What if the very thing you’ve walked through—the pain, the loss, the questions—is the lifeline to someone else’s hope?

In this deeply meaningful conversation, Heather sits down with Kelly Olson, founder and executive director of The Baton Pass, a community helping women move from quiet desperation to connection, healing, and hope.

Kelly shares her personal story of trauma, healing, and the moment that changed everything: hearing someone else’s testimony and realizing her story didn’t have to end in brokenness. That experience became the seed of The Baton Pass—a growing movement centered on the power of sharing stories and passing hope from one woman to another.

Together, Heather and Kelly explore:

• What “quiet desperation” really looks like (and why so many women live there)
• The difference between surviving and becoming an overcomer
• How storytelling creates healing—not just for the listener, but the teller
• Why in-person connection matters in a disconnected world
• The beautiful impact of Glimmers of Hope, a handwritten card initiative reaching women in hard seasons

This episode is an invitation: to bring your story into the light, to receive hope, and—when you’re ready—to pass it on.

Kelly Olson is the founder and executive director of The Baton Pass, a growing community dedicated to helping women connect, share their stories, and experience healing and hope. Based in the Chicagoland area, Kelly leads events, initiatives, and programs that create safe spaces for women to move from isolation to empowerment.

Resources Mentioned:

The Baton Pass website

Glimmers of Hope Initiative

Engaging your Story Course

Warrior Chicks book

Catch more of the story @thanks.for.doing.that.podcast!