All Children Need Nature — Wilderness Youth Project
On This Episode of Spark to Empower
Connie Maday from Spark to Empower 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.
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Dan Fontaine began exploring the Southern California coastline while pursuing his PhD in Engineering from UC Santa Barbara. He began his journey with Wilderness Youth Program as a volunteer and has worked in every capacity at Wilderness Youth Project from camp kitchen, leading programs, and filling the role of Program Director. Since 2008 Dan has been the Executive Director of Wilderness Youth Project. On weekends, you can find Dan enjoying the outdoors with his family at Ellwood Beach or the Santa Ynez River.
About the Guest
Dan Fontaine
Executive Director of Wilderness Youth Project
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Connie Maday (00:12):
Welcome to Spark to Empower. This podcast is about igniting the power within ourselves to bring about positive change for the world. This is the place for inspiration and celebrating change makers. Today I welcome special guest Dan Fontaine, the executive director of Wilderness Youth Project.
(00:31)
Wilderness Youth Project is an organization in the Santa Barbara counties that believes and embodies that nature connection makes life better for kids. All children need nature. Time in nature makes kids happier, healthier, and smarter. And Wilderness Youth Project connects kids to nature in small groups guided by inspired, skilled, and committed mentors and volunteers.
(00:55)
They have given local children the gift of the cold flow of the Santa Inez river on their toes, the taste of salty ocean waves at Tajiguas Beach and the strength and confidence that comes from rock hopping in the dry creek beds at Skofield Park.
(01:09)
There is so much to learn about an organization such as Wilderness Youth Project and I'm thrilled to be able to share about the programs they offer, how they're making a difference in the lives of children and what makes them unique. You are sure to gleam some insights about the importance of outdoor time with our special guest. So thank you Dan, for being here. Looking forward to diving in.
Dan Fontaine (01:32): Thank you. I'm excited to be here.
Connie Maday (01:34):
So Dan, I'm just so grateful to have you. And I wanted to just share a little bit. Growing up I was very involved in spending time outside. I've got two older brothers. It was just part of our world, our life to rock climb, to hike, to bike, to spend time in nature. And I have to share a short story.
(01:57)
When I did my student teaching, so I'm an educator, almost two decades. When I did my student teaching in Goleta, I was blown away to find out that one of my students, or actually more than one, probably half the class, we were at the end of the year beach party and it was their first beach experience. And this is a group of fifth graders.
(02:19)
And Goleta to the beach, it's an eight minute drive, three and a half miles. And it was this experience and many others that I've had in the teaching world where it really showed how nature is not something that everyone has and has the same opportunity to experience.
(02:43)
One of the things that I just love about Wilderness Youth Project, the mission to change this, to change the accessibility, to make it something that is an opportunity for children. Because nature is so incredibly important. Really am grateful to share more about what Wilderness Youth Project does. Before diving into the non-profit, Dan, can you give a little of your own overview of your life and how you were led to being the executive director?
Dan Fontaine (03:18):
Oh gosh, my story is a little bit funny. I moved to the area in 1994 to attend UCSB, like so many people. Quite a lot of people in the area first came for UCSB. I moved from Pennsylvania. And when you moved from Pennsylvania to Southern California, it's quick. I was quick to acclimatize to the environment here.
(03:40)
Very easy place to feel comfortable in right away, at least it was for me. I actually came to UCSB as a student in engineering, and I was in a PhD program. And about halfway through my program, I was in that for six years, about halfway through I had an epiphany that I wasn't going to be an engineer my whole life.
(04:04)
That's a whole story into itself, but we'll just leave it at that. I knew that I wanted to finish my degree and sort of get to the end of the current road I was on, but I knew I wasn't going to stay on that road forever. So I made a five year plan to finish my degree in two years and then work for two years and then take a year off and do whatever I want.
(04:22)
And my favorite plan went exactly according to plan. And at the end of my one year off doing whatever I wanted, ended up spending three more years doing whatever I wanted. I actually didn't work for four years. And whatever I wanted turned out to be doing things with nature and kids and people outside. And it was in that four years that I met the Wilderness Youth Project and was volunteering for them.
(04:51)
At the end of that four years, I got offered the chance to be the program director full-time and that's how I ended up in my second career, one and a half career. Or I don't even... Seems so long ago now, I don't know if it's fair to count engineering as a career.
(05:11)
But I was trained in that. And but I've been... let's see, I became a full-time at Wilderness Youth Project in 2007. So I've been... And I became the director and executive director in 2008. So I've been the executive director 14 years now. It feels more like my primary career now.
Connie Maday (05:27):
Definitely. You bring up this reminder I think for all of us too, that play and that free time, that can be creative. That is a form of work. That's where we get some inspiration. Oftentimes it kind of guides us where we want to be next.
(05:44)
And when we look at our children, when they're out and they're playing, that's meaningful time for them. And it's also meaningful time for us as adults to remember that we also need time to play and to get creative and to pause and take a break. And good reminder, so thank you for sharing a little bit about your journey.
Dan Fontaine (06:04): Yeah.
Connie Maday (06:04):
Wilderness Youth Project, the mission I'm reading here is to foster confidence, health and a lifelong love of learning for young people and families through active outdoor experiences and mentoring by our skilled staff. So can you give us a short overview? What does that look like? What does that mean?
Dan Fontaine (06:25):
Good question. When people get exposed to that wording and the mission, the next logical jump for them is to say, "Oh, you take kids on hikes." And I say, "It's not quite like that." We offer kids a lot of freedom to make their own discoveries, which means they have a lot of freedom to make their own exploration and do their own things.
(06:47)
When we take kids to an outdoor location, we actually don't cover a lot of ground. A parent once told me, only half jokingly that I ruined hiking for his family, because for him hiking is covering a lot of ground and getting exercise.
(07:00)
But when after his child was in Wilderness Youth Project programs, they wanted to stop and look and explore things and look under rocks and do all these things and they didn't cover as much ground. But I think, like I said, it was half jokingly. The father was a little disappointed that it wasn't exercise anymore, but he was really happy for what was happening for his child.
Connie Maday (07:20): Right. Definitely. I think as a parent, I'll just share from my own experience as a mother, you know it's a good day when your child comes home and they are just covered in mud and dirt, maybe have a feather in their hat, so many stories to tell. And the best part of it is the biggest smile on their face.
Dan Fontaine (07:39): Aha.
Connie Maday (07:39):
From the time that they had in nature. And that's what I've witnessed with my own children. Wilderness Youth Project has so many offerings. You've got your summer program, you've got your after school program, you've got your various programs that you have to connect to support schools. So tell us a little bit about your program.
Dan Fontaine (08:01):
Yeah. The basic model for a Wilderness Youth Project program is 12 kids, three adults and usually a van. So that gets played out in some slightly different versions at different times. Every week in the school year, there 45 of those groups of 12 kids.
Connie Maday (08:21): That's amazing. Right.
Dan Fontaine (08:22):
Three adults and a van. The different categories during the school year is there's programs for preschool aged kids. We actually don't put them in vans. Preschool kids just stay put in the location where they start. There's a bunch of afterschool programs that meet at a central location and then go different places in the Wilderness Youth Project vans.
(08:40)
And then there's also programs that take kids out of the classroom during the school day. Those are the three main buckets of programs during the school year, preschool, after school and school day. Cumulative, there's about 45 of those groups per week. Groups of 12 kids. With some very slight variations, but that's the main idea.
(08:59)
And then during the summer, it's the same model in the sense that it's 12 kids, three adults in a van for kids above preschool age. Instead of once per week every week of the school year, it's a whole week from nine to three for younger kids and nine to four for older kids and nine to one for preschoolers with some aftercare options.
(09:20)
But it's a similar idea in all the programs that we take kids to lots of different... The diversity, one of the great things about living in this area is the diversity of natural spaces and open spaces. And kids have a lot of opportunity to do their own exploring and make their own discoveries. And that's the broad brush strokes of how it works.
Connie Maday (09:39):
I love it. That's amazing. And what I have witnessed is the values, the core values that are embedded in the program throughout, whether it's the chickettes, the small preschool classes or the teens that are going on farther excursions, the values that are embedded are the same and the groups represent diversity.
(10:01)
You have the opportunity that's accessible for everyone. Can you share a little bit about those values? Tell us a little bit about the values and how do you support your mentors? Those are the ones that are out in the field supporting and then you also have the volunteers. So what kind of work do you do with your mentors, with your facilitators that allows them to all come together with this core value system?
Dan Fontaine (10:23):
Yeah. The number one thing that we value at Wilderness Youth Project is relationships. Internally, we use the word connection a lot, but it's really just relationships. And that word relationships has a lot of different context to it. We're Wilderness Youth Project, we're an outdoor organization.
(10:38)
So one of the relationships is with the landscape that we live on, which is an incredible relationship to have because it's such a good relationship. And when kids cultivate a sense of place through that relationship, a lot of good things grow out of it. A lot of, we often use the three categories, nature makes kids happier, healthier, and smarter.
(10:59)
There's a lot of things in each of those buckets, happier, healthier, and smarter. Relationships also means the relationships among and between the participants. One of our former official articulation of our values, we used to use the word peacemaking, which some people jump to conflict resolution, but for us peacemaking includes that, but it really has more to do with proactive peacemaking.
(11:24)
It's practicing gratitude and practicing how we talk to each other, how we relate to each other in a group, how we treat each other. And it also involves building a sense of personal internal piece. All those things really contribute to some of the joys I think that parents get out of the program.
(11:45)
You reminded me of another funny thing a mom once said to me, I asked her, she was dropping off a kid at, her child at a program and I knew she had been in programs before, so I was like, "Oh, why do you like our program, you did you sign up again?"
(11:58)
And she looked to side to side and she leaned in close and she whispered because she wasn't sure she wanted anybody to hear this. And she said, "I like her more." And what she meant was, "I like her more after she's been in one of your programs than without being in the [inaudible 00:12:15]." Which reminds me of the things you were saying, your child was smiling and happy and telling stories of all the things that happened.
Connie Maday (12:22): Right.
Dan Fontaine (12:23):
Back to values. Relationships, the other two things I would say about relationships are relationships between the staff and the adults, really prioritize that relationship and like it to be long term and ongoing. And then overlooked, but a important context of relationships is also the relationships we have with ourselves.
(12:40)
It's learning about yourself and understanding who you are and what's important to you and what your values are and how you can live in accordance with them. So the other thing that's a little bit hidden by that expression of values is there's one more thing which is really important to us, which we've used different words to describe and at different times in the past.
(12:57)
But these days, I'll use the word inclusion. We really like do everything we can so that our programs feel like they're for everyone and that everyone needs them and everyone can be in them and everyone has a space in them. That governs a lot of our decision making and administration and program curriculum. That's a very overarching goal we have.
Connie Maday (13:18):
And what a positive impact that makes. That is so important to be able to provide access to nature for everyone. There's so much science, so much research out there showing the benefits and how it can make you healthier, being put in situations where you're challenged in a new way to help build self-esteem, confidence.
(13:39)
Learning cooperative skills when you're working in groups of diverse people that you've never met before. From all parts of the county, you're working together to problem solve, you're working to be creative, you're curious. That kind of presence, that opportunity is so unique.
(13:57)
I was just on a hike with my son this morning and we were out in nature. And there's something about being away from the hustle and bustle and being present in a space and being able to look around, notice. That is just so grounding, that is so beneficial. I mean, of course there's so much out there. That's something that you're providing for our students, for our children, and of course, all the mentors and volunteers who help as well.
(14:24)
And then had me think about another little story. I've read somewhere, one of your mentors said that, "At Wilderness Youth Project, children are allowed not just to be in nature, but to be a part of nature and to lose yourself in the magic." And that reminded me of another story with my son. We were on a nature walk up in Northern California. I think my son was maybe nine or 10 at the time. And all of a sudden he stops me and he says, "Mom, look."
(14:52)
And I look around and I didn't see anything. I just saw grass, fields of grass. He pointed and I looked to a little closer. Then I noticed there was a giant praying mantis that had been camouflaged on a leaf. We quickly named him Monty and had a little photo shoot with him and just dove right in. But this noticing and being, being in nature, being is so incredible to be a part of it, to be a part of it and experience nature.
(15:21)
And I think so often, I'll admit as an adult, it's easy to forget to really pause and notice and pay attention in that way. And so I think one of the things that Wilderness Youth Project does is really works on the gratitude and the wonder for the world that we live in. I know from my sons, both of them who've participated, they talked about a gratitude circle and how everyone was able to share and some commonalities from the preschool to the teen level.
(15:48)
Again, that is really meaningful. And those things just to slow down and be present and to connect. I'll say that all the teachers that I have met in the program, they'll really connect with the parents. They'll give a call ahead of time to learn more about the children and then when to make sure the transitions are really smooth.
(16:06)
So those are all things, as an educator especially, I notice those little details and they make all the difference. So those aspects, I mean, I just want to applaud Wilderness Youth Project and all the people that are making it happen behind the scenes and out there supporting our youth. That's really fantastic. So thank you. Thank you for your part in that, Dan.
Dan Fontaine (16:29): Yeah, thanks for that story.
Connie Maday (16:31):
So many times I hear students of mine who love nature and they want to get involved, they really appreciate the world that we live in. Can you talk about your volunteer program and what is possible? How old do you have to be? What are the requirements? How can people participate and support the program?
Dan Fontaine (16:54):
Yeah. Thanks for that. When I mentioned that the normal, the base program model is 12 kids and three adults, usually two of those adults, usually two of those adults are paid staff and the third person is a volunteer. Some programs have three paid staff, but the majority of our programs use a volunteer. During the school year, you pretty much have to be an adult, you have to be 18 or older.
(17:18)
And most of our staff are college age or greater. We actually have a diverse staff of people that work in the field. We actually have people in the decades, twenties, thirties, forties and fifties working out in the field with kids, which is one of the things I really like about our staff that I think I cherish.
(17:36)
And I think it brings a lot of value to the program. During the summer, there is an opportunity for teens to work as counselors in training or CITs in the program. Off the top of my head, I forget what the age is, but I think you could volunteer as young as 15. And summer camps, if we have somebody as young as 15, usually they're a fourth person. Oftentimes if somebody's that young, we'll have three adults and a CIT. But it depends on the CIT.
Connie Maday (18:00):
Can you tell us a little bit about the Bridge to Nature program that you offer and how that works?
Dan Fontaine (18:05):
Yeah. Going back to our core value for inclusion, back in 2007 or something like that, we set a long term goal for the demographics of our service area to mirror the demographics of Wilderness Youth Project at every level. That means participants, volunteer staff and board.
(18:23)
Turns out our... So our service areas, the South coast, from Carpinteria to Goleta, demographics of kids in age K through 12 children around 45%, somewhere between 45% and half and 50% of the kids in that age range are eligible for the free and reduced price meal program at school, otherwise known as a free lunch program.
(18:45)
So that means it's kind of astonishing. A lot of people don't realize this right away when they think of Santa Barbara because you just see the affluence right away. And but actually the poverty rate amongst California counties, Santa Barbara County is usually second or third highest rate of poverty behind Los Angeles and sometimes Santa Cruz.
(19:03)
So there is a lot of affluence in Santa Barbara obviously, but there's almost half of the kids are from families that are so low income that they qualify for free lunch or reduced price meal at school. So to serve kids, we have done a lot of different things to try to mirror the demographics overarching label we put on that effort as Bridge to Nature.
(19:24)
And some Bridge to Nature programs include the school day programs that I mentioned. We work with schools where the majority of the kids are eligible for free and reduced price meal program and take kids out during the school day. And then in afterschool time we have several community partners, some teen centers and community centers and low income housing units that work with kids from low income families. And those are our efforts to try to be inclusive and meet that goal of mirroring the demographics of our service area.
Connie Maday (19:55):
That's incredible. And it's so impactful. I would love to also share how people can continue to support the efforts of Wilderness Youth Project. So fundraising, donations, you spoke about the volunteer program. But this must require a lot of funds and fundraising, so tell us, what can we do, what can listeners do, what can young people do who want to make a change maybe with fundraising efforts to support the program, what is the best way to do that?
Dan Fontaine (20:27):
Yeah, thanks for teeing that up for me. Obviously, if our goal is to include kids that can't pay for a program, then fundraising becomes a really big part of our business. I think the Wilderness Youth Project budget's around 2.4 million this year.
(20:40)
And about 1.4 of that is budgeted to be fundraised revenue. And of that 1.4 million, at present, there's about 250,000 that we don't know quite where it's going to come from yet. We have a lot of that 1.4 has been figured out. It's either in already or we know where it's going to come from.
(21:00)
But between now and the end of the year, we still have some $250,000 [inaudible 00:21:05]. You can donate online. If you're already in the Wilderness Youth Project world and get our emails, you'll get an appeal from us as well. But if you don't get emails or mail from us, then you can always donate online.
Connie Maday (21:17): Okay. And that's wyp.org. Lots of ways to donate. And I believe this year you had quite a large number to support a lot of scholarships. So 135,000, is that right? In scholarships made it possible for students to participate?
Dan Fontaine (21:36): I think that's a summer only number, but yeah.
Connie Maday (21:37):
Just the summer. Okay, summer only. I mean, that's incredible. So close to 300 participants in summer were on scholarships, supported through all the efforts. So that is just awesome. Love that. So important. Nature is such, such an integral part to really appreciating the world that we live in. And it's up to us, it's up to us include our younger generation to take care of our planet.
(22:04)
We need to be able to appreciate how incredible it is. And Wilderness Youth Project creates the space for gratitude, it creates the space for pausing, for creating a safe community to remind us that we are all connected, to be able to explore these natural places. And I think you said it, nature is a force for good in children's lives unlike anything else out there. One of my favorites, Dan. And I'll quote again, "Connecting with nature is a direct path to connecting with self." And that is it.
(22:39)
I mean, that's amazing and I hope that listening to a little bit more about Wilderness, you will hopefully spark some appreciation for getting out into nature and also for appreciating organizations such as this that are really working to make a positive impact in the lives of children every day and supporting educators and supporting our community. So awesome. Dan, is there anything else that you want to share or that we didn't get to that would be meaningful to jump in and talk about?
Dan Fontaine (23:09): There was one question in the, you shared with me some questions before the interview. And there was one.
Connie Maday (23:15):Yes.
Dan Fontaine (23:15):
I especially liked above all others because it does touch on something that's really at the heart of Wilderness Youth Project and everybody that's here on the team. You wrote, "Always learning and growing is certainly a part of my values as an individual.
(23:29)
How have you grown during your time at Wilderness Youth Project? What has this led you to continue to explore?" I love that because I think it's one of the reasons that we have been able to retain staff. We have pretty good staff retention because we prioritize relationships and want kids and mentors to have multiyear relationships with each other.
(23:50)
One of the ways we've been able to help staff retention is we really, we prioritize the growth of the staff as much as the growth of the participants. We have a lot of dialogue with the staff about what they need and where they'd like to go with their work and what kind of programs feed them the most.
(24:03)
And we do a lot of staff training and professional development. And I love that you pointed it at me particularly too, how have you grown during your time at WYP? I don't know that anybody's asked me that in a few years. So it gave me pause to think about that.
(24:16)
And I think I've answered it in different ways at different times, but in the moment I'm seeing growth as not only important, but a journey between pronouns. I feel like growth is a journey from I and me to we and us. And I think growth starts off with questions like, what do I need? What do I want? And then in the middle it's growth is answering questions like who am I? What's important to me?
(24:41)
What are my values? And then I think as you go on a little bit further, it becomes more about, what am I a part of? How do I fit in with the rest? What can I contribute? And I'm sure there's lots of stages of growth after that that'll come too, in due time I hope. But that's where I am right now. I'm sort on the questions of how do I fit in with the community and what can I contribute and what's my role for us.
Connie Maday (25:08):
That's really powerful, Dan. And it had me reflecting on a conversation I just had with my oldest earlier today on our hike out in nature. And so much of this idea of yeah, what am I contributing? How am I contributing? What am I contributing? And then what's that reason for that? What's the purpose?
(25:31)
What's the why? What's the reason that you do the work that you do, that you've joined this team of people? I think it's important for our young people to start to explore what they're passionate about, what brings them joy, what their own gifts and talents are that they can share with the world. And realizing that we all have something to contribute.
(25:54)
We all have a way that we can give back to the greater. So along those lines, I have two more questions for you, Dan, unless there's something else that pops up. But the first one, any advice for young people that you have that are wanting to make positive change? Or what advice would you give yourself looking back at your life as a younger version of yourself?
Dan Fontaine (26:17):
Yeah, that's a great question. I would go along with some of the things you said about questions that young people can ask themselves. I think people of all ages, including young people, can benefit from reflecting on the question, who am I? I like to say, you're talking about the hustle and bustle world versus the natural world.
(26:34)
In the hustle and bustle world, you learn what the difference is between what it means to be Maria versus Sophia. But in the natural world, you learn what it means to be a human versus something in the more than human world or the natural world.
(26:49)
And that's an important part of learning about yourself is. So I would advise young people to spend some time outside, maybe even spend some time outside by yourself, even if it's just in your backyard. When you're out in that environment surrounded by these other creatures and beings and organisms, you can't help but reflect on what it means to be human and learn important things about yourself.
(27:14)
And then you come to the place that you were talking about of what are the things special to me that I can offer. It's one of the ways I sometimes distinguish Wilderness Youth Project from other kinds of education. We're not really a standard organization where we say, "Okay, after X amount of time, all kids need to be able to climb a tree up to this height or find this many shells in the intertidal or identify this or that."
(27:40)
I'm much more interested children being able to identify with something than to identify what it is. We're more about building individual relationships with kids and helping mirror to them what we are seeing as their gifts and helping them discover what their gifts are. We're not trying to get them to a standard, we're just trying to see what are the shiny parts of them that we can polish up a little bit more.
Connie Maday (28:02): That's so beautiful and that really fits with the word mentor, right? Is that that's what a mentor does, helps shine what is visible to someone else and support and nurture and create a space of connection. Really beautiful. That's incredible. And I agree, that is really what makes Wilderness Youth Project unique and worth looking into and supporting and all of those things. So okay, last question for you, Dan. What is something everyone can do to make an impact?
Dan Fontaine (28:37): I would say the same thing for everybody that I said for kids, which is spend some time outside perhaps by yourself. The one thing that I would add when you include, when you go from young people to everyone. So then it's kind of a shift to, what would I say differently for adults? I think adults need to be told to pause.
Connie Maday (28:54): Definitely. Definitely.
Dan Fontaine (28:56):
Yes. Because when you get out, and I'll just speak for myself, when I get outside, it's easy to carry the same mindset of the hustle and bustle with me to my outdoor time. Be like, "Okay, I got to get to the end of the trail. I got to get here by this time. I got to get back so I can make dinner. I got to...
(29:12)
It's just like, woooah. The only difference between your experience of the outdoors and your experience of the mall could just be the scenery. If you want to change more than the scenery, my advice is to pause. Adults like to hike and go places and move. I would you say when you're outside and you're enjoying, sit on a bench, pause, stand still, look around.
(29:34)
If you pause, generally, it's only in a matter of time before some kind of curiosity arises. If you pause, you're like, "Oh, what's that over there?" When you feel that curiosity arise, move your body towards that thing and investigate. That's the kind of behavior that can lead to experiences that give you a sense of place and a sense of peace.
Connie Maday (29:54): Yes, well said. Beautiful. I will make an effort to extra pause. Take an extra pause everyone today. Yeah.
Dan Fontaine (30:08): I have to tell myself. I have to tell myself that when I'm out there and I'm just moving along. I'll say, "Okay."
Connie Maday (30:13): Yeah.
Dan Fontaine (30:13): Pause.
Connie Maday (30:15): And I'm going to add to that pause.
Dan Fontaine (30:16): Slow down.
Connie Maday (30:17): And breathe, and...
Dan Fontaine (30:18): Take a little break.
Connie Maday (30:19): Pause and breathe. Yes, definitely.
Dan Fontaine (30:21): Pause and breathe, yeah.
Connie Maday (30:21): Thank you so much, Dan, for your time, for what you do and for making our world a better place with a commitment to supporting kids and nature. We really appreciate it. To everyone listening, thank you for being a part of this journey. And I hope you check out Wilderness Youth project at wyp.org. So much information there and it's a great place to actually make a donation directly as well and find out about the programs and find out about volunteering. So thank you so much, Dan, for being here. We really enjoyed.
Dan Fontaine (30:54): Gratitude is mutual. I totally enjoyed it. I look forward to talking again someday.
Connie Maday (30:58): Definitely. Definitely. For our listeners, I want to remind you the only person you need to be is yourself. Be kind, be bold, be you. To find out more about my story and message, go to Sparktoempower.com. Remember that change making starts with small actions that we take every day. It starts with how we show up. A good reminder from Dan is to pause and breathe so that we can show up. Make sure to be your authentic self. Live your truth. Thanks so much. And until next time, I'm Connie Maday.
