Community Saves Us With Jennifer Otis, Amanda Griffin, Kyla Harvey and Tiffany VanDemark

Carla hosts a roundtable with four Charlotte women, Jennifer Otis, Amanda Griffin, Kyla Harvey, and Tiffany VanDemark. They focus on one of the core truths of the rewiring journey: we're not meant to navigate life's hardest seasons alone. Together they unpack how a giving circle, a faith-based recovery mission, and a trauma-informed nonprofit each build community around the people they serve, and Tiffany shares what it felt like to need and find that same community as a domestic violence survivor. Episode Navigation: 00:00 — Introducing today's roundtable on building community through life's hardest seasons 01:26 — Meet the guests: Jennifer Otis, Amanda Griffin, Tiffany VanDemark, and Kyla Harvey 08:12 — Brave Works' journey: from Fashion and Compassion to a year-long healing and workforce pathway called The Brave Way 13:29 — Charlotte Rescue Mission's history since 1938 and its addiction recovery programs 16:33 — Life after treatment: Recovery Living, Community Matters Cafe, and life-skills tracks 20:03 — Jennifer explains how the 100 Women Who Care giving-circle model works 24:12 — Starting the Charlotte chapter from a dozen women in 2022, and the ripple effect since 27:41 — Tiffany on surviving domestic violence and writing Inside the Ring 32:40 — Upcoming events: Charlotte Rescue Mission's 5K, 100 Women Who Care's October 20 meeting, and the Brave Walk with Sunshine 39:09 — Closing thoughts on showing up for your people About Our Guests: Jennifer Otis is the founder and executive director of 100 Women Who Care Charlotte, a local giving circle where members each donate $100, four times a year, to a nonprofit chosen by member vote — with the full $10,000+ pot going straight to the winning organization. She's also an attorney practicing corporate employment law in Charlotte. She started the Charlotte chapter in 2022 after discovering the model on a trip to Charleston. Amanda Griffin is a philanthropy officer at Charlotte Rescue Mission, a Charlotte institution since 1938 offering free, faith-based, professional addiction recovery programs for men (Rebound) and women (Dove's Nest), along with an aftercare pathway called Recovery Living that includes Community Matters Cafe and several life-skills tracks. Kyla Harvey is the executive director of Brave Works and the founder of Concrete Rose Counseling. A therapist and social worker, she leads Brave Works' trauma-informed healing and workforce-development programs, including its year-long Brave Way pathway and its artisan jewelry-making program. Tiffany VanDemark is a speaker, author, and personal brand coach who serves on the board of Brave Works. A survivor of domestic violence during her marriage to a professional wrestler, she wrote about the experience and life on the other side of it in her book, Inside the Ring. Tool to Use: Community isn't just who shows up in a crisis, it's something you build intentionally, over time, by asking for help, making room for others, and staying connected. You don't need a title or a program to start: show up, share your story, and let people know they're not alone in theirs. Connect and Resources: Brave Works: visit their site to learn about the Brave Way pathway, shop the artisan jewelry collection, or sign up for the Brave Walk with Sunshine on September 12 at the Whitewater Center: https://www.braveworks.org/ Follow Brave Works on Instagram:   / braveworksorg   Charlotte Rescue Mission: learn about Rebound, Dove's Nest, and upcoming events like the community 5K and golf tournament: https://charlotterescuemission.org/ Community Matters Cafe: https://communitymatterscafe.com/ 100 Women Who Care Charlotte: join or nominate a nonprofit, and RSVP for the next meeting on October 20th (5:30–7:30pm at Quail Hollow Club): https://100womenwhocareclt.com/ Follow 100 Women Who Care Charlotte on Instagram:   / 100wwcc   100 Women Who Care Charlotte on Grapevine: https://www.grapevine.org/giving-circ... Tiffany VanDemark's book, Inside the Ring: From Tap Out to Champion: https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Ring-ta... Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://open.spotify.com/show/033Xqpi... Listen on Spotify: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Website: https://5683justbe.com/ Follow Carla V. on Instagram:   / carla_variglotti_   LinkedIn:   / carla-variglotti-201b1736b