Our world is one of beautiful, powerful diversity. We can find many differences in race, culture, and religion, and yet there are many similarities, too. To appreciate and understand each other, we seek bridges connecting us to shared perspectives and practices. Building bridges for marginalized communities is where Deanna Singh , the daughter of an African-American mother and Sikh immigrant father, finds her purpose. Deanna is an author, social entrepreneur, and founder of Flying Elephant Found...
May 11, 2020•21 min•Ep. 74
Jim Reese says readers connect most with his “failures and screw-ups,” because they reveal the humanity that lives within each of us. The author of four books, including a beautiful collection of essays called Bone Chalk, and director of the Great Plains Writers Tour, Jim teaches writing at Mount Marty College and as part of a writing-as-healing program at Federal Prison Camp in Yankton, S.D., where he is “passionate about helping people come to terms with their emotional instabilities through w...
May 04, 2020•23 min•Ep. 73
A personal bout with asthma at the age of 18 led Monica Mae Leibson to learn about a variety of ways to create good health – which ultimately inspired her to build a career in acupuncture and Chinese medicine. Today, working with Michigan Associates of Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine, Monica plays detective to get to the root cause of troubling symptoms for her patients, leading them to lifestyle, diet, and perspective shifts that contribute to long-term wellness.
Apr 27, 2020•31 min•Ep. 72
When Adri Smith, founder of Moss Floral Design in Fort Worth, Texas, was a child, she loved sitting in her mother’s garden, smelling the hyacinths and admiring the irises. She began her career as a teacher but knew it wasn’t her calling and it wasn’t until her own wedding that she reconnected with her early love of florals and realized she wanted to bring that beauty and delight to others. In this episode, Adri shares her experiences innovating when times suddenly change and weddings are put on ...
Apr 20, 2020•18 min•Ep. 71
What did your younger self want to be when you grew up? Elena, 6th-grade book blogger of ElenaReads.com, wants to be a writer and is well on her way to realizing that dream. Celebrating her 2-year anniversary as a youth-book-blogger this week, Elena combines her passion for reading and writing on her avidly-read blog, where she reviews and recommends kid books, with a particular focus on diversity of race, religion, gender and abilities. She interviews authors, as well. Elena is bummed that the ...
Apr 13, 2020•15 min•Ep. 70
For high school graduates, the expectation to obtain a college degree seems higher than ever, but greater still is the pressure to pursue a marketable course of study to offset the heavy price tag. The student loan crisis signifies that it’s time for a change in how we view higher education, and Philomena Mantella, a leader in higher-ed innovation and the new president of Grand Valley State University, has a plan to redefine higher education. The first female president of GVSU, Philomena joins L...
Apr 06, 2020•25 min•Ep. 69
“It’s not like I set out to be a poet,” explains M.L. Liebler, Fulbright Specialist, Wayne State University professor and Poet Laureate of St. Clair Shores. And yet, this self-described product of working-class upbringing did what came naturally, cultivating a life of writing, teaching, and performing, making poetry accessible to the average person. He speaks with Lynne Golodner on this episode of the Make Meaning podcast about how his passion for writing and teaching, his world travels as a Ful...
Mar 23, 2020•33 min•Ep. 68
Whether he’s talking with Tony Hawk, gathering with Make Meaning podcast guests, or convening with close friends over coffee, Clay Carnill knows when someone shares their story, it is a sacred moment. This skill makes him the invaluable sound engineer of the Make Meaning podcast as well as our expert producer, and an incredible listener. Clay regularly practices the discipline of quieting oneself to listen and to honor speaker and story. In this episode of Make Meaning, Clay talks with Lynne abo...
Mar 09, 2020•35 min•Ep. 67
Our paths in life often start with a dream, but they can’t end there. “A lot of times we just sit in the dream without putting the infrastructure in place so that the dream can be realized,” says Aaron Dworkin, author, performance artist and professor of arts leadership and entrepreneurship at University of Michigan.
Feb 24, 2020•23 min•Ep. 66
Reyanne Mustafa, co-founder of Soulmuch, aims to rescue the 1 million pounds of untouched restaurant food headed for the trash bin every day. Reyanne knows Soulmuch can’t do it alone, but by engaging others in the effort, she believes it is achievable. On the latest episode of the Make Meaning podcast, Reyanne talks with Lynne about how she combats food waste and found her purpose by baking cookies.
Feb 10, 2020•18 min•Ep. 65
The path to purpose isn’t always linear. In fact, many people set out on one path only to follow the bends and twists until they end up in a different calling. Today’s guest on the Make Meaning podcast, Rev. Dr. Maidstone Mulenga, was a journalist for nearly 17 years before he felt the call to ministry. Today, he is a powerful leader in the United Methodist Church. Listen as Lynne and Maidstone discuss how one purpose can lay the groundwork for what we are truly meant to do.
Jan 27, 2020•24 min•Ep. 64
We talk often about core values in a corporate context, but what about personal core values? For Nikki Little , today’s Make Meaning podcast guest, core values – both for herself and her team – are at the heart of identifying pursuits filled with purpose and meaning. Nikki is Director of Strategy at Franco and in her own time, publishes the bi-weekly e-newsletter, The MichComms Report . Nikki’s expertise is integrated communications, but she applies it to more than just her work. She talks with ...
Jan 13, 2020•21 min
What would you tell your younger self, if given the chance? When it comes to finding meaning and purpose, Jen Coken says it’s more about what your younger self can tell you. Jen is an author, life coach and comedian who helps people identify and fulfill their “soul purpose” in both their professional and personal lives. She joins Lynne Golodner on this week’s episode of the Make Meaning podcast to talk about her own journey to purpose, and keys for finding direction, challenging your self-made l...
Dec 30, 2019•20 min•Ep. 62
How do you want to be remembered? Merle Saferstein , this week’s guest on the Make Meaning Podcast , works with people to determine their life legacies, and this is one of the questions she routinely asks. Merle has found great meaning through teaching children, working with Holocaust survivors, and most recently, fulfilling a lifelong goal of publishing her book, Room 732 . Listen as Lynne talks with Merle about living and leaving a legacy, the choices we make to create lives of meaning, and th...
Dec 23, 2019•26 min•Ep. 61
The consummate workplace dilemma: you want to climb the rungs of the corporate ladder, but you don’t want to lose what you first loved about your work. Vickie Thompson-Sandy knows this challenge all too well. As a social worker dedicated to child welfare issues, and now a nonprofit leader on a national scale, her focus has always been to make the world healthier, stronger, and more whole.
Dec 09, 2019•24 min•Ep. 60
Do today’s students have the luxury to ask, debate, and study life’s meaning and purpose, or are we seeing a “vocationalization of mainstream universities,” more focused on professional skills and salary potential? Perhaps it’s the cost of higher learning that drives students today to be more pragmatic and practical in their pursuit of a career and not have the luxury of pondering life’s big questions.
Dec 02, 2019•25 min•Ep. 59
Is your glass half empty or half full? Maybe it’s less about how much is in the glass, and more about having a glass in the first place? In honor of Thanksgiving, we are airing a special episode of the Make Meaning podcast, focusing on how to mindfully cultivate gratefulness that can lead to a happier, healthier life.
Nov 25, 2019•42 min
We’re thrilled to welcome Tista Ghosh, the first female Chief Medical Officer of Colorado, as our most recent guest on the Make Meaning podcast! Tista has found her purpose identifying root causes of disease and working to prevent it, whether chronic or infectious. As a doctor of internal medicine, she saw alarming patterns in patient health that could be prevented if addressed long before they became an actual risk.
Nov 18, 2019•26 min
650,000 hours. That’s the average human life span and the title of a new website and newsletter launched by author, columnist, and former AARP Editor Ken Budd. Following his father’s unexpected death, Ken spent time volunteering around the world in an effort to find meaning and purpose, which led to his award-winning memoir, The Voluntourist. Ken joins Lynne on the Make Meaning podcast to discuss making the most of our time on Earth – finding meaningful work, satisfaction in life, making an impa...
Nov 04, 2019•18 min
While many adults might dismiss teens as not-quite-ready to meet the real world, Lisa Damour, clinical psychologist, author, and this week’s guest on the Make Meaning podcast, knows that adolescents have the ability to perceive situations with clarity and accuracy often missed by adults. Adolescence is the age where true passion and natural talent develop, sowing seeds of purpose that provide life direction. Listen as Lynne and Lisa discuss how understanding adolescence can not only help us guid...
Oct 21, 2019•24 min
Have you thought much about your purpose and how it reveals itself in your life? Perhaps your purpose comes from a natural talent or a collection of experiences that build on each other over time. Sandy North, this week’s Make Meaning guest, found purpose advocating for justice through quilts. Aiming to shed light on innocent victims of gun violence, Sandy co-founded the Remember Me Quilt Project of Michigan, which works with victims’ families to create quilts bearing victims’ faces, thus humani...
Oct 07, 2019•18 min
Today is International Podcast Day (IPD), the day to celebrate the power of podcasting! On July 9, 2018, Lynne Golodner launched the Make Meaning podcast, jumping onto a growing platform as a way to share stories of inspiring people finding meaning and purpose, and making a difference in the world. In honor of International Podcast Day, we are highlighting one of our first episodes of the Make Meaning podcast, featuring Zingerman’s co-founder, Paul Saginaw. In this conversation, Lynne and Paul t...
Sep 30, 2019•25 min
The road to finding one’s purpose can take many turns, often with a destination not yet determined. Knowing when to pause, breathe, and listen to the “heart tugs” is how Stacy Dockins, yoga trainer/instructor, author and co-founder of the Yoga Project, has found meaning and fulfillment.
Sep 23, 2019•22 min
Nike. Gillette. Proctor and Gamble. Airbnb. What do they all have in common? Effective, compelling stories that inspire people to connect, commit, and forge deeper, longer-lasting relationships with the brand. What is the basis of these stories? Strong, foundational messaging that conveys meaning and purpose behind brand identity. On this episode of the Make Meaning podcast, marketing entrepreneur and host Lynne Golodner, and fellow team member and content specialist, Christina Weaver, explore t...
Sep 09, 2019•23 min
Are you stressed? Worried? Yearning for something different? Happiness, success, and contentment all start and end within, and this week’s Make Meaning podcast guest, Gautam Jain, shares insights from the ancient philosophy of Vedanta – in advance of an upcoming landmark event featuring his guru, Swami A. Parthasarathy, a world-renowned philosopher who will be speaking in New York in a few weeks.
Sep 02, 2019•19 min
What do bees have to do with business? Strength in diversity. Efficiency and productivity from cooperation. Working together for the good of the whole. Concepts that we value in the business world are absolutely crucial to the survival of a honeybee colony. What’s more, honeybees are helping revitalize Detroit neighborhoods by “turning blight into gold.”
Aug 26, 2019•37 min
When you were an aspiring high school graduate, where did you think you would end up? Did you get there? Or did the path twist and turn over the years? And, do you check in at high school reunions to see where your classmates are today – or do you blow it off, leaving the past behind you?
Aug 12, 2019•51 min
People discover purpose in many ways – through experiences, a passion, or actively searching. On this episode of the Make Meaning Podcast, Lynne talks with Linda Makowski about how purpose can come from stillness. Owner of Namaste Yoga Studio, Linda found purpose as a teacher, a championship women’s college basketball coach, social worker, and at Namaste. Throughout her life, Linda’s strength has been helping others find their dharma – their purpose – and to guide them to be who they’re meant to...
Jul 29, 2019•20 min
When was the last time you felt welcome – like an “us”, not a “them” - among strangers? Have you experienced people of different walks of life coming together from different origins, united by a common purpose? These are the kinds of experiences and spaces that Amy Haimerl, founder of Shady Ladies Literary Society, and David Dwaihy, co-owner of Detroit City Football Club, are creating. They joined Lynne recently for a special episode of the Make Meaning podcast, recorded live at the Motor City W...
Jul 22, 2019•20 min
What was the moment you discovered your purpose? On this episode of the Make Meaning podcast, Lynne talks with Dr. Joshua Mezrich, transplant surgeon and author of When Death Becomes Life: Notes from a Transplant Surgeon, about his moment of discovery. Meaning seems a small word for the giving of life. Dr. Mezrich facilitates the transfer of hope and opportunity, when one person’s death gives life to another. This work helped him form deeper connections with his patients and fueled his drive to ...
Jul 15, 2019•28 min
