RAP - Regular Amazing People

Juliet talks about her experiences helping children deal with trauma through play. Her observations are both exciting and a little sad (hearing what traumatizes children), and can help to understand what children go through and how licensed therapists help them overcome trauma.

Marnie was buried deep within her addictions until a prison term gave her new perspective. Today she owns a business and runs an addiction support group on Facebook. Hopefully her willingness to share this difficult story can impact others.

Candyce had to recover her ability to speak and walk after an assault. Today she is a successful entrepreneur and volunteer whose positivity makes an impact on everyone around her!

Ron was my Professor and Director at Truman State quite a few years ago. His commitment to Theater students has been remarkable and heartfelt for over 30 years. Ron recently retired and one of his former (famous) students started a scholarship in his name: The Ronald M. Rybkowski Honorary Technical Theatre Scholarship. https://www.truman.edu/giving/rybkowski-scholarship/

Dena works in the Foster Care system in Peoria, IL. She shares some of the joys and challenges of her job along with the experiences of the kids and parents that she works with.

Chris, John, and Jason joined me to talk about how we help low income black neighborhoods rise up out of their current situations. The conversation turned to education, "black on black" crime, policing, and everyone told a piece of their story.

Jeanine was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer three years ago and has been battling with her spreading cancer ever since. Hopefully we can all can gain inspiration from her positive energy and perseverance!

Wendi runs a theater group in St. Charles County (Missouri) that gives opportunities to kids and adults who aspire to perform but need more outlets. From building college resumes to volunteer adults, Midwest Center for Performing Arts has been a great theatrical outlet for hundreds.

Alvin grew up in an Evangelical Christian church, became a minister, and later in his life was unable to continue with the same faith. This is his story of spiritual journey and transformation. Your host has had a similar transformation albeit by a different path, and Alvin's story becomes more of a back and forth conversation between of us about our journeys.

Jon and Alicia are Missionaries to Honduras, where they established and run a school for special needs children. Their story is amazing, as they have opened the hearts of their community to the needs and humanity of these children, while contributing to national efforts in Honduras in the same capacity.

Sharee lives in Australia and adopted Krystle’s birth daughter from Canada. They have continued to maintain contact with each other and their shared child. It’s a great story and goes against the (old?) stereotypes we have about adoptions.

People have asked why I'm doing this, and here is the conversation Mark Buske and I had about it.

It took a long time for Mark to realize he needed "peeps" to share his journey, and here is his advice.

Mark has lived his entire life with severe limited vision, requiring multiple surgeries and limiting his day-to-day activities. And he has been a music teacher and coach for the last 30+ years!

Chris and I explore what the next steps are to heal our nation and move us forward. We talk about the front lines with Police Officers to systemic changes within our national, state, and local institutions. We also dig into the root causes of where we are today.

Dirk and Chris explore race in America by talking openly about protesting, violence, biases, personal experiences, and objections that are voiced by many behind closed doors. If you know of anyone with similar experiences who would like to tell their stories and have an open discussion, please contact Dirk Pointer on Facebook, email me at regularamazingpeople@gmail.com, or look up RapRegular on Twitter.

Chad and Alicia tell their story of adjusting to Taiwanese culture 24 years ago, and the growth of their ministry and selves over that same time period.

Leslie was only 7 years old when she had a plum-sized tumor removed from her brain. She and her mother Donna share some of the trials they came through - medical, emotional, and social - in this amazing story of survival.

You may not immediately recognize Darwin, but his credits include Cobra Kai and Home Alone 3. His acting journey is one that we don't often consider, and his positive view of success (it's subjective, everybody!) can give all of us something to consider and work towards.

First of all, Megan is my sister. I'm so glad she agreed to share her story! Megan had a difficult time of it for several years as a teenager. But she was able to right her own ship, raise 2 amazing sons, and blaze a path to professional success. Hopefully her success story can encourage moms or young people in similar situations.

Francis tells his unique story of immigration to the United States, along with sharing his entrepreneurial spirit. Hopefully his story and outlook on life can be as inspirational for you as they were for me!

Amber has some great and funny observations about her journey through breast cancer treatment. If you or someone you know have an amazing story, please email Dirk at regularamazingpeople@gmail.com.

Lisa tells us about her journey with surrogacy. surrogacy.ca We are in need of people with amazing stories. If you would like to tell yours, or you know someone who would, please email us at regularamazingpeople@gmail.com

Justin talks to his dad about studying abroad in Madrid while Coronavirus began to take off. And now being home and quarantined in the house for 14 days while dad has to leave the house due to his asthma (high risk).