Pain Is a Universal Language — Mark & Lorelei's Midseason Reflection

Pain Is a Universal Language — Mark & Lorelei's Midseason Reflection

In this special midseason episode of the Peaceful Hugs Podcast, hosts Mark Zahringer and Lorelei Cromer step away from guest interviews for a conversation that is entirely their own — reflecting on the remarkable people they've met in the first half of the season, and the life-changing journeys that took them both far from home. Lorelei just returned from her third trip to Uganda, where Unbridled Acts' Mazizi program has been quietly transforming lives in the villages of Jinja and Kayunga for 14 years. She shares what it's like to watch children they once scholarshipped through school now return as staff — Ugandan nationals serving their own communities — and why a country that is only 40 years removed from civil war still manages to produce some of the most generous, content, and present human beings she's ever met. She also opens up about the pilot service trip that brought two colleagues from their for-profit partners on the ground for the first time, and what it means to build a program that is truly rooted — not dependent, but self-sustaining. Mark, meanwhile, spent a month in Spain and Portugal on a journey he had been trying to take for three years — one that finally came together in the aftermath of one of the hardest seasons of his life. What he found at a small monastery along the Camino de Santiago was not the answers he went looking for. Instead, over three weeks of facilitating daily gatherings of pilgrims from 36 countries, he found something he didn't expect: that pain is a universal language, that hugs cross every border, and that a French woman who barely spoke English could hold him tight and whisper you're going to be okay — and mean it completely. He came back without a roadmap. He came back with peace. The two also look back on the season's guests — from Temwa Wright and the Persian refugee crisis, to Jillian's raw conversation about mental health, to Reverend Antoine Colvin's vision for Detroit, to David Farmer and the unexpected revival happening among young people — and talk about what comes next. Takeaways * Pain is a universal language. You don't need to share a tongue to share a burden. * You don't always go on a journey to find answers. Sometimes you go to find peace with the questions. * Every time you travel somewhere that stretches you, you come back a slightly better version of yourself — and shed a little of what you didn't need. * The people we go to serve almost always give us more than we give them. * Ugandans are some of the most generous, content, and present people on earth — not because they don't know what they're missing, but because they're not focused on it. * What happens when children are believed in is incredible. Every generation deserves that. * We are not doing enough to get young people outside of their own bubble — whether across town or across the world. * Destigmatizing mental health care is one of the most important things we can do for every generation, especially older men who were taught not to ask for help. * Technology was an accidental science experiment on humanity — and we're still figuring out how to undo the damage for younger generations. * When everyone in a room is carrying a loss, judgment disappears. We need more rooms like that. Chapters 00:15 Welcome & Midseason Check-In  02:30 Lorelei's Third Trip to Uganda — What's Changed in 14 Years  07:00 Mud Huts, Malaria & What Poverty Really Looks Like  11:30 Kids They Scholarshipped Are Now Running the Program  15:00 Fatherlessness, Boarding Schools & the Next Generation in Uganda  19:30 What Happens When You Come Home From a Place Like That  24:00 Mark's Month in Spain — Three Years in the Making  28:30 The Camino Monastery & Serving Pilgrims From 36 Countries  33:00 The Room Where Everyone Cried — Stories From the Cafes  38:30 A Danish Man's Wedding Ring, a Couple's Lost Son & a French Woman's Hug  43:00 What He Went Looking For vs. What He Actually Found  47:30 Why Peaceful Hugs Is Named Exactly Right  51:00 Looking Back — The Guests That Stood Out Most This Season  55:30 Pastor Tat & Iran, Jillian & Mental Health, David Farmer & Youth Revival  59:00 Open Door Lubbock, Reverend Colvin & the Work Happening in Detroit  1:02:00 What's Coming in the Second Half of the Season  1:04:00 Closing — Thank You & Where to Find Everything About the Peaceful Hugs Podcast The Peaceful Hugs Podcast is a space for thoughtful, real conversations about faith, culture, purpose, and the stories that shape us. Hosted by Mark Zahringer and Lorelei Cromer, the show brings together voices from different backgrounds and generations to explore what it means to live with empathy — especially when the world feels loud, polarized, and quick to judge. At the center of it all is a simple idea: kindness matters, and we can't afford to lose it. 🎙️ Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PeacefulHugsPodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@PeacefulHugsPodcast]

Not Fearless. Fear Proof. The Story Of Sophia Campana.

In this episode of the Peaceful Hugs Podcast, hosts Mark Zahringer and Lorelei Cromer sit down with Sophia Campana — Italian-American elite gymnast, YouTube creator, and founder of the Fire Within experience — for a conversation that is equal parts inspiring, sobering, and deeply empowering. From sneaking out of her childhood bedroom in the middle of the night to practice gymnastics in the basement, to competing in front of 11,000 fans in Italy who knew her name from a viral MTV show, Sophia's journey is one of passion, resilience, and an unwavering belief that sport should never steal the joy that started it all. Sophia grew up in Colorado with gymnastics in her bones from the age of three — crying to her parents to let her train more, offering to sleep on the gym mats so they wouldn't have to drive her home. At 15, she moved to Italy alone, unable to speak the language, to train with the national team. The transition was anything but smooth — social isolation, homesick nights, and a training culture that at times crossed deeply into abuse. She watched a young girl dragged across the floor by her ponytail and froze, unable to move. She found herself — the girl who once loved gymnastics more than anything — beginning to fear and hate the sport entirely. And she had to ask herself the hardest question: is this really what it takes to become a champion? The answer, she discovered, is no. And that discovery changed everything about the way she shows up for young athletes today. The conversation also goes deep on what it felt like to become famous in a foreign country almost overnight — opening Facebook one morning to 999+ friend requests after an MTV Italia show she'd all but forgotten about won national awards. Sophia opens up about the moment before competing in front of 11,000 fans when a rival tried to get in her head — and the mindset shift that saved her performance. And she shares the vision behind her Fire Within experience: a series of events designed to help young gymnasts reconnect with the reason they fell in love with the sport in the first place. Takeaways It's not about not having fear — it's about learning how to move through it. Even Olympians are still afraid. The most important question anyone can ask themselves is not "how do I win?" but "what does it mean for me to win at life?" Play is not the opposite of elite performance — it's what sustains it. Athletes who stay connected to joy last longer and learn faster. Empowering young athletes produces not only better gymnasts, but better humans. Abuse in elite sport was once normalized — naming it, refusing it, and educating around it is how the culture changes. When you walk into a room full of people, you can choose to see judgment or love. That choice changes everything. Parents who believe in a child's fire and get out of the way are one of the greatest gifts an athlete can receive. Chapters 00:15 Welcome & Mark's Real Reason for Having Sophia On (Italian Citizenship) 03:30 Growing Up With Gymnastics in Her Bones — Sneaking Out at Midnight to Train 07:00 Parents Who Believed in Her Fire — Balancing Support and Boundaries 10:30 Moving to Italy at 15 Alone — Excitement, Fear & Not Speaking the Language 15:00 The Girls Who Didn't Like Her at First — And Became Friends Later 18:30 Going Viral on MTV Italia Without Knowing the Show Even Aired 22:00 11,000 Fans, One Mean Comment & the Mindset Shift That Changed Everything 27:15 Elite Training Abuse in Italy — What She Witnessed and What She Froze Through 33:00 The Girl Who Started to Fear the Sport She Loved Most 37:30 Visiting Olympic Gyms Around the World — Is There Another Way? 41:00 Champions Who Never Had to Endure Abuse — Proof It Doesn't Have to Be That Way 45:15 Becoming a Role Model — Natural Pull, YouTube & Her Dad's Words 49:00 The Fire Within Experience — Play, Fear & Reconnecting With Why You Started 54:30 What the San Diego Chargers Coach Said About Fun and Great Athletes 58:00 Sophia's Hope for the Future of Gymnastics 1:01:00 Best Life Advice — What Does It Mean to Win at Life? 1:03:00 Book Recommendation: Power vs. Force by Dr. David Hawkins 1:04:30 How to Find Sophia & Upcoming Fire Within Event Connect with Sophia Campana Website: sophiacampana.com About the Peaceful Hugs Podcast The Peaceful Hugs Podcast is a space for thoughtful, real conversations about faith, culture, purpose, and the stories that shape us. Hosted by Mark Zahringer and Lorelei Cromer, the show brings together voices from different backgrounds and generations to explore what it means to live with empathy — especially when the world feels loud, polarized, and quick to judge. At the center of it all is a simple idea: kindness matters, and we can't afford to lose it.

Built To Break Made to Rise

In this episode of the Peaceful Hugs Podcast, host Lorelei Cromer and Mark Zahringer sits down with her old high school friend and fellow storyteller Danielle Damrell — serial entrepreneur, life story coach, podcast host, and founder of Rise Leadership Collective — for one of the most raw, redemptive, and deeply personal conversations the show has ever aired. These two go way back, and it shows. This isn't an interview. It's two women who carried each other through some of the hardest seasons of their lives, finally getting to tell that story out loud. Danielle's journey begins in a volatile home — a mom who never quite learned how to be a mom, an abusive stepfather, multiple elementary schools, expulsion from the Archdiocese of Denver, an eating disorder, self-harm, a treatment facility in Nashville at 15, and seven different high school enrollments before she ever walked across a stage. But in the middle of all of it, the Lord gave her a vision: standing on a stage, pointing people to freedom through story. She had a 1-point-something GPA and no idea how she was going to get there. He made a way anyway. From a single mom at 19 finishing her communications degree, to meeting her husband — the man she calls the biggest miracle of her life — to building a creative business that has helped over 65 authors tell their stories for the very first time, Danielle's arc is nothing short of stunning. But the most powerful chapter might be the most recent one: two car accidents in three weeks, a traumatic brain injury, a Judas-level board betrayal, and a ministry she had to surrender completely — all because she didn't listen when God told her to rest. The conversation also gets beautifully honest about boundaries as acts of love, trusting yourself over trusting the wrong people, and what it means to be the author of a story you didn't choose to be born into. Takeaways * The Lord is the author, but you are the writer — and that means you have the power to rewrite the stories you didn't choose. * Resilience isn't something you aspire to. It's something God builds in you through the things you never would have picked for yourself. * When God says rest and you don't listen, he has a way of making you listen. * The ultimate form of trust is sleep — believing he will work on your behalf while your eyes are closed. * A boundary isn't rejection. It's a way to stay in relationship. Jesus set boundaries because he loved people. * Trusting the wrong people can make you stop trusting yourself — and that's one of the most damaging things that can happen. * Unprocessed emotions don't stay hidden. They destroy your relationships, even when you don't mean them to. * You cannot find your purpose in your children — but when you feel like you have nothing to live for, God can use a baby to turn the light switch on. * Generational patterns can be broken. You don't have to pass on what was passed to you. * Lead with love — in your workplace, your home, your career, wherever you lead. Chapters 00:15 Welcome & Introducing Danielle — Old Friends, Big Stories 03:30 Damrell Designs, Created Worthy & the Evolution of a Creative Business 07:00 Growing Up in a Volatile Home — Feeling Unparentable from the Start 11:15 Catholic School to Christian School — What in the Cult Is Happening? 15:00 Expelled, Acting Out & Why School Felt Safer Than Home 18:30 Bulimia, Self-Harm & Seven High School Enrollments 22:00 Mercy Ministries in Nashville — Meeting Jesus for the First Time 27:15 Getting Kicked Out of Treatment & Hitting the Lowest Point 31:00 A Vision at 17 — Standing on a Stage, Pointing People to Freedom 34:30 Single Mom at 19, a Christian University & the Miracle of Graduation 39:00 Meeting Her Husband — The Biggest Miracle of Her Life 43:15 65 Authors, Life Story Coaching & the Heart Behind Created Worthy 47:30 Lorelei & Danielle — The Morning Everything Came to a Head 52:00 Backpacks, Safety & What It Means to Hold Someone's Story 56:15 Boundaries Are Love — And Why That Changes Everything 1:00:00 Trust God, Trust Yourself — Why Trusting the Wrong People Costs You 1:04:30 God Said Rest. She Said Not Yet. Then Came Two Car Accidents. 1:10:00 Traumatic Brain Injury, Board Betrayal & Surrendering the Ministry 1:15:30 Spiritual Warfare & Walking in Obedience When the Enemy Shows Up 1:19:00 Rise Leadership Collective — What's Coming & How to Get Involved 1:23:00 Best Life Advice — Lead With Love 1:25:00 Book Recs: The Path Made Clear by Oprah & Strong Ground by Brené Brown + Wicked for the Movie Connect with Danielle Rise Leadership Collective: riseleadershipcollective.org Created Worthy Podcast: available wherever you listen to podcasts About the Peaceful Hugs Podcast The Peaceful Hugs Podcast is a space for thoughtful, real conversations about faith, culture, purpose, and the stories that shape us. Hosted by Mark Zahringer and Lorelei Cromer, the show brings together voices from different backgrounds and generations to explore what it means to live with empathy — especially when the world feels loud, polarized, and quick to judge. At the center of it all is a simple idea: kindness matters, and we can't afford to lose it. 🎙️ Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PeacefulHugsPodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@PeacefulHugsPodcast]

Left Everything to Pastor a City He Barely Knew | Rev. Antoine Colvin

In this episode of the Peaceful Hugs Podcast, hosts Mark Zahringer and Lorelei Cromer sit down with Reverend Antoine Colvin — pastor of Historic Little Rock Missionary Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan — for a rich, energizing conversation about faith, community, calling, and what it truly means to shine your light beyond the four walls of a church. Reverend Colvin's story begins in Baltimore, Maryland, where athletics, education, and a tight-knit community of mentors shaped him from the ground up. Baptized at 12, he initially set his sights on college football — earning a spot at NC State on an athletic scholarship — while quietly carrying the weight of a father whose health was declining and a family that needed him. It was the sudden death of his beloved high school coach, Benjamin Eaton Sr., that shifted everything. In that moment of grief, Reverend Colvin heard the words that would define his life's work: always leave a place better than you found it. From there, the road to ministry wound through Baltimore churches, a first pastorate in Columbus, Mississippi, and ultimately — by nothing short of divine call — to the Motor City, a city he had visited only once as a middle schooler and where he knew not a single soul. He arrived to shepherd a congregation that had been rooted in Detroit since 1936, following the near-50-year legacy of the internationally renowned Reverend Dr. Jim Holley. The pressure was immense. But Reverend Colvin's approach is simple: you don't replace a legacy — you build on it, one faithful step at a time. The conversation digs into what ministry actually looks like on the ground in Detroit today — from meeting people at their moment of need, to understanding that handing someone a turkey means nothing if they don't have a kitchen to cook it in. Reverend Colvin also opens up about his unique calling to bridge faith and mental health, drawing on both his Master of Divinity and his Master of Social Work to help his congregation and community understand that God cares deeply about what's happening in our minds and bodies — not just our souls. Takeaways * Always leave a place better than you found it — in ministry, in relationships, in life. * The church is not a building. The majority of Jesus's ministry happened in the marketplace, among ordinary people with real needs. * You can't skip Maslow. If someone's belly is empty, you can't minister to their soul first. * Anger isn't always a negative emotion — sometimes it's exactly what pushes us toward justice and change. * Every generation of leadership is meant to build on what came before it, not replace it. Moses had Joshua. John had Jesus. * Eat the meat, throw away the bones — not everything on your plate is meant to be ingested. * Faith and mental health are not opposites. The church has a responsibility to bridge that gap. * When you take a step back, it's not failure — sometimes you need to relearn step one to grow past the plateau you've reached. * Darkness isn't just in places. It's in people. And the light you carry is meant for them too. * Life is like a box of chocolates — but what matters is what you do with the box you've been given. Chapters 00:15 Welcome & Mark's Personal Connection to Little Rock Baptist Church 04:00 Growing Up in Baltimore — Athletics, Education & Older Parents 08:30 Baptized at 12 & the Dad Who Got Sick at the Same Time 12:45 NC State, Football & the Career Path He Almost Took 16:30 Coach Benjamin Eaton Sr. — The Hug That Changed Everything 21:00 Licensed to Preach in 2008 & the Road to Ministry Begins 25:15 Connecting Communities to Christ — The Vision of Little Rock 29:30 Love God, Love People — And Why Number Two Is the Hard One 33:00 Ministry Outside the Four Walls — Marketplace Ministry & Meeting Real Needs 38:15 The Bible Story That Sums It All Up — 1,000 Bibles & a Community That Couldn't Read 42:30 Why Detroit? A Divine Call to a City He Barely Knew 47:00 Following Reverend Dr. Jim Holley — Building on Legacy, Not Replacing It 51:30 Bridging Faith & Mental Health — A Pastor With a Master of Social Work 56:00 Nehemiah, Anger & What the Church Gets Wrong About Emotions 1:00:15 Best Life Advice — Eat the Meat, Throw Away the Bones 1:02:30 Must-See Movie: Forrest Gump & Must-Read Book: Peaks and Valleys 1:04:30 Closing — Detroit's on the Rise & How to Connect with Little Rock Connect with Historic Little Rock Missionary Baptist Church Visit them online or in person if you're in Detroit — one of the city's most beautiful and historic congregations. About the Peaceful Hugs Podcast The Peaceful Hugs Podcast is a space for thoughtful, real conversations about faith, culture, purpose, and the stories that shape us. Hosted by Mark Zahringer and Lorelei Cromer, the show brings together voices from different backgrounds and generations to explore what it means to live with empathy — especially when the world feels loud, polarized, and quick to judge. At the center of it all is a simple idea: kindness matters, and we can't afford to lose it.

He Lived on the Streets by Choice. Here's What Nobody Tells You With Chad Wheeler

In this episode of the Peaceful Hugs Podcast, hosts Mark Z and Lorelei Cromer sit down with Chad Wheeler — Executive Director of Open Door in Lubbock, Texas — for a candid, deeply moving conversation about what it truly looks like to love your neighbors, especially the ones most people would rather not see. Chad traces Open Door's remarkable origin back nearly 30 years to a returned missionary named Jim Beck, who — reeling from reverse culture shock after more than a decade in Kenya — didn't start a program or a nonprofit. He simply got in line at a soup kitchen, grabbed a plate of fried chicken, and sat down with a man named Bo. That single act of table fellowship planted the seed of what is today a thriving church, community center, supportive housing program, and survivor housing initiative serving hundreds of Lubbock's most vulnerable residents every single night. Chad also pulls back the curtain on his own remarkable journey — from an affluent upbringing with no exposure to homelessness, to sleeping in the backseat of a 1995 Toyota Camry as a college student, to spending three weeks on the streets of Austin with $12, a backpack, and no phone — all to understand from the inside what the people he serves actually experience. What he found wasn't danger. It was loneliness. And that discovery has quietly shaped everything Open Door does. Chapters 00:15 Welcome & Introduction to Chad Wheeler and Open Door 03:30 How Open Door Started: Jim Beck, Bo, and a Plate of Fried Chicken 08:45 From Carpenter's Church to Community Center — 30 Years of Showing Up 13:10 Chad's Journey: Sleeping in His Car and Three Weeks on the Streets of Austin 19:20 What He Learned: Loneliness, Judgment, and People Are Just People 25:00 Housing vs. Home — Why a Roof Alone Isn't Enough 29:40 Wraparound Services: Meeting People Where They Actually Are 34:15 Faith Without Force: Open Door's Approach to God and Belonging 39:30 The Story of the Man Who Drew Satanic Art in Art Class 43:00 Survivor Housing: Jamie Wheeler's Work with Domestic Violence and Sex Trafficking Survivors 48:20 How People Find Open Door — Word of Mouth, Law Enforcement, and Everything In Between 52:10 Encampment Laws, Political Realities, and the Revolving Door 57:00 The System That Holds People Down — DUIs, Daycare, and Broken Bureaucracy 1:01:30 Funding Realities: Federal Grants, Local Donors, and Building Sustainability 1:06:45 Best Advice: Trees Can Be Planted Often — But Their Default Is to Stay 1:09:30 Book Recommendations: Compassion by Henri Nouwen & The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle 1:11:00 How to Support Open Door in Lubbock, Texas Connect with Open Door Website: https://opendoorlbk.org Consider donating, volunteering, or joining their annual Hub City Bed Run — details at opendoorlbk.org About the Peaceful Hugs Podcast The Peaceful Hugs Podcast is a space for thoughtful, real conversations about faith, culture, purpose, and the stories that shape us. Hosted by Mark Z and Lorelei Cromer, the show brings together voices from different backgrounds and generations to explore what it means to live with empathy — especially when the world feels loud, polarized, and quick to judge. At the center of it all is a simple idea: kindness matters, and we can't afford to lose it.