Driftwood Conversations

In this episode of Driftwood Conversations, I sit down with Julie Daniels for a conversation that unfolds slowly and with intention. Julie is a writer, thinker, and guide whose work explores attention, presence, and what it means to live in a deeper relationship with time, language, and self. Rather than rushing toward conclusions, our conversation lingers in uncertainty, curiosity, and the spaces...

Heather Clisby is a reporter, traveler, and keen observer of the human condition, and in this episode of Driftwood Conversations, we talk about what it means to stay curious in a changing world. Heather and I both work at Z107.7, a family-owned local radio station, and our conversation moves through journalism, comedy, travel, intimacy, and the shifting ground beneath it all. We reflect on why loc...

In this episode of Driftwood Conversations, I sit down with Claudia for a thoughtful, unhurried conversation about the paths we take and the ones that quietly shape us along the way. Claudia shares the wisdom she has gathered through years of paying attention, including her relationship with the moon as a guide for reflection, rhythm, and renewal. We talk about how lunar cycles influence the way s...

In this episode of Driftwood Conversations, I sit down with Talor Stewart, a licensed architect and the author of Conscious Home Design. Talor approaches architecture as a living relationship rather than a technical exercise, exploring how the spaces we inhabit quietly shape our behavior, our nervous systems, and the way we give and receive care. Our conversation moves beyond materials and floor p...

This episode of Driftwood Conversations features an intimate conversation with Mark Winters, a singer-songwriter and former aerospace engineer whose music carries both depth and restraint. Woven throughout the episode are songs written and performed by Mark himself, offering a sonic extension of the themes we explore—curiosity, reinvention, and the courage to keep creating. The episode opens with...

In this episode of Driftwood Conversations, I’m joined by Cynthia Abulafia, a yoga teacher and guide whose work bridges embodied practice, Goddess wisdom, and lived spiritual experience. What unfolds here isn’t a lesson or a prescription; it’s a deeply human conversation about trust, surrender, and learning to inhabit the body with honesty. Cynthia speaks with rare openness about her own journey,...

In this episode of Driftwood Conversations, Hilary Sloane speaks with Isha Marla, a 14-year-old student from Portland, Oregon, whose curiosity and discipline have already led her to develop a biodegradable, seaweed-based fabric called Alginifab—an alternative to fast fashion. But this conversation goes beyond innovation. It’s a thoughtful exchange about creativity, persistence, community, and what...

In this episode of Driftwood Conversations, I sit down with my longtime friend Steven Cuden, a writer whose creative life has spanned Broadway, television, film, and teaching. Our friendship stretches back more than four decades, and that history allows us to speak honestly about what it really means to stay with the work. We talk about doubt, discipline, revision, and the uncomfortable moments th...

This week’s episode of Driftwood Conversations steps away from a traditional guest format and turns toward listening to the moment we’re living in, to the questions people are quietly asking themselves, and to what’s emerging beneath uncertainty. As the year comes to a close, I reflect on themes of exhaustion, clarity, simplification, and integrity, sharing observations about how people are choosi...

Changing the Dial: A Conversation with Charles Ftacek In this week’s Driftwood Conversation, I sit down with Charles Ftacek, a clinical nutritionist, apothecary maker, and doctoral student whose life journey weaves together hardship, healing, science, and spirit. You may know Charles from the Joshua Tree Trading Post, where he pours tea with an open heart and an easy laugh. But behind his grounded...

Ceremonial facilitator and coach Hester Van Hoeven Ward joins me to discuss spiritual awakenings, motherhood, breaking toxic patterns, and returning to herself in the desert. We trace her journey from New York and Venice Beach to Landers, Kenya, and back to Joshua Tree, exploring how joy can endure—a quiet flame—even during our darkest nights. We also briefly touch on her work with Missing and Mur...

In this episode of Driftwood Conversations, James Morrison invites us into a radically simple and deeply human approach to acting; one rooted not in performance but in presence. We talk about letting the actor disappear, surrendering to the story, and creating from the belief that you are already enough. James reflects on the quiet moments that shaped his craft, the practice of returning to onesel...

In this episode of Driftwood Conversations, I sit down with artist Jed Ochmanek, whose work explores perception, presence, and the act of seeing. Our conversation moves through art, awareness, and the subtle ways the environment shapes understanding. It’s a dialogue about attention—how we look, what we see, and what remains unseen. This episode features music from Dreams of Sleep and Wakes of Soun...

Driftwood Conversations with Bernard Leibov In this episode, Hilary Sloane speaks with Bernard Leibov — artist, curator, and founder of BoxoPROJECTS in Joshua Tree, as well as co-founder of the Joshua Treenial: Desert Futures. Born in South Africa, Bernard’s story moves through the contrasting worlds of apartheid and awakening, the energy of New York’s art and finance scenes, and finally, to the o...

In this episode of Driftwood Conversations, I sit down with Sailene Ossman, a pioneering voice in plant medicine and conscious healing. Sailene’s path began with a near-fatal car accident at nineteen—an experience that reshaped her understanding of life, pain, and purpose. Out of that trauma emerged a deep calling to help others find balance and relief through the healing power of plants and fungi...

In this episode of Driftwood Conversations, I sit down with artist and energy worker Abigail Kochunas, whose creative and spiritual journey blurs the lines between art, healing, and the unseen world. Abigail paints, acts, writes, and works with energy—bridging the physical and the spiritual through her deep sensitivity and intuitive gifts. We talk about what it means to be born open, how creativit...

In this Driftwood Conversations episode, Lia, a homeschooled researcher gathering an oral history of Morongo Basin creatives, and Kiki, a traveler, musician, watercolor lover, and aspiring teacher, offer a glimpse into the lives of teens and local culture today. We discuss self-directed learning, retro music, and surf culture, as well as the impact of social media on attention and confidence. We e...

In this episode of Driftwood Conversations, I sit down with Jef Harmatz—news director and morning show co-host at Z107.7 in Joshua Tree. Many of you know Jef as the quick wit behind your morning news, but his creative life extends far beyond radio. He’s been a cartoonist, a cook, and now a podcaster in his own right. Our conversation weaves through art, humor, and the anxiety of making a living as...

Hunter Prosper is a nurse, storyteller, and now author of Stories From a Stranger, a collection born from his journey of asking hundreds of people to share their lives with him. You can follow his work and ongoing storytelling on Instagram , TikTok, and YouTube . 

In this episode of Driftwood Conversations, I sit down with Virginia Campo—a Colombian-born community builder whose life has carried her across continents, love, and loss. Virginia shares what it meant to immigrate as a child, to grow roots in the U.S., to find unexpected love in a Joshua Tree layover, and to walk through the profound grief of losing her father. That passage of grief led her to tr...

In Part Two of my conversation with Prema Saraswati, we move from her childhood in Laos and the flight from war into her years growing up in America. In Sacramento, Prema was expected to serve in silence, yet she excelled in school, pursued higher education, and carried the weight of her family’s survival. Her path led through poverty, dislocation, and an abusive marriage, but also toward resilien...

Driftwood Conversations with Prema Saraswati (Part 1) In this deeply moving first part of our conversation, Prema Saraswati shares her extraordinary journey from a mountain village in Laos, through the terror of war and life in refugee camps, to starting over in America. A member of the Hmong people, she carries the weight of her community’s history—survival under unimaginable circumstances, resil...

In Part 2 of my conversation with Katherine Hervey, we dive deeper into the heart of her journey—from leaving the public defender’s office to immersing herself in art, storytelling, and prison reform. Katherine shares how she met Chris Blackwell, a writer and leader working from inside prison walls, and how their friendship has evolved into powerful creative collaborations. Together, they challeng...

In Part 1 of my conversation with Katherine Hervey, we delve into the inner journey that led her from a career in criminal defense law to art and advocacy. Katherine shares how her sensitivity and empathy, once a source of pain, became the compass guiding her toward healing, storytelling, and a deeper purpose. Her work, including The Prison Within and Broken is Beautiful, invites us to see mass in...

In this intimate episode of Driftwood Conversations, I sit down with the radiant and resilient Lady Chilane, a performer, storyteller, and bold soul who has walked through fire and come out singing. Our conversation delves into identity, survival, and self-expression, presenting a poignant testament to what it means to reclaim your story with grace and power. Special thanks to Jeff Hafler for his...