Colorado Soul Stories

In this next Nest Quest, "Know Your Neighbor" episode, Salida high schooler, Henry Dempsey gets to know Beau Bones and Oren Dreeben who play the blues together all over the area. Henry starts off by asking how the two got to know each other, which is a fun and serendipitous story. Beau and Oren share their journey as lifelong musicians, each reflecting on what they have learned over the years, inc...

What was it like to live up the hill from downtown Salida in the quiet neighborhood up on the Mesa? 10-year-old Gloria Post interviews three long time residents, Kay Bill, Virginia Imig and Paul Witty.  “Know Your Neighbor” is part of Nest Quest, a Chaffee County-wide initiative exploring ways to strengthen residents’ sense of home and belonging. Collaborating with Colorado Theater in Non-Traditio...

In this charming episode of the Salida "Know Your Neighbor" series, eight-year-old Jewell comes back to the studio to interview longtime Salida resident, artist and music lover, Gayle Anne Dudley. These two find commonality in their non-stop awe for living in beautiful Salida, a penchant for baking sweets and enjoyment of engaging in the arts! Colorado Soul Stories has partnered with Colorado Thea...

Happy Halloween Season! I saved this little tidbit from the Windsor Hotel episodes. Steve Whitehead, former keeper of the Windsor Hotel in Del Norte, Colorado with comments from his son, current keeper of the Windsor, tell the story of Maude, a woman from the early days of the hotel whose fate is forever sealed within the walls of this historic structure as an occasional, often elusive, ethereal p...

Eight-year-old Jewell Madisyn Janisch had plenty of questions for her neighbor, Mike Sugaski when the two sat down recently for a “Know Your Neighbor” interview. How did he spend his childhood? What is it like to fight wildfires? What exactly is a Hotshot crew? And did he really help build some of the trails around Salida? This conversation is the second in a series of interviews for “Know Your Ne...

“Know Your Neighbor” is part of Nest Quest, a Chaffee County-wide initiative exploring ways to strengthen residents’ sense of home and belonging. Collaborating with Colorado Theater in Non-Traditional Spaces (TINTS) the Colorado Soul Stories Podcast has partnered with the project to record interviews conducted by local students, ages 8 to 18, with community seniors.  Welcome to this first intervie...

When we left off with our story, longtime Del Norte resident, Steve Whitehead had helped lead the restoration of the historic Windsor Hotel, spanning a time period of over 20 years. During this time, his son Kodi was growing up in the town, then went off to college and by the time the hotel needed someone to take over the dining room of the Windsor, Kodi had worked stints at The Broadmoor and, mor...

Restoring an old building is not an easy task. Add the fact that the building is historic doubles the implications of the effort. Well this is a story of a very small town, where just a handful of the residents had an affection for this old hotel that had seen better days. But The Windsor had an incredible history. It is one of, if not THE oldest hotels in Colorado, hidden in plain sight in Del No...

Whether you live around Salida or not, Chris Nasca’s story is one of those uniquely Colorado stories that illustrate the allure of our state and what some will do to live here. In this episode you will learn how Chris’ family served as a loving launch pad for his life, we’ll hear how he started playing guitar and became interested in the Grateful Dead. You'll also hear about his journey to Colorad...

When I first heard jazz guitarist, Justin Allison play, about five years ago, I was so happy. He sang some of my favorite jazz standards while mixing in his unique interpretations of familiar pop songs, many having wonderful uplifting messages. His performances are the kind where you want to simply stop everything and listen. Justin’s guitar playing is stellar and unique and his voice is glassy sm...

Jennifer Dempsey came to live in Salida, Colorado about 20 years ago. After ruminating about her future, she ended up doing what she does best: “circusing.” Her story is a study in how our childhood can influence our adult journey. Jennifer founded the Salida Circus in 2007. My first encounter with this charming organization came about 10 years ago, while watching the 4th of July parade travel dow...

Mama Jill sat down with New York Times bestselling author and longtime Colorado resident, Cynthia Swanson, whose novels are known for their thought-provoking storytelling. Readers may already know Cynthia from her acclaimed debut, The Bookseller, her follow-up suspense novel, Anyone But Her and now her latest work, debuting May 21st, a collection of short stories showcasing the struggles of women...

If you have lived in Colorado for a long time it’s not a new story; a handful of starving artists discover an untapped, affordable and lovely place to set down roots. But as they settle and create, they attract people and suddenly it’s not an undiscovered place anymore and it’s also no longer affordable – this has been our cycle of gentrification. Salida, Colorado is still a pretty small town. A f...

RAW, UNEDITED, INTENSE conversation with the both rough and refined, Joe Firstman. Mama Jill is in Baja Mexico for the Baja Wondergrass music festival organized by COLORADO-based Bonfire Entertainment. She and her tribe enjoyed listening to the powerful and  eclectic band, Cordovas at opening night at Polvora, surrounded by dark skies, sparkly stars and immense cacti. The next morning Mama Jill ra...

John King is Colorado anthropomorphized. He’s got grit. He relishes nature; from its deep blue skies to its blinding blizzards and all the various contours of its terrain. This is reflected in his spectacular kinetic sculptures that tell the story of his outdoor experiences. He arrived here fresh out of college from the Midwest, the Colorado Rockies calling loudly to his soul. In 1978, he and his...

 Napoleonic treasures, Masonic symbolism, famous guests, including the prize steers from the annual National Western Stock Show and evidence of visitors from the beyond...this and more are held as dear historic and ongoing stories at this triangular and legendary structure, situated at 17th and Tremont in downtown Denver. As a kid, I thought The Brown Palace got its name from the color of the redd...

His voice is the authentic, trusted storyteller of Colorado. Whether it be his monthly check-ins with our governor, showcasing the best barbeque place in a town you've never heard of or locating and celebrating the lowest elevation point in our state, just to juxtapose it with the highest point, Ryan Warner interviews contain the whimsical people and places from all over Colorado and he delivers t...

 Welcome back to my conversation with Chandler Romeo and Reed Weimer. In addition to their recent project with the Wonder Tower in Genoa, Colorado, they have been longtime participants and supporters of Denver's local art scene beginning back when there kind of wasn't one yet, in the 1980s. We discuss their meet cute as students at Colorado State University and the fact that Reed's photography and...

Chandler Romeo and Reed Weimer have been affectionately labeled as the Beatnik Barbie and Ken of Denver's Art Scene. Indeed they helped elevate local arts in Denver during a time when there were far less opportunities for creatives. They have taken this legacy to new heights, literally!  Collaborating with other long-time Denverites, they purchased the quirky 100 year old World's Wonder View Tower...

This is a treat! All of the best wisdom from the collection of the 2025 Colorado Soul Stories interviews. Whether you have listened to all the episodes or not, this is a wonderful summary of all the positive insights provided by the entrepreneurs, musicians, innovators and community builders that are proudly Colorado based! Hear how legendary Denver coffee house Muddy's provided much needed cultur...

Happy Holidays! This episode contains listener-submitted Colorado-specific winter and holiday stories. Contained in this 17 minute episode are festive recounting of childhood experiences during "snow days," including the Blizzard of '82. Additionally three professional writers and, some recent guests from past podcasts, provide off-beat and methodical tales of long and dark winter nights and holid...

Join the conversation as Mama Jill sits down with Colorado's most recent poets laureate and their anthology creator and organizer, dynamic social entrepreneur, Turner Wyatt.  Wyatt conceived of this publication, Begin Where You Are, The Colorado Poets Laureate Anthology - the first of its kind!  Turner explains how this idea came to him and how, through his knack for socially responsible entrepren...

In this inspiring episode of Colorado Soul Stories, Mama Jill travels to the high mountain ridge of Poncha Pass to sit down with her longtime friend and visionary builder, Chris White, the creator behind Yurts at Poncha Pass and a self-built, sustainable Earthship home. What begins as a conversation about off-grid housing opens into a deep exploration of community, resilience, affordable living, a...

  In this, a lost episode, with Animal and Nature Intuitive Ana Maria Vasquez, your Colorado Soul Stories Podcast host, Mama Jill sat down with her at a radio station in Salida, Colorado. Unfortunately the first half of this recording was lost to technical difficulties. We are resurrecting this second part, which survived, and dives deeper into Ana Maria’s methods for activating our relationships...

Andy Carlson is one of those happy people whose positivity is contagious. He is a proud Northsider who truly loves and cares for his community. He shares this joy through his music. His love of the jam circle and the old-timey method of using one microphone with various musicians taking turns inspired him to found the "dad-grass" band, The Highland Ramblers. Their fun version of bluegrass and well...