I tend to look forward and I’m perpetually restless for what’s next. But as we close the book on 2025, it’s worth a pause and a look back. I’m getting better at that. In many ways, 2025 was our biggest year yet and that’s worth celebrating..

Spoiler alert. Much of this work is made possible by our donors and as we look forward to a busy 2026, we’d love your support to pursue this work in even bigger and bolder ways. How much it grows is up to you. You can donate here.

In the past 12 months we led 32 major engagements in 13 states. We were eyeball to eyeball with more than 12,000 people for in-person events and reached tens of thousands more with our stories of hope, healing, and human connection through online content, newsletters, and media exposure.

We encouraged and helped amplify the stories of people doing good work. We partnered with organizations like the Brain Injury Association of Nebraska, Positive Childhood Alliance in North Carolina, Urban Rural Action in Wisconsin, and Salina Adult Education in Kansas. We presented keynote lectures at the Rotary Peace Conference, St. Louis County Health and Human Services Conference, and the Youth Leadership Academy. We held residencies at campuses like Willamette University and Hilbert College. And we did community work in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, on the Standing Rock Reservation, and in my own hometown of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.

We recorded more than 50 new podcast episodes (some of them still waiting to be released) and produced more than 1,500 new studio stories.

This year, we ventured into new territory with international stories. We spent time in Northern Ireland to hear stories of hope and healing nearly 30 years after the Good Friday Agreement formally ended decades of sectarian violence known as The Troubles. I hope you’ll tune in to hear some of those stories that are currently being released weekly on our podcast.

Our project coordinator, Nick Theisen grew from a part time to a full time position and started leading some of his own community engagements. We worked with three summer interns and partnered with journalist Barry Yeoman for a series of stories in Louisiana on the 20th anniversary of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and we worked with producer Amy Chatelaine to develop a new resource called 40 Days Toward Deeper Listening: Hearing the Heart of Humanity. That offering just released and I hope you’ll sign up to experience it.

We continued to add stories about addiction and recovery to our series called SOBR, with the support of a Creative Individuals Grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board.

Historically, I’ve been driven by an artist’s heart, doing this work because I know it makes a difference. We hear anecdotal affirmations and evidence of our impact daily, but this year, we’ve started quantifying the ways our work makes a difference. And the numbers have amazed me. We have just started pulling together the results of a recent survey and look at some of these numbers:

-When we asked people if they felt hopeful that they can bridge divides in their communities, before our programing 62% said yes, and after our programing 90% said yes. That moved the needle by 28 points.

-Before our programming, 68% of people agreed with the statement “I feel confident having respectful conversations about difficult issues.” And after our programming, that number shifted to 94%. Again, that’s a change of 26%.

Listen to a few of these comments from the survey of our participants:

-“This is an incredible opportunity to increase connection, belonging, and grow as a community and individually. Absolutely worth the investment.”

-“With equal measures of honesty, curiosity, and compassion, John’s work can help you unearth and expand the wisdom already in the room.”

-“This is a deeply empathetic and serious project that speaks to foundational needs in our society.”

Our programming increases hope, strengthens a feeling of common humanity, and encourages cross-difference engagement. In a time of increasing division, this work is more important than ever. We can do even more if you can help us, even just a little.

Let me close with a few scenes from my last week as we wind down the year and look forward to what’s next.

I lost a good friend to suicide last week. I didn’t understand how much he struggled and I’m heartbroken at his early departure. I know we’ll be doing more work about mental health in the coming year.

I worked with inmates at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Shakopee last week. We talked about addiction and recovery and I’ll be back next week to lead a studio day. At the end of our session, one woman shared, “This is a hard time for most of us. We don’t get to spend the holidays with family. Thanks for showing up and giving us something to look forward to.” We all deserve that.

On the winter solstice, we gathered with friends on a snowy hillside, around a roaring fire, and took turns sharing the things we will let go of in the coming year, and the things we will hold close. That sort of intentionality is at the core of our work.

And finally, I spent a couple shifts delivering groceries to families from immigrant communities in the Twin Cities last week. With ICE agents in our town and many people scared to venture out, I wanted to respond with a simple act of service. To make sure there was a little more room in the inn, so to speak. And whatever comes our way in 2026, we will continue to show up for one another in large and small ways.

Thanks for the ways you have shown up for others in 2025. Thanks to everyone who has supported and followed our work. May we all find (and make) a little peace in 2026.