Ellie 2.0 Radio: Recent Episodes
AM950 Radio
We’re generally aware of hopeless idealists, but how many of us have ever actually heard from one? Ellie 2.0 is all about idealism and the journey of one particular idealist—Ellie Krug—as she works to make the world a better place. Only, there’s a slight complicating factor: Ellie’s a 61-year-old transgender woman. That simple demographic sometimes makes things particularly interesting. Or daunting. Where does the “2.0” come in? Because in another life, when Ellie presented as a man and worked for big corporations as a trial attorney—the nickname was “Killer Krug”—there was no place for idealism. Today, remade as her “true” female self, Ellie’s become a doer and believer in humanity and the common good. As she likes to say, “Ninety-nine percent of us want to do the right thing; it’s just that most are afraid to do what’s right.” Usually, Ellie’s not afraid and most of the time, she does what’s right. Come along as she tries to lead the way, traveling America to make our country whol
We’ve got an Ellie’s Talking Head show this week, starting with highlighting idealistic NewGround, an LA-based group that seeks to help Jews and Muslims form friendships and have respectful conversations about their differing views on Palestine. I also share two wonderful stories of compassion—one about a UPS driver who helped a stranger with a life-threatening incident and a second about how VA high school students contributed to buy their school custodian a Jeep. On a less happy note, I share about a recent article in Nature documenting a 72% increase in attempted suicides by transgender and nonbinary youth who live in states that have banned gender affirming care. So tragic!
This week’s featured idealist is Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia, the outdoor clothing and adventure store. Early on, Yvon made his mark as an idealist by devoting one percent of Patagonia’s revenue to protecting the environment and fighting climate change. In 2022, Yvon, by then a billionaire, donated his entire company’s stock to a trust and a specially-created nonprofit that will ensure that Patagonia will never be sold and that it’s mission around climate change will continue. The Big Interview is with Sierra Grady, an advocate for understanding and protecting those who are neurodiverse. In the C-Block, I talk about speaking in far southeastern MN and moving the needle!
We start with our historical featured idealist, the founder of St. Mary’s Academy in New Orleans: Mother Josephine Charles battled racism and misogyny in the mid-19th century to create a religious school for girls of color. Nearly 160 years later, St. Mary’s had 100% graduation and college admission rates—unheard of in education! The Big Interview is a reprise of my interview with Kelly Johnson, who curates a website that documents efforts to push back against book bans. In my C-Block I talk about how companies are rushing to shut down their DEI departments, and how following the disastrous Supreme Court affirmative action ruling, colleges and universities are admitting far less freshman of color. Horrible!
With the DNC convention over, our featured idealist is Adam Kinzinger, the former Illinois congressman who denounced Trump way back in 2016, and later served on the bipartisan January 6th Committee. Kinzinger isn’t afraid to speak truth to power and was a speaker at the convention, exhorting Republicans to understand that “Democrats also love our country!” The Big Interview is with Nicki Hangsleben, the executive director of Queer Space Collective, which matches LGBTQ+ youth with LGBTQ+ mentors, ala Big Brothers/Sisters. In my C-Block, I talk about some touching audience feedback from a recent workshop that I conducted.
This week’s featured idealist is retired federal circuit judge J. Michael Luttig, who began as a conservative but found his way to idealism in combatting Donald Trump’s attempts to subvert democracy. It was Luttig and a conservative scholar, Jon Yoo, who told VP Mike Pence that the Constitution didn’t permit him to decertify electors. Thankfully, Pence took that advice! The Big Interview is with Ann Joseph Douglas, the Director of Education for Children’s Theater Company, who talks about the incredible outreach CTC is doing in schools. (Note, I am a CTC board member.) In my C-Block, I share about how my top-down leadership style doesn’t mesh with the consensus leadership model of most Gen Xers. Ugh.
It’s another Ellie’s Talking Head show! Our featured idealist is the comedian, Trevor Noah, who set up the Trevor Noah Foundation to promote literacy a in his native South Africa. From there, I talk about Jessica Norton, a Broward County FL school district employee who was disciplined for letting her 16-year-old transgender daughter participate on the junior volley ball team in violation of a FL law that bans transgender high school athletes. I then share about long-lost love letters between two gay WWII soldiers, and then pivot to yet another nonprofit being sued for working to help minority business owners. Lastly, I talk about how my Gray Area Thinking© workshop helped someone reconnect with an estranged relative.
This week’s featured idealist is President Joe Biden, as Ellie talks about his selfless act to step aside for the 2024 race. The Big Interview is with Katie White, a heart transplant recipient who was on the show in September 2022. They iscuss Katie’s thoughts on our current political climate.
It’s an Ellie’s Talking Head show, and we start with the actor, George Clooney, who is also an activist working against genocide and atrocities across the world and who is involved in awarding the Aurora Prize that recognizes individuals for their humanitarian work. Clooney is also a huge supporter of the Democratic party and recently penned a New York Times opinion piece calling for President Joe to step aside in this year’s presidential election—both an idealistic and brave act. After that, I talk about President Joe’s horrible debate performance and the need for a new, younger candidate. During the show, I also briefly interviewed Connor, a recent high school graduate, who was shadowing me for the day—I asked for his current take on America. Lastly, in the C-Block I share about taking a road trip across this beautiful country of ours and about recently speaking in Crookston, MN.
Another Ellie’s Talking Head show where we begin with this week’s featured idealist, documentarian and filmmaker Ken Burns—you won’t want to miss the clip I share from his recent commencement speech at Brandeis University. I also talk about MN banning gay and transgender “panic defenses” for criminal defendants accused of murdering or assaulting trans or queer people. I also share about Stephen Miller (from the Trump admin.) seeking to shut down DEI programs across the country.
On this week’s show Ellie was joined by High School student, idealist and founder of Sanya’s Hope for Children, Sanya Pirani. Plus Ellie shares updates on her work on the Eastern Carver County School Board and backlash against DEI programs.
It’s an Ellie’s Talking Head show! In honor of World Press Freedom Day (May 3), this week’s featured idealist is Edward R. Murrow, who famously reported on the London blitz and later took on Senator Joe McCarthy. I also discuss the most recent oppression of transgender people by the state of Utah, which recently launched a “snitch line” to report transgender people in bathrooms and changing spaces—I’d love to get reported on the next time I use the women’s restroom at the Salt Lake City Airport! I also give an update on Carver County Pride and progress on my second book, Being Ellen.
We start with our featured idealist Ella Baker, who was a “doer” in the civil rights movement of the 1930’s to 1960’s, and who worked behind the scenes to strengthen the NAACP and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (which orchestrated lunch counter protests). Ella is one of the unsung heroes who made things happen! The Big Interview is with Ava Kian of MinnPost, who reports on the higher rates of suicide in greater MN—a topic near and dear to my heart given my father’s suicide in 1990. In the C-Block I talk about the great response I received when I presented Gray Area Thinking© in Delano MN on April 13. I also talk about co-founding Carver County Pride—we’ve set our first Pride event for August 31! Hooray!
With this week’s tragedy of 7 World Central Kitchen workers being killed by Israeli Defense Forces in Gaza, we revisit an idealist, Chef Jose Andres, whom I highlighted in April 2020, and the incredible work that WCK is doing across the world. The Big Interview is with Kelsey Waits, who shares about Stardust Farm, an acreage with rabbits, dogs, and alpacas that provides respite and peace for LGBTQ+ humans and their families. In my C-Block I share a clip of Robert Kennedy’s speech on the evening of April 4, 1968, after getting word of Dr. King being assassinated—I saw that speech as an eleven-year-old and it cemented me as an idealist.
Our featured idealist is Siddharth Kara, the author of Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives (St. Martin’s Press, 2023), a NYT bestseller, and who has journeyed to more than 50 countries to document modern day slavery and human exploitation. You won’t want to miss the clip of Siddharth talking about how those who enslave others seek to break the human spirit of their targets! The Big Interview is with Elise Boll and Sarah Hempl, two idealists working to make a rural MN county more LGBTQ+ friendly—they are so much fun to talk with! In the C-Block I share about how a talk I gave years ago helped a transgender person come out in 2024. We all ripple to others—my goal is for that rippling to be positive and affirming!
This show’s featured idealist is unsung hero Clyde Kennard, who the State of Mississippi Sovereignty Commission targeted and framed for a theft crime when Clyde persistently attempted to integrate the University of Southern MS in the late 1950’s. After wrongfully serving two years in prison, and after an outcry from civil rights leaders, including Dr. King, Clyde was released from prison due to his colon cancer. He unfortunately died six months later at age 36. The Big Interview is with Erica Ramsey, an attorney with Robins Kaplan LLP, who shares about suing the state of South Dakota on behalf of the Transformation Project—and winning a $300K settlement and written apology. In my C-Block I talk about how I went to law school to become an environmental lawyer, only to be sidetracked by money and my gender issues.
Our featured idealist of the week is Greg Carr, a philanthropist who has invested $100 million of his own money to rehabilitate Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique. The Big Interview is a reprise with Staphanie Glaros, who talks about One Small Step, an initiative of StoryCorps. In my C-Block I share about the very successful Gray Area Thinking event in Chaska MN and about serving lunch at a local elementary school. Cool!
It’s an Ellie Talking Head show!! We don’t have a guest, and instead you get me for the entire show! Today our featured idealist is Col. Ben Jonsson, who has been singled out for a “promotion hold” by MO. Senator Eric Schmitt because Col. Jonsson’s had the audacity to write a letter telling white Air Force colonels to check for their institutional racism. Unbelievable! From there, I talk about International Women’s Day and how I’ve had the great fortune of being “adopted” by several dynamic women in Chaska. For my C-Block, I talk about how the numbers show that the landscape has become far less welcoming to DEI professionals like me.
In the A-Block, I revisit a recent featured idealistic organization, PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), and how it’s now the subject of a “Demand for Information” from Texas Attorney General, who seeks detailed personal information about Texas PFLAG members who are transgender or who have trans kids/youth. This is all about Texas’ plans to outlaw gender affirming care and PFLAG’s efforts to create contingency plans to help its members access care in other states. The Big Interview is with Susan Madsen, Ph.D., who talks about the State of Utah banning DEI trainings in all Utah governmental agencies, including the state’s college system. In my C-Block, I talk about the horror of Nex Benedict’s death after they were beaten in a suburban Tulsa girl’s high school restroom and how OK State Education Supt. Ryan Walters contributed to an atmosphere which made bullying of Nex (a nonbinary human) more likely.
t’s a live show! Our featured idealist is Laura Belin, the curator of the Bleeding Heartland blog that covers Iowa politics. Laura and I talk about legislation introduced at the behest of Gov. Reynolds which seeks to require transgender people who’ve transitioned genders to list both an M and F on their driver’s license. Ugh. I also talk about a recent feel-good story by writer James Finn about a lesbian wedding venue in Kansas. Finally, I announce the formation of Carver County Pride—the first LGBTQ+ organization in Carver County MN!
Our featured idealist of the week is Jeanne Manford, who in 1971 wrote a letter to the NY Post telling the world the she loved her gay son who had been the victim of a homophobic attack. As a result of the positive outpouring to that letter, Jeanne would go on to found PFLAG—Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays—one of the largest LGBTQ+ support organizations in the country. The Big Interview is with Kelly Jenson who writes a weekly blog, Literary Activism, which documents efforts to push back against book bans in countless libraries in America. In the C-Block I talk about speaking to LGBTQ+ students and also about a March 14 Gray Area Thinking© public event in Chaska—please come!
This week’s featured idealist is Zyahna Byrant who, as a 15-year-old, launched a petition to remove Robert E. Lee’s statute in Charlottesville VA in 2017. That led to a city commission recommending the statute’s removal, which in turn led to the “Unite the Right” rally with the Tiki Torch white supremacists marching through the city. Ultimately, Zyahna’s petition resulted in Lee’s statute being removed and melted down! The Big Interview is with Pastor Dean Seal of Shepherd of the Hill Presbyterian Church in Chaska MN—he’s retiring, and this incredible idealist reflected on his accomplishments. In my C-Block I talk about the newest round of anti-transgender bills in Ohio and West Virginia that are now targeting all trans humans, not just trans kids and youth. Ugh. Double ugh!
We start off “Tumultuous ‘24” with our featured idealist, Medgar Evers, an idealist who worked to desegregate Mississippi in the 1950s and early ‘60s until he was assassinated in July 1963. His murderer wouldn’t be brought to justice until 1996. The Big Interview is with Heather Tran of A Better Society, a small Chanhassen MN nonprofit that acts as an incubator and navigator for other small nonprofits. In the C-Block, I talk about working on my second book (!!) and about this show moving to the 4:00 p.m. CST time slot as part of a block of LGBTQ+ focused shows/podcasts. Happy 2024!
It’s the last “fresh” show of 2023 and our featured idealist is Stephen Ritz, a South Bronx educator who created the “Green Bronx Machine” centered around exciting students about growing plants. His idea has taken off and earned him and his school national accolades—along the way, it raised student attendance and grades. The Big Interview is with Nancy X. Valentine, who uses her skills as an artist specializing in Asian calligraphy and images to break racial and “othering” barriers in greater MN. In my C-Block, I share about an extraordinary story a friend told me of how my book, Getting to Ellen, changed the minds of intolerant parents to a transgender child—they decided to love and support their kid. Now that’s what I call “rippling”!
This week’s featured idealist is Rashida Tlaib, who represents Michigan’s 12th District in the House. She’s been a fierce protector of Palestinian rights, for which she was censured last month. (For the record, I believe that Israel has the right to exist, and I don’t put up with antisemitism.) The Big Interview is with Mikki Morrissette, the publisher of Minnesota Women’s Press, who talks about how the magazine is trying to give voice to women in Greater MN. In my C-Block, I’m back to talking about how DEI is being attacked—this time with Wisconsin Republicans holding the University of WI education system over its DEI practices. The R’s forced University Regents to gut their DEI programs in return for approving a system-wide pay raise and $347 million for a new engineering building in Madison. Look for more of this hostage taking to occur across the country in ’24!
Our featured idealist is none other than the immortal John Lennon, who was shot and killed 43 years ago yesterday. His song, Imagine, is the idealist’s anthem! In my C-Block, I interview Hal Sansoney, the producer, director and performer for Trans Voice Cabaret, that’s opening at the Mixed Blood Theater. In my C-Block, I talk about conducting my last Gray Area Thinking© of the year and how demand for this wonderful workshop has dramatically slowed due to anti-wokeism.
It’s another Ellie’s Talking Head show! Our featured idealist is Majorie Kelly, who has written and spoken extensively on changing America’s capitalist system to end “financial extraction” where only the rich get richer. Instead, she favors community-based ownership where everyone is lifted up. I also highlight Frank Bruni, a NYT columnist and author who recently wrote about how the 2024 election isn’t at all about the cost of living, but rather the price we’d pay for a loss of democracy. I then pivot to reflecting about serving on my local school board one year in. I think it’s an informative episode—if only I didn’t stumble over words in the show notes!
Ellie Krug, host of Ellie 2.0 Radio every Saturday at 10 AM on AM950 joins Matt to mark today’s Transgender Day of Remembrance.
It’s a live Ellie’s Talking Head show! I begin by highlighting the sad state of legalized discrimination against transgender people in America today. From there, I pivot to talk about a November 16 piece by Tom Nichols in The Atlantic titled, “Trump Crosses a Crucial Line,” re: Trump’s use of the word, “vermin,” in his recent Veterans Day speech, to describe anyone who disagrees with him. We also have a treat when a past guest, Nick Alm, calls in to talk about how anti-wokeism is pushing down diversity, equity and inclusion work.
Our featured idealist is the late Matthew Perry, who tried to help others who struggled with drug and alcohol addictions, just like he struggled. The Big Interview is with Bob Roepke, the former mayor of Chaska MN, who talks about the importance of feeling a sense of connectedness through “community.” In my C-Block, I talk about giving a Gray Area Thinking© talk in St. Francis MN, and about another talk where I thanked a veteran because his service protected me, a transgender American. (There are many countries in the world that I cannot visit due to the personal risk that their governments pose.)
This week’s featured idealist is the one and only James Baldwin—an extraordinary writer and an advocate for Black folks at a time when doing so put him at risk professionally and personally. The Big Interview is with Marshall Tanick, a Twin Cities lawyer-writer who talks about how Edward Blum and his organization, Alliance for Equal Rights, are attacking DEI programs across the country, including at law firms. In my C-Block I share about a recent day training social service professionals in rural Minnesota.
We begin our 300th (!!) show by acknowledging the on-going horror of what is occurring in Israel and Gaza following the horrendous October 7 terrorist attack. Relatedly, for this week’s featured idealist, I highlight Rachel Corrie, a 23-year-old American college student who was killed in 2003 as she attempted to protect the Gaza homes of Palestinians from being destroyed by an Israeli army bulldozer. The incident was later deemed an “accident”; Rachel’s bravery has since been memorialized in a play and several songs. The Big Interview is with Jenna Cruz from Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. In my C-Block, I talk about how I started my first AM950 radio show in 2016 and how grateful I’ve been to continue with a show to date!
A live show! The Big Interview is with Robert Shetterly, who founded the portrait-story initiative, “Americans Who Tell the Truth,” which highlights Americans who have spoken truth to power. Also, courtesy of transgender blogger Erin Reed, we play a clip of a young Utah transgender girl speaking truth to her local school board re: the need to be welcoming to young transgender humans. I also talk about the horror of Hamas killing and kidnapping Israelis, and as well about the tragedy of Palestinians suffering from yet another war—all because humans refuse to talk to each other. Finally, I highlight how law firms with minority fellowship programs are being targeted by a conservative legal group.
Our featured idealist of the week is Laphonza Butler, the newly appointed U.S. Senator from California, who succeeds the late Diane Feinstein. The Big Interview is with Juliany Taveras, the playwright for the world premiere of Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress, which opens at Children’s Theater Company on October 14 (note: I’m a CTC board member). It promises to be a lovely story about overcoming “othering.” In my C-Block I talk about several recent trainings, and as well, about the need to support Minnesota Women’s Press, which is facing critical financial challenges.
This week’s featured idealist is Robert Shetterly, a Maine artist who’s painted 260 portraits of living and deceased Americans who spoke truth to power—this is all part of an initiative titled “Americans Who Tell the Truth.” The Big Interview is with Pam Hrick, executive director and legal counsel for LEAF, a Toronto nonprofit that works to protect the rights of women, including transgender women, across Canada. In the C-Block I briefly touch on 9/11 and share about my upcoming local Gray Area Thinking trainings.
David Hogg, a young (only 23 years old) idealist who survived the shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School on Valentine’s Day 2018, and who later became a gun control advocate, is this week’s featured idealist. The things that he’s accomplished so far have been incredible! The Big Interview is with Jen Perez of Red,…
Our featured idealist is the late Father Charles Strobel, a Nashville priest who conceived of “Room in the Inn,” where houses of worship provide safe sleeping spaces for those who are experiencing homelessness. His idea has rippled to hundreds of congregations across the U.S. The Big Interview is a reprise of my July 2022 interview…
We begin by talking about Ohio’s rejection of Issue 1, which would have raised the threshold for passage of citizen-initiated ballot measures from 50% to 60%. An architect of that victory was the idealistic Red, Wine, and Blue, which works to mobilize suburban women to vote left. The Big Interview is with Deepinder Mayell, the…
This week’s idealist is someone you would never suspect—the one and only recently passed Tony Bennett. You’ll have to listen to the show to understand why—and you’ll get a musical reward as well! The Big Interview is with writer and journalist Rod Farlane,who talks about his work in giving voice to those who are often…
This week’s featured idealist is Cornel West, who’s a prime example of idealism in a vacuum—his quest for the presidency via a third party could siphon off just enough votes to give Donald Trump the White House for the second time. Ugh. The Big Interview is with James Finn, author of, “My Neighbors Ended Free…
We start with James Barlow, who posted on TikTok about encountering a transgender woman at the Landmark truck stop in Clyde Texas—his message was affirming and kind, and incredibly idealistic! The Big Interview is with Marissa Held-Nordling, the owner of Little Roos children’s boutique in Chaska MN, which held a Drag story time on July…
It’s Pride Month and I start with a historical overview of how June came to be the month of Pride. The Big Interview is with Sarah Hempel, a married lesbian mother of twins who, along with a straight cisgender ally, started a LGBTQIA+ social group in Waconia, MN. In my C-Block, I talk about my…
Our featured idealist is Pussy Riot, the Russian music/performance group that
is a big thorn in Vladimir Putin’s side. The Big Interview has me speaking to Bethany O’Neil and
Cresston Gackle, attorneys who wrote about how MN’s system of selecting juries, which often
fails to reflect the diversity of the community, perpetuates bias against criminal defendants of
color. In my C-Block, I share about a Chaska MN children’s boutique that plans to have a drag
story hour for its patrons—the plan has elicited the expected backlash given what’s happening
around drag across the country.
Ellie is live for this week’s edition! She’s a one-woman show giving you her latest updates.
I begin with talking about sociologist/Princeton University professor Matthew Desmond and his book, Poverty, By America. His thesis is that paying low-income wages subsidizes the lifestyles of well-off Americans. The Big Interview is with Jennifer Pizer, the Chief Legal Officer of Lambda Legal, who talks about that organization’s great work in representing LGBTQ+ people for the last near-fifty years. In my C-Block I talk about it being Transgender Day of Visibility and how I’m proud to be me. Yep!
I begin with talking about sociologist/Princeton University professor Matthew Desmond and his book, Poverty, By America. His thesis is that paying low-income wages subsidizes the lifestyles of well-off Americans. The Big Interview is with Jennifer Pizer, the Chief Legal Officer of Lambda Legal, who talks about that organization’s great work in representing LGBTQ+ people for the last near-fifty years. In my C-Block I talk about it being Transgender Day of Visibility and how I’m proud to be me. Yep!
This week’s featured idealist is LeBron James, who just broke the NBA scoring
record. In August 2018, I shared about the “I Promise” school his family foundation helped to
create in LeBron’s hometown of Akron, Ohio. Today we revisit how that initiative is impacting
hundreds of students who might otherwise get lost in the educational system. The Big Interview
is an encore of my interview of Rachel Pilgrim, whose story about searching for the identities of
five black women who founded a black church in NY became the subject of a New York Times
article. In my C-Block I talk about a recent award and about how the options for where
transgender people can safely live in America are becoming fewer and fewer.
To commemorate World Holocaust Remembrance Day, we begin with a story about CANDLES (Children of Auschwitz Nazi Deadly Lab Experiments), a nonprofit in Terre Haute IN and the stories of three Holocaust survivors who lived in Terre Haute. It’s quite a collective story about survival and idealism, with the survivors believing that if their personal stories were told, the world might somehow avoid repeating the horrors of the past. The Big Interview is an encore of my January 2022 interview with Kelsey Waits, whose family also suffered persecution—this time because as a school board candidate in Hastings MN, her child was intentionally outed as transgender, all to attack Kelsey. In the C-Block, I share about my experiences of meeting two different Holocaust survivors when I lived in Boston (trigger warning—I get quite emotional).
It’s a live show! We begin with an interview of Lehman Riley, the author of the
Papa Lemon children’s books series—stories that seek to teach children the basics about
respect, equality, allyship and how not to bully. Lehman is a magnetic personality who goes into
the classrooms to help children get excited about learning and being good to each other. I also
talk about a GoFundMe for Luke Zimmer, a Twin Cities good Samaritan who was seriously
injured by a hit-and-run driver. Lastly, I reference the newest wave of anti-transgender
legislation in many states, including an Oklahoma bill that would prevent transgender persons
younger than 26 from receiving gender affirming care. Unbelievable!
We start off the brand new year with our featured idealist, Hakeem Jeffries, the newly elected House Minority Leader, who’s proven to be determined and persistent in his professional and political careers. The Big Interview is with Greg Anderson, the curator of the podcast, Living in Carver County, who talks about the need to get outside our protective “bubbles” in order to engage with those who are “different” from “us.” In the C-Block, I share about gratitude and my efforts to be a school board unifier.
It’s a live show beginning with James Curry of Building Remembrance 4 Reconciliation, a nonprofit that’s working to help Hastings MN and other communities heal from histories of racial intolerance. From there, I talk about how the Respect for Marriage Act, contrary to popular opinion, is not a federal law guaranteeing marriage equality or biracial marriages nationally. I also share some scary stats about how hate speech has increased on Twitter since Elon Musk purchased the company. Lastly, I talk about getting ready to assume my school board duties.
Ellie updates listeners on her candidacy for an east Carver County school board in MN., with an emphasis on the issue of banning books.
(10/22/22)—For this live show, I begin with a Time Magazine piece, “The U.S. is Heading Toward a Second Civil War. Here is How We Avoid It,” by Peter T. Coleman. The solution—surprise—is that we need to talk to each other. I also highlight California Congresswoman Katie Porter’s most recent whiteboard re: how corporate profits are…
We begin this week’s show by highlighting Rex Chapman, a former NBA superstar turned addict turned Twitter king with 1.5 million followers—he talks about his life’s challenges to help others and in my book that makes him an idealist! The Big Interview is with Dr. Dan Kessler, who’s running for MN’s District 48 senate seat.…
Our featured idealist is Alfred Nobel, the genesis for the Nobel Peace Prize and other esteemed honors in physics, chemistry, medicine, economics and literature. Nobel’s motivation to be remembered for something good, rather than for inventing dynamite, was grounded in reading his obituary that mistook him (still alive) for his brother who had passed. The…
(9/24/22)—We begin with highlighting Goldie’s Bagels in Columbia MO and J. Selby’s in St. Paul for their programs of giving a free meal to anyone who asks for one—nice charity! At Goldie’s there’s a “neighbor account” where customers can contribute; what a great idea! The Big Interview is an encore of my October 2021 interview…
Ellie Krug, host of Ellie 2.0 Radio on AM950, joins Brett to discuss her candidacy for school board in Carver County.
Ellie talks with David Edgerton Jr about increasing diversity in the professional workforce.
Ellie’s Big Interview is with Grayson Lee White (author of Dotson) and his mother Molly; the featured idealists this week are a group titled Rest In Peace Medical Debt; Ellie pays tribute to medical advocate and past show guest Danna Nelson, who died this week.
Our featured idealist of the week is Nora Spencer and her North Carolina nonprofit, Hope Renovations, which trains women and nonbinary humans on basic skills for the construction trades and then supports them to increase the number of women in the trades. This week’s Big Interview is with Lloyd Campbell, the newly elected governor for…
Our featured idealist is Mary McLeod Bethune, who was born in a South Carolina log cabin in 1875 to parents who had been enslaved. She understood the power of education and would go on to found what eventually became Bethune Cookman University in Daytona Beach FL. But she was much more—Eleanor Roosevelt declared that Mary…
This week’s featured idealist is Summer Clayton, who’s amassed nearly 3 million Tik Tok followers with his “Proud Dad” videos where he talks to children and youth in imaginary 2-way conversations. His messages are uplifting and supportive and filled with kindness/compassion! The Big Interview is with Mark Wilkening, the executive director of Twin Cities-based Bridging,…
Ellie talks with Pastor Dean Seal of Shepard of the Hill Presbyterian Church in Chaska, MN.
I begin with our featured idealist, Edie Windsor, who succeeded in getting the Supreme Court to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act’s provision that prevented domestic partners from securing the same rights as married couples. From there, I talk about the Nativity School of Worcester MA, a Catholic school for middle school boys from…
Our featured idealist is an organization, Sandy Hook Promise, which was created by parents who lost children in the horrific school shooting that occurred on December 14, 2012. SHP works to end gun violence in our schools and in doing so, promotes inclusivity and compassion for all students. The Big Interview is with Cheryl Thomas,…
It’s a live show! The Big interview is with Ken Lawrence and Paul Johnson, creators/curators of The Modern White Man podcast, who talk about their efforts to fight back against white supremacy and fear of “Other.” This week’s featured idealist is Chris Smalls, a former Amazon employee who successfully worked to unionize one of Amazon’s…
A Live Show! We begin with a May 2022 Atlantic Magazine article by Ko Bragg titled, “Tour Guides to a Tragedy,” which details how the town of Philadelphia MS refuses to acknowledge one of the most horrific crimes of the Civil Rights movement—the 1964 murder of civil rights workers Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, and James…
This week’s show begins with a lengthy review of how social media has made America more divided and stupid, based on a May 2022 Atlantic Magazine piece by Jonathan Haidt. The Big Interview is a reprise of my interview with David Liners, a priest-turned-nonprofit founder, who oversees WISDOM in Wisconsin—a collection of religious organizations working…
This week it’s a Live Show where I feature an idealist, Malcolm Nance, a 20-year Navy veteran who engaged in multiple ground combat operations. Nance recently left his cushy media commentator gig with MSNBC and anti-terrorism consulting company to fight for Ukraine. I also talk about how Florida’s governor DeSantis has sought to punish Disney…
This show originally aired April 27, 2020 This week I talk about the 50th anniversary of “Earth Day” and feature its architect, Denis Hayes. The Big Interview is with Diane Muntean, who I worked with to help training 1200 people in Steamboat Springs CO last September. In the C-Block I talk about the first Earth…
In lieu of a featured idealist, I share from a 4.8.22 NYT piece titled, “How did LGBT Rights Again Become the Subject of a Culture War?” by David Leonhardt and Ian Prasad Philbrick. In particular, the authors theorize that Republicans briefly stayed away from attacking LGBTQ+ rights for fear of alienating younger voters. However, that…
Our featured idealist is Reporters Without Borders, which works to bring truth and information in countries where there isn’t a free press. I also note that as of the date of my show, five journalists/reporters had been killed in Ukraine. I then pivot to talking about the on-going attacks against transgender people, particularly trans youth,…
This week’s featured idealist is Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, whose idealism led him to run for president in 2019 and win with 73% of the vote. With his wartime videos, we’ve seen this comedic actor-turned president become the most inspirational figure of our time! The Big Interview is with Jeffrey Siminoff, Sr. Vice…
Our featured idealist is Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson—her work to this point in her life points to a real idealist. The Big Interview is with Dean Holt, a Children’s Theater Company actor who appears in Something Happened in Our Town, a wonderful, thought-provoking play adapted from the children’s book with the same…
Ellie talks with Nick Alm about his organization advocating for the rights of transgender people in employment.
Another live show, with our featured idealist being Baton Rouge native Gary Chambers, Jr., who is challenging John Kennedy for the Senate; last month, Chambers announced his candidacy by sitting in a stuffed chair in a farm field wearing a suit and smoking a blunt. He spoke about how black persons are arrested for marijuana…
Another Live Show! The Big Interview is with Ellen Kennedy of World Without Genocide, a St. Paul nonprofit that works to educate about genocide and end it throughout the world. I then pivot to proposed legislation in Tennessee that would prohibit gender-affirming medical or therapeutic care for all minors in the state. I also highlight…
A Live Show! We begin with our featured idealist, NFL football coach Brian Flores who this week filed a class action lawsuit against the NFL and three teams alleging that he was racially discriminated against. Brian explained that he understood his entire future coaching career is at risk, but said he was doing it for…
We begin this week’s show talking about how there’s a push to ban books that make people “uncomfortable” or which contain “obscenity” (loosely defined as anything related to LGBTQ+ topics). Our featured idealists are four female Granbury, Texas high school students who bravely spoke out against their school’s efforts to review books for banning. The…
Our featured idealist is Muhammad Ali, whose resistance to the Vietnam war and advocacy for the rights of black Americans is often overlooked; make sure you listen to the clip of Ali taking on white college students at the end of the segment. The Big Interview is with Danna Nelson, a 25-year-old woman who is…
For this Live Show we begin with our featured idealist, Heather Abbott, a survivor of the April 2013 Boston Bombing. Heather lost her lower left leg in the incident and because health insurers provide only one minimally functioning prosthesis for amputees, Heather created a foundation to assist other amputees with their prosthetic needs. I then…
This week’s featured idealist is radio host Joe Madison, who started a hunger strike (subsisting on liquids only) on November 8, 2021, to advocate for a federal voting rights bill being signed by President Joe. The Big Interview is with Kelsey Waits, whose 8-year-old nonbinary child was outed by persons opposing Kelsey when she ran…
A Live Show! We begin with our featured idealist, bell hooks, who died this week. The author of Ain’t I a Woman? Black Women and Feminism and 30 other books, hooks wrote about growing up in Jim Crow Kentucky and covered social theory, critiques of patriarchy, white supremacy and capitalism. My regret is that I…
Our featured idealist is Fred Guttenberg, the father to Jaime Guttenberg, who was one of the 17 people murdered at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland Florida on February 14, 2018. Fred has gone on to advocate again gun violence, and he’s worked to have Congress consider “Jaime’s Law” to require background checks for…
This week’s featured idealist is Norma McCorvey, “Jane Roe” in Roe v. Wade. While Norma’s role in securing abortion rights for women was certainly idealistic, Norma’s life—filled with poverty and exploitation—points to her simply attempting to survive the Human Condition. The Big Interview is with Patrick Coolican of the Minnesota Reformer, an online local journalism…
It’s episode number 200! Hooray! We celebrate with my producer, Brett Johnson, and me sharing clips from some of our favorite interviews, including that with Daryl Davis, a black musician who befriends Klu Klux Klan members, and John Blake, the CNN correspondent who talks about “radical integration” as a way to get people past their…
This week’s featured idealist is Boyan Slat, founder of The Ocean Cleanup who has envisioned and worked to rid the world’s oceans of plastic waste. And he’s succeeding–https://theoceancleanup.com/oceans/. The Big Interview is a reprise of my January 2021 interview of Dr. Keith Mayes who speaks about structural racism in MN and the U.S. In my C-Block, I talk about presenting to the Colorado Supreme Court’s Lawyer Wellbeing Task Force—and I share a new phrase I heard afterward: “Carry your own sparks forward.” Thank you for that, Amy Phillips!
We begin with me urging listeners to vote for incumbents on their local school boards in next week’s elections as a way to counter the conservative attacks on those boards. Then, it’s an expanded Big Interview with Sondra Samuels of the Northside Achievement Zone in Minneapolis—you won’t want to miss her exceptional discussion about systemic racism in America. In my C-Block I share about recently speaking in rural Wisconsin.
Another live show! This week’s featured idealist is Nicholas Kristof, a New York Times columnist and two-time Pulitzer winner, who has announced his intention to explore running for governor in Oregon, his home state. I also discuss the dangerous (and increasingly common) talk of America falling into a civil war. From there, I discuss how Texas has yet again oppressed transgender student athletes. In my C-Block, I share about the Universe speaking to me.
This week is a live show! Our featured idealist is Frances Haugen, the Iowa-born-and-raised Facebook whistleblower. Then, in commemoration of National Coming Out Day (October 11), I talk about coming out as a transgender woman in May 2009. We also have a couple callers, to my delight! Hooray!
We begin with our featured idealist, Pauli Murray, who broke barriers as a trans/nonbinary human, feminist, civil rights activist, and someone way before her time. The Big Interview is with Art Cullen, editor of The Storm Lake Times in Storm Lake, Iowa, who talks about a documentary, Storm Lake, that details a small town that’s embraced immigrants and the idea that midwestern communities can be welcoming to all. In my C-Block, I talk about Nan Peterson, a 75-year-old human who became my ally, champion, and role model.
Our featured idealist is Dr. James Whitfield, a Colleyville TX high school principal (the first black high school principal) who in June 2020 wrote an impassioned letter to his school colleagues about the need to fight white supremacy; 14 months later, after only getting tremendous supportive responses to his letter, he was fired. Someone claimed Dr. Whitfield was teaching Critical Race Theory and hellbent on destroying America. Ugh. The Big Interview is with Colette Campbell, Chief Talent Acquisition, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer for Bremer Bank. In my C-Block I talk about how fear is pulling down America.
I begin the show by sharing about how 9/11 changed my life twenty years ago—it was the day that I realized I would die a coward if I didn’t accept my true gender as female. The Big Interview was a return visit with Michael Rexford (who I first interviewed in November 2019); we talked about trauma and how to speak to people who are suffering from depression and isolation. In my C-Block, I share about my first live inclusivity training in 18 months and how it moved the needle for someone who originally didn’t want to learn about human inclusivity. Yes!
We begin this week’s show by featuring George McLaurin, who in 1948 at age 61 decided he would be the one to desegregate Oklahoma University, proving that idealism is ageless. The Big Interview is with Kevin Lindsey, Chief Executive Officer of the Minnesota Humanities Center, who talks about how—with wonderful imagination—the MHC is working to bridge fear and differences in MN. In my C-Block I talk about recent instances of people believing in my work and how that work rippled to others.
It’s a rare live show! We start out with the Big Interview featuring Marcus Pope with Youthprise, a Twin Cities youth empowerment and advocacy nonprofit, and Dan Haugen, a board member of Youthprise. Together, they talk about the value of mentoring and highlight their 20+ year relationship of mentoring to each other in a variety of ways. Additionally, with the evacuation of Kabul, I share about No One Left Behind, a nonprofit working to assist with relocating Afghan military interpreters and their families to the U.S.
Ranae Lenor Hanson is the author of the new book Watershed: Attending to Body and Earth in Distressand she speaks with Ellie about the rural and urban cultural and political divides in Minnesota.