Often the biggest transformations we undergo don’t arrive as lightning bolts, but as quiet shifts we’ve been preparing for all along. For John Fox, the transformation from a 25-year career in high finance to becoming a chaplain wasn’t sudden at all. It was a slow burn—shaped by loss, reflection, community, and a deep desire to live a more meaningful life.

John’s successful finance career spanned decades. To the world, he was thriving, but internally he yearned for fulfillment no paycheck could give him. After losing his mother, questioning the purpose of work, and rediscovering his spiritual roots, he began to sense that his life was preparing him for a very different kind of service. That path eventually led him to the Peace Corps, seminary, and finally chaplaincy—where he now spends his days sitting with people in hospitals, jails, shelters, and hospice care.

In this conversation, John shares how you can slowly build a new life, why most of us struggle to talk about things we can’t fix, and the human need to be seen by others. We also talk about community, discernment, loss, faith, and the power of listening without trying to change anything.

His story is a reminder that life’s meaning often reveals itself slowly… and that the pivots that change our lives most profoundly are the ones we’ve been preparing for all along.

This is A Bit of Optimism.

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To learn more about the Union Rescue Mission, visit their website at www.urm.org

And to check out John’s congregation, head to www.newcitychurchla.com

Life can change in an instant. One day you’re shopping at Saks Fifth Avenue, and the next you’re sitting in your car with everything you own, and everyone you love, wondering what happens now.

Joan Howard grew up in Beverly Hills with every advantage until a series of crises left her homeless and living in her car with her mother and three dogs. What helped her rebuild wasn't luck or charity. It was kindness, consistency, and one simple weekly practice of being in service to others.

Today, Joan is a long-time volunteer for Food on Foot, the very organization that helped her decades ago. Food on Foot is more than a meal line—it’s a community built on dignity, kindness, and practical support for people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles. Their model helps people find work, save money, build confidence, and move forward with independence.

In this episode, we talk about what homelessness actually looks like, why service can be transformative, and how organizations like Food on Foot help people not just get back on their feet, but build a future.

This is A Bit of Optimism.

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To learn more about Food on Foot, visit their website!

https://www.foodonfoot.org/

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What if a great business was built like a handmade mixtape? A lovingly crafted experience that is as much a love letter from its founder as it is custom-tailored to its audience.

Before Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams became a household name, Jeni Britton was a 22-year-old art school dropout scooping her ice cream creations at a farmers market in Ohio. She didn’t have investors, connections, or a playbook. What she did have was a vision - not just for ice cream, but for connection.

Jeni believed her bold ice cream could be a conduit for something bigger: a place where people feel seen, conversations happen naturally, and strangers become community. Over the next two decades, she bootstrapped her way from a small counter to a nationally recognized brand by doing everything the slow, hard, old-fashioned way — one customer, one flavor, and one act of service at a time.

She refused shortcuts. She prioritized people. And she built her company like a handmade mixtape — crafted with intention, risk, rebellion, and love.

In this conversation, Jeni explains what true entrepreneurship really is: not hype, not hyper-growth, and not chasing venture capital, but the courage to follow a vision long enough for it to start leading you. We talk about the creative process, the power of service, the lessons learned from young employees, the myth of “scalable ideas,” and how walking in the woods helped Jeni discover her next chapter - Floura.

Jeni’s story is a reminder that the best things in life - and in business - take time, heart, and a willingness to make something beautiful even when no one is watching.

This is A Bit of Optimism.

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This episode is brought to you by the Porsche USA Macan

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Visit Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams:

https://jenis.com/

Check out Jeni’s newest venture — Floura:

https://www.floura.com/