Stories from Cold Springs
Stories from Cold Springs
Podcast Description
This is a storytelling podcast that celebrates the creativity in everything from the mundane to the extraordinary. Creativity knows no bounds, and Stories from Cold Springs nurtures the story in all of us. Listening to the host, J Stephen Beam, makes you want to grab a cup of sweet tea and join him on a wrap-around porch in Mississippi. The hours feel like minutes and you can't wait for the next visit (episode).
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast focuses on themes of creativity, personal storytelling, and the human experience, with episodes like 'Eat Pinto Beans to Get into Med School' highlighting personal journeys and reflections, while exploring broader discussions around imagination and the creative process.
This is a storytelling podcast that celebrates the creativity in everything from the mundane to the extraordinary. Creativity knows no bounds, and Stories from Cold Springs nurtures the story in all of us.
Listening to the host, J Stephen Beam, makes you want to grab a cup of sweet tea and join him on a wrap-around porch in Mississippi. The hours feel like minutes and you can’t wait for the next visit (episode).
A second-grade blessing. A kitchen table crowded with paint. A 21-foot Jesus mural
Kym Garraway-Braley joins us to share how a childhood shaped by artists, a brave grandmother, and a winding Mississippi creek became a life of color, calling, and community.
We trace Kym’s early start, brush in hand before age two, and the generations of creatives who came before her. She opens up about crooked teeth, tin-foil braces, and how art became a refuge when school felt hard. In college, a professor warned that faith wouldn’t fit inside the art department. Kym stayed, prayed, and proved that excellence can quiet the loudest doubts. Surprising wins, from hand-painted concert portraits to campus recognition, built the confidence that would shape her career.
After a season of teaching, Kym reimagined work to fit the family she wanted to raise. One magnolia print sold out, then another, and soon she was leading a thriving independent studio – without missing ball games or field trips. We explore the ripple effect of her murals in pediatric clinics, where nature scenes and playful worlds help children overcome fear and bring comfort to parents. Then we climb to St. Fabian, where Kym painted a 21-foot Jesus whose open arms welcome a congregation week after week.
Warm, funny, and grounded in faith, Kym reminds us that setbacks can become stories … and work can become worship.
If you’re a creator, teacher, parent, or anyone chasing a calling, this conversation is a field guide: match your schedule to your values, treat small wins like fuel, and let service guide your next wall.
Press play to hear how a life in art can lift a town, a family, and a weary heart. If this episode encouraged you, subscribe, share it with someone who needs courage, and leave a review to help others find the show.
Subscribe, share with a friend who loves radio, and leave a review to help more listeners find these stories. Your voice keeps this community strong.
Links to Stephen's incredible novels:
Disclaimer
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