This week, I’m speaking with Barbie Herron Conkling. The localism of southern California’s surf breaks has become legendary, but few can claim local status more than Barbie. With a family history stretching all the way back to the early days of Venice, her relatives literally built the beach communities in which she has spent most of her life. Growing up in a home which often mirrored the wild west atmosphere that was Malibu in the 1970’s, Barbie developed a spirituality which would serve her...
This week, I’m speaking with Andy Mumma. Growing up, Andy never intended to be a small business owner, but the entrepreneurial seed was planted early and when combined with a love of cafe culture and a dash of punk rock, the result has been a series of wildly successful businesses in his adopted hometown of Nashville and beyond. Andy’s passion for music began while washing milk trucks as a teenager and quickly evolved into touring with bands while he was still in high school. Broke and in ne...
This week, I’m speaking with Nic Harcourt. When it comes to DJs, few, if any, have had more of an impact on popular culture than Nic. The confluence of his taste, audience, and the gift of timing have enabled him to soundtrack film, television, commercials and beyond. As host of some of the world’s most influential radio programs, listeners have been treated to a daily playlist of Nic’s favorite songs for more than 30 years. With a personal history as eclectic as his musical palate, an...
This week I’m speaking with Jennie Garth. With an acting career that has spanned over 30 years, Jennie has plenty of experience becoming someone else. As a young girl, a family trauma ripped her from the country roads of Illinois and transplanted her to the desert of Arizona, where she struggled to find her footing. It was a love of dance and a twist of fate that would serve as her reprieve as well as help to lay the foundation of a friendship which has lasted to this day. Shortly after arri...
This week I’m speaking with Olivia Hill. As Tennessee’s first openly transgender elected official, Olivia ran her campaign focused on being the most qualified person to sit at the table. A native of Nashville with over three decades of engineering experience, Olivia’s priority is helping to keep her hometown’s underground infrastructure on pace with its above ground development. Raised by her mother to never give up, Olivia began the journey towards becoming herself at a young age. Having to...
This week I’m speaking with Mark Mahoney. As a tattooer, Mark needs no introduction. A pioneer of the single needle style, his work has inspired artists and set a standard for decades. An afternoon at the beach as a young boy set Mark on a path which has seen him bridge the gap between outsider and popular culture, helping to bring the art form into the mainstream. It was with the outlaw motorcycle clubs of Massachusetts where Mark would first practice his craft, saving members a trip to nei...
This week I’m speaking with Duane Sorenson. As a coffee roaster, Duane’s passion forever changed the world of specialty coffee. Having grown up in a small town in western Washington, it was a love of music that first led him through the doors of a local coffee shop in the ninth grade. Encouraged by his father, Duane’s ability to differentiate varietals began to emerge. By the time he left high school, Duane was a barista. Naturally competitive, he immersed himself in Seattle’s coffee scene i...
This week I’m speaking with Wayne Kramer. When it comes to lives, Wayne has lived several. As the founder of seminal rock band MC5, he began his musical career at just 16 years old. By 1967, the MC5 were serving as the house band at the Grande Ballroom and Wayne was working full time. As racial tensions reached a fever pitch around the the country and in his hometown of Detroit, he crossed paths with poet and activist John Sinclair who shared his revolutionary fervor and would become a mentor...
This week I’m speaking with Rebecca Woolf. As a writer, Rebecca found recognition early on, having first been published while she was still in High School. An adolescence spent in the idyllic beach town of Encinitas, California offered Rebecca extraordinary exposure to mortality, which has served her throughout her life, both personally and professionally. Known for her unflinching honesty, Rebecca quickly amassed an audience with her blog, Girl’s Gone Child. Through writing she was able to ...
This week I’m speaking with Chef Sean Sherman. Growing up on the Pine Ridge Reservation, Sean had plenty of time to explore the wide open spaces provided by the South Dakota Badlands. Equipped with a natural curiosity, Sean developed an extensive knowledge of the edible flora surrounding him which he has utilized throughout his career. Self-taught, Sean learned to cook at a young age using available ingredients and a healthy dose of creativity. Rising through the ranks of the Minneapolis foo...
This week I’m speaking with Jeni Britton. Having grown up with a healthy dose of Roald Dahl and encouragement, Jeni learned to connect with her feelings early on, and has dedicated more than half her life to the sensorial art of making ice cream, as the founder and Chief Creative Officer of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams. Jeni made the choice to become an ice cream maker at a young age, but it was during her time at The Ohio State University where the adventure truly began. Shortly after walking...
This week I’m speaking with Ian Rogers. As a kid growing up Indiana, Ian’s only plan was to smoke weed and ride skateboards for the rest of his life, and while he has managed to accomplish those goals, Ian has also established himself as one of the most influential voices of the digital age. From music, to fashion, to finance his ability to successfully navigate the intersection of human beings and technology is second to none and it is executed with a humility that only the Midwest could pro...
This week I’m speaking with Tatyana McFadden. Born with Spina bifida and paralyzed from the waist down, she spent the first six years of her life in a Russian orphanage with very little medical attention. Without a wheel chair to aid her, Tatyana learned to walk using only her arms, and in doing so began building the physical strength and mental will power that would eventually lead to her becoming the fastest woman in the world. In 2004, Tatyana made her Paralympic debut in Athens as the yo...
This week I’m speaking with Brian Anderson. During his nearly 25 year career as a professional skateboarder, there is very little Brian hasn’t accomplished. Within his first 3 years in the industry, he was named Thrasher Magazine’s Rookie of the Year, Skater of the Year, and won the World Cup of Skateboarding. Accomplishments made all the more impressive having left his full time job as a line cook just a few years prior. Known for his aggressive and powerful style, Brian is a skater’s skate...
This week I’m speaking with Liz Lambert. If you’ve visited Austin’s South Congress over the last twenty years, chances are you have Liz to thank, though you may not realize it. While the pandemic certainly escalated the migration to the Live Music Capital of the World, the trend began far earlier, and one could argue that a sea foam green motel was the spark that ignited a wildfire. Shortly after leaving the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and returning to her home state of Texas, Liz f...
This week I’m speaking with the Reverend Dr. Donna Schaper. Over the course of her nearly 50 year career in pastoral ministry, Reverend Schaper has led 8 congregations, and in almost every instance was the first woman in that position, starting at the age of 23. It was at the University of Chicago Divinity School where she connected with community organizer Saul Alinksy, helping to shape her views on leadership as well as fueling her passion for activism, which ultimately led her to organize...
This week I’m speaking with Allison Moorer. It would be easy to look at Allison’s life and focus on the details, but in doing so, one may miss the larger picture. As a singer and songwriter, her efforts have earned her an Academy of Country Music nomination, a Grammy nomination, and her debut single was nominated for an Oscar. Allison has released 11 albums and has also appeared on several collaborations, and toured extensively. As an author, she has written two books. Her first, ‘Blood: A ...
This week I’m speaking with Ethan Suplee. As an actor, Ethan found success almost instantly and has gone on to appear in dozens of films and televisions shows over the span of his three decades in Hollywood. Despite having achieved what many dream of early in his career, Ethan’s private struggle with his weight, his relationship with food, and what he calls his ‘mental garbage’ has at times dominated his personal narrative. A seemingly well meaning, but misplaced attempt to course correct at...
This week I’m speaking with Tristan Prettyman. As a songwriter, she has had plenty to say about love over the course of her career. From the pain of an engagement ended, to young love lost, Tristan has suffered her fair share of heartache, and at times very publicly. Her ability to channel those experiences into song, set Tristan on an unconventional career path that led to a major record label debut shortly after finishing high school. Her personal mantra of just saying ‘yes’ and choosing t...
This week I’m speaking with Bo Bushnell. Bo has had many titles throughout the course of his career, but it’s his latest that has certainly brought him the most attention. As the creator of the Outlaw Archive and the Research Institute for Contemporary Outlaws, he has made it his mission to document and record as many living members of the outlaw biker gangs that roamed Southern California in the late 50’s and early 60’s, as he can manage to track down. It was an unsolicited email that set B...