Tag: personal growth

How To Share Our Luck

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“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth.” – Muhammad Ali

I’m fascinated by the origin stories of how people start big things. I love hearing how people have done fantastic things just by following a thread that often starts in such an incidental or accidental way.

My guest on this week’s How to Share podcast, Gil Gillenwater, has a great origin story. In 1987, he and his brother, Troy, went on a Thanksgiving-inspired road trip to deliver food to a town in Mexico. They took a wrong turn and ended up in Agua Prieta, a town right on the US-Mexican border and were stunned by the living conditions and abandoned children.

Gil started a non-profit called Rancho Feliz that has served the Agua Prieta and surrounding communities in these ways:

  • Awarded 3,700 scholarships
  • Issued 6,854 graduation certificates for adults
  • Built 1,220 houses
  • Distributed 64,000 bags of food
  • Donated tons of medical supplies
  • Constructed orphanages, education centers, childcare centers, and volunteer centers

And more than that, Gil and his mission have also enriched the lives of the people who have come to volunteer. Rancho Felix has coordinated 27,462 volunteer visits. Gil documents these accomplishments and shares his experiences and insights from over 35 years of philanthropic work along the US-Mexico border in his beautiful book, Hope on the Border.

Gil tells us why me-first culture isn’t working and how enlightened self-interest provides a path out of spiritual poverty. He shares why he doesn’t like the word “charity” for either giver or receiver. Instead Gil hails the 28,000 volunteers that work with Racho Feliz as guardian warriors.

We talk about education as the ultimate tool in the border crisis and how providing that can change lives. And we talk about how the ability to see ourselves in others proves to be a life changing gift.

This is an incredible conversation with an amazing guardian warrior that shows us enthusiasm and purpose that transcends borders. I know you’ll love it.

Takeaways

  • When’s the last time you heard good news about the US-Mexico border?
  • The disparity in wealth is a significant issue that needs addressing.
  • Education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty.
  • Creating opportunities in one’s home country can reduce migration.
  • Enlightened self-interest can lead to personal and communal growth.
  • Volunteering provides a sense of purpose and fulfillment.
  • Community service fosters connections and shared humanity.
  • Experiencing poverty firsthand can change perspectives.
  • The joy of service is a pathway to personal happiness.

Here’s a short clip of Gil describing enlightened self-interest as an antidote to our me first, greed is good culture:

Here are some ways you can watch this compelling and inspiring episode:

Please listen, watch, provide feedback and subscribe.

This is the last podcast of 2025! Thank you to all you amazing listeners/watchers/readers who have been so interested in and supportive of all these amazing guests sharing their interesting stories about learning, writing, and growing in this one wild and precious life! Stay tuned for more great episodes in 2026! I appreciate you!

How to Share Our Luck with Gil Gillenwater – How To Share

In this enlightening conversation, Gil Gillenwater is with host Wynne Leon and shares his experiences and insights from over 35 years of philanthropic work along the US-Mexico border. He discusses his book, 'Hope on the Border,' which highlights the transformative power of education and community service. Gil emphasizes the importance of enlightened self-interest over traditional charity, advocating for a model that empowers individuals and fosters dignity. He explores the duality of poverty, the need for sustainable opportunities, and the joy found in serving others, ultimately presenting a vision for a more connected and compassionate world.TakeawaysEducation is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty.Enlightened self-interest can lead to personal and communal growth.Charity should not be viewed as a sacrifice but as a mutual benefit.Volunteering provides a sense of purpose and fulfillment.Welfare can disempower individuals and communities.Community service fosters connections and shared humanity.The disparity in wealth is a significant issue that needs addressing.Experiencing poverty firsthand can change perspectives.Creating opportunities in one's home country can reduce migration.The joy of service is a pathway to personal happiness.Links for this episode:How to Share homeHope on the Border at AmazonGil's organization: Rancho FelizGil Gillenwater on FacebookWynne’s book about her beloved father: Finding My Father’s Faith; Blog: https://wynneleon.com/; Substack: https://wynneleon930758.substack.com/
  1. How to Share Our Luck with Gil Gillenwater
  2. How to Share 1970's Chicago with Doug. E. Jones
  3. How to Share Feedback with Dr. Vicki Atkinson
  4. How to Share the Next Generation with Mari Sarkisian Wyatt
  5. How to Share Impactfully with Social Media Friends with Amy Weinland Daughters

Links for this episode:

Hope on the Border on Amazon

Gil’s organization: Rancho Feliz

Gil Gillenwater on Facebook

My book about my beloved father: ⁠Finding My Father’s Faith⁠

(featured photo from Pexels)

(feature quote from Enlightened Mind 622 – The Rent You Pay)

How to Share Impactfully with Social Media Friends

Posted in howtoshareTagged , , , , , , 75 Comments

“A little consideration, a little thought to others, makes all the difference.” – Eeyore

About three weeks ago, I opened my laptop to start working and clicked on a Facebook message. A friend that I’d known from Miss O’s pre-school days had died. I burst into tears. It couldn’t be. She’s ten years younger than I am, her youngest child is only 11 years old. She loved being a mom more than anything and I couldn’t believe that she wouldn’t be there to see her beloved kids grow up.

And moreover, because I’d seen the posts where she’d had a car accident about nine months previous and then complications had kept coming up, I was bereft because I hadn’t done anything but post a couple of comments. She wasn’t someone I was particularly close to, but I had so much respect and adoration for her.

It hit me especially hard because I was also in the middle of reading Amy Weinland Daughter’s book, Dear Dana. Dear Dana, is a beautiful chronicle of a letter writing campaign – and a thoughtful reflection of how social media does and does not work for us when it comes to real relationships.

On the latest episode of the How to Share podcast, I was lucky enough to be able to talk with Amy about Dear Dana and the incredible insights she gleaned. Amy tells us how her project got started when she saw on Facebook that her friend from summer camp 30 years before had a son who was sick and needed prayers. Amy starting writing them letters.

She explains how this effort blossomed into a project to write each one of her 580 Facebook friends a letter. We talk about the level of effort involved in writing that many letters and how it was transformative for her.

Amy shares some of the research around the benefits of writing and we talk about the insights of what she learned about the benefits and limitations of social media in the process of her project. One of my favorite a-has is that we can use social as a jumping off points for real relationships because we lose the richness if there is no investment in relationships.

We talk about God-whispers and how listening to them can help us participate in making this world a better place. Amy’s perspective is so real and inspirational that I know it’ll leave you feeling motivated.

This is an incredible episode with a powerful story and loads of magic. I know you’ll love it.

Takeaways

  • The most changed participant in the writing process is often the writer themselves.
  • Writing doesn’t require formal skills or extensive practice.
  • A simple act of writing can have a significant emotional impact.
  • All you need is a postage stamp and a human heart to express yourself.
  • The power of writing has always been within us, waiting to be discovered.
  • Engaging in writing can lead to personal growth and transformation.
  • You don’t need to write hundreds of letters to make a difference.
  • The act of writing can break down barriers to communication.
  • Everyone has the potential to express themselves meaningfully.

Here’s an incredible clip from Amy reminding us that it’s never too late to care:

Here are some ways you can watch this amazing and inspiring episode:

Please listen, watch, provide feedback and subscribe.

How to Share Our Luck with Gil Gillenwater – How To Share

In this enlightening conversation, Gil Gillenwater is with host Wynne Leon and shares his experiences and insights from over 35 years of philanthropic work along the US-Mexico border. He discusses his book, 'Hope on the Border,' which highlights the transformative power of education and community service. Gil emphasizes the importance of enlightened self-interest over traditional charity, advocating for a model that empowers individuals and fosters dignity. He explores the duality of poverty, the need for sustainable opportunities, and the joy found in serving others, ultimately presenting a vision for a more connected and compassionate world.TakeawaysEducation is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty.Enlightened self-interest can lead to personal and communal growth.Charity should not be viewed as a sacrifice but as a mutual benefit.Volunteering provides a sense of purpose and fulfillment.Welfare can disempower individuals and communities.Community service fosters connections and shared humanity.The disparity in wealth is a significant issue that needs addressing.Experiencing poverty firsthand can change perspectives.Creating opportunities in one's home country can reduce migration.The joy of service is a pathway to personal happiness.Links for this episode:How to Share homeHope on the Border at AmazonGil's organization: Rancho FelizGil Gillenwater on FacebookWynne’s book about her beloved father: Finding My Father’s Faith; Blog: https://wynneleon.com/; Substack: https://wynneleon930758.substack.com/
  1. How to Share Our Luck with Gil Gillenwater
  2. How to Share 1970's Chicago with Doug. E. Jones
  3. How to Share Feedback with Dr. Vicki Atkinson
  4. How to Share the Next Generation with Mari Sarkisian Wyatt
  5. How to Share Impactfully with Social Media Friends with Amy Weinland Daughters

Links for this post:

How to Share Impactfully with Social Media Friends transcript

Dear Dana on Barnes & Noble and Amazon

Amy’s website

(featured photo from Pexels)

How to Share Creativity

Posted in howtoshareTagged , , , , , , , , , 68 Comments

“Creative people are curious, flexible, persistent, and independent with a tremendous spirit of adventure and a love of play.” – Henri Matisse

I’ve often joked that I have a math brain. But have I mentioned how much of a math geek I am? When I was in college, I loved math so much that I looked through all the engineering majors to see which one required the most math classes. That’s how I ended up with an electrical engineering degree.

Nothing in the more than 30 years after I graduated from college has convinced me that I’m a natural creative. Not the three books I’ve published (because two of which are technical so that doesn’t count, right?), more than 2,000 blog posts I’ve written, or anything else.

Until now.

Because Pia Mailhot Leichter’s book, Welcome to the Creative Club, is a myth-busting, research-based, fantastically inspiring book that will change your perspective and power. The clip below gives a small taste of that.

Vicki Atkinson and I were recently blessed enough to be able to talk with the amazing creative director, entrepreneur, and author Pia Mailhot Leichter on the How to Share podcast.

Pia’s book is an incredible invitation into our own creative power. She beautifully weaves agency and awe together in a way that helps bring us alive again. Pia delivers a reminder to move out of autopilot and a perspective to help with adversity, and everything else!

She tells us the story of how coming undone was a trip back to knowing herself and remembering that she’s the creative director of her life. We talk about creating evidence of our resilience.

Pia’s view of creativity will leave you feeling empowered. Which is part of her mission helping others live and lead from creativity.

Takeaways

  • We often need to lose ourselves to find our true selves.
  • Creativity is a response to life’s challenges.
  • Creativity is not just for artists; it’s for everyone.
  • Embracing uncertainty can lead to greater joy and creativity.
  • Vulnerability fosters connection and understanding.
  • Storytelling is a way to honor our journeys and experiences.
  • Collaboration enhances the creative process and outcomes.
  • We are all natural born creators, regardless of our paths.
  • Reclaiming our creativity is essential for a fulfilling life.

This is a great conversation full of energy and inspiration. Buckle up for a beautiful ride. We know you’ll love it!

Here are some ways you can listen and watch this powerful episode:

Please listen, watch, provide feedback and subscribe.

How to Share Our Luck with Gil Gillenwater – How To Share

In this enlightening conversation, Gil Gillenwater is with host Wynne Leon and shares his experiences and insights from over 35 years of philanthropic work along the US-Mexico border. He discusses his book, 'Hope on the Border,' which highlights the transformative power of education and community service. Gil emphasizes the importance of enlightened self-interest over traditional charity, advocating for a model that empowers individuals and fosters dignity. He explores the duality of poverty, the need for sustainable opportunities, and the joy found in serving others, ultimately presenting a vision for a more connected and compassionate world.TakeawaysEducation is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty.Enlightened self-interest can lead to personal and communal growth.Charity should not be viewed as a sacrifice but as a mutual benefit.Volunteering provides a sense of purpose and fulfillment.Welfare can disempower individuals and communities.Community service fosters connections and shared humanity.The disparity in wealth is a significant issue that needs addressing.Experiencing poverty firsthand can change perspectives.Creating opportunities in one's home country can reduce migration.The joy of service is a pathway to personal happiness.Links for this episode:How to Share homeHope on the Border at AmazonGil's organization: Rancho FelizGil Gillenwater on FacebookWynne’s book about her beloved father: Finding My Father’s Faith; Blog: https://wynneleon.com/; Substack: https://wynneleon930758.substack.com/
  1. How to Share Our Luck with Gil Gillenwater
  2. How to Share 1970's Chicago with Doug. E. Jones
  3. How to Share Feedback with Dr. Vicki Atkinson
  4. How to Share the Next Generation with Mari Sarkisian Wyatt
  5. How to Share Impactfully with Social Media Friends with Amy Weinland Daughters

Transcript for How to Share Creativity with Pia Mailhot Leichter

Links for this episode:

Welcome to the Creative Club on Amazon, Audible and Barnes and Noble

Famished a spoken word album on Spotify

Pia’s site: kollektiv studio

From the Hosts:

Vicki’s book about resilience and love: Surviving Sue; Blog: https://victoriaponders.com/

Wynne’s book about her beloved father: Finding My Father’s Faith; Blog: https://wynneleon.com/

(featured photo from Pexels)