THNX: A Feelgood Podcast

Daniel Alig, originally from Dayton, Ohio, earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. After working in the admissions office at Emory following graduation, he moved to Texas and started at St. John's School in 2000, working as a Teacher, Coach, Counselor, Admissions Associate, and Upper School Dean of Students & English Department Chair. After 13 years...

Paul Jacobs is a certified recovery coach, certified mediator, licensed attorney, member of the Texas Association of Addiction Professionals, and author of "The Myth of the Highly Functioning Lawyer Addict." He earned his Bachelor's Degree from Arizona State University and his J.D. from the University of Houston. He is in long term recovery from mental health and substance use disorders and now he...

Woody Witt is an active performer, composer, and educator based in Houston, Texas. He has 13 CDs to his credit as a leader or coleader, and most feature original music. He plays saxophone and has had the opportunity to perform with some of the most well known jazz musicians of our time. Woody recorded this special episode with us featuring some of his personal jazz favorites for our host, Rand's,...

Bobby Jucker owns and operates Three Brothers Bakery in Houston, Texas, which originated in Poland and has been a fixture in the city nearly 200 years through five generations of the Jucker family. Prior to joining the family business, Bobby earned his Bachelor's Degree in Petroleum Land Management from the University of Texas. Since, he has led Three Brothers through expansions, disasters, and co...

Dr. Arelia Johnson is a nationally recognized sociologist, strategist, speaker, consultant, and writer with nearly 20 years of experience advancing equity, justice, and inclusion. She earned her Ph. D. in Sociology and Criminology from Howard University in Washington, D.C. and currently serves as the first Chief Officer of Human and Civil Rights in Harris County, Houston, Texas. Her innumerable co...

Wayne Basist is a Certified Health & Life Coach and a Positive Intelligence-Trained Mental Fitness Coach who founded ESQ Mental Fitness in 2024. Born and raised in New York City, he played basketball at the University of California, Los Angeles before earning his law degree at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, California. While working successfully as an attorney, he was in a car accident that cha...

Woody Witt is an active performer, composer, and educator based in Houston, Texas. He has played saxophone with some of the most well known jazz musicians of our time and has 13 CDs to his credit as a leader or co-leader. Thomas Helton, also based in Houston, Texas, is a bassist and composer who is adept at playing jazz, classical, experimental, and avant-garde music. A recipient of numerous award...

Gary Tyler, from St. Rose, Louisiana, was sentenced to death and spent 41 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Despite his wrongful conviction and incarceration, he led an exemplary life behind bars in service of others, including quilting as a way to raise money for the prison's hospice program. Since his release in 2016, he has continued creating, and some of his art is featured in the...

Denise Peterson is a full-time professional neutral, focusing her practice exclusively on dispute resolution services.  She mediates civil cases and is on several arbitration panels. In addition to being licensed as an attorney in Texas and New York, she is a solicitor to the Senior Courts of England and Wales.  During the Spring and Fall semesters at South Texas College of Law, Ms. Peterson becom...

Judge Manpreet "Monica" Singh is a native Houstonian who earned her Bachelor's Degree from the University of Texas at Austin and her JD from South Texas College of Law. She made history as Texas's first Sikh Judge as well as the first female Sikh Judge in the U.S. when she was elected to Harris County Civil Court at Law #4 in 2022. Prior, she was a practicing attorney for 21 years and has received...

Anno Da Poet is a spoken-word artist and slam poet. A native Houstonian, he is an active featured performer, host, and recurring competitor with the Write About Now (WAN) Poetry organization. He also founded Bayou City Hoops, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit designed to foster amateur sports competition and youth development. Anno calls Houston, Texas home.

Laura Mayo is the Senior Minister at Covenant Church in Houston, Texas. She graduated from Carson-Newman College and Wake Forest Divinity School in addition to further studies at Regent's Park College of Oxford University. A sought after speaker, she has extensive knowledge on topics such as women's roles in the Bible, LGBTQIA+ rights & inclusion, and Biblical ethics. Her writing has appeared in a...

Calvin Johnson, Ph. D. is the Dean of the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University. He earned a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology from Eastern Washington University, a Master's Degree in Sociology/Research Methods from Temple University, and a Ph. D. in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Maryland-College Park. Prior to his current role, h...

Adavion Wayne is the Director of Education at Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) in Houston, Texas. Originally from Louisiana, he earned his Bachelor's Degree in Music Education from the University of Louisiana Monroe and his Master's Degree in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies from the University of Texas at Arlington. Throughout his career, he has served as a teacher, department chair, instruc...

Joanna Whaley has lived in Southeast Michigan her whole life and is now running for State Representative for House District 2 to serve her community. She earned her Bacherlor's Degree in Arts Management from Eastern Michigan University, attended the University of Michigan for Clinical Pastoral Education and a Clinical Pastoral Education Residency, and received her Master of Arts in Theology and Th...