Kevin Polky - The Journey

A Daughter, Sister, Mom and Wife who has been through the darkness. Lynn is an amazing woman whose attitude has been an inspiration to others. She knows what it is like to experience loss through mental illness. Her younger brother and sister died as result of depression and suicide. And 10 weeks after her mom died from a sudden physical health condition, her dad died from suicide. But, listen to her story, it is more than the setbacks it is about what she did to continue being a light for others.

Carpenter who wants to leave a Legacy Initially, Jason’s story looks fairly normal. But, underneath that calm demeanor and smile there is loss, abuse, uncertainty and pain. It took him until he was 40, a divorce and failed relationships before he faced the pain from his childhood that interfered with his adult relationships. A father of four beautiful children, Jason has a burning desire to raise awareness about the need for counseling for those who “fall between the cracks” in the foster care system. Another must listen to.

More than just T-shirts. Britney Lindgren is a graphic designer by trade but there is so much more to her story. I absolutely enjoyed this conversation about her journey as an artist, entrepreneur and local activist for the downtown Rockford area. She is co-owner of Rockford Art Deli that is a foundational staple for the resurgence of the downtown business and social scene. And, listen for the story of how the 815 movement got its origin.

Welcome to Episode #15 of The Journey. This week’s guest is Xavier Whitford. Xavier is an amazing woman who has had an incredible journey. Listen to her tell the story of her first marriage and the struggle of her son’s life to his untimely death and how she has turned her pain into purpose.

Dalton is returning to the podcast to discuss The Hero’s Journey. I hope you enjoy this episode!

Dalton is returning to the podcast to discuss The Hero's Journey. In this episode we discuss the initiation phase. Hope you enjoy this episode!

Beautiful Inside and Out Krystal Bolduc started her first diet when she was in 3 rd grade. Her life she has gained and lost hundreds of pounds. Now after hitting a physical bottom, she is living a healthy life. She came to a point where she had to Grow or Die. Listen to this conversation as Krystal shares the emotional and spiritual transformation of her journey with food and body image.

Skater. Recovering Addict. Activists Will Crandall is trying to make a difference in the community by bringing together artists, musicians and skate boarders to raise awareness of suicide, mental health and addiction. During this conversation, Will shares intimate details his own journey of addiction, recovery and now giving back. Some inside perspective of the mindset of a skater and how connects to recovery and life. A must listen.

The Artist Finds His Strength Andrew is a dancer, singer, performer, author, artist and composer. Extremely talented young man. During this conversation, Andrew is transparent about his early years and the struggles with being bullied and rejected and not feeling good enough. Today, he is using his wounds and struggles to help others by giving hope through the arts. Great example of strength through his vulnerability.

Staying True to Her Gifts Bethany Mead is the Community Outreach Coordinator at CEANCI-Career Education Associates of Northern Illinois. Bethany is passionate and faithful women who works hard for her family and the community. She started at beginning position at CEANCI and now is at the perfect for her experience, gifts and skill set. Listen to this conversation about her perseverance and her desire to make difference with our students. Giving them an alternative to the traditional path post high school.

Creating His Own Path This conversation is with Nick Goellner, Managing Director and Partner at Making Chips and Director of Sales and Marketing at Advanced Machine & Engineering. Nick shares about his experience working in the family business of machining and how he found his place but following his true gifts. Out of this journey, he helped create another company Making Chips specifically focused on the nuances of content marketing. Interesting conversation as he also shared his passion about wanting to help people in the community.

The Vulnerable Warrior This conversation absolutely blew me away. Ryan is a passionate, highly driven man. Initially, it was in the form of football at the high school, collegiate and beyond and now it is as one of the top personal trainers. Check out this check conversation when Ryan shares intimate details of his journey as competitive football player. He shares about big on top and when it came crashing down due to injuries. He talks about the pain of losing an unborn son, abuse and recovery from addiction. This is definitely a must listen to conversation.

Staying true to His Heart. Len has always been creative and a gifted artist. As he was growing up though he passion was art, he was being directed to follow a more traditional route. Following the more traditional path of higher education after high school, Len found one dead end after another. In his late 20’s everything hit rock bottom, the bottom is where he rediscovered his heart and started following his passion and gifts. Len now is commissioned as fine art illustrationist, sought out as tattoo artist and mental health advocate.

Walking in faith with a new-found strength. It was a beautiful fall day and then suddenly everything changed. Anne Grindle joins me on The Journey to share about her story of recovery and transformation. She shares about how previous experiences and her faith helped her heal after she was violently hit by a car as she walked across a street. She shares her story of healing and recovery. Learning to walk and trust again. Did I mention she was 66 at the time of the accident.

Husband, father, counselor and friend. I want to introduce you to a friend of mine, Pat Spangler. He has over 20 years of experience as an addiction counselor and therapist. He is a husband, son and father of four beautiful, athletic girls. He has a passion for helping others and assisting them on their journey of recovery. It was my pleasure to have Pat on The Journey and to have a conversation about his path to today as he works in the field of transforming lives from addiction to recovery. Come and listen to this conversation about his set-backs and the lessons he learned from marital arts and competitive sports.

Podcast #3 (Part 3): Dalton Bullard & Kylie Lewis The Warrior and the Princess. I had a greater opportunity during this three-part series to have a conversation with Dalton and Kylie about their journey individually and together. This is must for anybody in a relationship or longs to be in that relationship. It doesn’t have to be perfect because it is a journey. It just has to work for the two individuals to grow and compliment each other. Kylie and Dalton candidly talk about their adventures together as they moved cross country and then returned home. They shared how they grew together and faced fears and embraced victories together. Priceless conversations with a young couple who follow their hearts and go off the well-trodden path. Thanks for listening to the podcast. For more information please check out www.KevinPolky.com

Podcast #3 (Part 2): Dalton Bullard & Kylie Lewis The Warrior and the Princess. I had a greater opportunity during this three-part series to have a conversation with Dalton and Kylie about their journey individually and together. This is must for anybody in a relationship or longs to be in that relationship. It doesn’t have to be perfect because it is a journey. It just has to work for the two individuals to grow and compliment each other. Kylie and Dalton candidly talk about their adventures together as they moved cross country and then returned home. They shared how they grew together and faced fears and embraced victories together. Priceless conversations with a young couple who follow their hearts and go off the well-trodden path. Thanks for listening to the podcast. For more information please check out www.KevinPolky.com

Podcast #3 (Part 1): Dalton Bullard & Kylie Lewis The Warrior and the Princess. I had a greater opportunity during this three-part series to have a conversation with Dalton and Kylie about their journey individually and together. This is must for anybody in a relationship or longs to be in that relationship. It doesn’t have to be perfect because it is a journey. It just has to work for the two individuals to grow and compliment each other. Kylie and Dalton candidly talk about their adventures together as they moved cross country and then returned home. They shared how they grew together and faced fears and embraced victories together. Priceless conversations with a young couple who follow their hearts and go off the well-trodden path. Thanks for listening to the podcast. For more information please check out www.KevinPolky.com

Episode #2: Kylie Lewis The Princess Within. Every girl longs to be a princess on the Disney stage or maybe even on a big stage but what happens when what you thought was greatest failures becomes just the beginning of true happiness. Kylie is the hometown girl who pursued her dreams to be that princess, but has returned to her hometown to bring back and even great prize. Kylie shares her experiences of being at the top and then being devasted, to the joy she brings women through her art and yoga classes. Through her story, she gives others permission to reveal their true beauty within! Thanks for listening to the podcast. For more information please check out www.KevinPolky.com

Episode #1 : Dalton Bullard What makes a Warrior? Listen in on my inaugural podcast with conversation with my good friend, Dalton Bullard. Dalton is 4x All-State wrestler who later wrestled at NCAA I and III level. Dalton has taken his gifts and skills to high school level once again as a head coach and founder of the School of Wrestling program. During this conversation, you will hear about the journey of Dalton’s wrestling career, the initial setbacks and later the victories and more importantly the lessons learned along the way. This is so much then about wrestling! Thanks for listening to the podcast. For more information please check out www.KevinPolky.com