When I first developed the concept for this episode, I was in something of a funk. I had just returned from a meeting where the discussion centered on some of the issues that young people in West Virginia face after they leave school each day. It’s no secret that drugs, poverty, and a whole host of other cultural factors impact our kids, but what concerned me most that day were the stories of parents and caregivers who were actively discouraging students from seeking better lives and self-improvement. This led me to the topic of wounds. More specifically, I wanted to know what we are doing to our kids that prevents them from even considering new opportunities and possibilities.

Now, even though one mission of 50 Pages is to document the culture our kids have to overcome in order to become successful entrepreneurs, I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to dedicate an entire episode to such a dark subject as wounds. To be honest, I wasn’t even sure I knew how to do it. But after one interview with the two young ladies featured in this episode, I realized that I may have been overestimating the power that negative cultural and environmental influences have on teenagers who have been toughened up by life’s circumstances.

Pepper McCorkmick and Rhiana Radcliff are students at Calhoun County Career Technical Center. Both are involved in the school’s fantastic culinary arts program. As you will hear, they have both faced different challenges that would shake even the strongest person. But these young ladies have a resiliency that has pulled them through difficult times. They carry scars from severe verbal and physical bullying, but still want to create a better life for themselves and the people in their communities. They’re smart, caring, funny, and I believe they can succeed in whatever they set their minds to.

Now, even though the podcast interview is about 30 minutes long, in real time, the three of us talked for a little over an hour in the school conference room. Pepper and Rhiana’s honesty, sense of humor, and strength even caused me to lower my guard and answer some of their questions about myself, and what motivates me to want to help students like them. I came away understanding that everyone can be wounded but only the best of us like Pepper and Rhiana move on.