InspireMore Offers Hopeful Tales
Robert Neely and Hunter Stensrud of the Park Cities are using their good news website InspireMore, in hopes of, well, inspiring a little hope during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Neely and Stensrud started the digital media platform about six years ago to curate feel-good content from around the world and support organizations such as The Family Place, for example, which provides housing, counseling, and other services to victims of family violence. OurCalling, which serves homeless people, is another example.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, InspireMore’s website features a Coronavirus Good News Dashboard.
“At the start of COVID-19, we kept hearing people – our family, friends, readers – say that they were losing hope during this time of Coronavirus,” said Neely. “We wanted to instill that hope.”
They created the Coronavirus Good News Dashboard to provide access to uplifting stories from around the world of people trying to make a difference.
“Since the COVID-19 outbreak, we have seen an uptick in people accessing these positive bits of info and tips, and our engagement rates have skyrocketed,” said Stensrud. “It’s clear people are desperate for glimmers of hope and joy during this time, and we have seen how this Good News Dashboard lifts the spirits of people all over the world.”
Stensrud said he became interested in marketing while a student at the University of Texas.
“I went to (UT) and was really involved with a Christian ministry called Cru, he said, adding he ended up employed there for a couple of years. “I realized I really kind of fell in love with marketing and storytelling, and using digital platforms to build a community.”
After graduating from UT, Stensrud moved back to Dallas and worked for a digital marketing agency for about a year before starting InspireMore.
“I was always really excited about the idea of doing something, a startup, in the digital space, and really trying to further develop my passion for connecting with people in a digital way,” he said. “What’s exciting about it and what I’ve learned is people are hungry for good and for content that drives an emotional response.”
As for Neely, before co-founding InspireMore, he worked as a strategy consultant for Deloitte, then got a master’s degree in Leadership and Ethics from John Brown University.
“We studied a lot about what unified people. So from a lot of different perspectives whether it’s cross-cultural or business or sports or family or friendships or work – you know, what drives people, why do people do what they do and what’s really the golden thread in that,” Neely said. “No matter who you are, where you’re from, where you’ve been, what you’ve done, we all want more, we all want to be inspired, and we all want to live lives full of love and meaning.”
Learn More: visit inspiremore.com to find hopeful tales and sign up for the Morning Smile newsletter.
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