Hello Sonoma!

Renata Virk has more than a decade of experience in the publishing world. Her background at Sonoma Magazine and Valley of the Moon Magazine led her to create a new periodical in town called the Social Publication with an aim similar to Hello Sonoma's: to highlight the people who make Sonoma what Renata calls the "greatest little town in America." In this episode we discuss how this project came to...

Katherine Fulton is a Journalist, a Philanthropist, and an expert on Impact Investing. Over the years, she has started her own newspaper, predicted the rise of the internet as a disruptor of traditional journalism, anticipated the crowd-sourcing of philanthropy, and acted decisively in times of crisis. Through the Catalyst Fund, Sonoma's temporary funding source to help address changing local need...

Eva Bertran's first taste of sparkling wine was when her family welcomed her into the world with a drop of Cava. Since that grand entrance, she became a leader in the wine industry starting first as an MBA intern at Gloria Ferrer when the winery's vines were still seedlings and eventually as the Executive Vice President and representative to José and Gloria Ferrer themselves. In this episode, we g...

Yasser and I have known each other since we lived and worked in Amman, Jordan in 2017. As colleagues we collaborated on conferences, projects, and exchange programs and I've always admired Yasser's ability to connect with and inspire people. In this episode, Yasser inspired me as he shared some of the incredible accomplishments he's had in Afghanistan, including initiatives to help empower women,...

Few towns are lucky enough to have a bookstore like Readers' Books in Sonoma. Founded in 1991 by Lilla and Andy Weinberger, the store now welcomes visitors from all over the world to browse its shelves. Though there are many stores that sell books (both on and offline), Readers' has truly become, as it says on their characteristic bookmark, "a gathering place for book lovers of all ages." On the e...

Homelessness is a challenging issue in any city. In Sonoma, articles about vulnerable people have often been featured in local newspapers and social media, but rarely do personal stories make it to the front page. In this episode, I talk with Louis and Giulia, who graciously agreed to tell me more about experiencing homelessness. I found both interviews to be both tragic and inspiring, but they hi...

Bruce Irving admires the craft. Since his time on This Old House, he developed a deep appreciation for the small touches that make humanity special. In his book, New England Icons, he carefully describes the history and art that makes New England building unique. The same philosophy applies to living life, where Bruce advocates for finding interesting things and sticking with them, and in getting...

Emily Irving was steadily on the path towards prescribed success in the academic world. After completing her undergraduate at Williams, she was working through her PhD at Harvard studying equity in business. To all those who knew her it looked like success, but something didn't feel right. In this episode, we discuss what that truly felt like and what happened once she listened to that voice. We d...

Debby Irving spent the first few chapters of her life outside Boston in a town not so different from Sonoma. After a long career in non-profits she decided to pursue a masters degree where she ended up exploring the roots of her upbringing in an unexpected and illuminating way. The discoveries she made informed her award-winning book, "Waking Up White," which chronicle her journey towards a better...

In this episode, we have conversations with two of Sonoma's city council members, the Mayor, Madolyn Agrimonti, and Vice Mayor Jack Ding. Madolyn Agrimonti has dedicated much of her life to public service. As twice mayor of both Daly City and Sonoma, she played a leading role in shaping her community in the face of serious challenges. In this episode, we discuss her upbringing, and the impact she'...

 Located just outside Dubois, Wyoming (perhaps the most remote town in the lower 48 states), the Bitterroot Ranch lies just beneath the Absaroka mountain range in an idyllic valley stocked with cows, sheep, llamas, cutthroat trout, and even wild horses. Bayard Fox, its founder, has run the ranch with his family for more than 40 years. Perhaps most interesting, though, is Bayard's journey to t...

The story of wine in Sonoma Valley didn't start with Agoston Haraszthy , but the legacy he left behind helped build the valley into what it is today. On this episode, Bartholomew Park 's resident historian, Frank Pope, shares some of Sonoma's lesser known history on the path towards the popular tourist destination that draws wine lovers from around the country. From Native American planters to a y...

Kathy King came to Sonoma in 2011 as a consultant for Sonoma Overnight Support with vast fundraising and non-profit experience. 10 years later, she leads the helm of the organization as it has grown to meet the needs of Sonoma Valley. In this episode, we hear a little more about what drove Kathy to get to where she is, her long-held belief in doing what's right, and the challenges she faced that m...

In this episode, I speak with Malinee Peris who is a renowned classical pianist and professor of music at the George Washington University where she instructed me in my own piano lessons. Besides her deep insights into the world of music, she has vast international experience having performed around the world and lived in Sri Lanka, Britain, Portugal, Washington D.C. and Belgium. 

Juneteenth for many is a well-known celebration. It is certainly among our nation's older traditions, starting in 1866 just after the civil war. And while this week it becomes a national holiday, many questions still remain as to its origins and to how it is viewed by the African American community and America at large.   In this episode, I record from the steps of the DuSable museum on the S...

In this episode, my two guests discuss their experiences with music, spirituality, and cultures around the world.  Mojib Ghaznawi recently graduated from the Harvard Kennedy School from which he will begin a career of public service as a diplomat, but today we talk to him about some of his other passions: spirituality, culture, language, and music. "Music is everything," he says in this episo...

Kathleen Hill may be known in Sonoma as the IT's Food and Wine Editor, but her vast experiences go far beyond the realm of food. As a young peace-corps intern, she convinced her boss to take the team to the National Mall to listen to Martin Luther King's I Have a Dream Speech. As a student at the Sorbonne, she skipped classes to work at the Cordon Bleu. As an author, she's written more than 40 boo...

This week we take a little vacation around the world with listener-suggested music. Brazil, France, Russia, Norway, Mongolia, Taiwan, Lebanon, India, Nigeria, and Corsica are represented through classic songs, and it’s an exciting adventure into what it really means to listen to “a little bit of everything.”

Sophia Long's perseverance and tenacity would be admirable on its own, even without the story of her long, difficult journey escaping violence in Cambodia to find peace in Sonoma. As a local nurse, she talks about her experiences having dedicated more than 20 years to helping patients in the valley, sharing her goodness with so many of her fellow Sonomans.  Joe Aaron is a technology enthusias...

In this episode, Eric Jackson discusses his experience in the theater as he toured around the country, building his knowledge of Broadway and bringing lessons off-stage to his new career.  Ss Sonoma Community Center ’s creative director, he also shares some of the programs they offer including fiber arts classes and the trashion fashion show extravaganza. Then, Elizabeth Takeuchi-Krist talks...

In this inaugural episode, I try to live up to the title of the show by greeting Sonoma through music. I have the good fortune of interview the illustrious Kate Kennedy who is searching for new thespians to  direct in her troupe in for an upcoming performance in July and August of this year. Send us a message if you're interested in auditioning. Lastly, I pay tribute to the late great Chick C...