1 00:00:01,621 --> 00:00:03,332 Welcome, Kim, to our show. 2 00:00:03,332 --> 00:00:08,495 We're absolutely thrilled to have you here today with us and can't wait to delve into 3 00:00:08,495 --> 00:00:11,446 the stories behind all the impactful work you do. 4 00:00:11,567 --> 00:00:17,870 So personally, I'm someone in the business world trying to integrate compassion, 5 00:00:18,691 --> 00:00:22,813 giving back a more human -centric approach. 6 00:00:22,813 --> 00:00:27,766 So I'm super curious to know what propelled you from the business world into 7 00:00:27,766 --> 00:00:30,037 becoming a communicator. 8 00:00:30,045 --> 00:00:34,803 writer, humanitarian, and a volunteer at the American Red Cross. 9 00:00:35,598 --> 00:00:39,819 think it's always been there in my life, but it's just at this stage of my life, 10 00:00:39,819 --> 00:00:44,520 and we all go through seasons, it's become possible for me to pursue some things that 11 00:00:44,520 --> 00:00:50,692 I'm passionate about, and also to do that utilizing skills that I have, and that 12 00:00:50,692 --> 00:00:53,743 always is satisfying, to help others. 13 00:00:53,743 --> 00:00:56,363 And so it's been real great opportunity in my life right now. 14 00:00:56,363 --> 00:00:59,324 I spent my life in business, retired a little early. 15 00:00:59,324 --> 00:01:03,045 I've been fortunate, and so now I can devote myself to things 16 00:01:03,606 --> 00:01:08,778 are not motivated necessarily by money but are motivated by the heart. 17 00:01:11,051 --> 00:01:12,082 Thank you, yeah. 18 00:01:12,082 --> 00:01:16,625 And I think it's very interesting when you said motivated by the heart. 19 00:01:16,886 --> 00:01:22,871 And I think very few people get that chance to get a second career, follow 20 00:01:22,871 --> 00:01:25,974 their passion, be motivated by their heart. 21 00:01:25,974 --> 00:01:29,497 So tell us more about that motivation and what you do. 22 00:01:30,510 --> 00:01:32,470 Well, I spent my whole life in business. 23 00:01:32,470 --> 00:01:34,330 grew up in a family business. 24 00:01:34,330 --> 00:01:38,290 worked with my grandfather who started the business in 1948. 25 00:01:38,290 --> 00:01:40,540 And I worked with my dad for all those years. 26 00:01:40,540 --> 00:01:45,590 And I spent a lot of years, several decades in that business and then was able 27 00:01:45,590 --> 00:01:49,030 to move to a different phase of my life. 28 00:01:49,030 --> 00:01:52,550 I've got a little bit of an unusual story in the fact that I've always been a 29 00:01:52,550 --> 00:01:54,020 communicator, always been a writer. 30 00:01:54,020 --> 00:01:59,210 I've been involved in the retail professions and marketing and business. 31 00:01:59,244 --> 00:02:03,188 But way back in high school, I had a teacher who believed in me and she said, I 32 00:02:03,188 --> 00:02:04,309 believe you're a communicator. 33 00:02:04,309 --> 00:02:06,080 I think you're a good writer. 34 00:02:06,842 --> 00:02:10,185 I just moved into business with the family, just grew up there and just went 35 00:02:10,185 --> 00:02:12,588 right to work in business and great career. 36 00:02:12,588 --> 00:02:17,092 I'd like to do it all over again, but I always regretted not getting a higher 37 00:02:17,092 --> 00:02:18,353 education. 38 00:02:18,694 --> 00:02:22,818 And so when I retired in my 50s and sold the business, 39 00:02:22,990 --> 00:02:27,350 I found myself very quickly bored because I'd been working 12 hours a day, six days 40 00:02:27,350 --> 00:02:29,730 a week for years and years and years. 41 00:02:29,730 --> 00:02:31,030 And I became very bored. 42 00:02:31,030 --> 00:02:33,450 thought, what am I going to do with myself? 43 00:02:33,670 --> 00:02:38,110 And I remembered all those years that I'd done a little writing and that had kind of 44 00:02:38,110 --> 00:02:38,800 been a passion. 45 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:41,030 thought, I'm going to go back to university. 46 00:02:41,050 --> 00:02:44,390 So I went back and got a bachelor's degree in English. 47 00:02:44,390 --> 00:02:48,570 And then I applied to a very competitive program and a master of fine arts program 48 00:02:48,570 --> 00:02:49,370 in creative writing. 49 00:02:49,370 --> 00:02:50,956 And I was accepted. 50 00:02:51,082 --> 00:02:55,525 And so I achieved a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. 51 00:02:56,387 --> 00:03:00,570 Very quickly again, I became bored and I began looking for things to do. 52 00:03:00,731 --> 00:03:06,365 And I found that my talents and my skills and my motivations could be valuable to 53 00:03:06,365 --> 00:03:11,850 other organizations and not be concerned about dollars and income, but to give 54 00:03:11,850 --> 00:03:13,841 myself to their mission. 55 00:03:13,922 --> 00:03:17,695 And so I've become very involved with the American Red Cross, which is my largest 56 00:03:17,695 --> 00:03:19,136 passion today. 57 00:03:19,246 --> 00:03:22,586 I've also been involved with Historic Core, which is a not -for -profit 58 00:03:22,586 --> 00:03:28,086 organization that mobilizes volunteers to save historic places all across the United 59 00:03:28,086 --> 00:03:29,026 States. 60 00:03:29,026 --> 00:03:33,366 And I'm also deeply involved with the George Washington Carver Birthplace 61 00:03:33,366 --> 00:03:34,706 Association. 62 00:03:34,706 --> 00:03:40,926 And I'm the project manager now for the restoration of the 1872 Neosho Colored 63 00:03:40,926 --> 00:03:45,954 School, which was a reconstruction era schoolhouse. 64 00:03:45,954 --> 00:03:47,627 where George Washington Carver wins. 65 00:03:47,627 --> 00:03:53,087 So I'm actively involved in raising funds and supervising the real actual 66 00:03:53,087 --> 00:03:55,200 restoration of that schoolhouse. 67 00:03:56,831 --> 00:03:58,342 That's amazing. 68 00:03:58,824 --> 00:04:00,616 And what would you say? 69 00:04:00,616 --> 00:04:06,574 know you've listed your passions and you've been part of all these amazing 70 00:04:06,574 --> 00:04:12,021 ventures in, you know, restoration and also giving back. 71 00:04:12,021 --> 00:04:15,165 What would you say your proudest moment was? 72 00:04:16,458 --> 00:04:20,980 let me think just a moment because there are a number of them that I find great 73 00:04:20,980 --> 00:04:23,061 satisfaction in their memory. 74 00:04:23,101 --> 00:04:30,304 Probably the moment that means the most to me was a year or so ago in Mississippi 75 00:04:30,304 --> 00:04:35,696 where I was working with the American Red Cross and after following devastating 76 00:04:35,696 --> 00:04:40,288 tornadoes that tore through small towns there and just obliterated them. 77 00:04:41,008 --> 00:04:43,980 I served in various roles with the American Red Cross, always in 78 00:04:43,980 --> 00:04:45,290 communication. 79 00:04:45,416 --> 00:04:50,608 But on this particular project, I was serving as the producer for a video 80 00:04:50,608 --> 00:04:51,789 project. 81 00:04:51,829 --> 00:04:57,021 Red Cross had hired a professional video company to produce video content to 82 00:04:57,021 --> 00:05:00,232 explain the mission of the American Red Cross in that area. 83 00:05:00,433 --> 00:05:06,885 So my job was to guide these technicians and videographers and editors to the right 84 00:05:06,885 --> 00:05:11,037 place, to the right source, to the right people that would tell the best story 85 00:05:11,037 --> 00:05:13,178 about our humanitarian efforts. 86 00:05:13,900 --> 00:05:18,513 I remember we came across a family who had been in that area for years. 87 00:05:18,814 --> 00:05:27,742 They were small -time farmers, and they had a son who had risen above poverty and 88 00:05:28,063 --> 00:05:35,229 above discrimination and above many obstacles to become an Ivy League -trained 89 00:05:35,229 --> 00:05:38,702 lawyer and also worked in the Obama White House. 90 00:05:38,702 --> 00:05:39,683 And he was there that day. 91 00:05:39,683 --> 00:05:41,614 So I sat down with him. 92 00:05:41,868 --> 00:05:47,189 and his father who probably had an elementary education at best, who is a 93 00:05:47,189 --> 00:05:50,880 double amputee, who is a diabetic. 94 00:05:50,880 --> 00:05:55,742 And I sat down with them in their home and interviewed them about what the Red Cross 95 00:05:55,742 --> 00:05:57,182 had done for them. 96 00:05:57,562 --> 00:06:01,823 And it was a moment that just all the pieces came together. 97 00:06:01,963 --> 00:06:07,005 And we produced a video, short video that became a national award winning video. 98 00:06:07,045 --> 00:06:11,766 And it told the story of what the Red Cross was doing for people like them. 99 00:06:12,128 --> 00:06:16,592 And the other side of it was is our fund development team was able to take that and 100 00:06:16,592 --> 00:06:20,915 go to corporate donors and raise massive amounts of funds to support our 101 00:06:20,915 --> 00:06:22,807 humanitarian mission. 102 00:06:22,807 --> 00:06:26,700 So that probably sticks out in my memory more than anything else. 103 00:06:27,758 --> 00:06:28,899 That's incredible. 104 00:06:28,899 --> 00:06:35,318 And I think you touching the best story part is exactly why we're here to, you 105 00:06:35,318 --> 00:06:40,034 know, share your story with our audience and to make sure they understand the power 106 00:06:40,034 --> 00:06:40,986 of storytelling. 107 00:06:40,986 --> 00:06:41,656 Right. 108 00:06:41,656 --> 00:06:43,787 Storytelling is everything. 109 00:06:44,327 --> 00:06:49,199 A lot of people, talk to me today and I'm very deeply involved in communications and 110 00:06:49,199 --> 00:06:51,990 they say, well, you must have had a background in media or all this. 111 00:06:51,990 --> 00:06:53,791 No, not at all. 112 00:06:53,871 --> 00:06:59,353 But I was in business and dealt with the public and it's all people skills. 113 00:06:59,554 --> 00:07:06,667 It's all making friends and gaining trust of those that you want to tell stories 114 00:07:06,667 --> 00:07:09,578 about them and what's happening to 115 00:07:10,338 --> 00:07:14,260 Whenever we're on these big operations, like whenever, for instance, I worked 116 00:07:14,260 --> 00:07:19,141 Hurricane Ian, I was there for eight weeks in Florida after that disaster. 117 00:07:19,482 --> 00:07:24,384 And we spend a lot of time in the car going between places and traveling to find 118 00:07:24,384 --> 00:07:26,745 the stories that we're going to gather. 119 00:07:26,745 --> 00:07:32,137 And we're careful and we are very meticulous and proficient to find the 120 00:07:32,137 --> 00:07:33,548 right stories. 121 00:07:33,808 --> 00:07:37,409 And when we roll up to a place that we think this is a place where we can get a 122 00:07:37,409 --> 00:07:39,230 story that we want to tell. 123 00:07:39,552 --> 00:07:44,337 I open the door and my last words to the crew that's working with me, say, let's go 124 00:07:44,337 --> 00:07:45,788 make friends. 125 00:07:46,070 --> 00:07:50,294 Because if you become somebody's friend, they'll tell you their story. 126 00:07:50,294 --> 00:07:54,068 And those are the greatest and most impactful stories that we can tell. 127 00:07:55,297 --> 00:08:01,320 Absolutely, and you've mentioned quite a few examples that require storytelling 128 00:08:01,320 --> 00:08:02,961 during adversity. 129 00:08:03,300 --> 00:08:09,905 How is that challenging and how do you face that and make sure there's a best 130 00:08:09,905 --> 00:08:10,965 story to 131 00:08:12,536 --> 00:08:13,787 several aspects to that. 132 00:08:13,787 --> 00:08:19,853 One is you need to become very familiar with the organization that you're working 133 00:08:19,853 --> 00:08:23,556 for and their capabilities to help people in need. 134 00:08:23,777 --> 00:08:27,741 When I serve as a producer on these projects like the one I just mentioned, 135 00:08:27,741 --> 00:08:33,927 I'm embedded in that project because those that we have put on the project because 136 00:08:33,927 --> 00:08:37,910 they're the best in the business but they don't know the organization. 137 00:08:38,294 --> 00:08:43,006 So I'm in the organization and I know that over here we're distributing emergency 138 00:08:43,006 --> 00:08:44,136 supplies. 139 00:08:44,397 --> 00:08:47,878 In this county, we're doing mobile feeding. 140 00:08:48,018 --> 00:08:51,079 At this arena, we're doing sheltering. 141 00:08:51,119 --> 00:08:56,321 So to know your organization is the very best thing that you can do. 142 00:08:56,762 --> 00:09:05,845 And then to be patient and to make a friend, I think it's almost wrong to just 143 00:09:05,845 --> 00:09:08,406 dive bomb into a situation. 144 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:14,594 and jerk a story out of somebody for my own personal ambition. 145 00:09:14,895 --> 00:09:16,886 That's not the game, the aim. 146 00:09:16,886 --> 00:09:18,398 That's not the role. 147 00:09:18,398 --> 00:09:20,880 Because that doesn't tell a good story. 148 00:09:21,121 --> 00:09:24,884 I want to gain the trust and confidence and friendship of that person. 149 00:09:24,884 --> 00:09:27,465 It has to be done in a short amount of time. 150 00:09:27,666 --> 00:09:31,499 But in a short amount of time, you can convey through body language and the 151 00:09:31,499 --> 00:09:37,090 things you say and the transparency of your heart that I am here to help you. 152 00:09:37,090 --> 00:09:42,291 I'm here to tell your story because I want you to tell your story and because your 153 00:09:42,291 --> 00:09:48,153 story will touch the hearts of those that can make it possible for us to help you. 154 00:09:49,193 --> 00:09:54,975 One of the challenges in all of that is to balance empathy and professionalism. 155 00:09:56,095 --> 00:10:03,157 When I go into a major disaster scene, it's just constant, every hour of the day, 156 00:10:03,157 --> 00:10:04,498 destruction, 157 00:10:05,580 --> 00:10:08,471 people facing the worst moment of their lives. 158 00:10:09,852 --> 00:10:12,814 So there are two extremes. 159 00:10:12,814 --> 00:10:18,287 One is you become so empathetic that you're no longer capable of doing the job 160 00:10:18,287 --> 00:10:23,300 of being a storyteller because you're wrecked emotionally inside. 161 00:10:23,700 --> 00:10:30,014 The other extreme is to become completely detached and to not feel what they're 162 00:10:30,014 --> 00:10:31,064 feeling. 163 00:10:31,184 --> 00:10:34,676 So somehow you've got to strike the balance in the middle. 164 00:10:34,752 --> 00:10:41,514 of empathy and professionalism and doggedness to get the job done. 165 00:10:41,514 --> 00:10:43,524 And it's hard. 166 00:10:44,345 --> 00:10:49,286 I find that I can do that for a couple of weeks, but then I've got to take a break. 167 00:10:49,386 --> 00:10:53,888 I remember one particular instance on a hurricane operation, and I'd been there 168 00:10:53,888 --> 00:10:58,749 for going on three weeks, and we had been out in the field shooting video and 169 00:10:58,749 --> 00:11:02,316 interviewing, gathering stories and writing all day. 170 00:11:02,316 --> 00:11:05,389 And then we went back to the hotel room that night and spent another three or four 171 00:11:05,389 --> 00:11:10,632 hours writing the story, just gaining the captions, doing the releases, all that. 172 00:11:10,713 --> 00:11:15,036 And I was standing over the shoulder of a video editor. 173 00:11:15,417 --> 00:11:20,651 And as he was editing and I was giving him direction, let's focus on this shot, let's 174 00:11:20,651 --> 00:11:26,386 move into this transition, completely out of the blue, I began to tear up. 175 00:11:26,386 --> 00:11:28,747 And I thought, what's the matter with me? 176 00:11:29,228 --> 00:11:31,864 And I think it's because I'd reached the point 177 00:11:31,864 --> 00:11:33,535 that I'd seen too much. 178 00:11:33,997 --> 00:11:39,303 So sometimes you've to back off a little bit, recollect yourself, gain more 179 00:11:39,303 --> 00:11:46,011 resolve, continue to be empathetic, but the job to tell the story is paramount. 180 00:11:46,011 --> 00:11:48,854 We've got to be in the best shape possible to do that. 181 00:11:49,727 --> 00:11:50,807 Wow, yeah. 182 00:11:50,807 --> 00:11:56,289 And I think through all your examples, it speaks volumes to your mission of the best 183 00:11:56,289 --> 00:12:01,780 storytelling while not compromising, you know, the people who are giving you the 184 00:12:01,780 --> 00:12:04,021 story and the help that's going to them. 185 00:12:04,021 --> 00:12:06,442 So truly appreciate that. 186 00:12:06,442 --> 00:12:12,423 And you mentioned a little bit about having that balance, right, with empathy, 187 00:12:12,423 --> 00:12:14,524 patience and all that. 188 00:12:14,704 --> 00:12:17,801 And it speaks to your resilience. 189 00:12:17,801 --> 00:12:23,524 and how you've persevered through these adverse storytelling times. 190 00:12:23,844 --> 00:12:29,637 So what advice would you give someone who's starting out in this path and who's 191 00:12:29,637 --> 00:12:33,799 trying to get that story with people? 192 00:12:35,288 --> 00:12:41,283 I think the best advice I could give is to begin not as a storyteller, but as a 193 00:12:41,283 --> 00:12:42,624 humanitarian. 194 00:12:43,965 --> 00:12:48,069 I remember when I first signed up with the American Red Cross, I was brand new, 195 00:12:48,069 --> 00:12:53,713 didn't know where I belonged, didn't know really fully what the operation did. 196 00:12:54,154 --> 00:12:59,878 And they assigned me to be a shelter worker, just a simple private in the army 197 00:13:00,019 --> 00:13:04,130 in a large shelter where people who had been displaced from their homes 198 00:13:04,130 --> 00:13:09,932 had nowhere else to turn, could come and find safety and food and warmth. 199 00:13:10,753 --> 00:13:16,455 And after I got there, I was a bit offended because I thought, I can do more 200 00:13:16,455 --> 00:13:16,945 than this. 201 00:13:16,945 --> 00:13:18,996 My talents are better than this. 202 00:13:18,996 --> 00:13:23,038 I gotta admit there was a piece of me that was a little selfish. 203 00:13:23,358 --> 00:13:28,350 But as I began to settle in, I found that that experience as I looked back on it in 204 00:13:28,350 --> 00:13:32,662 retrospect was probably my best introduction. 205 00:13:33,246 --> 00:13:33,906 humanitarianism. 206 00:13:33,906 --> 00:13:35,566 I wasn't there to gather a story. 207 00:13:35,566 --> 00:13:38,206 I wasn't there to do any administration. 208 00:13:38,206 --> 00:13:42,246 I wasn't there to do anything but as simple as hand someone a sandwich or give 209 00:13:42,246 --> 00:13:44,666 a blanket to someone on their cot. 210 00:13:44,966 --> 00:13:50,566 It allowed me to understand what humanitarianism is all about. 211 00:13:50,686 --> 00:13:55,626 Plus, it gave me the 30 ,000 foot view of the operation. 212 00:13:55,626 --> 00:13:57,046 I was a newbie. 213 00:13:57,046 --> 00:14:02,086 I saw hmm that person over there is a mental health worker and 214 00:14:02,188 --> 00:14:06,380 meeting the emotional needs of this person who has been through trauma. 215 00:14:06,481 --> 00:14:11,583 That person over there who's driving that forklift in that warehouse, they may never 216 00:14:11,583 --> 00:14:15,145 see the people they're serving, but they're loading the trucks with that 217 00:14:15,145 --> 00:14:19,668 material that's going to provide comfort and service to them. 218 00:14:19,668 --> 00:14:22,550 So I began to see how all the pieces work together. 219 00:14:22,550 --> 00:14:28,593 And then I began to watch as leadership in the command headquarters were directing 220 00:14:28,593 --> 00:14:30,014 the operation. 221 00:14:30,348 --> 00:14:32,039 I think that was a good introduction. 222 00:14:32,039 --> 00:14:36,381 So anybody wanting to get involved in humanitarian storytelling, would say hold 223 00:14:36,381 --> 00:14:41,222 your horses, back off a little bit, and just learn how to be a humanitarian. 224 00:14:41,783 --> 00:14:44,994 The second thing I would say is that before you go out in the field, we all 225 00:14:44,994 --> 00:14:49,576 want to grab our cameras, and we all want to grab our reporter's notebooks and run 226 00:14:49,576 --> 00:14:50,846 out in the field. 227 00:14:51,327 --> 00:14:53,928 Before you go out there, master your craft. 228 00:14:55,228 --> 00:14:57,289 Learn how to use that camera. 229 00:14:57,489 --> 00:14:59,370 Learn how to edit video. 230 00:14:59,756 --> 00:15:01,247 Become a writer. 231 00:15:01,428 --> 00:15:06,582 Let others edit your work and put your ego aside and realize that you may think 232 00:15:06,582 --> 00:15:09,744 you're a great writer, but there are others better than you or as good as you 233 00:15:09,744 --> 00:15:11,756 who can provide helpful information. 234 00:15:11,756 --> 00:15:13,668 So number one, become a humanitarian. 235 00:15:13,668 --> 00:15:15,920 Number two, master your craft. 236 00:15:15,920 --> 00:15:20,203 And then number three, devote yourself entirely to that pursuit. 237 00:15:20,684 --> 00:15:26,309 I spend sometimes as much as half the year deployed. 238 00:15:26,309 --> 00:15:28,460 Last year it was some Guam. 239 00:15:28,526 --> 00:15:33,339 for the typhoon, to Maui, for the wildfire, to Florida for hurricanes, to 240 00:15:33,339 --> 00:15:35,330 the Midwest for tornadoes. 241 00:15:36,632 --> 00:15:42,276 You can't call yourself a humanitarian and a communicator if you're not out there 242 00:15:42,276 --> 00:15:43,616 doing the work. 243 00:15:44,097 --> 00:15:47,600 So one, learn how to be a humanitarian. 244 00:15:47,600 --> 00:15:50,021 Two, master your craft. 245 00:15:50,021 --> 00:15:52,683 Three, make yourself available. 246 00:15:53,003 --> 00:15:57,056 And then if you're good, if you're reliable, 247 00:15:57,208 --> 00:16:00,543 If you produce good content, doors will open. 248 00:16:02,347 --> 00:16:02,757 Thank you. 249 00:16:02,757 --> 00:16:03,779 Thank you for that. 250 00:16:03,779 --> 00:16:06,370 A little segue from our conversation here. 251 00:16:06,370 --> 00:16:13,329 There's a lot of social media and a lot of media out there that is not truth with a 252 00:16:13,329 --> 00:16:14,670 capital T. 253 00:16:15,331 --> 00:16:20,657 It is combined with emotions and a lot of business led objectives. 254 00:16:20,918 --> 00:16:24,551 What would you say to that and how are you combating? 255 00:16:26,072 --> 00:16:27,803 That's a real challenge. 256 00:16:27,824 --> 00:16:35,490 And I would say that probably a third of my time as a, I'm now in administration as 257 00:16:35,490 --> 00:16:39,794 well as a communicator in that field, in that part of the operation. 258 00:16:39,794 --> 00:16:44,267 And I would say probably a third of the time I spend not only producing and being 259 00:16:44,267 --> 00:16:51,073 positive with content, but being defensive about things that pop up that can damage 260 00:16:51,073 --> 00:16:55,126 the brand and mangle the message. 261 00:16:55,732 --> 00:17:04,186 So what we find is to use this great tool of social media to the greatest ability. 262 00:17:04,647 --> 00:17:06,168 It's the driving force. 263 00:17:06,168 --> 00:17:12,391 The days of, I still do TV interviews and still do some print, but the days of 264 00:17:12,391 --> 00:17:18,495 institutionalized media being our message bearer are really dwindling. 265 00:17:18,915 --> 00:17:20,286 Social media is where it's at. 266 00:17:20,286 --> 00:17:22,897 That's where people get their information these days. 267 00:17:22,978 --> 00:17:23,758 And 268 00:17:24,322 --> 00:17:27,063 We produce a lot of social media content. 269 00:17:27,063 --> 00:17:33,605 We push out a lot of social media attention trying to catch eyeballs to not 270 00:17:33,605 --> 00:17:39,697 only promote the brand and to develop the funds necessary to support the mission 271 00:17:39,697 --> 00:17:42,967 that we're doing but also just to tell people what we're doing and then another 272 00:17:42,967 --> 00:17:49,119 thing we do is we spotlight volunteers to give them a pat on the back and to inspire 273 00:17:49,119 --> 00:17:51,906 others to become volunteers, but the 274 00:17:51,906 --> 00:17:57,188 The backside of that, the dark side of social media is it's easy for anybody with 275 00:17:57,188 --> 00:18:06,171 a phone to quickly refute what we're doing or to damage the message or the brand. 276 00:18:06,171 --> 00:18:10,602 And so constantly have to be on the outlook for that and to respond when 277 00:18:10,602 --> 00:18:15,584 necessary and tailor the message to deal with that. 278 00:18:16,063 --> 00:18:17,273 Right, yeah. 279 00:18:17,273 --> 00:18:22,975 And I've seen a lot of learnings through that and a lot of, know, editing yourself 280 00:18:22,975 --> 00:18:24,816 while you're doing that work, right? 281 00:18:24,816 --> 00:18:26,916 So really appreciate that. 282 00:18:26,916 --> 00:18:30,697 And you've mentioned a little bit about TV interviews. 283 00:18:31,258 --> 00:18:36,299 How is that different from, you know, the humanitarian side of it? 284 00:18:36,299 --> 00:18:38,640 And is it any different, right? 285 00:18:38,640 --> 00:18:41,621 And share some of your experiences with 286 00:18:41,686 --> 00:18:48,259 Well, of course it's vastly different in terms of mechanics, but I don't see it as 287 00:18:48,259 --> 00:18:49,709 any different at all. 288 00:18:49,709 --> 00:18:53,070 I'll say this before I directly address your question. 289 00:18:53,791 --> 00:18:57,912 Some people, they might look at what I do and say, well, you're not part of the 290 00:18:57,912 --> 00:19:00,634 humanitarian mission of that organization. 291 00:19:01,134 --> 00:19:02,835 You're not giving them a meal. 292 00:19:02,835 --> 00:19:04,695 You're not cooking their food. 293 00:19:04,695 --> 00:19:07,316 You're not providing them a blanket. 294 00:19:07,577 --> 00:19:11,478 But what I do is integral to the operation. 295 00:19:11,478 --> 00:19:16,679 because what they're doing isn't possible without what I'm doing and vice versa. 296 00:19:17,080 --> 00:19:23,061 So I consider my communications work definitely a humanitarian enterprise. 297 00:19:23,121 --> 00:19:29,303 Now, to address your question directly, television is still a powerful, powerful 298 00:19:29,303 --> 00:19:33,884 medium and we need to use it to the greatest extent. 299 00:19:34,145 --> 00:19:39,074 I find that most TV reporters 300 00:19:39,074 --> 00:19:43,998 are very sympathetic and cooperative with what we want to do because they see the 301 00:19:43,998 --> 00:19:47,400 good work we're doing and they want to support that. 302 00:19:47,900 --> 00:19:53,764 Very rarely will I run into an antagonistic reporter, but it happens. 303 00:19:53,965 --> 00:19:57,747 And so I think the main things to keep in mind what I do there is to keep it as 304 00:19:57,747 --> 00:20:02,931 simple as possible to talk about what I'm doing, to talk about what the organization 305 00:20:02,931 --> 00:20:07,382 is doing, to not talk about what other organizations are doing. 306 00:20:07,382 --> 00:20:09,624 and to spotlight the mission that we're doing. 307 00:20:09,624 --> 00:20:13,656 There's a tool, it's a basic tool in every toolkit of every communicator that deals 308 00:20:13,656 --> 00:20:16,408 with media and it's called blocking and bridging. 309 00:20:16,408 --> 00:20:21,461 So they may say, well, what do you think of the job that X organization is doing to 310 00:20:21,461 --> 00:20:23,592 respond to this disaster? 311 00:20:23,653 --> 00:20:27,765 Well, my response might be something like, well, I can't speak to that, but I can 312 00:20:27,765 --> 00:20:32,598 tell you what my organization is doing and then begin to tell about 313 00:20:33,398 --> 00:20:38,721 And then I would say that when dealing with media, particularly visual media that 314 00:20:38,721 --> 00:20:45,415 can reach thousands, need to be very, very vigilant in watching carefully what takes 315 00:20:45,415 --> 00:20:45,685 place. 316 00:20:45,685 --> 00:20:46,756 I can give you an example. 317 00:20:46,756 --> 00:20:52,509 I was in California a couple of years ago when there was a massive wildfire and 318 00:20:52,509 --> 00:20:57,472 there were hundreds of people in a shelter and the weather was mild and some of them 319 00:20:57,472 --> 00:21:01,064 were choosing to stay outside in their RVs or camp or whatever. 320 00:21:01,362 --> 00:21:06,505 And a local reporter, television reporter came and they had an agenda. 321 00:21:06,925 --> 00:21:13,639 They felt that the air quality was toxic and that the American Red Cross was not 322 00:21:13,639 --> 00:21:18,812 doing anything about that to assist and protect those that were in the shelter. 323 00:21:20,173 --> 00:21:27,207 Long story short, they always find the one interviewee who will give them the story 324 00:21:27,207 --> 00:21:27,797 they want. 325 00:21:27,797 --> 00:21:29,338 And they found someone 326 00:21:29,398 --> 00:21:32,979 agreed with that and said, yes, it's terrible and what have you. 327 00:21:32,979 --> 00:21:34,500 I had been prepared. 328 00:21:34,500 --> 00:21:39,851 I knew this was coming and I had arranged for a staffer who had pure and accurate 329 00:21:39,851 --> 00:21:41,962 information and was articulate. 330 00:21:41,962 --> 00:21:44,522 And I said, let's go talk to this person. 331 00:21:44,543 --> 00:21:47,894 They brought the other perspective and then that took care of it. 332 00:21:47,894 --> 00:21:52,625 But then I found that when the reporter got in the car, they waited for me to 333 00:21:52,625 --> 00:21:56,556 leave because they wanted to continue to pursue their agenda. 334 00:21:57,228 --> 00:22:01,816 And it was a standoff for about three hours because I refused to leave until 335 00:22:01,816 --> 00:22:02,808 they left. 336 00:22:02,808 --> 00:22:07,096 And so sometimes you just have to be wise and vigilant and protect the brand, 337 00:22:07,096 --> 00:22:08,598 protect the message. 338 00:22:09,333 --> 00:22:16,958 Yeah, and I think that also calls to a lot of, as you mentioned, kind of the clashing 339 00:22:16,958 --> 00:22:21,502 of social definitions, because there's a lot of people in this web of helping 340 00:22:21,502 --> 00:22:22,702 others, right? 341 00:22:22,702 --> 00:22:25,004 And how we're portraying that. 342 00:22:25,004 --> 00:22:31,428 And there's always that clash of what is humanitarianism and how would that be 343 00:22:31,428 --> 00:22:32,870 defined, right? 344 00:22:32,870 --> 00:22:37,523 Would you ever define that or is there a definition you go by in the line of work 345 00:22:37,523 --> 00:22:38,333 you do? 346 00:22:39,678 --> 00:22:44,482 I think the humanitarianism at its core is simply a love of people and a wish for 347 00:22:44,482 --> 00:22:48,344 their safety and the best outcomes for them. 348 00:22:48,445 --> 00:22:55,430 As the mission statement says, to prevent and alleviate human suffering. 349 00:22:55,450 --> 00:22:59,603 one thing that the humanitarian organizations need to keep in mind is that 350 00:22:59,603 --> 00:23:01,275 we're all in this thing together. 351 00:23:01,275 --> 00:23:02,485 We're not competing. 352 00:23:02,485 --> 00:23:06,368 We are not saying, well, we served a thousand people today, so we're best. 353 00:23:06,422 --> 00:23:11,026 No, we served a large number of people today and we were assisted in this 354 00:23:11,026 --> 00:23:18,402 particular part of the operation by our friends and our partners at XYZ, a not 355 00:23:18,402 --> 00:23:19,333 -for -profit. 356 00:23:19,333 --> 00:23:24,338 And so we're all in this together and we need to really be cognizant of the fact 357 00:23:24,338 --> 00:23:28,781 that we support each other and we, and also the other side of that is we need to 358 00:23:28,781 --> 00:23:31,003 communicate with other organizations. 359 00:23:31,244 --> 00:23:34,586 We're doing this and can you help us with this? 360 00:23:34,668 --> 00:23:38,584 What parts of your organization can we help you with and work together in a 361 00:23:38,584 --> 00:23:39,881 friendly atmosphere? 362 00:23:39,881 --> 00:23:40,741 Mm -hmm. 363 00:23:41,302 --> 00:23:47,135 Yes, I think that calls to the whole question of not having a divided mission 364 00:23:47,135 --> 00:23:51,458 and coming under the huge umbrella of just, as you mentioned, preventing and 365 00:23:51,458 --> 00:23:55,330 alleviating human stress and needs, right? 366 00:23:55,491 --> 00:23:59,403 Yeah, so I think that that was really inspiring. 367 00:23:59,403 --> 00:24:04,115 And you've talked about a lot of challenges across your journey. 368 00:24:04,616 --> 00:24:06,657 How do you keep yourself 369 00:24:06,859 --> 00:24:10,656 positively reinforced and motivated with the small wins you 370 00:24:12,236 --> 00:24:19,039 I think that's pretty easy really because it's measurable in humans touched and 371 00:24:19,039 --> 00:24:19,989 helped. 372 00:24:20,970 --> 00:24:25,311 I'm going a lot and I have a circle of friends that you know I get back and we'll 373 00:24:25,311 --> 00:24:26,932 sit down have a cup of coffee. 374 00:24:26,932 --> 00:24:30,583 Well what do you remember about that last one for instance in Maui? 375 00:24:30,583 --> 00:24:31,654 Did you see the beaches? 376 00:24:31,654 --> 00:24:33,495 Did you see whatever? 377 00:24:33,495 --> 00:24:39,927 Well what I always remember when I get home are the faces of the people that I 378 00:24:39,927 --> 00:24:40,797 touch. 379 00:24:42,166 --> 00:24:45,579 You know, when I sit around and anything, I really don't ever sit around and say 380 00:24:45,579 --> 00:24:48,330 this is worth it because I'm all in. 381 00:24:48,591 --> 00:24:55,436 But I sometimes when I muse about am I doing any, am I accomplishing anything? 382 00:24:55,957 --> 00:24:57,817 Am I making a difference? 383 00:24:57,898 --> 00:25:04,073 I'll call to mind people that I interviewed, people that I edited a video 384 00:25:04,073 --> 00:25:08,916 of and somebody whose home was totally blown away, but we were able to help them. 385 00:25:09,068 --> 00:25:10,319 That's the things that I see. 386 00:25:10,319 --> 00:25:12,939 And so that's what keeps me going. 387 00:25:12,960 --> 00:25:18,462 And then I think also one of the things I'm constantly trying to do is to get 388 00:25:18,462 --> 00:25:19,362 better. 389 00:25:19,823 --> 00:25:25,605 And so I do a lot of reading in organizations that are similar to what I 390 00:25:25,605 --> 00:25:26,445 do. 391 00:25:26,826 --> 00:25:29,227 I do a lot of work on my technical skills. 392 00:25:29,227 --> 00:25:30,868 I want to become a better writer. 393 00:25:30,868 --> 00:25:32,869 I want to become a better editor. 394 00:25:32,869 --> 00:25:36,830 I want to become a better photographer, videographer. 395 00:25:36,972 --> 00:25:42,880 So even when I'm not out there in my downtime, I'm kind of constantly always 396 00:25:42,880 --> 00:25:46,284 tinkering with my toolkit to make sure I'm the best I can be. 397 00:25:46,881 --> 00:25:47,482 amazing. 398 00:25:47,482 --> 00:25:52,966 And I think that's such an important skill to have just as a human, right, to be your 399 00:25:52,966 --> 00:25:58,371 best self and keep improving yourself and checking yourself with humility. 400 00:25:58,371 --> 00:26:00,423 So that that's amazing. 401 00:26:00,423 --> 00:26:06,888 And a little segue to what we've been talking about, we did mention about funds 402 00:26:06,888 --> 00:26:10,401 and trying to keep this mission moving forward. 403 00:26:10,662 --> 00:26:14,889 How have you faced any, you know, challenges or 404 00:26:14,889 --> 00:26:21,344 any roadblocks towards that mission while, you know, having this ulterior mission of, 405 00:26:21,405 --> 00:26:23,399 you know, human help. 406 00:26:24,492 --> 00:26:27,863 Well, really, I don't spend a lot of time thinking about that because that's not my 407 00:26:27,863 --> 00:26:29,183 side of the house. 408 00:26:29,864 --> 00:26:36,075 I don't do, I don't, I'm not in fun development, but I know how important that 409 00:26:36,075 --> 00:26:36,865 is. 410 00:26:37,886 --> 00:26:44,218 Disasters are becoming more and more frequent and more and more intense in the 411 00:26:44,218 --> 00:26:47,428 extreme weather conditions in which we live. 412 00:26:47,729 --> 00:26:52,558 We are now facing more than twice the number of billion 413 00:26:52,558 --> 00:26:57,177 dollar disasters than we were just 10 years ago. 414 00:26:57,458 --> 00:27:03,038 So to answer your question, I think a couple of things. 415 00:27:03,038 --> 00:27:09,318 One is I'm very aware of the paramount importance of fund development because 416 00:27:09,318 --> 00:27:12,864 without that, the mission can't go forward. 417 00:27:14,678 --> 00:27:21,290 And then as a communicator, I think some communicators have difficulty with this 418 00:27:21,290 --> 00:27:22,560 understanding. 419 00:27:23,040 --> 00:27:29,932 I'm not only there to produce good content to show me as a great producer, content 420 00:27:29,932 --> 00:27:32,143 producer, or any of that. 421 00:27:32,143 --> 00:27:35,324 I'm not just there to tell big stories. 422 00:27:35,484 --> 00:27:39,705 I'm a big part of the machine of fun development. 423 00:27:39,925 --> 00:27:42,700 When I'm out working, I will often get 424 00:27:42,700 --> 00:27:46,911 be contacted by the Fund Development Department and say, can you go buy this 425 00:27:46,911 --> 00:27:53,273 warehouse tomorrow because this large national corporation has just donated a 426 00:27:53,273 --> 00:27:59,413 semi -truckload of their product to help in this disaster relief operation. 427 00:27:59,855 --> 00:28:05,536 So there are times when I'll take, I'll just, if necessary, block off half of my 428 00:28:05,536 --> 00:28:10,358 day and go sit in a warehouse seemingly doing nothing but waiting on that 429 00:28:10,358 --> 00:28:12,338 opportunity because I know 430 00:28:13,058 --> 00:28:18,823 Fund development needs that to show their appreciation to the corporation that 431 00:28:18,823 --> 00:28:23,106 provided the means for us to provide the humanitarian mission. 432 00:28:23,827 --> 00:28:29,292 And then often I will get a memo from fund development saying these corporations have 433 00:28:29,292 --> 00:28:32,034 provided these funds for this operation. 434 00:28:32,034 --> 00:28:37,539 So while I'm out just generally gathering content, I will keep an eye open for when 435 00:28:37,539 --> 00:28:41,642 I can spotlight these items. 436 00:28:41,738 --> 00:28:44,300 as a thank you to those organizations. 437 00:28:44,300 --> 00:28:48,062 And I've also learned about fund development in large not -for -profits. 438 00:28:48,443 --> 00:28:51,344 A lot of the fund development goes on behind the scenes. 439 00:28:51,645 --> 00:28:56,949 The fund development personnel, have cultivated close personal relationships 440 00:28:56,949 --> 00:29:02,172 with the philanthropy executives of major corporations. 441 00:29:02,893 --> 00:29:05,594 And they make pitches to them personally. 442 00:29:05,895 --> 00:29:10,828 And so it's really helpful to them when I can provide 443 00:29:11,284 --> 00:29:16,747 specialized personal content that will touch the hearts of the philanthropy 444 00:29:16,747 --> 00:29:19,277 officers of large corporations. 445 00:29:19,277 --> 00:29:23,160 And so it's a hand -in -hand effort and I work with them carefully to produce 446 00:29:23,160 --> 00:29:26,772 content that is really successful in that mission. 447 00:29:27,787 --> 00:29:34,130 Wow, yeah, and I think you hit a good point where it's like a catch -25 where 448 00:29:34,130 --> 00:29:35,831 you can't do one without the other. 449 00:29:35,831 --> 00:29:37,712 So thank you for that. 450 00:29:37,712 --> 00:29:43,925 And you've talked a little bit about how you're also preventing human pain and not 451 00:29:43,925 --> 00:29:45,566 just alleviating it. 452 00:29:45,686 --> 00:29:51,149 Can you speak more to that and give us a few examples of how your work has impacted 453 00:29:51,790 --> 00:29:56,330 That's been the motto of the Red Cross for decades. 454 00:29:56,890 --> 00:30:02,550 And there are many other opportunities for the organization to help people. 455 00:30:02,550 --> 00:30:04,310 Let me give you an example. 456 00:30:04,410 --> 00:30:09,830 There's a program called Sound the Alarm, which works with local fire departments 457 00:30:09,830 --> 00:30:16,170 and emergency departments to install free smoke alarms in people's homes. 458 00:30:16,290 --> 00:30:21,030 Many people don't know this, but the Red Cross responds to 60 459 00:30:21,726 --> 00:30:24,548 home fires every year. 460 00:30:24,769 --> 00:30:25,869 Every year. 461 00:30:26,771 --> 00:30:34,318 And one of the ways to prevent human suffering is to give people an ability to 462 00:30:34,318 --> 00:30:36,660 avoid being in that situation in the first place. 463 00:30:36,660 --> 00:30:41,405 So sound the alarm is a great way to do that by installing free smoke alarms in 464 00:30:41,405 --> 00:30:42,286 people's homes. 465 00:30:42,286 --> 00:30:44,608 Where do I fit into that as a communicator? 466 00:30:44,608 --> 00:30:45,948 Well, recently, 467 00:30:47,150 --> 00:30:50,610 an area in the country called me and said, we've got a great story. 468 00:30:50,610 --> 00:30:52,090 Can you write this for us? 469 00:30:52,090 --> 00:30:58,110 And what had happened is in the spring of 2023, there was a sound the alarm event in 470 00:30:58,110 --> 00:31:04,270 this community and they installed smoke alarms and hundreds of homes that day. 471 00:31:04,270 --> 00:31:08,210 The local fire department in partnership with the Red Cross and then volunteers 472 00:31:08,210 --> 00:31:12,130 from a local university spent the day going into people's homes, making sure the 473 00:31:12,130 --> 00:31:15,342 batteries if they did smoke alarms were operable. 474 00:31:15,342 --> 00:31:19,162 and they thought to provide free smoke alarms and then also give them education 475 00:31:19,162 --> 00:31:23,562 on how to get out of the house, what to do, how to plan an escape route. 476 00:31:23,662 --> 00:31:27,622 So they called me and they said, we installed a smoke alarm in these people's 477 00:31:27,622 --> 00:31:29,702 homes in the spring of 2023. 478 00:31:29,882 --> 00:31:33,782 And in February of 2024, they had a home fire. 479 00:31:33,982 --> 00:31:35,842 They all escaped. 480 00:31:36,062 --> 00:31:38,822 None were damaged, none were injured. 481 00:31:38,822 --> 00:31:42,302 And they probably would have been some fatalities had 482 00:31:42,446 --> 00:31:46,186 Spring of 2023 smoke alarm campaign not taking place. 483 00:31:46,186 --> 00:31:49,826 So it was a great joy to me to sit down with those people to interview them, to 484 00:31:49,826 --> 00:31:53,786 interview the fire department, to put a story together to tell this great story of 485 00:31:53,786 --> 00:31:57,472 how we not only alleviate human suffering, but we prevent it as well. 486 00:31:57,930 --> 00:31:59,591 Absolutely, yeah. 487 00:31:59,591 --> 00:32:03,814 And I think that ties back to you remembering those faces and those stories 488 00:32:03,814 --> 00:32:05,325 to keep you going with your mission. 489 00:32:05,325 --> 00:32:09,758 So perfect circle and coming back to it, right? 490 00:32:09,758 --> 00:32:12,100 And yeah. 491 00:32:12,100 --> 00:32:19,655 So when you started being a communicator, writer, and a humanitarian, did you have a 492 00:32:19,655 --> 00:32:23,467 point in your journey that kind of solidified your passion and you were like, 493 00:32:23,467 --> 00:32:24,148 this is it. 494 00:32:24,148 --> 00:32:26,559 This is what I want to do with the rest of my 495 00:32:27,212 --> 00:32:28,362 Yeah, I did. 496 00:32:29,043 --> 00:32:34,654 Going back to kind of what I told you after I finished those higher education 497 00:32:34,654 --> 00:32:38,105 degrees and then quickly found myself bored again, I thought, well, I'll 498 00:32:38,105 --> 00:32:38,945 volunteer. 499 00:32:38,945 --> 00:32:40,586 I'm capable of doing that. 500 00:32:40,586 --> 00:32:45,767 And I tried a number of organizations and I found them either haphazard and 501 00:32:45,767 --> 00:32:52,169 disorganized and not fulfilling or not really doing much of a good mission or not 502 00:32:52,169 --> 00:32:55,680 enough of the mission dollars going actually to humanitarianism. 503 00:32:55,822 --> 00:32:59,025 And then one day I was reading the newspaper and saw an article, said the Red 504 00:32:59,025 --> 00:33:00,726 Cross is looking for volunteers. 505 00:33:00,726 --> 00:33:02,307 Well, I'll try that. 506 00:33:02,848 --> 00:33:06,710 As I mentioned, the first one they sent me to was a shelter worker. 507 00:33:07,031 --> 00:33:11,295 I did really enjoy that, but I thought, okay, I've got a good handle on this 508 00:33:11,295 --> 00:33:12,135 organization. 509 00:33:12,135 --> 00:33:13,276 I see how it operates. 510 00:33:13,276 --> 00:33:14,337 I trust it. 511 00:33:14,337 --> 00:33:16,239 It spends the donor dollar wisely. 512 00:33:16,239 --> 00:33:17,740 It's well organized. 513 00:33:17,740 --> 00:33:18,721 I'm going to keep going. 514 00:33:18,721 --> 00:33:22,504 And so when I got back from that operation, my supervisor said, how'd go? 515 00:33:22,504 --> 00:33:25,866 And I said, fine, but that's not quite my thing. 516 00:33:25,964 --> 00:33:28,085 And they began to say, well, what are you good at? 517 00:33:28,085 --> 00:33:31,517 And I said, well, I do this and I do this and I do this. 518 00:33:31,538 --> 00:33:34,039 Well, let's send you out in those roles. 519 00:33:34,199 --> 00:33:40,493 And I was sent to the tornadoes that struck Arkansas and Kentucky in December 520 00:33:40,493 --> 00:33:41,603 of that year. 521 00:33:41,604 --> 00:33:46,387 And as I began, and I was just a private in that communications army, I was just 522 00:33:46,387 --> 00:33:52,030 out on the field trying to get stories and figuring things out as I went along. 523 00:33:52,194 --> 00:33:56,807 But it wasn't long after I sat down and began talking one -on -one with people to 524 00:33:56,807 --> 00:34:02,181 gather stories, gaining their friendship, gaining their trust, letting them give me 525 00:34:02,181 --> 00:34:05,624 confidences that I thought, this is it. 526 00:34:05,704 --> 00:34:09,247 This is the personal connection I've been looking for. 527 00:34:09,247 --> 00:34:16,012 I see now that connecting directly with people and then communicating their story 528 00:34:16,012 --> 00:34:19,444 in a professional manner, that's what I should be doing. 529 00:34:19,745 --> 00:34:21,345 That's amazing, yes. 530 00:34:21,886 --> 00:34:25,499 And I can only imagine how many best stories you had. 531 00:34:25,499 --> 00:34:32,523 This might be a tough question, take a few seconds, but do you personally have a best 532 00:34:32,523 --> 00:34:37,296 story that you helped process throughout your journey so far? 533 00:34:37,404 --> 00:34:41,316 my, there have been hundreds. 534 00:34:43,697 --> 00:34:47,538 I'll just kind of think aloud as I go along here, maybe hit on one. 535 00:34:48,719 --> 00:34:54,182 The story I wrote about a woman in Cheyenne, Wyoming, who had a home fire. 536 00:34:54,182 --> 00:34:55,942 Actually, was her apartment. 537 00:34:55,942 --> 00:34:57,043 It was her home. 538 00:34:57,043 --> 00:34:59,584 She didn't own the home, but it drove her out of her apartment. 539 00:34:59,584 --> 00:35:04,426 And she was struggling to begin with and had kind of 540 00:35:05,446 --> 00:35:11,250 a foothold in life and now this threw her totally into a disaster. 541 00:35:11,431 --> 00:35:14,783 But the American Red Cross came and not only provided help that night, but then 542 00:35:14,783 --> 00:35:16,614 also guided her to other resources. 543 00:35:16,614 --> 00:35:20,647 Said, know, we know that we can only help you so much, but this organization can 544 00:35:20,647 --> 00:35:20,947 help you. 545 00:35:20,947 --> 00:35:21,878 Let's connect you here. 546 00:35:21,878 --> 00:35:23,099 Let's connect you there. 547 00:35:23,099 --> 00:35:27,252 Long story short on that one, the story that I wrote was she'd always wanted to 548 00:35:27,252 --> 00:35:29,563 have her own business. 549 00:35:29,843 --> 00:35:33,910 And so by finding the resources to find another place to live, 550 00:35:33,910 --> 00:35:35,410 and get back on her feet. 551 00:35:35,410 --> 00:35:41,652 She was able to rent a little storefront and she's got a very small, but it's 552 00:35:41,652 --> 00:35:46,304 making her a living, jewelry making retailing business and how she was so 553 00:35:46,304 --> 00:35:49,694 grateful for the Red Cross because not only did they help her then, but they 554 00:35:49,694 --> 00:35:52,255 helped her get a new start in life. 555 00:35:52,255 --> 00:35:58,337 So that went in, I think another story I wrote about these new operations the Red 556 00:35:58,337 --> 00:36:02,518 Cross is doing to prevent human suffering is around the country. 557 00:36:02,562 --> 00:36:11,319 Red Cross is working to reinforce local humanitarian organizations in areas that 558 00:36:11,319 --> 00:36:17,224 are frequently hit by disaster so they are more resilient that when disaster strikes 559 00:36:17,224 --> 00:36:22,118 the next time, they can recover more quickly and effectively. 560 00:36:22,118 --> 00:36:24,359 So I think that really fits in as well. 561 00:36:24,680 --> 00:36:29,494 And maybe the stories that just provide me the most instantaneous fun, if you want to 562 00:36:29,494 --> 00:36:32,352 put it that way, is the ones I do about 563 00:36:32,352 --> 00:36:33,783 our volunteers. 564 00:36:33,783 --> 00:36:39,528 I love to tell the story about the retired minister who is now a spiritual care 565 00:36:39,528 --> 00:36:46,374 worker who responded to an Amtrak trail rail mass casualty event. 566 00:36:46,374 --> 00:36:50,547 And there was a woman who couldn't get on the plane to get back to her home in Los 567 00:36:50,547 --> 00:36:50,908 Angeles. 568 00:36:50,908 --> 00:36:56,022 She was just so traumatized that she tried three or four times to get on the plane to 569 00:36:56,022 --> 00:36:58,063 go home and just couldn't do it. 570 00:36:58,084 --> 00:37:01,046 And he was able to help her to talk her through 571 00:37:01,046 --> 00:37:01,956 and to get her home. 572 00:37:01,956 --> 00:37:06,811 So to write stories about our volunteers and what they do or I wrote a story once 573 00:37:06,811 --> 00:37:11,485 about a guy in a warehouse wearing an old cap and a work shirt. 574 00:37:11,485 --> 00:37:14,658 And I went to him and said, what are you doing here? 575 00:37:14,658 --> 00:37:16,510 we began to become friends. 576 00:37:16,510 --> 00:37:20,443 said, well, what did you do in your life before you retired and became a volunteer 577 00:37:20,443 --> 00:37:21,645 with this organization? 578 00:37:21,645 --> 00:37:22,976 He said, I was a brain surgeon. 579 00:37:22,976 --> 00:37:27,530 I said, why aren't you in disaster health services? 580 00:37:27,530 --> 00:37:28,350 He said, 581 00:37:28,566 --> 00:37:31,929 I just want to help people and I just want to drive a forklift. 582 00:37:32,130 --> 00:37:36,294 So to tell the stories of our volunteers is a lot of fun and it really gives 583 00:37:36,294 --> 00:37:40,588 satisfaction to give an atta boy to people who are giving of their lives. 584 00:37:41,017 --> 00:37:44,339 Thank you so much for all those best stories. 585 00:37:44,339 --> 00:37:50,081 And I think it brings down to all the empowerment and while also having fun 586 00:37:50,081 --> 00:37:51,592 while generating more stories. 587 00:37:51,592 --> 00:37:53,923 So I really appreciate that. 588 00:37:53,923 --> 00:38:00,926 And I think you touched a little bit on this, on how you're also trying to empower 589 00:38:00,926 --> 00:38:07,359 local humanitarian organizations to keep the chain moving, keep the mission moving. 590 00:38:07,977 --> 00:38:14,520 I've noticed that it's been a challenge to, for the name, call service, whatever 591 00:38:14,520 --> 00:38:18,782 type of service it is, to get people to volunteer for it. 592 00:38:18,883 --> 00:38:23,945 Is that a challenge you see and how, if any, are you tackling 593 00:38:24,686 --> 00:38:26,286 It's a huge challenge. 594 00:38:26,286 --> 00:38:28,896 And it's not just the organizations that I'm part of. 595 00:38:28,896 --> 00:38:34,046 We're seeing an overall trend in the United States of less volunteerism. 596 00:38:34,046 --> 00:38:36,106 And it's a huge challenge. 597 00:38:36,106 --> 00:38:39,906 So you've got this double -edged sword going on right now. 598 00:38:39,906 --> 00:38:46,146 Like I said, we're having twice as many major disasters as we were 10 years ago at 599 00:38:46,146 --> 00:38:51,418 the same time that there's a tremendous drop -off in volunteerism. 600 00:38:51,882 --> 00:38:53,503 And that's a real challenge. 601 00:38:53,503 --> 00:38:57,665 And it's one that is not part of my portfolio. 602 00:38:57,685 --> 00:39:01,387 And it's not, you know, it's not my role in the organization. 603 00:39:01,387 --> 00:39:07,100 But I know that the organizations that I'm dealing with and are a part of, that's 604 00:39:07,100 --> 00:39:11,373 challenge that they're facing head on because it's a real challenge. 605 00:39:11,373 --> 00:39:16,565 I would, one, say to people that you'll find tremendous satisfaction in giving of 606 00:39:16,565 --> 00:39:17,856 yourself to others. 607 00:39:17,856 --> 00:39:21,320 And the other side of that is there's an epidemic of loneliness in this country. 608 00:39:21,320 --> 00:39:25,291 It's well documented, it's rampant. 609 00:39:25,731 --> 00:39:30,673 What better way to meet people and what better way to get involved in a social 610 00:39:30,673 --> 00:39:35,094 operation than to become a volunteer with a good humanitarian organization? 611 00:39:35,734 --> 00:39:39,505 And then I'm also seeing that there's a difference in generations. 612 00:39:39,505 --> 00:39:44,477 The generations that are coming up now, you can't tell me and I won't believe it, 613 00:39:44,477 --> 00:39:47,598 but they don't have as big as hard as previous generations. 614 00:39:47,598 --> 00:39:48,798 I don't believe 615 00:39:50,358 --> 00:39:56,262 I just think that we're going to have to adapt to their availability, capability, 616 00:39:56,262 --> 00:39:57,883 and their mindset. 617 00:39:57,903 --> 00:40:03,597 And I think that's going to be the challenge is to adapt a volunteerism model 618 00:40:03,597 --> 00:40:08,431 that has worked for a long time to a changing social environment. 619 00:40:08,431 --> 00:40:09,482 But I think we can do it. 620 00:40:09,482 --> 00:40:10,242 I really do. 621 00:40:10,242 --> 00:40:14,094 I think that the future of volunteerism and humanitarianism is bright. 622 00:40:14,235 --> 00:40:18,988 And so I think that we can adapt to that generation. 623 00:40:19,020 --> 00:40:21,932 and provide opportunities that use skills they have. 624 00:40:22,132 --> 00:40:26,415 I usually on an operation will work with most of the people I work with are half my 625 00:40:26,415 --> 00:40:27,236 age. 626 00:40:27,776 --> 00:40:28,997 And I love it. 627 00:40:29,157 --> 00:40:30,438 It makes me younger. 628 00:40:30,438 --> 00:40:34,791 I feel like I fit right in, but they bring skills to the, I mean, I've really worked 629 00:40:34,791 --> 00:40:39,855 hard on my technical skills, but they can edit video in half the time I can and 630 00:40:39,855 --> 00:40:41,847 produce greater content and better content. 631 00:40:41,847 --> 00:40:44,308 They can do things on social media. 632 00:40:44,308 --> 00:40:45,869 I never even thought of. 633 00:40:45,910 --> 00:40:46,804 And so, 634 00:40:46,804 --> 00:40:51,828 I believe that the future of volunteerism is bright if we can adapt to changing 635 00:40:51,828 --> 00:40:56,562 social circumstances and find new ways to motivate people to become humanitarian. 636 00:40:57,045 --> 00:40:57,746 Wow, thank you. 637 00:40:57,746 --> 00:41:04,112 And that also speaks to how one has to be adaptable and also humble while learning 638 00:41:04,112 --> 00:41:11,440 and even as a volunteer, And do you think you see a future or maybe it's already 639 00:41:11,440 --> 00:41:15,434 happening right now with your story, but do you see the power of storytelling 640 00:41:15,434 --> 00:41:16,545 helping with 641 00:41:17,441 --> 00:41:18,132 it'll never end. 642 00:41:18,132 --> 00:41:25,266 I remember one of my major papers that I wrote in grad school at the Master of Fine 643 00:41:25,266 --> 00:41:29,458 Arts program was on the Shannakee, which is a total word nobody ever knows. 644 00:41:29,458 --> 00:41:34,641 But what it was, it was Irish storytellers who would go from village to village in 645 00:41:34,641 --> 00:41:38,074 the Middle Ages because there wasn't media at that time. 646 00:41:38,074 --> 00:41:40,805 And they went from village to village to village to tell stories. 647 00:41:40,805 --> 00:41:45,188 And they were considered near royalty because they brought news of the outside 648 00:41:45,188 --> 00:41:46,058 world. 649 00:41:47,170 --> 00:41:49,231 This is an ancient craft. 650 00:41:49,271 --> 00:41:55,154 Storytelling is as old as when Adam turned to Eden and said, you want to eat that 651 00:41:55,154 --> 00:41:55,894 apple. 652 00:41:55,894 --> 00:42:01,456 mean, storytelling is ancient and it will last forever. 653 00:42:02,317 --> 00:42:06,539 But the key is learning the craft. 654 00:42:07,479 --> 00:42:12,162 Things as simple as intro, main body, conclusion, it's adaptable to all 655 00:42:12,162 --> 00:42:13,462 situations. 656 00:42:13,634 --> 00:42:17,216 things that are like you're doing with me today and learning to ask the right 657 00:42:17,216 --> 00:42:22,920 questions that elicits the response that you need and that's not manipulation 658 00:42:22,920 --> 00:42:29,453 that's simply opening somebody's heart with the right keys and storytelling it's 659 00:42:29,453 --> 00:42:34,516 going to be here forever in one form or another human to human interaction of 660 00:42:34,516 --> 00:42:40,510 telling the story will last forever and those who master it are going to go 661 00:42:41,195 --> 00:42:41,625 Thank you. 662 00:42:41,625 --> 00:42:42,786 Thank you so much for that. 663 00:42:42,786 --> 00:42:47,039 And it definitely reiterates what we're trying to do here at Story Samurai. 664 00:42:47,039 --> 00:42:48,610 So thank you so much for that. 665 00:42:48,610 --> 00:42:52,613 And as we're getting close to end of time here, I just have one more question for 666 00:42:52,613 --> 00:42:53,433 you. 667 00:42:53,794 --> 00:42:59,467 With all the experiences you had, with all the roadblocks, with all the amazing 668 00:42:59,467 --> 00:43:04,591 opportunities you had, how do you think all of this has affected your personal 669 00:43:04,591 --> 00:43:05,041 life? 670 00:43:05,041 --> 00:43:08,903 And what is that one quality that you cherish forever? 671 00:43:12,118 --> 00:43:13,878 made me a better person. 672 00:43:14,299 --> 00:43:19,101 I think that if we're lonely and we sit around and are self -absorbed, that we 673 00:43:19,101 --> 00:43:23,353 become emotionally degraded and unstable. 674 00:43:23,353 --> 00:43:24,953 So it makes me a better person. 675 00:43:24,953 --> 00:43:31,206 It teaches me to see through someone else's eyes, to know that the person 676 00:43:31,206 --> 00:43:35,368 standing in line at that fast food place ahead of me, I don't know what they're 677 00:43:35,368 --> 00:43:36,058 facing today. 678 00:43:36,058 --> 00:43:38,359 I don't know if their mother just died. 679 00:43:38,359 --> 00:43:41,440 I don't know if they just lost their job. 680 00:43:41,710 --> 00:43:44,790 I don't know if they're on the high that comes with having found somebody new to 681 00:43:44,790 --> 00:43:45,830 love. 682 00:43:45,870 --> 00:43:53,390 It brings an empathy that is really important to emotional stability and 683 00:43:53,390 --> 00:43:54,850 becoming a better person. 684 00:43:54,850 --> 00:44:00,190 And then the other thing I take away from what I do is I am so grateful for all the 685 00:44:00,190 --> 00:44:03,230 many good friends that I've made on these operations. 686 00:44:04,450 --> 00:44:10,350 Some operations are so big, Hurricane Ian, there were 3 ,000 volunteers on the ground 687 00:44:10,350 --> 00:44:11,720 in that operation. 688 00:44:11,810 --> 00:44:17,964 But in Power Big, the operation, there's this core of about a few dozen of us that 689 00:44:17,964 --> 00:44:19,354 are always there. 690 00:44:19,754 --> 00:44:24,037 And so my best friends live all over the United States now. 691 00:44:24,177 --> 00:44:27,199 And we just kind of parachute in when there's a disaster. 692 00:44:27,199 --> 00:44:31,342 We pick up right where we left off, and we're best buds again and go forward. 693 00:44:31,342 --> 00:44:35,284 So it's given me an opportunity to find like -minded people who have big hearts 694 00:44:35,284 --> 00:44:39,316 and joyful spirits and enjoy doing the work that they're doing. 695 00:44:39,649 --> 00:44:44,263 Thank you so much, Kim, and thank you for being part of kindling that mission 696 00:44:44,263 --> 00:44:45,294 throughout the US. 697 00:44:45,294 --> 00:44:47,816 So thank you so much. 698 00:44:47,816 --> 00:44:49,978 And that's all I had for you today. 699 00:44:49,978 --> 00:44:53,061 And again, it's an absolute pleasure to have you. 700 00:44:53,061 --> 00:44:56,823 Really appreciate all the stories and journey stories you shared with us. 701 00:44:57,785 --> 00:44:58,815 Thank you.