Army of Normal Folks

ตอน

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  What If You’ve Been Keeping Score of the Wrong Game? 25.09.2026 19นาที

  Bob Buford had already won - he built his family's media business into a major cable company and sold it for an estimated $300 million. Then his 24-year-old son passed away. Buford spent the second half of his life helping others and writing the bestselling book "Halftime". In this Shop Talk, we dig into his idea that your money, career, skills, and even your failures aren't just measures of what you've accomplished - they're assets you can deploy for someone else. Purpose doesn't have a retirement age. Your second half can be your best one. ARMY ACTIONS Subscribe to the podcast and rate & review us! Signup to join the Army, visit NormalFolks.org Follow us on social media @ArmyofNormalFolks Join or start an ANF local service club at https://normalfolks.org/service-clubs/ Take The 10 Level Challenge, "the hero's journey for service" at 10LevelChallenge.orgSupport the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/#joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  If You're Not Where You Want to Be In Life… This Is Probably Why | Mike Rowe 24.09.2026 1ชม. 4นาที

  In this episode, Bill sits down with Dirty Jobs host Mike Rowe for a Supporting Greatness conversation about the three normal men who made him: a grandfather who only went to the seventh grade, a scoutmaster who ran Boy Scout Troop 16 like an organized gang and made a stammering kid sing to 200 people, and a music teacher who told him to stutter on his own time. Mike traces Dirty Jobs to a call from his mother at 42 and the sewer footage that got him fired from CBS. That opens a bigger conversation about who supports greatness: why enduring discomfort is never enough, why a comfort zone becomes a human stop sign, and why one of the smartest men Mike ever met never finished school. Plus faking his way into the Baltimore Opera, three firings from QVC, and work ethic scholarships for people who skip the four-year degree. ARMY ACTIONS Sign up for the newsletter: https://normalfolks.org/#newsletter-cta Join or start a service club: https://normalfolks.org/service-clubs/ Take the 10 Level Challenge, "the hero's journey for service": https://normalfolks.org/10-level-challenge/ Learn about Mike Rowe's work ethic scholarships at mikeroweWORKS: https://mikeroweworks.org/ Have an idea for a Shop Talk or a guest for the show? Write Bill anytime at [email protected] Follow us on all socials: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/armyofnormalfolks/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@armyofnormalfolks Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArmyofNormalFolks X: https://x.com/armynormalfolks LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/an-army-of-normal-folks/ — 0:00 Mike Rowe on Supporting Greatness 2:20 Mike Rowe on His Grandfather and Dirty Jobs 12:57 How Mike Rowe Got Fired From CBS 18:32 Why Mike Rowe Had a Stutter as a Kid 21:23 What Boy Scouts Was Like in 1975 22:41 Why Enduring Discomfort Isn't Enough 30:54 Why Your Comfort Zone Is a Human Stop Sign 32:48 Mike Rowe on Music Teacher Fred King 39:17 The Audition That Ended His Stutter 45:30 How Mike Rowe Faked His Way Into the Opera 54:29 Why Dirty Jobs Never Did a Second Take 59:23 Mike Rowe on Work Ethic Scholarships  Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/#joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  The 4 Things Every Family Should Do Before Disaster Hits 22.09.2026 1ชม. 24นาที

  It's not a matter of if a disaster hits your community. It's when. And when it does, the first person on the scene isn't first responders or government officials. It's your neighbor. Jeff Byard has spent 24 years in disaster response - from the Marine Corps to Alabama Emergency Management to FEMA. Then he left to go work with Team Rubicon - a volunteer lead disaster relief organization. In this episode, Jeff sits down with Bill to talk about what he learned from a career of showing up for people on their worst day - and what every one of us can do right now to be ready when our neighbors need us most. You'll walk away knowing how to prepare your family before disaster strikes, why your next-door neighbor is the most important first responder in any emergency, and how ordinary people are doing some of the most important disaster relief work in the country through Team Rubicon. ARMY ACTIONS Subscribe to the podcast and rate & review us! Signup to join the Army, visit NormalFolks.org Follow us on social media @ArmyofNormalFolks Join or start an ANF local service club at https://normalfolks.org/service-clubs/ Take The 10 Level Challenge, "the hero's journey for service" at 10LevelChallenge.orgSupport the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/#joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  HIGHLIGHTS: The 4 Things Every Family Should Do Before Disaster Hits 22.09.2026 33นาที

  It's not a matter of if a disaster hits your community. It's when. And when it does, the first person on the scene isn't first responders or government officials. It's your neighbor. Jeff Byard has spent 24 years in disaster response - from the Marine Corps to Alabama Emergency Management to FEMA. Then he left to go work with Team Rubicon - a volunteer lead disaster relief organization. In this episode, Jeff sits down with Bill to talk about what he learned from a career of showing up for people on their worst day - and what every one of us can do right now to be ready when our neighbors need us most. You'll walk away knowing how to prepare your family before disaster strikes, why your next-door neighbor is the most important first responder in any emergency, and how ordinary people are doing some of the most important disaster relief work in the country through Team Rubicon. ARMY ACTIONS Subscribe to the podcast and rate & review us! Signup to join the Army, visit NormalFolks.org Follow us on social media @ArmyofNormalFolks Join or start an ANF local service club at https://normalfolks.org/service-clubs/ Take The 10 Level Challenge, "the hero's journey for service" at 10LevelChallenge.org Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/#joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Before You Ask “What’s Wrong With Them?”, Listen To This 18.09.2026 23นาที

  In this Shop Talk, Bill and Alex break down ACE scores - Adverse Childhood Experiences - and what the research says about how childhood trauma shows up decades later in our health, our relationships, and our choices. Bill shares his own score, and makes the case for why understanding this data might be the most important thing you can do before you walk into a tough neighborhood and wonder why people are the way they are. ARMY ACTIONS Subscribe to the podcast and rate & review us! Signup to join the Army, visit NormalFolks.org Follow us on social media @ArmyofNormalFolks Join or start an ANF local service club at https://normalfolks.org/service-clubs/ Take The 10 Level Challenge, "the hero's journey for service" at 10LevelChallenge.orgSupport the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/#joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Why America Is in Better Shape Than You've Been Told | Unify USA 15.09.2026 1ชม. 27นาที

  In this episode, Bill sits down with Teagan and Koston McCoy of Unify USA: how Teagan, 21 and fed up with the division on his phone, pulled an American flag off his truck, ran 22 miles on a whim, and turned eight million views into flag runs across seven states. He gets spit on, has cigarette butts thrown at him, and tells them he loves them anyway. That opens a bigger conversation about what actually divides Americans: the wedge inside their own family, a jar of ants blaming each other instead of the man who shook it, and 600 flags through Central Park without a single protester. Plus a leprechaun calls in to sing Bill happy birthday. ARMY ACTIONS Sign up for the newsletter and join the Army: https://normalfolks.org/#newsletter-cta Join or start an ANF local service club at https://normalfolks.org/service-clubs/ Take The 10 Level Challenge, "the hero's journey for service" at https://normalfolks.org/10-level-challenge/ Follow Unify USA at https://unifyusaofficial.com Have an idea for a Shop Talk or a guest for the show? Write Bill anytime at [email protected]   Follow us on all socials: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/armyofnormalfolks/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@armyofnormalfolks Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArmyofNormalFolks X: https://x.com/armynormalfolks LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/an-army-of-normal-folks/ Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/#joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  HIGHLIGHTS: Why America Is in Better Shape Than You've Been Told | Unify USA 15.09.2026 35นาที

  In this episode, Bill sits down with Teagan and Koston McCoy of Unify USA: how Teagan, 21 and fed up with the division on his phone, pulled an American flag off his truck, ran 22 miles on a whim, and turned eight million views into flag runs across seven states. He gets spit on, has cigarette butts thrown at him, and tells them he loves them anyway. That opens a bigger conversation about what actually divides Americans: the wedge inside their own family, a jar of ants blaming each other instead of the man who shook it, and 600 flags through Central Park without a single protester. Plus a leprechaun calls in to sing Bill happy birthday. ARMY ACTIONS Sign up for the newsletter and join the Army: https://normalfolks.org/#newsletter-cta Join or start an ANF local service club at https://normalfolks.org/service-clubs/ Take The 10 Level Challenge, "the hero's journey for service" at https://normalfolks.org/10-level-challenge/ Follow Unify USA at https://unifyusaofficial.com Have an idea for a Shop Talk or a guest for the show? Write Bill anytime at [email protected] Follow us on all socials: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/armyofnormalfolks/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@armyofnormalfolks Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArmyofNormalFolks X: https://x.com/armynormalfolks LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/an-army-of-normal-folks/Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/#joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  He Built a Confessional—But He Did the Confessing 11.09.2026 24นาที

  At one of the most secular campuses in America, a group of Christians set up a confessionial booth during a wild campus party. But they weren't there to hear confessions. They were there to give them. Tony Kriz sat in that booth and apologized to skeptical strangers for the ways Christians had failed to love people. Students who came in ready to argue left having opened up about their own struggles.  This episode is a masterclass in what humility can do that arguments never will. ARMY ACTIONS Subscribe to the podcast and rate & review us! Signup to join the Army, visit NormalFolks.org Follow us on social media @ArmyofNormalFolks Join or start an ANF local service club at https://normalfolks.org/service-clubs/ Take The 10 Level Challenge, "the hero's journey for service" at 10LevelChallenge.org Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/#joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  What a Former Heroin Addict Will Teach You About Relationships | Ariel Moore 08.09.2026 1ชม. 27นาที

  Ariel Moore lost nearly everything - her home, her freedom, and even her child. But that's not where her story ends. In this episode, Ariel sits down with Bill to talk about how she rebuilt her life from the ground up, what it looks like to be restored rather than just recovered, and why she believes God didn't save her just for herself. If you’re at a low point in your life and looking for a little hope, this episode is for you. Buy Ariel's book at the link below!  Divine Authenticity: Moore, Ariel: 9798997522278: Amazon.com: Books ARMY ACTIONS Subscribe to the podcast and rate & review us! Signup to join the Army, visit NormalFolks.org Follow us on social media @ArmyofNormalFolks Join or start an ANF local service club at https://normalfolks.org/service-clubs/ Take The 10 Level Challenge, "the hero's journey for service" at 10LevelChallenge.org  Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/#joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  HIGHLIGHTS: What a Former Heroin Addict Will Teach You About Relationships | Ariel Moore 08.09.2026 36นาที

  Ariel Moore lost nearly everything - her home, her freedom, and even her child. But that's not where her story ends. In this episode, Ariel sits down with Bill to talk about how she rebuilt her life from the ground up, what it looks like to be restored rather than just recovered, and why she believes God didn't save her just for herself. If you’re at a low point in your life and looking for a little hope, this episode is for you. Buy Ariel's book at the link below!  Divine Authenticity: Moore, Ariel: 9798997522278: Amazon.com: Books ARMY ACTIONS Subscribe to the podcast and rate & review us! Signup to join the Army, visit NormalFolks.org Follow us on social media @ArmyofNormalFolks Join or start an ANF local service club at https://normalfolks.org/service-clubs/ Take The 10 Level Challenge, "the hero's journey for service" at 10LevelChallenge.org  Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/#joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  We Have A Morality Problem. And We’re The Problem 04.09.2026 18นาที

  In this Shop Talk, Bill and Alex break down the speech Bill gave at the West Tennessee Faith and Community Summit in Memphis, with the governor, the mayor, and a ballroom full of faith leaders in the room. Bill's argument: crime, homelessness, kids who can't read on grade level, and young people aging out of foster care aren't our problems. They're symptoms. The real problem is a morality problem, and it isn't with the poor or the disenfranchised. It's with the rest of us, who see the need, think "somebody ought to do something about that," and keep driving. Bill also explains what he was really trying to say to a room full of people who call themselves Christians: Jesus didn't spend his time in nice ballrooms with wealthy people, and if we're called to be Christlike, the work is elsewhere. Plus: why he walked off stage the second the speech ended (there was a fire at his lumber yard), and what happened in 1907. ARMY ACTIONS Subscribe to the podcast and rate & review us! Signup to join the Army, visit NormalFolks.org Follow us on social media @ArmyofNormalFolks Join or start an ANF local service club at https://normalfolks.org/service-clubs/ Take The 10 Level Challenge, "the hero's journey for service" at 10LevelChallenge.org In San Antonio, Lincoln NE, Sumner County KS, Huntsville AL, or anywhere in Oklahoma? People there want to start a service club and need members. Email [email protected] and he'll connect you. Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/#joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  43 Million Americans Can’t Read Well Enough to Work (Here’s the Fix) 01.09.2026 1ชม. 35นาที

  Nearly 2/3 of American kids aren't reading proficiently by 4th grade. And if they don't catch up, - they're far more likely to drop out, struggle to find work, and cycle through a lifetime of limited options. Right now in the United States, 43 million adults can't read well enough to hold a basic job. This week, Bill sits down with Tony Kriz, co-founder of the Children's Literacy Project, who believes the solve for this crisis is normal folks like you. He wants you to give just one hour a week to sit with a struggling kid, read with them, and uplift them. In this episode you'll learn exactly why kids fall behind, what it takes to close the gap, and how normal folks like you can walk into a local school and make a real difference starting this week. ARMY ACTIONS Subscribe to the podcast and rate & review us! Signup to join the Army, visit NormalFolks.org Follow us on social media @ArmyofNormalFolks Join or start an ANF local service club at https://normalfolks.org/service-clubs/ Take The 10 Level Challenge, "the hero's journey for service" at 10LevelChallenge.org Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/#joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  HIGHLIGHTS: 43 Million Americans Can’t Read Well Enough to Work (Here’s the Fix) 01.09.2026 36นาที

  Nearly 2/3 of American kids aren't reading proficiently by 4th grade. And if they don't catch up, - they're far more likely to drop out, struggle to find work, and cycle through a lifetime of limited options. Right now in the United States, 43 million adults can't read well enough to hold a basic job. This week, Bill sits down with Tony Kriz, co-founder of the Children's Literacy Project, who believes the solve for this crisis is normal folks like you. He wants you to give just one hour a week to sit with a struggling kid, read with them, and uplift them. In this episode you'll learn exactly why kids fall behind, what it takes to close the gap, and how normal folks like you can walk into a local school and make a real difference starting this week. ARMY ACTIONS Subscribe to the podcast and rate & review us! Signup to join the Army, visit NormalFolks.org Follow us on social media @ArmyofNormalFolks Join or start an ANF local service club at https://normalfolks.org/service-clubs/ Take The 10 Level Challenge, "the hero's journey for service" at 10LevelChallenge.org Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/#joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  What Jesse Itzler's $18 Office Can Teach Us About Service 28.08.2026 12นาที

  When Jesse Itzler was broke and sleeping on a friend's couch, he couldn't afford an office. So he made the Beverly Hills Hotel his office - for the price of an $18 salad and four hours of iced tea refills. He sat, watched, listened, and showed up until the right people noticed him. The rest is history. In this Shop Talk, Bill and Alex take that story and flip it toward service. Because most people who want to help their community are waiting for an invitation that's never coming. The tough neighborhoods, the kids who need mentors, the opportunities to make a real difference - they're already out there. You just have to get in the room. This one is worth sending to someone who keeps saying they want to help but doesn't know where to start. ARMY ACTIONS Subscribe to the podcast and rate & review us! Signup to join the Army, visit NormalFolks.org Follow us on social media @ArmyofNormalFolks Join or start an ANF local service club at https://normalfolks.org/service-clubs/ Take The 10 Level Challenge, "the hero's journey for service" at 10LevelChallenge.orgSupport the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/#joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  His Tool Helped 13,000 Families Out of Crisis. This is How | Restore Hope 25.08.2026 1ชม. 28นาที

  Paul Chapman spent years doing charitable work until he finally got frustrated by this: the people trying to help were often doing great work — but they were doing it in silos and too many families still weren’t flourishing.  So he built "HopeHub” to connect nonprofits, churches, law enforcement, child welfare, treatment providers, and others around the very same family, so that they could stop making families try to find help in 10 different places and start working together to empower them. What started as an effort to help 100 families has now reached more than 13,000 and in Sebastian County, Arkansas family reunification rates have gone from a statewide average of 43% to 70% for Hope Hub clients!  This innovative leader will teach you how changing the world can start with only 100 families — and why breaking down silos just might be one of the most powerful ways to change lives. ARMY ACTIONS Subscribe to the podcast and rate & review us! Signup to join the Army, visit NormalFolks.org Follow us on social media @ArmyofNormalFolks Join or start an ANF local service club at https://normalfolks.org/service-clubs/ Take The 10 Level Challenge, "the hero's journey for service" at 10LevelChallenge.orgSupport the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/#joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  HIGHLIGHTS: His Tool Helped 13,000 Families Out of Crisis. This is How | Restore Hope 25.08.2026 38นาที

  Paul Chapman spent years doing charitable work until he finally got frustrated by this: the people trying to help were often doing great work — but they were doing it in silos and too many families still weren’t flourishing.  So he built "HopeHub” to connect nonprofits, churches, law enforcement, child welfare, treatment providers, and others around the very same family, so that they could stop making families try to find help in 10 different places and start working together to empower them. What started as an effort to help 100 families has now reached more than 13,000 and in Sebastian County, Arkansas family reunification rates have gone from a statewide average of 43% to 70% for Hope Hub clients!  This innovative leader will teach you how changing the world can start with only 100 families — and why breaking down silos just might be one of the most powerful ways to change lives. ARMY ACTIONS Subscribe to the podcast and rate & review us! Signup to join the Army, visit NormalFolks.org Follow us on social media @ArmyofNormalFolks Join or start an ANF local service club at https://normalfolks.org/service-clubs/ Take The 10 Level Challenge, "the hero's journey for service" at 10LevelChallenge.orgSupport the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/#joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  The Forgotten Club That Once Had 1 Million Members 21.08.2026 19นาที

  In this Shop Talk, Bill and Alex dive into the odd history of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows - one of the largest organizations most Americans have never heard of. At their peak, they had over a million members and thousands of lodges across the country. They cared for widows and orphans, built hospitals, and more than 800 cemeteries. And then, slowly, they disappeared. If you've ever wondered why community feels harder to find than it used to - or why civic life seems to be quietly fading - this episode might be the most important conversation you hear this week. It's a history lesson that hits surprisingly close to home. ARMY ACTIONS Subscribe to the podcast and rate & review us! Signup to join the Army, visit NormalFolks.org Follow us on social media @ArmyofNormalFolks Join or start an ANF local service club at https://normalfolks.org/service-clubs/ Take The 10 Level Challenge, "the hero's journey for service" at 10LevelChallenge.org  Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/#joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  How $1 Can Erase $100 of Medical Debt in Your Community 18.08.2026 1ชม. 15นาที

  1 out of every 3 Americans carries medical debt. It's the #1 cause of bankruptcy in the country - and the single greatest predictor of whether you end up in it isn't your income or your insurance. It's whether or not you get sick. Allison Sesso is a normal person leading an abnormal (and awesome) nonprofit doing something about it. Undue Medical Debt has erased nearly $50 billion in medical debt for over 31 million people!  In this episode, she breaks down exactly what to do if you get a bill you can't afford, why you should never put medical debt on a credit card, how debt collectors acquire debt for pennies on the dollar, how they’ve flipped this very same model on its head to abolish debt, and how you can partner with them to erase a crazy amount of medical debt in your community. ARMY ACTIONS Subscribe to the podcast and rate & review us! Signup to join the Army, visit NormalFolks.org Follow us on social media @ArmyofNormalFolks Join or start an ANF local service club at https://normalfolks.org/service-clubs/ Take The 10 Level Challenge, "the hero's journey for service" at 10LevelChallenge.orgSupport the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/#joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  HIGHLIGHTS: How $1 Can Erase $100 of Medical Debt in Your Community 18.08.2026 37นาที

  1 out of every 3 Americans carries medical debt. It's the #1 cause of bankruptcy in the country - and the single greatest predictor of whether you end up in it isn't your income or your insurance. It's whether or not you get sick. Allison Sesso is a normal person leading an abnormal (and awesome) nonprofit doing something about it. Undue Medical Debt has erased nearly $50 billion in medical debt for over 31 million people!  In this episode, she breaks down exactly what to do if you get a bill you can't afford, why you should never put medical debt on a credit card, how debt collectors acquire debt for pennies on the dollar, how they’ve flipped this very same model on its head to abolish debt, and how you can partner with them to erase a crazy amount of medical debt in your community. ARMY ACTIONS Subscribe to the podcast and rate & review us! Signup to join the Army, visit NormalFolks.org Follow us on social media @ArmyofNormalFolks Join or start an ANF local service club at https://normalfolks.org/service-clubs/ Take The 10 Level Challenge, "the hero's journey for service" at 10LevelChallenge.orgSupport the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/#joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  The Lost Art of Talking to Strangers 14.08.2026 16นาที

  53% of Americans ages 18-29 say talking to strangers is exhausting. But small interactions with everyday strangers actually make your life more meaningful. In this Shop Talk, Bill and Alex dig into why everyday human connection has declined and how you can integrate it into your life. This one is a reminder that community isn't always built through grand gestures, it starts with just saying hello. You weren't designed for isolation, you were designed to be in community with others.  ARMY ACTIONS Subscribe to the podcast and rate & review us! Signup to join the Army, visit NormalFolks.org Follow us on social media @ArmyofNormalFolks Join or start an ANF local service club at https://normalfolks.org/service-clubs/ Take The 10 Level Challenge, "the hero's journey for service" at 10LevelChallenge.orgSupport the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/#joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.