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Almost 30

Ep. 259 - LaRayia Gaston on Breaking Stigmas Around Homelessness + Healing with Radical Love

Almost 30

Krista Williams & Lindsey Simcik

Alternative Health, Self-improvement, Health & Fitness, Education

4.54K Ratings

🗓️ 1 October 2019

⏱️ 97 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Today we are joined by the founder of the nonprofit Lunch On Me, LaRayia Gaston. Her work is powerful, her belief in people is unwavering, and today’s episode is both uplifting and heartbreaking. The Los Angeles based charity provides nutritious and organic meals to more than 10,000 people per month. Their mission is to end starvation by redistributing food that would otherwise be wasted. Through Lunch On Me, LaRayia has also created a family dynamic and is teaching people to love and respect themselves.   In our conversation, LaRayia shares how she was drawn to Mother Teresa at a young age, and how feeding the homeless was her form of tithing by fourteen years old. She describes the changes she’s seen in the homeless community by providing food, and explains the bitter truth about pharmaceuticals, street drugs, and mental health. LaRayia also shares beautiful, tear-jerking stories that show how small deeds go a long way. She encourages us to be mindful of windows of opportunity where we can not only help, but gain a shift in perspective by connecting with the homeless.   We also talk about: How the homeless community has impacted LaRayia How homelessness can be a gift LaRayia’s 43 days on Skid Row What holding space looks like for LaRayia Statistics for foster children and drug use Poverty, corruption, and race relations Corruption in nonprofits from government involvement    Find more to love at almost30podcast.com!   Resources: Learn more: lunchonme.org Instagram: @larayia ; @lunchonme Donate money or supplies Contribute to Larayia's La Bodega Fundraiser   Upcoming Events: October 3rd: NYC with Nikki Glaser October 4th: NYC with Erin Claire Jones October 9th: NYC with Stewart Pearce October 29th: Washington D.C. with Heidi Stevens October 30th: Philadelphia with K&L   Sponsors: Kopari Beauty | Visit www.koparibeauty.com/almost30 for 20% off Athletic Greens | Get 20 travel packs FREE ($79 value) with your first purchase at www.athleticgreens.com/almost30 Better Help | Visit betterhelp.com/almost30 for 15% off your first month. Organic Traditions | Visit organictraditions.com and use code ALMOST30 for 30% off Modern Fertility | www.modernfertility.com/almost30 for $20 off a purchase Almost 30 is edited by Crate Media This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy Podsights - https://podsights.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

people or homeless holding space for them because they are in pain.

0:04.0

They are dealing with a lot and sometimes that lifts a burden and just be like,

0:06.9

I see you, like you've come so far and acknowledge that and honor that,

0:11.5

but you have to see the person too.

0:13.0

And you have to see what they've gone through.

0:14.4

It's understanding.

0:15.7

I think it's a true understanding of someone because I can look at someone

0:19.0

and tell the pain that they've endured.

0:20.6

I can tell if they're surviving if it's current.

0:22.6

It's just an energy and I and I hope space like that because I think it's energetic work.

0:27.3

I think it's really sitting with their spirit.

0:37.2

You're listening to the Almost 30 podcast hosted by Crystal Williams and Lindsey Simpsick.

0:42.3

Almost 30 started as a conversation about the transition from our 20s to our 30s.

0:47.3

But then we realized life is full of transitions.

0:51.1

So we expanded our mission.

0:52.8

We are an intuition-led wellness-focused lifestyle podcast

0:56.7

that promises to deliver authentic conversations,

0:59.3

diverse points of view, and insights rooted in optimism, growth, and intention.

1:04.7

The Almost 30 nation community is a group of purposeful dreamers who are smart,

1:09.9

passionate, and always seeking the full potential in every aspect of their lives.

1:14.7

At Almost 30, we're making magic together.

1:18.0

We dream it, and then we do it.

...

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