Spark to Empower

Join youth leader Ava Jane in this empowering episode of the Spark to Empower podcast as she interviews acclaimed children's author Trudy Ludwig. Discover how Trudy's award-winning books are helping kids build empathy, confidence, and social-emotional skills — one story at a time.Find out more at sparktoempower.com or @sparktoempower

Coach Michaela joins Spark to Empower to share insights for self-regulation and talk about her book, Zoey and Her Amazing Energy Bubble.  Have a child with bursting energy?  Are you an educator who has students with diverse needs?  Would you like to understand others better? This episode is for you!  Learn how Michaela Gordon, Occupational Therapist, supports individuals to achieve their highest potential in life.  About the guest:Michaela has her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy, Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation, and specializes in supporting clients with tools and strategies for Sensory Integration, sensory regulation, behavioral management, neurodevelopmental techniques, social emotional, oral motor, myofascial release, cranial sacral therapy, and executive functioning.  She has extensive experience supporting individuals, in hospitals and clinics and currently owns her own full-time occupational therapy practice in the Santa Barbara County in California.   Michaela is often a presenter at educational summits and staff developments in which she shares strategies for best supporting students. To purchase the book: Zoey and Her Amazing Energy Bubble www.michaelagordon.com Facebook: Michaela Gordon OT Instagram: @michaela_gordon_ot Tik Tok: @michaela.gordon.otFind out more at sparktoempower.com or @sparktoempower

Lauren Roxburgh -  “The Body Whisperer”  joins Connie Maday on the Spark to Empower Podcast in a conversation focused on the secret language of your body.  Learn about the importance of our fascia and tap into the whispers of your body to connect with your intuition.  Allow Lauren to guide you to into improved health and overall well-being.  Lauren is a world renowned Board Certified Structural Integration Bodywork Practitioner, Pilates Pro, Best selling Author, and Fascia Mind-Body Expert and the co-founder of the Aligned Life Studio - a virtual platform that offers a new paradigm in health and fitness - with a unique focus on fascia wellness - designed to help people align and strengthen their bodies, shed physical and emotional weight while enhancing resilience and confidence.@loroxburgh @alignedlifestudioFind out more at sparktoempower.com or @sparktoempower

In this episode of Insights and Inspiration with Connie Maday, she shares important tricks to elevate your brain.  How can you create positive change for yourself? It starts with your brain.  Connie gives distilled information about the brain and the power we have to shape our reality.  How can you make the positive shifts in your life? It starts with your self-talk. Find out more at sparktoempower.com or @sparktoempower

In this episode of insights and inspiration, Connie Maday shares her personal reflection about wisdom she learned from an important person in her life, her mom.  This episode is sure to leave you thinking about individuals who inspire you and make you a better person.  Find out more at sparktoempower.com or @sparktoempower

Today on Spark Change, Connie Maday sits down with Mary Firestone for a special conversation with Parents in mind. Mary shares insights around how we as parents can show up as our best selves, what we can do to release the traumas in our life,  and how can harness our own power.  Mary Firestone is the author of Trusting the Dawn:  How to Choose Freedom and Joy After Trauma.  Mary's story of survival and rebirth along with her background in clinical psychology offers an integrated handbook for anyone healing from trauma.  Mary has been featured in Goop, Well+Good, and Forbes, been interviewed on various podcasts and news stations, and featured in articles all across the country.  You can read more about her at maryfirestone.co or Learn more at firestonesisters.com. Find out more at sparktoempower.com or @sparktoempower

In this incredibly impactful episode of Spark Change, Connie Maday shares a conversation with Dr. Anne Alaniz who is a Board certified gynecologist in Houston Texas.  Dr. Anne Alaniz was born in a small impoverished village in Malawi, Africa, and is the oldest of eight siblings.  At the age of 16, an ER doctor from Texas visited her village and saw Anne's potential.  The doctor, wanting to make a lasting impact, offered to host Anne for a US education.  With her family's blessing, Anne moved from Malawi to Texas where she attended high school, college and medical school.  While in medical school, she held a garage sale with her friends raising $3,000 she used to buy land in the Salima District of Malawi near the village in which she grew up.On this land, in 2012, Dr. Alaniz founded the US non-profit Pothawira International where she raised funding and subsequently built an orphanage, primary school, computer lab, farm, mill, birthing center, and outpatient health clinic – the ONLY health clinic in Daniel Village (population 10,000).Dr. Anne Alaniz shares her life story, how she realized her purpose and the mindset she embraced to get her through the adversity and challenges in her life. She is a true example of how one person can make a difference in the world and shares about the ripple effect when you throw a rock into the pond.  Podcast Notes:  Parents and educators may wish to preview prior to listening with audiences under grade 6 to consider topics that may require further discussion .   Find out more at sparktoempower.com or @sparktoempower

Connie Maday from Spark Change interviews Justin Sather, an 11-year-old working to ensure that “the planet is healthy for future generations.” What started with the spark and love for frogs, has turned into a movement of change to protect our planet.  Justin has shown that one idea can change the world if you learn to be brave, have a growth mindset, and stay determined!Find out more at sparktoempower.com or @sparktoempower

Connie Maday from Spark Change interviews Dan Fontaine, Executive Director of Wilderness Youth Project, a non-profit working to provide nature connections for all children.  He shares the tremendous impact WYP has in their local community and how they are able to support programs guided by inspired, skilled, and committed mentors and volunteers. For WYP it is about building relationships and connecting with kids in the beautiful outdoors.  Listen to learn about what makes WYP unique.Find out more at sparktoempower.com or @sparktoempower

Connie Maday.  Educator, Mother, and Entrepreneur, shares insights and distilled research to support some big ideas around inspiration.  Learn three things you can do today to make a powerful impact on your life, so you can show up with more focus and clarity to become more creative.Find out more at sparktoempower.com or @sparktoempower

Connie Maday shares some insights and inspiration and also gives a bit more of her personal story that led to the creation of the Spark Change Podcast. Listen as she dives into the topic of inspiration and leaves you with some ideas to consider.  Find out more at sparktoempower.com or @sparktoempower

Connie Maday: Educator, Mother, Entrepreneur.  In this special episode, she shares a bit about her journey, gives you a snapshot of who she is, what she's about, and WHY she created Spark Change!  Listen to hear a bit of the journey that led to the creation of Spark to Empower and the Spark Change Podcast.   Find out more at sparktoempower.com or @sparktoempower

Spark to Empower welcomes Jacob Cramer, founder and executive director of Love for our Elders, a nonprofit organization fighting loneliness with love. Jacob shares the mission of his nonprofit through speeches and social media to inspire young people to get involved in service.  In this episode, we get an inside scoop on how he was inspired to create this incredibly successful non-profit (the non-profit has more than 60,000 volunteers across 72 countries fighting the social isolation of elders!), what has kept him motivated, tips for staying committed, and his future aspirations. Be inspired by the vision of a (then) 13-year-old that has impacted elders across the globe, inspired activism and action, and began a movement of change to support our elders.  It starts with one idea, one letter, one connection, and one smile.Listen to the story on Spark Change.For more information be sure to check out:loveforourelders.orgsparktoempower.comFor Jacob Cramer's book click here. Link to social mediaJacob CramerConnie MadayFind out more at sparktoempower.com or @sparktoempower

Spark Change interviews Olivia Seltzer, a young changemaker.This inspiring individual shows us that anything is possible when you stay grounded with your purpose. Olivia has been selected as the Three Dot Dash Global Teen Leader, received the Gloria Barron Prize, the Diller Teen Award, Coca-Cola Scholar and has presented at the NATO Summit, NPR, and was featured in Teen Vogue, TODAY, the Economist, Forbes, to name a few.  Through writing, she helps educate her generation with what's important in the world. She is the founder and editor-in-chief of a daily newsletter, THE CRAMM, that summarizes the top stories into one quick read that is easy to understand, making it tangible for everyone. With Gen Z in mind, she has created an unbiased news source for our youth and has recently published the book Cramm This Book – an absolute MUST-read for all our future change makers. Her goal? Changing the world – one Cramm at a time – and creating activists out of the next generation by informing them about the world's happenings. Learn more about her story and what led her to follow her passions and become a change maker.thecramm.comFind out more at sparktoempower.com or @sparktoempower

Welcome to the Spark Change podcast. I'm Connie Maday and I'm so excited to be here and to begin this journey with you. This podcast is about reminding us of the power we each possess and celebrating the inspiring stories of change makers, tapping into ourselves to our own inner compass and get you out there changing the world.  Be kind. Be bold. Be you!Stay tuned for our first episode to premiere this summer.  Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss it!  Thanks so much for tuning in and can't wait to share with you what's to come.Find out more at sparktoempower.com or @sparktoempower