Second chances change lives. In this deeply moving episode of Call Me Friend, host Daryn Kagan pulls back the curtain on a moment few people ever see: a surprise grant award that changes everything.

What begins as a routine follow-up interview turns into a life-altering moment for Jimmy Erickson, a father, student, and recovering addict doing everything he can to build a better future for his family. From past struggles with addiction and DUIs to earning a 4.0 GPA while working 60-hour weeks and raising a nonverbal autistic son, Jimmy’s story is a raw example of resilience, responsibility, and real growth.

This episode is a reminder that redemption is not about perfection. It is about showing up, doing the work, and choosing love over quitting. If you believe in second chances, meaningful friendships, and stories that restore faith in humanity, this one hits different.

In This Episode You Will Learn

✅Why second chances matter more after the hard work is already done

✅How fatherhood can become the ultimate motivation for change

✅What real resilience looks like behind the scenes

✅How nonprofit grants can create generational impact

✅Why imperfect stories are often the most powerful ones

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Timestamps

1. 00:00 Second Chances, Fatherhood, and the Power of Showing Up with Jimmy Erickson
2. 02:58 Why this grant moment matters so much to the foundation
3. 03:38 Sponsor spotlight: Ms Lou’s Cabin on the Georgia Coast
4. 04:46 Meet Jimmy Erickson
5. 05:18 Why Jimmy was selected from over 250 applications
6. 06:14 Jimmy opens up about addiction and hitting rock bottom
7. 07:49 Balancing school, work, and caring for an autistic child
8. 14:49 The moment Jimmy learns he is receiving the grant
9. 16:13 Why this story defines the mission of Just One More Foundation
10. 18:35 Post-interview reflection with Richard Rogers
11. 19:07 Parenting through challenges and shared experiences
12. 20:11 Why love and work ethic stand out
13. 21:07 Climbing out of the well and not going back
14. 22:10 Why Just One More focuses on people who’ve done the work
15. 22:59 Following recipients beyond the grant

Who do you call when life gets real? When the good news hits, the heartbreak lands, or you're just having one of those days—you call a friend. That’s the heartbeat of Call Me Friend—a feel good bi-weekly podcast that drops you into the kind of conversations that remind us who we are, where we belong, and why friendship matters.

Hosted by former network news anchor, wife, mom, and Airbnb host Daryn Kagan, Call Me Friend is your weekly reminder of the joy, laughter, and healing that come with connection. Each week, Daryn picks up the phone from Ms. Lou’s Cabin—a 50-year-old log home she and her husband lovingly restored and turned into an Airbnb—to chat with someone in her world, whether it’s a celebrity, her childhood bestie, or someone she just met along the way or maybe even YOU. No matter who she’s calling, the focus is always the same: celebrating the power of friendship and connection.

Every episode kicks off with a ring-ring and drops you into a real-life conversations between friends. These aren’t interviews with hot takes or polished soundbites—just raw, funny, heartfelt, deeply human chats between people who genuinely know and care about each other. From lifelong friendships to surprise connections, everyday legends to familiar names, Call Me Friend is a front-row seat to how beautiful, messy, and meaningful friendships can be.

This show is for anyone craving more depth, more heart, and more of the good stuff that makes life not just bearable—but beautiful. It’s a cozy corner of the podcast world where emotional wellness, storytelling, and humor live in harmony. Whether you’re looking for comfort, relatable stories, or a pick-me-up on a hard day, this podcast is for you, yes YOU. Expect wild stories, sweet memories, laugh-out-loud moments, and those quiet “Yeah… me too” pauses that make you feel truly seen.

Fun segments like “You Gotta Meet My Friend” spotlight special guests introducing someone they love, while “Call Me, Friend” invites listeners to write in with questions and stories. And the “Friend Questionnaire” keeps things surprising, uncovering the quirks and connections that make every friendship unique.

What makes Call Me Friend stand out? This show isn’t about networking or hustle. It’s not self-help. It’s heart-help. Because friendship isn’t just background noise—it’s the main character. If you’ve ever found joy, comfort, or healing through a friend—or just needed someone to say, “I get it”—this is your space.

Call Me Friend is more than a podcast. It’s a weekly call you can count on. A soft place to land. A reminder that even when life feels messy, everything gets better when you talk to a friend. If you love heartfelt conversations, personal stories, and a little laughter with your life lessons, this is the one you’ve been waiting for.

So whether you're commuting, folding laundry, walking the dog, or just trying to quiet your mind—remember this: you’re not alone. Someone out there gets it. Someone out there would totally take your call.

Go ahead, pick up the phone.

Let’s laugh. Let’s cry. Let’s Call a Friend.

About the Host:

Daryn Kagan is a former CNN anchor turned full-time storyteller. After leaving the fast-paced world of network news, she built a life rooted in purpose, connection, and authenticity. Now living on the quiet Georgia coast, Daryn records Call Me Friend from Ms. Lou’s Cabin, a restored 50-year-old log home turned Airbnb. From there she runs the nationwide Just One More Foundation giving grants for second chances. A wife, mom, dog mama, and connection junkie, Daryn’s superpower is bringing people together—and her gift for real conversation is what makes this podcast feel like catching up with your favorite friend.

Just One More Foundation :

What if the most heart hitting story connected to the Savannah Bananas had nothing to do with baseball, trick plays, or viral hijinks, but everything to do with family and purpose? In this friendship podcast conversation, Daryn sits down with co-owner Emily Cole to uncover the behind the scenes truth that shaped the Savannah Bananas brand from the inside out.

This episode pulls you straight into the real life story of how Emily and Jesse Cole built an entertainment empire while quietly growing their family through bio, foster, and adoption and why that journey inspired Bananas Foster, the foundation at the heart of their mission. Packed with emotion, connection, and pure Savannah Bananas energy, this is the conversation that shows the world what the Savannah Bananas stand for when the cameras aren’t rolling.

This is a conversation about family, community, and the powerful ways one act of love can ripple into something bigger than you ever imagined.

✅How Emily and Jesse built the Savannah Bananas brand on joy, connection, and conversation

✅ Why foster care became the unexpected doorway to their family growing in the most beautiful way

✅ The mission behind Bananas Foster and how they use their platform to celebrate foster families

✅What it means to parent through uncertainty and still choose love anyway

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Key Timestamps

• (00:00) Emily talks about family, growth, and using their platform for good
• (02:06) The Savannah Bananas phenomenon and inviting Emily onto the podcast
• (06:00) Emily and Jesse Coles meeting story and their early days in baseball
• (10:25) Launching the Savannah Bananas the same week they married
• (11:05) Their first child and the conversation that led them toward foster care
• (12:23) Emily’s deep research into adoption and discovering foster care
• (13:53) Getting licensed during COVID and welcoming their first placement
• (15:31) A weekend placement that became their second adopted daughter
• (17:01) The book that shifted Emily’s mindset: Everything Is Figureoutable
• (21:00) Why kids, not parents, deserve the biggest celebration
• (24:21) The reality of modern families and shifting norms
• (27:01) Creating Bananas Foster and celebrating foster families publicly
• (29:04) The powerful third-inning moment at Bananas games
• (31:23) Navigating identity protection and diverse family storie
• (32:47) Their audacious goal: turn a 400k-kid waitlist into a waitlist of foster families
• (35:00) Emily Cole shares why Jesse Cole is the friend who changed her life.
• (36:10) Emily Cole reflects on the qualities Jesse Cole saw in her early on.
• (37:10) Daryn asks what Emily is loving right now; she talks homeschooling.
• (38:56) Emily shares her favorite kids’ learning tool, the Yoto.
• (39:12) They talk about screen-free learning and how kids absorb so much through listening.
• (40:12) Emily expresses gratitude and they reflect on how meaningful it is when someone gives back to her for a change.
• (42:10) Daryn shares her personal takeaway about how connection, support, and perspective can shift everything and introduces her daughter Nicole “Ro” Felton
• (42:25) She reflects on how Emily’s story mirrors her own family journey and why these conversations matter so much.
• (44:37) Ro jokes about the Bananas Foster dessert, adding fun Savannah Bananas energy.
• (47:29) Ro...