Everyday Hero: Nicole Kavanaugh's Inspiring Journey
6/17/202644 min
In this special edition of our Everyday Heroes series, Music Matters host Darrell Craig Harris sits down with longtime friend Nicole Kavanaugh—an inspiring advocate whose life has been defined by compassion, service, and giving back. Nicole shares her remarkable journey as an organ donor advocate and St. Jude
Children's Research Hospital Ambassador, discussing the profound impact that organ donation can have on individuals, families, and entire communities. Through her personal experiences, she demonstrates how one person can make a lasting difference in the lives of others.
This heartfelt conversation celebrates the power of generosity, hope, and the everyday heroes who quietly change the world around them.
Learn More
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Website: www.StJude.org
Research Hospital 7
Phone: (800) 822-6344
Mayo Clinic Transplant Center
Website: www.MayoClinic.org
Phone: (866) 227-1569
National Kidney Foundation
Nicole Kavanaugh St. Jude sponsorship page
https://fundraising.stjude.org/site/TR?px=4712745&fr_id=164588&pg=personal
2026 St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend:
If you'd like to learn more about becoming an organ donor, supporting transplant patients, or helping children battling catastrophic illnesses, please visit the organizations above for information and resources.
About Music Matters with Darrell Craig Harris
The Music Matters Podcast is hosted by Darrell Craig Harris, a globally published music journalist, professional musician, and Sports Illustrated photographer. Music Matters is now available on Spotify, iTunes, Podbean, and more. Each week, Darrell interviews renowned artists, musicians, music journalists, and insiders from the music industry. Currently, over 1,000,000 global downloads in 40 countries.
Visit us at: www.MusicMattersPodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/musicmattersdh
For inquiries, contact: musicmatterspodcastshow@gmail.com
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Voice intro by Nigel J. Farmer
Representation:
Yvette Morales | YM & Associates PR
Beverly Hills, CA
YM-PR.com
Email: YMoralesY@ym-pr.com
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsNigel J. Farmer0:00
[upbeat music] Welcome to Music Matters Podcast with Darryl Craig Harris talking about all things music with celebrities, artists, music business insiders, and more.
Darrell Craig Harris· Host0:15
Nicole Hansen, how you doing today?
Nicole Kavanaugh· Guest0:22
Well, it's Nicole Hansen Cavanaugh now. It's been so long since I've seen you.
Darrell Craig Harris· Host0:27
That's true, actually, yeah. So we met long time ago in Las Vegas because you were a teacher at a s- at a school, and then you moved... After that, you moved to New Orleans. Um, you work for a large financial institution down there. Tell me y- your St. Jude story because I've seen a lot online of, of all the benefits you've done, and I know that you actually donated a kidney to a, a young, a young child, and that, that was something that really caught my attention, that that's something that somebody that you weren't related to. So tell me that story. Like, how did you get involved with St. Jude and, and what motivated you to offer one of your organs to a young child?
Nicole Kavanaugh· Guest1:03
First of all, thank you for doing this. I was so excited when you reached out because, um, in this day and age, the good stuff doesn't sell, so you often don't hear the good stuff because it doesn't get clicks. Um, St. Jude found me by accident, and I don't know if it's a higher power, the universe, a little bit of both. But back in 2016, uh, where I work, I also volunteered as the event coordinator for our region,