Army of Normal Folks

79:08

He Went to Max Prison at 16 and Came Out With a...

Army of Normal Folks ·

2026/10/06

At 16, Sean Pica made a decision that landed him in a maximum security prison. Now he holds multiple master's degrees and serves as president of Hudson Link - the nonprofit whose prison education programs once gave him a reason to believe his life wasn't over. In this episode, Sean shares his story and tells us why fewer than 2% of Hudson Link's graduates return to prison. ARMY ACTIONS Subscribe to the podcast and rate & review us! Signup to join the Army, visit NormalFolks.org Join or start an

en-US

34:58

HIGHLIGHTS: He Went to Max Prison at 16 and Came Out...

Army of Normal Folks ·

2026/10/06

At 16, Sean Pica made a decision that landed him in a maximum security prison. Now he holds multiple master's degrees and serves as president of Hudson Link - the nonprofit whose prison education programs once gave him a reason to believe his life wasn't over. In this episode, Sean shares his story and tells us why fewer than 2% of Hudson Link's graduates return to prison. ARMY ACTIONS Subscribe to the podcast and rate & review us! Signup to join the Army, visit NormalFolks.org Join or start an

en-US

18:35

Forget the Life Hacks. These 7 Habits Actually Matter

Army of Normal Folks ·

2026/10/02

In this Shop Talk, Bill and Alex take on the nine million self-help books promising to fix your life, from 4:17 a.m. ice baths to journaling and cutting carbs, and go back to the one that has stuck around for decades: Stephen Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Bill walks through all seven, from quitting the complaining about what you can't control to learning to listen to someone without preparing a rebuttal. His case is that your calendar is a more honest statement of your priorities

en-US

78:27

What Playing Softball With Murderers Taught Him About...

Army of Normal Folks ·

2026/09/29

In this episode, Bill sits down with Rob Maaddi, senior NFL writer for the Associated Press and host of Faith on the Field, who partied with the athletes he covered and was divorced by 30, empty, broke and broken. After 36 straight days of drinking, a woman who told him she wasn't meant for him walked him to the front of Times Square Church. Today he plays softball in prison yards with the Deacons Prison Ministry, where an inmate who threatened to shank him came back to thank him. That opens a

en-US

36:50

HIGHLIGHTS: What Playing Softball With Murderers...

Army of Normal Folks ·

2026/09/29

In this episode, Bill sits down with Rob Maaddi, senior NFL writer for the Associated Press and host of Faith on the Field, who partied with the athletes he covered and was divorced by 30, empty, broke and broken. After 36 straight days of drinking, a woman who told him she wasn't meant for him walked him to the front of Times Square Church. Today he plays softball in prison yards with the Deacons Prison Ministry, where an inmate who threatened to shank him came back to thank him. That opens a

en-US

19:10

What If You’ve Been Keeping Score of the Wrong Game?

Army of Normal Folks ·

2026/09/25

Bob Buford had already won - he built his family's media business into a major cable company and sold it for an estimated $300 million. Then his 24-year-old son passed away. Buford spent the second half of his life helping others and writing the bestselling book "Halftime". In this Shop Talk, we dig into his idea that your money, career, skills, and even your failures aren't just measures of what you've accomplished - they're assets you can deploy for someone else. Purpose doesn't have a retirement

en-US

64:31

If You're Not Where You Want to Be In Life… This Is...

Army of Normal Folks ·

2026/09/24

In this episode, Bill sits down with Dirty Jobs host Mike Rowe for a Supporting Greatness conversation about the three normal men who made him: a grandfather who only went to the seventh grade, a scoutmaster who ran Boy Scout Troop 16 like an organized gang and made a stammering kid sing to 200 people, and a music teacher who told him to stutter on his own time. Mike traces Dirty Jobs to a call from his mother at 42 and the sewer footage that got him fired from CBS. That opens a bigger conversation

en-US

84:53

The 4 Things Every Family Should Do Before Disaster Hits

Army of Normal Folks ·

2026/09/22

It's not a matter of if a disaster hits your community. It's when. And when it does, the first person on the scene isn't first responders or government officials. It's your neighbor. Jeff Byard has spent 24 years in disaster response - from the Marine Corps to Alabama Emergency Management to FEMA. Then he left to go work with Team Rubicon - a volunteer lead disaster relief organization. In this episode, Jeff sits down with Bill to talk about what he learned from a career of showing up for people on

en-US

33:37

HIGHLIGHTS: The 4 Things Every Family Should Do...

Army of Normal Folks ·

2026/09/22

It's not a matter of if a disaster hits your community. It's when. And when it does, the first person on the scene isn't first responders or government officials. It's your neighbor. Jeff Byard has spent 24 years in disaster response - from the Marine Corps to Alabama Emergency Management to FEMA. Then he left to go work with Team Rubicon - a volunteer lead disaster relief organization. In this episode, Jeff sits down with Bill to talk about what he learned from a career of showing up for people on

en-US

23:25

Before You Ask “What’s Wrong With Them?”, Listen To This

Army of Normal Folks ·

2026/09/18

In this Shop Talk, Bill and Alex break down ACE scores - Adverse Childhood Experiences - and what the research says about how childhood trauma shows up decades later in our health, our relationships, and our choices. Bill shares his own score, and makes the case for why understanding this data might be the most important thing you can do before you walk into a tough neighborhood and wonder why people are the way they are. ARMY ACTIONS Subscribe to the podcast and rate & review us! Signup to join

en-US

87:44

Why America Is in Better Shape Than You've Been Told...

Army of Normal Folks ·

2026/09/15

In this episode, Bill sits down with Teagan and Koston McCoy of Unify USA: how Teagan, 21 and fed up with the division on his phone, pulled an American flag off his truck, ran 22 miles on a whim, and turned eight million views into flag runs across seven states. He gets spit on, has cigarette butts thrown at him, and tells them he loves them anyway. That opens a bigger conversation about what actually divides Americans: the wedge inside their own family, a jar of ants blaming each other instead of

en-US

35:03

HIGHLIGHTS: Why America Is in Better Shape Than...

Army of Normal Folks ·

2026/09/15

In this episode, Bill sits down with Teagan and Koston McCoy of Unify USA: how Teagan, 21 and fed up with the division on his phone, pulled an American flag off his truck, ran 22 miles on a whim, and turned eight million views into flag runs across seven states. He gets spit on, has cigarette butts thrown at him, and tells them he loves them anyway. That opens a bigger conversation about what actually divides Americans: the wedge inside their own family, a jar of ants blaming each other instead of

en-US

24:26

He Built a Confessional—But He Did the Confessing

Army of Normal Folks ·

2026/09/11

At one of the most secular campuses in America, a group of Christians set up a confessionial booth during a wild campus party. But they weren't there to hear confessions. They were there to give them. Tony Kriz sat in that booth and apologized to skeptical strangers for the ways Christians had failed to love people. Students who came in ready to argue left having opened up about their own struggles. This episode is a masterclass in what humility can do that arguments never will. ARMY ACTIONS

en-US

87:55

What a Former Heroin Addict Will Teach You About...

Army of Normal Folks ·

2026/09/08

Ariel Moore lost nearly everything - her home, her freedom, and even her child. But that's not where her story ends. In this episode, Ariel sits down with Bill to talk about how she rebuilt her life from the ground up, what it looks like to be restored rather than just recovered, and why she believes God didn't save her just for herself. If you’re at a low point in your life and looking for a little hope, this episode is for you. Buy Ariel's book at the link below! Divine Authenticity: Moore,

en-US

36:15

HIGHLIGHTS: What a Former Heroin Addict Will Teach...

Army of Normal Folks ·

2026/09/08

Ariel Moore lost nearly everything - her home, her freedom, and even her child. But that's not where her story ends. In this episode, Ariel sits down with Bill to talk about how she rebuilt her life from the ground up, what it looks like to be restored rather than just recovered, and why she believes God didn't save her just for herself. If you’re at a low point in your life and looking for a little hope, this episode is for you. Buy Ariel's book at the link below! Divine Authenticity: Moore,

en-US

18:48

We Have A Morality Problem. And We’re The Problem

Army of Normal Folks ·

2026/09/04

In this Shop Talk, Bill and Alex break down the speech Bill gave at the West Tennessee Faith and Community Summit in Memphis, with the governor, the mayor, and a ballroom full of faith leaders in the room. Bill's argument: crime, homelessness, kids who can't read on grade level, and young people aging out of foster care aren't our problems. They're symptoms. The real problem is a morality problem, and it isn't with the poor or the disenfranchised. It's with the rest of us, who see the need, think

en-US

95:07

43 Million Americans Can’t Read Well Enough to Work...

Army of Normal Folks ·

2026/09/01

Nearly 2/3 of American kids aren't reading proficiently by 4th grade. And if they don't catch up, - they're far more likely to drop out, struggle to find work, and cycle through a lifetime of limited options. Right now in the United States, 43 million adults can't read well enough to hold a basic job. This week, Bill sits down with Tony Kriz, co-founder of the Children's Literacy Project, who believes the solve for this crisis is normal folks like you. He wants you to give just one hour a week to

en-US

36:12

HIGHLIGHTS: 43 Million Americans Can’t Read Well...

Army of Normal Folks ·

2026/09/01

Nearly 2/3 of American kids aren't reading proficiently by 4th grade. And if they don't catch up, - they're far more likely to drop out, struggle to find work, and cycle through a lifetime of limited options. Right now in the United States, 43 million adults can't read well enough to hold a basic job. This week, Bill sits down with Tony Kriz, co-founder of the Children's Literacy Project, who believes the solve for this crisis is normal folks like you. He wants you to give just one hour a week to

en-US

12:31

What Jesse Itzler's $18 Office Can Teach Us About...

Army of Normal Folks ·

2026/08/28

When Jesse Itzler was broke and sleeping on a friend's couch, he couldn't afford an office. So he made the Beverly Hills Hotel his office - for the price of an $18 salad and four hours of iced tea refills. He sat, watched, listened, and showed up until the right people noticed him. The rest is history. In this Shop Talk, Bill and Alex take that story and flip it toward service. Because most people who want to help their community are waiting for an invitation that's never coming. The tough

en-US

88:21

His Tool Helped 13,000 Families Out of Crisis. This...

Army of Normal Folks ·

2026/08/25

Paul Chapman spent years doing charitable work until he finally got frustrated by this: the people trying to help were often doing great work — but they were doing it in silos and too many families still weren’t flourishing. So he built "HopeHub” to connect nonprofits, churches, law enforcement, child welfare, treatment providers, and others around the very same family, so that they could stop making families try to find help in 10 different places and start working together to

en-US

All Episodes

Similar Podcasts

وجوه من الـظل

Medi1 Podcast

The Sam Sanders Show

KCRW & Sam Sanders

Philosophy Book Collection

The Podcast Network

Avec philosophie

France Culture

Pop Culture Junkie®

Pop Culture Junkie