With Gratitude, Matt

The topic of gratitude will always be embedded in the mission of this podcast so it is fitting that in this episode it’s true power is explored with the award-winning author and speaker, Patrick Garry.  Patrick is a professor of law at the University of South Dakota and the Director of the Hagemann Center for Legal & Public Policy Research and earned his Ph.D. and J.D. from the University of Minnesota. He has published 13 non-f...

The Moran Family is excited to announce the launch of the With Gratitude Matt Foundation. This special episode is again hosted by Matt's brother Bill and he is joined by sister Moira to discuss the foundation's goals and background along with a few other updates and family stories. When Matt passed in August of 2023, the idea to honor and preserve Matt's legacy of helping others was an immediate goal of the family. T...

For many, running just one marathon is a life goal and puts you in a category with only .01% of the global population who even attempt this feat each year. But imagine running 111 marathons? Now we are talking about a very select group that has ever pulled off this rare achievement. Michael Kloepfer is one of those special individuals who runs not only for the pure joy of it but for the purpose of raising money to support cancer re...

Some life lessons we are forced to learn earlier than others. For Bryce Steele, he learned at age 17 that suffering is part of the journey and that bad things can happen to good people. In September of 2019, Bryce was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called thymoma, which after the initial treatment, would still return two more times. Cancer was not part of his plan of a being a future college linebacker. Initially, Bryce was r...

Ellen Duncan strives to live a life of joy alongside grief. Every day she models strength, love, and faith for her daughters and all who know her. In July 2022, life took a shocking turn and she lost her husband Paul of 10 years while he was out on a morning run. A heart condition - hypertrophic cardiomyopathy – which Paul was unaware he had, took his life and created a new path for the family. In this conversation with host Bill M...

Dr. John Delony is a highly sought after best-selling author, mental health expert and show host covering relationships, mental health, anxiety, healthy leadership and emotional wellness. In other words, this episode is relatable to just about anyone aware of the opportunity to learn from adversity. John has been with Ramsey Solutions since 2020 and hosts the Dr. John Delony Show. Through his speaking and writing, he helps individu...

Dr. Christopher Kerr is an end life researcher, a hospice physician, CEO and Chief Medical Officer for Hospice and Palliative Care in Buffalo, NY, and the acclaimed author of Death is But a Dream. He provided hospice care for Matt Moran and his family in August, 2023. His extraordinary care and guidance was impactful and comforting for the family in the moment and in the grieving process that followed. As Matt would certainly would...

SHOW NOTES: The world lost a positive force of nature, a friend, brother, a husband, and a father of two amazing girls on August 20, 2023, when Matt passed. Over the past 3 years while Matt lived with his cancer, he created 71 episodes of With Gratitude, Matt. During that time, he shined his light on many others and helped give a voice to stories filled with life lessons. He modeled how to live with gratitude every day and how to b...

 Danita Estrella-Watts is the founder and President of Danita’s Children in Haiti which cares for orphaned children. Her vision began at the young age of 11 after a mission trip opened her eyes to all the suffering. Twenty-five years later she returned and by listening to God’s voice, she began to create tools to care for the children of Haiti. Today her organization is able to meet many physical, emotional and spiritual needs thro...

Stephanie and Tom Quehl are the proud parents of four boys. In September of 2021, they faced the worst tragedy when they lost their son, Jack, to a lethal dose of fentanyl-laced cocaine at the young age of 24. Jack was not an addict or a habitual drug user and had never intended to take fentanyl, but it unfortunately robbed him of his future. Jack’s background was filled with academic success, athletic achievement, family love, fri...

Jennifer’s story is heartbreaking yet also powerful as it provides a unique lens into domestic violence, homelessness, and the remarkable resilience of the human spirit. 10 years into her marriage, she reached a breaking point after barely surviving an episode where she was beaten and almost set on fire. But it was the love of her son and eventually God’s spirit that put her on a long path of recovery towards finding a better life....

Brett R. Smith, Ph. D. is the Founding Research Director of the the L.I.F.E Research Lab at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio (L.I.F.E =Leading the Integration of Faith & Entrepreneurship). His program explores how spirituality and business can indeed be interwoven together for a more fulfilling professional and personal journey. The program’s birth at a public University was unlikely, but after hearing about Brett’s journey, hi...

In this insightful episode, we dive deep into the life of Howard Behar, the former president of Starbucks Coffee. As one of the founding leaders, he participated in expanding Starbucks from just 28 stores after joining in 1989 to over 15,000 stores in 5 continents after his 21 years of service ended. Since retiring, he has written 2 books It's Not About The Coffee: Leadership Principles from a Life at Starbucks and The Magic C...

Author Jen Pollock Michel has found that one of the keys to being a good writer is just paying attention and being curious about the world and your own questions. Many of her books are a reflection of her own human experience of faith and her journey to find purpose and where to lean among all the everyday challenges that we all face from our bills, loss we encounter, health obstacles and relationships. In her work as a talented wr...

In 1984, Jon’s life took an unexpected turn when the first symptoms of ulcerative colitis started to appear. In addition to the health hurdles, the disease brought with it various other social, athletic and just practical life challenges. Treatment options at that time were limited to steroids which brought such side effects as weight gain and trouble sleeping. Diet choices and awareness of the nearest restroom became part of the d...

In the long list of published inspiring sport stories are great feats by well-known athletes from well-known teams from around the world. While John Hurd’s may not be as famous, his story is as uplifting as any and his achievements are beyond remarkable. John has won 169 gold medals, including 9 at the national level, in track and field. The amazing part of those achievements is that they all came after age 61 and continue today in...

Author Barbara Legere lost her 29 year old son Kevin to suicide in 2020. Kevin had been fighting a drug addition and his mental health for 13 years and Barbara did everything she knew how to do to help him recover and just love him. His life and the lessons Barbara learned from it inspired her to write a book called, Kevin's Choice, A Mother's Journey Through her Son's Mental Illness, Addiction and Suicide. Her hope ...

Most any high school basketball player in the 1970s dreamed of the opportunity to play for Coach John Wooden, one of the most respected and successful coaches of all time. Andy Hill earned that chance on a UCLA team that won 3 straight National Championships from 1970-72 (part of a string of 7) along with such legends as Bill Walton, Henry Bibby and Jamaal Wilkes. The only issue for Andy was that he spent much of those 3 years as a...

Bret Betz MD is a physician at the University of Cincinnati Health specializing in orthopaedics, sports medicine, and emergency medicine. It was his interest in sports medicine that led him to become the team physician for the Cincinnati Bengals. He was on the field January 2 when Damar Hamlin went down and laid unconsciousness on the field as 23 million fans watched across the country. It was a moment he and his team were prepared...