Front Porch AF

Brad Clark from the Nashville Food Project discusses how the nonprofit reclaims food, grows produce, and prepares thousands of scratch-made meals weekly to address food insecurity in Nashville. Hear how volunteers, community partners, and garden programs work together, and learn simple ways listeners can volunteer, donate, or receive meals. Kelli and Sue start off the episode, as always, with Neig...

Kelli and Sue sit down with Nancy VanReece, President and CEO of the new Nashville Vibe, to discuss launching a professional women’s basketball team in Nashville, joining the Upshot League, and the team’s community-focused vision. The episode covers logistics like playing their home games at Vanderbilt University, player housing and living wages, hiring a coach and season timing, and how the Vibe...

Kelly Stagg, director of Stone Creek Memory Care, joins Kelli and Sue to explain how memory care works and how staff create a true sense of home for people with dementia. This is a personal connection for Kelli, whose mother is a resident of Stone Creek. And for Sue, it's about how to deal with what she, at 78, fears the most. The discussion covers recognizing warning signs, when to consider resid...

Historian Betsy Phillips joins Kelli and Sue to discuss her book 'Dynamite Nashville' and the unsolved bombings in Nashville during the Civil Rights era of the '50s and '60s. The conversation explores the Ku Klux Klan's violent response to desegregation, the FBI's controversial ties to Klan chapters, and key figures like J.B. Stoner, J. Alexander Looby, and J. Edgar Hoover. Phillips describes her...

Hosts Kelli and Sue welcome music journalist Craig Havighurst to discuss his book 'Musicality for Modern Humans' and how to "listen like an artist." Craig breaks down key concepts—tone, time, and timbre—offers practical tips for discovering new and instrumental music, and explains how streaming algorithms and playlists can be trained to expand your musical taste. The show also includes neighborhoo...

Hosts Kelli and Sue sit down with Tennessee State Representative Aftyn Behn to discuss her activist roots, serving as one of few Democrats in a Republican supermajority, and her recent congressional run. The conversation covers Behn's 'Pot for Potholes' plan to legalize and tax cannabis to fund infrastructure spending, skepticism about the Super Bowl’s promised economic windfall, threats to local...

Sex therapy is not sex work. It’s psychotherapy. It's talk therapy. In this episode of Front Porch AF, Kelli and Sue welcome sex therapist Dr. Emma Smith to demystify sex therapy, explain what it addresses, and correct common misconceptions. They discuss science-based education, consent, fantasies, changing desire across life stages, the impact of religious upbringing, and gender-affirming care. D...

Yeah, one day it will really be 'last call' ... so we welcome death doula Bre Clark to explain what a death doula does, practical end-of-life planning (wills, advance directives, caregiving roles), and simple rituals to ease grief and dying. Bre shares real-life experiences from death cafes, hospice volunteering, and how talking about mortality can make it less frightening. Between this enriching...

Real estate agent, singer-songwriter Rachel Owen ("The Mae West of Rock 'n' Roll") joins the Kelli and Sue to give clear, practical advice for buyers and sellers in Nashville—how to tour a home, spot functional red flags, prepare for inspections and closing costs, and what to expect from timelines and offers. The episode mixes market insights with neighborhood notes, music anecdotes, Pride Month m...

Rachel Campbell, chair of the Tennessee Democratic Party, joins Kelli and Sue to discuss rebuilding the party from the county level, recruiting candidates, calling primaries, and fighting back against gerrymandering to restore balanced representation across Tennessee. This episode highlights practical steps for voter registration, local organizing, and how grassroots efforts can turn into statewid...

Hospice chaplain Khette Cox joins Kelli and Sue to explain and demystify hospice care — what it is, who it serves, how Medicare covers it, and the difference between hospice at home and hospice houses. She explains the hospice team, spiritual support, and how families can honor a loved one’s wishes. Through candid stories, humor, and practical advice, Khette and the hosts explore facing death, sup...

Join Kelli and Sue and their guest Gina Sicilia as they blend blues music, Italian cooking, and entrepreneurship in a wide-ranging, fun conversation. Gina recounts how home-cooked recipes turned into Gina's Skinny Italian—low-carb sauces and pastas sold at markets, online, and in grocery stores—while sharing cooking tips and food-business insights. The episode also includes JazzFest highlights, co...

On Earth Day, Kelli and Sue chatted with Tonya and Michael Bradford of Una Acre Farm about their move from city life to Neely's Bend and building a small, sustainable farm. They cover organic no‑till practices, crop rotation, CSA shares, farmers markets, chef partnerships, egg production, and front‑porch delivery. The episode highlights practical tips for reducing food waste, supporting local agri...

Jann Seymour of Hands On Nashville talks with Kelli and Sue about connecting volunteers to 200+ nonprofits, coordinating disaster response, and how even a single act of service can create lasting ripple effects in a community. They cover training and logistics for volunteer crews, long-term recovery timelines, local programs like Shower the People and SAFPAW, and close with neighborhood news and a...

Kelli and Sue sit down with musician and horsewoman Nicki Bluhm, also their neighbor, to talk about her new album ‘Rancho Deluxe’, her move to Neely’s Bend from urban California, viral van videos, and her journey from West Coast tours with Grateful Dead members to local “Rocky Tonk” nights with The Neely’s Band. They also discuss Nicki’s farming life, her work with horses, and a recent project tha...

Kelli and Sue welcome their neighbor, Old Crow Medicine Show multi-instrumentalist Cory Younts, for a relaxed conversation about growing up in Nashville, his drummer father, making a living as a musician, life on the road, and the band’s storied song “Wagon Wheel.” The episode mixes neighborhood banter, drink-of-the-day fun, local recommendations (including a burrito tip), and behind-the-scenes st...

Everything you always wanted to know about homeowner's insurance but were afraid to ask ... Join Kelli and Sue with their guest, independent insurance agent Johnny Shelby, as they break down homeowner's insurance in the wake of Nashville's recent ice storm. Get practical, local and general advice on when to file claims, choosing deductibles, guaranteed replacement cost, umbrella policies, roof and...

Kelli and Sue (notably not drinking in this episode because (a) it's morning and (b) there are firearms involved) first cover neighborhood updates and post-ice storm tree-removal scams, then follow aging hippie, bleeding heart liberal Sue’s journey into handgun ownership with an in-depth interview with Aqil Qadir of the Citizens Safety Academy about living the armed lifestyle responsibly, permit o...

Kelli and Sue introduce their new video studio set-up, share neighborhood updates—like the Snack Friday Cookbook, the Love is Deaf Valentine’s event, and snowy storm adventures (among them, burying a cow with Kelli’s mini-excavator)—and read listener mail. Then they welcome special guest Stacie Huckeba, renowned photographer (Dolly Parton, Michelle Obama, Public Enemy, Todd Snider, to name a few)...

Megan Palmer, nurse and musician, joins Kelli and Sue to talk about her journey into nursing, palliative care, and the nursing crisis, and how she uses healing music, songwriting, and therapeutic touch to support patients and colleagues. The episode mixes neighborhood banter with thoughtful conversation about compassion, creativity on the job, and practical steps to care and connect.  The YouTube/...

We open our 2nd season with a live show from our home-away-from-home Dee's Lounge — with special guest Elizabeth Cook, music outlaw and all-around badass woman. We celebrate the new season with not only our regular audio podcast, but also a Elizabeth-Cook.com for more, especially about her upcoming film The Easy Kind and a new album, too! Pull up a chair, grab a drink, and join us on our audio fro...

Kelli and Sue host a festive holiday edition of Front Porch AF with family, friends, and remote guests sharing favorite traditions — from tractor Christmas displays and eggnog recipes to St. Nicholas boots and gumbo. Plus a Bonus Video of the gang singing “Blue Christmas” — Front Porch AF style. Of course, there are Neighborhood Notes, listener mail, a Snack Friday Cookbook, and, challenging “Gran...

Hosts Kelli and Sue welcome Lauren Egan of The Bulwark to discuss the high-stakes Tennessee District 7 special election between Democrat Aftyn Behn and Republican Matt Van Epps, the effects of gerrymandering, and why national Democrats are pouring in resources. The conversation covers campaign strategy, cultural messaging, the role of social media and rising Democratic figures, the impact of the E...

Given the topic of immigration and immigrants in today's America, this episode's guest is most enlightening. Kelli and Sue sit down with Diana Perez from Conexión Américas to learn how the nonprofit supports Nashville's Latino community through English classes, education assistance, food distribution, workforce programs, and more. The episode highlights personal stories of success, current challen...

"Big change has to start somewhere, and it starts just by doing it." In this episode of Front Porch AF, hosts Kelli and Sue chat over drinks and laughter before welcoming Joseph Clark from Nashville’s Oasis Center to discuss support networks for LGBTQ+ youth. They cover Oasis’s Just Us program, mental health services, the Stonewall Scholars internship, ways to volunteer or donate, and how adults c...