The John Krol Podcast / The Blend

Author Dan Valenti joins Cara & John Krol on The Blend Podcast to discuss a true labor of love and a book that is the result of work and interviews that spanned nearly four decades. The book reveals previously untold details of how iconic characters in Kubrick's masterpiece Full Metal Jacket were chosen and molded through the eyes of the actors who portrayed the epic roles. UNVEILING THE T...

It is an incredible challenge navigating the world of finances and services as our loved ones age. Deb Allen is one of the very best in the business in helping families manage through the challenges to understand how to provide the very best services for our aging parents, grandparents, other family, friends and loved ones. A registered nurse case manager, Deb is the admissions director of Mount C...

The inspiration for The Enchanted Altar was born from a myriad of muses. Learn more about the journey when you take an in-person workshop or online class. The vibe is simple… creating and offering quality products and experiences for quality people who are looking to explore and evolve themselves. The Enchanted Altar is meant to empower and enhance the strength, beauty, and magic that already exis...

Shay Barnes is the owner of Hiking Hounds, a unique dog walking and hiking business, where she aims to connect with exceptional dog friends to share hiking experiences, promoting physical fitness and enjoyment. Their services are primarily concentrated in the Richmond area, with the flexibility to accommodate West Pittsfield and West Stockbridge, supplemented by pickup options if needed Shay start...

Making national news a couple decades ago, and being labeled the "baseball billionaire" is a legacy that many will remember former major leaguer Matt White for. But, it's the rest of the story that's even more intriguing and inspiring. Hitting rock bottom, going through bankruptcy, and being forced to sell the quarry that made him world-known, Matt has made a comeback inspired by...

We welcome Jerrid Burdick - the founder of the Berkshire Wedding Expo. The Expo is January 25 & 26 at the Stationary Factory in Dalton, Mass. Register by logging onto theberkshireweddingexpo.com. Win over $12,000 in wedding service giveaways. Additional cash prizes of $1000 toward your wedding, plus $500 toward any event. The Berkshire Wedding Expo represents OVER 130 Berkshire County wedding...

Nadia Milleron is a powerful independent voice who has earned hard fought wins in Washington and elsewhere holding Boeing accountable after her daughter Samya was killed in one of the tragic crashes of the Boeing 737. She is now running as an underdog to the powerful Richard Neal, the epitome of the political establishment in western Massachusetts and DC. Recently bolstered by a ⁠powerful piece in...

Health New England Medicare Plan Specialist Lee Jaggi joins us to cover all the basics of Medicare, as those eligible head into open enrollment October 15 to December 7. He covers the difference between Medicare Part A & B, penalties for not signing up for Medicare in some circumstances, fewer private providers in the Berkshires and Western Mass for Medicare products, meaning a number of peopl...

Sufani Garza joins The Blend with Cara & John Krol for a conversation on her journey into the healing arts, finding Reiki as a way to find peace from stress and her migraine headaches, her journey from student to trainer - with nearly 60,000 enrollments worldwide through her online courses on Udemy. Sufani Garza is the Director and Founder of Place of Bliss Academy. She’s a practitioner in man...

A woman not afraid to dream and capture the greatness life has to offer! Authentic Creative Warrior - that's Nakeida and we catchup on her passion, her spiritual path, and lifting up others. Nakeida serves as a pastor for Hood Shaw Memorial AME Zion Church in Providence, RI, and is a motivational speaker who effectively utilizes social media to deliver her message. During the pandemic, Motivationa...

It has been a passion of hers since she was a just a little girl, providing exceptional care for the most vulnerable. Also, she was raised well by her mother who was a nurse, as Renee is today. Starting as a certified nursing assistant, then becoming an LPN and then a registered nurse (RN), Renee brings a certain perspective and an innovative approach to leading her private pay home care agency, W...

Persevering against all odds, and transforming through the experience is the stuff of inspiration, and makes for great stories to tell. It's the premise behind Deserts to Mountaintops, which chronicles the journey of extraordinary women overcoming monumental challenges. It's the creation of Jessica Buchanan, the woman who made headlines worldwide for her strength and tenacity, surviving a...

This episode ranges the full blend, dating, the challenge of aging parents and grandparents, the loneliness of caregivers, getting the heave-ho from your friend group once you have kids, the revival of live music in venues throughout the region, Andrew's dream job at MTV back in the late eighties and early nineties working with Kurt Loder, and the likes of the Backstreet Boys, the Real World a...

Everything from the media landscape in a small New England county, death by chocolate specialty bread to thinking more broadly as to who is a leader. Here is the audio-only version of a wide ranging conversation generated from the original live show. If you know anything about shocking a river or a lake to manage fish, don't touch that water while it's happening - Mike learned that lesson...

Support The Blend Podcast with Buy Me a Coffee. Andrew & Rachael founded RopaNa Wellness seven years ago driven by Rachael's health issues that traditional Western medicine, one pharmaceutical after another, could not address. In fact, she worked at a hospital and, suffered from severe pain, insomnia and other symptoms that made life almost unbearable. Hemp was the solution that changed he...

Cara and John go back on their original messages on Facebook when their relationship began in the middle of the COVID lockdown, Tinder is still the "gold standard" of dating apps - says Marc - even if no one wants to admit it, Cara shares a date gone all wrong in her short stint in adventures of online dating. Marc shares anecdotes on a boudoir shoot that has still never happened after f...

Water is everything. It touches every bit of our lives and our communities, in our physical and mental health, recreation and our economy. Leslie Gabriel's connection with water became clear at a very young age and then evolved over time, ever reimagining the relationship at every turn. His professional life led him to water, creating a successful business with water testing and filtration sys...

Cara and John roll-out their online sales training program and philosophy behind it, what happens with the diamond engagement ring when a married couple splits (they have experience), ways that small businesses can expand their markets by using online tools. John and Cara have a solution for that, and we look forward to demystifying it and helping people begin an exciting new journey in online sal...

Dorothy's Estaminet is the new hotspot in the downtown, drawing off the tradition of the former Mission Bar & Tapas and the living room of the region, Dottie's Coffee Lounge. Jess Rufo explains the concept of the "estaminet" which is a place for adult beverages but has a bit of a "shabby" fun vibe. That's perfect, and it's already become a hub for incredible...

It's a seismic shift that has the potential to fundamentally change the way we approach not only pediatric dental care, but total health for our children. Airway-centric dentistry focuses on the root causes and can address the underlying issues that lead to sleep apnea, snoring, sleep deprivation, and yes, cavities and tooth decay. Driven first by her intuition as a mother to children with chr...

It's simply harder and more expensive to do business in Massachusetts, and that's one of the main reasons George Shoemaker is now moving his entire operation to Sarasota, Florida. Currency Coffee originated in Dalton Massachusetts with the nod to town's Crane Paper currency-making fame. In spite of success in distributing to a wide array of businesses and restaurants, and more recently...

It's been 63 years since Larry Kratka first spoke into a live mic at a radio station, and he's still going strong today. Larry's love of radio took him well beyond his day job as a newsman and anchor with WUPE-FM and the Berkshire News Network, among other stations, as he was the driving force in saving community radio in Pittsfield. His initiative to revitalize WTBR saved the station...

A Divorced Mom turned Standup Comedian, Eryca Nolan considers herself Funny As A Mother. See her entertain audiences with her wit and unfiltered honesty as she shares her tales of Motherhood, Love and most importantly Wine. She’s also the proud producer of a Standup Comedy Show, Project HERlarious, a Mostly Female, All Hilarious Comedy Show filled with Female Comedians from across the United State...

Cara and John catch up with Chantell McFarland who recently returned from a hugely successful run at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis with Diego Mongue and his band. Chantell has something in common with John and Cara as a stepmom making it work in the blended family. We cover almost scripted Taylor Swift, KC Chiefs, NFL season, Cara's purchasing Halara overalls for comfort and to...

Ep2 with candle and soap maker Soma Dinicola, talking blending families, running a small business, creating product and marketing them. We'll follow-up with your feedback on our conversation about the Stanley Cup Tumbler, narcissistic relationships, finding love and marriage the second time around and more! Cara Krol is the author of Fairy Slippers and Molly Saves the Bees: https://www.fairyslippe...