At the first year mark of The Latest Version, I am checking in with my first six guests. These women shared their stories when I didn’t have a finished product yet to share with them. They took a chance with me, sharing their stories about their life journeys and their plans for the future, and I am so grateful to them. Their experiences this past year will sound familiar to many of you. Some are making progress, while others have family issues that may have put their plans on temporary hold, but no one’s giving up. All original episodes are available at www.thelatestversionpodcast.com/episodes.

Danielle Butin started Afya Foundation, a nonprofit in Yonkers, NY that collects unused medical supplies from hospitals that would otherwise go to landfill. Afya receives these supplies in their warehouse, sorts and repacks, then ships them to hospitals around the world, often in response to natural disasters. Today, Afya Foundation’s purpose could not be more vital, as they send off supplies to Ukraine. If you want to donate to Afya, please go to www.afyafoundation.org.

Lucy Filppu is a long-time English teacher at Palo Alto High School in California. Last year We talked about her work at a high performing school district. Lucy shared with us that she was working with a writers group to start on a novel. She also has an entrepreneurial side, as several years ago she started writing boot camp for students entering high school. So how’s it going? Lucy shared with me that she has a sick family member who is her priority right now. Many of us have shared a simiar experience and we send her and her family much love.

Christina McMurray wrote and published a book, “Live, Laugh, Fly,” about her son Scott’s battle with a rare pediatric cancer and death at 22. In truth, the book was a bigger examination of a marriage that hit some rocks but, contrary to expectations, came back stronger than ever when Scott’s illness hit. A big part of Chris’s story are the coincidences and “signs” her family have noticed since Scott’s passing, and her confidence that he continues to be a part of their lives. Chris and husband Gene are doing well, and even have a podcast of their own! Chris’s book, “Live, Laugh, Fly” can be found on Amazon.

Lela Cocoros Goldstein’s life after retirement from a busy corporate and consulting career took an interesting turn. Last year she told me about her discovery of the art of collage. I didn’t know much about collage, other than to think, “wow, that looks like fun.” And my other thought was, “Lela is really good at that!” My question to her last year was, “How far are you going to take this?” She is still growing as a collage artist and is exploring teaching collage. You can view her work on her Latest Version episode page.

Betsy Chappell shows how you can take an interest or a sideline – in this case gardening – and turn it into a business by focusing on a niche. In Betsy’s case, the niche is container gardening, enhancing the outdoor spaces of her clients’ homes in Lexington, Kentucky with beautiful potted plant arrangements. A year later, her business, Blooms Designs is, well, blooming. She is finding new ways to market her business and is building it up with a particular goal in mind. You can see her Instagram feed at Blooms Designs.

Finally, my first interview last year was with Lara Lavi – an old friend who had a promising career as an Americana singer songwriter, but put a lot of that aside to concentrate on her law practice and, more recently, to help manage the career of her very talented son, Cameron Lavi-Jones and his band, King Youngblood. When we talked last year, Lara had just released a single, a cover of Joni Mitchell