Those Who Know

Wow! This is so senti! I would have never thought this would have lasted as long as it did when I began in January of 2018. Thank you all for being on this journey with me. I am so grateful for your love and light in my life. Continue to go back and listen to old episodes if you need a dose of Hope. 

Love your host, 

Grace Casper

Instagram: @grace__casper

Young author, Jessie Clark, tells the story of her life and how her book became what it is. From sexual abuse at a young age to self-hatred to deep shame, these were the battles Jessie was facing. But when she learned of someone who would never leave her, never hate her, and never forsake her, her life changed. Jessie fell in love with the act of journaling and had a journal for every year. These journal entries soon became the book that she published today titled, "I Delight, Because He is Near". Lean in as you hear the raw and vulnerable parts of Jessie's story that she so bravely chose to share with the world.

Jessie's website: https://www.jmccreative.art/ 

Follow Jessie on Instagram: @jessieclark12

Follow us on Instagram: @those.who.know

Music: "Asylum" -The Morning 

Aaron Hanes was battling addiction and living in a toxic relationship which then culminated in him being incarcerated multiple times. One day while in jail, Aaron was bored and picked up what he thought was a comic book of sorts. Little did he know it was a book on telling others about the story of Jesus. This book relit the old flame that used to burn within Aaron growing up. Soon, he was leading a Bible study within jail with other cellmates and this became a community. Listen in as Aaron describes his hard journey that led to growth, recovery, and fulfillment. 

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Music: "Asylum"- The Morning

Maddie McDavid reflects on her time growing up with the same nine people. She attended a small private school for most of her life and didn't think it was that big of a deal. When she went to college, she started to see the ways in which her experience had shaped her world view and how she viewed herself. Luckily, Maddie found a wonderful counselor and through these appointments, she started to put language to what she had experienced in those years. From crazy expectations to emotional abuse, these are things that Maddie had to comprehend while diving into her healing. If you have attended a private school, this is for you. If you didn't, learn about what one girl's experience was like and how it has impacted her. 

Absolving: to set or declare (someone) free from blame or guilt. Emmy Johnson describes her story of finding pornography at age seven and how it led to more than a decade of addiction. But Emmy Johnson was determined to not let addiction have the final word. Her authenticity in describing the ebb and flow of recovery is comforting to those that know what addiction is like. Thanks to Emmy, women know that they are not alone in their struggle. Emmy knows Hope. She knows the Key to freedom. Let her guide you through her story and how she is walking in complete freedom from not only addiction but shame. 

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Music: "Asylum" - The Morning

The first episode of season 3! My good friend, Amanda Redinger, explains what her life has been like growing up with a sibling who has a disability. Adam, Amanda's brother, is non-verbal yet has taught Amanda more about what love is than most typical-abled people. Amanda and Adam were unstoppable. Adam was Amanda's best friend as they made "Adam Movies", rode in a gator together, and talked about everything together. Unfortunately, most of the world does not see Adam as Amanda sees him. Allow Amanda to tell you her story, and how you can be someone who accepts people with disabilities and recognizes their inherent value.

Follow us on Instagram: @those.who.know

Music: "Asylum" - The Morning

In this episode, you get to hear from a newly graduated young adult. Her name is Jasmyne Bell. She grew up with financial privilege and yet felt marginalized because of the color of her skin. She is mixed coming from Black, German, Irish, Chinese, and Mexican backgrounds. This caused her to not know where to fit in. Wherever she went, she felt fake. Despite these challenges, Jasmyne has embraced who she is and allowed God to define her. Now she is a journalist chasing her dreams of creating art that tells beautiful stories.

Follow us on Instagram @those.who.know

The engaged couple, Noah and Caroline, talk about what it’s like to be filmmakers. Not just any filmmakers, but ones who tell redemptive stories. This creative team describes how they fell in love with the art of capturing a story and how they fell in love with one another. Listen in as these two let us into their world and explain the blood, sweat, and tears that goes into following a dream.

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Cam and Dani Philgreen have been married for 3 1/2 years and even though they are only 26 and 28 years old, they have learned so much already. They own Six Ten Real Estate, The Philgreens (a photography company), and both have separate unique hobbies too. In this episode, they speak on what it’s like running businesses together, how they make decisions, and how they support one another. Ultimately, they spoke truth over how to “dance through the roadblocks”. This story is a beautiful one so really lean in!

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Meet Devin and Jaja. Devin is an immigrant from China and Jaja is a second-generation Asian-American. In this episode, this couple explains their journey of creating Waco Cha. Waco Cha is not only a bubble tea business, but it is a place that fosters community and brings people together. This couple is honest about the fears of owning a business, starting something new for the community, and speaking up about diversity representation. Listen as they describe how this dream was birthed out of a lack of representation of bubble tea and ultimately their own loneliness.

Follow Waco Cha on Instagram @waco_cha
Follow us on Instagram: @those.who.know

Andreas Zaloumis tells his journey of learning how to be an entrepreneur and how he discovered Hope along the way. The episode begins with him explaining his endeavors but ends with him revealing the “secret sauce” behind it all: family. Listen in and hear how family is the game-changing piece for Andreas and his dreams.

His endeavors include:
Thrst Coffee (Third Space Theory Coffee)
East Side Market (in Waco, TX)
Ab.stractphotography

Follow us on Instagram: @those.who.know

Summer Shine is a woman who is unashamedly herself. She breaks the mold of what an entrepreneur looks like/should be like. In this episode, she explains her journey with addiction, finding victory, and how she keeps fighting today. Summer is the owner of UnSHAKEable Milkshakes and Sunshine Recovery House. Join us in the honor of listening to this Queen of Waco’s story.

*WARNING: this episode has explicit language and we talk about drugs and addiction.*

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You already know his voice, but today you hear his story. My new co-host, Ryan Thomas, describes how he discovered his gifting in music after releasing his dream of being a basketball star. Ryan also explains the struggles of being a Creative, the importance of sustaining belief in oneself, and why art with a story behind it matters.

Music: “Overcome” by Ryan Thomas

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How did we get here? We are starting season TWO of Those Who Know! This is wild. This season is titled, “Dreams Unfiltered” and I am adding a co-host: Ryan Thomas. He was an old guest on the show and came to me wondering if we could collaborate. In this episode, Ryan and I explain how we came up with “Dreams Unfiltered”, what to look forward to, and why we are excited!

Music: “Overcome (Instrumental)” by Ryan Thomas

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Shepherd Branch grew up in a Christian Church since he was 3 weeks old. Quickly, he learned how to play the part and look like a “good religious man”. Especially with living in the shadow of an influential older brother, Shepherd felt the pressure to have it all together. This act became even more convincing, not only to others but to himself, when he compared himself to his peers. He saw their actions as “bad” and thought he was living in a more godly light since nothing he did was seen in public. It took a man that consistently met with Shepherd to shake him from his distorted reality and said to him, “Shep, you don’t look like you’re doing okay”.

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Lizzie was living in constant denial of what had happened to her that night. “There’s no way it was that bad, maybe she was the dirty one, maybe she should have known not to go that night.” These were the lies circulating in her head until she finally came to terms and spoke out the statement, “I was sexually assaulted”. It was through therapy, meeting in the quiet space, and deeply mourning what had happened to her that led Lizzie to full restoration. Hear how Lizzie has learned to cope with the aftermath of survival, and take hope from the victory in her story.

Intro/Outro Music by: Reminisce

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Rachel grew up only knowing abuse, drugs, and homelessness. This led Rachel on a path of deep addiction and shame, culminating to a point where she was willing to lose her life over an $80 drug deal. Now, Rachel is clean and travels around the world telling people about a REAL Hope. Listen to the craziness in Rachel’s life and how she has received healing.

*Explicit content is said in this episode including profanity, drug use, and abuse*

Intro/Outro music by: Reminisce
Follow us on Instagram: @those.who.know

Cole Harrison was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer at the age of 18. His new community of friends and settlement into college life was completely stripped away, leaving him with anger and questions. Soon after the diagnosis St. Jude offered a medical trial that changed his life. Listen in as Cole explains the depth of his suffering and how honesty was the only thing he craved.

Intro/Outro music by: Reminisce
Follow us on Instagram: @those.who.know

Two people who were raised in complete polar opposites end up choosing one another. How? It all started from a simple note that said, “I’d go nuts if you went on a date with me”. Little did Madison and Ryan know that saying yes to this note would lead to the knowledge they have now on love and sacrifice. Listen as they explain their journey of clinging to a promise and foundation, no matter what the circumstances were.

Intro/Outro music by: Reminisce
Follow us on Instagram: @those.who.know

Emma Black stepped into a giant abyss of the unknown, also known as college, and soon found herself trying to control anything in the midst of it all. What started as simply skipping one meal ended up snowballing into EDNOS (Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified). It took Emma over a year to finally accept what was happening, step out of the cycle of denial, and get help. Emma’s story of recovery is absolutely miraculous and beautifully raw. So sit down, drive, or unload the dishwasher as you get the privilege of listening to this victorious story.

Music provided by Reminisce.
Follow us on Instagram: @those.who.know

Judah thought he could find his purpose by dropping out of school and pursuing music. What seemed like a beautiful ambition was exposed as a romanticized dream with no legs to become a reality. Suddenly Judah became a man who couldn’t go anywhere without being high. He was stuck in his sadness and felt guilty for pulling other people into his pit. Listen as Judah describes how he is living in full freedom now and overcame his biggest challenge… to accept forgiveness and forgive himself.

Music provided by Reminisce.
Follow us on Instagram: @those.who.know

Some might think kids don’t remember what they witness when they are young, but Lucy Walters disproves that through her story. From alcoholism to checking the box of religion and morality, listen as Lucy describes her journey of finding what gave her the deepest form of freedom and happiness. This girl truly has seen it all from growing up in the Flatirons of beautiful Boulder, CO. So… Take a walk, drive around, or do some dishes and let Lucy guide you into what her reality was compared to what it is now.   

Follow us on Instagram: @those.who.know

Getting drunk every weekend trying to obtain the same happiness that everyone else around him seemed to have. “What’s wrong with me? Why is this not satisfying me?” Kyle thought to himself. Sit down and listen to how Kyle Haertling used to live a double-life of church-going and partying until he had an encounter with a stranger that changed the course of his life.

Follow us on Instagram: @those.who.know

On December 13th, 2013, Arapahoe High School in Centennial, CO experienced a school shooting. Catherine Holmes was sitting in her theatre class completely unaware of what was happening until the SWAT team came in. Hear how this terrifying moment that could have taken the ground from underneath her, actually gave her a firmer foundation.

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Emma Vollands and Matt Hogan have been dating for almost 3 years now. In this episode, they recall the time when they were only dating for ten days and Matt discovers he has neuroblastoma, rare cancer found usually in infants. These two tell the story of how they met, how they continued to date after this scary diagnosis, and where their hope was placed in the midst of it all. **UPDATE: They are now happily married!**

Follow us on Instagram: @those.who.know

Liv Nortillo tells her story of being bullied at a young age and living with the struggles of depression and anxiety for 13 years. She has had to handle people that misjudge her feelings by thinking that one cannot struggle with depression and anxiety yet still be close to God. In this episode, you get the opportunity to hear her passionate outlook on how people should be treated and how the hope of God rescued her from her own self.

Follow us on Instagram: @those.who.know

Lazy, ignorant, and passive. These are the words most adults use when describing Generation Z or Melinials. They think that these “kids” haven’t experienced the real world yet. That is not what I think. I see a generation rising that carries a fire and passion after experiencing pain at such a young age. The people I interview carry a hope that is unchanging… I call them, Those Who Know. In this short episode, hear my heart behind starting this podcast and where I see it going. Subscribe to be notified when the first interview is posted!

Follow us on Instagram: @those.who.know