Having such a longstanding relationship with, Ashley Hall, it’s thrilling to watch her reach her goals, and I’m enamored by her mission.
Shortly after recording our episode, “Let’s Talk About It”, Ashley approached me about her yearly event to benefit local healthcare heroes and the families of children with childhood cancer. Ashley reached out about the event, and I instantaneously accepted.
Initially, I wasn’t sure of the role that I’d play at this event. I’d only recorded podcast episodes from the comfortable confines of the Pixel Labs podcast booth. At that point in time, I didn’t even know how to turn on the RØDECaster soundboard to initiate recording! I had written a check I wasn’t even sure I could cover, but I told Ashley I’d do a podcast episode from the Field of Dreams!
I’m the type of individual who will never learn until I do. With the acceptance of this task, came a plethora of questions about how I’d be successful in this endeavor. Spending a Saturday afternoon with, Noah Lucy, Pixel Labs production coordinator, taught me all the basics of running the system behind the podcast episode recording. Not only did I learn a new skill, but I also gained a new level of appreciation for the knowledge and professionalism of the team which I’ve surrounded myself with.
The event couldn’t have happened without the help of my old friend, Brett Manternach, who made his podcast episode debut. Brett is the first person I call when I need an extra hand. He learned the system of podcast recording that day at Pixel Labs with the team, and he did all the work in setting it up in Dyersville, Iowa, for this event. Brett is the keen eye, the level head, and the analytical advice I need to make sense of all things. He is just as much to thank for the success of this project as anyone, and he graciously offered his time and energy for nothing in return.
I’m not going to be able to properly articulate the immense impact of this event through a blog post. Hearing the roar of happy children who were once knocking at death’s doorstop, watching a family play catch with a baseball after months of being locked in a hospital, and seeing the smiles and enthusiasm of the healthcare professionals, who too often only witness the loss, absolutely solidified the fact that I was exactly where I needed to be.
As Brett and I loaded the podcast gear into the trunk of the Camry to venture back home, I looked back at the field, with the old white iconic home in the backdrop, and I knew there was nowhere I’d rather be than exactly where I was going.
𝙀𝙣𝙟𝙤𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙞𝙙𝙚!
