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An Army of Normal Folks

Arts & Culture Podcasts

Our country’s problems will never be solved by a bunch of fancy people in nice suits talking big words on CNN and Fox, but by An Army of Normal Folks just deciding “hey, I can help.” Hosted by Coach Bill Courtney from the Oscar-winning Undefeated, this podcast is building the Army and celebrating its extraordinary members. New episodes are released every Tuesday.

Location:

United States

Description:

Our country’s problems will never be solved by a bunch of fancy people in nice suits talking big words on CNN and Fox, but by An Army of Normal Folks just deciding “hey, I can help.” Hosted by Coach Bill Courtney from the Oscar-winning Undefeated, this podcast is building the Army and celebrating its extraordinary members. New episodes are released every Tuesday.

Language:

English


Episodes
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What Counts As Serving Others?

3/21/2025
For Shop Talk, Clay Routledge challenges our culture's perspective on what counts as serving others. Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premium See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:00:22:26

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Rachel Cohen: I Used To Think Volunteering Was A Harmful Distraction (Pt 1)

3/18/2025
Vox writer Rachel Cohen had disregarded individual action as an unhelpful distraction to the more important systemic change that was needed to solve our problems. And then she had a change of heart & mind. She wrote an extraordinary article about her transformation that’s titled "Why I Changed My Mind About Volunteering" and we dive deep into it with her. Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premium See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:00:43:22

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Rachel Cohen: I Used To Think Volunteering Was A Harmful Distraction (Pt 2)

3/18/2025
Vox writer Rachel Cohen had disregarded individual action as an unhelpful distraction to the more important systemic change that was needed to solve our problems. And then she had a change of heart & mind. She wrote an extraordinary article about her transformation that’s titled "Why I Changed My Mind About Volunteering" and we dive deep into it with her. Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premium See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:00:51:47

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If... We Can Be Positive

3/14/2025
For "Shop Talk", Coach Bill reflects on a listener's question with some inspiration from Rudyard Kipling's powerful poem "If". Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premium See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:00:14:34

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Charmaine Solomon: HIPsters — Hugely Important Persons (Pt 1)

3/11/2025
Charmaine is the founder of My Possibilities, which serves who they call HIPsters (hugely important persons), otherwise known as adults with disabilities, with a real college experience that they wouldn’t otherwise get. They started with 10 students and now have 675 students! Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premium See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:00:37:35

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Charmaine Solomon: HIPsters — Hugely Important Persons (Pt 2)

3/11/2025
Charmaine is the founder of My Possibilities, which serves who they call HIPsters (hugely important persons), otherwise known as adults with disabilities, with a real college experience that they wouldn’t otherwise get. They started with 10 students and now have 675 students! Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premium See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:00:42:13

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When A Whole City Blinked Their Lights

3/7/2025
For Shop Talk, Real Heroes author Larry Reed tells us the epic story of Warsaw's underground radio station during the Soviet occupation of Poland. Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premium See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:00:13:18

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Suzy Hollenbach: 70 Million Homeless Dogs And Cats (Pt 1)

3/4/2025
Suzy is the founder of All 4's Rescue League, which has distributed 1,680 doghouses to outside dogs without them, have gotten 1500 dogs spayed and neutered, and 2,460 dogs unchained. And she dives into the local and national crisis of homeless animals that endangers all of us. Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premium See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:00:40:22

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Suzy Hollenbach: 70 Million Homeless Dogs And Cats (Pt 2)

3/4/2025
Suzy is the founder of All 4's Rescue League, which has distributed 1,680 doghouses to outside dogs without them, have gotten 1500 dogs spayed and neutered, and 2,460 dogs unchained. And she dives into the local and national crisis of homeless animals that endangers all of us. Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premium See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:00:41:22

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Father Jerzy: The Martyred Chaplain

3/3/2025
Father Jerzy Popieluszko was the chaplain for Poland's resistance movement called Solidarity. And the Soviet communists couldn't bear his powerful voice for faith and freedom. Larry Reed celebrates this courageous martyr for An Army of Normal Dead Folks. Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premium See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:00:15:23

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The Triad of Fulfillment

2/28/2025
For Shop Talk, we bring you former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy's powerful letter upon his post, "My Parting Prescription for America". Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premium See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:00:16:17

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Khali Sweeney: The Boxing Gym Where No One Boxes (Pt 1)

2/25/2025
Khali started Downtown Boxing Gym to use boxing as the hook to teach vulnerable Detroit kids about life. Ironically, none of the kids are now using their boxing ring, but their STEAM Lab and other awesome stuff have helped 1,500 kids graduate high school and 98% go on to post-secondary education! Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premium See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:00:43:09

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Khali Sweeney: The Boxing Gym Where No One Boxes (Pt 2)

2/25/2025
Khali started Downtown Boxing Gym to use boxing as the hook to teach vulnerable Detroit kids about life. Ironically, none of the kids are now using their boxing ring, but their STEAM Lab and other awesome stuff have helped 1,500 kids graduate high school and 98% go on to post-secondary education! Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premium See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:01:04:29

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Gail Halvorsen: The Candy Bomber

2/24/2025
For An Army of Normal Dead Folks, Larry Reed brings us the story of the pilot who dropped sweets & hope to the children of Berlin. Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premium See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:00:12:08

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The Lorraine Motel

2/21/2025
For "Shop Talk", Coach Bill shares the story of the motel where Rev. Martin Luther King Jr was shot and killed. And Jackie Smith's 34 year protest of it being converted into the National Civil Rights Museum. Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premium See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:00:15:32

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Sam Fledderjohann: The Kidney Transplant Chain That Saved 10 Lives (Pt 1)

2/18/2025
While 94.6% of kidney donors give them to someone they know, Sam Fledderjohann felt called to give a kidney to anyone who needed it. Her being what is called an “altruistic donor” enabled a whole chain of kidney donations to be unlocked, resulting in 20 transplant surgeries over 2 days that saved the lives of 10 recipients! Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premium See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:00:47:23

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Sam Fledderjohann: The Kidney Transplant Chain That Saved 10 Lives (Pt 2)

2/18/2025
While 94.6% of kidney donors give them to someone they know, Sam Fledderjohann felt called to give a kidney to anyone who needed it. Her being what is called an “altruistic donor” enabled a whole chain of kidney donations to be unlocked, resulting in 20 transplant surgeries over 2 days that saved the lives of 10 recipients! Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premium See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:00:57:28

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The Man in the Arena

2/14/2025
For Shop Talk, Coach Bill and Alex dive into one of their favorite speeches, President Teddy Roosevelt's "The Man In The Arena", and what the Army can learn from it. Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premium See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:00:13:12

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Travis Moody: Outcompeting Payday Lenders (Pt 1)

2/11/2025
In the state of Tennessee, payday lenders can charge interest rates upwards of 459%. Travis Moody and his nonprofit Forward Memphis are on a mission to outcompete them, charging only 10%. In only 20 months, they’ve helped 600 families save a total of $800k! Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premium See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:00:45:44

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Travis Moody: Outcompeting Payday Lenders (Pt 2)

2/11/2025
In the state of Tennessee, payday lenders can charge interest rates upwards of 459%. Travis Moody and his nonprofit Forward Memphis are on a mission to outcompete them, charging only 10%. In only 20 months, they’ve helped 600 families save a total of $800k! Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premium See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:00:44:46