**Today’s podcast is part of this week’s Power of Moms’ “It Takes a Village” Fundraiser for South Africa. Click here to learn more!
You might be shocked to discover that Crystal Paine, of the very successful blog Money Saving Mom, was painfully shy and timid when she first started blogging. In fact, when she agreed to give her first keynote address at a small blogging conference, she trembled in fear, stared at the paper the entire time, and even “ugly-cried” through part of her speech. (You’ll have to listen to the podcast to hear the entire story!)
But Crystal’s decision to get up on that stage, even though she was terrified, was one of many small steps in her amazing journey to extraordinary impact. She now runs an extremely successful business, writes New York Times best-selling books, speaks to thousands of people all over the country, and even travels to South Africa to help with an incredible non-profit called Take Action Ministry.
In September, Power of Moms’ Board Member, Rachel Nielson joined Crystal on an advocacy trip to South Africa, where they got to meet several incredible “ordinary” mothers who are making an extraordinary difference in their communities, simply by taking small steps towards big impact.
In today’s podcast, Crystal and Rachel tell you about a few of those South African mothers!
We can be like Wanda, who started the non-profit organization Take Action Ministry because she couldn’t bear to just stand back and witness desperate need. (And who has since adopted four children out of poverty, even though she is in her fifties!)
We can be like Gogo, who is the “Granny” and matriarch of an entire community of children and welcomes them into her home everyday after school, giving love to anyone and everyone who needs it.
We can be like Elizabeth, Gogo’s daughter, who runs the “after-care” program out of Gogo’s house for these children, providing them with a meal, homework help, and a safe place to go while their mothers work long hours as domestic helpers in the city.
We can see needs in our communities and the broader world and do something, big or small, to help. We can start today by taking one ordinary step–and it might be a little scary!–toward making extraordinary impact in our spheres of influences.
You don’t want to miss out on hearing about these hero-mothers!
Show Notes
Power of Moms’ Fundraising Page: powerofmoms.com/africa
Make a Direct Donation to South Africa: https://www.purecharity.com/maubane-rivoningo-transformation-center
Crystal’s Blog: moneysavingmom.com
Lisa-Jo’s Blog: lisajobaker.com
Lisa Jo’s Book: Suprised by Motherhood
Take Action Ministry: https://www.facebook.com/TakeActionMinistry/
Music from Creations by Michael R. Hicks
Audio editing by Emily Peterson
[…] PS: Want to hear more about why and how Money Saving Mom got involved in this project? Listen to the podcast in Crystal’s own words over here. […]