Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Welcome to the Power of One More. I'm Julie Duncan and today we explore how small steps, bold faith and relentless resolve shape us. You're watching now Media Television.
Tavan helps people make meaningful progress one step at a time. Tavan, thank you so much for being on the show today.
[00:00:21] Speaker B: Thank you for having me.
[00:00:23] Speaker A: Absolutely. This first segment is all about those moments when life feels like you're moving through mud and progress seems impossible.
Let's open up the conversation around what that struggle really looks like. Many people watching feel exhausted or stuck or overwhelmed, like one more step is just too much. This segment helps us understand that change doesn't start with a leap. It starts with a small possible movement forward. Devan, we would love to hear a story of someone who felt completely stuck and how one more small step changed the whole direction. Can you share that with us?
[00:01:04] Speaker B: Yes. In my profession, working with families and children that have difficult situations, I remember a time where there was a kid that was, that was stuck in their mind with as far as like depression, anxiety, and a few other things that they were struggling with.
And then one more step was just basically showing up, just taking that one more step to show up to get the help and get the services they need to re evaluate the situation and the struggles they were having with the issues that they were dealing with. So I think that the one more step was just taking that step to come in and keep showing up. Consistency.
[00:01:38] Speaker A: I love that I always say half the battle is showing up. So thank you for sharing that. Especially important were the kids that you serve. So secondly, in your counseling and mentoring work, what does one more step usually look like for people who feel overwhelmed?
[00:01:52] Speaker B: Tavan, one more step looks like kind of like what I've said before is just the consistency in showing up when someone's overwhelmed.
Just that support and having those people that they can bounce things off of, having those people that motivate them, they continue to show up and to work through whatever the concerns or issues are. So just that decreasing the stress of feeling overwhelmed and identifying what that overwhelmed feeling is just how we push them forward.
[00:02:20] Speaker A: Yeah, I love that. Identifying it plays a big role, especially with kids.
[00:02:24] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:02:25] Speaker A: Takes some of the pain out of it.
Awesome. So for someone watching who feels tired or lost, what's one more tiny step they could take tomorrow that would actually matter to Van?
[00:02:39] Speaker B: One more tiny step I think would just really recognizing what the problem is or issue is and really thinking about their supports and thinking about what they're thankful for. And I think they're really focusing on that because sometimes we get stuck in our mind and we get stuck in our way of thinking and just thinking about what are we thankful for, what are you thankful for and how you show up every day. I think that's. That's a huge.
That's huge to recognize in the times of feeling overwhelmed or stressed or something. It's a practical step that we can take.
[00:03:13] Speaker A: I absolutely love that. And I've often heard it said that we can't be anxious and grateful at the same time. They work in different parts of the brain, so amen for that. Totally appreciate that.
So what kinds of fears or inner voices show when someone tries to move forward? And how do you help them push past moments like that?
[00:03:33] Speaker B: To van fears, I think is a lot of it is just what you've been told. Sometimes it's, you know, working with kids or adults is things that they've been told all their life and what society sees as issues. So you get stuck in that loop of, you know, I'm not good enough, or it's always going to be this way. So I think to push through that, you need to reframe it and you need to think about things in a different perspective. And those people, again, that can build you up and push you forward.
So just getting out that, just getting out of that same negative mind frame and getting out of that, just getting out of the way of thinking of how things are always happening to me. Like, don't be the victim, but push through. Think about, you know, your successes, the wins you've had over your life. Because if you're still breathing, you're still here. You've had some wins. So focus on the little things and practical things you can see right in front of you and then build from there. And that's in that connect communities. We help with that. We help people build from those strengths and those positives that they, that they already have.
[00:04:32] Speaker A: Do you know what a gift it is to help children reframe and rewire their brain?
Set them up to be productive adults.
So kudos to you for doing that kind of work in our community.
[00:04:42] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:04:43] Speaker A: I love that.
Coming up, we'll explore what happens when you feel called to serve, but the problems around you feel way too big.
Don't go anywhere. We'll be right back.
We'll be right back with more stories, strategies, and inspiration to help you press beyond what seems possible.
This is a power of One more on NOW Media Television.
And we're back. I'm Julie Duncan and you're watching the Power of One More On NOW Media Television, let's dig deeper into the journey of becoming welcome back to the Power of One More.
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Welcome back to the Power of One More. I'm here again with Tavan Mayer, and in this segment we're talking about something many people feel deeply wanting to serve, but feeling too small for the size of the need. Whether it's community, family or faith or work, the the wait can feel overwhelming.
A lot of people have the heart to help, but the responsibility feels too big. This conversation empowers them to start with one more small act that truly matters to Van. Starting connected communities was a big leap. What was the one more step that made it possible instead of impossible? Can you share with our audience, please?
[00:06:42] Speaker B: Yes, the one more step that made it possible was just the motivation in my faith, the motivation to keep moving and to stay positive during the startup and the buildup of connected communities. And just having my faith is what pushes me through, through all the hard times. So I would say that one more step was just consistently showing up and knowing my why. Like knowing why I'm doing what I'm doing.
[00:07:09] Speaker A: Yes, yes, yes. Amen to all of that.
So tell us, Tavan, how do you coach volunteers and leaders to keep giving without burning themselves out? Burnout is a very big issue in today's world. How do you help them without the burnout factor?
[00:07:27] Speaker B: It's a constant struggle and the constant work, because the kind of work that we do with, you know, working with families that are struggling with numerous issues from abuse to homelessness to poverty, sexual abuse, there's a lot. So the staff that we have, they have their own personal lives, right? They have their own personal struggles that we have to navigate through. So we support them in many ways. We have a lot of groups.
We meet weekly. We do a lot of groups to build each other up. We have support groups within our agency.
We talk a lot. We're very connected to each other and we're very motivating to each other.
[00:08:03] Speaker A: So the thing that I'm very big on as an executive coach is personal development. And it sounds like you have incorporated that kudos to you as the leader and the CEO of your company. You have incorporated that, right?
[00:08:17] Speaker B: So we do a lot of things. We have a growth track, and we. We work through a lot of. A lot of different issues that come up also. And we're very creative. Being a nonprofit and being that we've been in the business for a while, we've. We found a lot of ways to honor our staff, to support our staff.
We have several benefits that a lot of. I know a lot of nonprofits don't have just due to funding, but we're uniquely structured to support our staff. I think if my staff is taken care, then I'm taken care of and the community's taken care of. Right?
[00:08:44] Speaker A: So we're all.
[00:08:45] Speaker B: We're all connected in that way. So you hear me say connected a lot because connected communities, that's what we do.
[00:08:51] Speaker A: And your kids are connected because of what you pour into your staff and your team.
Keep everybody connected. It's a circle.
[00:09:00] Speaker B: That was the premise of how we started was just. I just thought about how can the community and we all can connect each other, because I know a lot of places worked at a lot of places that, you know, staff sometimes don't get the time and respect they need. So I wanted to make sure that we support our staff in very unique ways. Unique challenges come up. I mean, we're not exempt from the struggles of the families we work with either. Like, it's a tough. It's a tough field.
[00:09:29] Speaker A: Love all that, and thank you for pouring into us in the audience.
Okay, so one more question. How can a person slowly expand their service by stacking one more small step over time?
[00:09:43] Speaker B: Slowly expand their service by stacking small steps? I think that just. I think you have to really sit back and figure out what you're going, right, like to. To stack the steps. You always have to go back to where you started. I think that my why, as I mentioned a little earlier, like, my why was to service the this community and to fill the gaps for people that are less fortunate, that were like myself as growing up and the struggles that I had. So I was thinking, like, my why and using that to motivate me for that next step.
[00:10:19] Speaker A: Just.
[00:10:21] Speaker B: I'm just trying to put it in a way where it makes sense. Like, in my head, it makes a lot of sense. But. But that why will help will catapult you into the next phase. Next phase in the next one step.
That one step is based off of that. So if you're wise to help and serve your next step will always generate from that. It always comes from why you're doing what you're doing.
[00:10:39] Speaker A: I love that. I love that. I'm a big fan of Tony Robinson. He talks about stacking the good. We stack the good. It really helps to reframe the brain. And all of a sudden we start to see the good and our focus is less on the negative. And I know you deal a lot of negative with the kids, so kudos to you for seeing that.
Tavon, where can people learn more about connected communities and follow your work? I think it's fascinating. I know the audience is gonna wanna learn more about who you are and what you do.
[00:11:09] Speaker B: We have a Facebook and you can go to cci winchester.com and that's. And you can find us there. We have Instagram Working on TikTok. I mean, we're a little older so we're trying to get the kids involved in helping us with, with the TikTok and really pushing us marketing wise. So you can just Google it and you can find us.
[00:11:25] Speaker A: Okay. Okay. And do you have a Facebook page specifically for your company? And what would that be?
[00:11:30] Speaker B: Yes, it's Connected Communities I and City Beautiful.
[00:11:34] Speaker A: Okay, thank you.
Up next, we're diving into what happens when family struggles block personal progress. Stay with us. This next conversation is powerful.
We'll be right back with more stories, strategies and inspiration to help you press beyond what seems possible.
This is a Power of One More on NOW Media Television.
And we're back. I'm Julie Duncan and you're watching the Power of One More on NOW Media Television. Let's dig deeper into the journey of becoming when family struggles stop progress.
Welcome back to the Power of One More. We're continuing our conversation with Tavan Meer. And this segment hits home for so many people. Family struggles freeze progress. Especially when every attempt to fix things feels like it makes it worse.
Today we're breaking down one small change that can begin healing for long standing resolution.
Viewers often feel powerless in family dynamics, stuck repeating cycles of conflict. This segment gives them tangible steps to shift relationships one choice at a time.
Devann, what's one more helpful step a parent or adult can take to begin thawing a cold relationship? And boy, I'm sure you see that a lot with your kids.
[00:13:02] Speaker B: Yes, very helpful, real practical step. It's just the love, the love, showing love, showing that kid that you love them not by just like what you do, but how you show up for them, listening, taking the time, being creative.
Kids want to be loved. So I think that starting with love and getting back to that and not holding on to whatever it is that's keeping a relationship strained is where you start.
[00:13:32] Speaker A: Yeah. So teaching them love, kindness, caring, but also teaching them to let go a little bit.
[00:13:36] Speaker B: Right, Right.
[00:13:38] Speaker A: Love it.
How can someone introduce one more positive change without triggering more tension that these kids are full of?
[00:13:48] Speaker B: Anyway, I'm sure just going back to what I said before about the love part. I mean, a positive change is like, again, you said, you mentioned earlier that building on the positives and building on the positives. So just looking at how you can help that child recognize the things they're doing well, not just always focusing on, you know, like you're not, I don't know, your grades aren't good enough or you're not, we're supposed to be, or things like that, really taking that time. I think as parents, sometimes we get busy and the world is full of things we have to do. Just really sitting with your kid and sometimes just sitting with your kid is that positive change? Because they'll open up more and more and they'll express what they're going through just from your presence. Especially if you're a parent that's really busy.
[00:14:31] Speaker A: Sure.
Wow. I could really see a difference you're making in these kids lives with your own work and your staff's work. It's so impressive.
So tell us, what role does forgiveness and grace play in taking one more step as a family? We've talked about the kids individually, what about the family?
[00:14:50] Speaker B: The role of forgiveness, it's big.
Like my faith is everything and it talks about forgiving seven times 70. Like you just. You continue to forgive. That's. That's God's perfect number. You continue to forgive.
Nothing. Nothing. In a perfect world, nothing should keep us from forgiving each other. And when you start with forgiving yourself, that's where you start forgiving yourself for whatever the issue or whatever was the strife between each other in the family, I think you can, you can build from that. Right. So forgiving yourself, being honest about what happened and apologizing and then taking the time to listen, don't try to win arguments or try to, you know, be right, just listen. And sometimes we have to apologize even if we feel we didn't do anything wrong just to mend that relationship as a family.
[00:15:38] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, I can see how you're modeling it for the families and the kids you work with. And that's wonderful and very amazing.
[00:15:45] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:15:47] Speaker A: How can families keep growing by repeating small steps instead of expecting a huge breakthrough? I like to think of it as moving the thermometer one degree, right, rather than a huge breakthrough. So share more about that, please.
[00:16:00] Speaker B: VAN I would encourage families to, again, just do the most practical stuff because it's like, you know, like sometimes we want the big thing, we want the big win, we want the big come together, just have dinner, start, start small. I mean, everybody's running and put the phones away, you know, put the cell phones away, put everything away. And I'm guilty. So I'm saying this for my own family, my own kids. Just put the things away, show up and start something as simple as maybe every Sunday we get together and we just spend time and we just talk to each other. We start with dinner because food always warms everybody's heart. Eating always warms everyone's heart. So just starting with something as simple as that, that you just put time aside for just family time. I mean, doesn't have to be Sunday. It could be any day of the week that fits for everyone's schedule. And just put the distractions away and just talk and just get to know each other all over again and just keep redoing it over and over again. And you can, you'll build from that because the more time you spend with people, the more relationships are built, the stronger the bond gets.
[00:16:59] Speaker A: These have been very powerful tools for not only do I hear it for your work, but I also believe that these are powerful tools that any of us can take away. So these, thank you for pouring into us and the audience as well. Very useful tools. Coming up, what about the moments when your sacrifice feels invisible? Devann shares how to stay strong. When no one sees the effort, you don't want to miss it.
We'll be right back with more stories, strategies and inspiration to help you press beyond what seems more possible.
This is a Power of One More on NOW Media Television.
And we're back. I'm Julie Duncan, and you're watching the Power of One More on NOW Media Television. Let's dig deeper into the journey of becoming. Welcome back to the Power of One More. Don't miss a second of this show or any NOW Media favorite. Streaming live on demand, wherever you are and wherever you want. Grab the free NOW Media TV app on Roku and ISO to enjoy bilingual programs in English and Spanish. Prefer podcasts. Listen anytime at www. Nowmedia.tv. from breaking news to business, lifestyle and culture, NOW Media TV is here for you 24 7.
Welcome back to our final segment of the Power of One More.
This is where we bring it all home.
Many People watching today give. They give, they serve, they support, and they sacrifice, but feel completely unseen. In this segment, we explore the inner strength and meaning behind uncelebrated service. That's a powerful word, uncelebrated service.
This is about the emotional weight of giving without recognition. We explore how people can restore, motivate, refill their strength and recognize the deeper purpose behind their sacrifices.
So, Taman, how have you personally stayed motivated when your service or your sacrifice felt unseen? And I'm sure there's times when you experience that.
[00:19:10] Speaker B: This is a very good, very good question.
To stay motivated when my services seem unseen. I think that is like the core of what we do at connected communities. Our services are very unseen. We are in a very small.
Compared to, like, the world. We're in a very small place of where we do a lot of work that no one sees. We work with families that a lot of people don't see because life is busy.
To stay motivated. My team, My team is everything to me. My family, my team. My team is my family. So it's everything to me. Like, knowing that what we do is so impactful, knowing that how we do it is so impactful. And I'm leaving something for my girls to, like, look up to. I think that's like. I mean, that's the motivation, right? Like, I don't. I don't really need a lot of applause from other places because I know they see it and I know God sees it, and that's, that's where. That's where my strength comes from. So my motivation, my motivation for that is my family and my faith.
[00:20:11] Speaker A: Wonderful, true leaders pour into their team and they recognize their team efforts and their team's talents. So I can see you're doing that. And kudos to you. Great leadership.
[00:20:20] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:20:23] Speaker A: What's one more internal habit or mindset you practice and keep going?
[00:20:29] Speaker B: Internal practice of mindset.
I don't know. I do so many things.
I guess my routine is my mindset, right? I pour into myself with a lot of. A lot of books, a lot of knowledge. I just, I'm always looking to grow. I'm always looking to. My routine is solid too, so I'm an early bird. I get up at five every day. I work on my. My physical, my mental and my spiritual every day. And it's, It's a certain routine. I try to block out time that I'm not bothered. You know, my kids go to school at 7, so I have to get up at 4 or 5 because when they, once they start, I have Girls and they're twins. So once they start, it's like it's go time. So by the time I get back home from the gym and meditate in prayer, it keeps my mind sharp and keeps me focused.
[00:21:17] Speaker A: Yeah, it shows how you invest in yourself and the return you have on that. So kudos to you.
How do you help someone understand their impact even when no one is clapping in the background?
[00:21:33] Speaker B: It's another tough one. I'm thinking about my team now. They work, they work extremely hard to service this community and to help people.
Just, I think this is celebrating them, just celebrating my team constantly. Like, I know that my business wouldn't be anything if it was just me. The work is too big. Right. And the issues we have in this world are really deep. And we're all uniquely, we're all uniquely skilled and gifted. So I celebrate my team by letting them be good at what they do. Right. Like, I'm open with suggestions, ideas. Like, I don't cap my team's talent, I don't cap their work. I don't cap anything that they do. Like, if they bring anything to me, if it's something that works for the greater good, we will figure it out and try to work on it. So we spend a lot of time building each other up. So I just continue to praise them and put them in situations where they can grow.
[00:22:28] Speaker A: Wonderful. Sounds like you have great camaraderie.
Excellent.
And lastly, how do you help people turn each small sacrifice into a long term story of transformation? We're all about transformations, right? How do you do that?
[00:22:47] Speaker B: Say that again. I just want to make sure, I want to make sure I answer that.
[00:22:50] Speaker A: When.
How do you take those small steps and help people understand that that is their transformation, to turn those into a transition. Transformation. Because we don't always recognize our small steps, but they're important and they build and build and then that can become a big transformation. How do you do that? Can you give us an example?
[00:23:10] Speaker B: Point it out. I mean, you point out those, the change, right? So like when you, when you see someone doing well, you let, you let them know how well they're doing.
We as an agency, we do employee to month where the staff vote for each other and we talk about what, we talk about why. You know, like so just looking at the growth you see in people and again, celebrating their victories. And not just at work though, just victories in general. I mean, I think we have two staff about to give birth. Like, we don't. We're doing baby showers. We have events like a Lot of our kids play sports. We have a lot of people in our company that work, and afterwards, they coach teams. Like, we. We celebrate as much. As many things as much as possible, just because we know how hard to work is. And we celebrate our clients, right? So when our clients do really well, we have birthday parties for them. We reward them with just a lot of attention, a lot of things that we know that they want and that they like. So if they complete the program, certificates, movies, we just do things that really make people not only just feel good, but, like, walk away from us knowing they accomplished something. And the staff are the same way. Like, I don't. I separate as far as, like, the community and my staff with knowing who they are. But as far as, like, people, I love them the same. I'm gonna love them all the same way. I don't have the relationship with. I don't look at them as employees. Like, they're my friends. I call them that. Like, you know, we do things we have to do, and the client's the same thing. We use those words because they're technical, but I love them all right? So that's how I run and do what I do. Like, they're family to me. Like, these kids I see. I see them everywhere. The staff I work with, I'm gonna see them everywhere. So I'm gonna do everything I can to point out those transformations and point out, like, the good in them. And then hopefully, like everything else that they, you know, everybody comes with, when they come to me, they walk away whether they stay with me or not, because I want people to grow. If they outgrow the company, I'm happy with that. I apply them, I applaud them. I will write them a letter of recommendation. I want everyone to win on whatever level they're trying to win on.
[00:25:07] Speaker A: This is Business Leadership 101. Thank you for pouring into us, and I hope the audience is hearing all of these wonderful tools that you use in your company. It's amazing.
Thank you, Devan. This has been incredibly valuable.
Where can people follow your work and continue the conversation? Because I'm sure people are going to want to hear more from you.
[00:25:27] Speaker B: We're opening our doors to anyone that wants to come, anyone that wants to check out what we're doing at Connect Communities. We have several locations. One in Winchester.
Well, we have two in Winchester, one in Front Royal. We service Harrisonburg to Loudoun county and anywhere in between.
So you can look at our website.
Facebook is our. We're probably on Facebook the Most. But LinkedIn CCI Winchester.com is the, is the major site. We have a lot of things coming up because it's the holidays, right? We just gave away, we just serviced 200, 200 families of Thanksgiving, food and other things, treats that they needed. And we have a Christmas drive coming up. So if you'd like to be involved or you'd like to participate, please reach out to connected communities and just reach out to connect communities. We try to do it big for everyone to just, you know, it's the holidays. We know it's rough for a lot of people. We know the economy is what it is. So whatever we can do to help, we uniquely try to figure that out. And that's been our staple.
[00:26:25] Speaker A: I love it. Way to give back to Van. Thank you for sharing your heart, your wisdom and your mission with us today.
Your message reminds us that progress isn't always loud. And you've talked about that. Sometimes it's a quiet, steady steps that change everything for everyone watching. Remember, you don't need a breakthrough to move forward. You just need one more act of courage, one more movement of hope, one more step toward the life you deserve. Thank you for joining us. For the Power of One more. I'm Julie Duncan. Stay tuned, stay connected and we'll see you next time.
