A World of Difference

Unleashing the Power of Eating, Learning, and Playing: Join CEO Chris Helfrich as he champions the impactful mission of Eat.Learn.Play Foundation to transform underserved communities through its three pillars, challenging the stigmas of charity and inspiring lasting change.

My special guest is Chris Helfrich

Meet Chris Helfrich, the force behind the Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation. Not a stranger to charitable work, Chris has broadened his experience, starting from his endeavors with the UN Foundation Against Malaria to leading the Starlight Children's Foundation. Now, partnering with Ayesha and Steph Curry, Chris is transforming thousands of lives in Oakland through the power of Eat Learn Play. Using this powerful trifecta, Chris and his team advocate for children's access to nutritious food, quality education, and sports activities. His work goes beyond charity; it's about offering dignity, a proud sense of community, and a bright future for those in need.

Bonnie Gray is an author and inspirational speaker based in Northern California. Bonnie has developed a global following of readers who come to her for inspiring Christian living content written in her authentic, unique voice. Bonnie’s moving, soulful stories challenge believers spiritually and connect deeply at a heart level.

Raised by a single mother in San Francisco’s Chinatown, Bonnie worked alongside her mother to make ends meet. While speaking only Chinese at home, Bonnie became fluent in English at school, excelling in her studies. Bonnie’s hard work earned scholarships for college, which she knew would enable her to provide for her mother and younger sister.

After graduating UCLA with a computer science and engineering degree, Bonnie worked as a high-tech professional in Silicon Valley for 15 years – as well as a missionary to Asia and a ministry entrepreneur in the U.S.

Bonnie’s publishing career launched in 2014 with the release of her first book, Finding Spiritual Whitespace: Awakening Your Soul to Rest. Her next book, Whispers of Rest: 40 Days of God’s Love to Revitalize Your Soul, released in 2017. Bonnie’s writing is featured at her blog and in numerous Christian media outlets such as Relevant Magazine and Christianity Today.

Bonnie’s new book, Sweet Like Jasmine: Finding Identity in a Culture of Loneliness (Harvest House, October 2021) is her most personal to date. A moving memoir about uncovering family secrets, finding true worth, and witnessing brokenness made beautiful, Sweet Like Jasmine celebrates what it really means to belong.

Growing up as an American-Chinese daughter of a mail-order bride and a busboy working in San Francisco’s Chinatown, Bonnie never truly felt beautiful or beloved. But at 39, a long-forgotten birth certificate in an old file cabinet sparked a curiosity she couldn’t ignore. Bonnie embarked on a journey that led to soul-shaking discoveries about her identity, human kindness, and what it means to be loved.

As an inspirational speaker and podcast host of Breathe: The Stress Less Podcast, Bonnie touches thousands of lives every year using storytelling, soul care, and prayer. She speaks passionately on topics of women’s wellness, spiritual growth, prayer, meditation, healing, storytelling, creativity, and finding God in the daily grind of everyday life.

Bonnie Gray (thebonniegray.com) lives in California with her husband Eric and their two sons. Readers connect with her on social media @thebonniegray.

The A World of Difference Podcast is brought to you in partnership with Missio Alliance.

Russ Laraway has had a diverse 28 year operational management career. He was a Company Commander in the Marine Corps before starting his first company, Pathfinders. From there, Russ went to the Wharton School, and then onto management roles at Google and Twitter. He then co-founded Candor, Inc., along with best selling author Kim Scott.

Over the last several years, Russ served as the Chief People Officer at Qualtrics, and is now the Chief People Officer for the fast-growing venture capital firm, Goodwater Capital, where he is helping Goodwater and its portfolio companies to empower their people to do great work and be totally psyched while doing it.

Over his career, Russ has managed 700 person teams and $700M businesses at places like Google and Twitter -- facing a vast array of leadership challenges along the way. He's the author of the book When They Win, You Win: Being a Great Manager Is Simpler Than You Think.

Pre-order the When They Win, You Win book

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The A World of Difference Podcast is brought to you in partnership with Missio Alliance.

Stay In Touch: Connect on Facebook and Instagram with thoughts, questions, and feedback. Rate, review and share this podcast with anyone that would love to listen. Find Us Online: @aworldof.difference on Instagram and A World of Difference on Facebook, on Twitter at @loriadbr & on Clubhouse @loriadbr.https://linktr.ee/aworldofdifference or loriadamsbrown.com

Interested in one-on-one or group coaching on how to live a life that makes a difference? Check out: https://www.loriadamsbrown.com/coaching

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Mentioned in this episode:

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Do you want to go deeper?

Join us in Difference Makers, a community where we watch and discuss exclusive content that truly makes a difference. Give us $5 a month (the price of a latte), and join in on the conversation with our host Lori and others who want to make a difference. We'd love to have you join us!

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Dr. Diane Langberg came on the podcast last year, and was one of our most listened to episodes. Dr. Langberg is globally recognized for her 47 years of clinical work with trauma victims. She has trained caregivers on six continents in responding to trauma and to the abuse of power. She also directs her own counseling practice in Jenkintown, PA, Diane Langberg, Ph.D. & Associates, which includes seventeen therapists with multiple specialties. Dr. Langberg’s newest book is Redeeming Power: Understanding Authority and Abuse in the Church. Other books include Counseling Survivors of Sexual Abuse, On the Threshold of Hope (with accompanying workbook), In Our Lives First: Meditations for Counselors and Suffering the Heart of God: How Trauma Destroys and Christ Restores.

Dr. Langberg is the recipient of the Distinguished Alumna Achievements from Taylor University., the American Association of Christian Counselors Caregiver Award, The Distinguished President’s award, and the Philadelphia Council of Clergy’s Christian Service Award.

She is married and has two sons and four grandchildren.

https://www.dianelangberg.com

Dr. Langberg cofounded the Global Trauma Recovery Institute at Missio Seminary in Philadelphia.

She is also on the board of GRACE, Godly Response to Abuse in a Christian Environment, founded by Boz Tchividjian.

The A World of Difference Podcast is brought to you in partnership with Missio Alliance

Stay In Touch: Connect on Facebook and Instagram with thoughts, questions, and feedback. Rate, review and share this podcast with anyone that would love to listen. Find Us Online: @aworldof.difference on Instagram and A World of Difference on Facebook, on Twitter at @loriadbr & on Clubhouse @loriadbr.https://linktr.ee/aworldofdifference or loriadamsbrown.com

Interested in one-on-one or group coaching on how to live a life that makes a difference? Check out: https://www.loriadamsbrown.com/coaching

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Mentioned in this episode:

Join Difference Makers

Join us in our membership community for exclusive content for only $5/month at https://www.patreon.com/aworldofdifference. We go deeper with each guest, and it makes such a difference.

Patreon

Do you want to go deeper?

Join us in Difference Makers, a community where we watch and discuss exclusive content that truly makes a difference. Give us $5 a month (the price of a latte), and join in on the conversation with our host Lori and others who want to make a difference. We'd love to have you join us!

Patreon

Dr. Mimi Haddad serves as president and CEO of CBE International and as an adjunct associate professor of historical theology at Fuller Theological Seminary. She is a graduate of the University of Colorado and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (Summa Cum Laude). She holds a PhD in historical theology from the University of Durham, England. Haddad received an Honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Palmer Theological Seminary of Eastern University 2013. She is serves in leadership with Evangelicals for Justice and is a founding member of the Evangelicals and Women Study Group at the Evangelical Theological Society.

Mimi is an award-winning author and has written more than one hundred academic, popular, and blog articles. She has also contributed to over fifteen books, most recently: “Helping the Church Understand Biblical Gender Equality,” “History Matters: Evangelicals and Women,” and “Human Flourishing: Global Perspectives,” in Discovering Biblical Equality: Complementarity Without Hierarchy (IVP, third edition forthcoming); “Ideas Have Consequences,” in Created to Thrive (CBE International, 2021); “Examples of Women’s Leadership in the Old Testament and Church History” in Women in Pentecostal and Charismatic Ministry, part of the Global Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies Series 21 (Brill NV, 2016); Is Gender Equality a Biblical Ideal? with Sean Callaghan (second edition coming in 2021). Haddad has been also published in journals, magazines and blogs, including Ashland Theological Journal, The Campbellsville Review, Catalyst, Christian Ethics Today, Christianity Today, Evangelical Fellowship of India, Evangelical Fellowship of India Commission on Relief, Sojourners, William Carey Development Journal , Missio Alliance, Her.meneutics, Mutuality, and Priscilla Papers.

Mimi has taught for colleges and seminaries around the world. She has served as a gender and theology consultant with World Relief, World Vision International, and SASA! Faith Beyond Borders. Haddad served as convener of the Issue Group 24 for the 2004 Lausanne III Committee for World Evangelization. Mimi writes, teaches, and speaks on matters related to development, justice, faith and gender. Mimi and her husband, Dale, live in the Twin Cities (Minnesota) and are involved in local ministries.