Lives Radio Show With Stuart Chittenden

Spoken word artist and educator Felicia Casher shares generously of her lyrical wisdom, life experience, and love for words and how we may discover more of our mutual humanity through creative play with language.Felicia Casher, artistically known as Withlove, Felicia is an American poet, educator, healing artist, actor, host, and curator. Casher, formerly Felicia Webster, has been commissioned by and has organized major programs and events with numerous organizations in Nebraska and Philadelphia. With a Master’s in Education, Casher loves to combine textbook knowledge with cultural content, in what often feels like a theatrical experience. Her work colors audiences with the power of spoken word, with a heavy emphasis on affirmation. She is a TEDx speaker and a two time winner of the Omaha Arts & Entertainment Awards Poet of the Year and several other community awards.

Publisher, journalist, and media entrepreneur John Heaston talks about the story that initially drew him into the media business, how his publishing career developed alongside a tumultuous media ecosystem, and why alternative news media is an essential part of our lives. Heaston also talks about the importance of citizen and community led news and what the future holds for the media more broadly.John Heaston is the founder, publisher, and editor of Pioneer Publishing, a group of media channels that includes an alternative, metropolitan news monthly called The Reader, a bilingual community news monthly called El Perico, and OmahaJobs.com. He has served on the Board of the Mildred D. Brown Memorial Study Center, where he helped renew America’s oldest Black female founded and run newspaper — the Omaha Star. Through the Association of Alternative News Media, the National Association of Hispanic Publications, and the National Newspaper Publishers Association - called the Black Press - Heaston is helping resha

Ceramic artist Richard Chung talks about his artistic practice being one of perpetual discovery, informing and informed by his innate curiosity and humility. Chung shares how he became an artist, what draws him to clay in particular, and the themes he explores in his work. Chung also talks about his immigrant family history, existing at the edges, and how that as well as the practice and profession of art has shaped who he is today.Born in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1977 and raised in the California Bay Area, Chung is an artist whose primary medium is clay. He received a bachelors degree from UC Berkeley in 2001 under ceramic artist Richard Shaw and then traveled to Omaha to work for world-renowned artist Jun Kaneko. Chung’s work is included in the collections of public museums and private collectors and he has shown his work nationally. Along with art making, Chung teaches art through various organizations both public and private. I am looking forward to learning more about Chung’s life, his artistic practice, and

Advocate and human resources professional Ralph Kellogg talks about coming to terms with being gay, coping with mental health challenges, and advocating for others in the face of persistent prejudice and stigma. Kellogg also shares his grief at the death of a close teenage friend while at the same time learning about love.With over twenty years in the areas of human resources and people management and leadership, Ralph Kellogg is currently the Vice President for People and Training at Lutheran Family Services. Kellogg is an advocate in the areas of LGBTQ rights and belonging at work, and frequently speaks to and consults with organizations on the subjects of authenticity, and how leaders can help team members who are challenged by anxiety and panic within the workplace, a subject he explores in his recent TEDxOmaha presentation on normalizing mental health conversations in the workplace. Kellogg has had articles published in Forbes.com, the Society for Human Resources Management Blog, and the HR Gazette.

Brenda Mainwaring, the President and CEO of the Iowa West Foundation, one of the region’s largest philanthropic organizations, talks about the Foundation’s work in supporting the community. She shares recollections from her early life, a career going from cultural anthropologist to CIA analyst to corporate leader, lessons learned for leadership and life, and the importance of people and philanthropy in developing thriving communities.Brenda Mainwaring is President and CEO of the Iowa West Foundation, one of the state’s largest private foundations having awarded more than $500 million in grants since its inception. From a small country school and an outdoors childhood, Mainwaring started her professional life as an intelligence analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency specializing in demographics and cultural dynamics. She advised elected, appointed and military officials during the First Gulf War, the Yugoslav Conflict and military action in Haiti. Mainwaring has 30 years of experience in government and pub

Artist, army veteran, and Native-American cultural educator Steve Tamayo talks about being raised within a Mexican cultural heritage, deprived of his stolen cultural identity as a native American, and how, as he matured, he not only sought out his native American culture through language and art, but has become a respected culture bearer for his Sicangu Lakota and other native peoples. Tamayo is a traditional Sicangu Lakota artist whose family originates from the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. Tamayo studied the traditional arts of the Umonhon people under Howard Wolf and earned his BFA from Sínte Gleska University in 2011 where he developed and taught the traditional arts program. After more than 30 years of study and practice as an artist and educator, he began consulting educational institutions and other organizations on the history, culture and traditions of the Plains Indians, including being a regular consultant to the curatorial and conservation staff at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the

Mikaela Yeager is an eating disorder survivor, certified eating disorder recovery coach, blogger, and founder of Bigger Than a Body. In the show, Yeager candidly shares how eating disorders began to emerge at the age of 4, how she battled them for years in complete secrecy, and what motivated her to seek help, culminating in Yeager being inspired to earn her eating disorder recovery coaching certification and helping others to find peace with their bodiesCONTENT WARNING: The conversation in this episode references suicidal thoughts and personal experiences with eating disorders that some may find disturbing. Please use your own discretion before listening. You can find help through the National Eating Disorders Association by calling or texting (800) 931-2237. The Helpline is not available 24/7, but anyone needing help can leave a message or text “NEDA” to 741741. You can also schedule a free discovery call with me via Yeager’s website—biggerthanabody.com

Jannette Taylor is the President and CEO of the Women’s Center for Advancement. In the show Taylor talks about a lifelong commitment to working with marginalized youth, including founding a gang intervention and prevention program, and the work of the Women’s Center for Advancement supporting people experiencing sexual assault, domestic violence, and trafficking. Taylor also shares how this work has not been without her own personal loss, tragedy, and burnout, but how ambition, naiveté, and hopefulness for humanity spur her on.Jannette Taylor is a native of Omaha, Nebraska. As well as leading the Women’s Center for Advancement she is also the owner of Social Impact Outliers, a consulting firm working with businesses, universities and nonprofits throughout the Midwest and South Florida on capacity building, leadership development, fundraising and capital campaigns. Prior to returning to Omaha, Taylor served as the CEO of the United Way in Kansas and ran an international nonprofit in Florida that built schools

Christian Gray, the executive director of inCOMMON Community Development. In the show, we talk about housing as a human right and the nature of the American Dream. Gray also shares how the pursuit of a life of faith and purpose drives his passion for community development and that real meaning in life can be found in contributing to enriching the local and global community of people around us.Christian Gray was born and raised on the sunny beaches of Southern California. For university he moved to Tucson, Arizona where he completed his undergrad in Communications and, more importantly, met his future partner, Sonya. He has worked in the field of national and international community development for 18 years and has served in the role of Executive Director at inCOMMON Community Development since 2006. Gray’s passion for community development led him to pursue advanced studies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where he earned a double-Masters in Urban Studies and Public Administration. Gray 

JoAnna LeFlore-Ejike is the executive director of the Malcolm X Memorial Foundation. In the show LeFlore-Ejike talks about the lasting legacy and relevance of Malcolm X, who was born in Omaha in 1925, and his recent induction into the Nebraska Hall of Fame. LeFlore-Ejike also talks about the work of the Malcolm X Memorial Foundation and shares more about her own life as a self-declared black history nerd and a proud daughter of north Omaha.JoAnna LeFlore-Ejike is a young cultural activist raised in the Midwest, activating her community through the cultivation of creative entrepreneurs and arts-based programming. For many years LeFlore-Ejike has prioritized cultural awareness and unification in collaboration with several local non-profits including Film Streams, Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts/Carver Bank, the Greater Omaha Chamber, The Reader Magazine, and Threewalls (Chicago). She continues this mission in her recently accepted position as the Executive Director for the Malcolm X Memorial Foundation after

Artist Catherine Ferguson reflects on her informal pathway into what has become for her a lifetime with an artistic practice. She talks about some of her particular exhibitions and pieces, such as work democratizing everyday objects, her installation in Barcelona, and the aesthetic design of the Opera Omaha production of Aida. Ferguson also talks about her fascination with alchemy and how in exploring that artistically she has also explored that for her own life.Catherine Ferguson is an artist whose work is featured in public and private collections across the region, including major Nebraska museums and at public venues. Ferguson is particularly well known for installations that are transcendent and transformative. Ferguson has also dedicated herself to benefitting the visual arts in the community serving on numerous public bodies and nonprofit boards.

In this New Year’s Day conversation with coach, attorney, and end-of-life doula Susan Koenig, she talks about what she has learned from a life as one of eight children raised on the edges of poverty, experiencing the deaths of several people close to her, and the joy that can be found by being attentive to life. Koenig also shares how we might frame our aspirations for the year ahead in this season of reflection and resolutions.The fifth of eight children and raised a Catholic, Susan Koenig grew up in Little Italy in Omaha. She is an executive coach, attorney, author, and certified end-of-life doula. As an attorney, Koenig is the founder of the divorce law firm, Koenig|Dunne. Her book, Divorce in Nebraska, has been replicated in over 30 states. Koenig’s brother Tim died of AIDS in 1994. Her late husband, John, received a cancer diagnosis with a prognosis of death in two and a half years. With no options for surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy, they embarked on a holistic healing journey of over a decade. Koen

This Christmas Day on Lives a selection of highlights from this past year’s shows that have included guests from the worlds of culture, business, ethics, education, faith, and more. We’ll listen back to a reading from author Dave Mainelli; music from performers Mesonjixx, Edem Garro, and Marcey Yates; art curator Karin Campbell will talk about the emotional impact of contemporary art while guest Meredith Fuller considers the spiritual aspect of her pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago. And there are reflections on growing from life’s challenges with guests Israel Green and Chanda Chacon.

Father Keith Winton is the Rector at Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Omaha. Ordained to the priesthood in 2019 in his late 50’s, Father Keith shares with us his journey in life from the inklings of faith in his childhood in rural Indiana, through his study of mathematics and theology at Wabash College, into his career as a software engineer, to his recent ordination. Father Keith and his wife Lisa, who works in the non-profit sector, have three children, the youngest is a junior at Omaha’s Central High School. In his spare time Father Keith is a musician and a cook.

Poet Trey Moody talks about some of the themes he explores in his poetry, the place of poetry in his and in our lives, and how we might make sense of the world through this craft. Moody also reads some of the poems form his book, Thought That Nature, and some other newer work.This episode of Lives was broadcast live on air on KIOS 91.5FM, Omaha’s NPR station and regular broadcaster of Lives Radio Show & Podcast, and this podcast of my conversation with Trey Moody is the recording of that on air show from Sunday Dec. 11.Trey Moody was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. His first book, Thought That Nature - published by Sarabande Books in 2014 - won the Kathryn A. Morton Prize in Poetry. His newer poems have appeared in The Atlantic, The Believer, Gulf Coast, Massachusetts Review, and New England Review. He teaches at Creighton University and lives with his daughter in Omaha, Nebraska.

Author and journalist Leo Adam Biga writes stories about people, their passions and their magnificent obsessions. In the show he talks about the craft and the business of writing, what makes for a good story, and what he has learned about others and himself in his long writing career.Author, journalist, blogger, and public speaker Leo Adam Biga is an Omaha native known for his writing-reporting on arts, culture, sports, and social justice subjects. For four decades he has been a regular freelance contributing writer for numerous publications and media platforms. Biga was awarded an international journalism grant for a 2015 reporting trip to Africa and is the author of four nonfiction books, including Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film and Crossing Bridges: A Priest’s Uplifting Life Among the Downtrodden. He is currently working on two new nonfiction books due for 2023 release. One project chronicles the eventful life of Afghan refugee Cyrus Jaffery. The other project explores the extraordinary life story of

Glenn Greet is the entrepreneur behind the British Market and Bakery, Chippy’s, and the first Musical Director of the Nebraska Brass Band. In the show, we talk about his early life in the pastoral landscapes of Yorkshire in England, what it means to be a British expat in America, and bringing some of the Old World to the New World - including the cultural heritage of brass bands and the consumer nostalgia of British foods and products.Hailing from North Yorkshire in England, Glenn Greet moved to America in 2000 and now lives in Omaha with his family. A former British police officer, Greet also studied music education and conducting and has traveled with various brass bands across the world. He is the first Musical Director of the Nebraska Brass Band. In 2021, Greet opened Chippy's. Its success in Omaha has spurred the opening of two other outlets - one in Lincoln, Nebraska, and one in Des Moines, Iowa.

Furniture maker, woodworker, and sculptor, Todd McCollister, talks about his work engaging at the boundary between furniture design and sculptural art. McCollister shares his journey into this passion and business, the questions he explores in his pieces, and how he engages with the natural material. Not only do we chat in the recording studio, but spend some time with McCollister in his wood shop at Omaha’s old Quartermaster Depot.Todd McCollister builds in the zone between Furniture Design and Art, bringing important elements of each into any given object. At times the boundary between the two fields gets thin or hazy. McCollister earned a BFA in Sculpture and Photography in 1996 from Texas Christian University and an MFA in Sculpture in 2000 from Stony Brook University. He then moved to New York City, first pursuing Sculpture and shifting to Furniture in 2006. In 2014 he brought what he learned back to his hometown of Omaha, NE, and founded Long Grain Furniture. An active member of the informal Omaha art c

Meredith Fuller is a psychologist, psychoanalyst, a nationally published poet, and the author of the novel, Quarry. With her husband, Jim Luyten, Fuller recently returned from walking a part of the pilgrimage route, the Camino de Santiago (the Chemin de Saint-Jacques de Compostelle or the Way of Saint James), which Pope Alexander VI declared to be one of the three great pilgrimages of Christendom. In this show, Fuller talks about the physical and spiritual experience of walking this historic European pilgrimage route and how it has informed and influenced her views on life.

Bilgesu Sisman is a philosophy PhD candidate, cinephile, film maker, and community programming manager at https://filmstreams.org/ (Film Streams). Sisman talks about the power of film to influence societal conversations, film’s capacity for expressing her imagination and philosophical questioning, and her intentions on how to live life well through an aesthetic of experience. Originally from Istanbul, Turkey, Bilgesu Sisman is a writer, researcher, and film programmer with a background in the humanities. As a PhD candidate in Philosophy at DePaul University, Chicago, her thesis explores the history of necroviolence, meaning posthumous corporal violence, and its formative role in modern, colonial, and postcolonial state power. Besides political philosophy, she specializes in film theory and philosophy of cinema. Her first feature film, KNOTS – which focuses on a mathematics student seeking truth in the face of repressed trauma – is in pre-production stage. She currently resides in Omaha, NE and works as t