Room in the Margins

Monica Martinez is the CEO of a community-based nonprofit called Encompass, a dedicated gardener, Ironman triathlete, and a huge fan of “The Bakersfield Sound”. I didn’t ask her about anything of these things in this episode, because at the end of the day, she’s better known as “Mama Monica”. For this edition of the pod, I ask Monica about her journey to becoming a foster parent, what she’s learned along the way, and how we can all cultivate a little more love and engage with our big feelings.

Jon Thornton is a proud dad, artful fundraiser, coffee connoisseur, and a former pastor who grew up in the Seventh-Day Adventist tradition. These days, he’ll be the first to tell you that he doesn’t have all the answers. In fact, he’s largely undeclared when it comes to his major in the order of the universe, and I think that this openness is one of the best things about him. He currently makes miracles happen (the secular ones where a bunch of good people get together and create something incredible) at Make a Wish™.

For my money, no 30 under 30 list would be complete without today’s guest, Waringa Kamau. I met Waringa when we were working together in her hometown of Nairobi, Kenya. She and I were dispatched to the informal settlements there, where we recorded the stories of Mukuru residents. In the meantime, she’s gotten her Masters from UC Berkeley and worked at Al Jazeera, CNN, and Bloomberg. She’s a mind on the rise and I’m so excited to see where she goes next.

Julie Ann Rivers-Cochran, MSW, is a nonprofit consultant, domestic violence prevention advocate, and an avid Dave Matthews Band fan. It’s episode 4 and this one starts out with a special visit from The Patriarchy.

Neil Cox, M.D. is a family physician with the Ho Chunk Nation in Wisconsin. He also served in the Peace Corps in Tanzania where he learned Swahili, permaculture, and how to cope with an entire country of Andrews (his older brother). It's Episode 3 and we're "Roomies" now, so let's get into it, mungu akipenda.

Heather Spooner "draws letters for a living" with her studio, Ampersand Lettering Lab. In this episode, we find out what happens when people stop being polite and start getting real...about their career choices.

Tim Baase is the author of Lake City, a manuscript about growing up queer in rural Michigan. In this initial audio adventure, I begin in the closet (literally) and end up discovering how one man's creative project to heal his past sends us all a message to, "be the person you needed when you were younger."