Gift of Need

Description: In this episode, Jude sits down with long-time friend and former Peace Corps volunteer Chuck Tampio to explore how serving in Malawi shaped his life and career. From witnessing crushing poverty in Sicily as a young man to building a school for women in rural Africa, Chuck shares how the needs of others became a lifelong gift of purpose, perspective, and skills he used to impact thousa...

Description: In this episode, Jude welcomes Rebecca Davis, co-director and producer of the award-winning documentary Join or Die . Created with her brother Pete, the film explores the decline of civic life in America and the urgent call to rebuild community through clubs, organizations, and shared social bonds. Drawing from the groundbreaking research of Harvard professor Robert Putnam ( Bowling A...

Description: In this moving continuation of their conversation on grief, Jude, her husband John, and their dear friend Linda Bale open up even more deeply about the loss of their 25-year-old son, JL. With vulnerability and grace, they explore the daily realities of life after unspeakable loss and how journaling, storytelling, and community were lifelines in their grief journey and became the 6th s...

Host: Jude DiMeglio Trang Guests: John Trang and Linda Bale Description: In this powerful and tender episode, Jude is joined by her husband John and dear friend Linda Bale to talk about the profound reality of grief. Together, they walk through the layered experiences of losing siblings, parents, and—most heartbreakingly—their 25-year-old son, JL. With honesty and courage, they share how loss has...

In this deeply moving episode, I speak with music therapist, teacher, and multi-instrumentalist Scott Rettedal about the healing power of music—not just as art, but as connection. We talk about music’s unique ability to reach the parts of us that words cannot, and how it offers safety, self-regulation, and even joy to those facing trauma, grief, and neurological differences. We talk about: – Why m...

Episode Summary: In this follow-up episode, I continue my conversation with investigative journalist and author Sam Quinones about the deeper roots of addiction—and how the unraveling of community has created fertile ground for despair, mental illness, and drug dependency. We revisit themes from Dreamland and The Least of Us but widen the lens to include the impact of high-potency marijuana, the f...

Episode Summary: In this episode, I sit down with acclaimed investigative journalist and author Sam Quinones to talk about the human cost of addiction, the silence that once surrounded it, and why community is a vital need in the face of overwhelming societal challenges. Sam is the author of Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic and The Least of Us: True Tales of America and Hope i...

Host: Jude DiMeglio Trang Guest: Suzanne B. Hodges Episode Summary: In this episode, I sit down with my dear friend Suzanne Hodges—a retired attorney turned full-time artist—to talk about the deep connection between art, beauty, and our human need to create. Suzanne shares how her creative instincts were nurtured by her artistic mother and resourceful grandmother, and how her years in law gave way...

Host: Jude DiMeglio Trang Guest: Kelcey Rockhold / Pagefire Press Episode Summary: In part two of their rich and reflective conversation, Jude and Kelcey dive deeper into the themes behind The Gift of Need . They explore how needs show up in creativity, conflict, love, and even justice—highlighting how human limitation can lead to beauty, innovation, and meaningful connection. Jude shares the over...

The Gift of Need – Episode 1: Introduction “Needs Are Not a Problem to Be Fixed” Host: Jude DiMeglio Trang Guest: Kelsey Rockhold / Pagefire Press Episode Summary: In this heartfelt and thought-provoking first episode, Jude sits down with Kelsey Rockhold to explore the big idea behind her newly completed book, The Gift of Need . Together, they unpack how our resistance to asking for help is often...