2000 Stories from the Dolphin Club

We are quite a lucky bunch to have an urban swimming oasis at Aquatic Park. But there is still much of the San Francisco Bay where access is limited and swimming is forbidden. That's what Rebecca Groves is committed to changing with Swimmable San Francisco Bay, starting in her neighborhood of Dogpatch and Crane Cove. Hear why urban swimming captures her imagination and what intrigued her about The...

Ever been on Wikipedia? Got thoughts on the Dolphin Club brand? Are there spirits in the wooden boats? What are young fathers thinking about? 15 or so minutes was nowhere enough time to cover the life and loves of Zack McCune. I left the interview with a smile a mile wide as we discussed his career, rowing, film, and fatherhood.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. With photojournalist Laura Morton it may be worth a whole lot more. Laura sees the world through her view finder and tells us all captivating stories about what many of us don't see -- the hidden community of tech workers, her love of Fisherman's Wharf, and why she finds San Francisco so weird and wonderful. Hear about the joys and trials of working as...

At every opportunity, including her current job at the Bay Area Ridge Trail, Marie Sayles encourages deeper and more meaningful connections to nature -- on land or in water. She's always inspiring others to get outdoors be it to a local park, your backyard, the Criss Cross trail, the bay, or the entire Bay Area Ridge Trail, which when complete will be 550 miles long. Hear how the water clears and...

There's no such thing as a typical Dolphin Club member and Peter van der Sterre is a case in point. A recent octogenarian, Peter hung out in San Francisco during the Summer of Love before becoming a Zen Buddhist priest and general contractor. He finds the practices of sitting (meditation) and swimming very complimentary and approaches them with the same feelings of challenge and possibility. Both...

Just shy of 30 at this recording, Trina Garry's life can make your head spin. She's spent her career teaching college students and athletes about consent and Title IX rights. Now, she's studying to become a lawyer, running like crazy, swimming fast, loving San Francisco...and her fiancé and fellow Dolphin Club member. Their wedding is in just a few days...on June 6th, 2025. Congratulations Trina a...

Actor, mime, journalist, author, magazine publisher, policy advocate, aspiring jazz pianist, husband, father, Dolphin. I hope I didn't leave anything out. Todd Oppenheimer is living a full life, exploring the woes of technology, the wonders of craftsmanship, and the joys of community he's found at the Dolphin Club (including his wife).

We Dolphins love our historic tall ships, even if they're currently on hiatus from our cove. KC Crowell takes that love a step further, sailing them and preserving them for others to enjoy. We talk about being a good shipmate, the importance of national parks, rowing on the bay, Burning Man, and why sailors used to get a pig and chicken tattooed on their feet.

Most parents in San Francisco complain about the public schools. Even if they've never stepped foot in them. Sandra Halladey, decided to do something about all the myths and misconceptions. From her leadership role at Parents for Public Schools to her new passion for creating radio stories, she's become a fierce advocate and storyteller for what's going right in public education.

From journalist and editor of leading magazines to singer and actor, Mark Robinson has become a master of second acts. And he's doing it with gusto. He's performing in plays and singing in clubs with the same passion he gives to everything. Hear about his past and current career and how they have both nourished his heart and soul.

From the ripe old age of 12, Felicia Lee thought swimming could be more than just a passion. She moved away from her family home, trained with the best (yes, we're talking Michael Phelps), swam at Stanford, and became a professional swimmer seeking to win an Olympic medal. While the medal didn't happen, her journey in and out of the pool is heroic, humbling, and heartfelt.

Some of us are optimists, and then there's Andrew Jordan Nance. He's a man of many talents and careers who has found himself on the stage, behind the stage, on runways, and in classrooms teaching mindfulness to kids. It's a life well lived and loved, because he's approached it with a "what's the best that can happen" attitude. We talk about growing up as a CODA (child of deaf adults), being gay in...

Gabriella Cross and Aniko Kurczinak are awesome individuals in their own right, but, as sisters, their kindness, humor, wisdom...and bossiness really shine. Their experiences growing up with Hungarian immigrant parents, dealing with the untimely death of a husband, and swimming together have created bonds that are tighter than anything I've seen or heard. It's a joy to behold.

What do yoga and swimming have in common? Can you get to know someone after 28 years of knowing them? Why is the Dolphin Club a second home for so many? Anne Barbaret, with the wisdom of a teacher and her famously French accent, opens up about her life on and off the mat.

There are many artists at the Dolphin Club, but I think Marty Machado may be the only one who draws inspiration from his time spent working on container ships and fishing for salmon in Alaska. Hear about the joys and challenges of living at sea for up to six months at a time and trying to make a living as an artist while raising a family in the city.

Jeff Hanak is the consummate San Francisco restaurateur with a host of successful restaurants on his resumé like Chow, Park Chow, Nopa, Nopalito, Liholiho Yacht Club, and Good Good Culture Club. It's not been an easy road, but he finds joy in making sure hospitality is always on the menu. Learn how he got into the business, why he's stayed, and how swimming in the Bay helps him cope with t...

Laura Vartain Horn served for 12 years in the U.S. Attorney's Office as a federal prosecutor before moving to the private sector -- reluctantly because she absolutely loved her job, but not her public service salary. Her final case: prosecuting the assault on Nancy Pelosi's husband. Hear about Laura's life in the courtroom, swimming from the Farallons, the challenges of working very full time and...

Ask Joe Omran how he is on any given day and he'll always reply: "It's the best day of my life." Joe is truly living by those words, even in the midst of sorrows, struggles, the war in Palestine, and the chaos (especially during Covid) of running a revered Nob Hill grocery store, Le Beau Market. In this episode of 2000 Stories from the Dolphin Club, hear how and why Joe has managed to stay so posi...

Interviewing a therapist is no easy task, and a Jungian analyst at that, but luckily I had more than 50 minutes to get to know Rusa Chiu's amazing life story. It began in China and moved to Taiwan, Japan, Berkeley, Paris, San Francisco, and her current home, the Zen Center at Green Gulch Farm. In this episode of 2000 Stories you'll hear about her chaotic childhood, attending Berkeley in the sixtie...

Peter Molnar doesn't just swim in the Bay, he helps keep it clean through his work as a board member of San Francisco Bay Keeper. And he takes it one step further, combining his non-profit work with his career in wine by creating Rose for the Bay. Hear about Peter's thoughts on the state of the Bay, his parents crazy story of immigrating from Budapest to San Francisco, and why he loves wine and th...

Kalani Leifer doesn't take his luck in life for granted. That's why he has spent the last 10 years building COOP Careers, a nonprofit working to overcome underemployment for first generation college students. In this episode of 2000 Stories, you'll hear more about his own career path and life outside of work — from caring for his dad with dementia, coming out, navigating mental health issues, swim...

Is the tide ebbing or flooding? Thanks to Deb Sullivan, the Dolphin Club's resident tide chart keeper, it's easy to find out. But that's just one small aspect of Deb's rich life, filled with painting, bar owning, swimming, mothering, music, and more. Hear about Deb's artistic life and what it's like to be on the other side of the bar — and what she still loves about both pursuits many decades late...

It's election time, so who better to profile than Joby Bernstein who, at the ripe old age of 28, had the crazy idea to run for Congress. He didn't win...this time...but he's winning in lots of other places in his life, including the bay. In this episode of 2000 Stories hear about the causes he's most passionate about and why community is what matters most.

Margaret Keenan makes the most of the Dolphin Club and the Bay, swimming, rowing, paddling, piloting and volunteering, always with a smile on her face. It's her happy place. In this episode of 2000 Stories hear about her life in and out of the Bay, and why handing out trinkets makes her so darn happy.

Charlie McIntyre loves rowing. But a spate of injuries means he can no longer pull like he used to. So, he's moved to the coxswain seat of the Wieland wooden boat and for the last 18 years or so has been motivating women to row with passion and speed...so they can beat the South End team in the annual Tri race. Hear about his career as a prosthetist and his life in rowing. Don't know Charl...