Because This Matters

Because This Matters explores the values that shape us, stretch us, and sustain us. Hosted by leadership coach and musician Mark Poiesz, each episode features insightful conversations with thoughtful, authentic people about how their personal values guide them through complexity, growth, and change. Whether the stories are everyday or extraordinary, every conversation reveals the power of living with intention—because a life aligned with values is a fulfilled life. Sometimes it takes witnessing someone else’s clarity to rediscover our own. Join us to reflect, reconnect, and remember what matters most. Subscribe and listen—Because This Matters.

Because This Matters is a education podcast hosted by Mark Poiesz, with 12 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Mark Poiesz hosts Because This Matters, a education show with 12 episodes published.

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  Episode #11

  Kara Hawkins: Finding Belonging in a Life of Change

  Aug 11, 202654 min

  Kara Hawkins has built a life around change. Born in Bethlehem and raised across different countries, Kara studied Arabic and international affairs, worked as a foreign policy analyst in the UAE, taught yoga, spent time on a remote Greek island and in India, and eventually returned to Australia, where she now works in coaching, strategy, and change management. Along the way, she has kept returning to some of the same questions: What creates belonging? How do we know when it’s time to change direction? What happens when clarity points us toward uncertainty? And how do we build lives around what actually matters to us? In this conversation, Kara and Mark explore freedom and belonging, ambition and identity, personal growth and systemic change —and why curiosity may be one of the most important values we can cultivate. In this episode: How growing up across cultures shaped Kara’s sense of identity and belonging The mental health challenges that began an inner journey in her teens Leaving a high-status career and redefining ambition and success Why clarity and certainty are not the same thing Taking calculated risks while remaining open to the unexpected The relationship between personal wellbeing and the systems we live within Curiosity as a path toward compassion, connection, and less judgment Connect with Kara: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kara-hawkins-75091b84/ Website: https://www.karahawkins.com.au/ Instagram (Art): @kara_eh Podcast: Life, Leadership and Change with Kara Hawkins Because This Matters features thoughtful conversations with leaders, artists, entrepreneurs, and more about the values that shape how they live, lead, and contribute.

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  Episode #10

  Solo Reflection: Nine Conversations, Three Threads

  Jul 7, 202626 min

  Because This Matters set out to explore how values take shape—and become action—through the experiences that define our lives. Nine conversations later, recurring themes began to emerge. Across conversations with musicians, educators, military operators, nonprofit founders, advocates, and business leaders, three values surfaced again and again: compassion, humility, and relationships. In this first solo episode, host Mark Poiesz reflects on the common threads woven throughout the podcast’s first nine guests, pairing his own observations with excerpts from those conversations. This episode explores what these remarkable individuals collectively reveal about growth, leadership, service, and what it means to become more fully human. Featured guests: • Nasim Lari • Joe Arias • Rich Redmond • Nancy Hajek • Steve Rucker • Melissa • Alison Krebs • Dr. Heather Baker • Chad Bernstein This episode explores: • Why compassion begins with understanding • Humility as openness to growth and change • The role relationships play in shaping who we become • Why becoming more fully human may be the work of a lifetime Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:41 Theme: Compassion 07:53 Theme: Humility 15:35 Theme: Relationships 21:07 Synthesis ⸻ Because This Matters is a podcast exploring how values take shape—and become action—through the challenges and experiences that define our lives. If this episode resonates, please follow, rate, review the show, and share it with someone who might enjoy the conversation. markpoiesz.com

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  Episode #9

  Chad Bernstein: Belonging, Mentorship and Growth

  Jun 23, 202654 min

  A professional musician, educator, mentor, and co-founder of Guitars Over Guns, Chad has dedicated his career to helping young people discover possibilities beyond the circumstances they were born into. What began as a conversation between musicians and youth in a juvenile detention center grew into a nationally recognized organization serving thousands of students through music, mentorship, and community. Underneath the growth of the organization is a more personal story. In this conversation, Chad reflects on the bullying and self-doubt he experienced as a young person, the role music played in helping him find belonging, and the lessons that shaped his approach to leadership, mentorship, fatherhood, and service. Together, Mark and Chad explore what happens when people feel truly seen, the responsibility that comes with leadership, the power of curiosity over judgment, and how growth often begins when someone believes in us before we believe in ourselves. This episode explores: • How music became a refuge during Chad’s early struggles with belonging • The juvenile detention center experience that inspired Guitars Over Guns • Why mentorship is about helping people discover what’s possible for themselves • What young people have taught Chad about leadership, trust, and human potential • The relationship between creativity, service, and personal identity • Why growth in an organization is limited by a leader’s willingness to grow • Gratitude, spirituality, and finding meaning in a complicated world ⸻ To learn more about Guitars Over Guns or support their work, visit Guitars Over Guns ⁠ online. The organization provides music education, mentorship, and creative youth development programs for young people in underserved communities across multiple U.S. cities. ⸻ Because This Matters is a podcast exploring how values take shape and become action through the challenges and experiences that define our lives. If this conversation meant something to you, please follow, rate, and review the show—and share it with someone else.

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  Episode #8

  Dr. Heather Baker: Vulnerability, Gratitude and Leadership

  Jun 9, 202659 min

  Dr. Heather Baker knows how quickly life can change. After surviving sudden cardiac arrest, Heather found herself asking questions far deeper than emergency preparedness or public policy. What do we owe one another? How do we lead when we know life is fragile? And what matters enough to dedicate our lives to protecting? Today, Heather is an elementary school principal, researcher, educator, and nationally recognized advocate for cardiac emergency preparedness in schools. Her work has helped train thousands of people in CPR and AED use, shaped legislation, and expanded awareness around sudden cardiac arrest and prevention. In this conversation, Heather reflects on survival, motherhood, leadership, vulnerability, and the perspective that comes from knowing everything can change in an instant. She shares how surviving cardiac arrest transformed her relationship with stress, why asking for help became one of the most important lessons of her life, and how raising a child with a congenital heart condition deepened her understanding of courage, responsibility, and gratitude. Together, Mark and Heather explore what it means to prepare for uncertainty without living in fear, and how life’s most difficult moments can become a catalyst for service. This episode explores: • Surviving sudden cardiac arrest and its lasting impact • Leadership through vulnerability rather than perfection • Learning to ask for help and accept support • Parenting a child with a congenital heart condition • Advocacy, resilience, and creating meaningful change • Gratitude as a practice during challenge and uncertainty • How awareness of mortality can clarify what matters most ⸻ Follow Heather on social media @heathersheartsquad ⸻ Because This Matters is a podcast exploring how values take shape—and become action—through the challenges and experiences that define our lives. If this conversation meant something to you, please follow, rate, and review the show—and share it with someone else.

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  Episode #7

  Alison Krebs: Humility, Achievement and Community

  May 26, 202651 minS0

  <p>Alison Krebs has lived many lives within one lifetime.</p><p></p><p>She began her career in the high-pressure world of corporate leadership, helping build a Fortune 500 company. After entering recovery in 1999, her path took unexpected turns—through monastic formation, years running a dog grooming business, and eventually to the stage as the lead vocalist of Rok Ali and the Addiction, an internationally touring hard rock band.</p><p></p><p>Underneath every chapter is a deeper thread: humility, community, surrender, and the ongoing process of becoming more fully human.</p><p></p><p>In this conversation, Alison re...

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