Episode 80: Goodness That Grows with Mary Latham Artwork

The Well-Tended Life

The Well-Tended Life Podcast is all about intentional living, that’s inspired by my great-great-grandmother’s classic book “The Secret Garden”. A Well-Tended Life is not a set it and forget it life, nor is it a perfect life. It is worked on every day, in the sunshine and through the storms. And the truth is, what worked in our life-gardens last season, may not work in the next. That’s why here at The Well-Tended Life Podcast, we interview people who have grown and bloomed true in a variety of seasons and are willing to share their well-tended wisdom and weed-whacking advice with us!This season we are going to talk about: Rest, Fear, Addiction, Busyness, Growth, grief, Friendship, Relationships, Time Management, Self Care, Pivots, Expectations, Wandering, Gratitude, Overcoming, Hard Work, Goals/Intentions, Relationships, Health, Fitness, Change, Secrets, Letting Go, and so much More! So, meet me back here each week and we will dig in together to discover what’s keeping you locked up tighter than The Secret Garden and unearth the tools that will keep you growing and blooming through every season.“Where you tend a rose…a thistle cannot grow.” - The Secret Garden

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The Well-Tended Life

Episode 80: Goodness That Grows with Mary Latham

October 22, 2025 • Keri Wilt

In this episode of The Well-Tended Life podcast, I sit down with storyteller and kindness champion Mary Latham, founder of the nonprofit More Good Today. After losing her incredibly optimistic mother, Mary set out on a cross-country journey to gather stories of goodness—and what she discovered changed her life.

Over the course of three years and 43 states, Mary stayed with strangers and collected hundreds of real-life stories of human kindness. Her mission? To bring hope into hospital waiting rooms and remind us all that light still exists—even in our darkest moments.

Our conversation dives into grief, goodness, and what it really means to be present for one another. Mary shares how listening without judgment, giving your time freely, and choosing to see the good can quite literally transform a life—starting with your own.

This episode is a gentle, powerful nudge to slow down, look up, and love people better.

💛 Here are a few heart taps from this episode:

1️⃣ Sometimes, grief becomes the unexpected push that leads us into our most extraordinary purpose.

2️⃣ Despite what the headlines say—there are more kind and decent people in the world than we often realize.

3️⃣ Everyone you meet is carrying something. Let’s never assume otherwise.

4️⃣ A single act of kindness can echo through someone’s life for years—sometimes even decades.

5️⃣ Are we truly listening? In a noisy world, real connection starts with being fully present.

6️⃣ It’s okay if someone isn’t as present as we wish. Let’s meet them with grace—and lovingly invite them back to the moment.

So if your heart needs a reminder that goodness still grows, this episode is for you. Hit play and soak in this beautiful, hope-filled conversation.

Connect with Mary Latham:

In 2016, Mary Latham set out in her late mother’s Subaru, "Old Blue," on a cross-country journey to collect stories of human kindness from all 50 U.S. states. Over three years and 43,000 miles, she stayed in 154 strangers’ homes and shared her mission -More Good- at schools, churches, and community groups. Her journey gained national attention on platforms like MSNBC, The Today Show, and The Washington Post. Now the founder of More Good Today Inc., Mary is writing a book of these stories to donate to hospital waiting rooms and continues speaking to inspire hope and unity across the country.

Website:

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