The Courage to Be First: Why Human-Centered Change Begins With Us with Brittany Stokes

What is your definition of courage?
 "Courage is the quiet defiance of the impossible
 the choice to move forward when logic, fear,
 and every onlooker say you should not.
 It is standing exposed at the edge of failure
 and walking anyway, fueled not by certainty
 but by the conviction that purpose is worth the fall.”

There are moments in life when you meet someone whose very presence shifts your understanding of what courage looks like in action. That was my experience sitting across from Brittany Stokes, co-founder and CEO of Project Orphans and Tulsa Girls Home—a woman who didn’t wait for permission, applause, or a perfect plan before stepping into the gap for vulnerable youth. What struck me most wasn’t her résumé or accomplishments; it was her willingness to be first. To listen when logic whispered don’t, to act when she had no map, and to trust that conviction would carry her further than certainty ever could. When Brittany left the comfort of a successful advertising career to serve children affected by abuse, trafficking, and system neglect, she didn’t know the whole path. She just took the next right step and then the next. That is what purpose looks like when it becomes louder than fear.

Our conversation unearthed a painful but vital truth: we cannot change what we refuse to look at, and the foster care system in our country has been overlooked for far too long. We talk endlessly about homelessness, addiction, trafficking, incarceration, and mental health…but rarely do we stop and ask why these systems continue to swell. The hard truth is that a staggering percentage of the adults cycling through these crises once spent time in foster care. If we are unwilling to examine what is happening to children before they become statistics, then we cannot be surprised when the outcomes remain the same. Brittany named something profound something I felt to my core: if we were honest about the state of foster care, we would declare a national state of emergency. Because behind every data point is a child who has been moved six, ten, even thirty-two times. A child who has never been allowed to belong. A child who has never been taught how to be part of a family. A child who has learned to hide their needs because vulnerability has only ever made them less safe.

And yet there is hope. Because hope is built by humans, not policies. Hope begins with one person choosing to be first. One home. One advocate. One community willing to say, the way we’ve always done it is not the way we must continue. When I visited Tulsa Girls Home, I didn’t just see a program—I saw family. I saw dignity restored through warm meals, good furniture, therapy, education, dogs, laughter, boundaries, safety, and belonging. I saw teenage girls who—perhaps for the first time—felt chosen. That is what happens when someone refuses to believe that “this is just how the system works” and instead asks, What if this could be different?

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Until next time, keep shining bright!

- Corree