Driftwood Conversations

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...

In this episode of Driftwood Conversations, I sit down with Maurine Xavier, a woman who walked away from the safe, expected path of a high-level finance career and into the mystery of a life led by intuition. What unfolds is not just a story of career change—it’s a story of spiritual reckoning, physical pain as a message from the soul, and the quiet courage it takes to choose joy over fear. Maurin...

In Part 2 of my conversation with artist and filmmaker Gordon Clark, we go deeper into the heart of his story-driven work. Gordon reflects on photographing gang leaders, child subjects, and spiritual seekers, capturing not just portraits but decades of transformation. We talk about growing up in apartheid South Africa, finding truth through frequency, and how trauma and perspective shape both art...

Gordon Clark: Art, Witness, and the Frequency of Connection (Part 1) Today on Driftwood Conversations, I’m sharing Part 1 of my conversation with Gordon Clark — an artist, photographer, and filmmaker whose work defies the quick snapshot or surface impression. Gordon doesn’t just document people; he walks beside them, sometimes for years, through grief, beauty, transformation, and all the human ter...

In this episode of Driftwood Conversations, I sit down with John Gearty, an immersive media pioneer and founder of Pulse Jet Studios, to explore the frontier where music, technology, and storytelling intersect. John shares his journey from working on Apple’s Vision Pro to collaborating with artists like Björk and Lil Chris on groundbreaking virtual reality music experiences. We discuss what it mea...

In this episode of Driftwood Conversations, I sit down with sound artist and meditation specialist Kate Cline, known artistically as RSI. We explore Kate’s journey into the world of sound — from her work as a producer to her deeply intuitive approach to sound meditation. Kate shares how sound frequencies can influence brainwaves, foster healing, and open doorways to presence and transformation. Th...

Janis Commentz Painter and educator Janis Commentz discusses finding beauty in the desert and in everyday life. This conversation delves into her artistic evolution, her dedication to community art education, and how she utilizes creativity as a means of spiritual connection and expression.

In Part Two of Driftwood Conversations with Sant Khalsa, we delve into her recent projects, her community-centered practice in Joshua Tree, and her reflections on legacy, teaching, and how we might reimagine our relationship to the land and each other. Sant is one of those rare people whose presence feels both grounding and expansive. I can’t wait for you to hear her story. 

Sant Khalsa is an artist, activist, educator, and longtime resident of Joshua Tree whose life and work embody the kind of transformation this podcast seeks to illuminate. In Part 1 of this episode, Sant shares the early influences that shaped her, from her Jewish heritage to her spiritual awakening, her name change, and the beginnings of her creative and political journey. We discuss the power of...

Driftwood Conversations: Wendee & Joyce In this episode of Driftwood Conversations, Hilary Sloane speaks with environmental journalist Wendee Nicole and her daughter Joyce. What begins as a story about reporting in Uganda and founding a nonprofit unfolds into a moving exploration of identity, adoption, resilience, and love across cultures and generations. Through personal storytelling, the epi...