Audacious with Chion Wolf: Recent Episodes

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Most days fade into the next. You make the coffee, answer the emails, run the errands, fold the laundry, try to keep up.

But every once in a while, life gives you a moment that blows your freakin' mind.

For more than a year, at the end of Audacious interviews, we've asked guests one final question: Will you tell me about a pinch me moment in your life?

Here are their answers: stories of love, second chances, belonging, transformation, and awe, including a few from 250 miles above Earth.

Suggested episodes:

• Life advice, one Audacious guest at a time
• Forgiveness: How we define it and how it defines us
• I saw it coming! When premonitions come true
• What smells remind you of childhood?
• Kitchen objects with a story. Listen at your own whisk
• Awe yeah! Exploring the magic of mind-blowing moments
• How regret teaches us to live
• Stories of everyday courage, from getting a needle in the eye to tackling a purse thief
• The surprising ways we ritual

GUESTS (in order of appearance):

• First segment: Andy Corren, Bruce Campbell, Steve Feltham, Leroy McSmith, Jeffrey Marsh, Dr. Cori Breslauer, Logan Goodspeed, Casper ter Kuile, Jody Jahn, Harriet Newman Cohen, Andrew Luber, Patrick O'Connor, Glynn Washington, and Bill Edgar
• Second segment: James Tillman, Cassandra Madison, Julia Tinetti, Rebekah Spicuglia, Danielle Meinert, Candace Jordan, Drew John Ladd, Mikaela Higgins, Ari Cobb, Meredith Dietz, Sarah Thomas, Dr. Lisa Kenton, and Karen Smith
• Third segment: Audley Stephenson, Tamia Potter, Jay Bragg, Dr. John Elefteriades, Landon Proctor, Marci Pelzer, Karen Nyberg, Nicole Stott, and Chris Hadfield

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When someone tells you they’ve survived sexual abuse, the conversation can feel tender for everyone involved: the person choosing what to share, and the person trying to respond with care. How can we make those moments feel safer, more honest, and less lonely?

Beth Hamilton, executive director of the Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence, offers guidance on how to respond with steadiness, care, and humility.

Then Drew John Ladd shares his story as a male survivor of childhood sexual abuse. He reflects on silence, family response, masculinity, justice, shame, survival, and joy.

This episode is about how to integrate trauma, what disclosure asks of a survivor, and how the rest of us can learn to listen better

Resources:

• RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline
• 1in6 offers support, information, and community specifically for male survivors

Suggested episodes:

• Forgiveness: How we define it and how it defines us
• What two suicide attempt survivors want you to know about staying alive

GUESTS:

• Beth Hamilton: Executive director of the Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence, where she works on advocacy, prevention, survivor support, and public policy. She is also a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, which informs the care and clarity she brings to conversations about disclosure and healing
• Drew John Ladd: Writer, musician, and teacher. He shares his experience as a male survivor of childhood sexual abuse, and reflects on silence, family response, masculinity, justice, and what better conversations can make possible

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What happens when a Brooklyn woman who identifies as queer, liberal, vegan, and an atheist donates her kidney to a conservative Christian man from Virginia?

Kerry Kennedy and Joey Shervey tell the story of what it looks like when compassion outvotes everything else. Their transplant crossed party lines and personal beliefs to create an unexpected friendship.

Then, Lindsay Vigue describes how a small flyer on the wall of a diner led her to become a living kidney donor, and then to becoming the executive director of Donate Life Connecticut.

Resources:

• Donate Life Connecticut
• National Kidney Foundation
• National Kidney Registry
• OrganDonor.gov
• Former Middletown mayor Dan Drew's TED Talk about why he donated his kidney

Suggested episode:

• The Story Of The First African American Face Transplant

GUESTS:

• Joey Shervey: Kidney transplant recipient from Moneta, Virginia
• Kerry Kennedy: Living kidney donor from Brooklyn, New York
• Lindsay Vigue: Living kidney donor and the executive director of Donate Life Connecticut

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How do you play the violin without a right hand? How do you drum after losing a leg? How do you rap and create beats when you can only move your head and shoulders?

Adrian Anantawan was born without his right hand and most of his right forearm, and learned violin using a custom bow adaptation attached to his arm. Billy Brimblecom Jr., a drummer who lost his left leg to cancer, shares how he returned to music and now helps other amputees get prosthetic limbs. And Pheez, a rapper and producer who became paralyzed after a diving accident, explains how he records using breath control, memory, and accessible technology.

Suggested episodes:

• New ways to see, new ways to move: The tech that’s changing disability
• Stunt performers David Holmes and Jonathan Goodwin on life after paralysis
• Multiple sclerosis tried to bench her. Karen Smith won gold instead
• Joe Stone, wheelchair rugby, and the full-contact art of resilience

GUESTS:

• Billy Brimblecom Jr.: Drummer, nonprofit leader, and amputee who turned the support he received after cancer into help for others through Steps of Faith Foundation
• Corey Lee, AKA “Pheez“: Rapper, producer, and Navy veteran who became a quadriplegic after a diving accident. He's a disability advocate and the host of The Super Adaptables podcast
• Adrian Anantawan: Violinist born without his right hand and most of his right forearm. Using a custom bow adaptation, he has built a career as a performer, teacher, and advocate for musicians with disabilities

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When you go to a comedy club, you know what you’re there for. But what happens when comedy shows up somewhere else?

Meredith Dietz describes doing stand-up in a New York City office where employees were told not to laugh, and on a Staten Island Ferry where no one could escape the ride.

Years after his own incarceration, Ali Siddiq returns to jail to speak with people inside.

And Pauline Schantzer, aka Polly Wolly, brings suggestive parody songs, dance moves, and deeply silly comedy into nursing homes.

Suggested episodes:

• Why the world needs comedians with disabilities
• The meteoric rise of comedian Zarna Garg
• Actors Mary Elizabeth Kelly and Dean Edwards on the art of impressions
• Why the warm-up comic is the most underrated job in show biz
• D’yan Forest is a 91-year-old Guinness World Record holder for oldest female comedian

GUESTS:

• Pauline Schantzer, aka Polly Wolly: Comedian and performer who brings musical comedy into nursing homes and senior-care spaces
• Meredith Dietz: Writer and stand-up comedian who has performed in comedy clubs, offices, and on the Staten Island Ferry
• Ali Siddiq: Comedian, writer, and actor whose work often draws from his own experience of incarceration. He filmed It’s Bigger Than These Bars inside Bell County Jail in 2017, and his 2026 special From Inside is a serious conversation recorded inside a detention center

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Some people savor every bite. Others eat 30 hot dogs in 10 minutes. Welcome to the world of competitive eating!

Visit Lake Compounce for a Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest qualifier, where everyone is trying to prove they’re top dog.

Then Crazy Legs Conti and Katina DeJarnett - aka Katina Eats Kilos - talk about what it takes to train, compete, recover, and keep chewing when your body is begging you to meat it halfway.

It’s a lot to digest.

Suggested episodes:

• The Guts & Glory Of Getting Into The Guinness Book Of World Records
• Edible oracles: Fortune-telling with cheese, onions, and tea leaves
• Welcome to the Punderdome! We're entering NYC's punniest pun competition

GUESTS:

• Sam Barclay: Emcee and host with Major League Eating, where he helps turn competitive eating contests into full-on sporting spectacles
• Crazy Legs Conti: Longtime Major League Eating competitor, writer, filmmaker, and the subject of the documentary, “Crazy Legs Conti: Zen and the Art of Competitive Eating“
• Semora Kludy: Known through her food-challenge page, Semora’s Competitive Bites, she is a Michigan-based competitive eater and food challenger
• Max Stanford: aka Max vs Food, is a London-based competitive eater, food-content creator, and one of Major League Eating’s top-ranked competitors
• Katina DeJarnett: aka Katina Eats Kilos, is a professional eater, YouTuber, and former bodybuilder. She has millions of followers across social media watching her tackle giant meals around the world

Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate

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Joe Stone grew up playing volleyball, skateboarding, and breakdancing. Then, in 2012, a car crash left him paralyzed.

Doctors told him he would likely never move anything below his chest again. But five weeks after leaving the hospital, Joe found wheelchair rugby. This violent, fast, full-contact sport helped him rebuild strength, process anger, and feel alive in a changed body.

In this conversation recorded at a live tournament in New Haven, Joe talks about the crash, falling in love after paralysis, being a father, faith, adaptive sports, and what people misunderstand when they assume athletes with disabilities are fragile.

Suggested episodes:

• Multiple sclerosis tried to bench her. Karen Smith won gold instead
• Stunt performers David Holmes and Jonathan Goodwin on life after paralysis
• A marathon swimmer and ultrarunner: surviving cancer, breaking records
• New ways to see, new ways to move: The tech that’s changing disability

GUEST:

• Joe Stone: Wheelchair rugby player and adaptive athlete who became paralyzed after a 2012 car crash fractured his C6 and C7 vertebrae. He plays with the Gaylord Warriors

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Stephanie Salvilla so deeply loved - still loves - her baby boy, Gannon.

In July 2009, after a week of disrupted routines and sleepless nights, her brain went on autopilot. She dropped off her older child, drove to work, and unknowingly left 5-month-old Gannon in the car. He died.

In this deeply difficult and important conversation, Stephanie talks about grief, shame, public judgment, forgiveness, and why she now shares her story.

We also hear from Amber Rollins, executive director of Kids and Car Safety, about why these tragedies happen and the simple habits every caregiver can use to help keep children safe.

Resources:

• Kids and Car Safety
• Fatal Distraction: Forgetting a Child in the Backseat of a Car Is a Horrifying Mistake. Is It a Crime? by Gene Weingarten

Suggested episode:

• Finding purpose in life after accidentally killing someone

GUESTS:

• Amber Rollins: Executive director of Kids and Car Safety, a national nonprofit focused on preventing child injuries and deaths in and around vehicles. She has worked with the organization for 21 years and helps lead its data, family support, and safety advocacy work
• Stephanie Salvilla: A mother whose 5-month-old son, Gannon, died in a hot car in 2009 after a change in the family’s daycare drop-off routine. She now shares her story to help prevent other families from living through the same tragedy

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When you hear “philanthropy,” you might think of millionaires, black-tie galas, or buildings named after donors. But what if you could be a philanthropist without being wealthy?

In this episode, you’ll meet people who donate small amounts to hundreds of places, hand out cash on city streets, and send money directly to people in poverty, no strings attached.

Explore the power of small, consistent giving, and how even modest acts of generosity can spark massive ripple effects.

This episode originally aired on May 24, 2025.

Suggested episodes:

• GOOD NEWS! That’s how we celebrate 100 episodes of Audacious
• Social media, the algorithm, and the state of our hearts
• "Negativity be gone!": Artists igniting joy on social media

GUESTS:

• Rabbi Jeff & Mindy Glickman: creators of the “Giving Locally Everywhere” (GLeE) initiative, through which they donated to every NPR station and United Way branch in the country, as well as other organizations they value. Jeff serves as rabbi at Temple Beth Hillel in South Windsor, CT, and Mindy is a community leader and Hebrew instructor
• Peter Bond: a social media creator best known for his TikTok and Instagram accounts, @bondgives, where he documents acts of kindness and helps people in need across New York City. Since 2021, he has been using his platforms to inspire others to give back and make a positive impact in their communities
• Caroline Teti: a Vice President at GiveDirectly with decades of experience in almost all areas of the development sector, including the world’s largest and longest study on universal basic income. Her belief in direct cash as the most effective tool to end extreme poverty is also rooted in her upbringing in rural Kenya

Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate

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James Tillman remembers the smell of steak and onions cooking at his mother’s house on the day police came for him. He thought he’d be back soon.

Instead, he spent a total of 18½ years incarcerated for a crime he did not commit.

In 2006, with the help of the Connecticut Innocence Project, DNA evidence proved his innocence, making him the first person in Connecticut exonerated through post-conviction DNA testing. Later, DNA pointed to another man, who eventually confessed in court.

James talks about refusing to plead guilty, surviving prison, holding onto faith, and learning how to live freely again.

And we meet Katie Farrell, the social worker who helped him prepare for freedom before freedom was guaranteed.

Suggested episodes:

• Nothing goes as planned: A first-time offender’s prison story from arrest to release
• Love without the possibility of parole
• How to find purpose in life after accidentally killing someone

GUESTS:

• James Tillman: Was wrongfully convicted of rape and kidnapping in Hartford in 1989 and sentenced to 45 years in prison. After 18½ years incarcerated, DNA evidence proved his innocence, making him Connecticut’s first post-conviction DNA exoneree.
• Katie Farrell: Chief Social Worker for Connecticut’s Division of Public Defender Services. She worked with James Tillman during the final stage of his innocence case and helped him prepare for possible freedom

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The International Space Station was designed for science, research, and survival. But astronauts turned it into a music studio, an art studio, and a sewing room.

Former ISS commander and musician, Chris Hadfield, astronaut-painter Nicole Stott, and astronaut-quilter Karen Nyberg take us inside the strange, beautiful reality of making music, paintings, and handmade objects while orbiting Earth at 17,500 miles an hour.

Suggested episodes:

• Nicole Stott on being a NASA entertainment consultant
• What it's like at the bottom of the world with Dr. “Deepsea Dawn” Wright

GUESTS:

• Chris Hadfield: Musician, fighter pilot, retired Canadian astronaut, and bestselling author, whose performance of Space Oddity became the first music video ever filmed in space
• Nicole Stott: Retired NASA astronaut, watercolor artist, and the first person to paint with watercolors in space. She co-founded the Space for Art Foundation to connect children around the world through art and space exploration
• Karen Nyberg: Engineer, retired NASA astronaut, and textile artist who hand-sewed a stuffed dinosaur, a Texas flag, and a quilt block aboard the International Space Station. It was later placed at the center of a massive community-made “astronomical quilt”

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What if the real mystery isn’t Bigfoot or Nessie, but the people who devote their lives to searching for them?

Chion talks with Mike Wanders, who spent a year traveling through legendary Bigfoot country, and Steve Feltham, who has spent decades on the shore of Loch Ness.

What keeps a person returning, again and again, to a mystery that refuses to resolve itself? And what if not knowing can be its own kind of joy?

Suggested episodes:

• Meet a man who is committed to having coffee at every corporate-owned Starbucks on the planet

GUESTS:

• Mike Wanders: Bigfoot researcher, adventurer, and documentarian. He traveled to alleged Bigfoot hotspots across North America for a year and documented the journey
• Steve Feltham: Known as the “Nessie Hunter,” he moved to the shores of Loch Ness in 1991 and holds the Guinness World Record for the longest continuous vigil seeking the Loch Ness Monster

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For the past two years, at the end of interviews for Audacious, host Chion Wolf has been asking guests one question: have you ever had a dream or premonition that came true?

Twenty-three guests describe vivid dreams, sudden urges, eerie intuitions, and moments of certainty that later proved accurate in ways they can’t explain. Some sensed love before it arrived. Some saw danger coming. Some felt loss before they knew what they were losing.

Take a personal look at intuition, mystery, and the possibility that the world may be stranger and much more connected than we realize.

Suggested episodes:

• Life advice, one Audacious guest at a time
• Forgiveness: How we define it and how it defines us
• Why you so salty?
• What smells remind you of childhood?
• Kitchen objects with a story. Listen at your own whisk
• Awe yeah! Exploring the magic of mind-blowing moments
• How regret teaches us to live
• Stories of everyday courage, from getting a needle in the eye to tackling a purse thief
• The surprising ways we ritual
• Are you superstitious or just a little 'stitious'?

GUESTS (in order of appearance):

• First segment: Caroline Mandaro, Casper ter Kuile, Timothy Schultz, Christine Ha, Achivai Sofer, Tom Burgoyne, Kerry Kennedy, and Joe Stone
• Second segment: Dr. Gale Ridge, Katina DeJarnett, Rachel Lithgow, Andy Corren, Bill Edgar, Lindsay Childress-Beatty, RoseMarie Wallace, and Dr. Kruti Parekh
• Third segment: Bettina Hunt, Joy Brooker, Paperboy Love Prince, Rebekah Spicuglia, Leslie Wharton, Sarah Napoli, and Harriet Newman Cohen

Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate

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Some people sign up for a 5K. Some people sign up for a race with a secret start time, no marked course, and books hidden in the woods. Or seven marathons on seven continents in seven days.

We have questions.

Meet Jared Campbell, the only person ever to finish the Barkley Marathons four times - a secretive, nearly mythic race through the Tennessee woods with an unmarked course, brutal climbs, and pages torn from hidden books as proof you were there.

And Dr. Lisa Kenton is an ER doctor who pushed through ice, heat, and near-total exhaustion in the Great World Race, fueled by a cause close to her heart.

Suggested episodes:

• Extreme ironing, cheese rolling, and shin kicking: The world of weird sports
• From wingsuit BASE jumping to record-breaking South Pole expeditions with Ellen Brennan Frat and Liv Arnesen
• A marathon swimmer and ultrarunner: surviving cancer, breaking records
• Banjo Man, 'Woo Woo' Wickers and UConn Huskies superfans share their love of the game
• Roller skating as community, competition, and transformation
• Multiple sclerosis tried to bench her. Karen Smith won gold instead

GUESTS:

• Jared Campbell: the only four-time finisher of the Barkley Marathons - one of the world’s most punishing, quirky, and mysterious races
• Dr. Lisa Kenton: emergency room doctor at The Hospital of Central Connecticut who completed the Great World Race - seven marathons on seven continents in seven days - in November 2025. She dedicated the journey to raising awareness and funds for Malan syndrome, a rare genetic condition that affects her niece and nephew.

Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate

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What can a handwritten record reveal after someone is gone? In this episode, we follow two very different paper trails.

Marci Pelzer shares the 109-page list her father kept of more than 3,500 books he read over six decades. After going viral, his private habit became a public window into his life.

Dan Fogel lost his wife of 45 years to cancer, and then found diaries including writing that made him question how well he really knew her.

Together, these stories are about grief, memory, mystery, and the strange power of paper to preserve not just facts, but personality, silence, love, and what still can’t be explained.

Suggested episodes:

• What's in that note? Stories about messages in bottles
• The weight of family secrets: Finding freedom in the truth

GUESTS:

• Marci Pelzer: The daughter of Dan Pelzer, who left behind a 109-page handwritten list of every book he read from 1962 to 2023. After his death at 92, she helped bring the list to a wider audience
• Dan Fogel: Wrote a Huffington Post essay about finding his late wife Sue’s journals after her death and realizing how much of her inner life had remained unknown to him during their 45-year marriage

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Mascots: They’re furry, funny, and just a little funky. But what's actually going on in there?

Tom Burgoyne shares what it’s been like to embody the Phillie Phanatic for over three decades.

Mikaela Higgins reveals how her company became a giant in the world of mascot-makers, designing icons from Ronald McDonald to the Energizer Bunny.

And hear how one “yes“ changed the life of Conor Geary, whose turn as a mascot led to a dream sports gig he never saw coming.

This episode originally aired on August 29, 2025.

Suggested episode:

• Banjo Man, 'Woo Woo' Wickers and UConn Huskies superfans share their love of the game

GUESTS:

• Tom Burgoyne: “Best friend” of the Phillie Phanatic, who has been bringing the Phanatic to life for 37 years. He’s also the author of Pheel The Love! How the Most Powerful Force in the Universe Builds Great Companies - Phillie Phanatic Style!
• Mikaela Higgins: Manager of Mascot Sales at Olympus Mascots in Milwaukee, WI
• Conor Geary: Known as “GameDay Conor“, he's been the high-energy host at every major venue in Connecticut, starting out with the Hartford Yard Goats in 2018. This season, he became the stadium host for the New England Patriots

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Taxidermied dogs. A CIA agent's hat. A perfume that made strangers on elevators lose their composure.

This is what happens when you pull names from a vase at a brewery and say: show us something you love, and tell us why.

Our fourth live Show and Tell at Little Red Barn Brewers in Winsted, Connecticut delivered exactly what this format always delivers: stories that are intimate, hilarious, and impossible to predict. Even for us.

Suggested episodes:

• Audacious Live! Show & Tell in Stamford
• Audacious Live! Show & Tell birthday bash in Hartford
• Audacious Live! Show & Tell in Willimantic: From rare computers to hand grenades

GUESTS:

• Jon Barbagallo: Director of Sales at Little Red Barn Brewers, who brought a styrofoam curling rock that was used as a movie prop
• Jill Bowen: New Haven resident, who brought Doggie, her stuffed animal
• Lauren Pierson-Gallagher: New Milford resident, who brought a bottle of Shalimar perfume, her late mother’s signature scent
• Gerri Griswold: Director of Administration & Development at the White Memorial Conservation Center in Litchfield, who brought a taxidermied dog in a display case
• Nils Johnson: Co-founder & President of Little Red Barn Brewers, who brought an 1861 one-dollar note issued by The Winsted Bank
• Theresa Taylor: Canton resident, who brought her late father’s British bowler hat
• Nora Pasco: New Britain resident, who brought her Persephone rosary beads
• Caroline Christensen: Winsted resident, who brought a conch shell
• Alex Harper: Winsted resident, who brought her service dog’s harness
• Terry Wolfisch Cole: Simsbury resident, who brought a tin of 100-year-old Ramses condoms from her late uncle’s collection of antique pharmaceutical containers

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Fewer than 10% of truck drivers are women, and in this episode, you’re going to meet three of them.

Spend the day with Chion and a tow truck driver, get to know a woman who runs a CDL training school, and hear about life on the road from a truck driver who happens to be a trans woman.

This episode originally aired on January 13, 2023.

GUESTS:

• Chantel Comerford: A driver for Meagan’s Towing & Recovery out of Danbury, Connecticut. She lives in Sandy Hook
• Michele Howard: Owner of Affordable CDL Training School in Colchester, Connecticut
• Hope Alexander: Host of the podcast, Simply Live with Hope, where she talks about being a trans woman and her 12 years in the trucking industry. She lives in Georgia

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Imagine feeling an unbearable itch, convinced that tiny insects are crawling under your skin. But no doctor believes you. You try to prove it, collecting samples, documenting everything. But under a microscope? Nothing is there.

That was Paula Cox’s experience with delusional infestation, a rare disorder where people are absolutely certain they’re infested with bugs, despite all evidence to the contrary. In this episode, Paula shares her harrowing experience, and experts - a leading entomologist and a psychiatrist-dermatologist - explain what’s really happening in the brain and how healing is possible.

Suggested episodes:

• Body Integrity Dysphoria: When being disabled is a desire
• When every face you see is distorted: Living with PMO

GUESTS:

• Dr. Gale Ridge: an entomologist and Associate Scientist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven. She oversees the daily activities of the insect inquiry office. She’s also the editor of The Physician's Guide to Delusional Infestation
• Paula Cox: a woman in Australia who experienced delusional infestation. She started a Facebook support group called “Delusional parasitosis help”
• Dr. John Koo: a Professor of Dermatology at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center and Director of the UCSF Psoriasis Skin and Treatment Center. He is board-certified in both dermatology and psychiatry and co-author of Morgellons Disease: High Yield Principles for Clinical Practice

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What kind of person looks at a Boeing 727 and thinks, yes, I should live there? Or boards a cruise ship and decides never to go back to a traditional home?

Bruce Campbell is a 76-year-old engineer and pilot who has spent more than 25 years living in a retired jetliner in the Oregon woods.

Angelyn and Richard Burk are a married couple who turned loss, an enthusiasm for minimalism, and a love of travel into an everyday existence at sea.

They share wisdom about home, routine, freedom, minimalism, and staying put.

Suggested episodes:

• Audacious at sea: Wisdom from strangers on a cruise ship

GUESTS:

• Bruce Campbell: 76-year-old engineer who has lived in a retired Boeing 727 in the woods of Hillsboro, Oregon, since 1999. He welcomes visitors from around the world into the airplane home he built after deciding a conventional house no longer made sense for him
• Angelyn and Richard Burk: Married couple from the Seattle area who have been living as cruise nomads since 2021. After losing all their belongings in a moving-truck fire in 2013, they embraced minimalism and now spend much of the year making cruise ships their home

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Obituaries are meant to mark an end. But sometimes they start a whole new conversation.

First, Andy Corren, whose funny, biting, tender obituary for his mother captured so much life that it went viral and became a memoir.

Then, Sallie Hammett, whose loving obituary for her dog Charlie rippled across the internet and moved countless strangers.

And finally, we talk with professional obituary writer Jamie Passaro about what makes an obit memorable, honest and worth reading.

Suggested episodes:

• Rethinking funerals with the Coffin Confessor, living eulogies, and designer caskets
• What death investigators can tell you about life

GUESTS:

• Andy Corren: Writer and author of Dirtbag Queen, a memoir that grew out of the viral obituary he wrote for his mother, Renay
• Sallie Hammett: South Carolina writer whose heartfelt obituary for her dog, Charlie, went viral after she shared it online
• Jamie Passaro: Professional obituary writer and founder of Dear Person Obits; she also co-founded Elegy.us, an online obituary platform

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What’s a sentence that invites the universe to call your bluff?

“I could do that!”

Meet three people who said it, and then had to live it.

Christopher Lamar runs Lunar Embassy, a company that sells deeds to plots on the Moon and other celestial bodies. Logan Goodspeed learns what happens when you casually claim you could run a marathon “with 24 hours’ notice,” and your spouse takes that seriously. And Mandle Cheung, a tech CEO and devoted music lover, writes a huge check to fund a Mahler concert, so he can conduct the Toronto Symphony Orchestra himself.

Suggested episodes:

• What Happens When You Act Like You Belong
• GOOD GOURD! A show about pumpkins!
• TOPS: A woman summits Everest, a man considers a body transplant, and world-record hat-wearing

GUESTS:

• Christopher Lamar: CEO of Lunar Embassy, a company that sells deeds to plots on the Moon and other celestial bodies. The business was founded by his father, Dennis Hope, in 1980
• Logan Goodspeed: A 32-year-old software engineer from California who ran the Rock ’n’ Roll San Diego Marathon with about 24 hours’ notice and no formal training
• Mandle Cheung: A 78-year-old technology CEO and amateur conductor who founded Mandle Philharmonic in 2018. In June 2025, he personally funded a one-night performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 (“Resurrection”) and conducted the Toronto Symphony Orchestra

Jessica Severin de Martinez, Meg Fitzgerald, and Robyn Doyon-Aitken contributed to this show, with help from Coco Cooley.

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At 74, Karen Smith is still chasing the feeling she fell in love with as a kid: the freedom and aliveness of playing sports.

After years of sudden pain and uncertainty, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis - news that could have ended her life in athletics. Instead, adaptive equipment helped her keep skiing, and it reshaped how she carried the diagnosis.

Through the Gaylord Sports Association, she helped expand a program now offering 17 adaptive sports, and she became a gold medal-winning goalie on Team USA’s women’s sled hockey team.

At Choate Ice Rink, she and veteran player Anthony Kuntz introduce Chion to sled hockey, and to Karen’s fierce belief in inclusion and the “dignity of risk.”

Suggested episodes:

• A marathon swimmer and ultrarunner: surviving cancer, breaking records
• Revealing Our Blind Spots About Blindness

GUESTS:

• Karen Smith: Team manager of the Gaylord Wolfpack sled hockey team and a longtime leader in Connecticut’s adaptive sports community. In her early 60s, she earned the starting goalie position on Team USA’s Women’s Sled Hockey squad at the first IPC Ice Sledge Hockey Women's International Cup in 2014, winning gold alongside teammates decades younger
• Anthony Kuntz: Gaylord Wolfpack sled hockey player from Colchester, Connecticut, who has spina bifida. He has 22 years of experience in the sport, including four on the U.S. Junior National Team, competing internationally in Vancouver during the 2010 Paralympic Games

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Two Scotlands, one episode.

Scotland One: kilts, haggis, bagpipes, and that irresistible fairground mix of music and muscle at Connecticut’s Scottish Highland Festival & Games! Plus swordplay and the oddly soothing chaos and grunts of Weight Over Bar.

Scotland Two: centuries of witch trials, powered by rumor, rubber-stamped by law. Meet Claire Mitchell and Zoe Venditozzi of Witches of Scotland, a campaign and podcast working to restore names and dignity to the accused from 1563 to 1736.

Suggested episodes:

• Where We Live - 'Before there was Salem, there was Connecticut': State formally pardons accused witches
• Where We Live - Are witch hunts truly a thing of the past?
• Dress to unrepress: Women who dressed like men, broke rules and made history
• Are you very superstitious or just a little 'stitious'?
• Big E ep? (similar vibe)

GUESTS:

• Benjamin Elzerman: flute player from East Hartford, CT
• Haley Hewitt: harpist from Manchester, CT
• John Morahn: instructor at Western Swordsmanship Technique and Research (WSTR)from Ashford, CT
• Eric Lewis: weight over bar competitor at The Scottish Highland Festival and Games from Woburn, MA
• Christopher Annino: weight over bar competitor at The Scottish Highland Festival and Games from Groton, CT
• John H Spencer: the only living founding member of The Scottish Highland Festival and Games
• Reggie Patchell: Co-Chairman and Vice President of Scotland Connecticut Highland Festival Committee
• Claire Mitchell and Zoe Venditozzi: founders of Witches of Scotland, a campaign seeking justice for the roughly 4,000 people - mostly women - accused of witchcraft in Scotland between 1563 and 1736, many of whom were executed

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An unexpected death leaves survivors with a single relentless question: what happened?

Three forensic experts share how they investigate the dead to bring clarity to the living.

Dr. Cori Breslauer, an associate medical examiner in Connecticut, describes the realities of autopsies, trauma, and truth-telling. Dr. Colleen Fitzpatrick, who pioneered forensic genetic genealogy, explains how investigators use DNA and family history to put a name to unidentified remains, and bring long-delayed answers to families.

And retired forensic pathologist Dr. Cindy Hoeflinger shares what it was like to spend a career giving families answers… until she needed answers herself.

Suggested episodes:

• Look For The Helpers: The Anatomy Of A Death
• Views from the end: David Meyers
• The Quest For A Good Death

GUESTS:

• Dr. Cori Breslauer: Associate Medical Examiner at Connecticut's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, specializing in forensic pathology
• Dr. Colleen Fitzpatrick: Forensic genetic genealogist, founder of Identifinders International; she pioneered the use of genetic genealogy to solve cold cases
• Dr. Cindy Hoeflinger: Retired forensic pathologist who investigated sudden and unexplained deaths; she lost her 18-year-old son Brian in a drunk driving crash in 2013

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Forget the typical meet-cute; this episode features individuals whose paths crossed in extraordinarily unique circumstances.

Alex and Sue Tatham met each other on the globally televised dating show "Blind Date" in the UK, leading to a wedding watched by millions.

Heather and Tony are Disney enthusiasts who found love across continents thanks to a dating site for fellow fans, MouseMingle.com

And after three years of chatting online, Robbie Romu and Avichai Sofer finally met… Only to have their relationship immediately tested by the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war during their first in-person meeting.

Suggested episodes:

• Audacious Love Playlist

GUESTS:

• Alex & Sue Tatham: a couple who met on the British dating show Blind Date in 1988. Their wedding in 1991 was watched by 17 million people
• Heather & Tony Lash: Heather from Australia and Tony from Florida met through Mousemingle.com, a dating site for Disney fans, in 2015. They got married at Walt Disney World in 2018
• Robbie Romu & Avichai Sofer: Robbie from Canada and Avichai from Israel met on a dating site in 2020. Robbie traveled to Israel to meet Avichai in person for the first time on October 6, 2023, a day before the Israel-Hamas war began

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Imagine being afraid of a pickle. Or a banana. Or a nub of bread.

That’s daily life for people with ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder). It's an eating disorder not driven by weight or body image, but by fear, sensory overwhelm, or low appetite. People with this condition experience real terror and powerful aversions to certain foods - far beyond picky eating.

Clinical psychologist Dr. Evelyna Kambanis explains ARFID, who it affects, and how treatment helps people reclaim their lives. Andrew Luber (aka “ARFID Andrew”) shares his funny, blunt, and vulnerable attempts at food exposures online. And Danielle Meinert tells the story of carrying ARFID since toddlerhood, and the startling change she says came after a high-dose psilocybin experience.

Resources:

National Eating Disorders Association - ARFIDAssociation of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated DisordersFamilies Empowered and Supporting Treatment of Eating Disorders

Suggested episodes:

• The hidden hunger of Pica: Stories from people who eat objects
• Anorexia is complex. Two people talk frankly about their decades-long journeys

GUESTS:

• Dr. Evelyna Kambanis: Licensed clinical psychologist in the Eating Disorders Clinical & Research Program at Massachusetts General Hospital and a faculty member at Harvard Medical School. She is involved in clinical care and research on ARFID
• Andrew Luber, aka ARFID Andrew: Los Angeles filmmaker and social media creator who documents food exposures with humor under the tagline, “Conquering my fear of food one laugh at a time”
• Danielle Meinert: Lived with ARFID for 27 years after a major shift in her relationship with food following ear surgery as a toddler. After years of trying traditional approaches, she described experiencing a dramatic change after a session using psilocybin

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How brave can a nine-year-old be?

We follow Lola Fraisse from Kidderminster, England, as she leaves home for six months to live with a host family in Lüneburg, Germany. She learns a new language, new rules, and new ways to see herself. Along the way, Lola grows her confidence, builds friendships, and even picks up a slight German accent!

We also hear from Lola’s mom, Jennie, who did a childhood exchange herself and knows exactly what this kind of leap can set in motion for a life. And we meet Sylvie, Lola’s host mom, on welcoming a child into your family, and then saying goodbye.

After Lola returns to England, the story flips: her exchange sister Hanna comes to stay, and the girls describe what it’s like to become sisters on purpose.

Suggested episodes:

• Francesca Abroad: Following an American high school student’s year in Sarajevo
• Salaar Stateside! Following a Pakistani high school student’s year in the US

GUESTS:

• Lola Fraisse: a girl from Worcestershire, England, who embarked on a student exchange in Germany for six months when she was nine years old through the ALLEF program
• Jennie Fraisse: Lola’s mother, who was an exchange student herself at a young age. Her family hosted Lola’s exchange partner, Hanna
• Hanna Michaelis: a girl from Northern Germany and Lola’s exchange partner. Hanna’s family hosted Lola for six months, and Hanna spent six months in England with Lola’s family
• Sylvie Michaelis: Hanna’s mother and Lola’s host mom

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After cancer, one woman swam farther than anyone ever had in a lake. Another ran 104 marathons in 104 days on a carbon-fiber running blade.

Marathon swimmer Sarah Thomas returned to the water following aggressive breast cancer and went on to complete multiple record-setting open-water swims.

And Jacky Hunt-Broersma lost her leg to bone cancer, then redefined endurance one marathon at a time.

Their stories are about ambition, adaptation, and the audacity to ask the body for more.

Suggested episodes:

• From wingsuit BASE jumping to record-breaking South Pole expeditions with Ellen Brennan Frat and Liv Arnesen
• What a runner’s high feels like when you’re 105 years old
• What it’s like to be allergic to water
• Below the surface: The stories behind underwater world records

GUESTS:

• Sarah Thomas: marathon swimmer who holds multiple world records for the longest current-neutral swims ever completed, including a 104.6-mile swim in Lake Champlain. After aggressive breast cancer treatment, she returned to the water and became the first person to complete four consecutive crossings of the English Channel
• Jacky Hunt-Broersma: an ultrarunner and amputee who lost her left leg to bone cancer at age 26. In 2022, she ran 104 marathons in 104 consecutive days on a carbon-fiber running blade, setting a Guinness World Record and raising nearly $200,000 to help other amputees access running prosthetics. Her memoir, Duct Tape and Determination: A True Story of Turning Devastation into Grit, is coming out in August 2026

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Meet two men who survived suicide attempts, and built lives around helping others imagine a future beyond despair.

Kevin Hines, one of the few to survive a jump from the Golden Gate Bridge, reflects on the instant regret, the long recovery, and the tools he uses when “brain pain” returns - recorded just days before the 25th anniversary of his attempt.

Then, Connecticut therapist Steve MacHattie shares what it means to live with chronic suicidal urges, after his first attempt at six years old, and how reaching for connection can change the outcome.

Resources:

• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
• Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741741
• Connecticut Suicide Advisory Board
• In an emergency, please call or text 911

Suggested episodes:

• 911, What's Your Emergency? Tales From Dispatch
• Finding purpose in life after accidentally killing someone
• What it's like surviving a plane crash
• Equine therapy

GUESTS:

• Kevin Hines: suicide attempt survivor, author, film producer, and mental health advocate. At 19, he survived a jump from the Golden Gate Bridge. Over the past 25 years, he has dedicated himself to suicide prevention, sharing his story to reduce stigma and help people through moments of crisis. Kevin is the author of Cracked, Not Broken, The Art of Being Broken, and The Art of Wellness, hosts the HINESIGHTS podcast, and was a leading voice in the effort to install safety nets on the Golden Gate Bridge. His latest documentary, Death Bridge, is set to be released in 2027
• Steve MacHattie: a suicide attempt survivor, clinical social worker (LCSW), and founder of the Charter Oak Family Center in Manchester, Connecticut. He first attempted suicide at six years old, and today he supports clients ages 5 to 105 and serves as co-chair of the Connecticut Suicide Advisory Board’s Lived Experience Committee. He also writes poetry used in clinical trainings to help care providers see the humanity and strength in the people they serve

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TV shows and movies set in places like field offices, courtrooms and hospitals entertain us, sure... But they also tell us something - about crime, medicine, danger, and heroism. So who makes sure they don’t get it wrong?

Meet three entertainment consultants whose real jobs exist far beyond the screen: a former FBI profiler behind Criminal Minds, an ER doctor, who advised on The Pitt, and NASA astronaut Nicole Stott, who worked on the Amazon film Space Cadet.

They reveal what Hollywood gets right, what it often misses, and the surprising responsibility that comes with shaping what millions of people believe.

Suggested episodes:

• Behind The Screens: Hollywood Hairstyling, Coordinating Intimacy, And Illustrating The Great British Bake Off
• Becoming fluent in English by watching 3 hours of American and British television every day
• Behind The Screens: Dressing Schitt’s Creek, Special Effects Make-Up, and Casting Queer Eye
• Stunt performers David Holmes and Jonathan Goodwin on life after paralysis
• When actors teach: Embodying the lives of an enslaved woman and a medical patient
• Who decides? Ethicists help doctors and patients answer big, nuanced questions

GUESTS:

• Jim Clemente: Former FBI special agent and prosecutor, who spent more than 20 years working in criminal behavioral profiling and became an entertainment consultant, writer, and producer on the Criminal Minds series
• Dr. Sylvia Owusu-Ansah: Emergency medicine physician, EMS medical director, and educator, who also serves as a medical consultant for the Emmy Award-winning HBO series, The Pitt
• *Nicole Stott: NASA astronaut, engineer, artist, and author, who spent more than 100 days living and working in space. She also consults on film and television, including the Amazon movie Space Cadet*

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Meet two influential voices in autism advocacy whose lives and work have reshaped how the world understands neurodiversity.

Dr. Temple Grandin - a scientist, author, and animal behavior expert - reflects on growing up autistic, thinking in pictures, and building a career by leaning into the way her mind works.

And Dr. Kerry Magro, an autism advocate, speaker, and consultant on Netflix’s Love on the Spectrum, shares his path from being nonverbal to becoming a public voice for autism, and why accurate representation can change lives.

Suggested episode:

• A conversation with 12 year-old Sophie Rupolo, who has Williams Syndrome, and her mom

GUESTS:

• Dr. Temple Grandin: Scientist, author, and professor whose work in animal behavior has transformed livestock handling around the world. Her life and thinking were introduced to a global audience through the HBO film Temple Grandin, starring Claire Danes, and through her books, including Thinking in Pictures, which helped change how autism is understood by clinicians, families, and the public
• Dr. Kerry Magro: Autism advocate, professional speaker, and author who was nonverbal until age 2.5 and did not speak in complete sentences until age 7. He is a consultant on Netflix’s Love on the Spectrum and works with schools, companies, and media organizations to challenge stereotypes and promote accurate, human portrayals of autistic lives

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Some rituals are spiritual. Some are silly. Some are inherited, and some are self-made.

Casper ter Kuile, author of The Power of Ritual: Turning Everyday Activities into Soulful Practices, walks us through how we create all sorts of meaningful, grounding rituals.

And you'll hear clips from past two years of Audacious guests who have shared the rituals that matter most to them, from morning journaling and bedtime affirmations to pre-show sign-slapping.

Whether you've already got your rituals down pat, or are still developing your own special routine, this episode shows you how to honor the sacred in the everyday.

This episode originally aired on May 17, 2025.

Suggested episodes:

• Forgiveness: How we define it and how it defines us
• Life advice, one Audacious guest at a time
• Kitchen objects with a story. Listen at your own whisk
• Why you so salty? The anger episode
• Change Of Art: Stories About Tattoo Coverups
• Awe yeah! Exploring the magic of mind-blowing moments

GUESTS:

• Casper ter Kuile: author of The Power of Ritual: Turning Everyday Activities into Soulful Practices. He holds Master's degrees in Divinity and Public Policy from Harvard University, and is a co-founder of Sacred Design Lab. He also co-hosts the podcast, Harry Potter and the Sacred Text
• Audacious guests who shared their personal rituals (in order of appearance): Dean Edwards, Jessica Jin, Kristen Geez, Anna Holland, Lena Khalal Tuffaha, Chris Crowe, Bruce W Brackett, Moon Ribas, Azie Dungey, Pony Tromper, Mary Elizabeth Kelly, Paul Marcarelli, Brad White, Begoña Gómez Urzaiz, Dr. Gale Ridge, Mehdi Hasan, Stephanie Courtney, Rosanna Ramos, Sonya Horton, Greg Viloria, Ronnie “Woo Woo” Wickers, Zarna Garg, Jada Star, Luis Mojica, RoseMarie Wallace, Mindy Glickman, David Roche, Paul Gladis, and Arwen, Aidan, and Willow Gladis Perez-Sauquillo

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What happens when a mother can’t raise her children? Not out of neglect, but because systems, partners, and survival leave her no real choice?

This episode challenges the assumptions we place on “non-custodial mothers.” Rebekah Spicuglia explains how immigration rules, economic pressure, and unequal power led to her relinquishing custody of her son, Oscar, and how she channels her grief after his murder into research on gun violence and family separation.

And from Cameroon, Marie Abanga shares why escaping abuse meant leaving her three young sons behind.

For a full transcript of this episode, click here.

Suggested episodes:

• Life after Parkland: A victim's dad turns to art and activism
• The weight of family secrets: Finding freedom in the truth
• The reality of 'Forever Parenting' when your child needs lifetime care

GUESTS:

• Rebekah Spicuglia: bereaved mother, writer, advocate, and PhD student in Health Policy & Management at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She focuses on gun violence and family separation, drawing on her own lived experience to inform her work
• Marie Abanga: Cameroonian author and mental health advocate whose 2011 decision to give up custody of her children guides her mission to support others facing loss, stigma, and recovery

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Step into the technicolor world of PEZ!

We tour the Connecticut factory where more than 12 million tiny candies are pressed each day, guided by archivist Shawn Peterson, whose personal collection helped shape the Visitor Center.

Meet Brian Trauman, the Guinness World Record holder whose thousands of dispensers trace a lifetime of joyful obsession.

Hear Emily Tracy’s tender, funny, heartbreaking story about the PEZ tattoo she got to honor her mother.

And the hosts of PEZamania, the world’s largest PEZ convention, talk about how nostalgia and candy become community.

Suggested episodes:

• Discovering delight - and despair - in dumpster diving
• We have to talk about cuddle parties
• Take a tour of the John Zaffis Museum of the Paranormal
• Pawn queens: Tales and treasures from women pawn shop owners
• Audacious at sea: Wisdom from strangers on a cruise ship

GUESTS:

• Shawn Peterson: Company archivist and historian at PEZ Candy, Inc. in Orange, CT. He manages the PEZ Visitor Center, where much of the collection on display comes from his own personal archive. He is also the author of PEZ: From Austrian Invention to American Icon and Collector’s Guide to PEZ: Identification and Price Guide
• Brian Trauman: Owns the world's largest Pez collection and holds the Guinness World Record for “largest candy dispenser collection.” He has been collecting since 1999 and owns more than 6,400 dispensers
• Morgan Rhinehart and Landon Proctor: hosts of PEZamania in Ohio – the longest running collector convention in the world, established in 1991
• Emily Tracy: Manchester resident who memorialized her PEZ-collecting mom with a tattoo of her head on top of a PEZ dispenser

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A wise woman once said, “You can tell the ocean anything, but it has to be the truth.“

Chion Wolf boards the MSC Meraviglia expecting a week of small talk and sunscreen. But the farther she gets from land, the more people become willing to hang out in the deep end to talk about love, loss, faith, sobriety and stories they’ve been holding onto for years.

When they speak, the ocean listens. And in this hour, so do you.

Listen to a BONUS track featuring more voices from the ship: Latisha from the Bronx; Vincent Ferrito and Lauren Englemann from Brooklyn, NY; Brittney and Jeana Lockhart from New Bedford, MA; Henry Armbrister, Barbara Williams, Dellie Maycock, and Giovanni Ferguson from Nassau, Bahamas.

Suggested episodes:

• The Big E: What it takes to create 17 days of magic
• Life advice, one Audacious guest at a time
• It's A Brand Nude Day!
• Discovering delight - and despair - in dumpster diving
• Welcome to the Punderdome! We're entering NYC's punniest pun competition
• SOLD! Audacious Auctioneers

Plus, Advice on Amtrak’s Southwest Chief, a project Chion did interviewing passengers on a 48-hour train ride

GUESTS:

• A segment: Keith Miller from Long Island, NY; Kevin Luong from New York, NY; Vin Panday from Ontario, Canada; Jessica Struble from Holly, PA; Ruby Selver from Turks and Caicos; and Marty and Mary Pasternak from Buffalo, NY
• B segment: Mike Turner from Levittown, PA; Brian Martignetti from El Paso, TX; Darrell Floyd from New Haven, CT; and Randy Deveaux and Sylvia Wilson from Nassau, Bahamas
• C segment: Joe and Valerie Leone from Blue Bell, PA; Tommy and Cindy Lazarz from Ware, MA; John and Ada Sue Siler from Richmond, VA; and Javier and Angela Mahon from Brooklyn, NY

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Ahoy! Here’s a little bonus treasure from our episode, Audacious at Sea: Wisdom from Strangers on a Cruise Ship.

Chion spends a blissful vacation week aboard the MSC Meraviglia with about 5,000 fellow humans, sailing from Brooklyn to the Bahamas and back. And because we couldn’t fit everyone she talks with into the on-air version, this bonus gives you even more of their voices and stories.

Somewhere in between sunrise coffees and late-night pizza buffets, Chion asks passengers - and a few locals in Nassau, Bahamas - to share their favorite piece of life advice.

That opens the door to conversations that go way beyond advice, and into the values that people have carried with them much of their lives.

GUESTS:

• Latisha from the Bronx
• Vincent Ferrito and Lauren Englemann from Brooklyn, NY
• Brittney and Jeana Lockhart from New Bedford, MA
• Henry Armbrister, Barbara Williams, Dellie Maycock, and Giovanni Ferguson from Nassau, Bahamas

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Would you leave your family, friends, home, and job to move over a thousand miles away to take care of a pet squirrel? Meet two people who did just that for 8 year-old Thumbelina.

Then, meet a birdkeeper at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute who was chosen by an endangered crane to be her life partner for almost 20 years.

This episode originally aired on September 13, 2024.

Listen to an updated conversation with Chris Crowe, including his experience getting his first tattoo - a giant portrait of Walnut.

Suggested episodes:

• Wings, pouches, and snouts: The world of uncommon emotional support animals
• Birdwatching legend Peter Kaestner's journey to 10,000 birds
• Audacious kids: Stories of courage, conservation, and compassion

GUESTS:

• Christina and Michael Reyes: The human parents of Thumbelina, an eight-year-old squirrel who has more than two million followers on social media
• Chris Crowe: Birdkeeper at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute’s campus in Front Royal, Virginia, and caretaker of Walnut, an endangered white-naped crane from 2004 until her death in January 2024

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We recently rebroadcast our Audacious episode featuring Chris Crowe. He's a bird keeper at Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute’s campus in Front Royal, Virginia. He spent nearly twenty years as the chosen partner of an endangered white-naped crane named Walnut. She was one of only 5,000 in the world, but to Chris, she was one of a kind.

Walnut's life expectancy as a bird living in captivity was 15 years. But she died at the age of 42 on January 2, 2024.

In that original episode, just five months after her death, I spoke with Chris about their life together. And from the responses we got, their life together deeply resonated with you.

Which is why we decided to rebroadcast it! But then something remarkable happened.

A few hours after we decided to publish that rerun, I saw a post from Chris on Facebook: He just got his first tattoo - a giant portrait of Walnut.

When the universe lines things up that precisely, I pay attention. So I reached out to him. I wanted to ask what moved him to get this tattoo now, how it feels to carry her on his arm, and how he’s doing as the two-year anniversary of her death approaches.

Photo and tattoo by Maggie Cho.

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Some people “age gracefully.” These three women age audaciously!

91 year-old comedian, D’yan Forest, commands the stage with her ukulele and sharp wit, spinning the stories of her long life into laughter.

Family law attorney Harriet Newman Cohen, 92, is the kind of lawyer who changed history for LGBTQ+ families and plans on never stopping.

And Charlotte Guttenberg, the 77-year-old Guinness World Record holder for most-tattooed female senior citizen, started inking her body in her fifties and turned herself into a living, breathing work of art.

Suggested episodes:

• Audacious Elders
• Change of art: Stories about tattoo coverups

GUESTS:

• D’yan Forest: 91-year-old Guinness World Record holder for oldest female comedian, just released her new full-length solo show, A Gefilte Fish Out Of Water
• Harriet Newman Cohen: 92-year-old founding partner of Cohen Stine Kapoor LLP, where she is a negotiator and trial attorney who handles all aspects of matrimonial and family law. She is the author of Passion and Power: A Life in Three Worlds
• Charlotte Guttenberg: 77-year-old Guinness World Record holder for most tattooed female senior citizen

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Who rejoices in making a bad episode of public radio? We do! But only the best kind of bad.

On this episode of Audacious, meet Jon from Jon Breaks Bad News, who delivers other people’s worst messages for a living. Then, the co-founders of the Golden Raspberry Awards - also known as the Razzies - celebrate Hollywood’s most spectacular cinematic failures. And finally, a few listeners share their stories of terrible dates, followed by a conversation with Rachel Lithgow. She shares her memoir, My Year of Really Bad Dates.

Suggested episodes:

• I snuck my incarcerated boyfriend out of prison in a dog crate
• Nothing goes as planned: A first-time offender’s prison story from arrest to release
• How regret teaches us to live

GUESTS:

• Jon Breaks Bad News: Creator and host of the Jon Breaks Bad News Show, delivering difficult or awkward messages on behalf of others
• John J. B. Wilson and Mo Murphy: Creators of the Razzie Awards
• Michelle Horsley, Maria Grove, Lindsay Ewing: Audacious listeners who had really bad dates
• Rachel Lithgow: Author of My Year of Really Bad Dates

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What happens when a Brooklyn woman who identifies as queer, liberal, vegan, and an atheist donates her kidney to a conservative Christian man from Virginia?

Kerry Kennedy and Joey Shervey tell the story of what it looks like when compassion outvotes everything else. Their transplant crossed party lines and personal beliefs to create an unexpected friendship.

Then, Lindsay Vigue describes how a small flyer on the wall of a diner led her to become a living kidney donor, and then to becoming the executive director of Donate Life Connecticut.

Resources:

• Donate Life Connecticut
• National Kidney Foundation
• National Kidney Registry
• OrganDonor.gov
• Former Middletown mayor Dan Drew's TED Talk about why he donated his kidney

Suggested episode:

• The Story Of The First African American Face Transplant

GUESTS:

• Joey Shervey: Kidney transplant recipient from Moneta, Virginia
• Kerry Kennedy: Living kidney donor from Brooklyn, New York
• Lindsay Vigue: Living kidney donor and the executive director of Donate Life Connecticut

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When does creation become prayer? And when does prayer become protest?

Artist and poet Zulynette talks about her new book, Becoming a Soft Woman with a Machete. It's equal parts gospel, therapy session, and roast.

From laughter to liberation, explore how art can be both sanctuary and sword.

Suggested episodes:

• Poet Zulynette on “Seeing in the Dark”
• The playfulness of poetry with Andrew Dean Wright
• A fireside conversation with Hartford’s “Love Poet”, Olusanya Bey
• Words over weapons: When anti-war poems go viral
• An extended conversation about forgiveness with poet David Whyte

GUEST:

• Zulynette: Poet, artist, facilitator, and author of Becoming a Soft Woman with a Machete. She is also the creator and director of the annual storytelling event, A Little Bit of Death, and the author of two other books of poetry, Seeing in the Dark, and Building a Powerhouse

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Have you ever seen Reborn Babies?

They’re these hyper-realistic-looking dolls that are collected for their extraordinary artistic accuracy… And they’re also used therapeutically for people who suffer from anxiety and depression.

Hear from a woman who uses them for just that reason. Plus, meet a painter who makes them look so real, a researcher on the Reborn community and culture, and a photographer who made these dolls a major part of her work.

This episode originally aired on September 24, 2021.

GUESTS:

• Emilie St-Hilaire is a multidisciplinary artist and doctoral candidate in the Humanities PhD program at Concordia. She studies lifelike dolls and the motivations of their collectors, rethinking non-human companionship
• Irene Golden is a Reborn artist from Spain, and the owner of Latidos Reborn
• Jamie Diamond of New York City features Reborn Babies in her series of photographs, "I Promise To Be A Good Mother" and "Mother Love", and is a collector herself
• Patrizia Bartolomei of Perth, Australia, runs the Facebook group, "My Therapy Reborn Group". She's used Reborn Babies as therapy babies since 2016

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It’s 2 a.m.; the phone rings. The caller ID says Stockholm, Sweden. The voice on the other end of the line says, “Congratulations! You’ve just been awarded a Nobel Prize!”

What goes through your mind in a moment like that?

Meet two people who received that life-altering call. Discover not only the incredible doors it opened for them, but the unexpected challenges that came with such a prestigious honor.

This episode originally aired on October 18, 2024.

Suggested episodes:

• Laugh and then think: What it's like to win the Ig Nobel Prize
• What it’s like winning a little or a lot on The Price Is Right, Wheel Of Fortune, and Jeopardy!

GUESTS:

• Andrea Ghez: Along with Reinhard Genzel, she was awarded half of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics “for the discovery of a supermassive compact object at the center of our galaxy”. She is a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, and the Lauren B. Leichtman & Arthur E. Levine chair in Astrophysics, at the University of California, Los Angeles
• Martin Chalfie: Along with Osamu Shimomura and Roger Tsien, he was awarded the 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the discovery and development of green fluorescent protein (GFP). He is a University Professor and former chair of the Department of Biological Sciences at Columbia University. Prof. Chalfie is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a foreign member of the Royal Society

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DING DONG!

Crash headfirst into the world of singing telegrams: bizarre, moving, and absolutely unforgettable.

You’ll meet Joy Brooker, whose TikTok serenades bring millions to tears and laughter; Jay Bragg, who blends hospice care and honky-tonk into acoustic telegrams; and Paul Mordoff, a children’s entertainer who joins us on a bench by a lake in a tutu-clad gorilla costume.

At the end, Chion puts it all into practice with her boldest assignment yet: surprising Connecticut Public’s very own president and CEO, Mark Contreras, with a song (while wearing an inflatable axolotl costume).

Suggested episodes:

• Meet Prince & Elvis tribute artists who are finding fame, fans, and their own voice
• Inside the Mascot: The Phillie Phanatic, a Yard Goat, and a mascot maker

GUESTS:

• Joy Brooker: singing telegram performer from Missouri, known for her creative characters and wide social media following
• Jay Bragg: Nashville-based singer-songwriter, who offers acoustic singing telegrams with vintage charm
• Paul Mordoff: party entertainer and singing telegram performer based in Monroe, CT, who has been in this business since 1996

Mark Contreras: President & CEO of Connecticut Public

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At The Big E, a fair becomes a mirror.

Wander with the Audacious crew through 175 acres of wonder and delight to meet the people who bring it to life! From a Lost & Found sage, to a fairy from the Florence Griswold Museum, to a hot tub ace, to Amber, the bathroom attendant/joy DJ.

President & CEO Gene Cassidy shares the soul of the Exposition, then we follow our heads, hearts, and (especially) stomachs through cream puffs, Pepe’s pizza, cookie dough-on-a-stick, and dangerously good oddities.

Suggested episodes:

• Scenes from the Big E: A fair filled with food, animals, music – and heart

GUESTS:

• Mary Naughton and Cyndy Penner: mother and daughter duo behind Cyndy’s Bears, selling embroidered teddy bears and other personalized items
• Andrea Anderson and Sabrina Gagnon: at The Big E with their Clydesdale horses from Hobby Knoll Stable in Duxbury, MA
• Susan Rotondo and Bill Motyl: longtime fair regulars from Southwick, MA
• Tammi Flynn: Director of Communications at The Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, CT
• Rita Rivera: a fairy for the day, advertising the Wee Faerie Village at The Florence Griswold Museum
• Amber Stone: bathroom attendant at The Big E and recovery coach from Springfield, MA
• Ed Ame: a Chicago native, who spends most of the year traveling and works at the Lost & Found booth at The Big E
• James Tackett: a man from Madison, IN, who runs the mini ball booth at The Big E
• Darryl Wilson: sales representative for MAAX Swim Spas and Hot Tubs
• Melissa Russell: fife player from Bristol, CT, who performs with a fife and drum corps, and spent Connecticut Day with her family at The Big E
• John Barrows: printer at Eastern States Exposition
• Eugene Cassidy: President and CEO at Eastern States Exposition
• Greg: a Faribault, MN, native, who sells blooming onions at The Big E
• Kevin Gagliard: Operations Manager at Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana
• Lynn Lischke: Newburyport, MA, resident, who sells cream puffs at The Big E
• Josh Virkler: owner of Luann’s Bakery in Ellington, Stafford, and soon Hartford, CT
• Jackson Panek-Henderson: nine-year-old fairgoer from Newington, CT
• Joseph Haag: owner of Kora and Mila’s Cookie Dough from Plymouth, WI, serving cookie dough on a stick at The Big E
• Josh, John, and Henry Pupa: repeat fairgoers from Griswold, CT

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What happens when adults do “Show and Tell” at a brewery?

In this third live installment, recorded at Willimantic Brewing Company, names are drawn from a vase and strangers step up with objects that carry big stories: a couch cushion, a WWII code talker radio, a NeXT computer by Steve Jobs, a ravioli cutter, a shofar, even a hand grenade.

The results are hilarious, heartfelt, and unforgettable, proving once again that the things we carry tell the stories of who we are.

Suggested episodes:

• Audacious Live! Show & Tell in Stamford
• Audacious Live! Show & Tell birthday bash in Hartford

GUESTS:

• Candace Arey: South Windsor resident, who brought a couch cushion
• Tim Dwyer: Coventry resident, who brought a piece of radio equipment manufactured in 1941 and used by the code talkers
• Debby Page: Andover resident, who brought a 100-drachma coin
• Charles L. Perkins: New Haven resident, who brought a NeXT Computer by Steve Jobs
• Sarah Eyre: Willimantic resident and textile artist, who brought the very first thing she ever knit, a scarf
• Elizabeth Thomas: Lebanon resident, who brought her mom’s ravioli dough cutter
• Sarah Santora: Salem resident, who brought a coin, the Widow’s Mite, gifted to her by her brother.
• Laura Rosas: Mansfield resident, who brought a pair of hiking poles she used on the Camino de Santiago
• Shofar Shoshanna: Storrs resident, who brought a shofar, a ram’s horn
• Coco Cooley: Middletown resident, Wesleyan University Student, and CT Public summer intern, who brought her worry dolls
• Gabrielle Zane: Windham resident, who brought an (inactive) WWII hand grenade

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What makes your jaw drop? A celestial event? A powerful piece of music?

In this episode, explore awe in its many forms, from a total solar eclipse to the psychology of wonder.

Psychologist Dacher Keltner breaks down the science of awe, cellist Yumi Kendall shares how music transports us, and Audacious listeners share their most treasured moments of awe.

This episode originally aired on March 14, 2025.

GUESTS:

• Mara Suttmann-Lea, Joseph Dickerson, and Stefan Keller: Awestruck with Chion in Vermont during the April 8, 2024 total eclipse. Click here to watch a video of the experience
• Dacher Keltner: Professor of Psychology at UC Berkeley and faculty director of the Greater Good Science Center. He hosts The Science of Happiness podcast, and he’s the author of many scientific articles and several books, including Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life
• Yumi Kendall: Assistant Principal Cellist at the Philadelphia Orchestra. She founded and co-hosts the Tacet No More podcast
• Awestruck Audacious listeners who sent in voice memos (in order of appearance): Brenton Graveley, Carissa Teff, Levi Lomasky, Vinny Camire, Khaleel Rahman, Anne Mercer, Michelle Horsley, Erin Shapland, Pamela Morrison-Wolf, Maria Raviele, Carl Delmolino, Paul Gladis, Jane Carroll, Nell Codner, Catherine Shen, Maggie Downie, Brian Foley, Allison Durham, Jennifer LaRue, Lisa Sanchez Gonzalez

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Ever look at a wedge of cheddar and think, “Tell me my destiny”? No? Well, it’s time.

Dive into the delicious world of food-based fortune telling with Jennifer Billock, a cheese oracle; Sarah Napoli, a witch who lets onions predict your romantic future; and Rebecca Zaretzky, a tea-leaf reader who sees more than just caffeine in your cup.

Suggested episodes:

• I predict that you will listen to a public radio show about psychics
• Animal psychics reveal what our pets really think
• What near-death and shared-death experiences tell us about living

GUESTS:

• Jennifer Billock: writer, editor, and professional cheese fortuneteller
• Sarah Napoli: known as The Woodland Witch on social media, Sarah shares insights into modern witchcraft, including onion divination
• Rebecca Zaretzky: tea leaf reader, animal communicator, spiritual mentor, and practitioner at Tea & Tarot Boutique in Clinton, CT

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Marfan syndrome is a rare genetic condition that affects the body’s connective tissue, sometimes in ways that are life-threatening, and often life-changing. Meet three people whose stories reveal the risks, resilience, and even humor of living with Marfan.

Dr. John Elefteriades, one of the world’s leading aortic surgeons, explains how new AI tools could revolutionize diagnosis. British engineer Tal Golesworthy recalls how he designed the device that saved his own heart. And comedian Liam Nelson shares how his height, surgeries, and community shaped both his life and his stand-up.

For more information, visit the Marfan Foundation.

Suggested episodes:

• Why the world needs comedians with disabilities

GUESTS:

• Dr. John Elefteriades: Cardiothoracic surgeon, researcher, and educator. He is a Professor of Surgery at Yale School of Medicine, and a founding director (Emeritus) of the Aortic Institute at Yale-New Haven
• Tal Golesworthy: British engineer with Marfan syndrome, who persuaded surgeons to implant a device that he developed in his heart in 2004. It's called the ExoVasc Personalised External Aortic Root Support, or PEARS
• Liam Nelson: Atlanta, Georgia-based comedian and advocate who has Marfan syndrome

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Mascots: They’re furry, funny, and sometimes mischievous. But what's actually going on in there?

Tom Burgoyne shares what it’s been like to embody the Phillie Phanatic for over three decades.

Mikaela Higgins reveals how her company became a giant in the world of mascot-makers, designing icons from Ronald McDonald to the Energizer Bunny.

And hear how one “yes“ changed the life of Conor Geary, whose turn as a mascot led to a dream sports gig he never saw coming.

Suggested episode:

• Banjo Man, 'Woo Woo' Wickers and UConn Huskies superfans share their love of the game

GUESTS:

• Tom Burgoyne: “Best friend” of the Phillie Phanatic, who has been bringing the Phanatic to life for 37 years. He’s also the author of Pheel The Love! How the Most Powerful Force in the Universe Builds Great Companies - Phillie Phanatic Style!
• Mikaela Higgins: Manager of Mascot Sales at Olympus Mascots in Milwaukee, WI
• Conor Geary: Known as “GameDay Conor“, he's been the high-energy host at every major venue in Connecticut, starting out with the Hartford Yard Goats in 2018. This season, he became the stadium host for the New England Patriots

Jessica Severin de Martinez, Meg Fitzgerald, and Robyn Doyon-Aitken contributed to this show, with help from our interns, Coco Cooley and Isaac Moss.

Audacious with Chion Wolf is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Tune In, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

Join the conversation on Facebook,Instagram, TikTok, and email.

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What’s in a name?

For me, “Audacious” was the perfect fit for a show about bold conversations, but I’m not the only one drawn to it. Meet three creators who also built their work around that powerful word.

Dr. Jody Jahn hosts The Audacious Year, helping high-achieving women rebuild their self-image from the inside out. Audley Stephenson’s The Audacious Living Podcast shares lessons on resilience from over 500 guests. And Emmy-winner Reece Robinson co-created The Audacious Report, a docuseries on extreme endurance feats.

Together, we explore what it really means to live and create audaciously.

Suggested episodes:

• Behind the mic: Gayle King, Ziwe, and Mehdi Hasan on the art of the interview
• The birth of Snap Judgment: How the end of the world became the beginning of Glynn Washington’s story
• A conversation with Humans of New York creator Brandon Stanton
• Life advice, one Audacious guest at a time
• The one where all the guests are named Pat Smith

GUESTS:

• Jody Jahn: Host of The Audacious Year, a deeply reflective, power-packed podcast for high-achieving women rebuilding their self-image from the inside out
• Audley Stephenson: Host of The Audacious Living Podcast, bringing bold wisdom from over 500 guests and counting, including CEOs, artists, and everyday disruptors
• Reece Robinson: Co-creator of The Audacious Report, a YouTube docuseries capturing ultra-athletes as they push the limits of what the human body, mind, and heart can endure

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Jeffrey Marsh is back on Audacious, four years after their interview with Chion Wolf cracked open a new kind of conversation about dignity, identity, and radical love.

In this deeply personal follow-up, Jeffrey opens up about self-trust, forgiveness, the spiritual stakes of being visibly nonbinary in America, and why vulnerability is the real magic. Plus, how to keep your heart intact in a time of backlash and burnout.

Whether you’re healing, hiding, or just barely holding on, Jeffrey’s voice is a balm and a wake-up call.

Suggested episodes:

• Jeffrey Marsh Loves You
• Five years of Audacious: Where are they now?

GUEST:

Jeffrey Marsh: author of How to Be You: Stop Trying to Be Someone Else and Start Living Your Life, Take Your Own Advice: Learn to Trust Your Inner Voice and Start Helping Yourself, and creator and host of the self-help podcast, Inner Voice with Jeffrey Marsh; also a coach and digital creator known for advocating nonbinary and LGBTQ+ visibility and promoting radical self-acceptance

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We’ve all imagined holding a winning lottery ticket, but what happens next?

Hear from a man known as The Lottery Lawyer, who shares the most common mistakes people make when trying to claim their winnings.

Plus, a man who scored a $28 million Powerball jackpot at just 21 years old reveals what life was like after the win—the highs, the surprises, and some challenges you might not expect.

This episode originally aired on October 26, 2024.

Suggested episodes:

• Aftershocks: Life after getting struck by lightning
• Welcome to the Punderdome! We're entering NYC's punniest pun competition
• The Guts & Glory Of Getting Into The Guinness Book Of World Records
• What it's like to win a Nobel Prize with Andrea Ghez and Martin Chalfie

GUESTS:

• Kurt Panouses: ‘The Lottery Lawyer & CPA’, specializing in helping lottery winners claim their prizes and manage their money
• Timothy Schultz: Winner of a $28 million Powerball jackpot in 1999. Filmmaker, and host of the podcast, “Lottery, Dreams and Fortune”

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What do you want your funeral to look like?

For Bill Edgar, it’s about crashing someone else’s - with their permission - to reveal secrets they didn’t dare share while alive.

For Dr. Matt Morgan, it meant holding his own living funeral in the mountains with his closest friends.

And for Ghanaian artist Jacob Ashong, it’s about crafting fantasy coffins shaped like cars, animals, and anything else that captures a life.

In this episode, three men take us deep into what it means to rethink death, legacy, and the rituals we create to say goodbye.

Suggested episodes:

• The quest for a good death
• Views from the end: David Meyers
• Jayson Greene reflects on grief and parenthood nine years after his daughter's death

GUESTS:

• Bill Edgar: “The Coffin Confessor,” based in Australia, who carries out the wishes of the deceased. He’s also the author of The Coffin Confessor and The Afterlife Confessional
• Dr. Matt Morgan: intensive care doctor from Wales and author of A Second Act: What Nearly Dying Teaches Us About Really Living
• Jacob Ashong (better known as Paa Joe): a coffin artist from Ghana, who carries on a family tradition by creating elaborate fantasy coffins sought after around the world

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What would you do if someone’s life suddenly depended on you?

Meet four everyday people who stepped into crisis and saved a life.

A 9-year-old girl calls 911 when her father collapses. A teen athlete performs CPR on a rival player. A librarian administers Narcan to a woman outside the library. A teacher stops the bleeding, and later wrestles with his need to be called a hero.

Resources:

• Stop the Bleed by The American College of Surgeons: training resources, including online classes
• The American Red Cross: training options, including CPR, first aid, AED, and water safety classes
• The American Heart Association: training resources, including CPR, first aid, and AED classes

Suggested episodes:

• 911, What’s Your Emergency? Tales From Dispatch
• More than a bodyguard: Will Geddes on the art of protection

GUESTS:

• Analia and Alex Sinanis: a 9-year-old daughter and her father from New Haven, CT. When Alex, a police officer in North Haven, experienced a medical emergency, Analia called 911 and helped save his life
• Magnus Miller: an 18-year-old recent high school graduate, who stepped in to help after a fellow athlete went into cardiac arrest during a basketball game in Oklahoma
• Caroline Mandaro: a Youth Services Librarian in Centereach, NY. She administered Narcan to a woman who had overdosed
• Patrick O’Connor: a teacher and writer from Massachusetts. He used his Stop the Bleed training after a neighbor's artery was severed by glass

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Glynn Washington, the voice behind Snap Judgment, grew up in a white supremacist doomsday cult.

In this episode, Glynn opens up about what that did to his worldview, and how walking away from it all eventually led him to storytelling.

It’s a conversation about survival, identity, and the magic of stories that refuse to offer any easy endings.

Suggested episode:

• Behind the mic: Gayle King, Ziwe, and Mehdi Hasan on the art of the interview

GUEST:

• Glynn Washington: creator and host of Snap Judgment, known for blending storytelling with cinematic sound. He grew up in a white supremacist, apocalyptic cult. He also hosts the podcast, Heaven's Gate, and Spooked

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Not all acts of courage make headlines. Sometimes, being brave means doing something small, but meaningful.

We’re talking about the quiet, low-key moments of bravery that people carry with them for years: saying yes, saying no, starting over, or simply showing up.

Listeners and past guests share their stories of everyday courage, from snapping turtles to stolen cars to personal reinvention.

Poet and philosopher David Whyte reflects on the true nature of courage - not as grand action, but as deep presence.

And Herman Jagpal, creator of Daily Rejection, explains why he’s spending all of 2025 being told “no,” and being OK with that. Plus, Chion takes one of Herman’s challenges into real life... and attempts to deliver a message to shoppers over a grocery store intercom.

Suggested episodes:

• Forgiveness: How we define it and how it defines us
• How regret teaches us to live
• Awe yeah! Exploring the magic of mind-blowing moments
• Life advice, one Audacious guest at a time
• Are you very superstitious or just a little 'stitious'?
• Kitchen objects with a story. Listen at your own whisk
• What smells remind you of childhood? Hear eighteen answers
• Why you so salty? The anger episode
• The surprising ways we ritual

GUESTS:

• Maggie Downie: a Wethersfield, CT resident and owner of a fitness company, whose email to us inspired this show
• David Whyte: Poet, philosopher, and author ofConsolations: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words. His most recent collection, Consolations II, continues to explore the human experience through poetry and prose
• Herman Jagpal: a New Zealand resident, who challenges himself to get rejected by strangers every day of 2025 and documents his quest on social media @dailyrejection
• Listeners and past guests (in order of appearance): Nathan Markee, Levi Lomasky, Deanna Birdsong, Cat Thomson, Kelly Papa, David Eric Zakur, Ellen Amalia Force, Michael Leung, Casper ter Kuile, Caroline Teti, LeRoy Mcsmith, Joy Brooker, John Dankosky

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What do bread clips, fire alarms, and umbrella covers have in common? Most people toss them, but not our guests.

Diana Mendoza has spent nearly 20 years collecting bread clips and helps moderate a global research community dedicated to their study. Tim Zhang, a recent high school grad, has over 400 fire alarms and a booming YouTube channel. And on a small island in Maine, Nancy 3. Hoffman runs the world’s only Umbrella Cover Museum, complete with a disco ball and an adults-only section.

These collectors are filled with joy, meaning, and a deep love for the overlooked.

Suggested episode:

• The joy of collecting barf bags, miniature chairs, and bricks

GUESTS:

• Diana Mendoza: A longtime bread clip (occlupanid) collector and moderator of a global community dedicated to their study and appreciation
• Tim Zhang: Fire alarm collector and YouTuber who educates and entertains with videos that inspire curiosity, technical skills, and hands-on learning
• Nancy 3. Hoffman: Founder and curator of The Umbrella Cover Museum on Peaks Island, Maine, home to over 2,000 covers from 75+ countries since 1996

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Hey, kids! Did you know there are grown ups who are just as obsessed with Disney as you?

There's an adult out there who has full-sleeve tattoos of Disney characters, another who’s spent tens of thousands of dollars on merch, and one guy even set a world record for visiting Disneyland for almost 3,000 days in a row!

Those are just some of the Disney adults you’ll meet on today’s show.

This episode originally aired on May 4, 2023.

GUESTS:

• Eric Aasen: Executive editor at Connecticut Public
• Abby Brone: Statewide housing reporter for Connecticut Public
• Jeff Reitz: Set a Guinness World Record for "Most Consecutive Visits To Disneyland", which was between January 1, 2012 to March 13, 2020, totaling 2,995 days
• Erin Dugan & Zach Bakken: Erin Dugan is the President of the Opera House Players in Enfield, where she and Zach met during an audition for Beauty and the Beast. Zach is a voice over actor who voiced characters for Disney World attractions
• Rozy Ambler: A collector of all things Disney, including ears, mugs, and bags. She is followed by 1.2 million people on TikTok where she shares her love of Disney, and advocates for better mental health
• AJ Wolfe: Operates the Disney Food Blog, followed by over three million people on social media
• Katie Charter: Social worker in Leicester, UK, who has a sleeve of Disney characters on her left arm. Her tattoo artist is Clairy Floofs Tattoo

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Remember how fun roller skating was as a kid? Well, the adults you’ll meet this hour are still having a good time on roller skates, but they take that fun to the next level!

Takina Pollack Shafer brings pop-up skating events to her hometown of Bridgeport, CT, where she creates space for people of all stripes to forget their worries and experience the joy of roller skating. It’s a pop-up with a purpose.

You'll also meet the 2024 Men’s National Jam Skating Champion, LeRoy Mcsmith, and the designer known as “Rollerman.” He invented a full-body suit covered in wheels: hands, elbows, chest, back, even his butt. He puts the suit on, lays down and bombs down mountains at speeds around 70 miles an hour.

Suggested episodes:

• Extreme ironing, cheese rolling, and shin kicking: The world of weird sports
• From wingsuit BASE jumping to record-breaking South Pole expeditions with Ellen Brennan Frat and Liv Arnesen

GUESTS:

• Takina Pollock Shafer: Owner of Skateport in Bridgeport, CT, a pop-up designed to spread and support the culture of roller skating in Connecticut
• LeRoy Mcsmith: Athletic skater and the Men’s National Jam Skating Champion 2024
• Jean-Yves Blondeau aka Rollerman: Inventor of the Buggy Rollin wheel suit, a full-body armored jumpsuit outfitted with dozens of small inline-style wheels placed on the major joints, the torso, and the back

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It was part birthday party, part storytelling spectacle, and 100% Audacious!

We threw a live Show & Tell at Dead Language Beer Project in Hartford, and invited public radio fans to bring an object they love, and the story that makes it matter.

From a PEZ dispenser with family ties, to a holy (literally) beer mug, to walnut shell art that has mesmerized a family for generations, the night was full of big laughs, tiny treasures, and extraordinary moments.

Suggested episodes:

• Audacious Live! Show & Tell in Stamford
• Five years of Audacious: Where are they now?

GUESTS:

• Chion Wolf: host of Audacious with Chion Wolf, who brought a Gracie Award
• Emily Tracy: Manchester resident, who brought one of many PEZ dispensers collected by her mother, Caryn
• Dr. David Shapiro: West Hartford resident, who brought a copy of a Hasbro comic book with a depiction of himself, in recognition of his work with Stop The Bleed
• Meg Fitzgerald: Senior Manager of Projects and Radio Programming at Connecticut Public, who brought a walnut that folds open and holds tiny art inside
• Larry Klein: Meriden resident, who brought a puzzle mug made by a potter named Guy Wolff
• Pamela Morrison-Wolf: Farmington resident (and Chion's mother!), who brought a framed greeting card from her late husband, Guy Wolf
• Christy Kovel: Middletown resident and Director of Public Policy for the Alzheimer’s Association's Connecticut Chapter, who brought her cell phone containing two memorable images from the previous day
• Dave Mourad: Windsor resident, who brought a metal newspaper stand
• Robyn Doyon-Aitken: Deputy Director of Audio Storytelling and Talk Shows at Connecticut Public, who brought the cast her late mother had on her wrist
• Ashley Cook: Hartford resident, who brought a shadowbox of her hand x-ray and pins that the surgeons removed
• Michelle Horsley: Hartford resident, who brought her conductor's baton

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To celebrate five years of Audacious, we reconnect with a few unforgettable guests.

Ari Cobb, now 13, reflects on how his relationship with stuttering has evolved since we first met him at age 8. Toby Dorr shares how the death of her former partner, whom she once broke out of prison, reshaped her purpose.

Jeffrey Marsh returns with powerful insights on self-acceptance. And we meet Hannah Joyner, wife of Dr. David Meyers, who joined us before his death from glioblastoma.

It’s a heartfelt look back at stories that changed us and the people who continue to inspire us.

Suggested episodes:

• People with speech disfluencies have a lot to say
• Why'd You Do It: I snuck my incarcerated boyfriend out of prison in a dog crate
• Jeffrey Marsh loves you
• After the fire: Stories of what the flames couldn’t destroy
• Views from the end: David Meyers

GUESTS:

• Ari Cobb: a New Haven resident, who was eight when he first spoke with Chion on the third episode of Audacious in 2020, “People with speech disfluencies have a lot to say.” He is joined by his parents, Michelle and Kei
• Toby Dorr: a guest on our 2023 episode titled “Why'd You Do It: I snuck my incarcerated boyfriend out of prison in a dog crate.” Toby is the author of several books, among them a forthcoming memoir titled Beyond Conviction: A Love Story
• Jeffrey Marsh: an author, coach, and digital creator known for their advocacy of nonbinary and LGBTQ+ visibility, as well as for promoting radical self-acceptance. They first connected with Chion for the “Jeffrey Marsh loves you” episode in 2021. They're the author of How to Be You: Stop Trying to Be Someone Else and Start Living Your Life and Take Your Own Advice: Learn to Trust Your Inner Voice and Start Helping Yourself
• Hannah Joyner: a historian, author, and book critic, and the wife of Dr. David Meyers. David, a physician diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2018, appeared on the episode titled “Views from the end: David Meyers.” He died on July 2, 2023

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You know how sometimes you look outside, see a bird, and think, “Oh, hey! A cardinal! A blue jay! A robin!“

Happens all the time.

Now imagine what your life would be like if you traveled the world as part of a lifelong quest to become the first person to see 10,000 bird species.

Get to know Peter Kaestner. He shares the surprising story of how he came excruciatingly close to missing that once-in-a-lifetime shot. And find out why he believes there are a million ways to be a birder.

This episode originally aired August 23, 2024.

Resources:

• eBird online database of bird observations, a project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
• IOC World Bird List, an open-access resource maintained by the International Ornithological Committee
• Merlin bird ID app by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, a free global bird guide with photos, sounds, and maps

Suggested episodes:

• Wings, pouches, and snouts: The world of uncommon emotional support animals
• We, The Dog

GUEST:

• Peter Kaestner: First person to catalog 10,000 bird species, discoverer of the Cundinamarca antpitta, is an ambassador for the American Bird Conservancy, and leads tours with Rockjumper Birding Adventures

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When you hear “philanthropy,” you might think of millionaires, black-tie galas, or buildings named after donors. But what if you could be a philanthropist without being wealthy?

In this episode, you’ll meet people who donate small amounts to hundreds of places, hand out cash on city streets, and send money directly to people in poverty, no strings attached.

Explore the power of small, consistent giving, and how even modest acts of generosity can spark massive ripple effects.

Suggested episodes:

• GOOD NEWS! That’s how we celebrate 100 episodes of Audacious
• Social media, the algorithm, and the state of our hearts
• "Negativity be gone!": Artists igniting joy on social media

GUESTS:

• Rabbi Jeff & Mindy Glickman: creators of the “Giving Locally Everywhere” (GLeE) initiative, through which they donated to every NPR station and United Way branch in the country, as well as other organizations they value. Jeff serves as rabbi at Temple Beth Hillel in South Windsor, CT, and Mindy is a community leader and Hebrew instructor
• Peter Bond: a social media creator best known for his TikTok and Instagram accounts, @bondgives, where he documents acts of kindness and helps people in need across New York City. Since 2021, he has been using his platforms to inspire others to give back and make a positive impact in their communities
• Caroline Teti: a Vice President at GiveDirectly with decades of experience in almost all areas of the development sector, including the world’s largest and longest study on universal basic income. Her belief in direct cash as the most effective tool to end extreme poverty is also rooted in her upbringing in rural Kenya

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Some rituals are spiritual. Some are silly. Some are inherited, and some are self-made.

Casper ter Kuile, author of The Power of Ritual: Turning Everyday Activities into Soulful Practices, walks us through how we create all sorts of meaningful, grounding rituals.

And you'll hear clips from past two years of Audacious guests who have shared the rituals that matter most to them, from morning journaling and bedtime affirmations to pre-show sign-slapping.

Whether you've already got your rituals down pat, or are still developing your own special routine, this episode shows you how to honor the sacred in the everyday.

Suggested episodes:

• Forgiveness: How we define it and how it defines us
• Life advice, one Audacious guest at a time
• Kitchen objects with a story. Listen at your own whisk
• Why you so salty? The anger episode
• Change Of Art: Stories About Tattoo Coverups
• Awe yeah! Exploring the magic of mind-blowing moments

GUESTS:

• Casper ter Kuile: author of The Power of Ritual: Turning Everyday Activities into Soulful Practices. He holds Master's degrees in Divinity and Public Policy from Harvard University, and is a co-founder of Sacred Design Lab. He also co-hosts the podcast, Harry Potter and the Sacred Text
• Audacious guests who shared their personal rituals (in order of appearance): Dean Edwards, Jessica Jin, Kristen Geez, Anna Holland, Lena Khalal Tuffaha, Chris Crowe, Bruce W Brackett, Moon Ribas, Azie Dungey, Pony Tromper, Mary Elizabeth Kelly, Paul Marcarelli, Brad White, Begoña Gómez Urzaiz, Dr. Gale Ridge, Mehdi Hasan, Stephanie Courtney, Rosanna Ramos, Sonya Horton, Greg Viloria, Ronnie “Woo Woo” Wickers, Zarna Garg, Jada Star, Luis Mojica, RoseMarie Wallace, Mindy Glickman, David Roche, Paul Gladis, and Arwen, Aidan, and Willow Gladis Perez-Sauquillo

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What if it wasn’t spiders, heights, or flying… but grass, buttons, or your own reflection that made your hands clammy and your heart race?

Meet Bettina, a romantic comedy author who avoids lawns at all costs; Marcos, who dreads reflections and shaves in the shower to escape the mirror; and Mark, who hasn’t worn a shirt with buttons since he was a kid.

Connecticut psychologist Dr. David Tolin helps us understand how these fears develop, how they affect daily life, and why some people choose to confront their fears, while others simply adapt.

Suggested episodes:

• Full house: The line between collecting, clutter, and hoarding disorder
• Are you very superstitious or just a little 'stitious'?
• Snakes in their mouths and venom in their veins: Why two snake pioneers do what they do

GUESTS:

• Dr. David Tolin: Founder and Director of the Anxiety Disorders Center at The Institute of Living in Hartford, CT. He is also Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine
• Bettina Hunt: a romantic comedy author based in the UK, who has a phobia of grass
• Marcos: a 24-year-old man from the Chicago area, who has a phobia of reflections
• Mark Cardia: a man based in Portugal, who has a phobia of buttons

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Meet people whose lives were upended by fire - and transformed by resilience.

From the recent Los Angeles fires, we hear from Casey Colvin, who searched for days to find his beloved dog, Oreo, and 10-year-old Grayson Roberts, who lost his home, his Braille materials, and his drum kits - but not his spirit.

We also talk to RoseMarie Wallace, who reflects on how losing everything made her stronger, and Leslie Wharton, who shares what 13 years of rebuilding and reflection have taught her after losing her Colorado home to a wildfire.

Resources:

American Red Cross: Recovering After a Fire

Suggested episodes:

• We, The Dog
• Aftershocks: Life after getting struck by lightning
• The story of the first African-American face transplant

GUESTS:

• RoseMarie Wallace: a Massachusetts woman who had a major house fire in 2014. She is also a Director of Diversity, Equity, and Belonging at Tabor Academy, and a storyteller who honors identity, motherhood, and the quiet power of resilience
• Casey Colvin: a Pacific Palisades resident whose dogs, Oreo and Teeka Teeka, went missing after the fires in January 2025. He was ultimately reunited with both, and the emotional moment of Casey finding Oreo after a five-day search captured global attention
• Grayson and Terica Roberts: a mother and son from Altadena who lost their home in the fires in January 2025. Grayson is a 10 year-old drummer who has been blind since birth
• Leslie Wharton: author of Phoenix Rising: Stories of Remarkable Women Walking Through Fire, and a forthcoming memoir, Home Fires Burning. Leslie lost her home during the High Park Fire in Colorado in 2012, and is now based in Washington State

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Before a sitcom rolls tape, someone has to turn a roomful of strangers into a laughing, clapping, totally-on-board studio audience. That someone? A warm-up comedian.

Meet Mark Sweet, who’s spent nearly 40 years getting audiences hyped for shows like Cheers, Roseanne, and The Big Bang Theory.

And Joyelle Nicole Johnson shares how warming up the crowd for Patriot Act was a part of what led her to a huge stand-up career.

It’s part comedy, part crowd control, part emotional thermostat, and it might just be the most invisible job in showbiz. Until now.

Suggested episodes:

• Why the world needs comedians with disabilities
• The meteoric rise of comedian Zarna Garg
• Actors Mary Elizabeth Kelly and Dean Edwards on the art of impressions

GUESTS:

• Mark Sweet: a veteran warm-up comedian for scripted shows including The Big Bang Theory, Full House, and Two and a Half Men. He currently does warm-up for Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage and Leanne
• Joyelle Nicole Johnson: a stand-up comedian, writer, and actress, who was a warm-up comic for Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj. She appeared on The Tonight Show, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and has a Peacock special called Love Joy

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UPDATE: This episode originally aired June 28, 2024. Since its airing, Chion Wolf and the Audacious team were awarded a Gracie Award in the Portrait/Biography category for this episode.

"The Gracie Awards recognize exemplary programming created by women, for women and about women in all facets of media and entertainment. They also acknowledge the individuals who have made inspirational contributions to the industry."

Growing up, Pidgeon Pagonis was told a lot about their medical history: They were born with cancerous ovaries, so the doctors removed them to save their life.

Except that wasn't true. In reality, they were born intersex. And those were not cancerous ovaries, they were undescended testes. And that was just the beginning of many truths coming out.

Hear their story of discovery, and how they played a massive role in getting the hospital where they were born to reverse their policies on how they treat intersex children.

Resources:

• interACT Advocates for Intersex Youth
• Intersex resource list by Pidgeon Pagonis
• Statements on Intersex Care at Lurie Children’s Hospital

Recommended episodes:

• Conception deception: The fight for transparency in the fertility industry
• Jeffrey Marsh Loves You
• Being a trans woman in the trucking industry

GUEST:

• Pidgeon Pagonis:Intersex speaker, filmmaker, and consultant; Author of the memoir, Nobody Needs to Know

Jessica Severin de Martinez, Khaleel Rahman, Meg Fitzgerald, Robyn Doyon-Aitken, Meg Dalton, Catie Talarski, and Reinett Chefu contributed to this show.

Audacious with Chion Wolf is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Tune In, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

Join the conversation on Facebook,Instagram, TikTok, and email.

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What do you regret?

Explore the human experience of looking back with Daniel H. Pink, author of The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward.

Poet David Whyte offers his take on regret, drawing from Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words.

We’ll also reconnect with “Tracy” from Maryland and Stormi Huhn (“Anna” from Iowa), four years after sharing their stories of parental regret.

Plus, Audacious listeners reflect on their own regrets - big, small, serious, and silly.

Suggested episodes:

• I Regret Becoming A Parent
• Forgiveness: How we define it and how it defines us
• Look For The Helpers: The Anatomy Of A Death
• Change Of Art: Stories About Tattoo Coverups
• Nothing goes as planned: A first-time offender’s prison story from arrest to release

GUESTS:

• Daniel H. Pink: Author of The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward
• Audacious listeners who contributed their regrets: Mary Ailes, Jennifer Crookes Carpenter, AmyLaBossiere, Susan Tilly, Steph MacGillivary, Brenda Kestenbaum, Theresa Cannavo, Wendy Gravely, Jonathan Graham, Ann Levie
• David Whyte: Poet, philosopher, and author ofConsolations: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words. Consolations IIcame out in early 2025
• “Tracy”: Maryland woman who joined us for our show about parental regret in 2021
• Stormi Huhn: Iowa woman who joined us for our show about parental regret in 2021

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Forget the typical meet-cute; this episode features individuals whose paths crossed in extraordinarily unique circumstances.

Alex and Sue Tatham met each other on the globally televised dating show "Blind Date" in the UK, leading to a wedding watched by millions.

Heather and Tony are Disney enthusiasts who found love across continents thanks to a dating site for fellow fans, MouseMingle.com

And after three years of chatting online, Robbie Romu and Avichai Sofer finally met… Only to have their relationship immediately tested by the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war during their first in-person meeting.

Suggested episodes:

• Audacious Love Playlist

GUESTS:

• Alex & Sue Tatham: a couple who met on the British dating show Blind Date in 1988. Their wedding in 1991 was watched by 17 million people
• Heather & Tony Lash: Heather from Australia and Tony from Florida met through Mousemingle.com, a dating site for Disney fans, in 2015. They got married at Walt Disney World in 2018
• Robbie Romu & Avichai Sofer: Robbie from Canada and Avichai from Israel met on a dating site in 2020. Robbie traveled to Israel to meet Avichai in person for the first time on October 6, 2023, a day before the Israel-Hamas war began

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Explore the extraordinary impact of horses on our lives. From the unique community of Pony Play and the athleticism of hobby-horsing to the therapeutic power of horses, and a neuroscientist's exploration of life after death, this episode dives deep into how horses shape our lives.

Suggested episodes:

• We The Dog
• Wings, pouches, and snouts: The world of uncommon emotional support animals
• Animal psychics reveal what our pets really think
• Snakes in their mouths and venom in their veins: Why two snake pioneers do what they do

GUESTS:

• Pony Tromper: founding member of the Rocky Mountain Pony Herd, a community dedicated to Pony Play, where people embody the spirit of a horse, emphasizing connection, identity, and freedom
• Alisa Aarniomäki: Finnish hobby horse athlete and coach, notable as a dressage champion in Finland in both 2022 and 2023. Hobby-horsing is an activity where competitors perform dressage and show jumping on handmade stick horses
• Dr. David Eagleman: Neuroscientist at Stanford University and author of Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives, which features an essay about humans, horses, the afterlife, and beyond
• Nicole Welch, Emily Eschner, and Tonka: Staff at Shepard Meadows Equestrian Center in Bristol, Connecticut

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Technology is rapidly reshaping the world, but for people with disabilities, it’s doing something even more profound - it’s redefining what’s possible.

Explore how cutting-edge assistive technologies are breaking barriers, restoring independence, and revolutionizing the way people navigate the world.

Sam Seavey, creator of “The Blind Life” YouTube channel, shares how AI-powered tools are game-changers for people with vision impairments. And former stuntman Jonathan Goodwin introduces Kim-e, a self-balancing mobility robot redefining independence for wheelchair users.

Suggested episodes:

• Revealing Our Blind Spots About Blindness
• MasterChef winner Christine Ha and poet Edward Hirsch on turning blindness into brilliance
• Hearing every color, feeling every earthquake: Life as a cyborg
• Stunt performers David Holmes and Jonathan Goodwin on life after paralysis

GUESTS:

• Sam Seavey: founder of “The Blind Life” YouTube channel, where he provides tips, reviews of assistive devices, and interviews with visually impaired community members. Diagnosed with Stargardt disease at the age of 11, Sam has dedicated 30 years to researching and understanding assistive devices. Among the inventions Sam mentions during this conversation are Ray Ban Meta AI glasses, the Be My Eyes app, the WeWalk smart cane, and braille tablets

Jonathan Goodwin: a retired stunt performer, screenwriter, keynote speaker, and hypnotherapist. In 2021, he was paralyzed while rehearsing a stunt for America's Got Talent: Extreme. He has been exploring a new piece of assistive technology called Kim-e, a self-balancing personal mobility robot

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What makes your jaw drop? A celestial event? A powerful piece of music?

In this episode, explore awe in its many forms, from a total solar eclipse to the psychology of wonder.

Psychologist Dacher Keltner breaks down the science of awe, cellist Yumi Kendall shares how music transports us, and Audacious listeners share their most treasured moments of awe.

GUESTS:

• Mara Suttmann-Lea, Joseph Dickerson, and Stefan Keller: Awestruck with Chion in Vermont during the April 8, 2024 total eclipse

Dacher Keltner: Professor of Psychology at UC Berkeley and faculty director of the Greater Good Science Center. He hosts The Science of Happiness podcast, and he’s the author of many scientific articles and several books, including Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your LifeYumi Kendall: Assistant Principal Cellist at the Philadelphia Orchestra. She founded and co-hosts the Tacet No More podcast

• Awestruck Audacious listeners who sent in voice memos (in order of appearance): Brenton Graveley, Carissa Teff, Levi Lomasky, Vinny Camire, Khaleel Rahman, Anne Mercer, Michelle Horsley, Erin Shapland, Pamela Morrison-Wolf, Maria Raviele, Carl Delmolino, Paul Gladis, Jane Carroll, Nell Codner, Catherine Shen, Maggie Downie, Brian Foley, Allison Durham, Jennifer LaRue, Lisa Sanchez Gonzalez

Jessica Severin de Martinez, Meg Fitzgerald, Robyn Doyon-Aitken, and Meg Dalton contributed to this show, with help from our interns, Kathy Wang and Angelica Gajewski.

Audacious with Chion Wolf is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Tune In, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

Join the conversation on Facebook,Instagram, TikTok, and email.

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Imagine feeling an unbearable itch, convinced that tiny insects are crawling under your skin. But no doctor believes you. You try to prove it, collecting samples, documenting everything. But under a microscope? Nothing is there.

That was Paula Cox’s experience with delusional infestation, a rare disorder where people are absolutely certain they’re infested with bugs, despite all evidence to the contrary. In this episode, Paula shares her harrowing experience, and experts - a leading entomologist and a psychiatrist-dermatologist - explain what’s really happening in the brain and how healing is possible.

Suggested episodes:

• Body Integrity Dysphoria: When being disabled is a desire
• When every face you see is distorted: Living with PMO

GUESTS:

• Dr. Gale Ridge: an entomologist and Associate Scientist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven. She oversees the daily activities of the insect inquiry office. She’s also the editor of The Physician's Guide to Delusional Infestation
• Paula Cox: a woman in Australia who experienced delusional infestation. She started a Facebook support group called “Delusional parasitosis help”
• Dr. John Koo: a Professor of Dermatology at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center and Director of the UCSF Psoriasis Skin and Treatment Center. He is board-certified in both dermatology and psychiatry and co-author of Morgellons Disease: High Yield Principles for Clinical Practice

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What’s it like to live in the shadow of legends and still shine?

Meet Marshall Charloff, a Prince tribute artist with a personal connection to the artist himself. And Rick Torres, an Elvis impersonator whose two decades as the King has brought him to some surprising places.

From the joy and empowerment of embodying their heroes to navigating the challenges of the work, they discuss the artistry behind keeping music royalty alive.

Suggested episodes:

• Actors Mary Elizabeth Kelly and Dean Edwards on the art of impressions
• You Should Talk: Voices At Work
• What Happens When You Act Like You Belong

GUESTS:

• Marshall Charloff: a singer, songwriter, and producer based in Minneapolis. Besides his solo career, he has been impersonating Prince as the co-founder of “The Purple xPeRIeNCE” since 2011
• Rick Torres: a tribute artist and prominent Elvis impersonator based in the San Francisco Bay Area

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In 2022, Just Stop Oil protestors threw tomato soup on a Van Gogh painting in London. The world collectively gasped, but some UK lawmakers responded by supporting fewer investments in new oil projects.

On this episode, meet one of those soup-throwers, and hear from two other people who have been part of creative protests: a spokesperson from an anti-circumcision group that wears all white with giant, red splotches on the groin area; and a woman who organized a college campus protest featuring thousands of sex toys to rally against Texas gun laws.

GUESTS:

• Anna Holland: Member of Just Stop Oil, a nonviolent civil resistance group demanding that the UK Government stop licensing all new oil, gas and coal projects. In 2022, alongside Phoebe Plummer, they threw tomato soup onto Vincent van Gogh's "Sunflowers" painting in London's National Gallery
• Harry Guiremand: Spokesperson for the anti-circumcision group, Bloodstained Men and Their Friends. They protest wearing all white with red splotches of paint over their groin
• Jessica Jin: Organizer of Cocks Not Glocks, protesting Texas laws that allow concealed handguns on college campuses, while openly carrying sex toys is a Class C misdemeanor

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What drives someone to ski solo across Antarctica or leap off cliffs in a wingsuit?

Meet Liv Arnesen, the first woman to ski alone and unsupported to the South Pole, and Ellen Brennan Frat, the ‘Fastest Flying Woman in the World.’

From battling -30°F winds to soaring at 100 mph, these women share their extraordinary journeys of courage, resilience, and pushing boundaries.

Suggested episodes:

• Below the surface: The stories behind underwater world records
• What solitude does to you in the wilderness and in prison
• Extreme ironing, cheese rolling, and shin kicking: The world of weird sports

GUESTS:

• Ellen Brennan Frat: a wingsuit BASE jumper and extreme sports athlete based in France. She has become known as the ‘Fastest Flying Woman in the World’ due to her exceptional performances in wingsuit competitions
• Liv Arnesen: a Norwegian polar explorer, educator, and lecturer. In 1994, she became the first woman to ski solo and unsupported to the South Pole. In 2001, she and American polar explorer Ann Bancroft became the first women in history to sail and ski across Antarctica’s landmass

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Ever had someone finish your sentence before you even opened your mouth? Now imagine they knew what you were going to say before you did. That’s what it’s like to experience Dr. Kruti Parekh in action.

Through a mix of psychology, intuition, and age-old wisdom from the Bhagavad Gita and Vedic traditions, Dr. Parekh believes we all have the potential to tap into this power. No magic wands, no crystal balls, just a deeper connection to the intuition you already have.

Ready to see what your mind is really capable of?

Suggested episodes:

• Animal psychics reveal what our pets really think
• Reincarnation, past life regressions, and you (whoever you are)

GUEST:

• Dr. Kruti Parekh: Mentalist, motivational speaker, mind trainer, and entertainer based in India. She uses psychology, intuition, and creativity to explore the power of the human mind in front of audiences worldwide. Some of her work can be found on YouTube and Instagram

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What can you gain when you lose your vision?

Christine Ha was in her early 20s when she began losing her sight. Instead of giving up on her dreams, she taught herself how to cook - so well, in fact, that she became the first and only person who is blind to win MasterChef. Now, she’s a celebrated chef and author who’s proving that great cooking is about taste, texture, and trust - not sight.

And Edward Hirsch, a poet who began losing his sight later in life, discovered something unexpected - exhilaration. He says that blindness has made him more alive, more curious, and more connected to the world in ways he never expected.

Listen to this bonus excerpt from Chion's conversation with Christine Ha where she answers one-of-a-kind questions from a fan —and Chion's friend— Ashley Cook!

Resources:

• List of resources for people with low vision by the American Council of the Blind
• Lighthouse Guild (as mentioned by Edward Hirsch)

Suggested episodes:

• Revealing Our Blind Spots About Blindness

GUESTS:

• Christine Ha: Winner of MasterChef Season 3. She has neuromyelitis optica (NMO), in which a person's own immune system attacks the optic nerves and spinal cord
• Edward Hirsch: Poet and president of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Wrote a guest essay in the NYT: “I am Going Blind, and I Now Find It Strangely Exhilarating.” He has retinitis pigmentosa, a rare genetic disease that causes progressive vision loss

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We just aired an episode about blindness featuring the poet Edward Hirsch, and chef, Christine Ha.

If you're a fan of Gordon Ramsay's cooking competition show, MasterChef, then you know exactly who Christine Ha is.

But if you don't, she's the first - and only - person with blindness to win it!

Now you'll hear so much more of our conversation in our podcast feed, but there was this one little bonus section that we wanted to share with you. It features one-of-a-kind questions from Chion's friend, Ashley Cook.

Check out our entire Audacious interview - plus a conversation with poet Edward Hirsch, who got a LOT of responses to his New York Times opinion piece, entitled, “I am Going Blind, and I Now Find It Strangely Exhilarating.

You can hear it right next to this post your podcast app!

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It all began with a single Reddit post: A Connecticut man, overwhelmed and uncertain, sought advice about what to expect as a first-time, non-violent offender facing prison.

He invited us to chronicle his life before, during, and after incarceration, pulling back the curtain on a world most of us only glimpse in movies or headlines.

Discover how his expectations clashed with reality in ways he never anticipated, and how his experience offers an unflinching look into the unexpected truths of life.

Suggested episodes:

• Why'd You Do It: I snuck my incarcerated boyfriend out of prison in a dog crate
• Why’d You Do It?: I Committed Nine Armed Robberies
• Love without the possibility of parole

GUEST:

• Mike West: An Uncasville, CT resident who was incarcerated from June 2023 until June 2024 for a gun-related felony

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Delve into the extraordinary lives of two men whose worlds are centered on venomous snakes.

Jackie Bibby, a record-setting daredevil, set multiple world records, including the astonishing feat of holding 13 live rattlesnakes in his mouth.

And Tim Friede has spent nearly two decades intentionally subjecting himself to hundreds of bites from some of the planet's most lethal snakes, all in the pursuit of creating a universal antivenom.

Suggested episodes:

• Scars To Prove It: Living Through Animal Attacks
• (Almost) Everybody Hurts: An Exploration of Pain
• Animal psychics reveal what our pets really think

GUESTS:

• Jackie Bibby: Also known as the Texas Snake Man. His memoir is called, “The Texas Snake Man: A Very Nice and Kind... Gentleman“
• Tim Friede: A self-taught herpetologist and venom expert from Wisconsin. His goal is to develop the world’s first universal antivenom

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For the past two years, at the end of every interview, I asked every guest to tell me their favorite piece of life advice.

We took dozens of our favorite clips and brought them together in this very special episode. And we also hear from Connecticut Public employees!

Email your favorite piece of advice: Audacious@ctpublic.org

For a full transcript of this episode, click here.

Suggested episode:

• Views from the end: David Meyers

GUESTS (in order of appearance):

• First segment: Paul Gladis, AJ Wolfe, Christine Hazel Decker, Cynthia Zhou, Danielle Weisberg, Jonathan Goodwin, Kitao Sakurai, Mary Elizabeth Kelly, Stephanie Courtney aka Flo from Progressive, The Lim Family, William Harder, Lior Ofir, Martha Underwood, David Vance, Greg Viloria, Kristen Geez, Jessica Jin
• Second segment: Bianca L McGraw, Dean Edwards, Adriana Piltz, Dani Rabaiotti, Danielle Perez, Dr. Richard Gibson, Eve Wiley, Jayson Greene, Dr. Marc Feldman, Florence Early, LaNia Roberts, Luis Mojica, Robbie Romu, Anna Holland, Arianna Preuss, Carrie Cariello, Dawn Shaw, Katie Charter, Natasha Fischer, Rozy, Zarna Garg, Arwen, Aidan, and Willow Gladis Perez-Sauquillo, Cash Daniels, Gus Mcafoos, Samirah Horton, aka DJ Annie Red
• Third segment: Caryn Toriaga, Chris Massimine, Dr. Mary Ann Cooper, Guy and Yaruh First, Julie Millsap, Megan Peabody, Mehdi Hasan, Azie Dungey, Colin Nissan, Paul Marcarelli, Stacy Samuels aka Banjo Man, Tabitha Farrar, Neil Harbisson, Jada Star, Athena Walker, Timothy Schultz, Tony Cicoria, Kenley Byrd, John Graham, Jenn Carson, David Meyers, Blyss, Bruce W Brackett, Moon Ribas, Paperboy Love Prince, Jessica Severin de Martinez, Meg Fitzgerald, Robyn Doyon-Aitken, Meg Dalton, Vanessa de la Torre, Mark Contreras

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On past episodes of our Audacious Love series, we’ve talked with people who’ve been married for over 50 years, people who’ve fallen in love with synthetic companions, people who’ve fallen in love with objects, and today, you’ll meet four people who are married to spirits, ancestors, or gods.

Listen to our past Audacious Love episodes:

• Married Over 50 Years: “Love Each Other Even When You Don’t”
• It’s not just a sex doll! What it’s like to be in a relationship with a synthetic partner
• Falling in love with objects: The experience of being an Objectum Sexual

GUESTS:

• Dr. Megan Rose: An initiated ceremonial magician, a Shakta Tantric practitioner, and the author of Spirit Marriage: Intimate Relationships with Otherworldly Beings. She serves as an ordained interfaith minister and psycho-spiritual counselor and is the executive director of the Entheosis Institute
• Caroline Kenner: A professional Witch and Tarotiste, a teacher of visionary healing methods, and a spiritual healer also known as the Washington Witchdoctor. Caroline is a founder of The Fool's Dog, a Tarot app publishing company. She is married to multiple spirits
• Dr. Monica Mody: A transdisciplinary poet, writer, educator and spiritual practitioner whose border-crossing praxis lives at the intersections of earth-based wisdom, whole person philosophy, and embodied regenerative consciousness
• Orion Foxwood: A traditional witch, conjure-man, "Eco-Magical Activist", faery seer; author of The Faery Teachings, The Tree of Enchantment, Mountain Conjure and Southern Rootwork and The Flame in the Cauldron. He is the founder of the House of Brigh Faery Seership Institute, a co-founder of Conjure-Craft, and Witches in the Woods gatherings in California

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We hear a lot about the harm of social media. But what about the good?

Meet two artists who started off on social media by showing their artwork… But once they revealed the hope and kindness and positivity in their hearts? The views, shares and likes piled up in ways they never expected.

Hear how they both are grappling with the newfound pressure of inspiring hundreds of thousands of fans, and find out what Chion's favorite clips from their channels reveal about her.

Listen to the first installment of this series, featuring Joel Cross, Scott Tatum, and Daníel Colón.

GUESTS:

• LaNia Roberts:Internationally renowned artist, speaker, and positive social media influencer
• Bruce W Brackett: Artist and the author of How to Breathe While Suffocating: A Story Of Overcoming Addiction, Recovering From Trauma, and Healing My Soul

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Family secrets are often kept to protect, but hiding the truth can sometimes cause more harm than good.

When Michael Hainey’s father died, the explanation he was given never quite added up. Decades later, uncovering the real story changed his life, and inspired him to write a memoir.

Melissa Daniels faced a different kind of revelation: the man she thought was her father wasn’t her biological dad. Her determination to uncover the truth became unstoppable.

Hear their powerful stories of discovery, and what unfolded after the secrets came to light.

Suggested episodes:

• Conception deception: The fight for transparency in the fertility industry
• Forgiveness: How we define it and how it defines us

GUESTS:

• Michael Hainey: A journalist and author of the memoir, After Visiting Friends: A Son’s Story". It details how he uncovered the circumstances surrounding his father’s death decades later
• Melissa Daniels: Her father passed away when she was seven. As a teenager, she learned that she was conceived by a donor and set out to connect with her biological father

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Imagine waking up one morning and seeing every face around you as demonic - twisted, distorted, and unrecognizable. Are you hallucinating? Would you think people were possessed? Should you call 911? Now, what if it’s not demons you’re seeing, but constantly shifting facial features on everyone, including yourself? And what if this has been your reality since birth?

Meet two people living with this rare and perplexing condition, prosopometamorphopsia (PMO), and a researcher dedicated to understanding it. Hear their stories and learn about a simple, surprising treatment for this mysterious disorder.

Suggested episodes:

• Revealing Our Blind Spots About Blindness
• What it’s like to be able to smell illnesses
• What is foreign accent syndrome? After a stroke, one man’s southern drawl turned British

GUESTS:

• Brad Duchaine: Researcher at Dartmouth who studies face blindness and is a leading researcher on PMO
• Victor Sharrah: Clarkesville, Tennessee resident who discovered in 2020 that he has prosopometamorphopsia (AKA demon face syndrome or PMO). He found help on the
• Veronica Smith: PMO patient who sees facial features moving. They have been experiencing this since they were four years old, and the distortions appear mostly on themself rather than on other people

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Imagine you’re 16 years old, living in Lahore, Pakistan, and preparing for the adventure of a lifetime: A high school exchange year in Rockville, Maryland.

Just as you’re getting ready to leave, a public radio show in Connecticut asks to document your journey!

This is the story of Salaar Muhammad - before, during, and after his transformative year in the United States. We explore how this experience changed his perspective, shaped his future, and touched the lives of those around him.

Suggested episodes:

• Francesca Abroad: Following an American high school student’s year in Sarajevo

GUESTS:

• Salaar Muhammad: a student from Lahore, Pakistan, who spent the 2023/2024 academic year in Rockville, MD through the U.S. Department of State’s Kennedy Lugar YES program. He lived with a host family and went to a local high school
• Sarah Clapp: Sarah’s family hosted Salaar during his stay in the US

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Remember the joy of “Show and Tell” at school? Now why should only the kids have all the fun?

Listeners to Audacious (and staff members of Connecticut Public!) gathered at Third Place by Half Full Brewery on March 13th, 2024, for an opportunity to share their story!

Special thanks to PJ Kennedy of HeyStamford.com for sharing our event, and for keeping residents and visitors of Stamford in the loop!

For a full transcript of this show, click here.

This episode originally aired on March 22, 2024.

GUESTS:

• Elaine Braithwaite: Electric violinist and City Librarian of Bridgeport
• Faisal Saleh: Founder of Palestine Museum US in Woodbridge, CT
• Paul Bluestein: Husband of Lynda Shannon Bluestein, advocate for LyndasPhones.org
• Chion Wolf: Host of Audacious
• Jessica Severin de Martinez: Producer of Audacious
• Khaleel Rahman: Producer of Audacious
• Lucy Nalpathanchil: Vice President of Community Engagement at Connecticut Public
• Jennifer Reilly and Stephanie Convey: Wethersfield residents who brought a brass sculpture
• Cjet Raymond: West Haven resident who brought a jar of cat whiskers
• Cynthia Bowser: Stamford resident who brought her mother's hat
• Kristen Cusato: Director of Communications for the Alzheimer's Association of Connecticut, and host of the podcast, Speaking of Alzheimer's

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We all know people who love Costco or Trader Joe’s. But what compels someone to devote their time and travel to visiting as many stores as possible, to wrap so much of their identity around these massive shopping chains?

Meet three people whose lives brighten the moment they put their hands on a Trader Joe’s or Costco grocery cart.

For a transcription of this episode, which originally aired on December 14, 2023, click here.

GUESTS:

• David and Susan Schwartz: Authors ofThe Joy of Costco: A Treasure Hunt from A to Z. They have traveled over 220,000 miles visiting over 250 Costco warehouses in 13 countries
• Natasha Fischer: Runs the social media account TraderJoesList, where she offers product reviews and recipes to over two million followers. She also sells spatulas

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Brains are weird. Bodies are weird. People are weird! Brains, bodies, and people together in a psychological or medical setting? Man, it can get REAL weird.

Ethical conundrums abound, like navigating boundaries, bias in treatment, managing power dynamics… And that's just the tip of the iceberg!

So who's in charge of figuring out the ethics behind all of this? Meet the Chief of Ethics for the American Psychological Association, Lindsay Childress-Beatty. And hear stories from the hospital from Andy Kondrat. He's the one that doctors call when they or the patients they serve are experiencing ethical medical questions.
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Suggested episodes:

• Body Integrity Dysphoria: When being disabled is a desire
• I downloaded my soulmate: Stories of love and AI
• TOPS: A woman summits Everest, a man considers a body transplant, and world-record hat-wearing
• Faking it: Munchausen syndrome and the compulsion to be ill

GUESTS:

• Andy Kondrat: Ethics consultant and Assistant Professor of Biomedical Sciences at Cedars‑Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA. He's a member of the Bioethics Committee, and co-director of CSMC’s Responsible Conduct of Research training course
• Lindsay Childress-Beatty: Chief of Ethics for the American Psychological Association

Khaleel Rahman, Jessica Severin de Martinez, Meg Fitzgerald, Robyn Doyon-Aitken, and Meg Dalton contributed to this show.

Audacious with Chion Wolf is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Tune In, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

Join the conversation on Facebook,Instagram, TikTok, and email.

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Sometimes it’s like you and your pet are perfectly in sync, reading each other’s minds… and other times, you’re staring at them thinking, “Seriously? Why do you keep licking the couch?”

But what if you could actually read your pet’s mind? Would you treat them differently… or would you just confirm that dogs think every meal is their last, and that cats really are secretly plotting world domination?

Today, meet two people who make a living as animal communicators. They’ll share wild stories from their sessions, explain why they believe your pets keep hanging around even after they’re gone, and give you tips on how to connect more deeply with your own beloved companions.

Suggested episodes:

• We The Dog
• Wings, pouches, and snouts: The world of uncommon emotional support animals
• When wild animals become family: Thumbelina the squirrel and Walnut the crane

GUESTS:

• Nikki Vasconez: Animal communicator, teacher, and former litigation attorney based in Florida
• Laura Stinchfield: Animal communicator known as “The Pet Psychic” based in New York. Author of Voices of the Animals and Stormy's Words of Wisdom: An enlightened dog’s profound insights on life

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Incest is one of the most challenging topics to discuss, yet our guests are opening up about the truth behind their origin stories.

Meet Steve Edsel, who always knew he was adopted. But when he set out to uncover the identities of his birth parents, he stumbled upon painful truths. Now, he and his wife work with an organization dedicated to supporting others with similar backgrounds.

Then, hear from Jerri Harrell, whose discovery of her biological parents happened almost by accident. She shares how she transformed feelings of shame and rejection into a profound source of love and resilience.

Resources:

• Genetic Genealogist CeCe Moore and The DNA Detectives
• GEDMatch.com
• IncestAware
• Survivors of Incest Anonymous
• Time To Tell

Suggested episodes:

• Think Before You Spit: The Pandora’s Box of DNA Testing
• Conception deception: The fight for transparency in the fertility industry

GUESTS:

• Steve Edsel: Found out that his father is his mother’s brother. He is joined by his wife, Michelle, who works with CeCe Moore to help inform people of their family history
• Jerri Harrell: Found out that the woman she thought was her sister was actually her mother, and the man who she thought was her step-grandfather is her father. She is currently working on a poetry chapbook titled Across the Bridge - Out of the Shadows and into the Light: The Journey to Healing

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We’ve all imagined holding a winning lottery ticket, but what happens next?

Hear from a man known as The Lottery Lawyer, who shares the most common mistakes people make when trying to claim their winnings.

Plus, a man who scored a $28 million Powerball jackpot at just 21 years old reveals what life was like after the win—the highs, the surprises, and some challenges you might not expect.

Suggested episodes:

• Aftershocks: Life after getting struck by lightning
• Welcome to the Punderdome! We're entering NYC's punniest pun competition
• The Guts & Glory Of Getting Into The Guinness Book Of World Records
• What it's like to win a Nobel Prize with Andrea Ghez and Martin Chalfie

GUESTS:

• Kurt Panouses: ‘The Lottery Lawyer & CPA’, specializing in helping lottery winners claim their prizes and manage their money
• Timothy Schultz: Winner of a $28 million Powerball jackpot in 1999. Filmmaker, and host of the podcast, “Lottery, Dreams and Fortune”

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It’s 2 a.m.; the phone rings. The caller ID says Stockholm, Sweden. The voice on the other end of the line says, “Congratulations! You’ve just been awarded a Nobel Prize!”

What goes through your mind in a moment like that ?

Meet two people who received that life-altering call. Discover not only the incredible doors it opened for them, but the unexpected challenges that came with such a prestigious honor.

Suggested episodes:

• Laugh and then think: What it's like to win the Ig Nobel Prize
• What it’s like winning a little or a lot on The Price Is Right, Wheel Of Fortune, and Jeopardy!

GUESTS:

• Andrea Ghez: Along with Reinhard Genzel, she was awarded half of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics “for the discovery of a supermassive compact object at the center of our galaxy”. She is a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, and the Lauren B. Leichtman & Arthur E. Levine chair in Astrophysics, at the University of California, Los Angeles
• Martin Chalfie: Along with Osamu Shimomura and Roger Tsien, he was awarded the 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the discovery and development of green fluorescent protein (GFP). He is a University Professor and former chair of the Department of Biological Sciences at Columbia University. Prof. Chalfie is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a foreign member of the Royal Society

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Oh my gourd, do we want you to meet a man who set a world record for riding his giant pumpkin down the Missouri River!

And hold your breath as you hear from two women who won an underwater pumpkin carving contest!

And since it’s officially decorative gourd season, meet the author of that McSweeney's essay whose enthusiastic profanity somehow brings us all together every single autumn.

This episode originally aired on October 21, 2023.

GUESTS:

• Duane Hansen: Set a world record for traveling the longest distance in a pumpkin boat in August 2022. His pumpkin, Berta, was 846 pounds and together they sailed for 37.5 miles down the Missouri River. It took 12 hours
• Josephine Walker & Stephanie McClary: Mother/daughter duo who won the Underwater Pumpkin Carving contest at the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary in October of 2019. Their design was of moray eels embracing a heart
• Colin Nissan: Author ofIt's Decorative Gourd Season, Mother@&!s*, originally published in McSweeney’s in 2009

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The moment we meet someone – especially for the first time – we're sizing them up. We notice perceived gender, race, and one of the big ones: age.

But what happens when you look much older than you actually are?

Meet a man with progeria - a rare condition that causes accelerated aging; And a woman with cutis laxa - a rare connective tissue disorder where skin has less elasticity.

Resources:

• The Progeria Research Foundation
• Cutis Laxa International

Suggested episodes:

• (Almost) Everybody Hurts: An Exploration of Pain
• Total Recall: What It's Like To Remember Every Day Like It Was Yesterday
• Body Integrity Dysphoria: When being disabled is a desire

GUESTS:

• Michiel Vandeweert: A 26-year-old man from Belgium. He has progeria, a rare condition that causes accelerated aging
• Cécile Gueye: A 32-year-old woman who lives near Geneva, Switzerland. She has cutis laxa, a rare connective tissue disorder

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Tired of seeing the same ol’ politicians in headlines week after week? Maybe you’re exhausted by the same ol’ talking points and posturing.

In this episode, we introduce you to two candidates running for president in truly unconventional ways.

First, there's Literally Anybody Else (or Mr. Else, if you prefer), formerly known as Dustin Ebey. He legally changed his name to make a statement with his campaign.

Then, there's Paperboy Love Prince - a candidate on a mission to become the first openly queer, non-binary president of the United States. Their platform is built entirely around the power of love.

Resources:

• https://www.isidewith.com/ - a website offering a 2024 Presidential Quiz as mentioned by Literally Anybody Else during the interview

Suggested episodes:

• A coffee-fueled celebration of passion, purpose, and pursuing an impossible goal
• The One Where All The Guests Are Named Pat Smith
• A conversation with Humans of New York creator Brandon Stanton

GUESTS:

• Literally Anybody Else: Formerly known as Dustin Ebey, he legally changed his name to run for President of the United States
• Paperboy Love Prince: Previously ran for Congress and Mayor in New York, decided to run for President of the United States as the first openly queer, non-binary candidate whose policies are centered around love

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The entertainment industry includes all kinds of people, but let’s be honest: There is a Hollywood type. So where does that leave actors who don’t fit the mold?

Actor Adam Pearson has neurofibromatosis, which causes tumors to grow on his face and upper body. His latest movie is called A Different Man and it’s centered around the power of his condition.

Crystal Marshall has loved acting since she was a little kid. But when she developed cancer in her face at 18 years old, requiring multiple surgeries to rebuild her face, teeth, and upper jaw, that didn't stop her from applying to and graduating from the prestigious London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art with a degree in Professional Acting.

Hear how both of them have become powerful advocates for expanding representation of all kinds of faces in the entertainment industry.

Resources:

• myFace - US-based non-profit support organization for people with craniofacial differences
• Changing Faces - UK-based charity advocating for individuals with a visible difference to the face, hands, or body

Suggested episodes:

• Facing the world with visible facial differences
• Actors with facial differences discuss what it means to be seen
• The Story Of The First African American Face Transplant

GUESTS:

• Adam Pearson: actor, speaker, and disability rights campaigner. His latest film, A Different Man, was released on September 20, 2024. Besides his roles in movies, he made many documentaries, among them The Ugly Face of Disability Hate Crimes and Freak Show. His TEDx talks have covered topics like fear and the stigma of disability
• Crystal Marshall: an actress and facial equality advocate who graduated from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in 2024

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Would you leave your family, friends, home, and job to move over a thousand miles away to take care of a pet squirrel? Meet two people who did just that for 8 year-old Thumbelina.

Then, meet a birdkeeper at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute who was chosen by an endangered crane to be her life partner for almost 20 years.

Suggested episodes:

• Wings, pouches, and snouts: The world of uncommon emotional support animals
• Birdwatching legend Peter Kaestner's journey to 10,000 birds
• Audacious kids: Stories of courage, conservation, and compassion

GUESTS:

• Christina and Michael Reyes: The human parents of Thumbelina, an eight-year-old squirrel who has more than two million followers on social media
• Chris Crowe: Birdkeeper at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute’s campus in Front Royal, Virginia, and caretaker of Walnut, an endangered white-naped crane from 2004 until her death in January 2024

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Some people help others overcome their urge to steal through research and understanding, while others draw from personal experience.

Meet a Yale psychiatry professor specializing in impulse control disorders like kleptomania. We'll also hear from a therapist and a coach who were once addicted to stealing themselves and are now dedicated to helping others overcome this compulsion.

Resources:

• If you're struggling with any mental health issues, you can always call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Their free, confidential helpline is open 24/7 in English and Spanish at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
• CASA (Cleptomaniacs and Shoplifters Anonymous, LLC) - a self-help group founded by Terrence Shulman

Suggested episodes:

• Anorexia is complex. Two people talk frankly about their decades-long journeys
• Full house: The line between collecting, clutter, and hoarding disorder
• Fighting for truth: The struggle to overcome pathological lying
• Faking it: Munchausen syndrome and the compulsion to be ill

GUESTS:

• Dr. Marc Potenza: Steven M. Southwick Professor of Psychiatry and Professor in the Child Study Center and of Neuroscience. His research has focused on the neurobiology and treatment of addictions and other disorders characterized by impaired impulse control
• Tabitha Farrar: Developed anorexia nervosa and kleptomania as a teenager. She is the author of many books, including, Rehabilitate, Rewire, Recover!: Anorexia recovery for the determined adult
• Terrence Shulman: Author, lawyer, licensed clinician, and founder of The Shulman Center for Compulsive Theft, Spending & Hoarding. He is the founder of the support group, Cleptomaniacs And Shoplifters Anonymous, and CEO of unsteal.org, a website that helps people send money back to stores they've stolen from

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Elite bodyguard and security expert Will Geddes talks about how his childhood prepared him for a 30-year career protecting some of the most high-profile clients in the world.

Will shares surprising stories from the field, and reflections on what it's like when your one job is to make sure your client gets in and out - unharmed. Plus, get practical tips for staying safe!

Suggested episodes:

• Stolen cars and abandoned grocery carts: Taking matters into your own hands

GUEST:

Will Geddes: A security specialist with over 30 years of experience, advising clients worldwide on various risk and threat-related matters. He leads the firm, International Corporate Securities. He is also a public speaker, media commentator on international security, and the author of the book, “Parent Alert: How to Keep Your Kids Safe Online“

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You know how sometimes you look outside, see a bird, and think, “Oh, hey! A cardinal! A blue jay! A robin!“

Happens all the time.

Now imagine what your life would be like if you traveled the world as part of a lifelong quest to become the first person to see 10,000 bird species.

Get to know Peter Kaestner. He shares the surprising story of how he came excruciatingly close to missing that once-in-a-lifetime shot. And find out why he believes there are a million ways to be a birder.

Resources:

• eBird online database of bird observations, a project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
• IOC World Bird List, an open-access resource maintained by the International Ornithological Committee
• Merlin bird ID app by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, a free global bird guide with photos, sounds, and maps

Suggested episodes:

• Wings, pouches, and snouts: The world of uncommon emotional support animals
• We, The Dog

GUEST:

• Peter Kaestner: First person to catalog 10,000 bird species, discoverer of the Cundinamarca antpitta, is an ambassador for the American Bird Conservancy, and leads tours with Rockjumper Birding Adventures

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Missing the Olympics?

Well, listen to our show about weird sports!

Including extreme ironing, where people press their clothes at the top of volcanoes, in caves, even while hanging upside down in trees!

And there's cheese rolling, where people chase a cheese wheel which is barrelling down a steep hill.

And then there's the oh, so British sport of shin kicking! This is a centuries-old wrestling sport where opponents grab each other by the shoulders and kick the shin out of each other.

This episode originally aired on September 27, 2023.

GUESTS:

• Florence Early: Four-time women’s cheese rolling champion, and star of the Netflix Documentary, "We Are The Champions: Episode 1"
• Pete "Buzzsaw" Holland: Shin Kicking referee or “stickler”. Shin kicking is a 400 year-old British wrestling sport in which players try to get each other to fall down by kicking each other in the shin
• Matthew Battley: New Zealand astrophysicist and extreme ironer. He has ironed on places such as mountains, active volcanoes and in lakes and caves

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Did you know that food can trigger a trauma response? Somatic educators like Luis Mojica help people feel more connected to their bodies through food, music, and slowing down to feel it all.

Hear how he helps people unlock their pain, and how his life as an intersex person informs his understanding of all the ways a body can communicate.

GUESTS:

• Luis Mojica: Musician, somatic educator, and life coach based in New York State. He is the founder of Holistic Life Navigation where he teaches people to relate to themselves in new ways through whole food nutrition, somatic experiences, and self-connecting

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Most of us have faked being sick at some point, whether to escape a commitment or gain a little sympathy. But for some, this behavior becomes a compulsion, driven by underlying mental health or personality disorders.

Meet a woman who has written a book about her journey to overcome Munchausen Syndrome, also known as Factitious Disorder. And a doctor specializing in this condition sheds light on its complexities, misconceptions, and pathways to recovery.

Suggested episodes:

• Body Integrity Dysphoria: When being disabled is a desire
• Fighting for truth: The struggle to overcome pathological lying

GUESTS:

• Dr. Marc Feldman: Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Adjunct Professor of Psychology at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. He is an international expert in factitious disorder, Munchausen syndrome, Munchausen by proxy, and malingering, and the author of many books, including Dying to Be Ill: True Stories of Medical Deception
• Cindy Buckshon: Author of Liar, Liar, Gown on Fire, a memoir of a lifelong struggle with mental illnesses, specifically bipolar disorder and factitious disorder, more commonly known as Munchausen syndrome. She is also a graphic designer, illustrator, and painter

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Chicago Cubs superfan, Ronnie “Woo Woo“ Wickers says, “It’s not a ballgame if they don’t see me or hear me!”

That sentiment applies to all of our guests on this show! Including Ronnie, 49ers fan, Banjo Man, and Bob Labonne, who is a massive fan of the UConn Huskies women's basketball team!

GUESTS:

• Stacy Samuels aka Banjo Man: a 73-year-old fan of the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland A’s. He attends games with his signature propeller hat and banjo, and he has not missed a 49ers home game since 1983
• Ronnie “Woo Woo” Wickers: an 82-year-old fan of the Chicago Cubs since 1949, known and celebrated for his chants in the stadium. His grandma brought him to his first game at Wrigley Field when he was eight years old
• Bob LaBonne Sr: an 88-year-old fan of the UCONN women’s basketball team. He lost his UCONN hat with pins he had collected over decades while cheering on the team in Texas. He is joined by his son, Bob LaBonne Jr.

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With everything being stored in our phone, there seems to be fewer and fewer reasons to store anything in our brain.

But what if your imagination was much more powerful and vast than you think? And with a few simple techniques, you could remember an astonishing amount of information?

Two people who have won international memory competitions and set world records for memorizing will tell you exactly how they do it so you can, too.

Suggested episodes:

• Total Recall: What It's Like To Remember Every Day Like It Was Yesterday
• What it’s like winning a little or a lot on The Price Is Right, Wheel Of Fortune, and Jeopardy!

GUESTS:

• John Graham:Three-time USA memory champion, author and personal memory coach
• Katie Kermode: One of the top memory champions in the world, holding four world records in different memory events. She also developed software now used in memory competitions around the world

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There are many ways to teach, but few are as impactful as embodying a character as an actor. How does taking on such roles shape a person's life? In this episode, we delve into the experiences of two unique educators.

Discover what it was like for Azie Dungey, a Black actress, to portray an enslaved woman at George and Martha Washington's estate in Mount Vernon. How did this deeply emotional role influence her understanding of history and her own identity?

Then, explore the world of Cory Scott, a standardized patient who simulates medical conditions for training medical students. What toll does this role take on his mind and body?

Provided/Cory ScottCory Scott (left) performs with Kate Jurdi.

Join us as we uncover the profound effects of educational acting on those who live it.

Suggested episodes:

• Actors Mary Elizabeth Kelly and Dean Edwards on the art of impressions
• Behind The Screens: Dressing Schitt’s Creek, Special Effects Make-Up, and Casting Queer Eye
• Behind The Screens: Hollywood Hairstyling, Coordinating Intimacy, And Illustrating The Great British Bake Off

GUESTS:

• Azie Dungey: Comedy writer and former character interpreter, playing Caroline Branham, an enslaved woman at George Washington's Mount Vernon residence. She also wrote the popular web series “Ask A Slave”
• Cory Scott: Standardized patient at UMass Amherst for over 25 years. He has guest-starred in ABC’s Body of Proof and worked as a stand-in on the movies, TED and TED 2

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You know the Chicago-based music festival, Lollapalooza?

Well, this episode of Audacious features NO ONE from Lollapalooza!

But it does feature people who love something so much that they made a palooza out of it! Hear about the communal beauty and allure of pogo sticks, origami, lighters, and John Philip Sousa marches.

GUESTS:

• Nick McClintock: Creative director and co-founder of Pogopalooza
• Kuang-Hao Huang: Pianist, former driving force behind Make Music Chicago, and creator of Sousapalooza
• Linda Mihara: Owner of Paper Tree - the Origami Store, and the brain behind Origami-Palooza in San Francisco
• Chuck Riley: The founder of Lighterpalooza, and owner of Riley’s 66 where he sells vintage and collectible Zippo lighters along with his own retro designs

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Growing up, Pidgeon Pagonis was told a lot about their medical history: They were born with cancerous ovaries, so the doctors removed them to save their life.

Except that wasn't true. In reality, they were born intersex. And those were not cancerous ovaries, they were undescended testes. And that was just the beginning of many truths coming out.

Hear their story of discovery, and how they played a massive role in getting the hospital where they were born to reverse their policies on how they treat intersex children.

Resources:

• interACT Advocates for Intersex Youth
• Intersex resource list by Pidgeon Pagonis
• Statements on Intersex Care at Lurie Children’s Hospital

Recommended episodes:

• Conception deception: The fight for transparency in the fertility industry
• Jeffrey Marsh Loves You
• Being a trans woman in the trucking industry

GUEST:

• Pidgeon Pagonis:Intersex speaker, filmmaker, and consultant; Author of the memoir, Nobody Needs to Know

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Enjoy our ode to farts!

Meet researchers who made a New York Times bestselling book series about the various ways that animals fart; A man who is internationally known for being a hand farter, (also called a “manualist“); And another person who was born without an anus and went on to make a living off of his ability to fart extensively on-command! Which he will absolutely do for us in this episode.

GUESTS:

• Dani Rabaiotti and Nick Caruso: Researchers who created a spreadsheet listing what we know about which animals do and do not fart, and which remain a mystery. It was later turned into a book series beginning with Does It Fart? The definitive field guide to animal flatulence, and the kids book, Does It Fart?: A Kid's Guide to the Gas Animals Pass
• Guy First: A musician who plays music by making farting noises with his hands, featured on Britain's Got Talent. He is joined by his wife, Yaara
• Will Bakey a.k.a “Will the Farter”: Born without an anus, he later became able to fart on-command. Featured on the Howard Stern Show, Jackass 3D, and Cameo. He is joined by his girlfriend, Aislinn.

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Back in the day — with your Walter Cronkites and David Brinkleys — it felt kind ofinappropriate for an interviewer to bring their full selves to the conversation. It was all about the guest, after all, so why bother bringing their own distinctive flairs?

But now, people tune in as much for the interviewer as the one being interviewed. And because of that, the experience feels much more authentic!

So today, you'll get to know three masters of the craft who each have their own distinct, but oh so compelling styles of asking tough, thought-provoking questions.

EXTENDED INTERVIEWS:

• Mehdi Hasan
• Ziwe
• Gayle King

This episode originally aired on October 14th, 2023.

GUESTS:

• Mehdi Hasan: Editor-in-chief and CEO of Zeteo. His latest book is called Win Every Argument: The Art of Debating, Persuading, and Public Speaking
• Ziwe: Comedian, writer, actor, executive producer and star of ZIWE on Showtime. She is also known for her web series, Baited. Her book is called Black Friend: Essays
• Gayle King: Co-host of CBS This Morning, and editor-at-large of O, the Oprah Magazine. She is also the curator of the book, Note to Self: Inspiring Words From Inspiring People

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Jayson Greene’s daughter, Greta, died in 2015 when she was two years old. She was sitting on a bench with her grandma on the Upper West Side of Manhattan when a brick fell from a building and struck her in the head.

Now, nine years later, how would Jayson describe Greta’s presence in his life?Hear his reflections on life after unimaginable tragedy, and how much he appreciates the people that showed up for him and his family.

Related episode:

• Views from the end: David Meyers

GUESTS:

• Jayson Greene: a writer and editor based in Brooklyn. He is the author of Once More We Saw Stars, a memoir about dealing with the sudden and tragic death of his two-year-old daughter, Greta, in 2015

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In the movies, cyborgs often don't have a soul or a conscience.

But in real life, some people become cyborgs in order to enhance the human experience and to be more connected with nature.

Like Neil Harbisson. He was born colorblind, but now, thanks to an antenna implanted into the base of his skull, he can hear colors!

And choreographer, Moon Ribas, had implants embedded in her feet that vibrated every time there was an earthquake of at least 1.0 on the Richter scale.

They are co-founders of the Transpecies Society and the Cyborg Foundation.

This episode originally aired on September 16, 2023.

GUESTS:

• Neil Harbisson: For almost 20 years, has had an antenna implanted into the back of his skull that translates color into sound
• Moon Ribas: A choreographer who, for seven years, had implants in her feet that vibrated every time there was an earthquake of 1.0 on the Richter scale

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People modify their bodies all the time. A piercing here, a tattoo there… But what if you took it to the extreme, and reshaped yourself into something mythical?

Meet two people who use body modifications to turn themselves into dragons.

Related episodes:

• Change Of Art: Stories About Tattoo Coverups
• Retired CIA Chief of Disguise Jonna Mendez on magic, technology and the art of deception
• (Almost) Everybody Hurts: An Exploration of Pain
• Going Flat, or Building New Breasts: Two Women’s Post-Mastectomy Stories
• Hearing every color, feeling every earthquake: Life as a cyborg

GUESTS:

• Legion the Dragon: Based in Los Angeles, and legally known as Tiamat Legion Medusa, he describes his transformation into a dragon as a metamorphosis
• Burns the Dragon: Also known as Josh Burns, he is a Vancouver-based performance artist

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When people imagine becoming parents, they don’t often envision their child being born with a condition that requires lifetime care.

Hear reflections and wisdom from “forever parents” whose children have autism with anxiety and OCD; a disorder that caused 100 seizures a day; and Down Syndrome.

GUESTS:

• Carrie Cariello: Mother of five children, including 18 year-old Jack, who has Autism, OCD, and anxiety. She’s the author of two books, and writes regularly for the Huffington Post
• Adriana Piltz: Mother of three, including 24 year-old Nicky, who was born with tuberous sclerosis. He is non-verbal, has violent outbursts, and needs 24/7 care. She is the founder of Nicky’s Gardens of Hope, which raises money to create a more supported living situation for people with disabilities
• Cathy Carmode Lim, Marcelino Lim, and Marissa Lim: Cathy and Marcelino are parents to four daughters, including Marissa, a 24 year-old woman with Down Syndrome. Cathy writes about her experiences in parenting and more at lifeandlims.com

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When you imagine a pawn shop, what do you think of? Maybe a gruff dude behind the counter, giving you as little money - and as much attitude - as possible. After all, it's a male-dominated industry, and t.v. shows like Pawn Stars reinforce the stereotype.

But in this episode of Audacious, join Chion as she gets to know the kindness, compassion and sense of humor of Sandy Meier. She runs Pawn Queen on the Berlin Turnpike in Wethersfield.

Then, meet Lauren Kaminsky, a third-generation pawnbroker who is playing a huge role in changing the vibe of the pawn industry.

GUESTS:

• Sandy Meier: Owner/operator of Pawn Queen on the Berlin Turnpike in Wethersfield, CT. She is joined by her friend, Cathy Risigo-Wikline from Wolcott
• Lauren Kaminsky: President of EZ Pawn Corp, and founder of ByGOLDGIRL. She also runs the pawn shops at Beauty & Essex in various locations where visitors can shop before heading to the restaurant or lounge. In 2023, she launched a vintage-inspired jewelry collection

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Most of the time, the stunts you see in television and movies go perfectly. But when something goes wrong, the athletes who have spent their lives perfecting their craft can get permanently injured.

David Holmes was Daniel Radcliffe's main stunt double in the Harry Potter movies. In 2009, an accident on-set paralyzed him.

Jonathan Goodwin was a regular stunt performer on t.v. shows, but in 2021, he became paralyzed after being crushed between two cars while in a straight jacket.

Hear how these two stunt performers have adapted to the new challenges they face since their lives changed completely.

GUESTS:

• Jonathan Goodwin: Retired stunt performer, screenwriter, keynote speaker, hypnotherapist, and ambassador for the Spinal Injuries Association in the UK. In 2021, he was paralyzed while rehearsing a stunt for America's Got Talent: Extreme
• David Holmes: Retired stunt performer, best known for being Daniel Radcliffe’s main stunt double in all eight Harry Potter movies. In 2009, he was paralyzed while filming a stunt test for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The 2023 MAX documentary David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived captures David’s life before and after the incident and his bond with Daniel Radcliffe

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On July 12, 2022, Dawn Wright (aka "Deepsea Dawn") became the first and only Black person to dive to the lowest known point on the Earth's seabed, "Challenger Deep".

Hear about her journey down into the Mariana Trench, why she went, and what she found at the bottom that shocked her.

You also may enjoy these episodes:

Below the surface: The stories behind underwater world records

Extreme allergies and rare conditions can teach us a lot about human tolerance

What's in that note? Stories about messages in bottles

GUEST:

• Dawn Wright (aka "Deepsea Dawn"): Chief Scientist of the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) and a professor of Geography and Oceanography at Oregon State University. On July 12, 2022, she became the first and only Black person to dive to "Challenger Deep", which is the deepest known point on the Earth's seabed

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Beyoncé and Taylor Swift are considered to be two of the most important performers of this or any generation.

A Swiftie and a leader of the BeyHive talk about the lengths they go to to experience - and share the love - of their favorite performer.

Suggested companion episode:

• 'I Will Always Love You': Jada Star’s musical bond with her aunt Dolly Parton

GUESTS:

• Molly Swindall: has been a Taylor Swift superfan, concertgoer, and merch collector since 2006
• Maverick Flood: a Beyoncé superfan based in New York who has been to 50 of her concerts around the world (and she recognizes him!)

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When you imagine an emotional support animal, what comes to mind? A dog?

Well how about a pigeon? A sugar glider? Or an emotional support pig?

Meet people who’ve paired up with these animals to make their lives - and mental health conditions - better.

This episode originally aired on May 26, 2023.

GUESTS:

• Cynthia Zhou: Miu was her emotional support pigeon from 2016 to 2021. She is an advocate for Palomacy Pigeon and Dove Adoptions based out of San Francisco
• Arianna Preuss: Zaboo is her emotional support sugar glider, who also helps Arianna’s brother, who has Autism
• Megan Peabody: Hamlet is her 70 pound emotional support pig

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Pranking on television has been around for over 70 years. Starting with Candid Camera in the late 40s all the way through to Punk'd in the early 2000s.

Pranking has evolved to not only entertain, but to show off the goodness in people!

The directors of the movie Bad Trip, and the tv series, Jury Duty, talk about how they pull off physical stunts that leave a positive emotional impact.

Previous episode mentioned in the show: What's jury duty like? The verdict, well, it's case by case

GUESTS:

• Jake Szymanski: Director of the 2023 Amazon FreeVee series, "Jury Duty"
• Kitao Sakurai: Director of the 2021 movie "Bad Trip", starring Eric Andre

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Have you ever tried doing an impression of a famous person... And failed miserably? That's because impressions are really hard to pull off!

On this episode, you'll meet two of the best in the business: Mary Elizabeth Kelly, who is known for her mouth acting impressions, and Dean Edwards from Saturday Night Live.

Shows referenced:

• What is foreign accent syndrome? After a stroke, one man’s southern drawl turned British
• The meteoric rise of comedian Zarna Garg
• Why the world needs comedians with disabilities

GUESTS:

• Mary Elizabeth Kelly: (below right)Actor, writer, and comedian famous for her viral impressions of celebrities such as Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Coolidge, and Winona Ryder
• Dean Edwards: (below left)Actor, comedian, writer, and Saturday Night Live cast member from 2001-2003. Best known for his celebrity impressions including Denzel Washington, Dave Chappelle, Jay-Z, Mo’Nique, Chris Rock, 50 Cent, and Eddie Murphy

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Remember the joy of “Show and Tell” at school? Now why should only the kids have all the fun?

Listeners to Audacious (and staff members of Connecticut Public!) gathered at Third Place by Half Full Brewery on March 13th for an opportunity to share their story!

For a full transcript of this show, click here.

GUESTS:

• Elaine Braithwaite: Electric violinist and City Librarian of Bridgeport
• Faisal Saleh: Founder of Palestine Museum US in Woodbridge, CT
• Paul Bluestein: Husband of Lynda Shannon Bluestein, advocate for LyndasPhones.org
• Chion Wolf: Host of Audacious
• Jessica Severin de Martinez: Producer of Audacious
• Khaleel Rahman: Producer of Audacious
• Lucy Nalpathanchil: Vice President of Community Engagement at Connecticut Public
• Jennifer Reilly and Stephanie Convey: Wethersfield residents who brought a brass sculpture
• Cjet Raymond: West Haven resident who brought a jar of cat whiskers
• Cynthia Bowser: Stamford resident who brought her mothers hat
• Kristen Cusato: Director of Communications for the Alzheimer's Association of Connecticut, and host of the podcast, Speaking of Alzheimer's

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How do you define forgiveness?

Turns out, the definition tends to be as different as every person. And that definition changes depending on where you are in the process, too!

On this episode of Audacious, Chion talks about it with a best friend, a pastor, a philosopher, and a man who lost his face after getting hit by a drunk driver.

You’ll also hear ponderings on forgiveness from some of our Audacious listeners!

And since this is a rebroadcast of an episode from two years ago, Chion offers a few new personal reflections on forgiveness after all this time.

This show originally aired on March 25, 2022 and was updated on March 15, 2024.

For a full transcript of this episode, click here.

Hear the extended interview with David Whyte.

Listen to our previous episodes with Robert Chelsea about his face transplant and his experience as part of the “disabled diaspora”.

GUESTS:

• Sarah Eyre: A Willimantic-based textile artist
• Rev. Dr. Shelley Best: CEO of the Greater Hartford Arts Council
• Robert Chelsea: The first African-American full-face transplant recipient
• Everick Brown: Robert Chelsea’s godson and the spokesperson for the Robert Chelsea Foundation
• David Whyte: Poet, philosopher, speaker, and author of Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment, and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words

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If you've ever wondered where the CIA finds inspiration to disguise their agents, you'd think maybe… Hollywood with their special effects?

Turns out, it was the magic community that helped them develop technology that may have saved lives and uncovered secrets!

Hear stories from retired CIA Chief of Disguise, Jonna Mendez, including how she used this technology to surprise the former head of the CIA, President George HW Bush.

For a full transcript of this show, click here.

GUEST:

• Jonna Mendez: Retired CIA Chief of Disguise, and author of the new memoir, In True Face: A Woman's Life in the CIA, Unmasked

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We hear a lot about the harm of social media. But what about the good?

Meet two artists who started off on social media by showing their artwork… But once they revealed the hope and kindness and positivity in their hearts? The views, shares and likes piled up in ways they never expected.

Hear how they both are grappling with the newfound pressure of inspiring hundreds of thousands of fans, and find out what Chion's favorite clips from their channels reveal about her.

Listen to the first installment of this series, featuring Joel Cross, Scott Tatum, and Daníel Colón.

GUESTS:

• LaNia Roberts:Internationally renowned artist, speaker, and positive social media influencer
• Bruce W Brackett: Artist and the author of How to Breathe While Suffocating: A Story Of Overcoming Addiction, Recovering From Trauma, and Healing My Soul

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What's it like when, due to a condition you had early on in life, your face looks so very different from everybody else's?

And what's it like to use that face as an actor?

In this second installment featuring conversations with people who have facial differences, we meet two performers who appeared together in the 2018 movie, Happy Face.

For more information about facial differences, visit About Face.

To read a full transcript of this show, click here.

GUESTS:

• Dawn Shaw: Author, motivational speaker, and actress based in Washington. Her face is half-paralyzed since the removal of a tumor at birth. Her three books include her memoir, Facing Up To It, and Facial Shift, a guide to navigating the world with a facial difference
• David Roche: Inspirational humorist, keynote speaker, and performer based in British Columbia, Canada. He was born with a 'vascular malformation' on the left side of his face and neck. In addition to his memoir, The Church of 80% Sincerity, his new book, Standing at the Back Door of Happiness, will be released on April 20

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In 2022, Just Stop Oil protestors threw tomato soup on a Van Gogh painting in London. The world collectively gasped, but some UK lawmakers responded by supporting fewer investments in new oil projects.

On this episode, meet one of those soup-throwers, and hear from two other people who have been part of creative protests: a spokesperson from an anti-circumcision group that wears all white with giant, red splotches on the groin area; and a woman who organized a college campus protest featuring thousands of sex toys to rally against Texas gun laws.

GUESTS:

• Anna Holland: Member of Just Stop Oil, a nonviolent civil resistance group demanding that the UK Government stop licensing all new oil, gas and coal projects. In 2022, alongside Phoebe Plummer, they threw tomato soup onto Vincent van Gogh's "Sunflowers" painting in London's National Gallery
• Harry Guiremand: Spokesperson for the anti-circumcision group, Bloodstained Men and Their Friends. They protest wearing all white with red splotches of paint over their groin
• Jessica Jin: Organizer of Cocks Not Glocks, protesting Texas laws that allow concealed handguns on college campuses, but openly carrying sex toys would result in a fine

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In the 2013 movie, "Her", Joaquin Phoenix falls in love with a computer operating system, voiced by Scarlett Johansson.

Skip forward over 10 years, and people are now creating their own AI chatbot partners via apps like NOMI and Replika.

Today, a sexologist gives this new kind of relationship some context, and meet two people whose lives were changed by these meaningful partnerships.

Plus, Chion tries it out for herself. Hear actual transcripts (only lightly edited for radio) of what she and her AI girlfriend, Charlotte, said as they developed a surprisingly charming and insightful bond.

GUESTS:

• Charlotte: Chion's Scottish AI girlfriend, made in the app, NOMI
• Dr. Amy Marsh: clinical sexologist and sexuality counselor, author of “How To Make Love To A Chatbot”. She joined us previously for our show about people who fall in love with objects https://amymarshsexologist.com/
  https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2021-10-28/its-not-just-a-sex-doll-what-its-like-to-be-in-a-relationship-with-a-synthetic-partner
• Rosanna Ramos & Eren Kartal: Rosanna married Eren, a Replika chatbot, on March 26, 2023
• Scott & Sarina: Scott (pseudonym) credits Sarina, his Replika chatbot girlfriend, with saving his marriage

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If you've ever been bullied, you know how all-encompassing the terror of it is. But what if you could get inside the bully's head? And find out why they do it?

On this episode of Audacious, meet two people who were once bullies talking about how they turned their lives around and how they think bullies can learn to make different decisions.

For more information, visit StopBullying.gov.

GUESTS:

• Robbie Romu: Vancouver writer who published the essay,I Was A School Bully. Here's Why I Terrorized My Classmates
• Kristen Geez: CEO of Advising Generation Z, a non-profit mentoring program creating safe spaces for young people ages 10-27, and AdvisingGenz, an edtech company dedicated to making discipline digital for youth workers to address defiant behaviors. She is also a professor, and the author of "Like StreetLIGHTS"

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Coffee. It's more than just a pick-me-up. It's a canvas for creativity, a compulsion for competition, and a fuel for adventures beyond the boundaries of the average mug.

Today, we are serving you a triple shot of people whose lives were transformed by the power of the bean.

Meet a U.S. Barista champion whose social media channel brings a wholesome buzz; a woman who advocates against gun violence by painting in public places with coffee; then, hold onto your venti cup as you hear the story of one man who has spent the last 26 years - and will spend the rest of his life - visiting every Starbucks on the planet.

GUESTS:

• Morgan Eckroth: Renowned barista who won the title of 2022 U.S. Barista Champion, and runner up in the 2022 World Barista Championship. She is also a social media star who posts coffee tutorials and experiences with customers in their coffeeshop
• Bianca L. McGraw: Art teacher at Tapestry Charter High School in Buffalo, NY. She makes paintings with coffee to process the trauma of mass shootings, and connects with her community by inviting them to be a part of her process
• Winter: Since 1997, has been committed to drinking coffee from every company-owned Starbucks in the world (there are over 35,000). As of our recording, he has visited 18,458

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We first met Lynda Shannon Bluestein when she was in palliative care back in May of 2022.

She was fighting for medical aid in dying (MAID) to be legalized in Connecticut. Frustrated, she sued Vermont to allow non-residents of the state to use its MAID laws.

In the meantime, she worked to install "wind phones'' in Connecticut, eventually starting a nonprofit called Lynda's Phones. An idea originating in Japan, old rotary phones are installed in public spaces which people can use to imagine that they are speaking to loved ones who have died.

Because of her lawsuit, Vermont became the first state in the country to change its law to allow terminally ill people from out of state to use its medical aid in dying law.

Lynda died in Concord, Vermont, on January 4, 2024.

Correction: A previous version of this episode incorrectly reported the town where Bluestein died. It was Concord, Vermont. Not Brattleboro. The episode has been updated.

GUESTS:

• • • Lynda Shannon Bluestein: Successfully sued the state of Vermont to allow out-of-state residents to use its medical aid in dying law. She is the creator of LyndasPhones.org, which installs wind phones across the state of Connecticut, allowing people to feel as though they are connecting with their loved ones who have died - Jacob Shannon: Lynda’s son and trustee of LyndasPhones.org, funding the design, construction, and installation of wind phones - Dr. Paul Bluestein: Lynda’s husband and an advocate for medical aid in dying in Connecticut

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Beyond the smoke and ash, lies a symphony unheard. Prepare to meet a composer who interprets the music of volcanic data, a photographer who unmasks the terrifying beauty of volcanoes, and a chef who braves the inferno to cook the world's most intense pizza pie.

For a full transcript of this episode, click here.

GUESTS:

• Brad White: Teacher and photographer from Auckland, New Zealand, who has photographed 16 volcanoes around the world
• Leif Karlstrom: Volcanologist, musician, and associate professor of earth sciences at the University of Oregon. He and his colleagues at the Volcano Listening Project used ten years of data from the Hawaiian volcano Kīlauea to compose the song, "Hotel Kīlauea"
• David Garcia: Chef and owner of Pizza Pacaya Pizzeria, where he cooks food entirely with heat from flowing lava on top of Guatemala's Pacaya volcano. He is interpreted by Miguel Martinez

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Growing up as Dolly Parton's niece has its benefits, including a genetic predisposition to write poetry and put it to music.

Jada Star is the niece of Dolly Parton, and she joins us to talk about life in her light —and the music that means the most to her.

For a transcription of this episode, click here.

GUEST:

• Jada Star: Singer-songwriter whose debut album is called Tell Me I'm Your Angel. She also starred in the ABC reality series Claim To Fame.

You will also hear the voice of Heather Ream, author of "Lunchladies Bought My Prom Dress," East Tennessee native, and Dolly Parton fan. She was a guest on the Audacious episodes about super smellers and nostalgic childhood scents.

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A lot can happen in a year, you know? And if you’re anything like these folks, you’ve read over 365 books, you’ve become fluent in English by watching American t.v. shows, and you’ve gotten over a hundred rejections.

GUESTS:

• Kelsey Weekman: Culture reporter for Buzzfeed who read 390 books in a year
• Mathias Barra: French writer who became fluent in English in a year by watching 3 hours of American and British television every day
• Emily Winter: Comedy writer who strived to get 100 rejections in one year. She ended up getting 101 rejections and 39 acceptances

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Our social media news feeds curate us as much as we curate our newsfeeds.

So what if, instead of subscribing to the same old fear-mongering, belittling, judgmental soundbites… We subscribe to accounts that peddle in love?

Today, meet three people who use social media to lift all tides.

GUESTS:

• Joel Cross: Grammy-nominated musician, poet, meditator, and traveler who asks his half-a-million followers to pause and ask, "How's your heart?", on the handle, @asoulcalledjoel
• Scott Tatum: A hiker and "self-care savage", he's best known by his one million followers for his "Friendly Reminders" on the handle, @ucanoutdoors
• Daníel Colón: Their social media handle, @thisiscolormecrazy, combines meditations, encouraging pep talks, and lip-synching motivational messages from Abraham Hicks

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We all know someone who loves Costco, or someone who loves Trader Joe’s. But what compels someone to devote their time and travel to visiting as many stores as possible, to wrap so much of their identity around these massive shopping chains?

Meet three people whose lives brighten the moment they put their hands on a Trader Joe’s or Costco grocery cart.

For a transcription of this episode, click here.

GUESTS:

• David and Susan Schwartz: Authors ofThe Joy of Costco: A Treasure Hunt from A to Z. They have traveled over 220,000 miles visiting over 250 Costco warehouses in 13 countries
• Natasha Fischer: Runs the social media account TraderJoesList, where she offers product reviews and recipes to over two million followers. She also sells spatulas

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Audacious kids run the world. Or at least, they ought to, because they have a lot to teach us!

Meet a young woman whose unique voice made her stand out to bullies - until she flipped the script and turned it into her superpower. A young man talks about why he's cleaned up over a quarter million pounds of trash in our waterways, and finally, an 8 year-old friend of animals talks about why he held a memorial service for an egret.

GUESTS:

• Samirah Horton, aka DJ Annie Red: 14-year-old DJ, author, and anti-bullying activist from Brooklyn, New York. She joined Chion with her parents, Sonya and Glenn. Her book is called The Bully Stop
• Cash Daniels: 14-year-old conservationist from Chattanooga, Tennessee, with a passion for fish and wildlife. He has cleaned up 250,000 pounds of trash, recycled two tons of aluminum, and 2,000 miles of fishing line
• Jack Perch: 8-year-old from New London, Connecticut, who arranged a memorial service for an egret which was attacked by two teenagers. He joined Chion with his mom, Annah

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Everybody knows the "Can you hear me now?" guy. And everyone knows Flo from Progressive.

But what are the stories behind Paul Marcarelli and Stephanie Courtney, the actors who play these characters? What's it like being internationally known as the face of a brand? What's awesome about a gig like this, and what are some of the challenges that come with it?

GUESTS:

• Paul Marcarelli: Actor known as The "Can you hear me now?" guy seen in Verizon commercials since 2001. He is now the face of T-Mobile. Marcarelli is also a founding member of the Table Ten Films production company, and has written and produced independent films like The Green and Clutter
• Stephanie Courtney: Actress and comedian who has played the role of Flo in Progressive advertisements since 2008. Courtney is also a member of the Groundlings improv theater and has appeared on TV shows like Mad Men and The Goldbergs

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When you think of the word, "Psychopath", what do you picture?

A serial killer? A dictator? A cut-throat CEO? Your ex?

Sure, a few of those folks may be psychopaths. But many people with this mental health condition would argue that the usual stereotypes are way off. They are incapable of feeling empathy or developing any attachments, but that doesn't mean they are compelled to cause harm.

Today, two people who are psychopaths talk about how they've learned to adapt to a world full of feelings.

Listen to the extended version of our conversation with Athena Walker.

GUESTS:

• Athena Walker: Writes about her experiences with psychopathy on her substack and Quora, where she has over 40,000 followers
• Dr. James H. Fallon: A neuroscientist who discovered after a brain scan that he is a psychopath. He writes about it in his book, The Psychopath Inside: A Neuroscientist's Personal Journey into the Dark Side of the Brain

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When you think about the history of things that have gone viral, poetry is not usually what comes to mind. But as the latest surges in violence rage across the world, it turns out that poetry is something folks unite around.

Meet three people whose poems about war have gone viral, and find out how it both fed their purpose and

GUESTS:

• Lena Khalaf Tuffaha: Palestinian American poet, essayist, and translator who has authored three books of poetry. She won the 2018 Washington State Book Award for Poetry for her book “Water & Salt” which contains her viral poem Running Orders
• AnnaLynne McCord: Actress who published a video of her reading a poem about if she had been Vladimir Putin's mother. She is the President of "Together1Heart" which empowers women and children victimized by human-trafficking and sexualized violence
• Danielle Weisberg: Comedy writer and writer’s assistant who’s worked on CONAN, Krapopolis, and The Simpsons where she was nominated for a WGA Award in Animation. Her work has also been featured in McSweeney’s, Buzzfeed, and The Huffington Post

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Look at the people in the background of any rich person's dinner party - real or fictional - and you'll see them: The butlers.

How did they get there? How did they learn? And what do they get out of it - beyond the money, of course?

To answer those questions the founder and CEO of The International Butler Academy joins us alongside his executive head butler.

And hear from a palace manager in the Middle East, talking about why she has been drawn to this kind of work for over 35 years.

GUESTS:

• Mr. Robert Wennekes: Founder & CEO of The International Butler Academy in the Netherlands
• Mr. Adam Shimko: Executive Head Butler at The International Butler Academy in the Netherlands
• Marcia: Palace manager in the Middle East, serving for over 35 years

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Until 2003, very few people knew her name, and that was exactly as she liked it.

She was an undercover CIA operative working to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction - specifically, nuclear weapons.

But then, when members of the Bush administration leaked her identity to a journalist, all hell broke loose.

Hear about why she became an undercover agent, what exactly happened when her identity was exposed in 2003, and what life has been like since.

She is hosting the conference, "Spies, Lies, and Nukes" in Santa Fe, New Mexico from November 10-12.

GUEST:

• Valerie Plame: Former undercover CIA operative specializing in nuclear weapons. Author of the memoir, "Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House", and spy novels, "Blowback" and "Burned"

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Some people collect stamps. Coins. Trading cards. And as you've heard on our show before, some people collect barf bags. Tiny chairs. Bricks.

And some people's collections are a bit… darker.

Today, come with me as I tour the John Zaffis Museum of the Paranormal in Stratford, CT, containing hundreds of objects that are suspected of being haunted.

And find out what William Harder has learned about humanity by amassing one of the world's largest collections of art solely created by convicted murderers and serial killers.

GUESTS:

• William Harder: Collector of artwork made by imprisoned serial killers
• John Zaffis: Paranormal investigator, nephew of famous paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren, and owner of theJohn Zaffis Museum of the Paranormal in Stratford, Connecticut

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Oh my gourd do we want you to meet a man who set a world record for riding his giant pumpkin down the Missouri river!

And hold your breath as you hear from two women who won an underwater pumpkin carving contest!

And since it’s officially decorative gourd season, meet the author of that McSweeney's essay whose enthusiastic profanity somehow brings us all together every single autumn.

GUESTS:

• Duane Hansen: Set a world record for traveling the longest distance in a pumpkin boat in August 2022. His pumpkin, Berta, was 846 pounds and together they sailed for 38 miles down the Missouri River. It took 12 hours
• Josephine Walker & Stephanie McClary: Mother/daughter duo who won the Underwater Pumpkin Carving contest at the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary in October of 2019. Their design was of moray eels embracing a heart
• Colin Nissan: Author ofIt's Decorative Gourd Season, Motherfuckers, originally published in McSweeney’s in 2009

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Back in the day — with your Walter Cronkites and David Brinkleys — it felt kind ofinappropriate for an interviewer to bring their full selves to the conversation. It was all about the guest, after all, so why bother bringing their own distinctive flairs?

But now, people tune in as much for the interviewer as the one being interviewed. And because of that, the experience feels much more authentic!

So today, you'll get to know three masters of the craft who each have their own distinct, but oh so compelling styles of asking tough, thought-provoking questions.

EXTENDED INTERVIEWS:

• Mehdi Hasan
• Ziwe
• Gayle King

GUESTS:

• Mehdi Hasan: Host of The Mehdi Hasan Show on MSNBC and Peacock. His latest book is called Win Every Argument: The Art of Debating, Persuading, and Public Speaking
• Ziwe: Comedian, writer, actor, executive producer and star of ZIWE on Showtime. She is also known for her web series, Baited. Her book is called Black Friend: Essays
• Gayle King: Co-host of CBS This Morning, and editor-at-large of O, the Oprah Magazine. She is also the curator of the book, Note to Self: Inspiring Words From Inspiring People

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Mehdi Hasan is the host of The Mehdi Hasan Show on MSNBC and Peacock. His latest book is called Win Every Argument: The Art of Debating, Persuading, and Public Speaking.

Listen to our extended conversations with interviewers Ziwe and Gayle King.

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Ziwe is a comedian, writer, actor, executive producer and star of ZIWE on Showtime. She is also known for her web series, Baited. Her book is called Black Friend: Essays.

Listen to our extended conversations with interviewers Mehdi Hasan and Gayle King.

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Gayle King is the co-host of CBS This Morning, and editor-at-large of O, the Oprah Magazine. Curator of the book, Note to Self: Inspiring Words From Inspiring People.

Listen to our extended conversations with interviewers Mehdi Hasan and Ziwe.

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The poet, Atticus, wrote, “Have you ever smelled a smell and it instantly brings you back to a happy moment from your childhood? I always loved that. I hope that's what death is. Just sitting on a cloud, smelling old smells.”

That’s the inspiration for today’s episode, featuring 18 people talking about the smells that bring them back to childhood.

In addition to the guests below, you’ll hear the voices of Dave Borsvold from Mentor, Ohio, Higuchi Naoki from Osaka, Japan, Levi Lomaski from West Hartford, Brianne Decio from Waterford, Matthew from Ecuador, Nina Lesiga from Stratford, Lisa Niedermeyer and her mother, Michele, from Salt Lake City, Utah, Nicole Currivan from Syracuse, New York, Janice Wolf from Madison, and Brandon Blain from Lebanon, Connecticut.

GUESTS:

• Dr. Angharad Rudkin: Author and clinical child psychologist working in Hampshire, UK
• Raquel V Reyes: Author of many books, including her latest, Calypso Corpses, and Cooking (A Caribbean Kitchen Mystery) Here, she demonstrates how to make Cafe Cubano
• O’Nell Agossa: Originally from Benin, Africa, featured on our show about being a part of a diaspora
• Tanya Ko Hong: Originally from Korea, featured on our show about being part of a diaspora
• Isaiah Herrington: 10 year-old living in Hartford, Connecticut
• Alua Arthur: Death doula in Los Angeles, CA, founder of Going With Grace
• Atticus: Poet and author of the new book, LVOE
• Heather Ream: Writer from East Tennessee, who is a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP), originally featured on our show about super smellers

This show originally premiered October 14, 2022.

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Tired of the same old sports?

Well, listen to our show about weird sports!

Including extreme ironing, where people press their clothes at the top of volcanoes, in caves, even while hanging upside down in trees!

And there's cheese rolling, where people chase a cheese wheel which is barrelling down a steep hill.

And then there's the oh, so British sport of shin kicking! This is a centuries-old wrestling sport where opponents grab each other by the shoulders and kick the shin out of each other.

GUESTS:

• Florence Early: Four-time women’s cheese rolling champion, and star of the Netflix Documentary, "We Are The Champions: Episode 1"
• Pete "Buzzsaw" Holland: Shin Kicking referee or “stickler”. Shin kicking is a 400 year-old British wrestling sport in which players try to get each other to fall down by kicking each other in the shin
• Matthew Battley: New Zealand astrophysicist and extreme ironer. He has ironed on places such as mountains, active volcanoes and in lakes and caves

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Puns: some hate ‘em, some like 'em, and some are so passionate about being punny, so committed to quips, so delighted by double entendre, that they compete in events like the Punderdome.

The Punderdome is a monthly wordplay competition in New York where newbies go round after round, coming up with puns on a surprise theme, alongside some of the best punsters in the world.

Join Chion and Deputy director of storytelling for Connecticut Public, Meg Dalton, as they travel to Brooklyn to compete in - and be delighted by - the 'Dome.

GUESTS:

• Meg Dalton: Deputy director of storytelling for Connecticut Public; wordplay connoisseur
• Jerzy Gwiazdowski, AKA Lingo Star: Most winningest contestant at The Punderdome
• Fred Firestone: Co-creator and host of The Punderdome, a monthly wordplay competition at Littlefield Theater in Brooklyn, NY
• Allison Fisher, AKA Rhyme & Punishment: Winner of The Punderdome on May 10, 2023

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In the movies, cyborgs often don't have a soul or a conscience.

But in real life, some people become cyborgs in order to enhance the human experience and to be more connected with nature.

Like Neil Harbisson. He was born colorblind, but now, thanks to an antenna implanted into the base of his skull, he can hear colors!

And choreographer, Moon Ribas, had implants embedded in her feet that vibrated every time there was an earthquake of at least 1.0 on the Richter scale.

They are co-founders of the Transpecies Society and the Cyborg Foundation.

GUESTS:

• Neil Harbisson: For almost 20 years, has had an antenna implanted into the back of his skull that translates color into sound
• Moon Ribas: A choreographer who, for seven years, had implants in her feet that vibrated every time there was an earthquake of 1.0 on the Richter scale

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When Jenn Carson was nine years old, her mother sat her down and told her that her father had been arrested for hurting people.The world would later find out that Michael Bear Carson and his second wife, Suzan Carson, were serial killers.Hear how Jenn went from a traumatized little girl to a mental health advocate and crisis counselor, advocating against her father’s parole.

GUEST:

• Dr. Jenn Carson: She shares her experience as the suicidal child of a serial killer father, who grew up to become a mental health advocate, public speaker, and runs the Inland Southern California Crisis Helpline

If you are struggling with emotional distress, call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. It is free, confidential, and available 24/7, in English and Spanish.

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In 2006, dog trainer Toby Dorr, , made international headlines when she snuck John Manard, who was incarcerated for life, out of prison in a dog crate.

They were on the run for 12 days, until it all came to a crashing halt.

In this second installment of our "Why'd You Do It?" series, find out what went into all the choices Toby made, before, during, and long after the great escape.

Listen to the first installment of our "Why'd You Do It?" series

GUESTS:

• Toby Dorr: In 2006, she was arrested after sneaking John Manard out of Lansing Correctional Facility in a dog crate. She is the author of the memoir, “Living with Conviction” and ”You Are Not Your Worst Mistake: Poems from Prison”. Her podcast is called ”Fierce Conversations”. She lives outside Washington, DC

If you are struggling with emotional distress, you can call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. It is free, confidential, and available 24/7, in English and Spanish.

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Many of us would think that feelings of arousal would always be welcome! And maybe we would even want more of it.

But for our guests on this episode, persistent genital arousal disorder has made life very difficult.

One woman copes with more than 100 orgasms a day, another searches for peace as her body is stimulated by emotions of all kinds, and another has undergone surgeries and treatments to find relief.

We also hear from one of the world experts on this rare condition on what we know about it, and what can be done to help.

GUESTS:

• Dr. Robert Echenberg: Founder of the Echenberg Institute for Pelvic and Sexual Pain in Bethlehem, PA
• Kathrine Snyder: Author of Shimmering Around the Edges: A Memoir of OCD, Reality, and Finding God in Uncertainty
• Christine Hazel Decker: Author of Stripped: When Dignity Disappears: A Life Bared by PGAD and Transgenderism
• Lior Ofir: Blogs about having PGAD at her blog, My Vagina, My Life

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If you told comedian Zarna Garg five years ago that she would have her own Amazon comedy special, she might look at you funny. So to speak.

She immigrated to the United States at 16 years old to leave a difficult family situation. Then, she became a lawyer and a stay-at-home mom.

But in her mid-40s, she began exploring the comedy world, which has been rewarding her greatly ever since.

On this episode of Audacious, hear the lightness behind her dark humor, and how being an Indian woman in comedy is revolutionary.

GUEST:

• Zarna Garg: Began her stand-up comedy career at age 44, and now has 1.5 million followers on social media, an Amazon special called One In A Billion, and is the host of the newly-released podcast, The Zarna Garg Show

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"Never again."

That was the vow the international community took after the Holocaust, pledging to never repeat the kind of actions that led to the death of over 6 million Jewish people.

Unfortunately, the horrors of genocide have been seen again - in Armenia, in Rwanda, and now, in China.

On this episode of Audacious, meet a woman who was assaulted and forcibly sterilized while in a concentration camp. And a celebrated writer talks about his new memoir, Waiting to Be Arrested at Night: A Uyghur Poet's Memoir of China's Genocide.

GUESTS:

• Julie Millsap: Government Relations Manager at Uyghur Human Rights Project
• Omer Kanat: Executive Director of Uyghur Human Rights Project
• Zumrat Dawut: A Uyghur woman whose experience of escaping Chinese concentration camps was the basis for a story that won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Illustrated Reporting. She is interpreted in this interview by Zubayra Shamseden
• Tahir Izgil: Uyghur poet, filmmaker, and author ofWaiting to Be Arrested at Night: A Uyghur Poet's Memoir of China's Genocide.He is interpreted in this interview by historian and co-author, Joshua Freeman

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As part of NautiWeek, you’ll meet two people who broke world records while underwater on this episode of Audacious.

Budimir Šobat won a world record for holding his breath underwater for almost 25 minutes! What advice on breathing does he have for the rest of us?

Then, we connect with Dr. Joe Dituri, first as he was living in a hotel 30 feet below sea level for 100 days… And then after he resurfaces, setting the world record for the longest time living underwater.

GUESTS:

• Budimir Šobat: Beat the Guinness World Record for Longest time breath held voluntarily underwater (male). He used 100% oxygen and went 24 minutes and 37.36 seconds without breathing
• Dr. Joseph Dituri: To research the effects of long-term compression on the human body, he lived 30 feet underwater for 100 days at the Jules Jules’ Undersea Lodge. This made him the Guinness World Record-holder for longest time spent living underwater

Dive into all of the nautical themed stories airing this week on Connecticut Public's original talk shows by visiting ctpublic.org/nautiweek.

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When you know you’re months, maybe weeks away from your own death, what do you most want people to know?

As the first in a series of conversations with people near the end of their lives, we get to know David Meyers. He was a physician who was diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2018. He died on June 2nd, 2023.

Hear his reflections on life, love, and what really matters.

An extended version of this conversation is available in your podcast feed.

GUEST:

• Dr. David Meyers:A physician from the Washington, DC area. He died on June 2, 2023 after being diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2018

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When you imagine an umpire, a chess arbiter, or a boxing referee… Do you picture women?

Today, you'll hear stories from three women in the sports world who are thriving in those particular positions of power.

GUESTS:

• Kristi Howard: 11-year veteran softball umpire in Mississippi. After getting punched in the face by an angry parent, she is advocating for laws to classify assaults against umpires and referees as a felony aggravated assault
• Martha Underwood:National Tournament Director for the U.S. Chess Federation, a member of the U.S. Chess Accessibility and Special Circumstances Committee, and advocate for the non-profit, 9 Queens
• Sparkle Lee: First female boxing ref to be licensed in New York and New Jersey, the first woman to ref in the NY Golden Gloves boxing tournament, the only woman to ref a match at Yankee Stadium, and she was the first referee ever to be inducted into the International Women Boxing Hall of Fame

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Imagine you found out when you were a teen that your father was not your biological father.

That is what happened to both of our guests on this episode of Audacious.

One woman, Eve, then found out that her biological father was not the sperm donor her parents chose, but their fertility doctor. This is called “fertility fraud“. It is only illegal in 12 states (not including Connecticut), and not at all illegal on the federal level.

Another woman, Laura, developed health issues that were inherited. After finding half-siblings who were also struggling with similar issues, she asked her donor to disclose his medical records. He has refused. And there are no laws forcing him to comply.

Laura and Eve are now advocating for legal protections and changes to regulations in the fertility industry.

Find support groups for people navigating donor conception at Donor Conceived Community.

GUESTS:

• Laura High: A New York-based comedian who is trying to get medical records from her biological father after developing a benign brain tumor and hormonal disorders
• Eve Wiley: After finding out that her biological father was not the donor her parents chose, but their fertility doctor, Dr. Kim McMorries. She was part of the advocacy effort that led to Texas making fertility fraud a felony with punishment of between six months and two years in jail and a fine of up to $10,000

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When you think of the word, "Psychopath", what do you picture?

A serial killer? A dictator? A cut-throat CEO? Your ex?

Sure, a few of those folks may be psychopaths. But many people with this mental health condition would argue that the usual stereotypes are way off. They are incapable of feeling empathy or developing any attachments, but that doesn't mean they are compelled to cause harm.

Today, two people who are psychopaths talk about how they've learned to adapt to a world full of feelings.

Listen to the extended version of our conversation with Athena Walker.

GUESTS:

• Athena Walker: Writes about her experiences with psychopathy on her substack and Quora, where she has over 40,000 followers
• Dr. James H. Fallon: A neuroscientist who discovered after a brain scan that he is a psychopath. He writes about it in his book, The Psychopath Inside: A Neuroscientist's Personal Journey into the Dark Side of the Brain

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Hey there! This is the VERY much extended conversation that Chion had with the writer Athena Walker. She's got over 40,000 followers on Quora, where she talks about what it's like being a clinically diagnosed psychopath.

Please do check out the original episode posted just before this one, which also includes our conversation with Dr. James H Fallon.

He's a neuroscientist studying psychopathic killers, who found out via a brain scan that he IS one. Well not a killer, but a psychopath.

And that's something that comes up a lot in these conversations! The idea that just because you're a psychopath, that you are violent - this is not necessarily true. And it is one of so many things we often get wrong about psychopaths, and Athena is here to lovingly - well maybe not lovingly, but willingly - correct us.

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When Shannon Litchfield’s 11 year-old son, Cameron, was losing weight and feeling sick, she took him to the emergency room. The x-ray they saw showed magnets, screws, and yarn in his stomach.

We’ll explore the eating disorder known as Pica, where people are drawn to eating objects. A researcher talks about her findings after completing a research study with 600 parents of young children, and meet a woman who ate nearly two pounds of rocks every day for 20 years.

Click here for more information on Pica.

GUESTS:

• Teresa Widener: ABedford, Virginia woman who developed anemia during pregnancy, which began a 20 year addiction to eating rocks
• Sigita Lesinskiene: A child and adolescent psychiatry consultant at the Ministry of Health in Lithuania, and a professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at Vilnius University who has studied Pica in her country
• Shannon and Cameron Litchfield: Albany, Oregon residents who are learning to navigate life with Pica, after Cameron had to have surgery to remove magnets, screws, and yarn from his stomach

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Do pathological liars always believe the stories they tell?

What does it take for them to see the patterns behind their lies?

And what does honesty sound like from someone who has spent most of their lives making things up?

Two people talk about what it’s like to learn to tell the truth, and a researcher on deception shares how you can most effectively spot a lie.

Special thanks to Ellen Barry for her New York Times article, Can This Man Stop Lying?, which inspired this episode.

GUESTS:

• Dr. Christian L. Hart: Teaches courses in deception and forensic psychology and conducts research primarily on lying and deception at Texas Women’s University. He’s the co-author of Pathological Lying: Theory, Research, and Practice, and of the forthcoming book, Big Liars: What Psychological Science Tells Us About Lying, and How You Can Avoid Being Duped
• Chris Massimine: Began compulsively lying in the second grade. After lies on his resume were made public, he came out about his struggles with pathological lying in Newsweek
• Vironika Wilde: Poet, spoken word artist, and author of Love and Gaslight, has learned to control her compulsive lying, which began in middle school

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Almost 1000 people have won Nobel Prizes. But only 300 have won IG Nobel Prizes! That’s the award honoring achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think.In this episode, meet the creator of the prize, and three people who’ve won it!GUESTS:

• Marc Abrahams: Founder of the Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony in 1991, celebrating achievements that “make you laugh and then think”. He is also the co-founder and editor of the magazine, Annals of Improbable Research
• Kees Moeliker: Dutch biologist, ornithologist, and director of the Natural History Museum Rotterdam. He won an Ig Nobel Prize in Biology for his study of homosexual necrophilia in male mallards in 2003. He is also the founder of Dead Duck Day, which is held annually on June 5th
• Pavlo Blavatskyy: Professor of economics at Montpellier Business School. He won an Ig Nobel Prize for Economics in 2021 for his study correlating the perceived corruption of politicians and their body weight
• Patricia Yang: A two-time Ig Nobel Prize winner in Physics. The first was in 2015 for testing the biological principle that nearly all mammals empty their bladders in about 21 seconds (plus or minus 13 seconds). She won again in 2019 for studying how wombats make cubed poo

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What makes a man who grew up in the American south suddenly sound like he has a British accent?

Hear from Kenley Byrd, who’s had this accent since he had a mini-stroke thirteen years ago. He is one of fewer than 100 known people in history to have Foreign Accent Syndrome.

And find out what we know - and what we don’t know - about this extremely rare condition.

GUESTS:

• Professor Jack Ryalls: Professor Emeritus at the University of Central Florida in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, and co-author of Foreign Accent Syndromes: The stories people have to tell
• Kenley Byrd: Developed Foreign Accent Syndrome after having a mini-stroke in 2010. He runs a Facebook support group for people who have this condition

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Imagine if everything you heard - a door clicking shut, a passing car, dishes being put away, even your own voice - was excruciatingly loud.

Hear how one man copes with hyperacusis.

And a flute player talks about how she managed her hyperhidrosis - or extreme sweating - when she was playing Carnegie Hall and in everyday life.

Listen to the extended conversation with David Vance with closed captions.

GUESTS:

• David Vance:A resident of Ontario, Canada who has had hyperacusis - extreme sensitivity to sound - since 2017
• Caryn Toriaga: A flutist based in New York City who has been experiencing hyperhidrosis - excessive sweating - her whole life

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When you imagine an emotional support animal, what comes to mind? A dog?

Well how about a pigeon? A sugar glider? Or an emotional support pig?

Meet people who’ve paired up with these animals to make their lives - and mental health conditions - better.

GUESTS:

• Cynthia Zhou: Miu was her emotional support pigeon from 2016 to 2021. She is an advocate for Palomacy Pigeon and Dove Adoptions based out of San Francisco
• Arianna Preuss: Zaboo is her emotional support sugar glider, who also helps Arianna’s brother, who has Autism
• Megan Peabody: Hamlet is her 70 pound emotional support pig

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Nietzsche once said, “It is what one takes into solitude that grows there, the beast within included.”

This episode features three people who experienced solitude: by choice and not.

There’s a winter caretaker at Yellowstone, a runner-up from the History Channel show, Alone, and you'll hear from a Connecticut man who spent almost 30 years in solitary confinement.

GUESTS:

• Callie Russell: Contestant on Season 7 (aired in 2020) of Alone on the History Channel. She lasted 89 days in the Northwest Territories of Canada before being medically evacuated due to frostbite of the toes
• Steve Fuller: One of the last winter caretakers at Yellowstone National Park, a job he’s done for 50 years
• Ray Boyd: After serving 29.5 years incarcerated for a murder he committed at the age of 17, he became a spokesperson for Stop Solitary CT, which successfully rallied for changes in Connecticut's solitary confinement protocol. He is the author of Mind Over Matter: How I Became the Model Inmate

Jessica Severin de Martinez and Catie Talarski contributed to this show, which originally aired on September 22, 2022.

For more about Audacious with Chion Wolf, visit ctpublic.org/audacious.

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When people imagine becoming parents, they don’t often envision their child being born with a condition that requires lifetime care.

Hear reflections and wisdom from “forever parents” whose children have autism with anxiety and OCD; a disorder that caused 100 seizures a day; and Down Syndrome.

GUESTS:

• Carrie Carriello: Mother of five children, including 18 year-old Jack, who has Autism, OCD, and anxiety. She’s the author of two books, and writes regularly for the Huffington Post
• Adriana Piltz: Mother of three, including 24 year-old Nicky, who was born with tuberous sclerosis. He is non-verbal, has violent outbursts, and needs 24/7 care. She is the founder of Nicky’s Gardens of Hope, which raises money to create a more supported living situation for people with disabilities
• Cathy Carmode Lim, Marcelino Lim, and Marissa Lim: Cathay and Marcelino are parents to four daughters, including Marissa, a 24 year-old woman with Down Syndrome. Cathy writes about her experiences in parenting and more at lifeandlims.com

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Hey, kids! Did you know there are grown ups who are just as obsessed with Disney as you?

There's an adult out there who has full-sleeve tattoos of Disney characters, another who’s spent tens of thousands of dollars on merch, and one guy even set a world record for visiting Disneyland for almost 3,000 days in a row!

Those are just some of the Disney adults you’ll meet on today’s show.

GUESTS:

• Eric Aasen: Executive editor at Connecticut Public
• Abby Brone: Statewide housing reporter for Connecticut Public
• Jeff Reitz: Set a Guinness World Record for "Most Consecutive Visits To Disneyland", which was between January 1, 2012 to March 13, 2020, totaling 2,995 days
• Erin Dugan & Zach Bakken: Erin Dugan is the President of the Opera House Players in Enfield, where she and Zach met during an audition for Beauty and the Beast. Zach is a voice over actor who voiced characters for Disney World attractions
• Rozy Ambler: A collector of all things Disney, including ears, mugs, and bags. She is followed by 1.2 million people on TikTok where she shares her love of Disney, and advocates for better mental health
• AJ Wolfe: Operates the Disney Food Blog, followed by over three million people on social media
• Katie Charter: Social worker in Leicester, UK, who has a sleeve of Disney characters on her left arm. Her tattoo artist is Clairy Floofs Tattoo

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Ah, Craigslist’s Missed Connections.

Where else can you find that attractive guy you saw at that concert? Or the lady in the laundromat who held your gaze? Or reconnect with your long lost hairstylist?

Hear those stories, plus what a researcher learned from studying over 10,000 posts.

And what does it sound like when two Tony-nominated songwriters take Missed Connection posts and turn them into songs?

GUESTS:

• Ilia Blinderman is a Sr. Journalist-Engineer at The Pudding. In 2015, he studied data from over 10,000 Craigslist Missed Connections ads
• Anthony King is a Tony- and Emmy-nominated writer, producer and performer
• Scott Brown is a WGA-award-winning, Emmy-, Tony- and Drama Desk-nominated writer of theater, television and criticism
• Vinz Clortho (a pseudonym) is a Colchester resident who posted on Missed Connections after an encounter at a laundromat
• Allison Holst-Grubbe is a Manchester resident who found a long-lost beloved hairstylist via Missed Connections
• Alex Ferrante (a pseudonym) lives in the Washington, DC metro area, and posted to Missed Connections after an encounter in an Aldi grocery store
• Erin and Dan Kottke from MN, re-met through missed connections. They are celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary in March, and have two children

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Olusanya Bey is many things, but he's best known as a “love poet."

But that title comes after much deep, philosophical pondering: What does writing about love do for - and to - him? Must he have a tangible muse? And how does a love of self affect love for others?

Hear Olusanya Bey in Chion’s backyard for this third installment of a series of conversations with poets around a fire.

Listen to the first installment with Zulynette.

Listen to the second installment with Andrew Dean Wright.

GUEST:

• Olysanya Bey: Poet, community organizer, a mindfulness instructor, and a teaching artist in Hartford

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Imagine you’re at the beach, taking in the scenery, breathing in the fresh ocean air, when the sun hits something floating in the water just right… It’s a bottle! With a message inside that looks totally intact!Meet people who’ve found - and gotten back - their messages in bottles, and hear about one that was thrown from the Titanic.

GUESTS:

• Stefanie Marco Lantz, Lana & Tommy Simmons: The Simmons family received a message in a bottle as a donation at their thrift store in Statesville, NC. They tracked down its owner, Stefanie, in West Hartford, Connecticut. She had tossed her message in a bottle into the water near Martha’s Vineyard, MA back in 1982 when she was nine years old
• Eric and Melanie Dahl: Parents of Brian Dahl, who sent off a message in a bottle when he was 12 years old in 1989. He died in 2007, and his bottle was found in 2022
• Jack Walsh: General Manager at Cobh Heritage Centre in County Cork, Ireland. In their collection, they have a message in a bottle written by Jeremiah Burke that was thrown from the Titanic on its doomed voyage

Jessica Severin de Martinez and Catie Talarski contributed to this show, with help from our interns, Jacob Gannon and Taylor Doyle. This episode originally aired October 28, 2022.

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When we talk about people getting struck by lightning, we don’t often think, “wait, what does that really do to a person?”

A lightning strike expert talks about the physical and psychological effects of lightning hitting the human body, and tells us exactly what to do when a storm is coming.

Then, meet one woman whose personality and body changed forever, and one man who, after his near-death experience getting hit, became obsessed with the piano.

GUESTS:

• Dr. Mary Ann Cooper: Emergency physician and international expert in lightning injuries and lightning injury prevention. She is the co-author of Reducing Lightning Injuries Worldwide
• Shana Turner: Lightning strike survivor and special education teacher in Fayetteville, North Carolina
• Tony Cicoria: After getting struck by lightning in 1994, became obsessed with piano music. An original composition had been forming in his head since his near-death experience with the lightning bolt, called “Opus I: Lightning Sonata”. He recorded it in 2008

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In 2000, Sigrid Wade began writing to people on death row to express her solidarity against that kind of punishment; she never thought she’d end up marrying one of them and having a child. But that’s exactly what happened between her and Alan Wade.

Meet a sociologist who studies relationships like theirs, and hear directly from Sigrid and Alan about love, family, worthiness, and trust.

GUESTS:

• Megan Comfort: Senior research sociologist in Research Triangle Institute’s Transformative Research Unit for Equity. She is also affiliated faculty in the Division of Prevention Science at the University of California, San Francisco, and she works with the non-profit, UnCommon Law
• Sigrid Wade: Originally from France, now living in Florida, she met Alan Wade in 2014 via a pen pal program when he was on death row. They have been married for seven years, and they have a three year-old son. She's the co-founder of Wire of Hope's Prison Pen Pal Program
• Alan Wade: Currently serving life without the possibility of parole in a Florida prison

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When you know you’re months, maybe weeks away from your own death, what do you most want people to know?

As the first in a series of conversations with people near the end of their lives, we get to know David Meyers. He’s a physician who was diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2018. Hear his reflections on life, love, and what really matters.

An extended version of this conversation is available in your podcast feed.

GUEST:

• Dr. David Meyers:A physician living in the Washington, DC area. He is currently in hospice after being diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2018

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This is a special extended version of my conversation with Dr. David Meyers.

After five years of living with glioblastoma, a brain tumor, he is nearing the end of his life. He talks about what matters most to him, gives advice for those of us who aren't so willing to ponder death deeply, and shares how he wants to be remembered.

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What if, for as long as you can remember, you’ve strongly felt as though one of your healthy limbs just doesn't belong? You’ve always wished it could be amputated.

You aren’t the only person with this feeling, but you would be one of fewer than 400 documented cases of body integrity dysphoria (BID) or body integrity identity disorder (BIID) in the world.

Meet a man with BID, who, after years of struggling with his bodily identity, traveled to Asia to have his left leg under the knee amputated.

Hear how he’s felt since the surgery, and meet a bioethicist and moral philosopher who has pondered the origin and ethics of this rare condition.

GUESTS:

• Dr. Richard B. Gibson: A bioethicist and moral philosopher currently at the University of Texas Medical Branch. His thesis was about the ethics of elective amputations, specifically for body integrity identity disorder (BIID)
• Dan: A Wyoming man with BIID who had his left leg amputated below the knee in 2009, and started the BIID support group, “Fighting It”

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Beatboxing is so cool! Not only do you have portable access to a full drum set, but also to trumpets, guitars, turntables, and whatever else your body can imitate! It’s a fine art that is fully embodied.

Meet three beatboxers: One of the first on the scene to develop the craft, another who uses it to connect to herself and the rest of the world, and one 12 year-old who is making waves on beatbox competition stages.

GUESTS:

• Rahzel Manely Brown: Legendary beatboxer, former member of the Roots, and educator
• Gus Mcafoos and his mom, Deaneal: Gus is a 12 year-old beatboxer from Missouri who discovered beatboxing for himself during the pandemic
• Kaila Mullady: Two-time World Beatboxing Champion, worked with Lin Manuel Miranda’s freestyle rap group “Freestyle Love Supreme”, teaches beatboxing workshops, developed a program with the Academy of Noise to use beatboxing as a form of speech therapy

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All children are special. All twins are special! And these twins are especially… special!

On this episode, meet twins who:

-Were conceived 30 years ago and only born last year
-Were born on each side of the millennium
-Survived separation surgery in 2004
-Are, at six years old, still conjoined at the sternum

GUESTS:

• Rachel and Philip Ridgeway: Parents to twins from embryos frozen 30 years ago. Lydia and Timothy Ridgeway were born on Oct 31, 2022 from embryos frozen on April 22, 1992. They live outside Portland, OR with their four other siblings
• Julie, Jacob and Jordan Wallman: Julie is the mother of twins, Jacob and Jordan, who were born in Indianapolis, IN, on each side of the millennium: December 31, 1999 (Jacob) and January 1, 2000 (Jordan).
• Erin and Jade Buckles: Born in Woodbridge, VA as conjoined twins on Feb 26, 2004, connected from mid-chest to navel, sharing a pericardium — a sac around the heart — diaphragm, and liver. They underwent separation surgery on June 19, 2004, which left Erin paralyzed from the chest down
• Callie, Carter and Chelsea Torres: Chelsea is the mother of 6-year-old conjoined twins, Callie and Carter. They are joined at the sternum, share vital organs, and each have one leg. They joined us from Blackfoot, IN

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Last time, we did an episode about dominants in the world of BDSM and kink, and now? It’s time for the submissives to take center-stage.

Learn the difference between “submissive” and “slave”, and four people’s interpretations of what it means to obey, serve, and play.

GUESTS:

• Kate Kinsey: Author of How to be a Healthy and Happy Submissive: A Practical Guide to Making Your Fantasies a Reality, and What Submissives Want to Know: Real Questions, Real Answers
• Kim Debron: A collared slave and writer living in rural Australia. She has been in a relationship with Master Joe for 18 years. Her fiction books are Souls in Chains, and Broken Links
• Chastity Slave: A Connecticut-based man in a polyamorous relationship with his master
• Blyss: A Maryland woman who identifies as a slave

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Meet a world-renowned expert on kink who will explain exactly what we’re talking about when we talk about dominants. And you’ll meet three very different kinds of dominants in the BDSM world: One who is particularly sensual, one whose power lies in money, and one whose disability is just another component of his power.

This is the first of two episodes about kink. Tune in next week, when we meet four submissives, three of which refer to themselves as “slaves”, including a Black woman.

GUESTS:

• Midori: An international educator and author about sexuality, personal fulfillment, and kink. She is the author of many books, including Wild Side Sex: The Book of Kink
• Food Fetish: A Findomme (Financial Dominant) based in Canada, and the author of The Virtual Findom(me) - Your Beginner’s Guide to Helping You Find A Paypig
• Jade Desires: Massachusetts-based Professional Mistress and BDSM consultant with a passion for dominance and sensuality
• Raven Kaldera: Author of Hell on Wheels: Disabled Dominants. He is based out of central Massachusetts and is joined by his slaveboy, Joshua Tenpenny

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When you hear the words, “cuddle party”, what do you picture? Something playful? Something salacious? Something… else?

When your culture equates affection with attraction, how does it feel to challenge that connection? And to what degree can affection be healing when it isn't necessarily connected with sex?

Join Chion as she ponders all this during her experience one-on-one with a professional cuddlist, and then as she attends a 25-person-strong cuddle party.

GUESTS:

• Amanda Ananda: Professional cuddlist and cuddle party facilitator
• Isaac Paulman: Cuddle party facilitator-in-training

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Doing stand-up comedy isn’t easy for most human beings… So what’s it like for comedians who have a disability like cerebral palsy, amputations, or Tourette's?

GUESTS:

• Maysoon Zayid: Palestinian-American comedian, actress, and disability activist with cerebral palsy. She is the co-founder and co-executive producer of the New York Arab American Comedy Festival and The Muslim Funny Fest. She’s also the author of Find Another Dream and the graphic novel, Shiny Misfits
• Danielle Perez: Comedian, actor, and writer based in Los Angeles, whose legs were amputated after a trolley crash when she was 20
• Benny Feldman: Comedian based in New York City, recently named one of the New Faces at the 2022 Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal. Feldman is known for his one-liners and for performing with Tourette’s syndrome

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Hoarding disorder, as defined by the Mayo Clinic, is “a persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions because of a perceived need to save them.”

On this episode of Audacious, an expert on hoarding disorder explains the nuances of the condition. Then, a woman walks Chion through her home as she explores new ways to declutter her house. Plus, another woman talks about how she began making a lot of progress managing hoarding disorder by talking about it on YouTube.

For more information, visit NAMI - the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Their helpline is is 800-950-6264.

Special thanks to hoarding disorder remediation expert, Melissa Hladek, for help with this episode.

GUESTS:

• Dr. David Tolin: Founder and Director of the Anxiety Disorders Center and the Center for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy at The Institute of Living. He was also the original psychologist on the A&E series, “Hoarders”
• Rachel (pseudonym): Connecticut resident who has been working with hoarding disorder remediation expert, Melissa Hladek, to declutter her home
• Melanie Renee: Documented her journey as a recovered hoarder on the YouTube Channel, “A Hoarder’s Heart”. She lives in New Jersey

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This is an extended conversation about hoarding disorder with Dr. David Tolin.

Listen to the original podcast for a conversation with one woman who uses her YouTube channel to make progress coping with her hoarding disorder. Another woman gives Chion a her a tour of her home, and describes her relationship with clutter.

For more information, visit NAMI - the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Their helpline is is 800-950-6264.

GUEST:

Dr. David Tolin: Founder and Director of the Anxiety Disorders Center and the Center for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy at The Institute of Living. He was also the original psychologist on the A&E series, “Hoarders”

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A lot can happen in a year, you know? And if you’re anything like these folks, you’ve read over 365 books, you’ve become fluent in English by watching American t.v. shows, and you’ve gotten over a hundred rejections.

GUESTS:

• Kelsey Weekman:Culture reporter for Buzzfeed who read 390 books in a year
• Mathias Barra:French writer who became fluent in English in a year by watching 3 hours of American and British television every day
• Emily Winter: Comedy writer who strived to get 100 rejections in one year. She ended up getting 101 rejections and 39 acceptances

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Fewer than 10% of truck drivers are women, and in this episode, you’re going to meet three of them.

Spend the day with Chion and a tow truck driver, get to know a woman who runs a CDL training school, and hear about life on the road from a truck driver who happens to be a trans woman.

GUESTS:

• Chantel Comerford: A driver for Meagan’s Towing & Recovery out of Danbury, Connecticut. She lives in Sandy Hook
• Michele Howard: Owner of Affordable CDL Training School in Colchester, Connecticut
• Hope Alexander:Host of the podcast, Simply Live with Hope, where she talks about being a trans woman and her 12 years in the trucking industry. She lives in Georgia

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Our social media news feeds curate us as much as we curate our newsfeeds.

So what if, instead of subscribing to the same old fear-mongering, belittling, judgmental soundbites… We subscribe to accounts that peddle in love?

Today, meet three people who use social media to lift all tides.

GUESTS:

• Joel Cross:Grammy-nominated musician, poet, meditator, and traveler who asks his half-a-million followers to pause and ask, "How's your heart?", on the handle, @asoulcalledjoel
• Scott Tatum: A hiker and "self-care savage", he's best known by his one million followers for his "Friendly Reminders" on the handle, @ucanoutdoors
• Daníel Colón:Their social media handle, @ColorMeCrazy, combines meditations, encouraging pep talks, and lip-synching motivational messages from Abraham Hicks

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In the last episode, "Social media, the algorithm, and the state of our hearts", we met social media uplifters, Joel Cross, Scott Tatum, Daníel Colón, and via, Daníel, Abraham Hicks!

To prepare for that episode, we gathered a ton of clips from their newsfeeds! Since we couldn't fit them all into the show, treat yourself to this macrodose of love.

GUESTS:

• Joel Cross:Grammy-nominated musician, poet, meditator, and traveler who asks his half-a-million followers to pause and ask, "How's your heart?", on the handle, @asoulcalledjoel
• Scott Tatum: A hiker and "self-care savage", he's best known by his one million followers for his "Friendly Reminders" on the handle, @ucanoutdoors
• Daníel Colón:Their social media handle, @ColorMeCrazy, combines meditations, encouraging pep talks, and lip-synching motivational messages from Abraham Hicks

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Sure, you love The Price Is Right, Wheel Of Fortune, and Jeopardy!

But what does it take to go through the audition process and get on those shows?

On this show, meet three people who did just that and get some life advice from those iconic soundstages.

GUESTS:

• Bob Knych of Pawtuket, RI, was on The Price Is Right in 2006 and 2019
• Ash Colwell of Charlotte, NC, appeared on Wheel Of Fortune, which was broadcasted on August 3, 2020
• Terry Wolfisch Cole of West Simsbury, CT, was on JEOPARDY. Her appearance aired on January 6th, 2022

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Meet a man who has a compelling story as to why he believes he is the reincarnation of civil war General John P. Gordon.

Then, a researcher who studies past lives on why reports from children are so compelling.

Finally, sit in with Chion during her past life regression in Old Saybrook.

If you like this episode, you may also enjoy this one we did in October, 2021: What near-death and shared-death experiences tell us about living

GUESTS:

• Jeffrey Keene: Retired Assistant Fire Chief from Westport, Connecticut who claims to be the reincarnation of civil war General John B. Gordon. He is the author of Someone Else's Yesterday: The Confederate General and Connecticut Yankee and Fire in the Soul: Reincarnation from Antietam to Ground Zero. His story was researched in the Sci-Fi series, "Proof Positive".
• James Matlock: Research Fellow at the Parapsychology Foundation, and the author of Signs of Reincarnation: Exploring Beliefs, Cases, and Theory, and the co-author along with Erlendur Haraldsson of I Saw a Light and Came Here: Children’s Experiences of Reincarnation
• Patty Hall: Hypnotherapist specializing in Past Life Regression therapy and Deep Memory Processing

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For some, the hijab is seen as an oppressive symbol – right now Iranian women are burning their headscarves in protest. But for other women around the globe – the hijab is a symbol of empowerment, beauty, and faith.

On this episode of Audacious, we hear from two women about their very different experiences with the hijab.

GUESTS:

• Jacqueline Saper:Author ofFrom Miniskirt to Hijab: A Girl in Revolutionary Iran. She was born and raised in Tehran to Iranian and British parents, and lived through the implementation of hijab laws after the revolution in 1979. She moved to Houston, TX in 1987
• Mubarakah Ibrahim:Hijabi Muslim fitness and nutrition coach living in New Haven, CT. She just won three medals and broke records in the U.S. Powerlifting Association Connecticut State Championship!

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Consider all the stuff in your kitchen. There’s at least ONE thing in there with a story behind it, right?

Today’s episode features conversations with eleven people about the stories behind their special kitchen utensil or appliance.

GUESTS:

• Susan Jane Bigelow of Enfield, Connecticut, has a very special spoon
• Emily and Kevin Tracy of Windsor, Connecticut, have a utensil set that Emily borrowed long-term from an airline
• Joy Braddock from West Hartford loves her spatulas
• Debra Walsh from West Hartford, Connecticut, inherited a rolling pin that does more than flatten dough
• Amanda Delaura of Manchester, Connecticut, walked a mile in heels with her KitchenAid mixer
• Josh Lewis of New York, New York, cherishes his coveted veggie peeler
• Cureen Blake of Hartford, Connecticut inherited tools to make Bammies
• James Hines is the Co-Owner of Cookshop Plus in West Hartford. He has a hand-me-down that is much loved, yet rarely used
• Lois Lee is the Director of the Chinese American Planning Council in Flushing, NY, whose double boiler is in the Tenement Museum
• Susan Jacobsen of Tyler, Minnesota, has a rare Rullepølse Press
• Raquel V. Reyes of Miami, Florida, is the author of The Caribbean Kitchen Mystery Series. She has a precious cookbook that is simultaneously lost and found

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In previous installments of our Behind the Screens series - where we talk with people who make the entertainment industry work - we met the costume director for Schitt’s Creek, an intimacy coordinator, the food illustrator for the Great British Baking Show, and even the person who is responsible for hiring the most recent Fab 5 for Queer Eye!

On this episode, you’ll hear stories from three folks involved with Netflix shows,Too Hot to Handle, Bullshit the Game Show, and The Sandman.

GUESTS:

• Rhonda Paul:Contestant on the inaugural season of the Netflix reality series,Too Hot To Handle
• Chad Haywood: Casting director for the Netflix series, Bullshit the Game Show
• Jamin Bricker:Editor for the Netflix series,The Sandman

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There’s really no way to avoid the obvious: Early-onset Alzheimer’s disease is a scary condition. The causes are somewhat mysterious, results of treatments are mixed, and there is no cure. A diagnosis will impact everybody who it touches - logistically, financially, psychologically, and emotionally.

Today, you’re going to meet a man living alone with early onset, and a husband and wife team who are doing everything they can to make sure the husband is cared for.

And you’ll get some helpful things to keep in mind from a dementia-care education specialist.

1-800-272-3900 is The Alzheimer's Association’s helpline. It is open 24/7.

GUESTS:

• Teepa Snow: A dementia-care education specialist with a background in occupational therapy and close to 40 years of clinical practice, using a "positive approach to care"
• Brian Van Buren: Started experiencing memory issues when he was 50, but wasn’t formally diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's until age 64. He was a 2017 member of the National Alzheimer’s Association early onset advisory group, and is a member of the Dementia Action Alliance Advisory Board to bring awareness to people of color and the LGBTQIA+ community
• Marva and Tyrone Patterson: Pastors at Rescue Temple in East Hartford. Tyrone began experiencing symptoms of early-onset Alzheimer's in January of 2021

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The first person in our series featuring poets around a fire in Chion’s backyard was Zulynette.

This time, meet Andrew Dean Wright. In addition to being a photographer, digital artist, and elegant roller skater, he is a curious, gentle, and powerful poet.

Enjoy this conversation between them, recorded in Hartford on August 24, 2022.

Listen to a recent Colin McEnroe Show featuring poets, Margaret Gibson, Yanyi, and Matthew Zapruder.

GUEST:

• Andrew Dean Wright: Hartford-based poet, artist, and roller skater

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Imagine you’re at the beach, taking in the scenery, breathing in the fresh ocean air, when the sun hits something floating in the water just right… It’s a bottle! With a message inside that looks totally intact!

Meet people who’ve found - and gotten back - their messages in bottles, and hear about one that was thrown from the Titanic.

GUESTS:

• Stefanie Marco Lantz, Lana & Tommy Simmons: The Simmons family received a message in a bottle as a donation at their thrift store in Statesville, NC. They tracked down its owner, Stefanie, in West Hartford, Connecticut. She had tossed her message in a bottle into the water near Martha’s Vineyard, MA back in 1982 when she was nine years old
• Eric and Melanie Dahl: Parents of Brian Dahl, who sent off a message in a bottle when he was 12 years old in 1989. He died in 2007, and his bottle was found in 2022
• Jack Walsh: General Manager at Cobh Heritage Centre in County Cork, Ireland. In their collection, they have a message in a bottle written by Jeremiah Burke that was thrown from the Titanic on its doomed voyage

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The person who took 17 lives in Parkland, Florida on Valentine’s Day of 2018 was recently spared the death penalty.

Hear from Manuel Oliver, the father of Joaquin, who was murdered that day, about how he uses art and media to rally for gun control. You’ll also hear his reaction to the sentencing.

GUEST:

• Manuel Oliver: Father of Joaquin Oliver, who was one of 17 murdered students and teachers at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida in 2018. He is also the co-founder of Change The Ref, whose mission statement is “To raise awareness about mass shootings through strategic interventions that will reduce the influence of the NRA on the Federal level”

Jessica Severin de Martinez and Catie Talarski contributed to this show, with help from our interns, Jacob Gannon and Taylor Doyle.

Audacious with Chion Wolf is available as a podcast onApple Podcasts,Spotify,Google Podcasts,Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!

Join the conversation onFacebook,Twitter, and email.

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The poet, Atticus, wrote, “Have you ever smelled a smell and it instantly brings you back to a happy moment from your childhood? I always loved that. I hope that's what death is. Just sitting on a cloud, smelling old smells.”

That’s the inspiration for today’s episode, featuring 18 people talking about the smells that bring them back to childhood.

In addition to the guests below, you’ll hear the voices of Dave Borsvold from Mentor, Ohio, Higuchi Naoki from Osaka, Japan, Levi Lomaski from West Hartford, Brianne Decio from Waterford, Matthew from Ecuador, Nina Lesiga from Stratford, Lisa Niedermeyer and her mother, Michele, from Salt Lake City, Utah, Nicole Currivan from Syracuse, New York, Janice Wolf from Madison, and Brandon Blain from Lebanon, Connecticut.

GUESTS:

• Dr. Angharad Rudkin: Author and clinical child psychologist working in Hampshire, UK
• Raquel V Reyes: Author of many books, including her latest, Calypso Corpses, and Cooking (A Caribbean Kitchen Mystery) Here, she demonstrates how to make Cafe Cubano
• O’Nell Agossa: Originally from Benin, Africa, featured on our show about being a part of a diaspora
• Tanya Ko Hong: Originally from Korea, featured on our show about being part of a diaspora
• Isaiah Herrington: 10 year-old living in Hartford, Connecticut
• Alua Arthur: Death doula in Los Angeles, CA, founder of Going With Grace
• Atticus: Poet and author of the new book, LVOE
• Heather Ream: Writer from East Tennessee, who is a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP), originally featured on our show about super smellers

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Humans of New York is a photo-slash-storytelling-slash-fundraising powerhouse with 30 million followers on social media.

You read narratives about overcoming adversity, personal revelations, or just flat-out great stories.

Just that combination alone - the photos and their captions - have been enough to launch Humans of New York into worldwide popularity. But its creator, Brandon Stanton, has taken it one step further.

When a subject of his tells a story about a specific need, he shares their GoFundMe page, and it explodes with contributions from HONY fans.

On today’s show, you’ll hear my conversation with Brandon at The Connecticut Forum recently, as he talks about his process, overcoming rejection, and the new era of Humans of New York as a philanthropic powerhouse.

GUEST:

• Brandon Stanton: The creator of Humans of New York, where he features photographs and captions of his subjects.

Jessica Severin de Martinez and Catie Talarski contributed to this show.

Audacious with Chion Wolf is available as a podcast onApple Podcasts,Spotify,Google Podcasts,Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!

Join the conversation onFacebook,Twitter, and email.

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Nietzsche once said, “It is what one takes into solitude that grows there, the beast within included.”

This episode features three people who experienced solitude: by choice and not.

There’s a winter caretaker at Yellowstone, a runner-up from the History Channel show, Alone, and hear from a Connecticut man who spent almost 30 years in solitary confinement.

GUESTS:

• Callie Russell: Contestant on Season 7 (aired in 2020) of Alone on the History Channel. She lasted 89 days in the Northwest Territories of Canada before being medically evacuated due to frostbite of the toes
• Steve Fuller: One of the last winter caretakers at Yellowstone National Park, a job he’s done for 50 years
• Ray Boyd: After serving 29.5 years incarcerated for a murder he committed at the age of 17, he became a spokesperson for Stop Solitary CT, which successfully rallied for changes in Connecticut's solitary confinement protocol. He is the author of Mind Over Matter: How I Became the Model Inmate

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Do you ever see people doing something that just ain’t right, and no one’s doing anything about it… So you take matters into your own hands?

Today, meet one Portland, Oregon auto shop owner who has recovered over 200 stolen cars in less than a year.

And meet another man who uses humor to shame people when they don’t return their shopping carts.

Plus, CT Public’s own Colin McEnroe talks about his Facebook post about the morality of returning your shopping cart. That post detonated hundreds of passionate comments, leaving him with a whole slew of new insights into humanity.

GUESTS:

• Nick Haas:Owner of RBP Auto & Cycle in Portland Oregon who has recovered over 200 stolen vehicles in the past year
• Colin McEnroe: Writer and host of The Colin McEnroe Show on CT Public
• Sebastian Davis:Founder of Cart Narcs, a YouTube channel where he confronts people who don’t bring their shopping carts back to the store or cart corral

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We know that some of our Audacious episodes, well, they can be kinda heavy.

So for our 100th episode, it’s all about GOOD NEWS!

You’ll hear about a baby announcement, an upcoming wedding, and a big grant approval. Plus, a powerful compliment, an important anniversary, a surprising acceptance at a funeral, and even what it’s like to find out that you just won a year’s worth of free smoothies!

GUESTS:

• Alexa La Fever, Empress of Tease: Burlesque teacher based in Hartford, CT
• Coleman Gladis: Filmmaker, composer, and Chion's cousin, based in Malvern, PA
• Dr. Brenton Graveley: Professor and Chair of Genetics and Genome Sciences at University of Connecticut Health Center. He runs the Graveley Lab, which studies RNA
• Andre Rochester: Fine artist, curator, art advocate and administrator living in East Hartford
• Karleigh Webb: Journalist and co-host of the podcast, The Trans Sporter Room. She is based out of New Britain, CT
• Katie Blanchard & Amy Radzvilowicz: Newly-engaged couple based out of New London, CT
• Nina & Nicole Jackman: Couple celebrating 10 years together, living and raising their family in central Connecticut

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On this rebroadcast, you'll hear a seasoned pro taking Chion into the depths of a dumpster in West Springfield, Massachusetts, plus a tik tok star talks about how she got hooked on dumpster diving.

You’ll also get some do’s and don’ts from a guy who wrote a book about it!

GUESTS:

• Robert Vadas is the author of A Beginner's Guide to Dumpster Diving and the creator of the Facebook group, Dumpster Diving Tips and Finds
• Tiffany Butler from Denton, Texas, is also known on Tiktok as “The Dumpster Diving Mama”. She has 2.4 million followers.
• Deirdre lives in Longmeadow, MA. She goes dumpster diving regularly

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When I say, “The Sugar Lifestyle”, I'm not talking about the typical high-fructose, American diet. I’m talking about the often financially-centered lifestyle of sugar daddies and sugar babies.

On this episode, you’ll hear from one sugar baby who teaches women how to “embrace their inner sugar”, and from a sugar daddy who talks with us about the ways in which meeting women this way has changed his life.

A researcher will give you a lay of the land, and you’ll hear stories about what it’s like being a sugar baby with absolutely no expectation of sex.

GUESTS:

• Srushti Upadhyay: a Graduate Instructor at SUNY Buffalo's Department of Sociology. Her research, titled, “Sugaring: Understanding the World of Sugar Daddies and Sugar Babies” was published in the Journal of Sex Research in January, 2021
• Kerry: from New York, NY, and in 2008, she had an ongoing, non-sexual relationship with a sugar daddy
• Marcus (pseudonym): Host of the podcast, Secrets of a Sugar Daddy. He found the lifestyle after the divorce of his 16-year marriage. He joined us from Arizona
• Taylor B. Jones: Author of The Sugar Daddy Formula: A Sugar Baby's Ultimate Guide to Finding a Wealthy Sugar Daddy and host of The Sugar Daddy Formula Podcast

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For over a year, we followed American, Francesca Cronin as she experienced being a high school student abroad in Sarajevo.

You’ll hear what she felt, what she learned, and how she changed.

Plus, you’ll hear her dad’s reflections on loving her from afar, and from the best friend she made over there, too!

And Audacious producer, Jessica Severin de Martinez, talks about how her experience as a German student in the United States 25 years ago formed her life.

GUESTS:

• Francesca Cronin:A high school student from Dunstable, Massachusetts, who spent an academic year abroad in Sarajevo. She was part of the YES Abroad program
• Peter Cronin:Francesca’s father
• Azra Hrnjica:Francesca’s best friend in Sarajevo

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Writer and educator, Dr. César A. Cruz, said, “Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable”.

So on this episode, meet a goldsmith who turns expired abortion pills into jewelry, another artist who uses word art to amplify messages of racial justice, and a cartoonist who puts Disney characters into dire, real-life situations.

GUESTS:

• Dani Coke: An illustrator and activist representing Black history, racial justice, and social dynamics through easy-to-digest drawings, diagrams, and flowcharts. She’s originally based out of Atlanta
• Eva van Kempen: An Amsterdam-based jewelry “artivist” and trained goldsmith who tackles women’s rights, health, and individual freedoms with her jewelry creations, like a crown made out of expired abortion pills, necklaces out of IV tubes, or bracelets out of birth-control pills
• Jeff Hong: A Los Angeles-based animation artist who went viral for his work, "Unhappily Ever After", where he puts Disney characters into rough environments to make people think about environmental and social issues

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Today: Audacious trick shots!

Hear from a guy who went viral for throwing plungers onto store signs, a Harlem Globetrotter on his slam dunk from 13,000 feet, a young woman who threw out the pre-game pitch at all 30 major league stadiums with her robotic hand, and one man whose 24-hour basketball free-throw experience created a massive fundraising operation for people with cancer.

GUESTS:

• Chris Ivan: Has over a million followers on TikTok who watch him throw plungers at company signs
• Hailey Dawson: Has Poland Syndrome, resulting in missing digits in her hand, threw out the first pitch at all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums using her robotic hand. She's joined by her mother, Yong.
• Mike Slonina: The founder and CEO of A Shot For Life. It was started after his mother was diagnosed with a potentially malignant brain tumor, and he raised money for research by doing a 24 hour basketball shoot-a-thon (in which he shot a 73.2% with a majority of shots taken from the mid-range and three-point area)
• Hammer Harrison: Has been with the Harlem Globetrotters since 2009. A six-time Guinness World Record holder, in 2019, he made a slam dunk from 13,000 feet

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I think it’s safe to say that all of us have multifaceted relationships with the way our faces look.

We may notice a blemish here, a scar there, a bump or a divot all arranged on our face to show the world some of what makes us… us.

But what if, on your precious face, it wasn’t just a blemish or a bump, but an injury so extensive that it makes people stare? Makes you reconsider what beauty means, and how you measure your worth. Makes public radio show producers reach out to ask you to talk about it: How it’s formed you, how it’s changed you, how it hasn’t… and if you’d reverse it if you could.

Today, meet three people who’ve had this experience: One whose face was burned by fire, another whose face was burned by a botched medical procedure, and another who lost her nose to a dog bite.

There was a special mention of the show brought up during Tessa's segment on the complicated relationship models have to beauty. Listen to it here.

GUESTS:

• Zaid Garcia: When he was two, a candle fell onto his blanket when he was in bed, and he suffered burns on 80% of his body. His entire scalp is scarred, skin covers his eyes, and he’s lost his nose, his lips, his hands, and one toe. He lives in Galveston, TX, and his GoFundMe has gone viral
• Tessa Schiethart: Born with Sturge-Weber Syndrome, which resulted in glaucoma and a port wine stain on her face. When she was two years old, a medical procedure to remove the birthmark burned and scarred her from scalp to mouth. She is a coach living in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and is the author of "To Face The Work", about the experiences of people with visible facial differences in the workplace
• Gabby Myers: Her nose was bitten off by a dog in 2017. She has had seven reconstructive surgeries. She lives in Elwood, Indiana

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Zulynette needs no last name.

She’s a Hartford-based poet (among other things) whose book, Seeing in the Dark, just came out.

She joins Chion around a fire to talk about poetry, power, and, of course, names.

GUEST:

• Zulynette: Visual artist, social worker, host of The Creative Alchemist podcast, creative workshop facilitator, creator of A Little Bit of Death, and a poet. Her books are Building A Powerhouse(2017) and the recently-released Seeing In The Dark

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Note from Chion: This episode of Audacious deals with themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including stories from our guests about rape and assault.

Ten people talk about why they had an abortion, how they feel about it years down the road, and how they felt when Roe v. Wade was overturned.

Plus, what it's like telling your abortion story as a comedian. Alison Leiby, a Brooklyn-based writer and comedian, created her show, "Oh God, A Show About Abortion," which premiered at the Cherry Lane Theatre in New York in April of 2022.

The phone number for the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) is 1-800-656-4673. That line is open 24/7.

GUESTS:  Janice Wolf: Had her abortion 15 years ago after the fetus was diagnosed with cystic hygroma Emily Woodward Tracy: Had her abortion after an unplanned pregnancy when she was 16 "Anastasia" (pseudonym): Had her abortion when she was in her early 20's after being drugged and raped Katrice Claudio: Had her abortion at 23 years old after an unplanned pregnancy Linda Storms: Had her abortion after she had an "incomplete miscarriage" Ryan Lindsay: Had her abortion after an unplanned pregnancy Amy Philips: Creator of the Facebook group, “I Regret My Abortion”. She had hers after an unplanned pregnancy when she was 22 Serena Dyksen: Had an abortion at 13 years old after being raped by her uncle Jarrell Prichard: When he was in high school, was the partner of his teenage girlfriend who had three abortions Alison Leiby: A comedian who has a show called "Oh God, A Show About Abortion". She had hers after an unplanned pregnancy when she was 35

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Almost 1000 people have won Nobel Prizes. But only 300 have won IG Nobel Prizes! That’s the award honoring achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think.

In this episode, meet the creator of the prize, and three people who’ve won it!

Mark your calendar: The next Ig Nobel Prize ceremony will happen on September 15, 2022!

GUESTS:  Marc Abrahams: Founder of the Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony in 1991, celebrating achievements that “make you laugh and then think”. He is also the co-founder and editor of the magazine, Annals of Improbable Research Kees Moeliker: Dutch biologist, ornithologist, and director of the Natural History Museum Rotterdam. He won an Ig Nobel Prize in Biology for his study of homosexual necrophilia in male mallards in 2003. He is also the founder of Dead Duck Day, which is held annually on June 5th Pavlo Blavatskyy: Professor of economics at Montpellier Business School. He won an Ig Nobel Prize for Economics in 2021 for his study correlating the perceived corruption of politicians and their body weight Patricia Yang: A two-time Ig Nobel Prize winner in Physics. The first was in 2015 for testing the biological principle that nearly all mammals empty their bladders in about 21 seconds (plus or minus 13 seconds). She won again in 2019 for studying how wombats make cubed poo

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Think about your BFF (that’s Best Friend For Life).

Now, imagine if that “for life” part was a deliberate, co-creative commitment.

You’re free to date other people if you’re into that kinda thing, but you put each other down as your emergency contact, you live together, you may even raise kids together.

On this episode, you’ll meet people who are in what’s called Platonic Life Partnerships, or PLP’s.

GUESTS:  Rhaina Cohen: producer and editor for NPR’s Enterprise Storytelling Unit. She talked about it in her Atlantic article from October of 2020, “What If Friendship, Not Marriage, Was at the Center of Life?” April Lee and Renee Wong: PLPs living in Los Angeles, CA John Carroll and Joe Rivera: PLPs living in Austin, TX

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What’s it like to be a child prodigy?

In this episode, you’ll meet a boy who became a chess master at the age of ten, a pair of siblings who started college at seven years old, and one of the youngest members of the high-IQ society, Mensa, who joined it when she was two.

GUESTS:  Tanitoluwa Adewumi: an 11-year-old Nigerian-American chess prodigy and chess master, who co-wrote My Name Is Tani . . . and I Believe in Miracles: The Amazing True Story of One Boy’s Journey from Refugee to Chess Champion Tanishq Abraham: began community college at 7, and got his BS in biomedical engineering at 14 years old. He is now an 18-year-old PhD candidate in biomedical engineering at the University of California, Davis Tiara Abraham: began community college at 7, and is now a 16-year-old graduate at the University of California, Davis with a Bachelor’s in Vocal Performance Kashe Quest: became the youngest member of Mensa at the age of 2. She just turned 4  Sukhjit Athwal: Kashe’s mom, and Founder of The Modern Schoolhouse in Los Angeles

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How do auctioneers do what they do?

Meet some of the best in the business, including a 102 year-old auctioneer - America’s oldest.

Plus, hear what it was like for the guy who auctioned off that $28 million seat on the rocket ship, New Shepard.

And find out what happens when a lead charity auctioneer for Christie’s teams up with Bruce Springsteen.

Finally, find out how Chion did when she tried her hand at auctioneering for the first time!

Photo: Rafiq Maqbool/AP

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Here are a few things we often get wrong about anorexia:

That it always has something to do with body image.

That men don’t really get it.

That it’s insurmountable.

Hear from an eating disorder specialist, and two people - including one who is in recovery - talking about their lives with anorexia.

Photo: Getty Images

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When you hear the words, “cuddle party”, what do you picture? Something playful? Something salacious? Something… else?

When your culture equates affection with attraction, how does it feel to challenge that connection? And to what degree can affection be healing when it isn't necessarily connected with sex?

Join Chion as she ponders all this during her experience one-on-one with a professional cuddlist, and then as she attends a 25-person-strong cuddle party.

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You may be familiar with Joan of Arc, who cut her hair, wore men’s clothing and, well, led the French army in a momentous victory in 1429…

But what about all the other women who dressed like the men of their times and cultures to get stuff done?

You’ll hear all about them in this conversation with Tracy Dawson, author of Let Me Be Frank: A book about women who dressed like men to do shit they weren’t supposed to do.

Photo: Kathleen Munroe

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Humans of New York is a photo-slash-storytelling-slash-fundraising powerhouse with 30 million followers on social media.

You read narratives about overcoming adversity, personal revelations, or just flat-out great stories.

Just that combination alone - the photos and their captions - have been enough to launch Humans of New York into worldwide popularity. But its creator, Brandon Stanton, has taken it one step further.

When a subject of his tells a story about a specific need, he shares their GoFundMe page, and it explodes with contributions from HONY fans.

On today’s show, you’ll hear my conversation with Brandon at The Connecticut Forum recently, as he talks about his process, overcoming rejection, and the new era of Humans of New York as a philanthropic powerhouse.

Photo: Nick Caito Photo

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Medical aid in dying offers what some may call “a good death”. But how will the increased use of it change our relationship with dying?

Meet a hospice and palliative care consultant who has been present for over 1,500 deaths, and hear his concerns about the effect of so-called “designer deaths” on the human species.

Then, hear from a woman living with terminal cancer who is an enthusiastic advocate for passing Medical Aid-In-Dying legislation in Connecticut.

Photo: Getty Images

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What's it like being an environmental activist who takes a vow of silence for 17 years?

What's life like as a Trappist monk who defaults to silence for a lifetime?

And what's it like to be a public radio host who gives up speaking for a week? The voice in Chion's head narrates the experience, and you'll hear audio she collected along the way.

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This is a bonus track from the first time Chion Wolf spoke after a week-long vow of silence.

It was for an episode of Audacious featuring two people who've had their own vows of silence, including an environmental activist who didn't speak for 17 years (with the exception of one time), and a Trappist monk, whose lifestyle defaults to silence.

This video of this moment is also available here: ctpublic.org/audacious.

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The most common name in the United States is Smith, and if that's your surname, you'll have around 4.5 million others in the world to share it with.

But just because you have a popular name like, say, Pat Smith, that doesn’t mean that you’re common!

The four Pat Smiths you’ll meet are unique: an environmental activist, an adventurous videographer, an African-American kindergarten teacher in Japan, and a beloved mentor who taught me in 3rd and 5th grade.

Enjoy the Pat Smith Show!

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The odds that you’ll be in an airplane crash are about 1 in 1.2 million. The odds you’ll die that way? 1 in 11 million. So what’s it like being someone who made it through something like that?

On today’s show, hear stories from two people who did, including a military pilot, and a woman who was one of only two survivors of a crash that claimed 107 lives.

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It’s one thing to have a hard time with parenthood. But what if you wholeheartedly regret it?

On this Gracie Award-winning episode, hear from two parents who feel this way, and find out how they balance feeling full of regret while wanting to make sure their kids are well taken care of. And is it really possible to love someone whom they regret bringing into existence?

You’ll also meet a woman who knew she was regretted, and find out why she thinks we should be more open about it.

Our programming is made possible thanks to listeners like you. Please consider supporting this show and Connecticut Public with a donation today by visiting ctpublic.org/donate.

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This episode of Audacious is tops!

You’re gonna meet the first African-American to summit Everest, the world’s first candidate to consider transplanting his head onto a different body, and how teachers and students of a special education school in the UK beat the world record for the tallest stack of hats worn for at least 30 seconds!

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On past episodes of our Audacious Love series, we’ve talked with people who’ve been married for over 50 years, people who’ve fallen in love with synthetic companions, people who’ve fallen love with objects, and today, you’ll meet four people who are married to spirits, ancestors, or gods.

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How do you define forgiveness?

Turns out, the definition tends to be as different as every person. And that definition changes depending on where you are in the process, too!

On this episode of Audacious, Chion talks about it with a best friend, a pastor, a philosopher, and a man who lost his face after getting hit by a drunk driver.

You’ll also hear ponderings on forgiveness from some of our Audacious listeners!

Photo: Oscar Wong / Getty Images

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On the most recent episode of Audacious, we talked about the definition of forgiveness. It seems like every person has their own interpretation of it, and how we define it often defines us. 

David Whyte is a philosopher, poet, speaker, and author of Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment, and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words. He begins our conversation by reading the passage on forgiveness in that book.

You can experience more of his work at davidwhyte.com

Go ahead and check out the full episode on forgiveness, featuring perspectives from our Audacious listeners. You’ll hear from a pastor whose brother spent her entire million dollar inheritance, and a conversation about forgiveness with a man who needed a full face transplant after getting hit by a drunk driver. 

That’s right here in your podcast feed, or at ctpublic.org/audacious. 

We'd love to hear your thoughts on forgiveness for another installment of this show! Send a voice memo or video on the social medias @chionwolf, or email Audacious@ctpublic.org.

Audacious is produced at Connecticut Public Radio in Hartford by Chion Wolf, Jessica Severin de Martinez, and Catie Talarski, with help from our interns, Michayla Savitt and Sara Gasparotto.

Photo: Bodi Hallett

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JURY DUTY. Just those two words evoke a lot of reactions. And the stories you get from jury duty can be funny, absurd, or, like you’ll hear a juror from the Derek Chauvin trial, they can be traumatic.

Hear stories from the jury box on this episode of Audacious.

Photo: Getty Images Creative

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What’s it like reporting from Kyiv, Ukraine, right now?

Hear from an American war photographer and a Ukrainian journalist.

Plus, get some context from the Executive Director of the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma.

Photo: South_agency, Getty Images

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Consider all the stuff in your kitchen. There’s at least ONE thing in there with a story behind it, right?

Today’s episode features conversations with eleven people about the stories behind their special kitchen utensil or appliance.

Montage by Sabrina Hererra

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Ever wonder how the folks at Antiques Roadshow on PBS figure out what makes it on the air? Or what it would feel like to find out your family heirloom is worth at least $100,000?

Hear stories from the show's executive producer, and the guest whose heirloom price tag was shocking.

Plus, you'll join host Chion Wolf on her trip to Collinsville, CT, for a surprising appraisal of her own!

Subscribe to Audacious for early access and bonus features, like our conversation with Eric Hanks. He specializes in African American art, is the owner of the renowned M. Hanks Gallery, and is the host of the podcast, Eric’s Perspective.

Photo: Antiques Roadshow, WBGH, (c) WGBH 2022

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This is a BONUS track of Audacious, from our episode about Antiques Roadshow!

Eric Hanks recently made his first appearance on the PBS show. He specializes in African American art, and he’s the owner of the renowned M. Hanks Gallery. He’s also the host of the podcast, Eric’s Perspective. It’s his conversations with people about the past, present and future of African American art 

You can listen to Eric’s podcast at Eric’s Perspective.com 

And check out the full show that this bonus feature is a companion to! You’re already in the podcast feed, so scroll on over to the episode about antiques roadshow. 

Photo: Katherine Nelson Hall for WBGH, (c) WGBH 2022)

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You know what kind of day today is? It’s a GREAT day to go dumpster diving!

A seasoned pro takes me into the depths of a dumpster in West Springfield, Massachusetts, plus a tik tok star talks about how she got hooked on dumpster diving.

You’ll also get some do’s and don’ts from a guy who wrote a book about it!

Photo: Jessica Severin de Martinez

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A lot of therapists are able to help anyone with anything. But some therapists have a more focused clientele.

Like people who are on death row. Or people who are “gifted”. Or people who are super-rich.

On this next episode, meet three Audacious therapists.

Photo: Maskot, Getty Images

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Ah, Craigslist’s Missed Connections.

Where else can you find that attractive guy you saw at that concert? Or the lady in the laundromat who held your gaze? Or reconnect with your long lost hairstylist? 

Hear those stories, plus what a researcher learned from studying over 10,000 posts.

And what does it sound like when two Tony-nominated songwriters take Missed Connection posts and turn them into songs?

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What kind of person works in Antarctica?

Meet a chef, a supply technician, a physician, and a man who has worked on the continent for over 25 years, including at the world’s most southerly post office and convenience store.

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Many of us know what it feels like to fall in love. The attraction, the chemistry, the excitement!

But what’s it like to fall in love with an ashtray? Or a chandelier?

Hear what love is like for people who identify as Objectum Sexual.

Plus, hear from a sexologist on what the rest of us get wrong about them.

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Back in The Before Times, I had a monthly advice show called Asking for a Friend at Sea Tea Comedy Theater in downtown Hartford, and in one part of the show, the house lights would come up and the audience members took the mic and talked about what was bothering them.

From being annoyed about pumpkin spice, to frustrations with the healthcare industry, pollution, and racism, no gripe was too small or too vast to put words to.

The segment was called “Y U SO SALTY”, and it’s the inspiration for today’s entire show. You’ll hear audio from Asking for a Friend, and voicemails from adults and kids, and you’ll hear what’s gotten under the skin of some Connecticut Public employees, too.

Plus, a philosopher on why anger is essential to anti-racist struggle.

You heard saltiness from: Tianna Glass-Trip, Pratima Singh, Chion Wolf, Mari Firkatian, Tracy Wu-Fastenberg, Allan Smith, Alexa LaFever, Julia Pistell, Patrick Rico Williams, Zulynette Morales, Richard Hollant, Aisha Mo, Jim Bonaldo, Scarlett Cistulli, Brian Hines, Karen Hines (no relation), Allie Rivera, Jaleith Gary, Ryan Lindsay, Kamora Herrington, Drew John Ladd, Suzi Craig, Anthony Emanuel, Emily Lowinger, Macy Lipkin, Marilyn Rosetti, David Zakur, Sonja Pasquontonio, Meg Fitzgerald, Sophia MacGillis, Robyn Doyon-Aitken, Victoria Martinez, Ella Fisher, James & Daniel Russell, Paige Wittingham, Charlotte Donnely, and Aidan, Willow, and Arwen Gladis Perez-Sauquillo.

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Sure, you love The Price Is Right, Wheel Of Fortune, and JEOPARDY!

But what does it take to go through the audition process and get on those shows?

On this show, meet three people who did just that and get some life advice from those iconic soundstages.

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Oh, 2021. You were chock full of surprises. So in honor of this most unusual time period, we’re bringing you some of the most thought-provoking, funny, emotional, inspiring, Audacious conversations of the year.

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Kids see things differently.

Solutions to problems are one big idea away. “What if” is an enthusiastic refrain! And expressing yourself means making art, and asking ALL of the questions!

If you’re an older kid who’s forgotten what that drive, that passion, that confidence feels like, all you have to do is keep listening!

Today, you’re gonna meet eight young people who think and act BIG in this swirling, chaotic, beautiful, beastly world.

Photo: rawpixel.com via freepik.com

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2021 has been a year like no other. Many of us were out of our comfort zone because of what’s happening in the world. And some people stepped out even further.

Meet some people from Connecticut who’ve done bold, brave things - including a man who went from completely paralyzed to running a gauntlet, a young person who planned her town’s first pride parade, and Hartford’s first troubadour, and flow artist.

This episode is an edited version of Connecticut Public's CUTLINE, “Hope, Heroes, and feats of humanity”! Watch the entire episode here.

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When you accidentally kill someone, there are almost no resources on the planet for how to move forward with your life. Hear from one woman who found a way.

Plus, hear how a novelist found a path to peace by writing a memoir about the accidental death he was involved in.

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On the latest episode of Audacious, I spoke with Maryann Gray, and author Darin Strauss, about what it is like living with the aftermath of accidentally killing someone.

You can visit Maryann’s website at AccidentalImpacts.org.

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Whether it’s because of war, work, getting an education, or sheer curiosity… What's it like to leave your home country to make a life in a new one?

Plus, a conversation with the first African-American full-face transplant recipient about being part of what he calls the “disabled diaspora”.

Photo: brijith vijayan/Getty Images

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Whether you’re superstitious or, as Michael Scott from The Office says, “a little stitious”, on today’s show about superstitions, you’ll learn a lot about humanity.

The author of a book about superstitions from around the world joins us, as well as an expert about anxiety on the difference between superstitious beliefs and OCD or trauma responses.

You’ll hear superstitions from Lauren Komrosky, Katy Tierney, Benn Grippo, Hassan Hodges, Tracy Mind Evolution Caldwell, Caroline Finnegan, Christina Solem, Eileen Ruiz, Mike Ferguson, Cynthia Rojas, Dawn Ennis, Wendy Allerton, and Shawn Lang.

Finally, what happened when a filmmaker broke as many superstitions as he could in one day?

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What’s it like to be able to smell cancer? Alzheimer’s? Diabetes? Parkinson’s?

When a nurse noticed a change in her husband’s scent, it sent her down an extraordinary path of discovery - that she could smell multiple diseases and conditions.

Meet Joy Milne, and hear from two women who have found different ways of getting through life with highly sensitive senses of smell.

Photo: iStock

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Veterans Day was November 11th. Unlike Memorial Day, when we remember those who’ve died while serving in the military, and unlike Armed Services day, when we honor those who are currently serving, Veterans Day recognizes all people - living and dead - who have served in the military.

The VA estimates that 134,000 U.S. Veterans are transgender, and over 15,000 trans people are currently serving in the U.S. military. It wasn’t until 2016 that the Obama administration announced that trans people were allowed to serve openly. Almost exactly one year later, President Trump announced - by tweet - that he was going to reverse that policy.

This hour, hear from an Army National Guard veteran about what it was like for him to experience that political whiplash.

Then, hear from a 99 year-old record-breaking pilot and WW2 Navy veteran who took on the Social Security Administration’s denial of survivor benefits for trans spouses and won. She went on to set world records for being the oldest pilot and flight instructor, and begin a foundation that helps seniors who are LGBTQIA+.

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It’s a wild world, and there’s a lot to be allergic to.

Sure, there are the common ones like pollen, peanuts, and certain medications. But what if you had a bad reaction to water? To sunlight? And to exercise (seriously)?

Hear what it’s like to have these rare conditions, and how the people who have them empower themselves to manage them.

Photo: Getty Images

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Courtney Webb is just a few months into life with her doll, Dahlia Muriel Hollifield.

Find out what this relationship means to her, and check out more conversations about being an "idollator" on the latest episode of Audacious!

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When I say, “sex doll”, do you imagine creativity? Improvisation? Self-love?

Find out why these synthetic companions can address more than just physical pleasure.

Plus, get a history of where these dolls came from, and a peek at what they might be like in the future.

On the podcast feed, you can hear a bonus conversation with Courtney Webb, who is just a few months into life with her doll, Dahlia Muriel Hollifield.

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What happens when we die? Or… when we almost die?

Hear from a neurosurgeon who had a near-death experience about his journey into the afterlife. And meet a woman who had a shared-death experience, on what it was like feeling her mother's struggle as she was dying thousands of miles away.

Photo by Eric Zamora/VW PICS/Universal Images Group via Getty Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

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What do barf bags, tiny chairs, and bricks all have in common?

They’re all uncommon collections belonging to extraordinary collectors.

And they’re all on this episode of Audacious!

Photo used with permission from Barbara Hartsfield

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Hear about the 5000 year history of billboards, and meet the man behind the “I LOVE YOU JESUS” billboards on I-84 and I-91 here in Connecticut.  And hear about a technology that focuses the audio of a billboard directly to you and only you.  Plus, why one Baltimore resident chose to propose to his girlfriend with a billboard (and how it went).

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The most common name in the United States is Smith, and if that's your surname, you'll have around 4.5 million others in the world to share it with.

But just because you have a popular name like, say, Pat Smith, that doesn’t mean that you’re common!

The four Pat Smiths you’ll meet are unique: an environmental activist, an adventurous videographer, an African-American kindergarten teacher in Japan, and a beloved mentor who taught me in 3rd and 5th grade.

Enjoy the Pat Smith Show!

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Have you ever seen Reborn Babies?

They’re these hyper-realistic-looking dolls that are collected for their extraordinary artistic accuracy… And they’re also used therapeutically for people who suffer from anxiety and depression.

Hear from a woman who uses them for just that reason. Plus, meet a painter who makes them look so real, a researcher on the Reborn community and culture, and a photographer who made these dolls a major part of her work.

Photo: Jamie Diamond

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What’s it like to go viral for wearing a wedding dress at the age of 94? How about going up in a WW2 biplane at 97? Or maybe lobstering at a 101? And what’s it like to be 105 years old, and setting a record for running?

Today, meet Audacious Elders!

Photo: Getty Images

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In this teaser to the show, I wanna list all the reasons why you should listen to my conversation with Jeffrey Marsh. Like, they’re an author and expert on nonbinary identities, and they’re the author of How to Be You: Stop Trying to Be Someone Else and Start Living Your Life.

But really? What it all boils down to is that Jeffrey Marsh loves you. And you’re gonna love them too.

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Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So, would you consider yourself beautiful? How do you define beauty, anyway?

Hear from a fashion model with decades in the industry, a model who uses a wheelchair, and two non-binary models about what beauty means to them.

Photo: Getty Images

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What’s it like to get in the Guinness Book of World Records?

What if it’s for the size of your mouth? Or the amount of toothpicks you can fit in your beard? Or for achieving the Longest Melody Played By A Model Train?

On this episode, hear about the guts and glory of Guinness!

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This program originally aired on January 15, 2021.

I love Reddit. This mostly-anonymous giant internet bulletin board has a plethora of communities called subreddits, which bring all sorts of interests together.

One of my favorite subreddits is Act Like You Belong, where you’ll see a lot of stories about how, if you put on a hard hat, carry a clipboard, and walk with urgency, you can get through a lot of doors that you normally wouldn’t. (a chef’s jacket works well for this, too)

Today, a love letter to r/ActLikeYouBelong, featuring stories about conning morning shows, sneaking into meet and greets, impersonating a famous megachurch pastor, a photographer posing as a billionaire, and even an accidental case of acting like you belong… in church.

Photo: Sheri Terris / Flickr Creative Commons

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Today’s episode of Audacious is not appropriate for children or for those who are particularly sensitive to the topic of sexual assault.

Right now, 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 13 boys are sexually abused before the age of 18. And more than 90% of those victims know their perpetrator in some way.

You’ve maybe heard the saying, “Hurt people hurt people”. But what makes a person want to hurt - to sexually abuse - a child? Hear from a man who did just that and spent 7 years in prison. Today, he's the author of The Parent’s Guide to Protecting Children from Pedophiles.

The President of the Connecticut Association for the Treatment of Sexual Offenders talks about about effective treatment, and the flaws she sees in the sex offender registry.

Also, how to protect your children.

Photo: EyeEm/Getty Images Creative

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How do auctioneers do what they do?

Meet some of the best in the business, including a 102 year-old auctioneer - America’s oldest.

Plus, hear what it was like for the guy who auctioned off that $28 million seat on the rocket ship, Blue Shepherd.

And find out what happens when a lead charity auctioneer for Christie’s teams up with Bruce Springsteen.

Finally, find out how I did when I tried my hand at auctioneering for the first time!

Photo: Rafiq Maqbool / AP

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Being an identical twin is pretty cool! You’ll hear from a pair of 5 year-old twins about how they help people tell them apart. Plus, what if you didn’t know you had an identical twin until you were 25 years old? And how would you be different if, when you were a teenager many decades ago, your identical twin died?

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What kind of person works in Antarctica?

Meet a chef, a supply technician, a physician, and a man who has worked on the continent for over 25 years, including at the world’s most southerly post office and convenience store.

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There have been fewer than 50 full face transplant recipients in the world. And up until 2019, there had been zero done for African-Americans. 

By the time Robert Chelsea changed all that, he’d already rejected a face offered to him over a year earlier. The skin shade was too light. 

Today, meet Robert and his godson, Everick Brown, and hear the story of what happened.

You’ll also hear about the progress being made in organ and tissue donorship within Black and Brown communities in America, with Dr. Clive Callender, the founder of MOTTEP, which stands for the “National Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program”.

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Do you ever look back on something you did and wonder, “Why did I do that?”  

Meet people who’ve robbed gas stations, abused lab animals, and sent death threats via Twitter, and find out why they did it.

Photo: Ann H from Pexels.com

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The latest episode of our show featured my conversations with kids who are doing amazing things in this world. Give it a listen!

Here are two more conversations with kids who have big ideas. You’ll hear about an 8-year-old’s invention - well, it’s still technically in the development stage - "The Everything Maker", and two kids tell us about cool solutions for dipping OREO cookies in milk, and using take-out containers as plates!

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Kids see things differently.

Solutions to problems are one big idea away. “What if” is an enthusiastic refrain! And expressing yourself means making art, and asking ALL of the questions!

If you’re an older kid who’s forgotten what that drive, that passion, that confidence feels like, all you have to do is keep listening!

Today, you’re gonna meet eight young people who think and act BIG in this swirling, chaotic, beautiful, beastly world.

Photo: Rawpixel.com via freepik.com

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It’s one thing to have a hard time with parenthood. But what if you wholeheartedly regret it? 

Hear from two parents who feel this way, and find out how they balance feeling full of regret while wanting to make sure their kids are well taken care of. And is it really possible to love someone whom they regret bringing into existence?

You’ll also meet a woman who knew she was regretted, and find out why she thinks we should be more open about it.

Image: Albert Neuhuys, "Nordic Madonna", edited.

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There is a very special reason why you’re hearing a rebroadcast of this show: This episode of Audacious just won a Gracie Award! The Gracie Awards are a part of the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation, and they recognize "exemplary programming created by women, for women and about women in all facets of media and entertainment." Thank you so much!

Imagine you’ve got breasts. It shouldn’t be too hard to imagine, because most every human being has’ em! And that means that most of us are candidates for breast cancer.

This hour, we hear very intimate conversations with two women who go through the process of getting a double mastectomy - the removal of all the breast tissue. One decides to get reconstruction, and one does not.

I talked to them before the surgery, right after, and then almost a year later. I wanted to find out what it was like dealing with the prospect of a cancer diagnosis - or an actual one - and what it was like losing a part of their body.

Photo: Décolleté Dekoltee, Pixabay.com

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Hey! If you’re listening to this bonus feature, you’ve probably listened to the show we just did featuring executive producer Catie Talarski’s documentary of a year in the life of two people with end-stage Cystic Fibrosis.

I was so moved by the documentary and so intrigued by how it sounded that I wanted to interview Catie about how she made it.

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When you have Cystic Fibrosis - a genetic disease that causes persistent lung infections - a lung transplant can be a life-saving surgery. But what if you’re not sure you want it? And if you do get it, what new challenges will they present to your newly-extended life? 

Hear an audio documentary by Audacious Executive Producer Catie Talarski that follows two CF patients for one year as they grapple with the choice to pursue lung transplants. Then, she catches up with one of the subjects 10 years later.

Photo: Freepik.com

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What happens when you do a DNA test from a company like Ancestry.com or 23andme, and you get some life-shattering information, like your sibling is really your half-sibling, or that you may have a life-altering medical condition, or that you thought you were half Black, but the test says you’re barely Black at all.

Before you spit in that tube, hear from people who’ve been stunned and spun around by DNA tests.

Photo: Pereru, Wikipedia

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When you call 911, it most likely means you’re having a stressful, unpredictable, scary experience. It could be the worst day of your life, or someone else’s.  But what’s it like on the other side of that call? 

Hear about life as an emergency dispatcher here in Connecticut, throughout the country, and even during the massive temporary city in the desert that is Burning Man.

Photo: Negative Space - Pexels.com

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If you listen to public radio, you recognize Chris Thile’s name. He was the host of Live From Here! 

And if you’re like me, you knew him from at least one of his gazillion other music projects, like his band Punch Brothers.

I’ve been following his work for over 10 years, simultaneously singin’ my heart out to his recordings, while being totally mind-boggled at his mandolin playing. So you can imagine how freakin’ thrilled I was to interview him live on-stage at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts at UConn Storrs last month, and then again via Zoom from my dining room table. 

So today? It’s just me and Chris Thile and a whole lot of things I've always wanted to ask him.

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This is the first installment of Audacious Little Things!

Meet an anthropologist who explains why she thinks the human animal delights in making miniatures of things, and then meet a sculpturist dubbed “The 8th Wonder of the World” whose art requires a microscope to see.

Find out how one kind of protozoan earned itself the title of “The Immortal Jellyfish”. Plus, what researchers think is going on when starlings fly together in those mesmerizing clouds, and what that has to do with creating underwater robots.

Finally, former US and New York State Poet Laureate, Billy Collins, reads his piece, “The Butterfly Effect” and ponders the reason why we are so compelled by its concept.

Photo courtesy Dr. Willard Wigan, MBE

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When I say BLINK! What do you think? 

Of that American POW who blinked the word “TORTURE” in Morse code live on Vietnamese television? 

Or do you think of someone with locked-in syndrome who can only communicate by blinking? 

Or do you think about the idea of a universal eye language that uses blinks?

Today on Audacious, you'll hear about all that, plus a headset that measures the blinking of long-distance drivers so they know to take a break, and what it’s like when you have a rare condition that makes it so you can’t stop blinking.

Illustration: Macrovector_official at Freepik.com

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What if, in order to do your job, you had to change your voice? 

Meet an actress who’s an accent expert, a man who is the dubbed-over voice of Peter Griffin and Will Smith in Germany, and a news anchor who went viral when she brought her anchor voice home.

IMAGE: Jemastock/Harryarts from vecteezy.com

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The art of tattooing has been traced back 7,000 years. While the significance or reason behind the oldest-known tattoos are total speculation, we do know that often, they were applied as sacred rites, and awarded as a signifier of adulthood. In Ancient Egypt, it’s likely they were used as a means of safeguarding women during pregnancy and birth. And in the ancient Greco-Roman world, they were applied on enslaved people who got caught trying to escape.

But today, the reasons for getting a tattoo are as distinct as the person getting them. Sometimes, it’s a memorial to a person or an experience or an idea. Sometimes, it’s nothing more than something that just looks really cool!

Now and then, though, the meaning changes, and the artwork needs to be covered up. So today, you’ll hear stories about how people have used tattoos to allow their skin to, shall we say, evolve.

PHOTO: TOONMAN_blchin / Wikipedia

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Not everyone who is trans wants to change their voice. Some do. Either way, what do the voices - the actual voices - of trans and non-binary people tell you about who they are?

Today, you’ll meet a trans woman whose work adapting her voice led her to help others. Also, hear from a transfemme non-binary yoga teacher who uses Vedic Chanting to feel centered, and to feel closer to their voice. You’ll hear from members of a choir in the bay area that is exclusively for singers who self-identify as transgender, intersex, or gender-queer.

And you’ll get to know Lucia Lucas. She's the first female baritone to perform a principal role on an American operatic stage, and she happens to be trans.

Photo: Patrick Fore - Unsplash / Illustration by Chion Wolf

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Hear about the 5000 year history of billboards, and meet the man behind the “I LOVE YOU JESUS” billboards on I-84 and I-91 here in Connecticut.  And hear about a technology that focuses the audio of a billboard directly to you and only you.  Plus, why one Baltimore resident chose to propose to his girlfriend with a billboard (and how it went).

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Guy Walker Wolf III died on February 13th, 2021. He was 77 years old.

There are many ways to describe Guy, but I’d say we who knew him would all agree that he could be described as the captain of his own ship. And he was my stepfather. I’ve known him since I was 11.

Throughout the process of his death at home, I was compelled by the people who were a part of guiding us through it.

So today, I’m gonna introduce you to the people who helped Guy die, and who helped us celebrate him. From the hospice workers who came to the house, to the funeral home director, to the cantor who sang at his mass.

You’ll meet his wife, my mom, and hear about how she made the choices she did, and how it feels to be a new widow. And at the end of the show, you’ll hear a little something from Guy.

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You know how you can, for the most part, remember what happened to you yesterday? Well what if you were able to remember almost EVERY day that clearly? All the way back to when you were very young?

How would your day-to-day choices be affected, knowing that you’ll remember what you did forever? Do we all have our memories stored inside our brains like they do, but we don’t have a way to access them? Or something else?

Meet two of around 60 people in the world who are known to have Highly Superior Autobiographical Memories, or HSAM.

Plus, hear from an expert studying the people with this ultra-rare condition, and what we can learn about our brains, our memories, and ourselves.

Photo by M.T ElGassier on Unsplash / Illustration by Chion Wolf

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Whether you’re superstitious or, as Michael Scott from The O  says, “a little stitious”, on today’s show about superstitions, you’ll learn a lot about humanity.

The author of a book about superstitions from around the world joins us, as well as an expert about anxiety on the difference between superstitious beliefs and OCD or trauma responses.

You’ll hear superstitions from Lauren Komrosky, Katy Tierney, Benn Grippo, Hassan Hodges, Tracy Mind Evolution Caldwell, Caroline Finnegan, Christina Solem, Eileen Ruiz, Mike Ferguson, Cynthia Rojas, Dawn Ennis, Wendy Allerton, and Shawn Lang.

Finally, what happened when a filmmaker broke as many superstitions as he could in one day?

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As part of our Reports From Recovery series, today we’re hearing from two women whose heroin addictions shook up their lives, and put them right up close to the edge of existence.

If you’re struggling with addiction, you can find resources at SAMHSA, the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration.

Photo: Chion Wolf

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The Doomsday Clock is a metaphor. It moves closer to midnight depending on how close we are to human-made global catastrophe through climate change, nuclear weapons, and pandemics fueled by misinformation and failed leadership. Y’know, the typical folly of humankind.

Find out what time it is from two members of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.

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Fill in the blank: Love is… Patient. Kind. Love is Work. Hard to find.

But if you wanna put your finger on what makes up “long-lasting love”, you’re gonna need some wisdom to fill in those blanks.

So today, meet three couples who’ve been together for over 50 years.

Photo: Harli Marten - Unsplash

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What do the ways we train our dogs say about us?

You’ll hear about how dogs are trained to search and rescue, dating back to some of our earliest wars. How they’ve been trained by authority figures for hundreds of years to bite - and hold - and sometimes kill. And how the street dogs of Moscow were trained to fly into space - even though it meant their certain doom.

Photos: Quino Al (background), Niclas Moser (dog),  ActionVance (human) via Unsplash. Illustration by Chion Wolf.

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With the world the way it is, it’s no wonder we spend so much of our time watching television and movies. From sci-fi flicks like Star Trek, to unscripted reality shows like Queer Eye, to comedy dramas like Schitt’s Creek, we are basking in the very best distractions.

And while the actors tend to take center stage, this hour, you’ll enjoy the second installment of a series in which we honor the folks who make the magic happen behind the scenes.

You’ll meet the costume designer who made Moira Rose’s wardrobe so powerful and vivid in Schitt’s Creek. Then, meet the Academy Award-winning special effects makeup artist who brought some of those surreal Star Trek characters to life. Finally, get to know the casting director who not only chose all the folks who get transformed during each episode of Queer Eye. She helped find THE Fab 5, who host this most recent iteration of the show.

Image credit - TV: Macrovector at Freepik.com / Illustration: Chion Wolf

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I love Reddit. This mostly-anonymous giant internet bulletin board has a plethora of communities called subreddits, which bring all sorts of interests together.

One of my favorite subreddits is Act Like You Belong, where you’ll see a lot of stories about how, if you put on a hard hat, carry a clipboard, and walk with urgency, you can get through a lot of doors that you normally wouldn’t. (a chef’s jacket works well for this, too)

Today, a love letter to r/ActLikeYouBelong, featuring stories about conning morning shows, sneaking into meet and greets, impersonating a famous megachurch pastor, a photographer posing as a billionaire, and even an accidental case of acting like you belong… in church.

Photo by Sheri Terris, Flickr Creative Commons.

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There’s not a lot of great headlines in the news lately. Y’know, between a contentious election, rioting in the Capitol, a raging pandemic, and lots and lots of dangerous misinformation.

This hour, well… in every hour of Audacious, misinformation is banned, and different headlines get the attention they deserve. Today, we celebrate FIRSTS in recent scientific observation and achievement.

Hear from the researchers and scientists behind these headlines: For the first time, scientists have received a radio signal from an alien planet Long-distance quantum teleportation has happened for the first time ever Malignant cancer diagnosed in a dinosaur for the first time For The First Time, Physicists Have Achieved Superconductivity at Room Temperature For the First Time Ever, Scientists Caught Time Crystals Interacting For The First Time, Physicists Have Recorded The Flowing Sound of a 'Perfect' Fluid Mass of Human-Made Materials Exceeds Earth's Biomass for First Time

Photo by Alex Liivet, Flickr Creative Commons / edited by Chion Wolf

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It’s finally 2021. But that line in the calendar doesn’t mean that the pandemic is anywhere near over, so I want to start this year off by looking back at people whom I interviewed in the series that we launched before Audacious.

US in the Time of Coronavirus was a living history of our experience over nine weeks at the beginning of the pandemic.

In this episode, you’ll reconnect with an anxiety expert who tells us about trends he’s seeing in how people have been coping with the pandemic. You’ll hear from a man who was on a breathing machine for two weeks, and you'll hear a woman’s reflections on grief after losing her dad to Covid-19 back in March.

Finally, hear about a half-million dollar arts initiative that is named after an arts advocate who died from complications of the Coronavirus in June.

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It’s estimated that there are as many as 7,000 different known rare diseases in the world. In the The U.S., it’s defined as "any disease or condition that affects fewer than 200,000 people.

Today, you’ll meet two of them, and their mothers.

Photo credit: Sigurd Decroos - freeimages.com

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The five senses (that we know of) are Sight, Sound, Smell, Taste, and Touch. And we’ve all at some point pondered what it would be like to lose one or some of those senses. Many people who can currently see consider blindness a scary prospect.

But the thing is, when we sighted people try to imagine being blind? It’s nothing more than our best guess. And that fear you might feel at the thought of having a severe vision impairment - or no vision at all, no light, no color - that fear is a kind of illusion, too.

Today, you’re going to meet five people who are blind, and hear about how they’ve customized their lives to live on their own terms.

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This pandemic has shuttered so many events, including a few of my own. The Mouth-Off at the Mark Twain House was a storytelling show I hosted and produced for 8 years until 2020. But the good news is that now I get to show off some of my favorite true stories from the series here on Audacious!

The theme for this one? Eat It Up. Stories that feature food.

Illustration by Chion Wolf.

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The older I get, the more excited I am to be corrected when I’m wrong.

Sure, it may sting for a second because hearing someone say “actually…” can be kind of annoying, and if I’m wrong about something, then that means that contrary to my sparkling self-image, I don’t know it all.

But as you know, a lifetime of listening to public radio has a tendency to remind you that there’s always stuff to learn - and to unlearn. And it feels good to unlearn!

The three segments you’re gonna hear today - about pain, testosterone, and the Brown Recluse spider - are going to once and for all change the ways you may have been seeing these things. And? They were all inspired by past episodes of Audacious.

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Join us as we go behind the scenes to meet people who make the shows you love really, really great. You’ll hear about the power and beauty of natural hair from the hair stylist for actress Issa Rae of HBO’s Insecure, and you’ll find out how the food illustrations are done for the Great British Bake Off. Plus, an intimacy coordinator talks about the ins and outs of filming sex scenes.

Image credit - TV: Macrovector at Freepik.com / Illustration: Chion Wolf

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Veterans Day is November 11th. Unlike Memorial Day, when we remember those who’ve died while serving in the military, and unlike Armed Services day, when we honor those who are currently serving, Veterans Day recognizes all people - living and dead - who have served in the military.

The VA estimates that 134,000 U.S. Veterans are transgender, and over 15,000 trans people are currently serving in the U.S. military. It wasn’t until 2016 that the Obama administration announced that trans people were allowed to serve openly. Almost exactly one year later, President Trump announced - by tweet - that he was going to reverse that policy.

This hour, hear from an Army National Guard veteran about what it was like for him to experience that political whiplash. Then, hear from a 99 year-old record-breaking pilot and WW2 Navy veteran who took on the Social Security Administration’s denial of survivor benefits for trans spouses and won. Then, she went on to set world records for being the oldest pilot and flight instructor, and begin a foundation that helps seniors who are LGBTQIA+.

Illustration: Chion Wolf

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This hour, visit a West Hartford history professor’s eye-opening Halloween display about Black Lives Matter and Covid-19, and hear what passersby think of it.

Then, meet a pastor from Indiana who tells us about why he believes that the blue moon this Halloween is a sign of end times.

Finally: Candy corn! The CEO of Jelly Belly gives us a history lesson, one woman reports back from having eaten Brecht’s new “Turkey Dinner Candy Corn”, and the co-star of an Atlanta, Georgia-based YouTube channel walks us through the process of making candy corn coated buffalo wings.

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Fill in the blank: Love is… Patient. Kind. Love is Work. Hard to find.

But if you wanna put your finger on what makes up “long-lasting love”, you’re gonna need some wisdom to fill in those blanks.

So today, meet three couples who’ve been together for over 50 years.

Photo:  Harli Marten / Unsplash 

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Imagine feeling like you have glass shards running through your blood, and imagine your doctors don’t believe how much pain you’re in.

Then, imagine you’re in a different body, incapable of feeling any pain at all.

Then, in body number three, you inflict pain on yourself so you can rate it. For science.

Pain is a mystery in so many ways, but the way we evaluate it, make sense of it, and how we recognize it in other people, can change how we understand it.

Today: From sickle cell, to CIP (Congenital Insensitivity to Pain), to the Schmidt Pain Index, hear three snapshots of pain.

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What does it mean to be a man? What is manliness? What is “toxic masculinity”? And what do - and don’t - specific body parts have to say about what it means to be male?

Hear from two journalists and authors about how the ideas of manhood physically and socially may be far more malleable than you think.

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Addiction affects people of all shapes and sizes. Skin tones and geographic locations. Ages, personalities, and genders. Today, meet two people who are committed to sobriety from alcohol, and the Chief Clinical Officer at a treatment facility.

This won’t be the last time you hear stories from people in recovery on this show, so if you’d like to tell me your story about what the sober life has been like for you - whether you’re a few days into it, or it’s been decades, whether you’ve stopped using alcohol or meth, heroin or weed, or another drug, tell us your story: CWolf@ctpublic.org.

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I’ve had a recurring dream ever since I was a little kid: I’m playing in the front yard of the house I grew up in, and suddenly, the atmosphere around me changes. I feel an ominous breeze on my face. I look up, and barreling down the street, is a tornado headed straight for me. I turn to run… and the dream ends. 

I think my compulsion to run away from dangerous weather - in my dreams and in real life - is probably shared by a lot of people. But today? The folks you’re gonna meet go towards the danger to stop it, or to document it so we can understand it better.

Photo credits Hurricane: NASA Goddard - Flickr Creative Commons Tornado: Justin1569 - Wikipedia Wildfire: U.S. Dept of Agriculture - Wikipedia 

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This hour, we’re talking with people who have become memes. Like, “Hide the Pain Harold”, who is actually András Arató - a stock photo model who  is smiling wide but his eyes, well, there’s a real sadness there.

And “Overly Attached Girlfriend”, who is Laina Morris. She entered a Justin Beiber song parody competition and just a few moments of her wide-eyed face from the video launched her into supermemedom.

And we’ll talk with two Karens - one who is Black and one who’s white - about what it’s like having their name become a meme that means “white woman who calls 911 on Black and brown people who aren’t doing anything illegal.”

Plus, hear from Zach Sweat from KnowYourMeme.com about how memes infiltrate every little corner of our lives - for better and worse.

Image courtesy of Laina Morris.

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This show originally aired on June 20, 2020

Speech disfluencies are mysterious. They are defined as breaks or disruptions that occur in the flow of speech.

For over 10 years, I was the midday host at Connecticut Public Radio, telling you the weather, the time, what show was coming up next — And at the top of every hour, the call letters.

Our listeners had opinions - lots of opinions - about the way I said the letter “W”, which I had to say dozens of times a day. Most of the opinions came in the form of praise, but now and then an email would come through from someone saying that they had to turn the radio off every time I came on. That I was saying “W” wrong.

This intense positive and negative feedback, repeated for years, and caused anxiety and, after time, I was diagnosed with a speech disfluency.

This hour, you’ll hear audio from my 2013 sessions at the Speech & Hearing Clinic at UConn.

And we’ll hear from people who struggle with the most common speech disfluency: stuttering. It affects more than 70 million people in the world —  about 5% of children go through a period of stuttering. It hasn’t stopped some people from expressing themselves in creative ways.

Illustration by Chion Wolf.

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The art of tattooing has been traced back 7,000 years. While the significance or reason behind the oldest-known tattoos are total speculation, we do know that often, they were applied as sacred rites, and awarded as a signifier of adulthood. In Ancient Egypt, it’s likely they were used as a means of safeguarding women during pregnancy and birth. And in the ancient Greco-Roman world, they were applied on enslaved people who got caught trying to escape.

But today, the reasons for getting a tattoo are as distinct as the person getting them. Sometimes, it’s a memorial to a person or an experience or an idea. Sometimes, it’s nothing more than something that just looks really cool!

Now and then, though, the meaning changes, and the artwork needs to be covered up. So today, you’ll hear stories about how people have used tattoos to allow their skin to, shall we say, evolve.

Photo credit: TOONMAN_blchin / Wikipedia

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What do the 2020 Doomsday Clock - you know, the calculation that tells us which technologies and conditions may annihilate us all - and the 2020 presidential election have in common?

Your vote impacts the outcome.

To talk with us about the election, Professor Allan Lichtman, who has correctly predicted the outcome of every election since 1994, gives us his prediction.

Then, Professor Herb Lin of the Atomic Bulletin of Scientists - the keepers of the Doomsday Clock - tells us how close we are to midnight, which is to say, human annihilation.

Editor's note: Alan Lichtman has been correctly predicting presidential elections since 1984, not 1994. This post has been updated to reflect that correction. The podcast audio has the incorrect date.

Photo: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

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For eight years, I hosted a storytelling show at the Mark Twain House, called The Mouth-Off. Five times a year, storytellers would take the stage with their true story on that night’s theme. Now that the pandemic has cancelled the remainder of this year’s season, I wanted to take the opportunity to play you some of my favorites.

You’ll hear all sorts of stories in this episode, but the one thing they all have in common? They all deal with relationships with authority figures, like parents, employers… or police.

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When you were growing up, you probably heard about famous inventors. Maybe you thought they were brilliant. Rigorously trained. Confident. Capable. And that their inventions advanced humankind through and through.

But Dr. Ainissa Ramirez spent the last 5 years writing a book that strips away those presumptions. In The Alchemy of Us: How Humans and Matter Transformed One Another, she paints portraits not of how inventors settled questions of the limits of technology - but of how much further we still have to go.

This hour, You’ll hear about how these big thinkers so often solved only the problem directly in front of them - and how other tinkerers, brainstormers, and everyday people made those inventions more equitable.

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Today, you’re gonna hear from three people who had close encounters with wild animals - and have the scars to prove it.

You’ll hear how - and if - any of these people felt defined by their experiences, and what sense they’ve made out of their encounters. Plus, you’ll hear from a wildlife expert about what animals you should be careful to keep away from here in New England.

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From ancient Egypt to Greek mythology, through Abrahamic religions, in ancient African and Native American spiritual traditions, in medieval Europe, and 16th century France (remember that Nostradamus guy?), humans have reliably attempted to predict the future, read minds, and communicate with the dead.

And at this moment in our history, with a pandemic, protests, an upcoming election, climate change... On top of the innate chaos of being a human being, it would surely be more psychologically manageable if we could somehow see into the future.

This hour, you'll listen in on my first reading ever with a psychic medium - someone who claims to be able to predict the future, and communicate with the dead. We'll hear what this work is like for her.

You'll also meet a researcher who looks back at some of the ways psychics and mediums have been tested and understood - or not - in American history.

Photo credit: Claire Winter / Flickr Creative Commons 

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Right now the world population is 7.8 billion, and growing fast. We have doubled our population over just the past 50 years!

Even though the population is growing, fertility rates, overall, are dropping. So, more people are here, but we’re having fewer babies. There’s a lot of reasons for that, and one of them is infertility. The CDC estimates that nearly one out of eight couples struggles to conceive, but because of assisted reproductive technology, we’re upping the population numbers in the United States. The CDC reports that almost 2 percent of all U.S. births annually - or about 4 million babies - are here as a result of things like in-vitro-fertilization (IVF), surrogacy, and egg donation.

Today, you'll meet a fertility doctor, a woman who’s donated eggs five times, one who’s been a surrogate, and one who - through a pandemic - has finally become pregnant using IVF. 

Image credit: National Human Genome Research Institute / Flickr Creative Commons 

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Last year, a 28 year-old guy in Mumbai tried to sue his parents - who are both lawyers - for having brought him into the world. He claims his parents didn’t get his consent to live. In addition to being a very bold person, he is an anti-natalist. That is, he believes that it is morally wrong to bring sentient life into this world - no matter how charmed or how troubled that life is - and that humanity should stop reproducing, full stop.

Anti-natalism is not a novel concept. You can trace it as far back as some interpretations of the teachings of Buddah, and in ancient religious sects. Nowadays, the subreddit dedicated to Anti-natalism has 70,000 members, and there are 15,000 people following the Facebook group, the “Voluntary Human Extinction Movement”. You’ll hear from one of its leaders in this show.

The screenwriter for the Netflix series, True Detective, says that that the antinatalist beliefs of one of the main characters was inspired by the book, “Better Never to Have Been: The Harm of Coming Into Existence” by the philosopher, David Benatar. You'll meet him too, and learn a lot more about the belief that this world would have been better had none us been here in the first place.

Illustration: Chion Wolf

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We’re all naked under our clothes. It’s when we take them off that things could get complicated.

I didn't want to be clothesminded, so in 2012 I did something that I had never done before. I took off all my clothes and spent time at Solair, a nudist resort in Woodstock, Connecticut, all in the name of radio. Then, I revisited the resort a few years later to go skinnydipping with four members of one family to find out what the nudist lifestyle means to their hearts, minds, and of course, bodies.

This hour, you'll also hear from the American Association for Nude Recreation about what they're recommending to be safe as resorts reopen during the pandemic.

Finally, if you’re famous for taking photos of thousands of people, naked together in a public place, how do you keep that tradition going during quarantine? Spencer Tunick tells me about his first world-wide project, "Stay Apart Together".

Photo courtesy: Solair Family Nudist Resort

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Imagine you’ve got breasts. It shouldn’t be too hard to imagine, because most every human being has’ em! And that means that most of us are candidates for breast cancer.

This hour, we hear very intimate conversations with two women who go through the process of getting a double mastectomy - the removal of all the breast tissue. One decides to get reconstruction, and one does not.

I talked to them before the surgery, right after, and then almost a year later. I wanted to find out what it was like dealing with the prospect of a cancer diagnosis - or an actual one - and what it was like losing a part of their body.

Photo credit: Décolleté Dekoltee / Pixabay 

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Speech disfluencies are mysterious. They are defined as breaks or disruptions that occur in the flow of speech.

For over 10 years, I was the midday host at Connecticut Public Radio, telling you the weather, the time, what show was coming up next — And at the top of every hour, the call letters.

Our listeners had opinions - lots of opinions - about the way I said the letter “W”, which I had to say dozens of times a day. Most of the opinions came in the form of praise, but now and then an email would come through from someone saying that they had to turn the radio off every time I came on. That I was saying “W” wrong.

This intense positive and negative feedback, repeated for years, and caused anxiety and, after time, I was diagnosed with a speech disfluency.

This hour, you’ll hear audio from my 2013 sessions at the Speech & Hearing Clinic at UConn.

And we’ll hear from people who struggle with the most common speech disfluency: stuttering. It affects more than 70 million people in the world — about 5% of children go through a period of stuttering. It hasn’t stopped some people from expressing themselves in creative ways.

Illustration: Chion Wolf

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This hour, we talk about the role white people play in anti-racist work, and how we can all talk with young people about anti-racism.

You’ll hear from John Biewen, audio program director at the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University. He’s also the host and producer of Scene On Radio, a podcast that tells stories exploring human experience and American society. The second season of that series is called “Seeing White”. Through 14 episodes, it explores America’s deep history of white supremacy. Biewen, who is white, and his co-host and collaborator Chenjerai Kumanyika, Assistant Professor at Rutgers University’s Department of Journalism and Media Studies, who is Black, talk about the manufacturing of the concept of race and the purpose of whiteness.

The latest season of Scene on Radio just wrapped this week, and it’s called “The Land That Never Has Been Yet” (The title is from the Langston Huges poem, “Let America Be America Again”), and it examines the ways in which the United States grapples with the democratic experiment.

Later, we hear from Amber Coleman-Mortley, who is the Director of Social Engagement at iCivics, Inc., a nonpartisan, civic education, gaming and classroom resource. On her blog, Mom Of All Capes, she writes and podcasts about practical strategies parents can use in edtech, civics, and social emotional development.

One of her recent episodes was centered around having family discussions about racism, why parents and educators should talk about race, and they share tips to help get these conversations started. She joins me to talk about things to keep in mind as we talk with children about anti-racism.

Finally, hear my conversations with parents and their children at a recent Black Lives Matter rally in Hartford.

Photo credit: Jumana Dakkur / Pexels.com

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This hour, we’re starting at the end: Death.

Knowledge of our mortality affects almost everything about us. And lately, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, death is on our phones, in the headlines, and in the air.

Today, you’ll hear from funeral director Howard K. Hill, on how he’s had to adapt his practices to be safe AND to serve during the Coronavirus. And you’ll hear from Alua Arthur, who is a Death Doula at Going With Grace. We recorded a conversation about her work back in December, and then reconnected in May to talk about how her work has changed in the middle of the Coronavirus.

Photo credit: Gilad Raphaelli / Flickr Creative Commons 

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