PoP 127 | Surfing, Foster Care, and Hulu an interview with Guided Good Founder Janet Wood

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You’re newly divorced, working with kids in foster care, and you want to learn Spanish: What do you do?

Janet Wood moved out of the country for three months. Hear her story about launching the non-profit Guided Good that helps adults leaving foster care to have life changing experience abroad.

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PoP Culture Meet Janet Wood

Janet Wood Greater GoodJanet uses powerful conversations and culture shock to get people unstuck and help them shift into a vibrant life with purpose.

She is a Transformational Coach and recently founded the non-profit Guided Good which works to empower foster youth aging out of the system to serve an international community in need. They are currently working to raise the funds to take their first trip with 6 foster kids this Fall 2016 to either Nicaragua or Guatemala in order to help shift perspective and provide hope for a better future.

Here’s what she says:

“We believe that foster youth, specifically ages 18-26, are a demographic that is often forgotten. In most states, they are aged out of the system at age 18 with little to no real preparation for the challenges that adulthood brings. Within 18 months, 40-50% of foster youth become homeless or unemployed. 71% of young women are pregnant by age 21. This is a crucial period in their lives in which we have the power to make a huge difference.

I am passionate about the healing that can happen when we put ourselves in situations where we are forced to serve someone less fortunate than ourselves. Which is why I believe these three things are so powerful: SERVICE, CULTURAL IMMERSION, and MENTORSHIP. We plan to utilize these three things to create powerful life changing experiences for at-risk and foster youth in need.”

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Podcast Transcription

Pop 127 | Surfing, Foster Care, And Hulu An Interview With Guided Good Founder Janet Wood

[0:00] Music.

[0:27] Come to practice and practice podcast we’re live in practice of.
This world headquarters in the radio center to building in beautiful downtown traverse city michigan.
I’m looking out at west bay right now i take home day that there’s a can of smokey fog over the water.
This morning the fog was really eerie around the trees that fell like a like all hallows eve were the headless horseman be,
traveling through town except there are no leaves on the trees and it was rather frigid,
so i am so glad that you are here today with me i am so glad that you’re letting me into yours in your brain today is going to be an amazing show were talking with janet would from guided good,
and she’s talking all about kids in foster care she’s gonna be talking about international travel she’s gonna talk with surfing and she’s gonna talk about who luke.
So you know we’re headed it’s gonna be an exciting,
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headed over to websiteroundtable.com and we have a fifty page downloadable,
e-book that perry aaron and myself all can put together.
And just a great way to just show the expertise of the greater vision team so thanks so much for just being here today.
Today we’re talking about international travel life transitions a number of things with janet would and wanted to tell you a story i was probably.
Nineteen or twenty or c would’ve ben two thousand and maybe was ninety nine size of twenty one twenty two somewhere in there and my mom had gone to haiti.

[3:23] And my mom isn’t much of a traveler she’s a person that you know didn’t really like leaving our house for travel and spring break shoes content work on the garden and hang out around the house and,
and she is really liked our home.
As a kid she had to move a lot because of my grandfather’s job with ford and he would build different buildings for four in a movie last i’m guessing part of it might be she got a lot of travel out when she was younger.
Well one day she woke up from a dream and said i think i need to go to haiti and was very peculiar my mom wasn’t really like a person that.
I have a dream permissions or like would make decisions based on dreams and so she started researching,
people are going to the found this group and she went down there my mom’s a nurse practitioner and work in the medical clinic small hot that’s you basically offered medical care to rural haitians.
And the next year i had saw how much of an impact this may to my mom and so i went down there.
And it was it was literally one of those keystone moments my life that just changed how i see the world so he’s what two hundred miles from the most southern tip of the united states.
And it’s the poorest nation in the western hemisphere.
When the pulley and was fighting his wars he can let things to send in to chaos there and focused on other things.
So who the slaves revolted and they were able to take the country and have independents and they were giving just massive amounts of debt to pay back to the french government.

[5:01] And so they really they were the bread basket and made a lot of money for france but then after they got their independence things went downhill rather quickly.
So i end up in this little haitian village called jala bear it’s about thirty five miles south of puerto pay which is kind of the most major airport and to give you an idea of that airport.
We to fly the soviet air airplane that there is duct tape on the wings and it was written in russian and the wings,
and we landed at the airline strip where there are goats on and there is little kids that we can get go outside of the way when the planes came and it was a dirt landing strip.
We then got in a truck and the thirty five mile trip took three hours because of the pot holes you had can i drive into their lives really like these potholes like the size of a car and so you couldn’t get.
Much above the first year on the stick shift about ten to fifteen miles an hour as you’re going through these mountains.
So we get to go of air which is where we are working this clinic.

[6:11] And how to work as the pharmacists i learned just a little bit haitian creole of duke when do follows you which is two pills twice a day it’s amazing still remember that would do going to fight you have.
And learned a few other phrases that can help me be the lead pharmacist so i got to a count out pills and we give things like.
Flinstone vitamins ibuprofen cough syrup cough medicine.
Imac sicilian cipro things that are very like basically if we have diarrhea and the united states that we can go get ammonium ad,
but that’s not the case in haiti and still isn’t the case especially after the earthquake that happened on and acts as a constant hurricanes.

[6:55] So i remember this one day.
So there wasn’t any shower or bath for us an offer that you were three weeks agreement three weeks that were there and so there is this river that it wasn’t the cleanest river but you kinda felt clean when you get out of it so we would go down to the river.
And either at night or during the day depending on can see how everything was going in the clinic.
And we would get a shampoo and wear bathing suits and had.
Who won the first times we went down there my mom and i are going down to the river it’s very public area i mean women are there is coming a close look kids are around them the men are off your working and trying to find work.
And then we’re going down this path.

[7:41] They can’t cactus is on each side so it may be like the width were if you put your arms out you bump into the cacti.
And would use a machete to cut off the tops to makes are like fences between their areas of what is kind of their property so we’re going down this path.
And i got this bottle of shampoo and as i’m walking like two kids are behind me them at three then four and then by the time i get down to the river african across this dirt road and go down this hill so its maybe a quarter mile hike it says not far.
Some walking down there and you’re gonna swim suit and it got like a you had a hawaiian shirt on or something like that and a towel only the flip flops is going down this hill by the time i get down there is literally like twenty kids behind me.

[8:27] And when i get there i’m not sure really what’s happening but they also putting out their hand and my mom says to me.
They want some shampoo because they may not get clean any time in the coming weeks and they know.
That the shampoo is really there only like time that they might be able to i can a scrub up.
And so it was a big bottle of shampoo and i’m giving each kid like and nickel size amount of shampoo and,
he’s on his little hands around me and i’m giving little and a bit of the shampoo and this one little kid keeps coming back and what is going on,
and i realize he’s the oldest of three boys and his name is edson.
And as soon as he would have squeezed his way in his maybe like seven or eight.
But he had the middle brother and the younger brother.
And they were to little to get into the crowd of kids and since you get enough shampoo to sneak back and give to his brother come back get some shampoo for his other brother and get shampoo for himself and i was just,
amazing just like his little kinda like hits by till i get in there and get the shampoo for his brothers.

[9:43] And some land near her seated in the river and there’s like water the goes over the rocks and he goes in between things and it says that beautiful scene with like palm trees and just,
a very peaceful life even though it we see all this poverty the level of joy that the people had was just amazing.

[10:04] So i’m sitting there and i can go underwater and get my hair wet i’m about search scrubbing.
And this the little hans which in america like this deathly sounds like creepy but his little hands put shampoo into my hair kinda playfully to scrub my hair.
And it’s little at seven and he didn’t know if you was gonna get any more shampoo and he wanted also kind of feel what a white person’s hair felt like because it feels different.
And it was just amazing to me seen this little kid.
Who enough he’s gonna get more shampoo and he just had this like playful spirit where he was trying to get shampoo for his brothers bday is also and wanting to thank me but there’s a language barrier.
And any of you who have traveled have probably experienced this that he the kids the people of the hosts hostesses of the people that,
are helping us sometimes it’s a taxi driver really gregorio in peru i still remember gregorio,
we spoke broken spanish and broken english to each other for three hours and the right to you and to tumble.
That we have these moments that we get a glimpse into other people’s worlds.
And today janet is gonna take us on a journey that inspired her and i hope inspires you so without any further ado from guided good.
It’s janet would janet would from guided good how you doing today i’m doing great thank you so much for having me yeah welcome to the practice of the practice podcast.

[11:41] Pleasure to be here yet will jimmy you reached out to me so order out of the blue just,
okay trying to reach out to different people doing work that has surround what you’re doing and i happen to be in la right after you email me and we got some coffee together and,
we are best friends.
Yeah yeah that worked out so well i didn’t even know you were coming early it was crazy were texting her the whole time as if i got time that would work and.
I got to use her for the first time and get dropped off at random coffee shop it was delicious and the best it was everyone ladyz yeah i was a brick and.
Please bricks and scones with jam scones that’s right breaks and scones cool is the niners nice,
nice so is the janet a couple years ago actually don’t even only the exact timeline but you got divorced and that started a whole bunch of things for you and want to expected divorce and then what happened after that.
Yeah sure and it’s it’s crazy.
To talk about this now and with feeling such a sense of peace and clarity because when it happened it was almost four years ago,
is probably the darkest,
low minimum of a year years of my life not only just the loss of.
Send an increase of a divorce but just the realization of what i contributed to it happening.

[13:17] So i just found myself in a really really dark place and i got i did get married kinda young mean twenty one i think it’s pretty on the,
but then again i know twenty one else where we’re having a seventy eight really matters but i did get married kinda young and just.

[13:37] Honestly looking back if i can summarize it i just feel like we were to.
Broken people trying to find their happiness in each other and so our expectations were constantly being.
Not next we were constantly.
Just growing more and more bitter pushing each other more way and at the time i was happy just constantly tell victimized by.
Not being treated the way that i thought a wife should be treated and is thinking it would be he would say the same as far as far as that goes right you know i let him down for what he visualize a life would be and.
I just got a little by little grow grew cynical united’s raise.
Tune on the face like i felt like i was personally pushing that away and.
Yeah i just found myself to hit like a moment where i.
I don’t know saying i crap but i remember thinking.
When ever gonna be happy and i kind of like does myself into this really deep aunt hole where i feel like i was distant from god and long story short i,
i ended up cheating on him and it was just again just.

[15:06] Incredibly dark just very very dark place to be and in shortly soon after now i told them it was it was too hard.
Stay and i just have so much shame and regret and really can’t remember on the phone talking my mom.
Shortly after it happened and i literally very vividly remember saying this sentence like mom what is my life.
Yeah i it’s not wasn’t i was raised like agree can i.

[15:41] You know i was active like everyone would it was so surprising was like i was some crazy.
A person who anything all she was deathly that most people are surprised and even i have to really dig really deep to find out why did i do why do they come to a place so far we’re.
Where that happened and how can i get to the core of who i am what i did that,
so that i can live a fulfilling life not live the rest my life with regret and shame cuz i knew i want that and i knew that one day did wanna be happy again later it was on my own with someone else and.
You know i’m not dumb i know like the divorce rate in how you know if you have a first of course you now that the,
chances that you have getting divorced again and i just knew like rather than just find the quick fix and getting with someone else like annually into it from now.
Why was such an arrogant bastard pretty much figured that’s all that’s what i felt like i was i remember being young like her relationship in america lol and j was completely and utterly.
Is my face you know obviously i failed and you know whether or not.

[17:06] We can come out of it you now you know siri counseling i think that’s definitely possible it could been a few different ways it could happen no i absolutely don’t.
Lame have all for used decision to not feel like you can’t trust me and this is this is very very honest and up here but.
You know i really have to go.
Okay now let me now what you know i don’t wanna live in regret i don’t want to.
To find myself in this situation again so over the next couple years i kind of just i don’t vent to you now doing everything i could from therapy to celebrate recovery.
To eventually getting coached by a transformation coach the one thing that really clicked when as i remember.
All my life growing up in the church.

[18:08] What units i went to when i would quote unquote serve it with usually be like on stage side i had a period of years where i was actress comedian so i would i would servin outlay but really was kind of a selfish thing because,
no the number of people in.
No i like when people would come up to me and can say right now is are you an ass guy or not in the area but really not that much i always thought to myself subconsciously.
Serving in any other way was like for other people i just wasn’t for me you now what if it was something i can enjoy immediately enjoy.
And i remember actually seeing a series taught by,
good job mr hank fortner he’s the pastor at when it passes that was a church in la and heater this whole series on service and you really really it was perfectly timely it challenge me to really.
Can i put myself in situations and yeah i feel comfortable at work and you really gratifying and.
I am i don’t have person to i started working are not working but volunteering with some foster youth in inner city and.
Are you willing and near los angeles and.
Little by little i just like the calluses just kinda dropping from my heart.
Can i still like no matter how much therapy you not everything in gone through as hell fluid it was so helpful there was something different about.

[19:43] Really putting myself in a place where i was serving others to need my help support encouragement and love.
I really really kind of likes from me answer like hearing at a much faster rate than.
I have never achieved before and when i leave it i kept imagining the apartment movie around.

[20:08] The grinch when his heart grew three sizes bigger,
yeah that’s lily how are currently everything start making cry like pelicans this cali someone aircon personal oregon suddenly like my heart was like tender and.
I really really did something for me so that kinda like start me on a new path as well.

[20:36] So janet when you going through that we think it was about the foster kids that major her continue to grow like that well i think.
First of all seen that my self-pity and.

[20:54] Kind of narcissism that i’ve been battling with just meant so little compared to the issues that these kids were having and.
You know obviously never want to compare struggles number to between people but it really kind of shook me out of my own.
You go and.

[21:19] Really just broke my heart to in in a good way to make in a way that i felt like.
It was opening up the door for me to have the capacity to love so much more than i had ever thought i could and i think when you go through.

[21:37] A divorce and in my case.
When i when i look back and realize it was my own arrogance and somewhat narcissistic ways that kinda led me there you kinda worry like.

[21:51] And my just abscessed with myself only and.
You know can i not ever love someone in a way that’s so unconditional that i can just love them just whole-heartedly in a way that i would love to be loved and.

[22:08] I am worried genuinely worried as i have that pasty and ss with those kids it just like broke that for me and i just discovered this like,
this well of care ans and empathy that i didn’t even know existed inside myself.

[22:26] And yeah i mean these kids you know that they are there.
Especially on nights when they’re just like having a blast and so happy and you know that actually they’re being thrown around from foster home to foster home not knowing who to trust because most the foster parents are.
In it for the money and not and it’s actually care for the kids and they come from abuse abusive families are abusive homes where there mom would you know.
Find them no on late use kit like lighters to burn their skin or just abandon them and it just.
It really really brought me perspective in my own life and.
And is that is not no better feeling than when you get a chance to be there for one of those kids and they actually.

[23:24] You feel loved for once because you are their first ball volunteering so they know you’re not getting paid to be there and that’s something very rare and i just fell.
Like what i’ve been doing with my life and there’s so much need right here it’s so so then was that about the time that you quit who lou,
shortly after yeah i,
i start to know right away that there is something you i wanted you see i worked at who for a few years and single is now about a year and a half ago i decided to go ahead and quit my job and,
well if we back up a little bit i also have this during that same time there was volunteering with.
Are the kids in our city i also share a passion for central america i’ve always wanted to.
Become fluent in spanish my mom is from honduras i took spanish in college and high school but it was just one of those things i always really really wanna do was get fluent in spanish and i knew that man.

[24:30] Actually living and staying with a family for prolonged period of time and so when i get things started to go.
Not to green our department at who lives and a lot of people were kinda jumping ship and i kind of like had one of those moments basically where i was like well what would i wanna do you do i fatwa find another tech job,
you know that really my passion or am i going to take this opportunity to really do something i love and at the same time serve others sound.
Is is really random but i google cuz i also have a love for surf culture i’m not i.

[25:10] I do sir i’m not great but i just love surf culture so i literally googled i have no idea what to look for and even know these things existed but i google search careers and this.
Job came up that lead me to a non-profit and.
Need i was and it was basically a volunteer opportunities unpaid but i just decided no and apply for,
i got this three months volunteer internship with small on the non-profit in a little village comply he got in nicaragua,
and i went there for three months i live with the local family homestay program and all that i learned spanish and yeah it was incredible and.
Incredibly hard and incredibly amazing and.
So part of the reason i wanna do that was to just learn spanish but also i wanted to do something you always.
Despite everything i’ve told you about the narcissistic i hate when i would go on vacation that’s a hawaii which i’m not bashing hawaii in any means is i love.
Why but just the resort life i remember i would use to go to.
On family vacations to stay like in a resort type place and why there was something i always felt like i was i was,
missing something for travel and i have a passion for travel but there’s something and i really says wanted to see curtis and.

[26:46] Going to a new location so i really wanted to when i went to nicaragua i really want to actually experience the culture of nicaragua not just go to,
a huge reason i did this sell i got a chance to really experience the culture learn spanish,
and also a really again just more of the those calluses this i feel like we’re coming up my heart mean the moment i stepped into the home i was staying for three months despite knowing what i was getting myself into.
I experience extreme culture shock i a kinda looked around and.

[27:27] Was say i can’t believe this is random stay for the next three to possibly at a time as possible to stay for six months,
and i only cried the first night there as we can paint the picture of like what’s typical nicaraguan home that.

[27:44] Alright be will basically they’re just their level of.
Poverty is their third world country so a lot of the homes are open aired.
And alot of things have these like very simple tin roofs and can’t walk and a lot of my,
oh and i’ll talk about this later but the home i was in the actually have tile floors but most the home they had just like kind of the cement dirt ground inside and.
And then it just like the stone walls and.
And now i look at it like if they’re so wonderfully homey but at the time.
It was to me ever to the standards that i was use living in the united states i was just like this is dark dank.
The lighting is is is horrible without a thousand shall not even say that out loud it does literally what’s going through my mind yeah dirt floors bucket showers live trains.
And.
You know that you have to get a water from the well in the back so yeah i even just the first night i wanted to offer to wash the dishes after dinner and you know there’s.
And ss everywhere long the sink and no running water so i’m having to like.
Sign like a bolts like scoop of water wash and you know so everything to me i was just like okay he can do this i can do this like me gotta tell through all of this.

[29:23] You know early but it’s those moments where i wanted to run away.
Or say you even little things like i don’t wanna wash dishes anymore but like to six sit there really be present and say now this is it this is why i am here.

[29:39] And to really press into that moment and it’s those moments of contrast that i really fell.
It just kind of melted my heart because it’s like it puts you in such a humble position.
You know has nothing to do with this is just their home you know this is this really live and.
Yeah this is this is normal and for me it was just you shock and i remember going and thinking wow this family is so poor.

[30:15] I’m leaving three months later and,
and same this to myself wow this family is the richest family on the street i totally agree i remember when i was to he the first time and my mom has gone to a medical mission down there.
Thirteen fourteen times and i’ve gone down.
Three times and my very first time it was in my ninety nine and i’ve never been good developing world cup.
And i remember thinking like we this is less than two hundred miles from the united states and like this is how they live in first was like oh they’re so lucky that i’m coming bringing the medicine would last that’s that rate it’s helpful.
But by the time i left it was it was amazing how you is i was the lucky one i was the only at like i got to experience with people.
What,
and can still have men’s joy that the girls so little but have so much more than what the average,
you know us college student has,
i am i’m going just see like a flushing toilet as something that’s amazing and that’s like you’re grateful for vs i don’t have the newest iphone or whatever it is yeah yeah.
Absolutely so we knew so how long were you there you said three months i was there for three months yeah.
So then you get home from that experience and i know that when i’ve traveled internationally it’s almost the reverse culture shock is sometimes worse,
in the culture shock and of your parents that bit and i still remember being in miami coming back from haiti.

[31:47] And like just any in the shower and being like i have shampoo here i could drink this water coming out of our shower,
like i flushing toilet we just everything felt so excessive to me did you experience any of that coming back.
Absolutely you know you know i slipped underneath the mosquito net for those three months too so it was became a ritual to talk the mosquito net,
under the bed not a lead so the mosquitoes but for any potential,
spiders are not and neither is when there is one night where there was a bat in my room is just a hardcore dead everyday death can keep going,
and so is the types of things i was doing a daily basis lol there’s an i get back in you know i remember.

[32:40] You know it’s his first to a decade like all my twenty years,
you know i lived on my own or have roommates have full-time jobs and all that good stuff and my mom actually lives in,
delhi to she wasn’t tiny little apartment in echo park and occasionally when i would be going through like a certain phase in life she would say what jenny you know you can live here with me he the one i remember thinking i don’t know if i can.
Do that and i remember it being because i’m so attached to all my things like my apartment my couch my tv my a my nice queen size bed all the stuff and i pictured living with my mom and i knew i’d,
probably have to be a small cut in the same room as her in all the stuff i was like no that’s okay mounts well i got back and i was she,
again offer that because she knew i’d be going through a transition i’d given up my apartment,
and one is now started nonprofit she’s like you can stay with me and i was like sure that the gray and i got back and my first day back drive and shit set up a little cost for me you know it’s smaller than a twin bed.
Sharing and her same round.
And she made the bed is all cute and i was just like kissing the ground with me lol not just cuz the ground because i was so like miserable over there and i was like this is,
this is an incredible clean bed this is this is i’m so grateful for this email just feeling so much more grateful for every little detail like.

[34:14] There is no excuse mary don’t have to worry about that anymore you know if it’s so silly now and,
and now even the point cuz now as we’ll talk a little bit about leader i travel often in central america and,
set i prefer now the crime and mosquitoes don’t bother me at all when i’m down there and not because they don’t,
i need to let you know i used to like this like just.
We really commit to anything on my lady and but i remember my home stay mom this wonderful incredibly strong and thriving woman,
she was fields cute on her leg and she’s like thing is slowly looking at.
And then slap it hurts you would like the most common.
Like that i never seen anyone react to mosquito we’re as like you know usually when americans first you know get central american cycle that.
Restart this laughing like what’s the you know with and so interesting fine but you moving in with your mom is that it’s,
the exact same situation and the only thing that changed between you not wanting to live there being so grateful was you your internal experience and.
Just how often.
The environment around us is exactly the same but our perspective is just completely different after a unique experience at laurel absolutely that’s why i’m such a big fan of just really.

[35:46] Shifting our perspective before trying to adjust our circumstances cuz half the time or stress is an actual circumstances that it’s our stories and we’ve created about the circumstances so,
i absolutely agree so you get home,
you have had this experience you’ve been working without touching with foster kids and you have a non-profit idea take tickets through.
What was the idea what did you do what you build the infrastructure yeah soul.
Half way through being there i already knew like i need to start my own thing and it is just kinda came out of a moment of knowing that.
Combining what i love to do which is just a really.
Random combination of things which was serving foster youth but also cultural immersion and also central america and the spanish language is all these things i’m like what can i do with this and.
I knew i wanted to basically somehow duplicate.
That experience i personally have four people who needed it the most and says you know there’s a lot of dirt not lot there’s a few organizations to do it for.
You know just anyone who wants a long-term sign up but i know that if you know of some of the foster kids i work with.
They are nice to see here we’re here in la and there’s the kids i work with some haven’t even been to the beach.

[37:20] Yeah let’s see in the really have access to everything consider the idea of traveling internationally and seems.
Something like i saw and i knew that would prevent a challenge because it would mean that.
I would have to raise the money in order to pay for them to be able to go so.

[37:43] Your way earth from that i created god is good which basically our.
Our mission is basically and power foster youth specifically eighteen out of the system so eighteen and older to serve international communion mean so.

[38:03] Yeah i’m sure you can already guess why i think that would be a positive thing but the idea would be to.

[38:12] He served serve demographic serve army serving demographic that’s often forgotten.
You know obviously a lot of the older kids were in foster care system they have very little chance of being adopted very little opportunities there they age out of the foster care system,
with little to no preparation for doll head and.
Forty to fifty percent of the kids after they turn eighteen are homeless unemployed with and a year and a half so i can use that.

[38:48] I want to create something that provide like a shift.
And i actually had the wonderful opportunity to now since then also lead several cultural relationships to nicaragua and.
To panama and costa rican coming upstairs and guatemala ft and i seen the incredible change.
That’s made on an adults we take a lot of actually work with another nonprofit coat surf life and we take volunteers from a tech company is.
They go down there to do a service project and within that one week that all the volunteers are there i see such incredible shift and change and i really believe that has to do with.
The idea of culture shock me we use that phrase a lot to kind of.
Shelly’s we’re face like a world way of living is a different number comfortable with ray so that shock.
Is almost if you think of like the definition of what shop is it kind of like quickly shifts perspective and that’s why he culture shock is so valuable you know that i can actually kinda shaky out of.
Any old habits old ways of thinking it can suddenly change your perspective to two only seen the world around you to see that there’s.
There’s other possibilities and other opportunities.

[40:18] And exactly like you mentioned earlier is that you find joy peace and happiness with the same circumstances or hopefully better.
Changing brake your inner world and i really believe culture shock is what can do that so.

[40:37] What’s so when you’re on these trips so what kind of processing you do to help people work through the culture shock.
Yeah well i mean with grace and understanding you now.
I did not personally so that’s why i love leading trips like this because i can absolutely no everyone’s coming from.
Mom and its it takes kind of just gently.

[41:09] Gently leading people to a world that they’re not use to use so.
You don’t answer for every for everyone so for example of dry think an example of when i’ve had to tell someone do it but a lot of a lot of the times we get upset come down.

[41:30] And they could’ve immediately go into here’s how things should be run.

[41:41] Because we’re where in the united states and we think that clearly.
This should be done differently me and then you kind of get them to have an actual conversation with someone in the community and to laugh together and.
You now have a meal together and they kinda soap to see that that’s not really important to them yeah.
Bad through the kind of day they start to shift and i think sometimes a change happens after they leave like i think it’s like anything its like it’s a small shift,
but then it really six people for a while and i really can’t transform their way of thinking and they come back.

[42:25] Same thing completely different and being so much more grateful for the things that they have and yeah yeah.
So so you look for jonathan next year so wife what needs does guided good have what are you developing what are things that there fess can get involved with,
they we could use our knowledge or expertise finances to support like what are the that we had well we’re at the very beginning stages,
in that we are currently fundraising to hopefully take are very first chat with a group of foster kids were our goals take six kids three mentors and one chip leader,
and what kind of without format,
take them to either there’s a few spots on connect with an either nicaragua or panama or guatemala and.
We need about seventeen to twenty thousand to take that first group,
and that’s if no one from nana’s that’s none of the kids are mentors raise any funds because we just wanna be prepared for that but the idea would be to have the kids kind of just to kind of have their investment.
Is to try and raise some funds but of course we would cover for the cost for them and then with the mentors as well have them each,
raise money but we’re hoping to go into this august or december would have to be when the kids are.

[43:55] Nine schools lighter than we would partner with an organization in la to help that and finally use that are in a place where this could be as,
incredible value to them from,
when it’s our thing about having volunteers because you really want those mentors to be local so they can continue that i’m going relationship with the kids or is it a kid that adults in exactly definitely that’s a huge part of it,
i guess from my experience in in la with these kids is knowing that.
You know they see a lot of people come and go so if i can either provide them with a mentor that they can keep connected with an va or.
Have them pair with a mentor that they are already familiar listen to one of the organizations that we partner with then i feel like that would be much of much greater value.
And so that would explain so that’s sensor and the beginning stages were only looking for volunteers and allie area or.
As far as that goes to go on the tips were also obviously looking for just volunteers and people who want to help remotely with administrative staff you know all that good stuff,
and you know even mention i really think that was awesome about the idea of possibly bringing the kids together before the trip.
And doing a little session with them help them cuz like bonded open up a little bit before the trip.

[45:25] I think that would be fabulous to,
that’s something i really wanna work into the structure of the trip yeah absolutely no they in running the still champion program retired foster kids sailing in did counting on the sale of our whole first day was team building and land.
To help them grow and i helped also be the number of other chips at their service trips to.
Under s and haiti in new orleans and we would have to have a full day of team building with these are all adults gas and it’s amazing how then we’re just so much more effective when we got new orleans to work it project lazarus are done yeah it and,
because we are not worked through like okay sciences little quieter sciences little bit,
strong later sons of has a tendency to be a jerk sometimes like he works through all that so then we can just serve and make a difference rather than have a bunch in fighting and frustration communication mishaps,
right absolutely and i do you also want to make it clear that i’m in,
i know a through this trying to replace incredible organizations that actually work year round with at risk youth aging out of the system in fact those organizations that were gonna be partnering with the mouse and i think the,
they do such incredible work to help cannot help transition kids to who,
are now adults and out of the system and need to figure out jobs and stuff but in a way i want to provide a life changing possibly life altering shit because also just that age in general is such a trans formative time let alone.

[46:59] And you know whatever backgrounds they may have its,
i’ve heard countless stories of kids who eighteen nineteen twenty years old who went on a trip,
to a developing country and came back with fresh perspective and a heart for the world and her to move and change and do good and it’s.
Yes such a perfect time to really,
changed your trajectory of the kid his whose who doesn’t who can picture a future for themselves other than what they’re saying around then sound that’s awesome.
I was one other thing that is not of is after first year that we ran our program we are taking a bunch of static pri and post surveys,
and we are able to get eighty thousand dollar grants to cover on the next three years and so that our date of the guys can take on the front and,
like what’s your cultural impressions like how do they feel about themselves and crack any sort of assessment that you can show pri and post it like the last day goes over so well with brand new me and have that on your plan but.
When mitchell if you don’t that you have been there.
Absolutely yes definitely something that were planning on doing which is why it’s so important that we are able to take this first check that’s kind of like yeah the first mission yeah and record everything you now really,
can assess now is the structure and everything and really be able to come back with.

[48:32] Dad and information to really.
Get people together people on board and get the other people who are passionate about this mission to partner with us man is so awesome i love the bringing together all these different just things that we know how people to have.
No travel in serving healing people it’s just it’s i know for myself travel has been one of those things that.
It always changes you have in and hopefully for the positive at me and so gym it every counselor in the world were listening right now what would you want to know.

[49:09] Yes and i think it would be.

[49:15] If you if you are unsure if you’re making an impact or.

[49:22] How is how to really make an impact that just know that.

[49:27] Even just being a listening ear to someone is incredibly valuable and it’s something that a lot of people don’t have.
Even if you don’t know the words to say or is.
The experience yet if you like new any extra incentive to know if you can really handle someone’s issues that.
As long as you provide an ear that that’s to me half the battle and it’s help me when i have when i’m gone.
When i found service or coaches or anything like that it’s half the battle is learning to being able to talk with someone and.

[50:12] And it’s me were looking.
Well janet would think you so much for being on the practice the practice podcast head on over to guided good dot org,
share with their doing donate volunteer specially if you’re in the la area and you have resources or people that you know that can help.
Janet with this project if your connected in a foster care community connect with her so that you can help with this or if you just wanna connect with their host people get a hold of you if they want to connect with you yes you can also go to just can’t.
Dot co i also am transformation coach so i provide a little upset just for people who want to connect with me and if.
You want see if anything resonates with the story and i love to hear people people’s stories here in a coming from and yeah deathly say that you heard the impacts of practice nothing will.
But i’m so glad we connected i know this will be the last time surge and it would from guided good.

[51:14] Together so i can see of wraps six hundred something together show the and of course things.

[51:22] Music.

[51:42] I want to tell you real quick about a couple of things that i’m working and last week i talk to you about you know and practice where we’re doing a small.
Consulting for two mornings and then we’re gonna go wine tasting here in traverse city for the afternoon three hits and food trucks and have some fun.
And when i launch that’s the email list a twelve applicants in the first day and time this recording i’m not sure how many new apt.
Come on since last week’s podcast but head on over to practice the practice and click on the piano and practice link you’ll see under events.
And so that’s really cool event that i am not hosting at as of right now i have six people that have paid and signed up,
it’s we have six more spots the spots may have been limited and it’s only five hundred bucks to come and get today’s group consulting in two days of wine tasting.
And some covering that the travel for the wine tasting and tasting that each of the places.
To be awesome and so much fun it is to local businesses that are looking at maybe doing some sponsorship to give you some free stuff.
Also i am exploring an idea with allison per year and jean carter you may remember allyson career she had one of the top ranking podcast interviews i’ve done,
about how she connected with nineteen people in ninety days to girlfriend private practice.
She’s perfect consultants in asheville north carolina and jane carter is down there as well she’s an ass national association of a private practitioners and.

[53:15] What goes to our brainstorming meeting something.
Screw your practice and so they looking at doing a morning cup of joe where i would speak down there so fun.
Coast and hang out in asheville and probably sometime in late summer early fall two thousand sixteen very exploring the idea right now it kind of selective.
You know when practice over twenty applications and want to make sure that there’s enough people that would want to come to it before putting a lot of effort into the planning side so,
if you want to do that i have a link to that in the show notes as well so i actually can head on over to the show notes you can get a link to.
What’s up no practice gonna that application to show notes also you can go to the through your practice application and the greater vision for slash god three months so that.
Link is practice and the practice that come ford slash section one twenty seven.
And you can get chat with the information and links to guide good to just go dot co in all the ways that you can get connected to you can share donate volunteer with got a good break it could.
For he’s awesome into me entries into your brain haven’t awesome week.

[54:31] Music.

[54:39] Special thanks man sansa sexy and sweet play we like music in this podcast is designed correct accurate and of the little authoritative.
Gonna information below in order to subject matter covered little.
Is giving me understand anew the host the publisher where the gas surrendering legal accounting clinical or other professional information if you need a professional.
Go fine when clearly today i am not that professional on just goofy guy in northern michigan cf.