Colorado Soul Stories

When I first heard jazz guitarist, Justin Allison play, about five years ago, I was so happy. He sang some of my favorite jazz standards while mixing in his unique interpretations of familiar pop songs, many having wonderful uplifting messages. His performances are the kind where you want to simply stop everything and listen. Justin’s guitar playing is stellar and unique and his voice is glassy sm...

Jennifer Dempsey came to live in Salida, Colorado about 20 years ago. After ruminating about her future, she ended up doing what she does best: “circusing.” Her story is a study in how our childhood can influence our adult journey. Jennifer founded the Salida Circus in 2007. My first encounter with this charming organization came about 10 years ago, while watching the 4th of July parade travel dow...

Mama Jill sat down with New York Times bestselling author and longtime Colorado resident, Cynthia Swanson, whose novels are known for their thought-provoking storytelling. Readers may already know Cynthia from her acclaimed debut, The Bookseller, her follow-up suspense novel, Anyone But Her and now her latest work, debuting May 21st, a collection of short stories showcasing the struggles of women...

If you have lived in Colorado for a long time it’s not a new story; a handful of starving artists discover an untapped, affordable and lovely place to set down roots. But as they settle and create, they attract people and suddenly it’s not an undiscovered place anymore and it’s also no longer affordable – this has been our cycle of gentrification. Salida, Colorado is still a pretty small town. A f...

RAW, UNEDITED, INTENSE conversation with the both rough and refined, Joe Firstman. Mama Jill is in Baja Mexico for the Baja Wondergrass music festival organized by COLORADO-based Bonfire Entertainment. She and her tribe enjoyed listening to the powerful and  eclectic band, Cordovas at opening night at Polvora, surrounded by dark skies, sparkly stars and immense cacti. The next morning Mama Jill ra...

John King is Colorado anthropomorphized. He’s got grit. He relishes nature; from its deep blue skies to its blinding blizzards and all the various contours of its terrain. This is reflected in his spectacular kinetic sculptures that tell the story of his outdoor experiences. He arrived here fresh out of college from the Midwest, the Colorado Rockies calling loudly to his soul. In 1978, he and his...

 Napoleonic treasures, Masonic symbolism, famous guests, including the prize steers from the annual National Western Stock Show and evidence of visitors from the beyond...this and more are held as dear historic and ongoing stories at this triangular and legendary structure, situated at 17th and Tremont in downtown Denver. As a kid, I thought The Brown Palace got its name from the color of the redd...

His voice is the authentic, trusted storyteller of Colorado. Whether it be his monthly check-ins with our governor, showcasing the best barbeque place in a town you've never heard of or locating and celebrating the lowest elevation point in our state, just to juxtapose it with the highest point, Ryan Warner interviews contain the whimsical people and places from all over Colorado and he delivers t...

 Welcome back to my conversation with Chandler Romeo and Reed Weimer. In addition to their recent project with the Wonder Tower in Genoa, Colorado, they have been longtime participants and supporters of Denver's local art scene beginning back when there kind of wasn't one yet, in the 1980s. We discuss their meet cute as students at Colorado State University and the fact that Reed's photography and...

Chandler Romeo and Reed Weimer have been affectionately labeled as the Beatnik Barbie and Ken of Denver's Art Scene. Indeed they helped elevate local arts in Denver during a time when there were far less opportunities for creatives. They have taken this legacy to new heights, literally!  Collaborating with other long-time Denverites, they purchased the quirky 100 year old World's Wonder View Tower...

This is a treat! All of the best wisdom from the collection of the 2025 Colorado Soul Stories interviews. Whether you have listened to all the episodes or not, this is a wonderful summary of all the positive insights provided by the entrepreneurs, musicians, innovators and community builders that are proudly Colorado based! Hear how legendary Denver coffee house Muddy's provided much needed cultur...

Happy Holidays! This episode contains listener-submitted Colorado-specific winter and holiday stories. Contained in this 17 minute episode are festive recounting of childhood experiences during "snow days," including the Blizzard of '82. Additionally three professional writers and, some recent guests from past podcasts, provide off-beat and methodical tales of long and dark winter nights and holid...

Join the conversation as Mama Jill sits down with Colorado's most recent poets laureate and their anthology creator and organizer, dynamic social entrepreneur, Turner Wyatt.  Wyatt conceived of this publication, Begin Where You Are, The Colorado Poets Laureate Anthology - the first of its kind!  Turner explains how this idea came to him and how, through his knack for socially responsible entrepren...

In this inspiring episode of Colorado Soul Stories, Mama Jill travels to the high mountain ridge of Poncha Pass to sit down with her longtime friend and visionary builder, Chris White, the creator behind Yurts at Poncha Pass and a self-built, sustainable Earthship home. What begins as a conversation about off-grid housing opens into a deep exploration of community, resilience, affordable living, a...

  In this, a lost episode, with Animal and Nature Intuitive Ana Maria Vasquez, your Colorado Soul Stories Podcast host, Mama Jill sat down with her at a radio station in Salida, Colorado. Unfortunately the first half of this recording was lost to technical difficulties. We are resurrecting this second part, which survived, and dives deeper into Ana Maria’s methods for activating our relationships...

Andy Carlson is one of those happy people whose positivity is contagious. He is a proud Northsider who truly loves and cares for his community. He shares this joy through his music. His love of the jam circle and the old-timey method of using one microphone with various musicians taking turns inspired him to found the "dad-grass" band, The Highland Ramblers. Their fun version of bluegrass and well...

Do you know about the preferred location for the new Bronco stadium? It has been proposed at Burnham Yards, off of 8th Ave. and I-25 and just west of the Santa Fe Arts District. And did you know that this plot of land actually holds some very important and unique pieces of Denver history? Tune into this episode to hear the thoughtful conversation with the CEO of Historic Denver, John Deffenbaugh....

Her name might not be familiar to you, but it should be. Jane Parnell is a mountaineer, writer and environmental activist. Inspired by family trips to the Colorado mountains every summer as a kid, Parnell could see her home-state of Kansas from Long's Peak back in the 1970's. Setting roots here in 1968 as one of the few women students at Colorado College, she lived, fittingly on the edge of a moun...

Join Mama Jill and her friends at the Sunnyside Music Festival, recorded Sept. 13, 2025. Bear with the Mama as she battles portable mics in the wind with the background noise of the festival. Despite that challenge, these were live-on-the-spot interviews, very organic and real! First off is an interview with the proprietors of West Side Books from North Denver near 32nd and Lowell. They are one of...

She's unearthing sweaters, observing the warm hues of the turning leaves and contemplating the transformational tendencies of this season, just days after, yet another, school shooting in Colorado. Your host Mama Jill reflects on autumn with bittersweet memories. She reiterates her "mission" for the podcast, to share the joyful soul of Colorado through the unique perspectives of its special people...

Mama Jill takes time to interview her grown son, Gray Carstens. In part one, Gray shares the struggles he experienced after high school striving to figure out that ominous question: "What do I want to do with my life?"  He labels his path as non-linear; entering film school right out of high school, then becoming disillusioned with that idea. He travels down varied roads for a few years, not sure...

Coleman Smith is an internationally known fiddle player who captivates listeners with his sublime cross-genre style of playing his violin, which has been in-hand since he chose the instrument at the age of three.  When he met his partner, Robin Vega, they became a dynamic couple, with Vega helping to stretch the reach of Smith's talents to share with music students all over the Arkansas River Vall...

As Mama Jill and Teague continue their conversation, they touch on Teague's small town, midwestern upbringing and how that influenced his proclivities to write. He shares his journey towards figuring out what to do with his life as a young adult, where his skills with writing kept floating to the top of each career move; from stints in the corporate world to discovering the joys of teaching and ho...

Mama Jill has a meaty conversation with Denver writer, Teague Bohlen. Teague teaches writing at the University of Colorado in Denver, is a regular writer for Denver's arts and culture newspaper, Westword and is a well-known author. His first novel, The Pull of the Earth, won the Colorado Book Award in 2007. His latest book is a companion to the popular podcast of the same name, Escaping Denver, fi...

Mama Jill interviews the front woman of her favorite Colorado band, Heavy Diamond Ring. Join the conversation as they go in-depth, reflecting on how Sarah's upbringing influenced her career in music and how the landscape of Colorado continues to provide inspiration for the band's reflective song-writing. Meeting in Kittridge on the cusp of the release of their new album, Sarah shares how the band...