Back in November, I had the opportunity to attend TEDxColumbus to hear some amazing speakers.

I always enjoy listening to Joe DeLoss, and I loved having the opportunity to hear about Hot Chicken Takeover. The business model for Joe’s fried chicken empire is fantastically simple, and it works! Customers get great chicken and folks with rough pasts get a new start on life. Such a win-win!

I’ll admit, I didn’t know much about heroin addiction. I always hear people say things like “if they wanted to stop, they will, they are just lazy.” Although I never believed that, I couldn’t stop those thoughts from popping into my head. But thanks to Crystal Oertle, I have a much better understanding of the struggle addicts go through. The control of drugs or alcohol or whatever is so strong, I can’t even comprehend it, but I am much more astonished by people who beat the cycle of addiction. Crystal’s story is incredibly powerful, and I encourage you all to take the time to listen: