The Listen Podcast

She began as a reader on the bookmobile in her small New Jersey town. Her next chapter was as a writer, but these days she lives on an olive farm in Italy, and she’s back to reading in her role as a coach, guiding authors through the process of writing their own books.

As a young man, author Noah Charney dreamed of living in Europe. Anywhere in Europe. In fact, he tried out life in some six different countries before landing in Slovenia, the country that would steal his heart.

A mother based in Spain is offered a monthly book subscription from her children’s grandmother in the US. Offput by the shipping charges and red tape, she decides to start a company that offers the same benefits for kids in Europe. Amazingly, she launches the business while on lockdown in the early days of the pandemic.

She’s thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail. She’s trekked in Nepal with a 3- and 5-yr-old. She’s taught all over the world. But the groundwork for these adventures was laid when she served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Central America.

Raised in the Belgian Congo, a young American signs up for the Peace Corps and is assigned to a feedlot project in Lesotho. She plans to employ her animal husbandry skills, but finds she is called by her faith to care for vulnerable children.

A young woman volunteers for the Peace Corps straight out of college. The skills she develops there – speaking French, becoming resilient, learning the local customs – will pave the way for her career as an expert in African democracy and development.

A young couple flies to Lesotho to meet the little boy they’ve adopted, but all the clothes they’ve brought will have to wait until he grows into them because as it turns out, he’s only 18 months old. Just a year or two later, it’s the Democratic Republic of Congo that awaits when they make the trip to meet their daughter.  This time around, they’re expecting a 5-year-old and are met by an 8-year-...

Fresh out of college, a young writer accepts a job with an NGO, which takes her to Africa on several trips. The connections she makes there – with primates, with nature, with local communities – will give her a new perspective that lends her writing a sense of joy and delight. 

A college senior suffers a stroke just weeks before her graduation. After four years of rehabilitation, she feels called to take a “victory lap,” visiting every continent on earth, including Africa.

Two 20-somethings with a dream of teaching overseas hop on a plane to Spain and hope for the best. What they find is far more than they could have expected, leading them on adventures to Turkey, the UAE, Taiwan and beyond.

When Laura Kitchin decided to move to Barcelona, she knew she would be teaching English there. What she didn’t know was that she would be enjoying three-hour dinners, traveling to several countries each year, and getting an up-close look at the independence movement in Catalonia.

Five weeks after his 1991 wedding, Willie White and his new bride were working in Saudi Arabia. Over the next 30 years, they would travel, live and work in more than 50 countries, she as an engineer, he as an English teacher.

As a child, Phyllis felt embarrassed by the food her mother packed in her lunchbox, and rebelled against the Chinese school she had to attend on Sundays. But now, she seeks these same experiences for her young son, striving to find the right balance between her parents’ culture, her husband’s culture and American culture. Phyllis…

As a young girl growing up in LA, Jacqui took it for granted that she was Hispanic. Then came a questioning, a trying on of other labels like Chicana and Latina, and ultimately the feeling that identity is fluid in essence. Jacqui Amezcua is an alum of Dickinson College, located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where she…

A young Punjabi bride raises her daughters in Maryland under a cloud of fear. As the girls grow up, they embrace their independence while continuing to respect their parents’ traditions, including the prospect of arranged marriage. Sisters Bhavneet and Taranjit Athwal are the co-hosts of the Drive With Us Podcast. (Check out Kate’s interview on…

When Emily Powers was in 5th grade, her mother Nicole Powers (S11, E2) turned herself in for forgery, after stealing from her employer to support her drug addiction. Incredibly, the way Emily responded to this crisis was to lean into her studies, to such an extent that she was honored with a nomination to West…

As a young single mother, Nicole Powers slid down a slippery slope from alcohol and pot to an addiction to pain pills after they were prescribed for shoulder problems. It wasn’t long before she was introduced to heroin. After stealing from her employer to support her drug habit, she turned herself in on forgery charges…

When Purdue Pharma began to coach physicians to include pain as the fifth vital sign, it led to over-prescription and ultimately, the worst drug crisis in American history. A retired physician, Dr. Jetmore currently serves as the Health Officer in Wayne County, Indiana. In his interview, he talks us through how the opioid crisis began…

This interview was a real eye-opener. Ana described what a life-changing experience it was to leave her native Spain for Finland, where she finished her architectural studies and worked designing learning environments. She also talked us through the overwhelming influence of built space on the behavior and well-being of all humans. “Space is a teaching…

A solid foundation is laid over four years at Juilliard, and incredible experience is gained over 25 years working on the stage and screen. Now, an actor uses her hard-won perspective and wisdom to coach her clients. My dear friend Lauren and I could talk for hours, and sometimes we do! So glad we could…

A single mom self-soothes by going through the drive-thru and eating alone in her car, but the pounds pile on. After many failed attempts at losing weight, she reaches out for help, vowing to break the cycle. Jen Pendleton has lost and gained more pounds than she cares to count. In 2014, she reached an…

Michelle and I used to tell other people’s stories as actors in NYC, but she has found her own voice as an author, and she’s using it! My son loved the first two books in her trilogy The Girl, the Pendant and the Portal, and is eagerly awaiting the release of the final novel. She…

Jennifer Niven thought James Bird would be a perfect fit for The Listen Podcast, and she could not have been more on point! James has a strong sure voice, and he is using it – to speak up for indigenous people, for children, and for all those who need our support.  “First I wanna connect…

My conversation with Jennifer did not disappoint! Like two Hoosiers sitting around catching up, we touched on lots of subjects, shared some belly laughs, and came to some common insights. An author plans to hole up and write on a remote island, but on the very first day she meets and falls in love with…

Welcome back to The Listen Podcast! Join us on Monday, October 5th as we kick off Season 9, a series of interviews featuring Writers of Young Adult Fiction.  Meanwhile, if you've missed any episodes from our first eight seasons, now is the...