(5/8) COULDn’T HAPPEN TO A NICER GUY

If you ever get the chance to sit across from guest Brach Thomas, ensure your ears are all the way on! Yes, he’s the KWVH Production and Ops Manager, but more than that, he’s a natural-born storyteller with a personal journey that rivals the best rollercoasters on earth. There are highs, quite literally in some cases, and lows, fires, arrests, heart attacks, and, of course, the lessons and growth that come with it all. Not everyone is built to share their journey so freely, and as you’ll hear, we’re big fans of Brach and appreciative of his candor because his story is relatable on a multitude of levels.

(5/7) ARCHITECTONICS

The structure of human knowledge meets architecture with human intention in this conversation with Burt Pinnock, principal and chairman of the board at Baskervill, a 125-year-old design firm. Of course, there's more stuffed into this hour than that, including Burt's journey from Tuskegee, Alabama to Richmond, Virginia where he's currently leading a team realizing The Shockoe Project: a comprehensive, experiential destination that places Richmond at the center of the American story by recognizing the history of enslaved and free Africans and people of African descent. Few can speak to all of it like Burt can. It was an honor!

Learn more about Burt and the Shockoe Project at these links:
https://burtpinnock.com/burt
https://theshockoeproject.com/

(5/6) SEEK AND DESTROY

If you are familiar with author Autumn Christian and her novels, you already know this show dives into some delightful and sometimes dark observations about humans, modern civilization, what motivates and what should not, and how sometimes you have to blow up everything you thought you knew to keep going, both artistically and as a person. If you aren’t familiar with Autumn and her Substack, Teach Robots Love, that only makes this episode more urgent for your ears, in our opinion. 

(5/5) UNIVERSAL FLOURISH

In the spirit of everything Dr. Hollee Freeman has accomplished, we told her before our conversation, “We want to cover all you’ve done and do!” And BEElieve it or not, we did. If you've ever wanted to talk about bees and holding space for black and brown people and beekeeping and following your heart and bees and running to what calls you and how to behave around bees and STEM education and then just a bit more about bees with the former Executive Director of the MathScience Innovation Center in Richmond, VA, well then… this episode with Hollee is precisely what you've been waiting for. Buckle up!

More about Dr. Hollee Freeman and what we mentioned on the show here:
STEM Education: Giving Space Makes a Lasting Impact
Hollee Freeman's Website
City Bees RVA

(5/4) A NEW NARRATIVE AROUND AGING

Sometimes, you must have a short conversation to inspire a much longer one. We hope this hour with Dr. Corinne Auman is the start of an important talk for you and yours. Americans are notoriously bad at getting ready to be old. Anti-aging culture plays a significant role, but in the end, is it our fear of death and stereotypes that prevent us from embracing a time that many people earmark as the happiest days of their lives? Dr. Auman’s expertise as a Gerontologist, Certified Senior Adviser, and Advanced Professional member of the Aging LifeCare Association, as well as a bit about her book Keenagers: Telling a New Story about Aging, are all here in what we believe is an invaluable hour for anyone getting older. (Spoiler Alert: IT’S YOU). 

To find out more or connect with Dr. Auman, visit the following links:
https://corinneauman.com/
https://www.instagram.com/keenagersbook/
Keenagers: Telling a New Story about Aging

(5/3) THAT 33-YEAR-OLD RETIRED GUY STORY

Alan Lastufka's journey is as varied as his talents. Excitingly atypical at times but guided by a passion near and dear to us: creativity. Once a 33-year-old retiree thanks to a pioneering indie merch company for online content creators, he now finds himself at the helm of a relatively prolific indie publishing company, Shortwave Publishing. Authors and other indies are well aware of the incredible ruckus he’s made in just under three years, but of course, there's more to Alan's story: social anxiety as a superpower, his novel, his music, education by experimentation—we stuffed a ton into this ep for you.

Check out more from Alan at the following links:
Shortwave Publishing
Alan Lastufka dot com 

(5/2) FUNNY SERIOUS

Outside of the lives we curate online is real life. Sometimes, longtime friends are taking a weighty journey we know nothing about. Such was the case with our friend: award-winning Creative Director, Writer, former boss, and all-around good guy Kevin Roddy. Having him on to share his story about tackling Mantle Cell Lymphoma was an expectedly good time—a serious conversation done humorously and insightfully, as we've come to count on from Kevin. 

To find out more about Kevin, visit the following links:
https://www.greaterest.com/
https://www.roddykevin.com/

(5/1) A WORD TO THE HEART

Poetry as an act of resilience. Poetry as an act of activism. If that isn't part of how you kick off a Season 5 slate, are you even doing it right? We had the incredible honor of having Richmond, Virginia's inaugural poet laureate, Douglas Powell, in the studio! Douglas, AKA Roscoe Burnems, who is an educator, a parent, an author, and an entertainer, unsurprisingly brought a ton to the table to discuss!

You can find out more about Roscoe and what we discussed here: 

roscoeburnems.com
defyne // roscoe's latest book
rewriting masculinity // TEDx talk

(4/19) AN EMPATHETIC EXCELLENCE

We both met guest Erin Riley two decades ago and though we were not who we are today, even then, we sensed immediately that she was destined for great things. Our hunch is no attempt at taking credit for all she's accomplished—which is a ton, including her current role as CEO of TBWA\Chiat\Day United States. This conversation was a lively run through: the power of diverse views, mothers who CEO, keeping groundbreaking creative as a mission in a quickly changing world, and the benefits of colliding intelligence and daring, parenting and corporate leadership, empathy and excellence! It was an honor to have Erin as our last guest of Season 4, and it's a must-listen for anyone involved in, well, anything!

(4/18) A FUTURE TO LOOK FORWARD TO

Guest Katya Moorman has always loved beautiful things—and as you'll hear, she wasn't afraid to "find" them. Armed with that appreciation and an eye for what moves youth, she casually thrust herself into NYC's fashion scene and then into a life-changing pivot: sustainable fashion and the co-creation of No Kill Magazine. Per usual, we covered a ton in a short period of time. Thankfully, we've got the links below for you to dig into it all even deeper!

https://www.nokillmag.com/
https://www.instagram.com/nokillmag/
book To Dye For
https://www.amazon.com/Dye-Toxic-Fashion-Making-Sick/dp/0593422619
Creatives for Climate
https://www.creativesforclimate.co/
Purpose Disruptors
https://www.purposedisruptors.org/
The True Cost Movie
https://truecostmovie.com/
Other Info
https://www.fashionscapes.co.uk/films

(4/17) CONSTRUCTIVE CONFLICT

"Difficult conversations are opportunities in disguise, if you know how to have one." Hard to put it better than guest Natalie Garramone has. It might be worth your time to take the conflict style test linked here before listening, or listen and then take it—bottom line: we ALL have a ton to learn and a real opportunity for more peaceful, constructive professional and personal lives via the practices, observations, and wisdom that Natalie employs with her conflict resolution venture ONE EIGHTY.

Take the conflict style quiz here: Conflict Styles Assessment

You can also connect with Natalie via the following links:
Natalie on LinkedIn
ONE EIGHTY on LinkedIn

(4/16) MORE GRACE MORE JOY

Dr. Picara Vassallo helps people with stress-related health issues that manifest physically, emotionally, or spiritually. The why and the how are tucked neatly into this enlightening conversation we had with her. As two people who spend a lot of time thinking about various forms of healing, we'll be the first to say that we added so much more to our own toolkits in real-time, thanks to the journey Dr. Picara has undertaken!

For more on the topics we covered, visit the following links:

Thea Elijah, acupuncturist, herbalist and Sufi healer
Dr. Ibrahim Jaffe, MD, Sufi spiritual healer
Dr. Elaine Aron's website on Highly Sensitive People
Dr. Gabor Mate, MD - learn more about the Bio-Psycho-Social aspects of healing. He's also an expert on addiction, trauma, and childhood development.  

(4/15) GONNA BE A BLAST

Animator and Show Creator C.H. Greenblatt came by the KWVH studios to share his journey with us, which includes parlaying a lifelong love of cartoons and television into a decorated career creating animated series for Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and more. The hour was so much more than a how-to. Within his story, we came across some themes that are dear to us, and well, there are a lot of reasons to listen to this show, chiefly, like the man himself used to say to Peter on the regular, it was a blast!

(4/14) NOTHING NEW

Jess Brown is the absolute right person to run designer brand House Of JX and living proof that eye-on-the-prize has no set timeline. After all, there's so much to see and do in the world, and Jess has done and seen a ton. Some of which wasn't great to discover—but the extra fire she needed to know the time was right for her 100% circular fashion accessories company to storm the world. This was an eye-opening conversation about sobriety, impulse, intuition, and the human experience. Enjoy.

(4/13) BEHIND THE SEEN

Our conversation with music industry veteran Beau Colburn wasn’t so much about how to make it in the music business itself as it was about identifying your passion, doing what you can to surround yourself with what and who interests you, and then boldly raising your hand to ask questions or pitch in. As always, we found ourselves spinning off into many other interesting topics for a show you can't help but love. Promise. 

(4/12) LIVING ON THE EDGE OF TIME

One could sit across from writer/author Josh Epperson and talk about many, many things. Such is the way with multifaceted, huge thinkers who've arrived where they stand via atypical pathways. And we did! Our conversation with him covered a lot, including his thoughts and ideas around getting a hold of our choices so that we can take our lives where we want them to go. His book, Living on the Edge of Time, is an efficient must-read for anyone, at any stage, who practices or wishes to practice a framework that aligns every new day with your authentic self.

To learn more about Josh and the topics we covered, visit these links:
Website: josheppersonwrites.com
Book Instagram: @edgeoftimebook

(4/11) OPEN TO HOPE

Colette Kenny Verdes' journey into grief work as a therapist is a powerful story, but it wasn't always a happy one. Her experiences have left her uniquely qualified and passionate about helping others navigate trauma. A full life with boundless love for others comes with grief. No one is immune. In this wonderfully rich conversation, we cover Colette's origin story before diving into the practices and rituals she and other grief counselors employ so that we may honor our loved ones while taking good care of ourselves.

***Dear listeners, pregnancy loss is integral to this episode's conversation. While we feel it is essential to make discussions around grief and recovery from pregnancy loss more common, we also understand that, for some, the topic is too painful.

To learn more about Colette and the things we discussed, consider visiting the following links:

Noe Sage Counseling & Consulting
Instagram
Linkedin Profile
Grief Resources
Pregnancy Loss Group
Grow Therapy
Psychology Today
MISS Foundation
Certified Grief Educator
STAR Legacy Foundation Video
Open to Hope Author

(4/10) WE’RE ALL MAD HERE

One of our absolutely very favorite people to ever soberize (trademark pending), Reid Miller, joined us to share a bit about his recovery from addiction and to talk about what goes into his sober lifestyle. Reid is a decorated New York City advertising veteran who most recently co-founded the agency 3 Mad Fish. More importantly, he's a genuinely kind person who, even as a drunk, has always sought out ways to tame his demons (some utterly outrageous, too). We always have a blast talking to other former addicts—and this hour was no exception!

(4/9) DREAM A BIG SCARY DREAM

Confronted with any opportunity, former President and Managing Director of Wieden + Kennedy, Jess Monsey, asks herself: will this bring me light? Will this bring me joy? If it does? She follows those things. Her incredible enthusiasm and optimism have always been pointed at unearthing goodness and good things and passionately championing them. And lucky us (all of us), Jess has moved into some fantastic new directions, including working as an Executive Coach for Creative Leaders and Entrepreneurs, while also putting her talents toward helping people—young and old—lean hard into what brings them the most joy. It was an absolute pleasure to have her on the show!

(4/8) PUTTING THE WE BACK IN WELL

This hour with Ashley Williams, a Mind-Body Therapist and Wellness Educator, is truly "a something amazing for everyone experience." With BareSOUL Yoga and Wellness and The Well Collective, Ashley has put the power of her journey through the fields of education, behavioral and mental health, and community programming to work, creating accessible mind-body offerings and a multicultural community space that centers intergenerational well-being, restorative practices, healing modalities, and education. If you aren't in Richmond, Virginia, this conversation is an excellent quick-hit alternative to enriching your journey with her immediately! 

Learn more about Ashley and the work she does at the following links:
https://www.iamashleywilliams.com/
https://www.thewellcollective.space/
https://www.baresoulyoga.com/
Ashley Williams on LinkedIn