Peaceful Hugs Podcast

About Peaceful Hugs Podcast

The Peaceful Hugs Podcast shares uplifting, real-life stories of people helping others — guided by faith, kindness, and connection. It brings the mission of the Peaceful Hugs nonprofit to life through heartfelt conversations about service, second chances, and the power of community.

Publisher

Mark Zahringer

Category

education · religion & spirituality

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

9 Jan 2026

Latest episode

30 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

20 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   30 Sept 2026

   Doing Good by Doing Well: 25 Years of Faith, Generosity & Unbridled Impact

   Doing Good by Doing Well: 25 Years of Faith, Generosity & Unbridled Impact What happens when you stop trying to control the outcome and simply take the next step God puts in front of you? In this episode of Peaceful Hugs, Mark Zahringer and Lorelei Cromer sit down with longtime friend and Unbridled founder Stan Bullis as Unbridled celebrates its 25th anniversary. Stan shares the deeply personal story behind a journey that began long before the company existed. From growing up around the world and learning to adapt wherever he landed, to becoming a company president at just 29, Stan appeared successful from the outside. But underneath that success were fear, imposter syndrome, and the realization that hard work and self-reliance could only take him so far. A business crisis became an unexpected turning point. What followed was a journey of faith, surrender, generosity, and learning to trust God one step at a time. Stan shares how the vision for Unbridled began, the biblical principles behind its 20/20/60 business model, and the idea that became foundational to everything that followed: doing good by doing well. That commitment eventually grew far beyond one company. Today, the Unbridled family includes more than 30 companies, with generosity intentionally built into the way they operate. But this conversation isn't simply about building businesses. It's about building people. Stan reflects on the creation of Unbridled Acts, opening his home to people navigating incredibly difficult circumstances, learning to separate someone's behavior from their identity, and discovering what it means to truly “love people to life.” He also shares the moments when things didn't go according to plan—the partnerships that didn't work, businesses that struggled for years, financial uncertainty, and the people who stepped forward at exactly the right moment. Through it all, one lesson continued to surface: you don't have to see the entire path. You just have to be willing to take the next step. In This Episode Mark, Lorelei, and Stan discuss: The unlikely beginnings of Unbridled and the relationships that started it all Stan's unconventional childhood and how it shaped his identity Becoming a company president at 29 while struggling with imposter syndrome The business crisis that forced Stan to confront what he couldn't control Choosing faith and purpose over the safer path The origin of Unbridled and Unbridled Acts The meaning behind “doing good by doing well” How the 20/20/60 business model was developed Building generosity directly into a company's business model Why restoring people became just as important as growing companies Learning to separate a person's behavior from their identity The power of having even one person believe in you How adjacent opportunities helped one company grow into an ecosystem of businesses Restoring historic buildings and investing back into communities Trusting God through business failures, financial uncertainty, and unexpected opportunities Wrestling with imposter syndrome even after experiencing success Why obedience doesn't require seeing ten steps ahead Using business, resources, and even new technology as tools for good The generational impact of 25 years of choosing to keep moving forward Stan's story isn't one of having everything figured out. In fact, he describes much of his journey as being continually “rerouted.” It's a story of falling down, getting back up, listening, learning, and trusting that God can work through imperfect people who are simply willing to keep moving. As Lorelei reflects near the end of the conversation, sometimes the light we're given isn't enough to illuminate the entire road ahead. It's simply enough light to take the next step. Stan's Best Piece of Life Advice Believe the Gospel. And perhaps just as importantly: believe in the inherent goodness of people, work hard, don't be quick to judge, and find the way that your own relationship with God works rather than trying to make it look like someone else's. Stan's Movie Picks When asked what everyone should read or watch before they die, Stan shares his love for stories about the enduring human spirit, including Forrest Gump and The Hunger Games. Above all, this episode is a reminder that a meaningful life isn't necessarily built by knowing exactly where you're going. Sometimes it's built by listening, trusting, and faithfully taking the next step.

2. 

   16 Sept 2026

   Closing the Gender Wealth Gap, One Client at a Time

   In this episode of the Peaceful Hugs Podcast, hosts Mark Zahringer and Lorelei Cromer sit down with Cindy Alvarez — co-owner of a wealth management practice under Savvy Advisors and a recent honoree on AdvisorHub's 2026 Women to Watch list — for a conversation about the accidental path that took her from English major to financial advisor, the stubborn wealth gap between women and men, why so many families never build a real budget, and what it actually takes to earn a client's trust. Cindy traces her career back to the launch of E*Trade, which convinced her that if men on Wall Street could learn to trade, so could she. At 27, she pulled $1,000 out of savings and bought her first two stocks — a tire-recycling company, not exactly a blue chip. After moving to Colorado, she started a women's investment club with friends who, like her, had 401(k)s from jobs they'd left and no idea what to do with them; wine and cosmopolitans were involved. The club grew to about fourteen women meeting monthly, and Cindy — who had once planned to teach high school English — realized she'd found a new way to educate people instead. She got licensed and became an advisor just as her marriage was ending. Mark and Lorelei push Cindy on why women still lag men financially decades later. She points to gatekeeping: many advisors won't take on a client without six or seven figures to invest, which shuts out the people who need guidance most. Lorelei raises how upbringing shapes people's relationship with money altogether — from households that treat wealth as sinful to those that never discuss it at all — and Cindy explains that her first question to any new client isn't about their portfolio, it's about their values, because no two financial plans should look the same. From there the conversation turns to the bigger picture: Gen Z is on pace to be the first generation in U.S. history to end up less wealthy than the one before it, millennials left college in debt straight into a recession, and the average age of first-time homeownership has climbed toward the mid-30s. Credit card debt, Cindy notes, is at its highest point on record — a symptom, she says, of households that have never actually built a budget. She also unpacks a distinction most investors never learn: roughly 70% of the U.S. economy is privately held, not the 30% traded on Wall Street, which is why access to private markets usually requires more wealth than most people have to spare. Cindy ties her approach back to her own childhood — her mother took her and her siblings dumpster diving for wilted flowers to deliver to nursing home residents, a lesson in community she says still drives why she takes on younger, smaller-balance clients today as an investment in the next generation. Cindy and the hosts also get honest about the industry's blind spots — an arena that has historically rated advisors on portfolio performance alone rather than how they've helped clients through a lost job, a health crisis, or a first home. The episode closes with Cindy's best piece of life advice, "leave more than you take," her second rule, "keep it simple," and her picks for a movie and book everyone should experience before they die: Casablanca, The Shawshank Redemption, and the words of Maya Angelou. --- ## Takeaways Cindy Alvarez bought her first stock at 27 with $1,000 pulled from savings — a tire-recycling company, not a blue chip — and turned early trial and error into a three-decade career in wealth management. A women's investment club that started with friends splitting a bottle of wine over their orphaned 401(k)s became the foundation of Cindy's advisory career. The real barrier to investing usually isn't a lack of money — it's an industry that often won't take on a client without six or seven figures to invest. Cindy's first question with a new client isn't about their portfolio; it's about their values, because no two financial plans should look identical. Roughly 70% of the U.S. economy runs on privately held companies rather than the 30% traded on Wall Street — a distinction Cindy says most investors never learn. Gen Z is on track to be the first generation in U.S. history to end up less wealthy than the generation before it. Credit card debt in America is at its highest point on record, a pattern Cindy traces directly to households that have never built a real budget. Cindy's mother took her kids dumpster diving for wilted flowers to deliver to nursing home residents — a childhood lesson in community that still shapes how she runs her practice today. Cindy takes on younger clients with smaller balances deliberately, calling it an investment in the wealth-builders of the next generation. Cindy's best piece of life advice: "Leave more than you take." Her second rule for anyone getting started: "Keep it simple" — investing and saving don't have to be complicated to work. Cindy's picks for a movie and book everyone should experience: Casablanca, The Shawshank Redemption, and the writing of Maya Angelou. About the Peaceful Hugs Podcast The Peaceful Hugs Podcast is a space for thoughtful, real conversations about faith, culture, purpose, and the stories that shape us. Hosted by Mark Zahringer and Lorelei Cromer, the show brings together voices from different backgrounds and generations to explore what it means to live with empathy — especially when the world feels loud, polarized, and quick to judge. At the center of it all is a simple idea: kindness matters, and we can't afford to lose it. 🎙️ Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PeacefulHugsPodcast

3. 

   2 Sept 2026

   What You Didn't Know About Wendy Steele

   In this episode of the Peaceful Hugs Podcast, hosts Mark Zahringer and Lorelei Cromer sit down with Wendy Steele — entrepreneur, author, philanthropist, and founder of Impact 100 — for a conversation about growing up with a mandate to give back, breaking ground as one of the only women in the room in 1980s banking, and building a collective giving model that has grown, entirely by word of mouth, into 80+ chapters across the U.S., U.K., Australia, and New Zealand that have given away more than $178 million. Wendy traces her drive back to her grandfather, a banker who taught her that making the world better wasn't optional — it was a mandate. She talks candidly about being one of the only women in most rooms she worked in, the weight of knowing a misstep could hold back every woman who came after her, and why she still believes gender isn't a limiting factor but a superpower. The conversation turns personal and pointed: Mark and Lorelei push on why some women still won't vote for other women, why toughness has become tangled up with self-worth in the workplace, and why vulnerability gets punished even as it's the thing that makes leaders better. Wendy shares the story of the bike accident that gave her buck teeth as a kid, and how her parents' refusal to let her feel sorry for herself became a lifelong habit of choosing optimism without ignoring reality. From there, the conversation moves into the origin story of Impact 100 itself: the $1,000 "stop-and-think" gift, the first $123,000 grant to a Cincinnati dental clinic, the phone call from People Magazine that accidentally sparked a nationwide movement, and how a research trip for the Prime Minister of Australia led to chapters on the other side of the world. Mark shares a story of his own — a man Peaceful Hugs helped after he lost his daughter's mother, both parents, his best friend, his job, and nearly his apartment, all within a few months — as a real-world example of what an Impact 100 grant makes possible. Wendy and Lorelei also get honest about the trust nonprofits have to earn back every time a high-profile charity scandal makes headlines, and why transparency and closeness to the community matter more than ever. The episode closes with Wendy's best piece of life advice, her book and movie recommendations, and a plea to get her on the cover of People Magazine at last. Takeaways Being raised in a family that insists you can — and must — make the world better becomes an identity, not just a value, regardless of where you land in the birth order. Gender isn't a limiting factor; it's a superpower. The only real limits are the ones we place on ourselves. Being the first or only woman in the room carries a hidden weight: a misstep doesn't just cost you, it can hold back every woman who comes after you. Strong leaders surround themselves with people who respectfully push back, not just a tight circle of friends who nod along to every idea. Optimism can be a discipline: play out the worst-case scenario in your head, then walk it back, rather than living in it. A $1,000 gift should make a donor stop and think. Feeling a gift is what connects a giver to what that gift makes possible once it goes out into the world. Small grants keep the lights on; Impact 100 was built to fund grants of $100,000 or more that actually move the needle for a nonprofit. Impact 100 has grown to 80+ chapters that have given away more than $178 million — entirely through organic, word-of-mouth growth, with no paid chapter development. One high-profile nonprofit scandal — a CEO's private jet, a seven-figure salary — can quietly poison public trust in every small, lean nonprofit doing the real work. Do what you can to leave the world better than you found it. Simple advice, rarely followed all the way through. Chapters About the Peaceful Hugs Podcast The Peaceful Hugs Podcast is a space for thoughtful, real conversations about faith, culture, purpose, and the stories that shape us. Hosted by Mark Zahringer and Lorelei Cromer, the show brings together voices from different backgrounds and generations to explore what it means to live with empathy — especially when the world feels loud, polarized, and quick to judge. At the center of it all is a simple idea: kindness matters, and we can't afford to lose it. 🎙️ Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PeacefulHugsPodcast

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