The Keri Croft Show

Keri Croft

The Keri Croft Show is a podcast for people building something BADASS. A business. A dream. A life that actually feels like yours.Hosted by Keri Croft, this podcast explores the real stories behind the build, what it takes to start, and more importantly, the Mental Athleticism™ it takes to stay in it when the excitement fades and the work gets real.The Keri Croft Show features conversations with founders, creatives, musicians and people in the middle of building something meaningful, without the highlight reel.🎙 New episodes drop every Thursday.

  1. 13h ago

    Little Legends Lemonade Ep 05: Why Better Treatments for Kids Can't Wait

    Send us Fan Mail Your child has a fever, you get told it’s probably nothing, and then one morning everything changes. John and Renee join us to tell the story of their son Will’s diagnosis with stage four Wilms tumor, a rare pediatric kidney cancer, and the brutal speed at which normal life turns into ultrasounds, surgery, pathology reports, chemo, and radiation when the cancer has spread to the lungs. Hearing Renee describe that first hospital visit and John describe the phone call that snapped his world in half is the kind of honesty that stays with you. We also get real about what people don’t see after the words “cancer free.” Remission still comes with scans, anxiety before checkups, and long-term side effects that can follow pediatric cancer survivors for years, from organ monitoring to secondary cancer risk. John shares how he shut down emotionally to keep the family moving, and we talk about how different grief styles can collide inside a marriage while you’re also raising a newborn and trying to keep life functioning. Then we zoom out to the bigger fight: pediatric cancer research funding and why groups like Cancer Free Kids matter. We connect the dots between better funding and better, less toxic treatments for kids, and we invite you to show up for the Lemonade Stand fundraiser on August 2 (11 to 1 at Tupelo Honey on Lane Avenue) to help push that work forward. If this conversation moves you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more families find it when they need it most. Donate directly to the Little Legends Lemonade stand here: https://cfk.donordrive.com/campaigns/Little-Legends-Lemonade Follow Keri: Instagram: @keripcroft The Keri Croft Show: @thekericroftshow Website: kericroft.com ⚡️ If this episode hits something in you, please share it with a friend. ⚡️ Subscribe to The Keri Croft Show on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts. ⚡️ Leave a review if you’re feeling it. And until next time… Keep Moving, baby!

  2. 1d ago

    Little Legends Lemonade Ep 04: When a Mother's Instinct Changed Everything

    Send us Fan Mail A kid goes from running everywhere to barely being able to walk, and the first answers don’t point to cancer at all. That is the gut punch at the center of our conversation with Kim and her son, Max, as they walk us through the real timeline from “maybe it’s a sports injury” to a leukemia diagnosis and two and a half years of treatment. If you’ve ever felt dismissed by “normal” tests while your instincts say something is wrong, you’ll hear exactly why persistence matters and how fast life can change for a family facing pediatric cancer. We get specific about what treatment looked like: intense pain, bone damage, spinal taps, anesthesia choices, and the brutal personality shifts that can come with steroids. Max shares the kid view with surprising wisdom, including how he handled fear and why recording a quick video after a procedure helped his future self stay calm. We also talk about school dynamics, what it feels like when someone says something cruel, and the small acts of protection and friendship that can make a hospital season less isolating. Then we turn that hard-earned perspective into action. We’re inviting you to Little Legends Lemonade at Tupelo Honey on Lane Avenue on August 2nd from 11 to 1 to raise money for Cancer Free Kids, because research funding is how we get more effective and gentler treatments for children with cancer. Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people show up for families who need it. Donate directly to the Little Legends Lemonade stand here: https://cfk.donordrive.com/campaigns/Little-Legends-Lemonade Follow Keri: Instagram: @keripcroft The Keri Croft Show: @thekericroftshow Website: kericroft.com ⚡️ If this episode hits something in you, please share it with a friend. ⚡️ Subscribe to The Keri Croft Show on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts. ⚡️ Leave a review if you’re feeling it. And until next time… Keep Moving, baby!

  3. 2d ago

    Little Legends Lemonade Ep 03: How Small Donations Can Fuel Major Cancer Breakthroughs

    Send us Fan Mail Pediatric cancer is a gut punch most people can’t look at for long, and that discomfort has a cost. We sit down with Dr Dean Lee, Professor of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University and Nationwide Children’s Hospital, to talk about why kids’ cancer research is still massively underfunded and why community-driven giving is not a feel-good extra. It’s often the only way the next breakthrough gets its first chance. We unpack the hard truth behind the pediatric cancer funding gap: fewer patients means fewer commercial incentives, and “trickle-down” solutions from adult oncology don’t always fit the diseases kids actually face. Dean explains why childhood cancer can be oddly invisible day to day, even though it remains a leading cause of death in children outside of accidents, and why foundations like Cancer Free Kids step in to fund the science that government grants won’t touch early on. Then we get into hope with specifics. Dean walks us through what’s changing in cancer immunotherapy and cellular therapy, including why CAR T cell therapy was a game-changer in leukemias and lymphomas and why solid tumors have been so much harder. We also talk about what pilot grants really do, how a $50,000 award can create the preliminary data needed for major funding, and a real example involving CRISPR and natural killer cell research that grew into a much bigger research platform. Join us for the third annual Little Legends Lemonade: 🍋 Sunday, August 2 🍋 11:00 AM–1:00 PM 🍋 Tupelo Honey on Lane Avenue 🍋 Goal: Raise $5,000 for CancerFreeKIDS Donate, host a satellite stand, stop by for lemonade, or simply help us spread the word. Every dollar helps put resources into the hands of brilliant people working to give kids their entire lives back. Donate directly to the Little Legends Lemonade stand here: https://cfk.donordrive.com/campaigns/Little-Legends-Lemonade Follow Keri: Instagram: @keripcroft The Keri Croft Show: @thekericroftshow Website: kericroft.com ⚡️ If this episode hits something in you, please share it with a friend. ⚡️ Subscribe to The Keri Croft Show on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts. ⚡️ Leave a review if you’re feeling it. And until next time… Keep Moving, baby!

  4. 3d ago

    Little Legends Lemonade Ep 02: Why Childhood Cancer Research Needs Us

    Send us Fan Mail Only 8% of cancer research funding goes to pediatric cancer and that single number explains a lot about why families still face limited options, harsher treatments, and too much uncertainty. I’m joined by Drew Dollmatsch, managing director for the Columbus market at CancerFree KIDS, to break down what that funding gap looks like on the ground and why the earliest stage of research is where progress either starts or stops. When a scientist has a smart idea but no proof of concept yet, traditional funding often won’t touch it. Cancer Free Kids exists to change that.  We talk about how CancerFree KIDS supports research at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, and why investing in top pediatric oncology centers can ripple far beyond Ohio. Drew shares how their grants help lay the groundwork for advances in gene therapy and immunology, even when it’s hard to draw a neat line from one grant to one new treatment. The point is leverage: early funding turns “maybe” into “next,” moving promising ideas toward larger government or industry backing and, ultimately, better care for kids.  Then we get practical with two ways to join the mission. Little Legends Lemonade hits Tupelo Honey on Lane Avenue August 2 from 11 to 1, with giveaways, big energy, and a goal to raise $5,000 in just two hours. And the 100 Mile Challenge in September for Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month invites anyone to raise $100 and complete 100 miles of any activity, tracked through an app that converts movement into mileage. Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review if you want more conversations that turn community action into real medical progress. Donate directly to the Little Legends Lemonade stand here: https://cfk.donordrive.com/campaigns/Little-Legends-Lemonade Follow Keri: Instagram: @keripcroft The Keri Croft Show: @thekericroftshow Website: kericroft.com ⚡️ If this episode hits something in you, please share it with a friend. ⚡️ Subscribe to The Keri Croft Show on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts. ⚡️ Leave a review if you’re feeling it. And until next time… Keep Moving, baby!

  5. 5d ago

    Little Legends Lemonade Ep 01: How One Mom Sparked a Movement for Kids With Cancer

    Send us Fan Mail It's that time of year again, ya'll. The Little Legends Lemonade stand is back and better than ever, baby! For the third year, The Keri Croft show & Little Legends Lemonade are teaming up to bring kids, families, local businesses, and our entire community together to raise money for a great cause. This year, it's CancerFreeKIDS and  our goal is a big one: raise $5,000 in two hours to help fund the early-stage pediatric cancer research that can become tomorrow’s life-saving treatments. Leading up to the event, The Keri Croft Show is releasing a special five-part series exploring the impact CancerFreeKIDS is having on pediatric cancer research, how new treatments actually make their way from an idea in a lab to a child’s bedside, and why this work should matter to every single one of us. In this first episode, Keri sits down with Ellen Flannery, founder of CancerFreeKIDS, and Dr. Timothy Cripe, Chief of the Division of Hematology, Oncology & Blood and Marrow Transplant at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Ellen shares the deeply personal story that led her to create CancerFreeKIDS after her infant daughter’s cancer diagnosis. Dr. Cripe breaks down, in terms anyone can understand, why early-stage research is so critical, how groundbreaking ideas become real treatments, and what becomes possible when researchers receive the funding needed to take a chance on something new. Childhood cancer remains the leading cause of disease-related death for children in the United States, yet pediatric cancer research receives only a fraction of the funding it needs. This conversation explains the gap, the progress being made, and the very real role our community can play in moving that progress forward. 🍋 Join Us for Little Legends Lemonade Sunday, August 2 11:00 AM–1:00 PM Tupelo Honey on Lane Avenue | Columbus, Ohio Bring your family, grab a lemonade, enter to win giveaways from incredible local businesses, and help us raise $5,000 in two hours for CancerFreeKIDS. Can’t make it but still want to contribute? Donate directly to the Little Legends Lemonade stand here: https://cfk.donordrive.com/campaigns/Little-Legends-Lemonade Follow Keri: Instagram: @keripcroft The Keri Croft Show: @thekericroftshow Website: kericroft.com ⚡️ If this episode hits something in you, please share it with a friend. ⚡️ Subscribe to The Keri Croft Show on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts. ⚡️ Leave a review if you’re feeling it. And until next time… Keep Moving, baby!

  6. Jun 25

    Business, Motherhood, and Getting Your Pink Back with Meleka Jolliff, Founder of MMJ Events and Aiden & Grace.

    Send us Fan Mail I sat down with Meleka Jolliff, one of the seven incredible women who helped bring our very first IRL experience to life. Meleka was not only a generous sponsor, but she and her team played such a huge role in making the entire space feel beautiful, thoughtful, and intentional. So before anything else, a massive thank you to this woman. As the founder of MMJ Events and Aiden & Grace, and co-owner of Skyflower, Meleka has built her businesses around the thing she does so naturally: making people feel cared for through the details. She has an incredible eye, a creative brain, and the kind of work ethic that quietly holds a lot together. In this episode, we talk about business, team culture, word-of-mouth growth, high-pressure event seasons, motherhood, marriage, and the honest reality of building a life that actually feels like yours. Meleka shares how she’s built a team that cares deeply, why the little details are often the thing people remember most, and what it means to keep going through the messy middle of entrepreneurship, family, and identity. We also get into starting over with a third baby later in life, the idea that “you’ll get your pink back,” and why women need people around them who actually understand the weight of what they’re carrying. This episode is full of wisdom from a woman who knows how to build beautiful things — in business, in motherhood, and in community. Subscribe on YouTube and follow along on Instagram for more conversations with badass women building businesses, families, and lives on their own terms.

  7. Jun 18

    Kelsey Lensman on Faith, Fear, and Expanding Your Limits.

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I sit down with Kelsey Lensman for a conversation about faith, fear, identity, trauma, and what happens when life forces you to stop white-knuckling the wheel. Kelsey shares the moments that cracked her open and rebuilt her from the inside out: walking away from an eight-year relationship, questioning the version of faith she grew up with, surviving a violent highway crash on I-270, and choosing not to let fear become the driver of her life. We talk about the shift from athlete identity to real-world purpose, the difference between checking the “church box” and building an actual relationship with God, and why physical challenges have become one of Kelsey’s greatest tools for mental strength. From Ohio State rowing to Mission 48 — where she completed 48 competitions in 48 states in 48 days for charity — Kelsey’s story is one big reminder that strength is built in the moments you’d rather avoid. This conversation is for anyone who has ever felt stuck, scared, over-controlling, spiritually disconnected, or quietly aware that they’re being called into something bigger. Follow Kelsey: Instagram: @kelseylensman Expand Your Limits: @xpandyourlimits ⚡️If this episode hit something in you please share it with a friend  ⚡️Subscribe to The Keri Croft Show on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts ⚡️Please leave a review if you’re feeling it. And until next time...Keep Moving, baby!

4.9
out of 5
49 Ratings

About

The Keri Croft Show is a podcast for people building something BADASS. A business. A dream. A life that actually feels like yours.Hosted by Keri Croft, this podcast explores the real stories behind the build, what it takes to start, and more importantly, the Mental Athleticism™ it takes to stay in it when the excitement fades and the work gets real.The Keri Croft Show features conversations with founders, creatives, musicians and people in the middle of building something meaningful, without the highlight reel.🎙 New episodes drop every Thursday.

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