullins, recently wrote a blog titled “ Only Human: Teachers’ Mental Health Matters Too, A Student’s Perspective ” and it had us really think about this topic. Jena shares about a recent event that happened at her own son’s school an...

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK Podcast, Jena shares about her experience of feeling anxious and frustrated over the past week. After doing an activity with skittles in one of her SPARK classes, she realizes exactly what she is doing to herself and questions why she isn’t filling her cup with more yellow skittles! Listen as Jena explains how just realizing what is happening can be helpful a...

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK Podcast, Nicole invites our last year’s #SparkingChangeInterns Sadie, Zaria and Brandon to share their perspectives and the importance of Black History Month. They each discuss their view on what society says about it, their own personal insights about the month, and how they have learned so much more about this month as a culture, beyond what they learned in...

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK podcast, Ashley and Stephanie reflect upon their recent blockages with working out and doing easy work tasks, they discuss the power of momentum. Momentum is defined as 1) The strength or force that something has when it is moving or 2) the strength or force that allows something to continue or to grow stronger or faster as time passes. It’s that key moment w...

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK podcast, Stephanie Fox shares an important reminder that we are never alone in our feelings. A school counselor recently shared with Stephanie that this was the most profound realization her group of teens had while doing the SPARK Mentoring Program. Simple and profound, this fact allows us to feel empowered, connected and relieved. In order to have this insi...

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK podcast, Brooke, Ashley, Nicole and Jena reflect on the past year and share what they learned in 2021. Jena talks about making her own rules and how that affects the people around her. Nicole shares about seeing her own potential and how we are all meant to shine. Ashley speaks about being her true authentic self and why it is so important to show up as you....

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK podcast, Ashley and Brooke talk about the ebbs and flows of motivation and inspiration. Brooke shares about how she is usually full of inspiration and often works many hours while it feels inspiring and exciting. However, she has recently been in an ebb of this feeling and started to beat herself up with all of the should’s, “I should be doing this”, “this sh...

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK Podcast, in honor of Veteran’s Day this week, Stephanie reflects upon the concept of service. She discusses how humans are wired to want to serve and help each other. Tune in to hear how opportunities to serve are all around us and in doing so, we change our world!

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK Podcast, Nicole talks with SPARKING Change Intern, Emily Johnson, about what she has seen differently for herself. Emily shares her insight about trying to fix her feelings by reading books, going shopping, doing all the things she loves to try and make herself happy but realized none of it was working. Listen to hear more about what she realized after watchi...

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK podcast, Ashley and Stephanie are excited to talk about the creative potential that resides in each and every one of us. They share their own personal examples of pointing themselves in a direction and taking things step by step without having a clear idea of the "road map" or the end result. Once we can tune into that potential and not concern ourselves with...

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK podcast, Jena shares a little about what she has been seeing differently and how impactful it has been for her. She explains why the way you show up to someone and the way you communicate is so important. Choosing to have conversations and truly listening is where solutions come from. Listen to hear why Jena thinks communication is key and why you attract mor...

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK podcast, Nicole Wilson and Jena Travise discuss their recent experiences in seeing how powerful thought can be. The power of our thinking can really take over and limit us from doing something and we can innocently get trapped in it, but when we understand how thought works, we can actually do the thing we are afraid of! Jena shares her experience with a rece...

In this episode of the Find your SPARK podcast, Brooke and Ashley talk about all the chaos that has happened in and around their lives recently, and how they were able to navigate through the chaos a little more peacefully than others might expect! Listen to hear all about floods, car accidents, and craziness that is their lives at the moment, and what they saw in the mist of the chaos that helped...

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK Podcast, Nicole Wilson shares what SPARK has to offer until the end of the year in honor of Suicide Prevention and Awareness and then dives deeper into how to be helpful to those who are suffering. She explains why we at SPARK approach this topic a little differently and why it is important to be heard on a neutral level. Speaking to the SPARK and health insi...

In this episode of the Find Your SPARK Podcast, Nicole Wilson shares her brother’s story and the impact of suicide loss from a loved one. Last week, Nicole released a blog sharing her perspective as a young girl, losing her father due to suicide. This week, she shares her brother Seth’s story. Last year in 2020, Seth ended his life by suicide. As this situation is still very fresh to her and tough...