Game Changers with Jeff Newkirk

About Game Changers with Jeff Newkirk

We hear the term “game changer” often, but what does it mean? According to Merriam-Webster, a game changer is a newly introduced element of or factor that changes an existing situation or activity in a significant way. In other words, it is someone or something that has changed their environment, and potentially our world. It’s a big deal. They are a big deal. Jeff Newkirk talks to people who have done something to make this world a better place. They are working to make a significant and profound change. They are game changers. Check out Game Changers with Jeff Newkirk on any podcast platform with a new episode available every two weeks. It could change your world!Note Game Changers was formerly Understandable Solutions Podcast

Publisher

Jeff Newkirk

Category

business · news · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

10 Jun 2021

Latest episode

22 Apr 2024

Latest episodes

13 of 81 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   22 Apr 2024TRANSCRIPT

   Unshakable Faith with Matilda Marie

   We all have good days and bad days. The good days are easy, but the bad days can be challenging. What constitutes a "bad day?" And, why don't we handle bad days with the same attitude as the good days? In this episode of Game Changers (https://www.gamechangerswithjeff.com/), Jeff talks with Matilda Marie (https://web.facebook.com/matildamariem), who is a walking medical miracle. Matilda Marie is a highly regarded makeup artist whose work includes projects with national brands such as Hulu, Netflix, Under Armour, and MSNBC. Her thriving career in makeup nearly came to a grinding halt when she was diagnosed with kidney failure. She needed a kidney transplant. And, after a terrible car accident, she needed a second kidney transplant. She was on a transplant list for nine years. Yes, nine years! With such challenges, many of us would just give up. We might ask "Why me?" and throw in the towel. Not Matilda Marie though. She persevered. She had to undergo daily dialysis, which required her to live a very structured life. But she did what she had to do to survive and thrive. And she gives all the credit to her unshakable faith. Her belief that God would see her through never wavered. Today, Matilda Marie continues to grow as a professional makeup artist. Her career is flourishing and she wants to share her story of faith and perseverance with the world. She is a living miracle who is proving that faith can lead you to a better life. Faith can save you. Faith can make you a new person. For inspiration on how you can live a better life with a stronger faith, give this episode of Game Changers (https://www.gamechangerswithjeff.com/) a listen. Learn more about Matilda Marie (https://www.instagram.com/matildamariem). Learn more about Jeff Newkirk (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreyanewkirk/). Do you have any game-changers in your life? Be sure to let me know so we can celebrate their story and contribution to our world. Go to https://gamechangerswithjeff.com to enter your name to be on the podcast

2. 

   12 Apr 2024TRANSCRIPT

   Attitude of a Champion - Laura Wilkinson

   Welcome to Game Changers with Jeff Newkirk (https://www.gamechangerswithjeff.com/), where we speak with people who have done something to make this world a better place. It’s simple: inspire, educate, and let’s go change this world! On today’s episode, Jeff welcomes guest Laura Wilkinson (https://www.laurawilkinson.com/about), a three-time Olympian and Olympic gold medalist. She started diving in her freshman year of high school and was told she was too old to start a new sport. She won the US's first national title in diving and overcame great obstacles in 1998 to win the Goodwill Games as the only US diver to ever achieve this. Laura shattered her right foot in three places and only had 3 weeks back in the water before she tried out and made her first Olympic team. She beat impossible odds by starting in 8th place and then ending up winning in first place. She won the 2004 World Cup, 19 US National trials, and won the Olympic Spirit Award. She had been inducted into five different Hall of Fames (https://www.tsdhof.org/laura-wilkinson) and qualified for the 2021 Olympic Trials with her four children and husband cheering her on. Laura now has a podcast called Pursuit Gold (https://www.laurawilkinson.com/podcast), and she helps coach athletes to overcome roadblocks, compete confidently, and fall back in love with their passion. First, Laura talks about how she wanted to compete in the Olympics as a little kid in 1994 and wanted to be a gymnast. She realized at 13 that she was not at the right level to go to the Olympics for gymnastics, so she searched for another sport. She had coaches tell her she was too old to switch and that she was a waste of space. Authority figures are people you are supposed to look up to and trust. You can either believe them and cave in on yourself or defy them. She realized it was their issue and not hers, so it lit a fire inside her. She now has caution with the words she says and the impact they carry. She has had amazing coaches, but the best ones are when they create an atmosphere where you can do the very best that you can and achieve your dreams. They make it fun and know their athletes with how they think and how to mold them. After Laura shattered her foot, she went through mental training and preparation for the Olympic trials. She did that through visualization where she started imagining the actions and steps to go through for a dive. Her coach, Kenny, said she couldn’t look back and think about the what-ifs, but she had to look forward and make a new plan. She studied video, visualized the actions of her dive, hobbled up to the diving board on one leg, and imagined every scenario with made-up competitions and her competitors. She was prepared for any given situation and was more prepared than she ever could have been without training physically. When she started to doubt, her teammates cheered her on, wouldn’t let her quit, and believed in her too. We are sometimes so close to success when we are about to give up. After talking to so many athletes who have overcome incredible odds, she says the one thing they all have in common is a belief that it is going to work. Everyone believed in what they were doing and thought it was going to be successful. Next, they discuss faith in God and how God can use anything for His purpose and His good. Sometimes we have to go through the fire to refine us and make us better than before. She grew up in the church, left it, and came back to church during her sophomore year in college. Learn more about Jeff Newkirk (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreyanewkirk/). Do you have any game-changers in your life? Be sure to let me know so we can celebrate their story and contribution to our world. Go to https://gamechangerswithjeff.com to enter your name to be on the podcast

3. 

   1 Apr 2024TRANSCRIPT

   Our Mental Health Crisis with Judge Echo Hutson

   Welcome to Game Changers with Jeff Newkirk (https://www.gamechangerswithjeff.com/), where we speak with people who have done something to make this world a better place. It’s simple: inspire, educate, and let’s go change this world! On today’s episode, Jeff welcomes guest, Judge Echo Hutson (https://www.mctx.org/departments/departments_a_-_c/county_courts/county_court_at_law_4/the_judge.php), who serves in Montgomery County in Texas in Law 4. Echo has experience in misdemeanor criminal cases, along with domestic violence and mental health court. She has a strong passion for these fields and loves to speak on domestic violence and mental health. One event she helps lead is called, “Flowers on the Lake (https://www.yourconroenews.com/neighborhood/moco/news/article/flowers-lake-recognize-domestic-violence-18420377.php).” Every October at sunset, they lay down carnations on the lake for the number of the year (so this year will be 2,024). They partner with multiple centers and these flowers represent the number of victims and survivors of domestic violence in their community. 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men will be affected by domestic violence in their lifetimes. Echo lives in the Montgomery area with her husband and youngest son, and her oldest son, Austin, is a cyber-security engineer in the army. For fun, she likes to sing and play in a band called, “Benny and the Montague!” First, Echo shares how she started in the district attorney’s office and had to learn about victims of domestic violence and co-occurring mental health issues. The goal is to find the correct punishment, to see that justice is done, and to find the right thing for these individuals. The first hearing for individuals is at 9 AM every day and they look for evidence or flags of a mental health disorder. The state of Texas is present along with a probation officer. She is not a licensed mental health professional, but she has learned many facts about mental health on the job. The worst thing that could happen is they incarcerate someone with a serious condition or do the opposite. She has had major disagreements, but they always involve a licensed mental health professional for their professional opinions. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (https://www.nami.org/Home) and a recent presentation from Echo, 1 in 5 Americans live with a mental health condition. 21.1% of people experiencing homelessness have a serious mental health condition. 33.5% of US adults with mental illness also experience a substance abuse disorder. 8.3% of adults have a major depressive episode and 19% of US adults have an anxiety disorder. Suicide is the 12th leading cause of death in the US, and 90% of people who die by suicide may have had a mental health condition. 79% of suicides are males and suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in 10-14 year olds. Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death in 15-24-year-olds. 2 in 5 people who are incarcerated have a history of mental health issues and out of 50,000 veterans in local jails, 55% have a mental health disorder. Mental illness is a wide range of things that can affect mood or behavior, but mental disorders are more severe conditions. There is an overrepresentation of mental disorders in the criminal justice system among those in the general population. For example, schizophrenia is an overrepresentation in the criminal justice system but is present in less than 1% of the general population. 2.8% of the population has bipolar disorder and 3.6% has PTSD. People come from traumatic situations and i Learn more about Jeff Newkirk (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreyanewkirk/). Do you have any game-changers in your life? Be sure to let me know so we can celebrate their story and contribution to our world. Go to https://gamechangerswithjeff.com to enter your name to be on the podcast

Inside a recent episode

Unshakable Faith with Matilda Marie

Published 22 Apr 2024 · Transcript excerpt

[…] And so they had to wait until those antibodies were low enough in my blood system to match me to a new kidney and it took nine years. So during that nine year timeframe, how did you persevere? What was every day like for you? Every day, some days were great. I was on dialysis. I did it myself at home. So I was able to control my health in a way that I felt comfortable. And although it was seven days a week, I was still able to work when I could. Yeah. So let's talk about that for a second because we had that discussion before. You're saying like, you know, I just did it. And you did. I mean, you did it every day. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

13 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 6 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

1

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

26

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