Today: A New Day

Today was a beautiful day. I was honored to be asked by The Harmony Festival of Cedar Rapids, Iowa to keynote their event. The committee asked me six months ago to stand up at their festival and share the magic Challenge to Change, Inc. offered to the children in our great state of Iowa. At the time of the initial ask, I was on top of the world. C2C had grown by leaps and bounds over the last five years and speaking about how this amazing organization grew from a tiny seed into a beautiful bouquet of flowers was so easy for me to do. I could have actually done it in my sleep. I am sure some nights I did!

When June 20, 2025 came and Challenge to Change was cut off at the knees through losing state funding, I couldn't have felt more different. I was devastated. I was destroyed. I was in deep grief. I was filled with guilt and shame. I was not feeling like I was a keynote speaker at all. What service could I offer people when we no longer could be the organization we were? 

Today, July 26, 2025, I feel so different. I now realize none of this was my fault. I have come to understand and FEEL that there were so many forces out of my control. I have learned to sit in the silence. I have learned to be in the hard and find a way out of the mud and the muck. I have met with so many amazing humans, organizations and legislators who have listened to our story and stepped alongside me to find a way forward. Today, I feel supported. I feel loved. I feel hopeful. What a difference six weeks can make! I know from the loss of my husband, many years ago, time does help with healing. Time does help with perspective.

Today, I wanted to share with you how I am coming out of the dark and seeing some light. When I had the opportunity at the Harmony Festival to tell my story of the buildup and decimation of Challenge to Change, I felt the power. I felt the need for this work in our schools and facilities now more than ever. I felt the passion to advocate for the teachers and students in ALL schools, not just the ones we served. I felt the pulse of Challenge to Change and what I initially set out to do: create happy, healthy, safe kids who make the world around them better than they found it. I will not stop working to this until my last breath on this earth. 

Today, I rededicate myself to this mission. These practices. Our children in Iowa and in the world. The Dalai Lama said, "If we taught every eight year old in our world meditation, we would eliminate violence from our world within one generation." Guess what? He is right. I will do my part to make this happen. Our youth is too important to ignore. They are to valuable to look away from the systemic problems and needs they have. Change needs to occur to build strong leaders of tomorrow. Mindful practices NEED to be available to our youth.

Today, I ask you to join me on this mission. To advocate for the BRAIN HEALTH of our youth. Be the voice to make our future generation healthy. Speak loudly of the need for Mindful Education and relevant brain health resources to be available to ALL youth in our state. Prevention and early intervention is where it needs to start. I ask you today to be the change you wish to see in the world.

I see you and I honor you,

Molly

#mindfuleducation #mindfulness #yoga #bethechange #bethechangeyouwishtoseeintheworld #challengetochangeinc