Claim OwnershipWorth Your Time! with Kristi Lee and Rob Shumaker
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Worth Your Time explores the hearts and minds of extraordinary individuals from all walks of life. Join Kristi Lee from The BOB & TOM Show and Dr. Rob Shumaker of the Indianapolis Zoo as they delve into the lives of fascinating guests, uncovering stories that will inspire, challenge, and entertain us and you.
48 Episodes
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Kristi Lee, Dr. Rob Shumaker and guest Josh Arnold break down Oscar season, including best picture, best actor, best actress and best director debates. The conversation covers award show fatigue, movie reviewing culture, streaming versus theaters, and why the big-screen experience still matters. Films discussed include The Golden Compass, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, Hamnet, Sinners, Frankenstein, Zootopia 2, Blue Velvet, Basquiat, Blade Runner, Blade Runner 2049, The Godfather, The Wizard of Oz, Lost in Translation, Mamma Mia, Road House, Begonia and Perfect Days, along with reflections on IMAX, movie etiquette and seeing films with an audience.
Josh Arnold joins Kristi Lee and Dr. Rob Shoemaker for a wide-ranging movie conversation, from black-and-white classics to romantic favorites. They talk about “The Best Years of Our Lives,” “The Philadelphia Story,” “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “Casablanca,” “When Harry Met Sally,” “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” “Out of Africa” and “Once,” plus the reality of how performances and scenes hit differently over time. Then the tone shifts to a debate over the chimp thriller “Primate,” including what the movie gets right and wrong, how rabies and plot rules are handled, and why depictions of apes in entertainment can shape public attitudes.
In Episode 2 of Worth Your Time, Dr. Rob Shumaker continues his conversation with Ugandan conservationist Mwezi “Badru” Mugerwa, the 2025 Indianapolis Prize Emerging Conservationist Award winner. Mugerwa explains why the African golden cat is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and how snare traps meant for bush meat can kill the cats as bycatch. He shares how his team works with families around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park on alternative livelihoods, plus the mobile dental clinics behind Smiles for Conservation led by his wife, Dr. Hazel Mugerwa. The episode also points listeners to embaka.org to learn more about the organization named for the cat’s local name, “embaka.”
In this episode of Worth Your Time, Dr. Rob Shumaker speaks with Mwezi “Badru” Mugerwa, the 2025 Indianapolis Prize Emerging Conservationist Award winner. Mugerwa shares his journey from growing up in Kampala, Uganda, to dedicating 15 years to studying and protecting the elusive African golden cat. The conversation explores his path into conservation, life and fieldwork in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, and the patience and perseverance required to protect one of Africa’s least understood animals.
Singer-songwriter Paul Thorn joins Kristi Lee and Dr. Rob Shumaker for Episode 2 of “Worth Your Time,” sharing how Miles Copeland found him playing acoustic sets in a Tupelo, Mississippi, pizza restaurant and how that led to opening for Sting, Jeff Beck and other touring artists. Thorn talks about his new album, “Life Is Just a Vapor,” including the songs “Old Melodies” and “Mission Temple Fireworks Stand,” plus the story behind “It’s a Great Day to Kick Somebody’s Ass” debuting on “The Bob & Tom Show.” He also discusses his songwriting process, his love of coming home, and his musical heroes, including Elvis Presley and John Prine.
Kristi Lee and Dr. Rob Shumaker welcome singer and songwriter Paul Thorn for a conversation about his childhood in Tupelo, Mississippi, his start singing in Holiness churches, and his early obsession with ventriloquism. Thorn shares how his boxing career led him to a televised fight against Roberto Duran and why he eventually walked away from the sport. He also tells the real story behind “Joni the Jehovah Witness Stripper” and talks about his new album “Life Is Just a Vapor.” The episode features two songs from the new collection and sets up part two, airing on the 15th.
Dr. Rob Shumaker and Kristi Lee return with Part 2 of their conversation with Dr. Lee James Taylor White and Dr. Catherine “Kate” Abernathy, continuing the story of two conservationists whose work has shaped the future of Africa’s forest elephants.
Kate recounts her near-fatal encounter with a charging forest elephant during a family walk in Gabon, explaining how field instincts and a split-second decision to crawl under the animal allowed her to survive. Lee describes watching the attack unfold and the terrifying moment he prepared to distract the elephant to save her.
The episode moves from that harrowing story into Lee’s years leading Gabon’s national parks, confronting ivory poaching networks tied to Boko Haram, and uncovering large-scale illegal logging operations. He explains how Gabon became the only country in central Africa to grow its forest elephant population during a decade when two thirds of the species were wiped out elsewhere.
Kate shares how her thirty-year data set on fruiting trees and elephant body condition revealed dramatic impacts of climate change on rainforest ecosystems, and how her research network continues even after the 2023 military coup forced the family to leave Gabon.
Together, they reflect on the coup, their family’s evacuation, the struggle to protect conservation progress, and the future of their work.
This episode highlights two voices whose science, leadership, and courage have helped protect the world’s remaining forest elephants.
Dr. Rob Shumaker and Kristi Lee sit down with 2025 Indianapolis Prize DeHaan Finalist Dr. Lee James Taylor White, Ph.D., and his wife and fellow conservationist Dr. Catherine “Kate” Abernathy. Together they share stories from decades of working in the rainforests of Gabon and the Congo Basin—protecting the critically endangered African forest elephant and studying gorillas, chimpanzees, and mandrills. Dr. White discusses his role in creating 13 national parks in Gabon and leading efforts to safeguard half of the world’s forest elephants, while Dr. Abernathy offers vivid insight into primate behavior and the realities of life in the field.
Kristi Lee and Dr. Rob Shumaker continue their Halloween series with paranormal investigators and filmmakers Jane Gerlach and Linda Mutchman. The pair share chilling stories of haunted homes, mysterious sounds, and unexplained visions. They discuss their investigations at the Howard County Masonic Lodge in Kokomo, a haunted house in Anderson, and other Midwest sites.
The conversation covers dowsing rods, REM pods, EVPs, and why spirits may linger in certain places. Gerlach and Mann also reflect on the afterlife, fear of the unknown, and the hope found in spiritual connections.
Dr. Rob and Kristi Lee explore America’s growing fascination with Halloween and the paranormal with investigators Jane Gerlach and Linda Mutchman. They share first-hand stories of unexplained experiences, including visions of deceased loved ones, vivid dreams, and encounters at sites such as Waverly Hills Sanatorium, Indiana State Sanatorium, the Story Inn’s Blue Lady Room, and a haunted house in Osgoode. The conversation covers dowsing rods, EVPs, and why hospitals, prisons, and other high-emotion places attract ghost hunters.
Watch to hear detailed accounts of ghost sightings, haunted locations, and spiritual connections that shaped their work.
In part two of Worth Your Time, hosts Dr. Rob Shumaker and Kristi Lee continue their conversation with restaurateur and author Lisa Dahl. She explains how color, romance, and female sensuality shape her restaurant spaces and dishes; why she teaches cooks to taste, not just time recipes; and how a veggie burger she created as a teen evolved into today’s “hipster” burger. Dahl discusses her cookbooks The Elixir of Life and A Romance with Food, healing through holidays after loss, and the launch of her foundation and “Soup Hope—The Universal Soup of Love.” She also shares updates on her documentary Blessed by Grace, shown at the Heartland Indie Short Films Festival in Indianapolis.
Blessed By Grace Trailer: https://www.cheflisadahl.com/blessed-by-grace
Restaurateur and philanthropist Lisa Dahl shares her journey from Indianapolis to Sedona, opening acclaimed restaurants and finding healing after the tragic loss of her son. In this episode of Worth Your Time with Dr. Rob Shumaker and Kristi Lee, Dahl discusses her documentary Blessed by Grace, her culinary inspiration, and the creative vision behind Sedona’s dining scene.
Blessed By Grace Trailer: https://www.cheflisadahl.com/blessed-by-grace
In Part 2 of this urgent conversation, With Your Time hosts Dr. Rob Shumaker and Kristi Lee return with Dr. Anne Friesen (HumanTraffickingNow.com) and Andrew Sveum (FreedomRisingNow.org) to explore how individuals and communities can combat human trafficking—both in the U.S. and abroad. From inside Bangladesh’s largest brothel to local neighborhood signs of abuse, the conversation shifts toward hope, healing, and action.
The guests share stories of real victims, strategies to prevent exploitation, and practical steps for parents, leaders, and citizens to get involved. This episode confronts difficult truths with courage and clarity—because awareness is the first step to change.
For more information or to support their work, visit:
🔹 https://FreedomRisingNow.org
🔹 https://HumanTraffickingNow.com
On this powerful episode of With Your Time, Rob Shumaker and Kristi Lee sit down with Dr. Anne Friesen of HumanTraffickingNow.com and Andrew Sveum of Freedom Rising Now on one of the most serious topics they’ve tackled—human trafficking. Dr. Friesen shares how her work in North Carolina revealed alarming levels of trafficking within the U.S., while Sveum recounts his experience inside the world’s largest brothel in Bangladesh and the international fight to protect vulnerable children.
Together, they explore how trafficking intersects with organized crime, digital exploitation, and global labor abuse—and what parents, communities, and governments can do to respond.
For more information or to support their work, visit:
🔹 https://FreedomRisingNow.org
🔹 https://HumanTraffickingNow.com
Author Stephen S. Hall joins Dr. Rob Shumaker and Kristi Lee for part 2 of a fascinating deep dive into his book Slither. From Genesis to genetics, this conversation explores how snakes became symbols of sin, what they can teach us about health, and why public attitudes toward them are slowly changing. You’ll hear about snake personalities, snake sex (yes, really), life-saving venom research, and the cultural baggage snakes still carry today. Plus—there’s a surprise visit from Frank, the in-studio snake.
In this episode of Worth Your Time with Dr. Rob Shumaker and Kristi Lee, author Steven S. Hall joins to discuss his new book Slither. The conversation explores why snakes evoke such strong emotions, the evolutionary roots of our fear, and the surprising ways science is changing how we view these often misunderstood creatures. Hall shares stories from history, neuroscience, and personal experience, revealing why snakes deserve more curiosity than contempt.
Kristi and Dr. Rob sit down again with Tyler Mayer—president of Providence Cristo Rey High School, former seminarian, and improv coach—for a funny, heartfelt, and insightful conversation. They explore what it means to have an American Pope, the legacy of Pope Francis, and how Pope Leo XIV may shape the future of the Church.
Tyler shares his journey from seminary life to marriage, his perspective on Pope Benedict’s resignation, and how experience in Peru may shape Pope Leo’s leadership. You’ll laugh through stories of conclave traditions, theological debates, and the legendary “Balding Eagles” improv team.
In this episode of Worth Your Time, hosts Kristi Lee and Dr. Rob Shumaker dive into the global significance of the recent papal conclave and selection of Pope Leo XIV. Special guest Tyler Mayer—president of Providence Cristo Rey High School and former seminarian—joins the conversation to explain what actually happens when a new pope is chosen, including the meaning behind papal names, the role of cardinals, and conclave traditions that even include porta-potties in the Sistine Chapel.
This wide-ranging discussion covers both serious insights and lighthearted takes on Catholic history, conclave process, and the cultural fascination surrounding the Pope. You don’t have to be Catholic to enjoy this—just curious.
In Part 2 of our conversation with Joe Hale, president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, we take you on a behind-the-scenes tour of the brand-new, reimagined museum experience that opened in April 2025. Hosts Dr. Rob Shumaker and Kristi Lee join Joe to explore how a basement and an attic were transformed into a multi-level, interactive racing experience—all without expanding the museum’s footprint.
From Gasoline Alley’s immersive garages that span the decades, to a massive LED screen capturing race day emotion, to a mezzanine filled with innovation and STEM education, Joe shares the storytelling strategy behind every design choice.
We also dive into:
Roger Penske’s renovation challenge
The new 7,000 sq. ft. mezzanine
A 6-minute sensory film recreating race morning
Racing simulators, pit stop challenges, and hands-on exhibits
The Borg-Warner Trophy up close
Rotating exhibits and fashion at the 500
Janet Guthrie’s iconic bucket hat and inspiring return
How the museum is broadening its reach to new fans and future engineers
Whether you're a lifelong race fan or brand-new to the sport, this modern museum offers something for every age and interest.
Kristi Lee and Dr. Rob Shumaker sit down with Joe Hale, president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, to discuss his remarkable efforts to transform the iconic museum into a world-class destination. Hale shares his personal connection to the Indy 500, how a global fundraising effort helped raise over $100 million, and why preserving the legacy of the 500 matters on an international scale. From humble beginnings as a teacher to leading a major cultural institution, Hale reflects on adventure, legacy, and storytelling, and how the museum now matches the greatness of the race it celebrates.
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