Breaking Through

For our final episode of Breaking Through, we caught up with Rob Ronnenberg from the small town of Byron, Minnesota. We chatted about his wife Jennifer, her double lung transplant, their Brady Brunch-style family, being a CF spouse, and their viral video that led to a dream wedding on reality TV. Ever since the transplant, and a viral video of Jennifer’s first breaths, they have been advocates for CF and organ donation. You can watch the viral video of Jennifer’s first breaths with new lungs here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cq6wjjN73Q0&feature=emb_title Due to COVID-19 this will be our last episode of Breaking Through. As we look to close this chapter, we’d love to hear what the podcast has meant to you – please send us your feedback at volunteer@cff.org.

With the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic changing our way of life this month, Breaking Through opted to feature one of our most popular episodes in our show's history, our interview with Somer Love. Somer is an adult living with CF, and was the 2019 VLC Alex Award winner. She's also an all-around amazing person. As a force of positivity in the world of cystic fibrosis, Somer has dedicated her life to giving back to the CF community and helping others pursue their dreams. She sat down with Kristen to talk about growing up with CF, starting her own organization, and how she maintains her positive outlook on life. Next month, we will be back with a new interview from a member of the Tomorrow's Leaders program. In the meantime, you can find important answers to frequently asked questions about COVID-19 on the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's website. We hope that you stay informed, safe and healthy. (Originally recorded and posted April 2019)

Jaci and her husband Drew are traveling from Iowa to Washington, DC this week attending their fifth March on the Hill, advocating for their son Major, who has cystic fibrosis. But Jaci’s story is so much more than just her advocacy work. She has received numerous awards professionally, and just a few weeks ago, she was honored as one of Des Moine’s 40 under 40. Jaci sat down with Kristen to share her professional life, her personal life, and how she manages the two while caring for a child with CF.

MaryBeth Hyland believes that we all share the desire to know and return to our authentic selves, at work, home and within. She has built a sterling reputation as a builder of corporate cultures and a so-called "Millennial Specialist". Following her successful and high-profile tenure at a global non-profit, she used her expertise to start her own company and then helped found the Tomorrow’s Leaders program of the CF Foundation. But a lot of that success came from a childhood that was marked by deep trauma. In this month's episode, she explains to us how you can extract what you need from past pain, and leave the rest behind.

When he was 2-years-old, his parents had the good sense to put a tennis racket in Jon Norberg's hand. Jon would go on to spend his youth traveling around the world as a top-ranked tennis player, first as an amateur and then as a pro. On the court, he was in control and knew exactly what he wanted. But when time and injuries conspired to end his career, things were less certain. This month, Kristen spent time talking with Jon about how he made the crucial decision to get into investment and retirement planning, reigniting his passion after a chapter ends, and how his younger brother with cystic fibrosis inspired him along the way.

Julie Riedy first learned about cystic fibrosis in college when she met the man who she would one day marry, Chad. On this month’s episode, Julie explains that you don’t choose who you love, but that you get to love who you love. We talked to Julie about her involvement with the CF community, how she found a career as a teacher, her and Chad’s journey to have children, and that there is no “normal” for Julie and her family.

Tré LaRosa and his sister Alyssa, were both born with cystic fibrosis, but experienced the disease differently. Alyssa struggled much of her life and lost her battle in March 2018. Tré graduated college, lives on his own, and is now on the frontlines of the fight in the lab at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, conducting research on his own disease. He's become an outspoken advocate, a prolific writer, and a social media star in the CF community, carrying on Alyssa's legacy. We talked to him about his career path, losing and honoring his sister, and what the future holds.

Philanthropy is a way of life in Northwest Arkansas. But even among a sea of professionals who make a habit out of giving back, Tyler Gill stands out for his unique ability to fundraise. In his professional life, the Oklahoma native has led teams overseeing product categories valued at over $1 billion in sales. He's a dedicated team leader, salesman, bizdev expert and admittedly competitive. He sat down to share his story, and some tips about how to bring your fundraising efforts to the next level.

Kate O'Donnell never met her brother Joey--he died of cystic fibrosis a few months before she was born. Soon after Joey died in 1986, Kate’s parents, Joe and Kathy, celebrated his memory by starting the Joey Fund and dedicated their lives to the search for a cure. As Kate grew up, the memory of her brother was the impetus for her to get involved, too. Along with her sister, Casey, Kate now runs the Joey Fund. Her day job is Assistant Director, Student and Young Alumni Engagement at Harvard Business School, where she harnesses her people skills on a daily basis. Joe O'Donnell is a one-of-a kind leader and an extraordinary champion in the fight against CF, helping to raise hundreds of millions of dollars in support of CF research. He’s also a Beantown legend--a serial entrepreneur, a philanthropist, and one of the "people who runs Boston", as named by Boston Magazine. A tough businessman, Joe nonetheless has an optimistic outlook on the future of CF research. We caught up with the dad-daughter duo to talk about Joey's legacy and their hopes for the coming years. You can learn more about the O'Donnell family and The Joey Fund at JoeyFund.org.

Corie King always knew she wanted a job that would help people but didn't know exactly what that would look like. That uncertainty extended into her early career, when she took a detour as a nanny for Kennedy, a child with CF. During her time as Kennedy's caretaker, Corie learned more about CF, fell in love with Kennedy and her family, and found her purpose. Ten years later, Corie is a board member for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Rocky Mountain Chapter and the Director of Field Marketing at Denver-based Noodles & Company, where her advocacy extends to the corporate world.

When his son Major was diagnosed with CF, Iowa native Drew Strube's world began to grow. From local fundraising events to March on the Hill, Drew and his wife Jaci jumped in with both feet to help find a cure for their son, and for all people with CF. Drew has come to find a passion for mentoring the next generation of fundraisers and advocates by taking them under his wing the same way so many have done for him and Jaci over the last four years. We talked with Drew about that drive and how it's pushed him in his career and volunteer life. He also shares his experience as the CF Foundation’s National Advocacy Co-Chair, the virtues of small town living, and the awe-inspiring history of Washington, DC.

Three years ago, Jack Goodwin met someone who changed his life. He began a whirlwind romance with a woman named Mallory Smith, a writer with CF, and that romance lasted the rest of her life. But when she died, Jack was at a crossroads of what to do with the rest of his life. He and the Smith family found inspiration in Mallory's writings, which they posthumously published as "Salt In My Soul: An Unfinished Life". Today, Jack continues his important work as a defense systems engineer working at a high level for the U.S. military, but he's still trying to figure out what it means to be the former-significant other of someone lost CF, and where he goes from here. "Salt In My Soul: An Unfinished Life" is available on Amazon and other places books are sold.

For this month's episode, we interview an adult living with CF, the 2019 VLC Alex Award winner and the all-around amazing Somer Love! As a force of positivity in the world of cystic fibrosis, Somer has dedicated her life to giving back to the CF community and helping others pursue their dreams. She sat down with Kristen at last month’s Volunteer Leadership Conference to talk about growing up with CF, starting her own organization, and how she maintains her positive outlook on life, which is contagious!

In this month's jam-packed episode, Tomorrow's Leaders take center stage from San Diego to Hollywood to Washington, DC. As this hits your feed, there's a good chance you're on your way to the annual VLC conference in San Diego -- and Breaking Through will be there! To start, we hear from last year's Tomorrow’s Leaders breakout session leaders, Jessica Coniglio, Justin Davis and Harris Markowitz. If you won’t be there in person, you entire conference will be livestreamed at vlc.cff.org Madison Madrid, an adult living with CF, interviewed "Five Feet Apart" director Justin Baldoni and star Haley Lu Richardson about the film, its inspiration and its depiction of cystic fibrosis. (You can watch the full interview on the CF Foundation Facebook page) Also, we hear from Ginger Birnbaum and Chad Reidy, who share messages from the annual March On The Hill advocacy day.

This month, we meet up with Emily Bridges, Marketing Director for Choate Construction in Atlanta, who has helped build a culture of giving in her workplace centered around cystic fibrosis. That urge to help find a cure came from her best friend, Leann. She brought us into that friendship, and shared how it has formed who she is, and who she hopes to be.

In our first show of 2019, we hear from Tomorrow's Leaders all over the country as we celebrate the inaugural Tomorrow's Leaders 1-2-3 Join Me Day, which took place on January 23. In Community Picks, we take a look at viral videos and follow up with engagements, transplants, and life-changing moments. You can learn more about Tomorrow’s Leaders at www.cff.org/tomorrowsleaders

This month, we visit with QALO co-founder and CEO Ted Baker, whose active lifestyle brand started as a niche product -- silicon wedding bands -- and is now growing by leaps and bounds. QALO -- which stands for "Quality, Athletics, Love, Outdoors" -- centers commitment at the core of its brand. A former actor and bartender, Baker and his co-founder KC Holiday have built a company that solves a problem while helping people show how much their most important relationships matter to them. He shared his recipe for building a thriving corporate culture, which includes philanthropy and giving back to organizations like the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Kristen Brockman caught up with episode 3 star Reef McIntosh to ask him some follow-up questions about how he splits time between Southern California and Hawaii, how he created a brand for himself, and how he coaches up-and-coming surfers (and their parents) to success. Reef also talked in more detail about the Pipeline to a Cure Gala, and what drives him to carve out time for volunteering and giving. Meanwhile, this month's Community Picks include other inspiring athletes from the professional and amateur ranks alike, and Kristen updates us on her Un-Bucket List project. (Spoiler alert: It involves a sloth!)

Some people say you can boil life down to a handful of moments that define our direction. Reef McIntosh attributes his big break as a pro-surfer for Quicksilver to one wave that catapulted him into superstardom. Taming it was one part luck, one part skill, and a dash of just knowing where to be on the right day. Today, Reef also supports the CF Foundation at the annual surfing inspired gala, Pipeline to a Cure. The event has raised millions of dollars in the search to cure cystic fibrosis.

In this month's half-episode, our own Kristen Brockman is in the hot seat as she gets interviewed by Episode 2 guest Richelle Meiss. Kristen shares her own CF story, about her sister Kelsi, who was the inspiration for Kristen's "UnBucket List" project, aimed at raising money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Later, we share some of our own picks from the world of CF this month, and give a preview of October's episode. You can learn more about the UnBucket List at www.theunbucketlist.com.

This month, Breaking Through catches up with Los Angeles-based comedic, writer and actor Richelle Meiss. Four years ago, Richelle ditched the idea of law school, threw all her earthly possessions into her Honda Civic and headed out for LA to follow her dreams. She talks with Kristen Brockman about the bumps along the road, and how her sister with CF has kept her going--even in the face of doubters. You can find out more about Richelle at www.richellemeiss.com or by following her on Twitter or Instagram @reeshmeese.

On this month's installment of Breaking Through, we bring you our first half episode, where we share some news and answer your questions. We talk to the Tomorrow's Leaders national chair Jessica Coniglio about why we're doing this podcast, and what the future holds for Breaking Through. And Ray Poole is back to answer your questions from Episode 1. Breaking Through is a monthly narrative podcast produced by the Cystic FibrosisFoundation's Tomorrow's Leaders group. Breaking Through is aimed at helping Tomorrow's Leaders members develop professionally, foster community, and learn from others through rich storytelling, while also recruiting and engaging new members. You can learn more at www.cff.org/tomorrowsleaders.

In the first episode of Breaking Through, we talk to Ray Poole, who arrived at his breakthrough moment after being there for his wife through her double lung transplant. Breaking Through is a monthly narrative podcast produced by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's Tomorrow's Leaders group. Breaking Through is aimed at helping Tomorrow's Leaders members develop professionally, foster community, and learn from others through rich storytelling, while also recruiting and engaging new members. You can learn more at www.cff.org/tomorrowsleaders. Learn more about Ray Poole at www.cfcornerman.com.