Pay Love Forward

Story as Nonviolent Resistance (Part One)In this first lecture of a new series, Dr. Matthew Leavenworth explores how story shapes power, perception, and belonging, and why narrative has always been one of the most effective tools for resisting authoritarian systems.Drawing from history, psychology, literature, and lived experience, Matthew examines how fear compresses human complexity into rigid binaries, while safety and connection make space for dignity, nuance, and moral imagination.The talk traces how figures like George Orwell, Pablo Picasso, and Jesus of Nazareth used story, art, and parable to challenge dehumanizing systems without reproducing their logic. It also looks at how modern information ecosystems reward distortion, outrage, and simplification, and how communities can choose a different path.Recorded in front of a live audience, this lecture invites listeners to see storytelling not as entertainment or branding, but as a civic, moral, and spiritual practice.This episode lays the foundation for a broader series on how individuals and communities can tell truer, braver stories in an age of polarization, propaganda, and fear.

In this episode of the Pay Love Forward Podcast, Dr. Matthew Leavenworth sits down with Penny Ronning, a nationally recognized advocate whose life’s work has helped shape Montana’s response to human trafficking and sexual violence through survivor-centered policy, public safety, and moral leadership.Rooted in Pay Love Forward’s mission to build compassionate communities for the at-risk and underserved, this conversation moves beyond credentials and into the deeper question Penny returns to again and again: who we are as a moral people. What began with notes and an outline quickly became nearly three hours of honest, grounded dialogue about story, voice, and responsibility.Together, Penny and Matthew explore how story transforms, how truth can be carried without turning suffering into spectacle, and how a steady, courageous voice can heal the divide that fear and hate keep alive. This episode is not only about what Penny has done, but about the kind of people we are called to be when dignity, courage, and compassion become our measure.

In this episode, I sit down with my dear friend and longtime climbing partner, Alex Saunders. Over the years, Alex and I haveshared ropes and storms, long runouts and longer conversations. We’ve stood together on ledges halfway up the world, and we’ve stood beside each other as best men at our weddings. Our lives have been braided together by miles ofgranite and sandstone and years of trust.We talk about big walls like The Nose on El Capitan in Yosemite Valley and the Northwest Regular on Half Dome, including our climb on Half Dome after the 2014 rockfall, when we became the first team to cross the new blank section with a lasso toss and help piece the route back together.But the real story isn’t simply about climbing. It’s about what the mountains revealed, and what friendship had to carry.At Pay Love Forward, we believe that telling the story within the story is a mechanism for healing. This conversation includes descriptions of trauma, addiction, and witnessing death.  These were moments that shaped us and who we havebecome.  When we tell them truthfully, they help us recognizeone another’s humanity, and they turn isolation into community.This episode is about a friendship that refuses to let go and about the mountains that keep calling us back.

My name is Dr. Matthew Leavenworth, founder and director of Pay Love Forward.This episode was recorded live during a Zoom meeting with small group leaders at Harvest Church on December 21, 2025.Over the past six months, pastor Alex Falder and I have been working with the small group leaders on how story shapes community while taking them through our certification in Mentoring, Coaching, and Leadership Development.   For Alex and I, leadership means going first.  During the last session, Alex shared his testimony.  This is mine.  It is a personal account of where I came from and how I got here. I talked about growing up in and around the church, losing my way, my battle with mental health and addiction, and the long stretch ofdarkness that followed. I talked about the things that kept me tethered to my humanity when I might have otherwise drifted away.  I talked about my son’s battle with cancer and the traumatic brain injury I suffered at 37.  Ultimately, I talked about what finally allowed to surrender my life to Christ.This testimony was clipped from a longer discussion.  Present were the Harvest small group leaders, my parents, and two people I care very deeply about, Coul Hill and Tammy Zemliska. Thank you for your support.  It meant more than you know.   

In this episode, I sat down with Russ Cleveland, who is running for the U.S. House of Representatives. And before long, his wife Kate joined us. What unfolded was not a political conversation, but a human one.Russ and Kate shared how their story began, long before policy or campaigns, when two fourteen-year-olds met on twoboats off the coast of Washington and began a love story that would one day carry them through the unimaginable.We traced Russ’s own journey: from an injury that ended his military career and a cross-country bike ride for childhood health, to cofounding Rocky Mountain Kids. And now, to returning to his Montana roots with a renewed sense of purpose, carrying forward the lessons forged in both love and loss.We spoke about their daughter Madison, about her battle with leukemia, and about the devastation of the loss that has now become their purpose for fighting for those who are still fighting silent battles in hospital rooms across our country as our nation turns its back on them.We talked about the research that saved my son Gentry’s life — research that is now being cut. We talked about how it feels to raise an immunocompromised child in a world where preventable illnesses like the measles and whooping cough are returning, and how families like ours are navigating dangers most people never have to think about.There is a campaign behind this, and the stakes are incredibly high in a political climate that is becoming more divisive by the day. But beneath all of that, this is a conversation about how our children become our why — even in pain and loss.This podcast is dedicated to four remarkable children: Cole, Madison, Ally, and my son, Gentry.Your struggle was valiant, and your story will not be forgotten, even for those who are not with us now. We will carry you with us always.I am personally asking you to share this episode. Russ and Kate’s story carries something we cannot afford to lose. We must return humanity and compassion to politics, and that happens when we lift up the human story before we debate the political one.🎧 Available onSpotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube🌐 www.payloveforward.net🌐 www.resilientstories.com

In this episode of the Pay Love Forward Podcast, I sit down with my father, Dr. Paul Leavenworth, founder of the Center for Mentoring, Coaching, and Leadership Development. His work represents the culmination of a lifetime devoted to leadership, transformation, and the building of compassionate communities.Together, we trace the story of how the Center was born and explore what it means to lead in a way that multiplies love. We talk about transformation, the death and rebirth that shape every life of purpose, and the moment when two rivers that once ran separately finally converge.Fresh off trainings with School District Two and Harvest Church, we are bringing compassionate listening to the Billings community, helping leaders, mentors, and neighbors rediscover the healing power of presence. In a world that feels sick, fractured, and forgetful of how to listen, this practice may be one of the few remaining pathways to connection and renewal.After walking separate paths of loss and growth, my father and I now share a stage, standing side by side in a work that has reshaped us both. It is a story of faith, transformation, and the return to something true.The world needs better stories. This is one of them.🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.🌐 www.payloveforward.net🌐 www.resilientstories.com

In this episode of the Pay Love Forward Podcast, I sit down with my mother, Leslie Leavenworth, an award-winning watercolor artist whose work captures both the beauty of the world around her and the sacred interior landscape within.Our conversation traces the arc of her creative journey, from the docks of the James River where she first painted beside her father, to the long season of quiet sacrifice while raising her family, and finally to her return to painting as vocation and spiritual practice. We talk about art, family, and faith, the three threads that have always been woven through her life and her work.It is, at heart, a conversation about joy: where it hides, how it waits, and how it comes alive again through color, love, and perseverance.At Pay Love Forward, we believe the world needs better stories. This is one of them.To see Leslie's work, visit her webpage at Leslie Leavenworth Fine Art🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.🌐 www.payloveforward.net🌐 https://resilientstories.com/

In this episode, Dr. Matthew Leavenworth sits down with Dr. Bob Wilmouth, physician, educator, and president of Rocky Mountain College. His journey from heart surgery to higher education reveals what leadership looks like when it is rooted in love, humility, and service to others.Dr. Wilmouth often says that leadership is more difficult than heart surgery and that ninety percent of life is showing up. Across decades of service, he has done exactly that—with faith, presence, and a deep commitment to prepare the ground for those who will come after.The conversation traces the arc of his life, exploring medicine and mentorship, leadership and legacy, and the quiet strength that defines a life lived in service to something larger than itself. It is a reminder that we are all in this together, and that leadership, at its best, is an act of service.

Welcome to the Pay Love Forward Podcast.My name is Dr. Matthew Leavenworth, founder and director of Pay Love Forward. This series focuses on telling stories of our unsung heroes unfolding in the great state of Montana.At Pay Love Forward, our mission is to build compassionate communities for the at-risk and underserved through mentorship. This podcast is one way we live out that mission.In this episode — Part Two of “Loving from the Sidelines” — we turn from Mitch Bohn’s vision for inclusion to the life story that forged it. Mitch, advocate, storyteller, and founder of Access Billings, shares what it was like growing up with spina bifida, the mentors who shaped his confidence, and the people who carried him through more than thirty surgeries.We also talk about his why — what kept him resilient through pain, adversity, and doubt — and how his love for people and purpose became the foundation for everything he’s built.Our conversation also touched something deeply personal for me — our shared experience of spending long seasons in the hospital: Mitch through his surgeries, and me walking beside my son through leukemia. Together we reflected on the medical professionals who served us with tireless compassion, and how those moments of care became turning points in both our lives.This is a conversation about perseverance, identity, and the quiet grace that comes from loving life — and others — despite hardship.It’s my deepest honor to share Mitch’s story. The world needs better stories — and Loving from the Sidelines is one of them.

Welcome to the Pay Love Forward Podcast—where we share stories of the unsung heroes shaping the heart of Montana. I’m your host, Dr. Matthew Leavenworth, founder and director of Pay Love Forward, a nonprofit dedicated to building compassionate communities for the at-risk and underserved through mentorship.In this episode—the first of a two-part series titled “Loving from the Sidelines”—I sit down with Mitch Bohn, advocate, storyteller, and founder of Access Billings. Born with spina bifida, Mitch has spent his life navigating challenges most never see, becoming a powerful voice for accessibility, inclusion, and quiet perseverance.Fresh off his recent TED Talk, Mitch shared a line that has stayed with me:“We celebrate trophies, titles, promotions, and highlight reels—but the game isn’t the same without those who love it from the sidelines.”That sentiment became the heart of our conversation. Together, we talk about his talk, his podcast Wide Left Sports, his love for baseball, and his work amplifying voices that deserve to be heard. Beneath it all, this episode is about resilience, belonging, and the power of love expressed not through spotlight, but through presence.And there’s a special moment in this one—when my son Gentry joins the conversation. Gentry needs the world Mitch envisions: a world built on accessibility, compassion, and the simple belief that everyone belongs.Mitch reminds us that accessibility isn’t about charity—it’s about recognizing that every role matters. The sidelines, as he says, aren’t a place of limitation—they’re a place of strength.It’s my deepest honor to share his story. The world needs better stories—and Loving from the Sidelines is one of them.

Host: Dr. Matthew Leavenworth (Pay Love Forward Podcast) Guests: Dr. Don Harr, Pam Harr, Senator Mike YakawichAt 101 years old, Dr. Don Harr carries history in his voice. In this episode I sit down with a living legend of Billings — a WWII veteran, the city’s second psychiatrist, a founding memberof the Suicide Prevention Coalition, a leader at the Mental Health Center, and a quiet healer who still offers free counseling and grief groups from his home. We’re joined by his daughter Pam and by Senator Mike Yakawich, who has beenmentored by Dr. Harr for more than a decade.This conversation moves between wide-open stories and hushed moments. Dr. Harr tells of growing up in Kansas,of the war (including a near miss from a sniper’s bullet), and of a lifetime spent mentoring and shepherding others. We revisit a moment that became deeply personal for me — the day he fell before a cross-community reconciliation panel and, refusing to stay home, rose to speak about faith and healing. We talktheology and philosophy, the steady, practical faith that guided his work, and the veteran’s aphorism he lives by: pain is weakness leaving the body.If you lean in, you’ll find enormous wisdom: practical,pastoral, and full of grace. It was an honor to record this — a rare sit-down with one of my personal heroes. I hope Dr. Harr’s story inspires you the way it inspires me.

In this episode, I sit down with Elyssa Leininger, a Billings native and leading voice in the public art movement. Elyssa is an accomplished artist whose work spans the state and beyond, but she is best known for her public murals, artworks that have transformed spaces across Billings, from the iconic 6th Street Underpass to the Mental Health and Crisis Centers, bringing light and beauty to some of our most vulnerable neighbors.We begin with the 6th Street Underpass, where Elyssa painted her very first mural in 2020. Contracted through the city for less than a thousand dollars, she poured over a thousand hours into her concrete canvas. The result is a tapestry of sunrise and wildlife, featuring buffalo, elk, and eagles. If you haven’t walked through or driven by, it’s worth a stop and a honk of appreciation.It was an honor to share this conversation. I hope her story inspires you as deeply as it has inspired me. The world needs better stories, and Pay Love Forward exists to tell them.

In this first episode, Dr. Matthew Leavenworth, founder of Pay Love Forward, sits down with world-renowned concert pianist Tanner Jorden to explore his remarkable journey from Billings, Montana to the international stage.Recently accepted into the master’s program at The Juilliard School, Tanner has already performed across the globe, from Israel to Carnegie Hall. In this conversation, we talk about his development as a musician, his spiritual connection to music, and the role that mentorship has played in shaping his growth.Tanner also shares about his partnership with his wife, violinist Caroline Jorden, who he first met while performing with the Aspen Grove Trio. The trio’s cross-country, garage-band-style tour brings them full circle to Billings, the last stop before the next chapter of their journey in New York.The episode closes with a profound moment: Tanner’s performance and interpretation of Shostakovich’s Piano Trio No. 2, a piece forged in the shadows of World War II and the Holocaust. His reflections reveal how music not only moves us but also serves as witness to history’s deepest wounds.This episode captures the heart of Pay Love Forward’s mission to build compassionate communities through mentorship and storytelling. Tanner’s story is a testament to resilience, creativity, and the transformative power of human connection.