Best STRIVE Initiative Podcasts (2025)

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Episode 272: Striving for Racial Equity in the Child Welfare System (w/ Shanelle Dupree) 43:28

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7d ago43:28

43:28

The child welfare system can be confusing and complex. Families are often expected to navigate administrative systems, the criminal justice system, the legal system, and the social system—all at the same time and with no prior instruction. Our guest today knows the child welfare system inside and out—and she’s passionate about helping families navi…

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Defining the "perfect stock", plus Initial takes on RGP, GRVY, MZDAY, FUJHY 46:49

13d ago46:49

46:49

In this episode, Dale defines what he looks for in a perfect stock: 1. A business with five low cyclically adjusted ratios. 2. A business with low competition, several clients, not capital intensive. 3. A business with a solid management team. Verbal disclosures read from 0:16 - 1:21 . General information and full disclosures for Dale’s Solo Invest…

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Pottstown Play Streets 2025 Summer Kickoff Conversation 48:46

20d ago48:46

48:46

Episode 33 This Thursday, we kickoff Play Streets in the borough of Pottstown. During the Summer, the Pottstown Parks and Recreation Department and Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation puts on a block party called "Play Streets". See Play Streets summer schedule below: Schedule: June 12: Cherry St. Park June 26: Prince St. (Bright Hope) Ju…

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Episode 271: Foster Fathers (w/ Chris Easley & Kyle Seick) 47:41

21d ago47:41

47:41

Note: In this episode, Jami talks about her pregnancy—but don’t worry, you didn’t miss another baby announcement! If you’re part of our TFI family, you know her sweet little one has already arrived. This episode was recorded back in January! Sometimes, it can feel like the conversation within the foster care community is predominantly shaped by fem…

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Self Mastery is KEY 5:02

1M ago5:02

5:02

Part of the “Think for yourself” shorts launching in 2025. Are you ready for a self mastery template you can start right now? Remember, trust yourself, you have the answers. Listen here: https://content.blubrry.com/thedrdeniseshow/2025-05-29-t03-41-00pm-5cbce5dcd51ad10015d43636-denisemcdermott.mp3By Ascension Media

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Episode 270: Recovering from Addiction to Achieve Reunification (w/ Jacob Jackson) 41:31

1M ago41:31

41:31

There are many requirements that a biological parent must meet in order to reunify with their children. While these requirements are necessary to ensure that children are being reunited with parents who can provide a safe and stable environment, many parents struggle to overcome the circumstances that led to their children being placed in foster ca…

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BDL a value play? Plus thoughts on SG & BLMN 22:20

1M ago22:20

22:20

Dale values symbol BDL and talks about the benefits of diverse menus in the restaurant business. Verbal disclosures read from 1:18-2:27. General information and full disclosures for Dale’s Solo Investors Podcast LLC are listed here: dalex5.podbean.com Sign up for Guru Focus: https://www.gurufocus.com/?affid=213fdcd9248dba7b149775aea75327e1 , click …

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Episode 269: Opening Your Heart and Home to Those in Need (w/ Sarah Hott) 35:17

2M ago35:17

35:17

Foster care is both rewarding and challenging. It’s happy at times and sad at others; it brings hard days as well as beautiful moments. If you are in the foster care community, you’ve likely seen (or experienced) this firsthand. But what do we do when we come to the end of ourselves? How do we respond when we feel called to open our homes again to …

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Episode 268: Building Compassion for Those Struggling with Addiction (w/ Christina Dent) 57:40

2M ago57:40

57:40

Substance use is a major factor in foster care cases; in 2017 alone, more than half of the children who entered care under age 5 did so because of parental drug use. Addiction is an issue that runs parallel to the foster care community, and it’s a struggle that agency workers and foster parents often witness firsthand in the lives of the families t…

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Five Cyclically Adjusted Valuation Ratios 20:04

2M ago20:04

20:04

Dale talks about five Cyclically Adjusted Valuation Ratios: Cyclically Adjusted Enterprise Value to EBIT (CAEE™) , Cyclically Adjusted Price to Book (CAPB™), Cyclically Adjusted Enterprise Value to EBITDA (CAEVE™), Cyclically Adjusted Enterprise Value to Free Cash Flow (CAEF™), and Cyclically Adjusted Enterprise Value to Gross Profit (CAEG™) . Verb…

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CAEE™ Ratio 18:55

2M ago18:55

18:55

Dale discusses a novel approach to valuing individual stocks. Verbal Disclosures read from 2:54 - 3:50 . General information and full disclosures for Dale’s Solo Investors Podcast LLC are listed here: dalex5.podbean.com Sign up for Guru Focus: https://www.gurufocus.com/?affid=213fdcd9248dba7b149775aea75327e1 , click "Book a Demo" CAEE™ Ratio — Pate…

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BFH , Credit card duopolies , retail stocks benefit? 23:14

2M ago23:14

23:14

Dale talks about BFH , Credit card duopolies , and how retail stocks benefit. Episode starts at 0:15 . Verbal Disclosures read from 0:50 - 2:00. General information and full disclosures for Dale’s Solo Investors Podcast LLC are listed here: dalex5.podbean.com Sign up for Guru Focus: https://www.gurufocus.com/?affid=213fdcd9248dba7b149775aea75327e1 …

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Episode 267: Beauty Woven in the Brokenness (w/ Austin Ludwig) 44:11

3M ago44:11

44:11

Trigger Warning: We want to let our listeners know that this episode includes mentions of physical abuse. If you are sensitive to this topic, we recommend you listen with caution. Trauma is one of the hardest challenges to navigate in life. Whether it’s impacting you or someone you love, it can be easy to wish that trauma could be erased in an inst…

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Spring Break! 7:51

3M ago7:51

7:51

Sending wishes of Peace and Health to ALL: https://content.blubrry.com/thedrdeniseshow/2025-04-02--t04-26-42pm--5cbce5dcd51ad10015d43636--denisemcdermott.mp3 ININ SongBy Ascension Media

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Episode 266: Advocating for Whole Family Care (w/ Esther Sherrard) 38:13

3M ago38:13

38:13

The child welfare system is not perfect. Not only is it subject to the types of challenges all government programs can face—such as a lack of funding, policy gaps, and inefficiencies—it’s also very overloaded. As a result, many biological parents don’t receive the best resources to help them navigate their circumstances, and often, they are confuse…

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Dole Foods an asset play 35:46

3M ago35:46

35:46

Correction: In this episode, I mistakenly referenced the wrong land valuation for Dole. Dole had a certain number of acres publicly listed on their website. However, just because a company operates on land doesn’t necessarily mean they own it. I initially assumed Dole owned certain land in the Philippines, but after revisiting their 10-K and 20-F f…

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Episode 265: Walking Through the Heartache of "Blocked Care" (w/ Eric & Diana Powell) 43:02

3M ago43:02

43:02

Like so many families, Eric and Diana Powell entered into adoption with the best intentions. After their first international adoption from Thailand, they quickly started the paperwork for their second, knowing that the process is often long and fraught with delays. What they couldn’t know is that the next few years of their adoption journey would i…

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Net net stock - VNDA 29:18

4M ago29:18

29:18

Dale values symbol VNDA and talks about the benefits and risks of "net-net" stocks. Verbal disclosures read from 2:27 - 3:40. General information and full disclosures for Dale’s Solo Investors Podcast LLC are listed here: dalex5.podbean.com Sign up for Guru Focus: https://www.gurufocus.com/?affid=213fdcd9248dba7b149775aea75327e1 , click "Book a Dem…

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Five Years After the Lockdown 18:39

4M ago18:39

18:39

Episode 32 Today marks the 5 year anniversary of the beginning of the COVID lockdown in 2020. Our students were in 1st, 2nd, and third grade when it happened, so we take some time to reflect on what it was like for them, how they felt, what they experienced, and what lessons they learned (or didn't learn). ----------------- Produced and edited by Z…

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With a Little Help From My Friends 18:11

4M ago18:11

18:11

Episode 31 When have you needed help? When were you able to help someone else? Today, we explore what it's like to be a friend and to have a good support network. ----------------- Produced and edited by Zack Jackson Created in partnership with the Pottstown School District and the STRIVE Initiative https://www.pottstownschools.org/ https://strivei…

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Episode 264: The Reality of a Caseworker’s Role (w/ Brittni Hodges) 39:35

4M ago39:35

39:35

Foster care caseworkers often feel forgotten, isolated, and alone. From managing stressful workloads to coping with secondary trauma and sometimes facing frustration from families in crisis, it’s not hard to understand why caseworker turnover is so high. But here at The Forgotten Initiative, we believe well-supported caseworkers will more effective…

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Episode 263: Learning How to Serve the Foster Care Community (w/ April Hobbs) 36:39

4M ago36:39

36:39

How much do you know about the foster care community where you live? Many people—both individuals and organizations like churches—want to support their vulnerable neighbors. But few are aware of the many practical ways they can help the children, biological families, foster families, and agency workers who make up their local foster care communitie…

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Gen Alpha Joins the Podcast 14:02

5M ago14:02

14:02

Episode 30 Today we are joined by very special guests, Charles and Theo Jackson. They are in fourth and first grade, respectively, and are joining us for a very special episode. Our Middle Schoolers offer wisdom and advice on how to get through Elementary and what to expect as they move up to a new school. ----------------- Produced and edited by Z…

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Episode 262: Hope for Healing from Adverse Childhood Experiences (w/ Angela Paganelli) 37:38

5M ago37:38

37:38

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) can affect children from any background, but those in foster care are especially vulnerable. There are ten main types of ACEs that have been identified—ranging from abuse to neglect to household dysfunction. All of them have the potential to negatively impact future outcomes for a child. Our latest guest, Angela…

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Update and Blessings to ALL 3:37

5M ago3:37

3:37

Wishing all of you Health, Safety, Hope, and Prosperity past, present and future: https://content.blubrry.com/thedrdeniseshow/2025-01-24--t04-35-53pm--5cbce5dcd51ad10015d43636--denisemcdermott.mp3 ININ, new song. Neurostyle Song starring IAM.By Ascension Media

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"The Jim Crow North: The Struggle for Civil Rights in Pottstown, Pennsylvania" 50:22

5M ago50:22

50:22

Episode 29 We are joined today by Dr. Matthew George Washington. He is assistant professor of history at Prairie View A&M University and author of "The Jim Crow North: The Struggle for Civil Rights in Pottstown, Pennsylvania". Dakota and Noel sat down with him at the Pottstown High School to talk about the history of civil rights in Pottstown, and …

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Episode 261: Helping Children Develop Positive Relationships with Food (w/ Madison Tyler) 43:24

5M ago43:24

43:24

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 13.5% of U.S. households were food insecure at some time during 2023. Unfortunately, food-related trauma is a common challenge for many children who have entered the foster care system. Whether it’s an aversion to a particular type of food, fear that there won’t be enough food, or a tendency to overe…

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Engineering a Better Future with Montco360 34:14

5M ago34:14

34:14

Episode 28 It's a special one-on-one episode with Christazja and Zack about her experience in the pilot program "Montco 360" at Montgomery County College. We talk about engineering, creativity, fixing the world's problems, and the incredible opportunities that are here in the borough. ----------------- Produced and edited by Zack Jackson Created in…

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Angel and Lizzie's Birthday Episode 29:15

6M ago29:15

29:15

Episode 27 We've got some birthdays in the house which means this is a birthday episode! It's full of stories, memories, hopes, and advice. ----------------- Produced and edited by Zack Jackson Created in partnership with the Pottstown School District and the STRIVE Initiative https://www.pottstownschools.org/ https://striveinitiative.org/ If you w…

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Episode 260: Transforming Despair Into Hope (w/ Keristein Fox) 47:17

6M ago47:17

47:17

For our very first episode of 2025, we’re bringing you another great conversation that sheds light on the real people of the foster care community. In this episode, we are talking to Keristein Fox. Today, she’s a happily married stay-at-home mom who loves watching her three children grow and thrive. But Keristein’s story wasn’t always this joyful. …

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Family First 4:03

6M ago4:03

4:03

“Family First” is a mantra in my mind as a single mom of a charismatic teen. As we are finishing up 2024 it is important to take inventory of our core values and the who, what, why and when of time and frequency management for ourselves and our loved ones. https://content.blubrry.com/thedrdeniseshow/12_17_24_Family_First_4_min_.wav…

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Clickbait 4:57

6M ago4:57

4:57

Dopamine hits and mindful ingestion… OH MY! https://content.blubrry.com/thedrdeniseshow/12_17_24_Click_Bait_4_min_.wavBy Ascension Media

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Episode 259: Born into Foster Care (w/ Lucy Baker) 43:35

7M ago43:35

43:35

Trigger Warning: We want to let our listeners know that this episode includes mentions of sexual abuse, physical abuse, and thoughts of suicide. If you are sensitive to any of these topics, we recommend you listen with caution. From the day she entered the world, Lucy Baker felt as though she didn’t have a home. Born inside of a jail to a mother in…

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Nostalgia! 7:36

7M ago7:36

7:36

How do you lean into your multitude of feelings of memories of loved ones past during the holidays? What does Healthy Nostalgia mean to you? https://content.blubrry.com/thedrdeniseshow/12_4_24_Nostalgia.wavBy Ascension Media

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Episode 258: Learning How to Care for a Child’s Hair (w/ Authrine T.K. Singleton) 32:37

7M ago32:37

32:37

When a child enters our home, there are many factors we consider to ensure their comfort and safety. However, one important aspect of a child’s well-being can often be overlooked—their hair care. This is especially true if the child comes from a different racial background, where hair care needs may differ significantly. Hair is an important part o…