An Army of Normal Folks - Stephanie Simpson: Donating 25,000 Flower Arrangements

Episode Date: August 26, 2025

After large events like weddings, the flowers are too often thrown away. But Stephanie Simpson had an idea, couldn't we repurpose these flowers and bring joy to folks at nursing homes, cancer centers, and schools? 901 POP (Petals of Purpose) has their own Army of 580 volunteers who've donated 25,000 arrangements!Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premiumSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We had like 580 individuals who volunteered with us. Many of those come more than once, and some are just like a student group that might have come. And then the year before was 617. Yeah, it's a true army. Yes, I love that word. And then we celebrated in April of this year, we delivered our 25,000 arrangement. 25,000. Forget the flowers.

25,000 interactions with people who desperately need human connection. Need to be reminded that, yes, you are loved, that someone thought of you, someone took the time to create this just for you. Welcome to an army of normal folks. I'm Bill Courtney. I'm a normal guy. I'm a husband. I'm a father. I'm an entrepreneur. And I've been a football coach in inner city Memphis. That last part somehow led to an Oscar for a movie that most made about our team. It's called Undefeated. I believe our country's problems are never going to be solved by a bunch of fancy people in nice suits using big words that nobody ever really uses on CNN and Fox,

but rather by an army of normal folks. That's us, just you and me, deciding, hey, you know what, maybe I can help. That's exactly what, Stephanie Simpson, the voice you just heard, is done. This gal decided to take all of those wedding and event flowers that people take home or throw in the dumpster when the event or wedding is over and repurpose them into arrangements for senior living facilities, schools, cancer patients, and pretty much anybody else who could use little kindness and joy. And her nonprofit, 901 Pop, which stands for Petals of Purpose, has delivered. get this, over 25,000 of these arrangements. I just can't wait for you to meet Stephanie right after these brief messages from our generous sponsors.

Hello, I'm John Lithgow. We choose to go to the moon. I want to tell you about my new fiction podcast. That's one small step for man. It's about Buzz Aldrin, one of the true pioneers of space. great pilot, Buzz. As far as I'm concerned, the best I've seen. That's the story you think, you know.

This is the story you don't. Predisposition to depression, alcohol abuse, and suicide. We'll see Buzz try to overcome demons. What do you say, Buzz? Another beer? And triumph over addiction. Here's to you, Buzz Aldrin. Good luck to you. And become a true hero.

Buzz and I will proceed into the lunar module. Not because he conquers space, but because he He conquers himself. Buzz. We intercepted a Soviet radio transmission. Starring me, John Lithgow. Can you put it through?

No, can you translate? On the I-Heart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. American history is full of wise people. What women said something like, you know, 99.99% of war is diarrhea, and 1% is gory. Those founding fathers were gossipy AF, and they love to cut each other down. I'm Bob Crawford, host of American History Hotline, the show where you send us your questions about American history, and I find the answers, including the nuggets of wisdom our history has to offer. Hamilton pauses, and then he says, the greatest man that ever lived was Julius Caesar. And Jefferson writes in his diary, this proves that Hamilton is for a dictator-based,

on corruption. My favorite line was what Neil Armstrong said. It would have been harder to fake it than to do it. Listen to American History Hotline on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. How serious is youth vaping? Irreversible lung damage serious. One in 10 kids vapes, which warrants a serious conversation from a serious parental figure like yourself. Not the same. seriously know-at-all sports dad or the seriously smart podcaster it requires a serious conversation that is best had by you no seriously the best person to talk to your child about vaping is you to start the conversation visit talk about vaping dot org brought to you by the american lung

association and the ad council adventures should never come with a pause button remember the movie pass era where you could watch all the movies you wanted for just nine dollars it made zero sent and I could not stop thinking about it. I'm Bridget Todd, host of the tech podcast, there are no girls on the internet. On this new season, I'm talking to the innovators who are left out of the tech headlines. Like the visionary behind a movie

pass, Black founder Stacey Spikes, who was pushed out of movie past the company that he founded. His story is wild and it's currently the subject of a juicy new HBO documentary. We dive into how culture connects us. When you go to France, or you go to

England, or you go to Hong Kong. Those kids are wearing Jordans. They're wearing Kobe's shirt. They're watching Black Panther. And the challenges of being a Black founder. Close your eyes and tell me what a tech founder looks like. They're not going to describe someone who looks like me and they're not going to describe someone who looks like you. I created There Are No Girls on the Internet because the future belongs to all of us. So listen to There Are No Girls on the Internet on the IHurt Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Everyone thinks they'd never join a cult. But it happens all the time. to people just like you.

And people just like us. I'm Lola Blanc. And I'm Megan Elizabeth. We're the host of Trust Me, a podcast about cults, manipulation, and the psychology of belief. Each week we talk to fellow survivors, former believers, and experts

to understand why people get pulled in and how they get out. Trust me, new episodes every Wednesday on exactly right. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Stephanie Simpson, thanks for joining me. How are you? Thanks for having me, Bill.

I'm going to be here. Good. You know, usually at this point, I will say, how is your flight in from Dallas? How was your flight in from Kansas City? How was your flight in from North Carolina? Although I don't know if we'll ever get another guest from North Carolina, Alex. We've been ripping on North Carolina barbecue lately. And it's got like 120,000 views on TikTok.

now. It's gotten a little viral, and everybody's beat me up. In fact, one guy said something, and I'm paraphrasing, I wouldn't listen to this guy about barbecue, but maybe donuts. Look at them. Wow. What a jacket. We do have a good donuts.

Bill said, well, Givesids is here. We're the king of donuts, too. We are the king of donuts, too. But the point is, I don't have to ask you where you flew in from because you drove across town. You can ask me how my drive. down 240 was and it was uneventful that's it Stephanie Simpson everybody is a memphean and uh she has a great story and um we we certainly are national show and not Memphis centric although I talk about

Memphis all the time because my hometown I love it um but one of the reasons we're highlighting Stephanie today is because don't worry about it being Memphis because what she's come up with and what she's done is literally scalable and doable in any community in the United States. And we hope that some of you inspired by her story and maybe think of a way to do what she does in your area. And we'll get to that. Stephanie is the founder and president of 901 Pop. And Pop is an acronym for Pedals of Purpose, which we will get to in a little bit. But first, some of you.

You will remember Jenny Manguno. I always have a problem with her last name. Jenny is the teacher at Briar Crest who used an army of normal folks for her leadership class. I'm my oral communications class. I've been teaching forever. And Jenny told us about Stephanie. And so yet again, a shout out to Army member and listener and also guest. Jenny Manguno for suggesting Stephanie to us.

And like we always ask you, send us ideas to tell us stories. Alex will look into them. And if we think they have a purposeful value for the show, we will bring them in and talk to them. And Stephanie is proof of that. Apparently Stephanie doesn't suck. What? Apparently Stephanie doesn't suck.

Apparently Stephanie does not suck. Y'all make that decision afterward, I guess. I don't know. So tell me about you. At a left field, wasn't expecting it. I had left my former job, great terms. This was an opportunity that I just was excited about and I couldn't miss. And six months after joining the staff at New South, I was diagnosed with breast cancer at 41.

No clue that that was even a possibility, second mammogram ever, just I'm a rule follower. Any of her right or two there? No, just, you know, went in second mammogram ever because I'm a rule follower. You're supposed to get your mammogram after you turn 40. and actually no one even knew that I'd been called back for a second appointment I was just doing what I was supposed to do I was kind of a jerk when they said where do you want to go for your and I was like how close can it be to my office I don't want to spend a lot of time how quick and it wasn't I was actually writing thank you notes because I was chairing a fundraiser for the women's foundation while I was in the lobby because I didn't want to waste a minute you know why I'm waiting and it wasn't until all of a sudden she kind of pauses and I'm like wait are you seeing something you know I'm thinking 41 um so I'll love left there and call my mom and said, don't freak out. I just had, you know, a second mammogram and it's probably breast cancer, but we don't know anything yet. So you're telling your mom. I'm telling my mom that. Yeah. Why aren't you freaking out? Well, I mean, I, because I was more

worried. I hadn't even told them. So that was in October of 2016. So kind of didn't have a lot of time. You know, I was still involved in things. So, I mean, I didn't know what that was going to look like when I had that, you know, experience on a Tuesday. I can remember when it was. And so, Within two days, I had had a biopsy at West and knew what I had. West Cancer Clinic. West Cancer Center here in Memphis. It's one of those places that you drive by and you're glad it's here, but really don't want to go there, you know. But fortunately, it was right down the street.

And so I can talk a lot about that, but I will just say, fortunately, even in 2016, there had been a lot advancements and treatments. And so within a month, the week of Thanksgiving, I have. had a lebectomy. I missed work for a week. And then I went back to work the next week. And in January, I had like a month worth of radiation every day. So I go at lunch. So I would just run out, get my radiation. So I'm now nine years out, fortunate, very, very grateful that the kind that I had was easy to treat, found it early. So yes, sidebar message. Make sure you were following your doctor's orders and you're getting your mammograms for

females and because it made it a really easy path. So I took medication for five years afterwards and I still go every year and see my oncologist. I'm sure I'm okay. So that's actually a good part of the story because that's sort of a, you kind of, everything kind of comes to a screeching halt and it's like what is really important here? You know, like I'm 41. I've had a really full life, but you know, Lord, is this really it? Like, you know. Did mortality enter your mind? It absolutely did. I mean, it makes me cheery to talk about it. Like, you know, I, you know, as a person who has strong faith, you know, you know what you believe, but like when you're faced with it at 41, you're like, okay, if I really believe this and I have to believe

that, you know, the number of my days on this earth was playing long before I was even here. And I have to accept that whether I like it or not. And I say all that to say that even one of my best friends that was a part of that journey with me, passed away of cancer in May of this year, found out 14 months ago. She was a part of my story and never thought, you know, that less than 10 years later, she wouldn't be with us. So you need to hear that because it does change you, even though I was already giving and wanting to do things to make my world a better place. But when you're faced with, okay, is this it at 41? So I was great. So it's still very grateful that I had the easy kind that that was treatable and that I was able to, you know, even during that time, I was still involved

in community service. I'd chair at luncheon. I remember the board chair at Books from Birth had called me when I told her, you know, that I was planning the spring luncheon fundraiser. And she was like, do we need to find somebody else to do it? I'm like, I still want to do it because I wanted to feel normal. I wanted to be normal. Never ever do you want to feel normal and get results that are normal until you've been abnormal, you've seen those test results. So it was, and even in part of my stories, which I'll talk about, my grandparents, you know, were in their late 90s at the time. Of course, they knew that here I am.

You know, I didn't want them to be worried, you know, about their 41-year-old granddaughter. But it does change you when you have that kind of, and I never want to forget that feeling, you know, all of a sudden deep breaths were my best friend. And, you know, the traffic that I was complaining about the week before is. It's kind of like a gift. I can pause. I was just about to ask at 41 years old being faced with that, and you start earlier than most 41-year-old,

start really considering your own mortality. I, you know, did the irritating things irritate less and the important things become more important? 100%. I mean, again, I saw like waiting in line somewhere, and you probably can tell from my person, I'm like, I want him to use every minute. Like, don't waste my time.

Why does it take you so long to order? You know, and now all of a sudden it's like, okay, I can breathe. I can like look around and enjoy this moment for a minute. Or maybe I follow up and respond to a text that's given me a moment to do that. Absolutely. It made you, when you start really considering that, you know, we're all terminal. We just don't know when that expiration date is. It makes you view the world very differently.

So. Sorry. Yeah. Not to be. Here. Well, no. It's good. It's a really, it sets the stage for understanding 901 pop, which is you grow up a really lovely but middle income lifestyle.

You go to Memphis, you work hard, you get degrees, you decide you want to be even as a young person involved in trying to serve and you kind of learn how to serve through your time at Junior League where you volunteered and, and, you work hard at your first job and you take this new job that's obviously a big promotion and you've been in junior league and now you're here at 41 years old with your new job kind of have quote arrived professionally you've been involved in the community you're doing good work there you've kind of transitioned out of that you're thinking about what next and then slap and the brakes go on they have to right and now you're considering your own mortality, you're considering the future, you're considering your health, and it has to have been a moment of reset.

For sure. It was. How I dealt with that in addition to, you know, obviously the treatment and doing, you know, falling doctor's orders and my wife obviously focusing on that, but I got involved in West Fight On. So I shared that. In what? It's called West Fight On. Shout out.

It's a fun. razor for West Cancer Center. Makes sense. By the way, since we're talking Memphis stuff, I'm going to go ahead and say this. Dr. Bill West, the founder of West Cancer,

was clinic, now center, who incidentally is the son-in-law of Kevin's Wilson, the founder of Holidayans, is one of the finest guys on the face of the planet. He's a personal friend. I love him very, very much. He has been nothing but kind and

generous to me. he started research, cancer research, many, many, many years ago in the 80s and did cutting-edge stuff before anybody else in the country even was doing it right here in Memphis. And the fact that you were treated at West means you were getting the top quality care you can get. At the breast center that he started in memory of his mother who had breast cancer. That's exactly right. Actually, that story is in my book. I interviewed him for Against the Grain and highlighted him for a piece of it.

And his most poignant story was why he got into cancer specifically breast cancer work because of the love and the loss of his mother that he says in today's world would not have killed her. Right. So that's why I said thankful for the advancement. So when you say fight on for West Cancer. I get it. So you did some of that way. So I did that for two years. So in 26 and 2017 and 2018, I chaired that committee that led that fundraiser that's an annual fundraiser.

But it's also kind of a call to action for the community to rally around our, you know, our cancer fighting spirit and to develop that and to support those in our community that are and have been fighting cancer. We'll be right back. Hello, I'm John Lithgow. We choose to go to the move. I want to tell you about my new fiction podcast. That's one small step for man. It's about Buzz Aldrin, one of the true pioneers of space. You're a great pilot, Buzz.

As far as I'm concerned, the best I've seen. That's the story you think you know. This is the story you don't. Predisposition to depression, alcohol abuse, and suicide. We'll see Buzz try to overcome demon. What do you say, Buzz? Another beer? And triumph over addiction. Here's to you, Buzz Aldrin. Good luck to you.

And become a true hero. Buzz and I will proceed into the lunar module. Not because he conquers space, but because he conquers himself. Buzz. We intercepted a Soviet radio transmission. Starring me, John Lithgow. Can you put it through? Can you translate?

In the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Columbia. American history is full of wise people. What women said something like, you know, 99.99% of war is diarrhea and 1% is gory. Those founding fathers were gossipy AF and they love to cut each other down. I'm Bob Crawford, host of American History Hotline, the show where you send us your questions about American history and I find the answers, including the nuggets of wisdom, our history. has to offer. Hamilton pauses, and then he says, the greatest man that ever lived was Julius Caesar. And Jefferson writes in his diary, this proves that Hamilton is for a dictator

based on corruption. My favorite line was what Neil Armstrong said. It would have been harder to fake it than to do it. Listen to American History Hotline on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. When your car is making a strange noise, no matter what it is, you can't just pretend it's not happening. That's an interesting sound. It's like your mental health.

If you're struggling and feeling overwhelmed, it's important to do something about it. It can be as simple as talking to someone, or just taking a deep, calming breath to ground yourself. Because once you start to address the problem, you can go so much further. The Huntsman Mental Health Institute and the Ad Council have resources available for you at Love Your Mind Today,

Adventure should never come with a pause button. Remember the movie pass era? Where you could watch all the movies you wanted for just $9? It made zero cents and I could not stop thinking about it. I'm Bridget Todd, host of the tech podcast, there are no girls on the internet. On this new season, I'm talking to the innovators who are left out of the tech headlines. Like the visionary behind a movie pass, black founder Stacey Spikes, who was pushed out of movie pass the company that he founded.

His story is wild and it's currently the subject. of a juicy new HBO documentary. We dive into how culture connects us. When you go to France, or you go to England, or you go to Hong Kong, those kids are wearing Jordans, they're wearing Kobe's shirt, they're watching Black Panther. And the challenges of being a Black founder. Close your eyes and tell me what a tech founder looks like. They're not going to describe someone who looks like me and they're not going to describe

someone who looks like you. I created there are no girls on the internet because the future belongs to all. all of us. So listen to There are no girls on the internet on the IHartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Our IHeart Radio Music Festival, presented by Capital One, is coming back to Las Vegas. Vegas. September 19th and 20th. On your feet. Streaming live only on Hulu. Ladies and gentlemen. Brian Adams. Ed Shearin. Fade. Glorilla. Jellyroll. John Fogartie. Lil Wayne. L.L. Cool J. J. Mariah Carey. Maroon 5. Sammy Hagar. Tate McCray. The offspring. Tim McRaw. Tickets are sale now at aXS.com. Get your tickets today. AXS.com.

So, my way of this introduction and the first, um, the table setting of this, people will think, well, this is a story about breast cancer, but it's not. The story of breast cancer is what led you to the story of 901 pop and my understanding is you're recovering starting back to work and there were some flowers on your desk well this was a little bit later it's a little bit later so that would have been 20 so i was diagnosed in 2016 finished all my treatment my you know my radiation in 2017 and then i continue to take medication and i had uh you know checkups and everything but was basically you know fine after that so it was actually two years later so i during that period you know I was doing West Fight on in 2017, 2018.

That was sort of my extracurricular focus at cheering that fundraiser. And then, but yes, I had flowers on my desk. In what year? In 2019. Okay. So we're kind of moving on. Yeah, kind of moved on. I'm not like, I'm still doing things.

And it's not that I like need to do something and move on, but there's, there's, you know, seasons of different projects. And sometimes I'm a, you know, you're involved. And then other times you do something and it's time to, you know, pass the baton to somebody else who can do it bigger and better. You just move it down. So in 2019, I had actually, I was on the Books from Birth at a board, which is another local nonprofit that, and it's now part of Porter Leith that gives every child in Shelby County from

birth until he or she is five years old a book once a month. You just have to sign up. It's free, but as you know, nothing is really free. Somebody has to raise the funds, the administration. So that is what the Books from Birth organization did. So I had been at our May board meeting, and they had given. me flowers for like i think i was like board member of the year or something that year for some work i'd done and they were on my desk and they just brought me joy you know i like having them i like

flowers i'm not everybody you know has flowers not everybody loves them but they do bring joy having that you know on my work desk and i just remember um i will often say i felt like it was heaven sent because to give you a little bit of background on that so at 41 42 43 i had two grandparents that were still living. I lost one grandparent when I was in the sixth grade of lung cancer. And then I had my mom's mom's mom lived with my parents. My dad's mother passed away in 2014. But my dad's dad lived in Kirby Pines, which is a retirement community that was like 10 minutes from where I live. So as an adult, you know, they were always around. I mean, they were around as kids all four. But then, you know, as someone in their 40s to have two.

grandparents who were still a part of my life, even in their late 90s. Both of them were, my grand was, he had just moved to an assisted living before he passed away in 20, to me get my year, 2018, and then just that said, dad's dad, and then my mom's mom died just three months later. So that's a huge adjustment. I mean, makes me cheer even talking about that. You know, mom's mom, dad's dad, they'd been around. my dad and I were my grandfather's primary caretaker, so I was at Kirby Pines all the time.

And Kirby Pines is a retirement community. So it's a senior living community starts out with independent living, has all the way, you know, nursing home, depending on what the residents need. So it was like that aha moment, you know, so both of them one died in August in 2018, one died in November 2018. And here I am six months later, you know, so that's a big change for our family. And those flowers, and it was like heaven scent of, you know, repurposing flowers. So, you know, over the years as I did events and special functions, you know, I did not want anything to go to waste. I don't want to waste anything.

And the flowers, you know, we would take them and, you know, to our family members or use them. I'm just thinking about just random events, you know, give them, I'd take them to my grandparents or whoever else. And so I immediately sent a text to my friend and said, oh, my gosh, like, because at this point in my life I didn't have any major other activities going on and I um she did she has you know had like three kids very very active at the time and but she was interested in this too and so that was in May of 2019 and so the wheels started turning like how and the wheels were you're looking at those

flowers and you're thinking of these people in retiring communities and all over the place that don't have fresh flowers and you think these flowers could have a second purpose, a second life. But more importantly than the flowers, and here's this special secret. Yes, and everybody's going to hear this. They're getting into my head, which is, yes, they're beautiful and they bring me joy. But when you make the connection with my grandparents, you know, it's really more about those moments of magic when someone actually brings you flowers and interacts with you.

So when a church, my grandfather's church might bring socks to them at the holidays or when they do, their visits. Yes, I'm sure he appreciated the socks, but he really appreciated. I'm talking about this, you know, that somebody thought of me enough or spent their time, you know, somebody who's active as they're older, you know, very vibrant lives, doing activities and involved in, you know, church, hey, it'll be me, hopefully, God Winnelly one day that I live to be in 80s or 90s and men of retirement home, but that somebody goes that extra step to come see me, you know, and they're bringing a treat of some sort. So really those flowers were the vehicle for those human interactions. Because I realized, especially having grandparents in their

90s, that that's what it's about is showing somebody else that they're seen and that they're loved and that they're cared for. Sorry, I'll take a pause there. So this could be 91 SOP, SOX of purpose. It could be socks. It could be, even when we were talking to our marketing person who helped us pro bono initially, people of purpose. You can make it bigger than 901 pedals of purpose. But the vehicle, the vehicle to these interactions is repurposing flowers. And the truth is, think of all the way. You know, when I read this, I thought, holy crap, how many weddings have I been to that people have spent 15,

$20,000 on flowers. And more. For an eight-hour event or a reception or rehearsal dinner or even a funeral. We do some. Or I wondered about that.

We do some. I can tell you that. Or any other place or banquet that there's flowers, people go, typically some people may swipe one bouquet and take them home. An easy centerpiece maybe. Right, right. Whatever. But the point is, I'm curious.

All those bocats. The most stuff goes thrown away. The bins, the trash cans, the dumpsters outside. Because let's think about it. You know, floral designers and florists, yes, they love flowers, but they don't have the man and woman power. That's not their business. Plus, it's not a very good business idea to sell your flowers and then encourage your customers to continue to use them. You want to sell more flowers. Right.

And then also like to do anything, you know, philanthropic with them. That's just not their business model. They want, yeah, they love. But, I mean, of course, they're very happy with it. us, we do that. But you think about it, as you said, thousands of dollars. I will tell you before I even got into this, I had no idea what people were spending on flowers. I now do. Some weddings are ridiculous. That's a whole other podcast, the wedding. Actually, I want to hear it though, Stephanie. What's the max that you've heard of people spending on flowers at their wedding? Oh, gosh. I mean, there's some that I don't even know how much they spent. I mean, hundreds, one of the ones we did. Hundreds of thousands of dollars of flowers. Yes, we've done one. Okay, well, that's more money than sense. That's a whole other world. What's up, Cassius?

Yeah. But we don't get those very often. I understand, but still. But think about it. We can do more than one in a weekend, so it really can add up. I mean, I can tell you. So my kids are 29, 28, 27, 26. Two married, one engaged, one's feral.

So I don't know about that one. But the point is. Hey, Max. Yeah, the point is not only in my own children's weddings. You go to. But because most of my children's best friends, and their massive friends group with four kids. That's a big.

We've been interacting with many of those kids. So Lisa and I have been invited to the weddings. So if you add in all the weddings, we've been to between our own kids and our friends' friends' kids and our friends' children's... I mean, we've been weddinged out the last eight years. But when I read this,

I thought about, holy crap, you could have felt the FedEx form with all these flowers. And I am certain that 80% of them went into a garbage can. The dumpster out back, because the cleanup crew... And why couldn't you purpose them with a little water and trimming up? They can live another week or so. And yes, and they bring the way.

And why would the floors care if you're taking these things and repurposing for people who would never get flowers in the first place? Yeah, they don't care. In fact, we have great relationships. You know, Memphis is a big city, but it's also a small town in a lot of ways. And we work with a lot of the same ones or even if they're new to us, you know, we're partners. So, you call your friend. Call my friend, that starts it.

And you say, there's these things on my desk. I think we could do something. It's May of 2019. And so I text her and I'm like, oh my gosh, like the will start turning. I mean, like, I'm going home and writing a business plan. I've never done that, you know, law background. But I do have business experience and nonprofit. But I've never like started anything from scratch.

And so started that summer. So called her first. And then was strategic and thought about other ladies that I know in the community who have different skills than I have, who have similar skills that I have, you know, someone who has a financial background as far as like bookkeeping and accounting. And so I brought them all together that June and said, all right, here's my idea. What do y'all think? We'll be right back. Hello, I'm John Lithgow.

We choose to go to the moon. I want to tell you about my new fiction podcast. It's about Buzz Aldrin, one of the true pioneers of space. You're a great pilot, Buzz. As far as I'm concerned, the best I've seen. That's the story you think, you know. This is the story you don't. Predisposition to depression, alcohol abuse, and suicide. We'll see Buzz try to overcome demons.

What do you say, Buzz? Another beer? And triumph over addiction. Who's to you, Buzz Aldrin? Good luck to you. And become a true here. You're on. Buzz and I will proceed into the lunar module. Not because he conquers space, but because he conquers himself.

Buzz. We intercepted a Soviet radio transmission. Starring me, John Lithgow. Can you put it through? Can you translate? On the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. American history is full of wise people. What women said something like, you know, 99.99.9.

percent of war is diarrhea, and one percent is gory. Those founding fathers were gossipy A.F. And they love to cut each other down. I'm Bob Crawford, host of American History Hotline, the show where you send us your questions about American history, and I find the answers, including the nuggets of wisdom our history has to offer. Hamilton pauses, and then he says, the greatest man that ever lived was Julius Caesar. And Jefferson writes in his diary,

This proves that Hamilton is for a dictator based on corruption. My favorite line was what Neil Armstrong said. It would have been harder to fake it than to do it. Listen to American History Hotline on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. When your car is making a strange noise, no matter what it is, you can't just pretend it's not happening. That's an interesting sound. It's like your mental health. If you're struggling and feeling overwhelmed,

it's important to do something about it. It can be as simple as talking to someone or just taking a deep, calming breath to ground yourself. Because once you start to address the problem, you can go so much further. The Huntsman Mental Health Institute and the Ad Council have resources available for you at love your mind today.org. Adventure should never come with a pause button.

Remember the movie pass era, where you could watch all the movies you wanted for just $9, It made zero cents and I could not stop thinking about it. I'm Bridget Todd, host of the tech podcast, there are no girls on the internet. On this new season, I'm talking to the innovators who are left out of the tech headlines. Like the visionary behind a movie pass, Black founder Stacey Spikes, who was pushed out of movie pass, the company that he founded. His story is wild and it's currently the subject of a juicy new HBO documentary.

We dive into how culture connects us. When you go to France or you go to England, or you go to Hong Kong. Those kids are wearing Jordans. They're wearing Kobe's shirt. They're watching Black Panther. And the challenges of being a Black founder. Close your eyes and tell me what a tech founder looks like.

They're not going to describe someone who looks like me and they're not going to describe someone who looks like you. I created There Are No Girls on the Internet because the future belongs to all of us. So listen to There Are No Girls on the Internet on the IHurt Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Everyone thinks they'd never join a cult. But it happens all the time to people just like you. And people just like us. I'm Lola Blanc.

And I'm Megan Elizabeth. We're the host of Trust Me, a podcast about cults, manipulation, and the psychology of belief. Each week we talk to fellow survivors, former believers, and experts to understand why people get pulled in and how they get out. Trust me. New episodes every Wednesday on Exactly Right. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. and so you know some that are very practical is i'm just not sure how we're going to get the you know already thinking like how are we going to get them where we need to take them and

where are we going to do this you need like a hub right to put all the flowers in to repurposing where are we going to do it what are we going to do so it's the fad-x of uh flower repurposing that's right that's right so we we met that june and then speaking of manguno again once a small community, I knew that her daughter, Meredith was getting married in September. A couple of us knew Meredith. So we were like, this could be our first one. This is June. That's in September.

Let me see if they're willing to be our guinea pig here. So I sent Meredith and I knew Meredith and said, hey, we're thinking about starting this. I know you're waiting since September. Would you be willing to let us do that, you know, repurposed your flowers? And she says, let me chat with mom. You know, she did immediately came back and said yes. So that gave us from June until September to figure out what we're going to do. How are we going to make this happen?

How do we get them? Where do we put them? What do we do with them? And then who do we give them to? Yes. And so we started kind of just making some plans that summer. We actually met with a local floral designer who was going to be hers. His name is John Mark Sharp, who has built an amazing business that August.

And he was so kind, met with us and said, well, you should, I'm a huge Dollar Tree fan. And my next life, I'm going to, like, work in there behind the scenes. My Dollar Tree lets me go behind to get my vases because they really do have the best faces. So he told us where, you know, what kinds of vases to get. Even their boxes are good for transport. So we purchased those vases and we planned for. And so in September of that year, September 14th was I will always remember Meredith's wedding anniversary because that was the night we picked up at her reception. and I actually live in a condo complex and so we have a big area where you can rent it to have

parties or anything so we actually did the flowers there that night it was very easy and that night we did them like at midnight now we don't do that anymore we just kind of prep them so we didn't we arranged them we prepared them for the next day and then we delivered them that day to the American Cancer Society's Hope Lodge in Memphis which is where a adults come to Memphis when they have cancer treatment here at one of our facilities. And then we also delivered them to Paige Robbins Adult Day Center because the groom, Meredith's husband's mother, was a volunteer there. So that's a unique angle of what we do too. How many individual flower, I'm going to call them, arrangements?

That's pretty good. How about that? How about that, Alex? You're a man who does pedicures. I'm not surprised you know about flowers too. I got a bunch of crap about my pedicure. Hey, they keep you from getting ingrownails. It's not really that. It's just that I like clean feet. Lisa likes clean feet. And candidly, I like have them rubbed on for about 20 minutes.

It's fabulous. Yep. Cacheous is a pedicure guy. I'm a believer too. No, I'm a believer. Anyway, how many arrangements that first time out of that just one wedding were you able to deliver? Oh, I wish I knew of top of my head. It was, I would say, I'm a hundred, close.

Which is a hundred relationships you can start to develop. A hundred people you are able to bring the proverbial. It doesn't matter if it socks or flowers, but a hundred individuals who are old, lonely, suffering, fighting cancer, or just not in their happiest place that somebody that you don't know gets a small gift that is, I think you said the flowers brought you joy. Right. That you were able to bring joy with the flowers.

flowers and then actually spend just a few minutes saying, hey, we see you, you're heard, you matter, this is for you, just know your thought about. Right. And then another unique angle of what we do is we incorporate with each arrangement, we have a hang written note that goes with it. So we say long after the flowers will, they will still have this note of encouragement. So we ask the floral donor if they have a message they would like to include with the card we have what do you mean the floral donor meaning like the bride whoever purchases like

the donor whoever gives us the flower so we'll say hey meredith do you have a special bible verse or quote or inspirational words that you want us to include or here's some standard ones that we do so the floral donor gets to put their own little they can put their notes so we'll put like we hope these flowers from our wedding celebration bring you joy and remind you that you're loved and then meredith or whoever donates them will put them in there and then are we have a whole team of volunteers, many of which, and well, I'll touch on this as part of a story, too, at different points, who may not be involved in arranging flowers. They may not want to do something on a regular schedule, but they can write notes out of their home, retirees, someone that doesn't

live near, we actually have had volunteers. In fact, I have some friends in Greece, and just this week, I got a packet from her son's school. He's even graduated, and he's in college in London, and the school still sent me a package of notes from Greece for us to put on the bouquets that the students at that school in Athens wrote. So it's a way... That's really cool. It's a way they can connect.

Some of them say greetings from Greece on them. So I understand that first night when you collected those first flowers at midnight or whatever that at 6.30 a.m. is when you kind of finished screwing around with these flowers. Not that one. That was a month later. I had an experience in that's made or whether. took on too much and yeah I stayed up all night but I will never forget you know there was a quote

because like I said I live in a community not senior living although some people might think it is but used to be seniors there but it's not now it's independent condos and we were scurrying this was a month later I took on way too much I mean I didn't know you know you're learning at this point and I stayed up literally until 630 and I will never forget my I brought in the team that next day we were finishing up and my mom came over and she says to the other volunteer friends of mine she said well you better save one for Stephanie so when we go visit her in the hospital we have one to take to her after not sleeping but um that day i'll never forget one of the daughters of one of my resident the residents at where i live she was older and she lived a couple floors above she's since

passed away and i said um something to the effect of you know i know you think i've lost my mind you know because here people were in and out. We were finishing this up because we had a delivery that afternoon. And she said, actually, I think you found it. And I just thought, wow, like she realized, you know, what we were doing. And on that particular day, again, I remember very vividly, we had a friend who had a daughter who was a Girl Scout and they came and delivered. And this was very early, obviously, like a month in. And we weren't formal.

We didn't have, you know, processes. We didn't have a website. And said that they helped me deliver that day at a senior living community. And my mom and I went to Baptist Hospice at the hospice home and did the rest. And I have some pictures from that day because the flowers were just exceptionally beautiful. But that experience, it was truly holy ground going in there with my mom, who is kind of introverted. You know, she's not going to be in front and center like I'm willing to do, but she's going along to help me finish up that day and to go into those rooms and to deliver those flowers to the residents.

And oftentimes the family members were right. there and it meant obviously more to them to have that experience was very powerful so that was four years ago it was actually i will be six this fall it was 2019 so that was the fall of 2019 six years uh-huh um let me also say i'm probably one of the only people that would ever say sorry i'm hitting the table um probably one of the only people that would say the pandemic i was not thankful for it, but it was a gift for this baby nonprofit because it gave us a chance to pause because we were growing, you know, we had about six months in. That's why I was going to ask you, to start, you were like six to ten people, right? That's why you're up till six 30. Because you

didn't know what you were doing. Yeah, that's right. And then the pandemic happens and gives you a chance to say, this thing has wheels, but we need to reassess how we're doing this. Exactly. And it gave us what we did we pivoted everybody loves that word but we did do we had students that were at home and so we would have groups that would you know and individuals that wanted to do something so we did do some paper flowers so that gave us the opportunity you know for kids to have any volunteers to have something to do that's meaningful service there's not a whole lot of weddings service there were not many weddings obviously the wedding stops i will say in 2021 2020 was hard but they did pick up a little bit in you know every now and then people would have

some and have limited that we picked up with. But it gave us a chance. We did kind of catch our breath because, you know, at the same time you're doing your operations, you're also, I mean, it's a business. It's a nonprofit. So you have to have filings. And I had to file the 501c3. And yes, I'm a trained attorney, but I'd never done that before. And so I had to figure out, I did it. I had help from someone who'd done it before. But yeah, so getting, you know, because you really need a 501 to raise the funds to pay for the operational. expenses. So here we're trying to figure out how to form this organization from a, you know, leadership and structure perspective at the same time taking the weddings and repurposing the flowers.

We'll be right back. American history is full of wise people. What women said something like, you know, 99.99% of war is diarrhea and 1% is gory. Those founding fathers were gossipy A.F. And they love to cut each other down. I'm Bob Crawford, host of American History Hotline, the show where you send us your questions about American history, and I find the answers, including the nuggets of wisdom our history has to offer. Hamilton pauses, and then he says, the greatest man that ever lived was Julius Caesar. And Jefferson writes in his diary, this proves that Hamilton is for

a dictator based on corruption. My favorite line was what Neil Armstrong said. It would have been harder to fake it than to do it. Listen to American History Hotline on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hello, I'm John Lithgow. We choose to go to the moon. I want to tell you about my new fiction podcast. That's one small step for man.

It's about Buzz Aldrin, one of the two pioneers of space. You're a great pilot, Buzz. As far as I'm concerned, the best I've seen. That's the story you think, you know. This is the story you don't. Predisposition to depression, alcohol abuse, and suicide. We'll see Buzz try to overcome demons. What do you say, Buzz?

Another beer? And triumph over addiction. Who's to you, Buzz Aldrin? Good luck to you. And become a true hero. Buzz and I will proceed into the lunar module. Not because he conquers space, but because he conquers himself. Buzz.

We intercepted a Soviet radio transmission. Starring me, John Lithgow. Can you put it through? No, can you translate? On the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And here's Heather with the weather. Well, it's beautiful out there, sunny and 75, almost a little chilly in the shade. Now, let's get a read on the inside of your car.

It is hot. You've only been parked a short time, and it's already 99 degrees in there. Let's not leave children in the back seat while running errands. It only takes a few minutes for their body temperatures to rise, and that could be fatal. Cars get hot, fast, and can be deadly. Never leave a child in a car. A message from Nitsa and the ad council. Adventure should never come with a pause button.

Remember the movie pass era, where you could watch all the movies you wanted for $9, it made zero and I could not stop thinking about it. I'm Bridget Todd, host of the tech podcast, there are no girls on the internet. On this new season, I'm talking to the innovators who are left out of the tech headlines. Like the visionary behind a movie

pass, Black founder Stacey Spikes, who was pushed out of movie past the company that he founded. His story is wild and it's currently the subject of a juicy new HBO documentary. We dive into how culture connects us. When you go to France, or you go to England, or you go to Hong Kong.

Those kids are wearing Jordans. They're wearing Kobe's shirt. They're watching Black Panther. And the challenges of being a Black founder. Close your eyes and tell me what a tech founder looks like. They're not going to describe someone who looks like me and they're not going to describe someone who looks like you. I created There Are No Girls on the Internet because the future belongs to all of us.

So listen to There Are No Girls on the Internet on the IHurt Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Our I Heart Radio Music Festival, presented by Capital One, is coming back to Las Vegas. Vegas. September 19th and 20th. On your feet. Streaming live only on Hulu. Ladies and gentlemen. Brian Adams. Ed Sheeran.

Fade. Glorilla. Jelly Roll. John Fogarty. Lil Wayne. L.L. Cool J. Mariah Carey. Maroon 5.

Sammy Hagar. Tate McCray. The offspring. Tim McGraw. Tickets are on sale now at AXS.com. Get your tickets today. a x.com we often say

almost every time we say that the magic happens when a passion and an ability intersect with an opportunity of need and you are clearly because of of your grandparents, passionate about understanding that people need to be seen, felt, and heard,

and you saw an opportunity in a hole to fill, and you used you and your volunteer's talents to fill it. I mean, that's it. Nobody invited you. You weren't some mega-rich person with some big... I'm still looking for those people, by the way, to support us financially. So if they're out there, yes, we will take the funds.

But the point is... I get it. right you saw it and you went after it and those six volunteers taking jenny's daughter's flowers and making 60 to 80 arrangements and given you now have how many volunteers well and i was looking at our record last year and i would say we probably had more but we do a pretty good job of keeping up we had like 580 individuals who volunteered with us many of those come more than once and some are just like a student group that might have come. And then the year before was 617.

So it's, yeah, it's a true army. Yes, I love that word. And then we celebrated in April of this year, we delivered our 25,000 arrangement. 25,000, forget the flowers, 25,000 interactions with people who desperately need human connection. Need to be reminded that, yes. you are loved that someone thought of you someone took the time to create this just for you

and 25,000 arrangements i'm just going to say if you went to a florist and bought an arrangement i would say a decent arrangement of a florist is going to be 30 bucks right yeah ours aren't that big usually but what do you think these things i mean i would say you could at a very conservative like we're volunteers we're not some are better than others depending on who's doing it but we don't care we love everybody not the beholder so if you even did 15 or 20

each look at what that value is 1750 okay all right so 1750 times $25,000 is almost a half million bucks on a very shoestring budget let me tell you

but it's a half million dollars that would ended up in the garbage that is now brightening yours bringing joy to some people and being used as a vehicle for those people to have further joy with the human connection all because you looked up and saw those flowers on your desk and called a buddy totally simple it's yeah very normal why can't anybody in any city do this they can and so i'm glad you said that so i have low there are some other and i'm in a little group because they we found each other they find us saw on social media. There's one in Knoxville, Tennessee called Random Acts of Flowers that's much larger. We're not there yet. We don't have any paid staff. We'd love to get there one day.

You know, it's a balance when you work full time and all my leaders have... It'd be nice for you to have an executive director. Eventually. Yes, I would love to or even start small with an operation manager because we are limited. I mean, we have, I'm being honest, we have more requests than we can take because of our structure, because we're all volunteers, and we have more volunteers. I mean, our shifts to range, like, I sent it out last Thursday night, and it fills up immediately. I mean, people want the opportunity. They like doing it. And I will also say what's been unique, and I was not expecting this, but we have provided a sense of community within our group, within our organization. We call us a community of care, but there have been

individuals that would have never met, that we're arranging flowers together and have become really good friends and so doing something for others there's a mental health component not just for the recipients but also for our volunteers and what i also love i think that's universal and any volunteer philanthropic thing you build a community of like-minded people for sure and all the sudden race and politics and what's on fox and CNN and all the crap all the sudden just doesn't matter it doesn't matter because i don't care how you vote how you vote how you how you worship, who you love, or what you look like, if you're going to stand next to me and clip flowers to help somebody

that's not as fortune as us because you have a good heart, all of a sudden don't give a crap about any of that. Exactly. And then the other thing, this is somewhat unique. I totally agree with you on that point is we really like that we can involve all ages and stages of life. So think about nonprofits. And usually it's tailored toward a certain age or group or life experience

or what you're interested in, gender, you know, but we involve children. In fact, you know, a lot of times when kids do volunteer work, it's one of these things where they're drug to do it with their family or they're, you know, now we'll say like ringing the bell, yes, that's important with the Salvation Army because the kids are an active part of that. But there are very few opportunities where the children that are involved have an important role. Let's just be honest, you know, they're doing it.

In our world, they're the most important. When we go into like a senior living community, yeah, they're happy to see anyone that's come to see them. But when you see that four-year-old, that six-year-old, that fifth grader, and how much, it is just amazing to see how important those students, those kids feel, because their job is important, they are important. They're the ones that are knocking on the doors. They're the ones going in. And I love to see, you know, at first they might be a little bit timid, you know, because it's something unique. say it probably does wonders for the kids it is it's huge i mean let's think we i've not been on my device and how long now you know the kids are on their devices all day they're not having interpersonal

communication like we had and it's still not easy you know and um so for them to have to have a conversation and just a simple hello i brought these for you i'm a girl scout or and to have a small conversation you know a simple conversation it's huge and they love it and they're often like we're already finished. They love doing it. So that has been something that I love that we can truly offer community service opportunities for children, but we also have opportunities for retirees for people who work like me. We have our night owls or a huge component of what we do. We need people to pick up the flowers. So really, you tell me what you want to do. And if you don't like to arrange flowers, I got a lot of coordinating behind-the-scenes work that can be done as

well website www. www.91pop.org? 901 pop.org. Pop stands for pedals of purpose. Here's something really interesting that Alex threw in here that I think is very important and you know I don't want to be redundant but one of the things that you say you can't live without is your paper planner. Oh yeah. Sorry. Hold on you know I put that in there. I will let Alex take it from here because he has made fun of me. Well, she's also a girl. That's more of a girl thing to like paper plastic. No, it is not.

No, it is an organization thing. Hang on, just. I'm sure you use a Google Calendar or Outlook at all, too. I really don't use it that much. I mean, I use it at work a little bit just for meetings at work, but like, not really. Yeah, he doesn't use one at all. It's what I'm talking about. I'm telling you.

My paper calendar, oh my gosh, I have the same one every year, same format. When the electricity goes out and he doesn't know where to be. I don't know exactly where it is. And I've often, you know, keeping international paper, Silvamo in business in our community. I often will have printed something out. I will have printed out the directions, you know, so I know where the address is, where I'm going, like today.

In the little known book called Habits of Highly Successful People is Paper Planners. I'm pretty sure there was an old book. That wasn't like in last five years. I don't even think it exists. It was just made it up. A good 90s, yeah, kind of day. Yeah, but I just want to let you know I'm a paper planter person too. And he's missed a couple of interviews because of it.

I tried to use the online device outlook thing. And to be honest with you, nothing works as well as my paper. My kids make fun of me. Alex makes fun of me. And when I noticed the note that you're a paper planner person, I thought, well, I made a good company out. That's why she's so successful in everything. Paper planner.

That's it. Anybody in the board you want to mention that's really important to you? I do. So there were six of us that started. Yeah, there were six. I mean, they're all, we now have their 18 of us right now. You can't mention 600 volunteers. I'm not going to mention it, but I will mention my sidekick. And, you know, I've had a lot of like almost tears. But she, we knew each other from the junior league. Kendred spirits. And she, and all the ones who helped start were great. But out of the six of us, there are two of us now that are still leading. And so. Her name is Alison Fondale. And we have, she has two sons that are one who's going to college this month. And then another one that's going to be a junior in high school. And so she does not work outside the home. But her schedule is, as you know, for those moms that don't work outside the home,

a lot of times my days are much easier than theirs because I'm sitting at a desk. My wife. My gorgeous, beautiful wife had three kids in diapers and was pregnant. Uh-huh. Just consider the ages 29. 28, 27, 26. And so those who work inside the home should be celebrated because I would have killed myself. So it's been a good balance.

So, you know, she's at home during the day and she does a lot. I mean, we balance, I mean, she's the brain power. We balance each other. I'll tell you like, and I love, I mean, oftentimes I'll say we're the group think tank of two because we see the world from pretty much the same perspective, but we can challenge each other. she needs to think and process I'm usually the one that like quickly will make an answer and move on but you did say something earlier

I wanted to go back to really quickly about like using our model there are others in this in the country but since we started there have been two groups that have started right after us after our model and one is in Fair Hope Alabama it's called Hope Blooms and a lady that used to live here moved down there she also had breast cancer

and a unique angle of her story as well. Yes, she started it. So Hope Blooms is just less than a year probably younger than we are. And then a friend from college who lives in Clarksville, Tennessee, saw the power of social media. She saw it and had moved back to Clarksville not too long before that and kind of was at a season in her life where she could do something. So she also started one called the Bloom Project in Clarksville, Tennessee. I will say we do get requests, you know, to help. So what we try to do is like answer questions and then have a couple of times a year

offer like a Zoom webinar so that we can answer them, you know, in person to make it easier. But we're always willing to help someone. If someone's out there listening to us right now and says, oh my gosh, I want to do this in my town of Wichita or Louisville or Phoenix, we've got the website. How do they find you? You'll find us on that. You just send us an inquiry and we'll help. connect them, we'll answer questions, we'll do, like I said, do a webinar, do Zoom,

so that they can, you know, learn about us, learn how we're structured, and then we're happy to help navigate and tell them what's worked well for us. We'll be right back. American history is full of wise people. What women said something like, you know, 99.99% of war is diarrhea and 1% is gory. Those founding fathers were gossipy AF, and they love to cut each other down. I'm Bob Crawford, host of American History Hotline, the show where you send us your questions about American history, and I find the answers, including the nuggets of wisdom our history has to offer. Hamilton pauses, and then he says, the greatest man that ever lived was Julius Suss.

Caesar. And Jefferson writes in his diary, this proves that Hamilton is for a dictator based on corruption. My favorite line was what Neil Armstrong said. It would have been harder to fake it than to do it. Listen to American History Hotline on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hello, I'm John Lithgow. We choose to go to the moon. I want to tell you, a about my new fiction podcast. That's one small step for man. It's about Buzz Aldrin,

one of the two pioneers of space. You're a great pilot, Buzz. As far as I'm concerned, the best I've seen. That's the story you think you know. This is the story you don't. Predisposition to depression, alcohol abuse, and suicide. We'll see Buzz try to overcome demons. What do you say, Buzz?

Another beer? And triumph over addiction. Who's to you, Buzz Aldrin? Good luck to you. And become a true hero. Buzz and I will proceed into the lunar module. Not because he conquers space, but because he conquers himself.

Buzz. We intercepted a Soviet radio transmission. Starring me, John Lithgow. Can you put it through? No, can you translate? On the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. How serious is youth vaping?

Irreversible lung damage serious. One in ten kids vape serious, which warrants a serious conversation from a serious parental figure, like yourself. Not the seriously know-it-all sports dad or the seriously smart podcaster. It requires a serious conversation that is best had by you. No, seriously. The best person to talk to your child about vaping is you. To start the conversation, visit talk about vaping.org. Brought to you by the American Lung Association and the Ad Council.

Adventure should never come with a pause button. Remember the movie pass era? where you could watch all the movies you wanted for just $9, it made zero cents and I could not stop thinking about it. I'm Bridget Todd, host of the tech podcast, there are no girls on the internet. On this new season, I'm talking to the innovators who are left out of the tech headlines,

like the visionary behind a movie pass, black founder Stacey Spikes, who was pushed out of movie pass the company that he founded. His story is wild and it's currently the subject of a juicy new HBO documentary. We dive into how culture connects us. When you go to France, or you go to England, or you go to Hong Kong, those kids are wearing Jordans, they're wearing Kobe's shirt, they're watching Black Panther. And the challenges of being a Black founder.

Close your eyes and tell me what a tech founder looks like. They're not going to describe someone who looks like me and they're not going to describe someone who looks like you. I created There Are No Girls on the Internet because the future belongs to all of us. So listen to There Are No Girls on the Internet on the IHurt Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get to be. your podcasts. Our IHeart Radio Music Festival, presented by Capital One, is coming back to Las Vegas. Vegas. September 19th and 20th.

On your feet. Streaming live only on Hulu. Ladies and gentlemen. Brian Adams. Ed Sheeran. Fade. Glorilla. Jelly Roll.

John Fogarty. Lil Wayne. L.L. Cool J. Mariah Carey. Maroon 5. Sammy Hagar. Tate McCray. The offspring.

Tim McRaw. Tickets are on sale now at AXS.com. Get your tickets today. AXS.com If you happen, if you happen to be in and around this area and you have a banquet, a wedding, or whatever, don't let the flowers go to West. Get in touch with 901 pop and let them get the flowers. They've got 600 volunteers waiting to make people smile. and to repurpose your hard spent money into something very meaningful.

How easy is it? Just call 901 pop. Is Molly having her wedding here? What's that? Is Molly having her wedding in Memphis? I think we're going to talk about that. No, darn. We're not going to be here.

We're going to be a long way away. Oh, really? Yeah, we're going to be in Vegas. Are you serious? Absolutely serious. Is that your mutual choice? She likes Vegas as much as you? No.

But she, okay, first of all, Molly is, they're, they've joined a church in D.C. They're doing everything right. But like I said, we have all been to eight years of weddings. And they're all starting to feel very similar. And Molly is a very unique, independent, free-thinking person. I thought you would have loved a big grand wedding. We are getting married at the Little White Chapel in Vegas by Elvis.

and we're jumping in the thunderbird being driven by Elvis to the reception where everybody will be in black tie for the celebration. That's what we're doing. Nice. Yeah. That sounds fun. I'm actually looking forward to it. I think it's going to.

It's going to be great. It's going to be great. It's going to be hilarious. That's fun. And they're doing all their premarital counseling with the pastor and everything else. so it's not like they're just taking a walk on the wild side, but they want something unique and different, and this will be the most unique and different wedding in a while.

So, sorry, we can't give me any flowers. That's all right. There'll be some good pictures, though, I bet. So there's that. Stephanie, I love your story because it's something that turns waste into beauty. it it uses that waste as a vehicle for human connection and kindness and it's something anybody can do it can involve any gender it can involve ages uh i love the idea of girl scouts or brownie troops doing it and and and you and it

it just crosses all kinds of of of of of uh of uh of uh of uh of of ability and opportunity. And I think it's just really interesting that the skill set that's pulled this all together is the result of kind of a lifetime that was reset with breast cancer and a skill set that was born in that lifetime that then morphed into this.

And it feels very part. purposeful. Thank you. Thank you. It is. It feels like, you know, maybe this was part of the plan through the whole thing. I think so. Yeah.

What else, Alex? Anything from you? Yeah, I'm looking at my notes. I think one thing you didn't say is you, the idea was almost heaven sent. Heaven sent. I've said that. You almost called it heaven sent. Alex told me that.

just thinking about the grandparents and gosh teary yeah you know the story it just you know that's that was the catalyst and they they were such a special part of my life it was it's a way that I can honor them and do something you know I will tell you it was almost an out-of-body experience when I went back to Kirby Pines to the room where my grandfather had lived and a lady was in there and so I delivered flowers. And you were able to give her flowers in your grandfather's room. How cool is that? So that was, that was really special, you know, to be able to do that.

So it is. It's, it's emotional because I'm passionate about it because I think it's meaningful work. And the stories, as I think about the kids and the stories, they can tell you, they will remember those stories. They will carry that with them, those volunteer experiences. I mean, I think about one of my friends whose son was interacting with the gentleman at the Ave Maria home who sits down with him and wants to talk baseball and talk to him about all the stadiums that he had visited and showing him the baseballs, Charlie will never forget that

story. And that's what it's about is planting those seeds of service at their age and for our retirees, whatever age and stage you're in that makes you want to do and give to make where you're planted, bloom where you're planted, make your world a better place. what's cool about the heaven sent to a lot of guests have mentioned this like this idea just like appears in your head like almost it feels like it's sent from above and even some of our guests who aren't you know of christian faith have even said this like the idea just appears in their head and what do you do with that and um just our interview this week that pam rosner was talking about you can't listen to that nudge or you can't even hear it at all because they're just so busy or they can't sit still long enough to think through it yeah so heaven's sent one more thing the quote that sums up your life

it's a good quote you talk about George yes oh my gosh you're gonna make me say something and I wasn't even prepared it's I know that quote but like clearly doesn't sum up your life it does sum up my life but I like don't have it you know I do

it's the time I told you I've got behind the curtain would you know where I read that quote I got it for you Sorry, I read that quote at Cancer Through, Accourage through Cancer Celebration. Do debt years, make your years count. Say it again. Don't just count your years, make your years count.

Or as my grandmother would say, and this was another phrase that I've shared is, you know, when you think about, you're too busy or what you do, you do what you want to do. You make time to do what's important to you. Boy, that's true. You make time for what's important. You do. So, there it is. Stephanie Simpson everybody founder and president of 901 pop

pedals of purpose something that anybody can do get involved in and I will make one last plea as we close all those old vases in your attic for sure they're also repurposeful

and the ability to continue to do this and grow it wouldn't take a whole lot of money so if you're thinking about where to invest in a philanthropy that actually does some great bottom-up groundwork, work, I'm certain Stephanie would love to pitch you on 901 Bob. Absolutely. Yeah.

So that's great. Stephanie, thanks so much for driving across the town and telling us your story. It's been awesome. It's been a pleasure. And it's a great idea. And you know what? The thing that makes it really great is this isn't rocket science. I was about to say.

And I often will say. is I might get stressed about something. Like, we are not carrying hearts and coolers. They're flowers. It's okay. It's okay. And, you know, if it doesn't look exactly like I would like it, because I do care, I do care with it. I'm like, you know what?

But you know what? At the end of the day, the person who doesn't really care. It doesn't matter. It's just something, yeah. That's right. White socks with a ring around the top or not. It's really the person delivering the socks that it's really all about.

That's it. All right, everybody. Stephanie Simpson, 9-1-1-pop. Stephanie, thanks so much. Thank you so much, Bill. And thank you for joining us this week. Stephanie Simpson has inspired you in general or better yet to take action by volunteering or donating with 901 Pop or starting something like it in your community or something else entirely. Let me know.

I really want to hear about it. You can write me anytime at bill at normalfolks.us and I swear to you, I will respond. If you enjoyed this episode, guys, please share it with friends and on social. Help us grow. Subscribe to the podcast, rate it, review it. Join the Army at normalfolks.us, any and all of these things that will help us grow. An Army of Normal Folks. I'm Bill Courtney.

Until next time, go do it you can. Someone has a problem, they just blurt it out and move on. Well, I lost my job and my parakeet is missing. How is your day? But the real world is different. Managing life's challenges can be overwhelming. So, what do we do? We get support.

The Huntsman Mental Health Institute and the Ad Council have mental health resources available for you at loveyourmindtay.org. That's loveyourmindtay.org. See how much further you can go when you take care of your mental health. Music Festival. Presented by Capital One is coming back to Las Vegas. Vegas. September 19th and 20th. On your feet.

Streaming live only on Hulu. Ladies and gentlemen. Brian Adams. Ed Sheeran. Fade. Glorilla. Jelly Roll. John Fogarty.

Lil Wayne. L.L. Cool J. Mariah Carey. Maroon 5. Sammy Hagar. Tate McCray. The offspring. Tim McGraw.

Tickets are on sale now at AXS.com. Get your tickets today. AXS. Hello, I'm John Lithgow. I want to tell you about my new fiction podcast. That's one small step for man. About Buzz Aldrin, one of the two pioneers of space. You're a great pilot, Buzz.

That's the story you think you know. This is the story you don't. Buzz, starring me, John Lithgow. On the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Everyone thinks they'd never join a cult. But it happens all the time to people just like you. And people just like us. I'm Lola Blanc.

And I'm Megan Elizabeth. We're the host of Trust Me, a podcast about cults, manipulation, and the psychology of belief. Each week we talk to fellow survivors, former believers, and experts to understand why people get pulled in and how they get out. Trust me. New episodes every Wednesday on Exactly Right. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Bob Crawford, host of American History Hotline, a different type of podcast. You, the listener, ask the questions.

Did George Washington really cut down a cherry? Were J.N.K. and Marilyn Monroe having an affair? And I find the answers. I'm so glad you asked me this question. This is such a ridiculous story. You can listen to American History Hotline on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast.