In today’s very special episode of the Give Back Model podcast, Christine speaks with Meg Stevens, the founder of Tree of Hope Creations, a company dedicated to creating motherhood keepsake and memorial pieces. During their conversation, Meg shares some of her background, how she came to be involved in her current work, and the boundaries she has developed for herself as she creates pieces for her customers using ashes, hair, burial dirt, clothing and more. She also shares her emotional connection to each and every precious shipment she receives, and her experience going viral on TikTok for her compassion and vulnerability. Please note that this episode does contain some sensitive conversation around loss of a child and miscarriages.

Meg explains how her business began as a way to help others through their grief and motherhood journeys, and then goes on to address the importance of building a platform, particularly in the context of running a business. Her experiences with using social media to promote her work are recounted, including  dealing with negative comments and criticism and the importance of just diving in and starting to use social media, even if it is intimidating or scary. Meg also describes her experience with breastfeeding, and  highlights the incredible support she receives from her husband, including a particularly meaningful plaque he has created for her. Listen in today to learn more about Meg's remarkable story, the beautiful, meaningful pieces she creates for her customers, and the emotional weight that accompanies this important work.

For more information and other episodes on companies and entrepreneurs who give back, please visit TheGiveBackModel.com. 

Episode Highlights:

• Meg’s work with Tree of Hope Creations and how it began
• Meg’s emotional connections to each and every shipment she receives
• Her TikTok experience
• Meg’s personal and professional history
• Her experience with breastfeeding and her husband’s amazing support
• The emotional weight of handling such precious cargo 
• Creating something so personal and meaningful for her customers
• Dealing with negativity online
• Being vulnerable and showing real feelings and passion in her work

Quotes:

"Hundreds of customers trust Meg and her team to create these gifts from their loved ones’ ashes, hair, burial dirt, clothing, and so much more."

"I feel like I got lucky. I got very lucky in the growth and being able to be part of so many different people's journeys and even helping people through their grief and through motherhood"

"He wanted to make me something that would mean the world, that would say, ‘Thank you for taking care of our kids. Thank you for nursing our kids.’"

"He was amazing and supportive, and I honestly couldn't ask for better."

"I'm so afraid I'm going to screw it up. I'm so afraid that I'm going to mess up and not touch someone's loved one."

"I remember getting the package and just holding my breath because I had someone's daughter in my hands."

"I was making something that she would be able to hold of her actual child."

"I get a whole lot of crap on social media, whether it be people like making fun of us for breast milk because they don't understand, or just that emotional side of it.”

"If you're scared, just do it. It can change your life."

"Those ten people that are liking your post, that's ten people that love you."

"It's worth it, it's worth it. I would do it a million times over."

Links:

The Give Back Model website TheGiveBackModel.com

Follow The Give Back Model on Instagram

Welcome to the podcast! Today's guest is Samantha Weckesser, the founder and CEO of Mama Hen Media, a boutique agency that helps women-owned businesses achieve their marketing goals through Pinterest blogging and Plan Ahead content distribution. Samantha also runs a giveback program through the sponsorship of Girls on the Run, a nonprofit organization that helps girls strengthen their confidence, minds, and bodies through a positive youth development program centered around running. 

In this episode, Christine and Samantha discuss the story behind Mama Hen Media, the importance of mental health and self-care, and how Mama Hen Media's giveback program helps inspire and empower women and girls.

For more information and other episodes on companies and entrepreneurs who give back, please visit TheGiveBackModel.com.

Episode Highlights:

-The story behind Mama Hen Media

-Importance of mental health and self-care

-Mama Hen Media's giveback program

-Inspiring and empowering women and girls

-Girls on the Run program

-Importance of positive role models and mentors

-The power of running and exercise for mental health

-Combining personal and professional passions

-The value of community involvement and giving back

-The future of Mama Hen Media and its mission

Quotes:

"I started as a virtual assistant and was working under the business name Just Ask For Sam. Kind of fell into it organically through people that I met online and started working, helping business owners and just sort of grew and grew and grew."

"I loved it because I could work the hours that I wanted to and be home with my family. I have four children, ten and under, so being available for them was really important to me."

"As my business grew and my client base grew, I needed to bring on more team members and decided that the name Just Ask For Sam makes it sound like it's just me, when in fact I have now a team to support me."

"I really believe in the power of mental health and self-care and the importance of it. And so I really wanted to make sure that we were incorporating that into our business model."

"I really believe in the power of running and exercise for mental health and just the overall well-being of a person."

"So I wanted to combine my personal passion with my professional passion and be able to give back to a cause that I really believe in."

"I think it's really important for businesses to be involved in their community and give back in some way."

"I just love the fact that we are able to inspire and empower women and girls through our giveback program and through the work that we do."

"I'm really excited about the future of Mama Hen Media and just continuing to grow and make an impact in the world and help as many women-owned businesses as possible achieve their goals."

Links:

The Give Back Model website TheGiveBackModel.com

Follow The Give Back Model on Instagram @thegivebackmodel

Mama Hen Media

Girls On The Run

Filling the Gratitude Gap with Group Greeting Founder Anthony Doctolero

Today’s guest on The Give Back Model is Anthony Doctolero, founder of GroupGreeting, an online digital card provider used by over ten thousand workplaces, including 80% of the Fortune 500 list. Anthony wanted his company to stand for making a difference, so a portion of each GroupGreeting card sent is put toward planting trees in areas hit hard by deforestation and wildfires. Anthony opens the episode by sharing the inspiration for GroupGreeting—a photo album sent all over the country and filled by many friends before being presented as a birthday gift. While it was an awesome idea, Anthony wondered if there was a more efficient way to do it digitally, which led to the creation of GroupGreeting. However, between starting a family and needing a steady income, it took nine years for Anthony to start running the site full-time, growing it month over month until the COVID pandemic hit, at which point the business really took off

GroupGreeting’s year-over-year percentage growth in 2020 was 4,000%, which Anthony credits to the desire for remote workers to maintain their work relationships and still celebrate events together. He discusses the importance of expressing gratitude and appreciation in corporate environments and the challenge of maintaining that as remote working became the norm, with his company helping huge corporations fill the gratitude gap and maintain social connections within their teams. Anthony then talks about GroupGreeting’s give-back partnership with One Tree Planted, why he wanted to give back to the environment, and the success of the model so far, with over 125,000 trees planted and counting. And he finishes the episode by sharing his biggest challenges and most fulfilling achievements over the thirteen years he’s been cultivating GroupGreeting, including the satisfaction of facilitating one-on-one moments of appreciation and gratitude between people.

For more information and other episodes on companies and entrepreneurs who give back, please visit TheGiveBackModel.com. That’s where you can also let Christine know about companies you’ve found that give back, and check out The Give Back Model merchandise, where $5 for every sale goes to non-profit organizations. Thanks for listening!

Episode Highlights:

• Anthony’s journey to going all-in on GroupGreeting
• The impact of remote working on work relationships
• GroupGreeting’s give-back partnership with One Tree Planted
• Anthony’s plans for growth and his biggest challenge
• Anthony’s most fulfilling achievements

Quotes:

“I was one of those kids that would buy candy at a discount at Costco and sell it on the playground, or in high school, we would do fundraisers and car washes, but I kind of treated it like a business. And there was always this thing in me that, like, had this business entrepreneurial aspect.”

“All those people were at home, not connected to the people they’re seeing every day. And at the same time, there’s birthdays, there’s things that were going on, and work anniversaries, so they still wanted to celebrate. So they searched out on the search engines and found us, and we were only one of only maybe three or four people who are offering it. And it just kind of took off from there.”

“We thought, as business owners, this really is our chance to make a company whatever we want. And we wanted to stand for making a difference, not only in the lives of the companies and the customers we work with but also the environment. So we were like, let’s just do it, who cares whether we succeed or we don’t succeed, at least we tried, and we tried to help the environment.”

“It’s kind of like planting a tree, you know, you put the seed in...