Big Little Lessons

What if the encouragement you needed most came from a child? In this uplifting and meaningful episode, we sit down with artists and educators Asherah Weiss and Jessica Martin, the co-creators of Peptoc—a creative project that began with student-made posters and expanded into a global movement of hope, including a hotline featuring encouraging messages from children. From a simple classroom idea in March 2022 to a hotline receiving over 60,000 calls an hour, Peptoc reminds us that children’s voices carry wisdom, kindness, and truth that the world is craving. Together, we explore how small acts of encouragement can ripple outward in powerful ways—and how each of us can create spaces where those voices are heard. In This Episode, We Talk About How Asherah and Jessica found each other and why finding your person matters The origin story of Peptoc and the moment it went viral Why encouragement from children feels so genuine and impactful What kids taught them about kindness, connection, and courage The creation of their book, You Are Amazing Like a Rocket Encouragement as a daily practice, not just a one-time act The global ripple effect of Peptoc across 25 countries and five continents Simple ways families, teachers, and communities can bring encouragement into everyday life Resources and Links: You Are Amazing Like a Rocket — Available wherever books are sold Peptoc Hotline: Call 707-8PEPTOC (707-873-7862) to hear encouraging messages from children Peptoc Website: Peptoc (peptoc.org) — Learn more and explore ways to bring this movement to your community Contact: [email protected]   We welcome your feedback.  Please email us at [email protected] of respect for our students, we want to note that while the stories we share are real, names have been changed for anonymity. In fact, every student we mention is named “Charlie.”  We use that name as a way to honor privacy while still sharing authentic classroom experiences. https://www.instagram.com/teachbiglittlelessons/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.