Transforming Pain Into Purpose | Parkland

In this episode I had a deeply moving and powerful conversation with four members of the Parkland community who were impacted by the school shooting that took place at Marjory Stoneman Douglas Senior High School on February 14, 2018. In this conversation MSD students - Danielle Gilbert and Danny Tabares, Adult Chair of March for Our Lives Parkland - Samantha Novick, and community organizer and respected meditation teacher Shelly Tygielski courageously share their experiences of that day and their road to healing. This is one of the most hopeful and inspirational conversations that has taken place on this show (and that I have ever witnessed or been a part of). I hope you enjoy. 

**This show contains content that some may find to be upsetting, disturbing, or triggering. Please listen at your own discretion. Thank you.**

In this episode we explore:

• Their experiences of Valentine’s Day 2018
• Insights about transforming pain into purpose
• Staying hopeful when times get tough
• How they have found the courage to be compassionate, and to love after experiencing hate
• The importance of listening, and healthy debate
• What they’ve learned about creating conditions that promote healing
• Why little acts of kindness are so important
• And much more. 

Guest bios - please note these are partial bios. For full bios, show notes, and links to references and resources mentioned in the show please visit www.joshuasteinfeldt.com/episode-29

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Danielle Gilbert, Student

Danielle Gilbert is currently a senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas Senior High School in Parkland, Florida. She has lived in Parkland for her entire life. She was located in one of the classrooms that was shot into on February 14, 2018. She will be attending University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida in the Fall of 2019. 

 Daniel ("Danny") Tabares, Student

Daniel Tabares is an 18-year old Sophomore at Marjory Stoneman Douglas Senior High School. Danny was a Freshman during the tragic events of February 14, 2018 and experienced, like many others, trauma but he managed to turn that pain into purpose. Originally from Honduras and also part Colombian, Danny has overcome many challenges in his life prior to shooting and has channeled that strength to focus on helping others. He spends a lot of his time volunteering in the organizations that were formed to commemorate and honor the 17 victims of the Parkland shooting.

 Samantha Novick, Adult Chair of March for Our Lives Parkland, MSD Alumnus

 Samantha Novick was the Adult Chairperson for March For Our Lives - Parkland which took place on March 24, 2018, a little over a month after the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas Senior High School, her alma mater. Sam's mother, Sharon Cutler, is a teacher at Stoneman Douglas and her father is the Vice Mayor of the City of Parkland, the city where she was raised. She is an ASHA certified speech-language pathologist and the owner of Bridge Therapy, located in Coral Springs, Florida.  She is passionate about giving back to her community, ensuring that the memories of the lives lost are preserved and honored, and supports and leads initiatives that contribute to the eradication of hate. 

Shelly Tygielski, Community Organizer and Mindfulness Teacher

After spending almost 20 years in Corporate America, Shelly Tygielski turned to teaching “modern-life mindfulness” full-time. For the past decade, Shelly has volunteered as a community organizer in politics, on campaigns, with social justice organizations and on behalf of underserved school districts as well as helping with

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