Fulfillament Stories

Fulfillment through work. Challenges to COME ALIVE.

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Ben Davila, The Rock Stop

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benBen Davila is a co-founder of the Rock Stop and serves as the lead teacher. Prior to moving to Traverse City in 2014, he spent nearly a decade teaching at the Bird School of Music in San Francisco.  Ben is a prolific song-writer and multi-instrumentalist, having written and recorded a song every week for five years. His music has been used in plays, movies, ads, and video games.  When he isn’t teaching, writing music, or performing, he records other artists.Ben graduated with degrees in music and sound technology from the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts. Besides music, Ben enjoys astrophysics and science fiction. 

I love teaching Rock ‘n’ Roll because so much of life is being told to sit still and be quiet. I like being a voice that tells people to make noise and wiggle. 

Here is Ben’s story from the January 2018 event…

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CHRISTAL FROST ANDERSON, WTCM

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christalChristal  grew up in Benzie County and began her career locally at Boys and Girls Clubs of Grand Traverse, after completing a year of service with Americorps National Service. She started in radio in 2007, and feels as though she has finally found her broadcasting home with WTCM NewsTalk 580. Christal is involved with many community groups, co-founding the CherryT Ball Drop in 2009. She is a member of the Board of Governors for the National Cherry Festival  and a board member for Parallel 45 Theatre in Traverse City. Christal’s heart lies in working with children and she remains an active volunteer for Children’s Advocacy Center. Aside from her career and charitable work, Christal is married with two children, ages 15 and 11.

“When I was growing up, I was told my story, my thoughts, even my point of view didn’t matter. It has been hard to shake that foundation; honestly, it’s something I struggle with every day. So, this microphone is kind of my therapy- and, I hope to use it to offer others a chance to realize how they use their voice–whether it’s what they’re saying, what they’re doing, teaching, building– their voice matters, too. “

Here is Christal’s story from the January 2018 event…

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Fernando Meza, OneUpWeb CEO

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fernando-mzaFERNANDO MEZA is a first generation Mexican-American born in East Los Angeles, an advertising whiz who cut his teeth in Manhattan, Meza purchased the innovative digital marketing agency OneUpWeb in 2014 and moved it to a revitalized warehouse in the Grand Traverse Commons. Meza says he feels more proud of his Latino heritage here than he would in LA or New York.

I’m privileged to live in a community that has graciously provided me a platform to participate in a community that’s inclusive of diverse voices. I’m humbled to be surrounded by so many talented and passionate humans. It’s my duty to leverage my privilege to make our community better for all. 

Here is Fernando’s story from the September 2017 event….

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Anne Hoyt, Leelanau Cheese founder

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ann smilingANNE HOYT is the cheesemaker and co-owner of Leelanau Cheese.  Anne was born in the north of France and moved to the Roquefort region to work in agriculture as a chicken and turkey farmer, vegetable grower and also worked with goats and goat cheese. After that Anne was a Shepard in Switzerland. After years of training and hands-on experience finally led her and her husband back to Michigan.  

I do what I do for the love of making good food . What I do gives us (my husband and I ) the chance to make a living in one of the most beautiful place on earth. Slowing down a little and  having more time  to get getting involved  in the community would make me really happy

Here is Anne’s story from the September 2017 event….

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Diana Ladio, fiddler, violinist, teacher

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dianaDIANA LADIO is a studied Americana fiddler, 5-string violinist, and classical violist. After receiving degrees in music performance and music education from the University of Michigan, she co-founded the instrumental fusion trio and educational ensemble, The Moxie Strings, which she also manages and promotes. In 2015 she joined the ranks of Irish super-group, The Elders, and now tours internationally with both bands performing shows, teaching clinics, and presenting at music education conferences. She specializes in introducing young musicians to the joy and importance of exploring different genres of music and finding their personal musical paths. Diana is a 5-time marathoner and an avid mind and body wellness enthusiast.

“Through a process of self-awareness, honesty, and courage, each of us has the power to discover a path of personal purpose and live an enjoyable life that celebrates our truest selves.”

Here is Diana’s story from the September 2017 event…

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Norm Wheeler, teacher, poet, trumpet player

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normNORM WHEELER is the co-creator and host of Beach Bards Bonfire (by heart storytelling around a bonfire), a retired Astronomy and English teacher at the Leelanau School after 32 years, and a trumpet/flugelhorn player for Jazz North, The Wild Sullys, Goodboy!, and Luunappi around the area for 20 years. While hitchhiking around Europe in the 1970s, he met Mimi (founder of Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate) in Copenhagen, and they brought their family (Jacob & Julia) to Leelanau County in 1984.

My college English professor could recite poetry from in Old English, challenging me to not just read but to memorize, to perform, to keep the Oral Tradition of out loud poetry alive, and then he died of too many boilermakers and cigarettes a week after I graduated from Olivet. I have been reciting poems ever since.

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Jackie Kaschel, Peace Ranch

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jackieJACKIE KASCHEL, Founder and ED of PEACE Ranch, serving horses and humans suffering the effects of abuse, neglect, conflict grief and pain. The ranch serves a broad population with EAGALA Model equine assisted activities and specializes with at risk youth, trauma based issues for children and Veterans and difficult to treat issues like addiction and autism.   Jackie has led the way pioneering experiential equine assisted mental health and educational services in Northern Michigan. She is uniquely suited to this endeavor with her combined personal life story, solid multi-disciplinary experience in counseling and excellent horsemanship skills. Jackie oversees program design, implementation, assessment and provides overall organizational direction.

Here is Jackie’s story from the September 2017 event…

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BEN WHITING, Magician & Entertainer

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Ben WhitingBen Whiting is an award winning Professional Speaker and Corporate Entertainer. He co-founded MagicMouth Theatre, a company that combined Magic and theatre while educating communities in both art forms. As a speaker, actor and entertainer, Ben performs at sales conferences, award banquets, and private events across the country for clients such as American Express, GE, and Oprah’s HARPO Studios. He is also currently one of Crystal Cruise Lines’ premiere entertainers, which has enabled him to perform his feats of magic and mind reading in countries around the globe. In his spare time he enjoys raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, brown paper packages tied up with string, whiskey and Bruce Springsteen.

“Real magic isn’t in the deception, but in the connection you create with your audience, both on and off stage.”
Here is Ben’s story from the May 2017 event…

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Jetty Rae, singer/songwriter

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jettyJetty Rae is a singer and songwriter originally from Northern Michigan. She has been singing, touring, and recording since 2004. Jetty garnered the attention of JetBlue when she played at the opening of their new Terminal at JFK International Airport. MTV.com featured Jetty on their up-and-coming artist blog, and she has shared the stage with Sarah McLachlan and Miranda Lambert at Lilith Fair in Detroit. You can also hear Jetty’s music in a number of TV commercials for brands such as Microsoft, PetCo, Truvia, Nabi Tablets and more.

“My deepest wish is that you would hear your life’s story and struggle in my words and songs–and maybe I can help you feel less alone.”

Here is Jetty’s story from the May 2017 event…

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JULIE GREEN, Hospice RN

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julieJulie Green was born in Metro Detroit. After nursing school, she worked on a cardiac unit in an urban hospital as a RN. From there, she volunteered in Kenya for six months at a refugee camp working to empower women affected by HIV. Upon coming home, she moved to Traverse city with her friends and found love. Julie worked on organic farms  and with herbal medicine and then began working with Munson Hospice in 2012. She has earned her certificate in end if life doula training and helped to promote Death Cafe in Leelanua county.

“Being present at the bedside of a fellow human being who is facing dying is a sacred experience. I am forever grateful for these moments and am so happy to have found spiritual connection in my vocation as a nurse.”

Here is Julie’s story from the May 2017 event…

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CHRIS HINDBAUGH, Addiction Treatment Services

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chrisChris Hindbaugh has worked in the behavioral health field for over 20 years. He has worked in a variety of hospital based programs, and has also ran a youth crisis center and shelter. In 2009, Hindbaugh moved to Traverse City where he is the current CEO of Addiction Treatment Services, an organization that has completely recreated itself while doubling its size, adding innovative programs and winning multiple national awards under Hindbaugh’s leadership. Currently Hindbaugh is working on a number of state and national projects aimed at addressing the opiate epidemic by calling for increased compassion, smarter sanctions and access to more treatment options for those struggling with addiction.
“The great challenge of our time is to maintain genuine, vulnerable human connection and not get lost in the quick-fix nature of social media or a sound-bite mentality to define our complex world.  Without wrestling with the messiness of love, forgiveness, and compassion,  we will fall short of our true potential as an individual and as a community.”  

Here is Chris’ story from the May 2017 event…

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RICH BRAUER, Filmmaker

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Brauer headshot DM2Rich Brauer is president of Brauer Productions, Inc., an independent film and video production company he founded in 1977. After many years of making films for a wide variety of clients, Brauer received the Michigan Filmmaker of the Year award at the 2009 Traverse City Film Festival, presented by filmmaker Michael Moore. Brauer has directed 10 feature films and hundreds of corporate, non-profit, educational and commercial projects.
He also co-founded the Maritime Heritage Alliance in 1982 and the Inland Seas Education Association in 1989.

“I got bit by the filmmaking bug in 7th grade after seeing “The Blue Max” and haven’t looked back.  I respect the craft and appreciate the process of working with artists and technicians towards the creation of one common goal. It’s quite remarkable.”

Here is Rich’s story from the May 2017 event…

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Troy DeShano, Illustrator and Designer

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troy-portrait-2016-1800Troy is an artist and designer based out of Traverse City, Michigan. After spending much of his twenties battling cancer, Troy found himself sharing stories of his personal trials through art and design via his blog Strong Odors. As a result Troy launched his freelance design and illustration business Ten Point Studio in 2009, has exhibited fine art in galleries around Michigan as well as Chicago and Minneapolis, and has also gained international recognition for his collaborative design projects FUTURALBUM and Old & New Project. Troy also serves on staff at Michigan Legacy Art Park, and has been a happy husband and proud parent for the past 17 years.

“Fate tossed me into the arts, and magic keeps me swimming here. Art must not necessarily always be my career, but it is forever in my ears and eyes and nose and lungs and blood and bones and guts and heart and soul.”

Here is Tory’s story from the January 2017 event…

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LEAH BAGDON MCCALLUM, U.S. SENATOR REGIONAL DIRECTOR

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img_9744Leah is a waitress, turned grant writer, turned proud government employee. She charted her career path based on her mission to improve the quality of life for all around her. –A goal that may sound a little vanilla, but that is absolutely her truth.  Leah has channeled her entrepreneurial spirit into whatever makes people and places around her thrive. Whether building Chicago’s Prentice Women’s Hospital,  or saving the Detroit Zoo, or helping Goodwill provide housing, jobs and food for folks in our region, or her current role with one of Michigan’s terrific U.S. Senators, – Leah believes that she can make her backyard better. She also serves as Vice Chair of the Traverse City DDA, and on Munson’s Community Health Committee. She’s done some neat stuff, but her gig as a mom to two great kids is what makes her most proud (and tired).

“I don’t worry about things that I cannot change. However, I believe that anybody can do whatever they put their mind to. So, in between these two guiding principles, I don’t do a lot of sitting still. “

Here is her story from the January 2017 event…

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Erin Anderson Whiting, Parallel 45 Theatre

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erin2Erin grew up surrounded by cherry farms near Elk Rapids, but left to pursue an adventure at Interlochen Arts Academy, where she majored in Creative Writing and was named a Presidential Scholar in the Arts. Her journey continued in New York City, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree focused in Middle Eastern History from Sarah Lawrence College and later stayed to work in the publishing industry. Eventually, she found her way back to northern Michigan, spending 6 years as Charitable Giving Specialist at the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy, protecting the natural beauty that called her home in the first place. She then returned to Interlochen Center for the Arts for a 5-year stint as a Charitable Gift Officer for the US West Coast before leaving to work full time as Executive Director of Parallel 45 Theatre, the company she co-founded in 2010. Her 14-year career in nonprofit fundraising and development allows her to direct philanthropy to Parallel 45 and manage its general operations, nurturing the dream of a professional theatre in northern Michigan into reality. The author of Look About You: A Magical Childhood in Michigan’s Wild Places, Erin is also the co-owner of Mr. Music DJ & Event Services and a proud board member of Crosshatch Center for Art & Ecology.

“All good art allows us to look at the world without division and, instead, concentrate on what connects us. We need that right now. The opportunity to see the world through another person’s lens is an enormous gift. By collaborating with artists from around the world—and just down the street—we can pass that gift to our community. I never imagined I’d make a living asking people for charitable donations, or running a theatre company, but here I am. Grateful. Art sometimes seems like a luxury and, in many ways, it IS, but that doesn’t mean it’s frivolous. It helps us live lives that are richer, more thoughtful, more inclusive, and more respectful of what it means to be human.” 

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Brad Kik, Crosshatch

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brad2Brad Kik is the co-founder and co-director of Crosshatch Center for Art & Ecology. Brad’s varied background—film study, environmental activism, graphic design, community organizing, traditional music, ecology and permaculture—plays a key role in directing the intention behind Crosshatch’s work in the community. Brad also serves on a number of boards reflecting Crosshatch’s diverse approach to community building: Earthwork Music, a collective of Michigan musicians; Grass River Natural Area, a 1000+ acre wetland preserve in Antrim County, Michigan, near where Brad calls home; and the Alliance of Artist Communities (AAC), who support and advocate for artist residency programs. Brad also acts as the co-chair of the ecological residencies cohort for the AAC, and helps convene and present their Emerging Programs Institute each year.

“I founded Crosshatch in part to create a laboratory for community building. The purpose isn’t just to build a suite of meaningful programs, but to remain curious about how to work the levers that move communities toward deep and long lasting change. In a way, Crosshatch is my lifelong art project.”

Here is Brad’s story from the January 2017 event…

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Betsy Coffia, Change Maker

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betsyBetsy is the Director of Alumni Relations at NMC and has also recently run for State Representative in Michigan. She grew up in rural Kalkaska County and over the years has served as a journalist, social worker and change maker to Northern Michigan communities.

“I can’t explain exactly why I do what I do, only that I see the things that are easier to ignore. And I cannot unsee. I am driven toward justice and compassion by a fire in my belly that won’t be quenched no matter how many times I may fail.”

Here it Betsy’s story from the September 2016 event….

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Glenn Wolff, Bassist and Illustrator

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glennGlenn grew up in Traverse City. He studied Printmaking at Northwestern Michigan College, and received his BFA from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. His career began in New York as an illustrator where he also played music in several clubs. In 1987 he returned to Northern Michigan concentrating on fine art and book illustration. He is best known for his illustrations in the books of Jerry Dennis, starting with 1992’s It’s Raining Frogs and Fishes, and most recently A Walk in the Animal Kingdom.  Glenn’s mixed media fine art is represented by Tamarack Gallery in Omena, Michigan, and at his studio in the Traverse City. His work has been shown throughout the US and Canada both publically and privately.  He also on the art faculty of Northwestern Michigan College.  You can catch him playing bass with several local collaborating artists.

“My job is to make marks on paper or canvas and pluck strings on resonate wood. The marks become images and the plucks become melody and rhythm in collaborations with the greatest writers, musicians, environmentalists and humans that I have ever met. Sometimes these marks and sounds tell my own stories of interior and exterior landscapes, our estrangement from them, and our journey back.”

Check out the slideshow in this pdf  as you listen to the podcast as they go hand in hand. This slideshow was presented at his storytelling talk from the September 2016 event…

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KATE PEARSON, Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy

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kate

KATE PEARSON is the fundraiser for Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy. A lifelong resident of Traverse City, Kate brings to her position a deep love of the region and appreciation for the wonderful people who make up our community. Before joining GTRLC, she was the Visitor Center Manager for the Traverse City Convention & Visitors Bureau, as Kate LOVES where she is from.

“Notice what makes your eyes sparkle.  Those sparkles are lighting up the way to one of your callings”. 

Here is Kate’s story from the September 2016 event…

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Gary Jonas, The Little Fleet

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garyGary Jonas and his wife Allison have been in the restaurant and bar business for over 10 years.  They opened our first restaurant called The Farm on Adderley in Brooklyn, NY in 2006, followed by a bar called Sycamore Bar and Flowershop in 2008, and The Little Fleet in 2013.   They live in Traverse City with our 2 daughters Madeleine and Viola.

I love creating environments that makes people want to enjoy life and celebrate.  Nothing gives me more joy than to see smiling faces and excitement for what we are doing.

Here is Gary’s story from the September 2016 event…