In this episode of the ThriveMind Studio Podcast, host Courtney Finstad sits down with Astrid Schanz-Garbassi, coach, facilitator, and founder of Expanded Capacity. Astrid shares reflections from her personal journey and professional work helping individuals reconnect with their intuition, slow down, and create more aligned ways of living and leading. Through practices such as self-inquiry, somatic awareness, and thoughtful reflection, she supports people in cultivating clarity, authenticity, and deeper connection with themselves and the world around them.

This episode’s Voices of Impact Nonprofit Spotlight features Executive Director Robin Young with Child Family Health International (CFHI), a nonprofit dedicated to advancing ethical global health education through immersive learning programs around the world. By connecting students with local healthcare professionals and public health leaders, CFHI helps future health professionals gain firsthand insight into global health systems while developing cultural humility, empathy, and a deeper understanding of community-led health initiatives. Their work is grounded in a Fair Trade Learning approach that prioritizes equitable partnerships and sustainable impact.

To learn more about CFHI, visit:
https://www.cfhi.org/

This episode also features a meaningful nonprofit spotlight on NI2C — Nested Integral Coaching Constellation — and its REPAIR Program, a 13-week trauma-informed peer support experience designed for individuals impacted by interpersonal or collective trauma. In conversation with Erika Knudsen, NI2C REPAIR Facilitator & Coach, we explore how trauma imprints on the nervous system and how healing can begin through embodied awareness, compassionate self-relationship, and relational safety. 

In our Voices of Impact Nonprofit Spotlight, we turn to the mission of TEACH, a national organization working to end the teacher shortage and diversify the teaching profession. In conversation with Co-executive director, Veronica Wilson, we examine education as both service and social justice — and the systemic barriers that prevent passionate individuals from stepping into the classroom. The discussion highlights the importance of representation, the human impact of policy decisions, and why investing in educators and the cultures that support them is essential to long-term community well-being.

This episode invites us to reflect on a powerful truth: when we care for those who shape the next generation, we strengthen the future for us all.

If you’re interested in learning more about TEACH or supporting their mission to end the teacher shortage and diversify the teaching profession, please visit www.teach.org.

The episode also features a powerful nonprofit spotlight on the Oregon Food Bank with Network Communications Strategist Rachael Lucille Jackson-Davis. This conversation reframes food insecurity as a systemic issue rooted in policy, access, and dignity - not individual failure. By highlighting community-based food support and advocacy efforts, the spotlight underscores the importance of collective care in building resilient communities and reflects ThriveMind’s commitment to equity, compassion, and addressing the root causes that shape both individual and community well being.

To learn more about Oregon Food Bank or support their work, visit:

Oregon Food Bank
📞 (503) 282-0555
🌐 oregonfoodbank.org

Your support helps strengthen access, dignity, and care across our communities.

In the inaugural episode of the ThriveMind Studio Podcast, host Courtney Finstad opens the series with a conversation rooted in honesty, reflection, and lived experience.

In the first half of the episode, Courtney sits down with author Mark Shelley Kenzer to explore the themes of his book, My Miserable Search for Enlightenment. Together, they reflect on a lifelong search for meaning, identity, and spiritual truth—touching on meditation, silence, suffering, and the unraveling of ego and expectation. Rather than offering easy answers, the conversation invites curiosity, humility, and deeper awareness of what it means to live fully when life doesn’t follow the plan we imagined.
👉 You can find Mark’s book on Amazon.

My Miserable Search for Enlightenment: A Quest for God and the Eternal Self: Kenzer, Mark Shelley

The episode also features ThriveMind Studio’s Voices of Impact nonprofit spotlight, highlighting Bishop’s Mission and its founder, Kate Klasen. Kate shares how Bishop’s Mission supports first responders navigating the aftermath of critical incidents through peer connection, lived experience, and trained PTS canines. The conversation sheds light on gaps in traditional wellness systems—particularly the often-overlooked care of therapy and service dogs that departments rely on—setting the tone for ThriveMind’s commitment to practical, human-centered support.

Support Bishop’s Mission

If this conversation resonates with you, we invite you to learn more or contribute to their work:

BISHOP’S MISSION
Kate Klasen, Founder
📞 (602) 790-3651
🌐 www.bishopsmission.org

Your support helps make real, meaningful care possible for those who serve.