When I started Find the Good News I couldn’t have predicted the effect it would have on me. Each and every guest has left an impact. This is the absolute truth; I think about each one of them in some small way each day. John O’Donnell, the man I visit with in episode 25, doesn’t break that stride. In fact, John's eagerness to serve and willingness to lead has only motivated me to continue seeking out good people in this community and beyond, bringing their personal stories to you. Whether it’s impacting our region through his day job as the director of the Southwest Louisiana Area Health Education Center, or the myriad of ways he puts his passions to work in our communities on a grassroots level, John is motivating people to be more active, to live healthier lives, and to get involved in small ways that make a big difference. John is knowledgable about what he’s talking about, and he has to be. When you're making changes you’re often making waves, and those who rock the boat should be able to back up their reasons for doing it. What I loved about John is that he doesn’t beat around the bush when it comes to making changes, things that need to happen right now, and he presents these issues—as well as the possible solutions—in an infectious way that makes you want to start making them right away. My perception is that with each venture into good works, John O’Donnell is consciously learning—taking note of what worked, and what didn’t—and then adjusting his thinking and tactics to ensure that the next go-round is more successful. He’s working a long plan that will enhance the quality of life in Southwest Louisiana on many dimensions, but at the same time, he’s making sure there are small and visible victories along the way to help us all stay motivated to keep working toward a broader vision. He’ll make you think twice about what you’re cooking and eating, where you’re shopping, the businesses you support, the laws you're voting for, the way we’re planning and building, as well as the way we’re all getting around from place to place. It’s good news for all of us when there are people like John O’Donnell in the community. Not only are they good people, but they are stepping into leadership roles, and teaching the next generation of leaders by their example. 

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THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY PARKER BRAND CREATIVE SERVICES >> www.ParkerBrandUp.com

FOR MORE INFO ABOUT JOHN O'DONNELL >> www.instagram.com/johnodonnell or www.swlahec.com 

This weekend, Jeff Diest and John O'Donnell discuss central banking and culture. We tend to think of central banking as a dry subject for professional economists, rather than a cultural and even moral issue. But the Fed and other central banks create huge moral hazards, degrade longstanding social mores like hard work and thrift, and encourage economic hedonism today at the expense of tomorrow. Every healthy society is built on capital accumulation and building for a future beyond lives, whereas central banks encourage consumption and turn us into zombie debtors. What happens to the future when ultra-low interest rates mean saving is for chumps? And why have we allowed Greenspan, Bernanke, and Yellen to hide the Fed's harmful cultural effects behind a wall of technical Fed-speak?