Two very smart women saw a pattern developing in their midwestern city of St. Louis, my hometown actually, after one attended a meet-up group organized by Susan Gobbo one of these smart women, who is Brazilian, and who experienced the loneliness of a trailing spouse, herself when she moved to St. Louis in 2008. Years later, she formed a meetup group for other foreign wives. Annie Schlafly, the other very smart woman, who is active in various community groups, heard about the meetup group through the St. Louis Mosaic Project, a regional initiative within the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership and the World Trade Center St. Louis, formed to attract more immigrants to St. Louis, invigorating the region with rich culture and intellectual stimulus. Annie convinced Susan that the international spouses would benefit from meeting more St. Louisans, and the two founded the International Mentoring Program also known as IMP in 2017.

Over the last seven years, the program has paired over 600 international newcomers with local mentors. They meet one-on-one, in small groups and for larger events such as sports games and other local fare.

Beyond fostering human connections, the program aims to solve a real business problem: According to a Harvard Business Review study, a large percentage of expatriate business postings fail. Many executives ask to return home earlier than planned; others underperform on the job or leave the company.

Mentors are a gift and they can be very rare; they’re rare, because they’re intentional - I use the word, intentional, because that is what it takes to be a great mentor and a great mentee - yes, it’s a two-way street, a commitment that can take on a journey of its own - meaning there is a structure that has some flexibility and creativity that works for both parties. Mentors can be a surprise or can be set up through a network of connections - what makes it sometimes difficult is for a mentee to find or ask someone to serve as their mentor unless their is a designed program. Now, let’s complicate the situation a tad bit, what if you were moving to a foreign country and knew no one, but your spouse or partner who just received an incredible opportunity to earn a living and contribute to the host’s country’s intellectual community - so your partner automatically has a network - built-in through their new work life, but what about YOU. You might think…well, I will just support my partner, but what if a year’s opportunity turns into much longer and you have remained an expatriot without a network of support… how might you feel and what is the risk to your marriage or partnership or even your family if there are children involved? Personal contentment can count for a great deal in determining longevity in a new environment.

Check out their website: www.imstl.org

Small & Gutsy was just named # 8 on Feedspot's top 30 podcasts for social impact! We are deeply honored!

What a beautiful and thoughtful reflection on places of connection and spiritual significance. It’s fascinating how certain spaces, whether physical or emotional, provide that sense of peace, clarity, or even healing, just like the one I described as a child under the bush in your yard. Weaving the idea of being open to the present moment, and to the connections we share with others can be spiritual in the deepest sense. There’s a profound connection between the self and nature, the present moment, and community, which can shape our personal growth.

The story of Leonard Knight and Salvation Mountain is such a powerful example of how dedication, belief, and passion can create something that transcends just a physical space. It’s inspiring to think of how Leonard’s life and work—something as personal as his devotion to his faith—turned into a public monument that has touched so many people across the world. The mountain isn’t just a structure; it represents years of persistence, love, and a desire to spread a message of faith, connection, and hope.

I also think it’s so moving that Bob Levesque is carrying forward Leonard’s work, ensuring that his vision continues. It reminds us how important it is to protect and nurture the things that matter deeply to us, even after we’re gone, and how communities can preserve these treasures for future generations. It’s amazing how these places of connection, healing, and spirituality are passed down through the dedication of individuals and communities.

It seems like a beautiful, spiritual journey for Bob to be part of this legacy. His role in preserving Leonard’s vision must be incredibly meaningful. Do you feel like there’s a specific lesson or message you’ve taken from Leonard Knight’s story and Salvation Mountain that resonates with your own journey or understanding of connection?

Check out their website: www.salvationmountain.org

Loss is something we all experience and I think if you ask the average person about loss, you may get an answer about missing someone who was very special to them, and is no longer here, but loss can take on so much more meaning; it can be loss of an opportunity, loss of an existing relationship, because that relationship has shifted or no longer exists in its original construct; it can be loss of abilities or faculties, Loss simply means no longer having something or having less of it than before; Oftentimes, we need to process that loss and hopefully with time, the pain or the sadness lessens and sometimes, the process of a loss turns into action to prevent further losses. When you meet my guest today, loss took on an incredible meaning in his life; potential and actual loss of nature and natural habitats that forced indigenous people and animals to find other ways to survive, loss of preserving indigenous peoples’ villages, loss of clean water for some, loss of environments that had been functioning well for generations, but due to deforestation and frankly greed or ignorance, those places are no longer what they once had been.

Imagine being a little boy where your playground is the curiosity of cultures and environments and where your day’s goal is to explore every indigenous reptile, spider, and furry animal that comes across your path. My guest today was fortunate enough to have a mother as a travel agent planning exotic vacations, and a father who had a huge number of airline miles, giving my guest and his sister the opportunity to travel to less known places that set the stage for his future professional and, I think, personal journey.

Some people are driven by threats - my guest is driven by the threat of loss of the most amazing ecosystems in our global environment; initially wishing to raise awareness about tropical rainforests by publishing his book on line, he established Mongabay in 1999 - the name is also an iteration of a place he loves in Madagascar which he can share with you in a moment. Mongabay has been going strong since its inception in 1999 as a vehicle to raise awareness of and interest in wildlife and wild lands; 25 years later, it has continued to gather momentum and has evolved from a website hosting his book, specific to rainforests with the aim of raising awareness to spark action in preserving these amazing ecosystems, to a comprehensive platform covering a wide range of environmental topics far beyond tropical forests. Mongabay is a nonprofit media platform with more than 90 staff across five bureaus and a network of approximately 1,000 correspondents in 80 countries, producing original reporting in five languages, and is read by millions of people a month. Mongabay pursues stories ranging from conventional news articles to deeply-reported investigative projects. One key goal of Mongabay is to increase transparency through targeted journalism which then influences change by driving greater accountability and supporting an enabling environment for a wide range of actors, from nongovernmental organizations to local communities to green entrepreneurs to take action.

I’d call this driven, initially driven by loss and now driven by the impact Mongabay has surely had. Mongabay draws its inspiration from a global moral code and truly honors nature. Words cannot express my personal awe for Rhett Butler, founder of Mongabay -

Rhett and his global team have forced the revision of laws to protect these environments and manage the global greed for resources that frankly belong to the indigenous people who could then have a sustainable existence by benefitting from these resources.

For more information, please check out their website: www.mongabay.org

Mosaics are defined as a picture or pattern produced by arranging together small colored pieces of hard material, such as stone, tile, or glass, resulting in the creation of something often ornate and beautiful. Sometimes, mosaics tell the story of what was, what is, or what can be…. Each mosaic is uniquely different and yet shares a common history - simply created from something else. As I was putting together this podcast episode, I couldn’t help but think about our lives that resemble mosaics in that we set out to create a plan or pattern that is predictable, or so we’d like to think, like a ceramic, glass or stone object, when in actuality, it can often be quite different. Sometimes our life plan is shattered, and it takes strength, energy, and determination to keep moving forward to put the pieces back together to form a new life plan; each time we experience this manifesting into a new life plan, we build our resilience and become perhaps more strategic or smarter in putting pieces together, and sometimes, the circumstances make it harder than we could ever have anticipated… such circumstances are poverty and homelessness.

Piece by Piece is an employment-related social enterprise designed to support individuals who have experienced homelessness or economic insecurity. Participants create mosaic art, as well as small-scale housewares and large commissioned pieces, and by doing that, earn income and master soft skills while beautifying Los Angeles; one of their mantras is: Recycled Art for a New Cycle of Life.

Please check out their website: www.piecebypiece.org

Their new address is:

6417 South Main Street, Los Angeles, CA. 90003

Su Casa in Spanish simply means your home - which if I take a little poetic license, could mean this space is your home or the contraction you’re, you are home - let’s go with you are home… The concept of home is something many of us often take for granted! Home can mean we can breathe, let down our hair, and be ourselves, and in general, we are in charge of our own lives, decisions we make, etc..for many, though this doesn’t exist or feels completely unattainable, not because it isn’t, but because there are life-threatening circumstances that create an almost insurmountable barrier. I recently did a podcast for another organization that focuses on global preservation by sharing information about what is happening to our global ecosystems and the individuals and animals who are being negatively impacted by being displaced or for some, the threat of extinction. We as a society are experiencing a wake-up call; a wake-up call to pay attention to preserving and rebuilding our ecosystems and a wake-up call to the realization that our domestic environments can also be threatening and threaten, most often women and children.

Su Casa is a healing sanctuary where victims - I prefer the term, survivors, can find their voice, develop inner strength, and become self-directed agents of change in their own lives. Su Casa has been around for over 40 years and was founded in 1979 by Petra Medelez, a survivor, who out of her own home took crisis calls and housed individuals being threatened and their children. Petra’s vision was to fill her community with peaceful homes. In order to truly realize her vision, Su Casa expanded its services to include not only immediate shelter from danger but also case management and counseling for residents and for survivors still living with their abuser or batterer, shelter-based certified childhood education, community awareness training, and transitional housing.

Su Casa continually strives to be present and relevant to the folks who are in need and therefore has enhanced their programs to include the growing number of Asian and Pacific Islanders. The value placed on empowerment and cultural competence drives the agency’s ever-expanding range of services that are survivor-centered. These services are practical, therapeutic, and educational.

Su Casa is also forward-thinking: they realized that 30 days may not be enough for women to be empowered enough to put their lives back together so more than 25 years ago, in 1996, transitional shelter was developed and is still being offered. The extended time enables families to bridge the gap between crisis and independent living. What I particularly like is Su Casa’s commitment to offering support wherever a woman is along her journey to safety; if she is not ready to leave, Su Casa is there to provide counseling and support and is available whenever she might be.

Su Casa’s Mission is to empower individuals and families to live free from domestic abuse and build partnerships with communities to end domestic violence.

Our wake-up call is to pay attention to those who may be asking for help and to connect them to resources like Su Casa

Website: www.sucasadv.org

Let’s take a moment and define community, particularly in today’s very divided and extraordinary divisive environment where community and, in many cases, democracy is misunderstood and missused. Community in its simplest form is often defined as a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals; upon further elaboration, it can include a joint ownership or liability - not sure I like liability part, but I get the nuance behind it, which I think is best articulated by Maya Angelou who beautifully wrote: “If it is true that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, isn’t it also true that a society is as healthy as its sickest citizen and only as wealthy as its most deprived?” Taking this a bit further…

Democracy is defined as a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives including the practice or principles of social equality.

This podcast is not a civics lesson although I think many of us could benefit from understanding the benefits and shared responsibilities of living in an equitable, not equal, but equitable society where we are actively participating in maintaining the health of our society as a whole, meaning all of its people…

One individual saw the need to build this in Los Angeles and my hope is that it spreads everywhere if it hasn’t already.

A former litigator, with a PhD in Policy from USC, my Alma Mater, with a long history in philanthropic efforts and leadership, Dr. Denise McCain responded to a 2012 request from the Los Angeles City Library for a homeless youth resource guide, Dr. McCain developed and published a comprehensive, citywide Directory of Services for Homeless Youth, known at that time as: Our Children LA.

This effort was SO successful that expansion was both sought after and necessary, evolving into the nonprofit, Our Community LA, Or OCLA, with the tagline: Technology, Empowerment, Connections, Hope and their mission is to leverage technology that connects youth, families, and adults experiencing homeless or in need to easily connect to essential resources that can help them make positive changes in their lives; They are doing just that with the WIN APP - WHAT I NEED - easy to remember and easy to use; OCLA’s long-term commitment is to social justice by envisioning a world in which no one will be hungry, unhoused or in need of important supportive service, enabling individuals to build a life out of poverty, abuse or neglect.

For more information, check out their website:

https://oclawin.org/