On the How Can I Help Podcast, Boston Marathon bombing survivor Roseann Sdoia Materia shares her powerful journey of resilience, mindset, and turning tragedy into purpose.

Roseann explains how positivity is a conscious choice. She encourages listeners to reframe setbacks as “bad moments” rather than “bad days,” shifting perspective, and redirecting energy toward good.

She vividly recounts the day that changed everything: April 15, 2013. After leaving a Red Sox game, she headed to Boylston Street near the Boston Marathon finish line to cheer on friends. Moments later, the first bomb detonated—followed seconds later by the second explosion at her feet, which took her right leg.

In the chaos, a 19-year-old bystander carried her to safety. She was rushed to MA General Hospital, where overwhelmed medical teams fought to save her life. Roseann opens up about life as an above-knee amputee, the power of survivor community and inclusion, and her deep commitment to helping other amputees.

She also discusses her book Perfect Strangers, and the remarkable full-circle moment of meeting—and eventually marrying—the firefighter who helped transport her on that fateful day.

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On this episode of the How Can I Help Podcast, Chris talks with longtime friend Jamel Hardtman about slowing down, living in the moment and not taking people and experiences for granted. They share stories how setbacks can become inflection points that lead to purposeful giving. They discuss the power of the How Can I Help movement in new ways to remove our self-focused blinders and actively seek ways to help others. They emphasize kindness as a muscle, encourage sharing positive feedback and other practical ways to be the light for others.

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On the How Can I Help Podcast, host Chris talks with longtime friends Jennifer Capracotta and Jennifer Fantozzi about founding Plates with Purpose, created after their how can I help moment to help a friend during the pandemic. Inspired by holiday giving and a struggling restaurant owner friend, they used donations to support local restaurants while those restaurants prepared and distributed quality meals to people facing food insecurity . The model quickly expanded to about a dozen restaurants and relied on relationship-building with schools, towns, and agencies, plus social media to attract donors. They encourage listeners to “just do it” and contribute using their skills, time, and energy for a better community.

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On the How Can I Help Podcast, Julie Uthoff shares her lifelong commitment to animal rescue and the founding of Pawfect Life Rescue after her mother’s passing. Julie describes how her How Can I Help? moment lead her on the path to rescuing over 2,500 dogs through honest, careful matching and building a loving community that feels more like family. She also gives a glimpse of her new “Seniors for Seniors” program pairing older dogs with older adopters to reduce loneliness and create purpose.

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On the How Can I Help Podcast, guest Betsey Brewer discusses a Native American quote about borrowing the earth from our children and links kindness, community, and conservation. She shares the origins of her family’s privately owned Southwick’s Zoo and explains modern zoo goals like species-typical behavior, health and breeding. She describes her focus on conservation and education, forming the nonprofit EARTH Ltd in 1999 and its mission to engage, educate, and inspire protection of biodiversity through hands-on experiences. The conversation emphasizes the importance of the How Can I Help? mindset with small collective actions like composting, conserving water, reusing materials and reducing plastics. Betsey also details white rhino poaching for horns, dehorning as a major deterrent, Southwick’s rhino encounters and support for projects that fund dehorning and educate local communities.

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On the How Can I Help Podcast, Holly Delrossi talks about her son David, now 13, who was diagnosed with autism at 18 months after missed milestones and sensory challenges. Holly describes the fear and isolation of receiving the diagnosis, the value of early intervention, and supportive educators and speech therapists. After experiencing a lack of kindness and inclusion at a local playground, she became involved in a special education parent advisory committee and learned she’s not alone. Seeking future job skills for David, who loves the smell of coffee, she created NeuroBrews, a mobile coffee trailer “Brewing Kindness and Serving Acceptance,” to build life skills and spark conversations that promote understanding, acceptance, and intentional inclusion.

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On the How Can I Help? Podcast, guest Michael “Mookie” Wilson recounts his 2009 Mass Pike crash in heavy rain while speeding, which caused severe injuries including loss of upper front teeth and jawbone, a lost left ear, and a degloved right arm. If not for a good Samaritan’s How Can I Help? moment, he may have lost his life on the highway. He was treated at UMass Memorial and later rehabbed at Spaulding, where he was told he was a “walking miracle.” He chose a positive recovery path, endured many surgeries, regained hand function, and eventually played catch again. He founded the nonprofit Mookie’s Miracle to speak to youth, teaching “ABCs of Positivity”: Accept, Believe, Commit.

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On the How Can I Help? Podcast, guest Ben Hendricks discusses his daily mantra “Complacency kills,” a military-taught reminder to avoid stagnation in family, health, work, and community service. He recounts eight intense years in the US Coast Guard, including time on a counter-terrorism team, and highlights lessons of accountability, integrity, trust, selfless service, and using laughter to endure hardship. Ben left the US Coast Guard in 2015 to prioritize family, then faced major injuries, and surgeries that forced a difficult transition; with support from his wife, mentors, and veterans’ resources, he finished a criminology degree, entered Assumption University’s rehabilitation counseling master’s program, built a veteran lounge, and worked at the VA helping veterans with service-connected disabilities. He later co-founded the nonprofit The Garrison Speed Shop, a free, sponsorship-funded, 6,800-square-foot workshop for veterans and first responders to work on motorcycles, learn trades like welding, rebuild camaraderie, and access allied resources, emphasizing positive community, purposeful kindness, and small daily acts of help.

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