Ellie 2.0 Radio

With this Ellie’s Talking Head Show, I start out highlighting Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland’s 8th District, who served as impeachment manager for the second impeachment. I then pivot to a wonderful story about a Louisiana man buying a basketball hoop for an eight-year-old-boy he saw using a garbage can for a hoop. From there,…

It’s a rare live Show! The theme is “Sacrificing for the Common Good”; would you be willing to give up money or resources or time or a luxury to benefit others who didn’t have the same opportunities as you? I also highlight U.S. Capitol police officer Eugene Goodman, who’s quick thinking and bravery on January…

We start the show with an explanation of how Black History Month originated; from there, we pivot to Rosa Parks and the little-known story of the sacrifices she and her family made in the wake of her 1955 arrest for refusing to give up her Montgomery, Alabama bus seat for a white-color person. The Big…

This week I give an update on Amanda Gorman, who’s been selected to read poetry at the Super Bowl—a first! I also share about a man who was spotted $12 by a Cedar Rapids HyVee checker; that man later launched a GoFundMe to honor the checker’s generosity. So far, the GoFundMe has raised $4700+. The…

It’s an Ellie’s Talking Head Show and this week’s featured idealist is Amanda Gorman, the 22-year-old Poet Laureate who recited at the Inaugural. I also share about two instances of humans being good to other humans. In my C-Block, I make an offer to speak at schools and churches in my effort to spread a…

We begin with an audio blog post by Frank Schaeffer, a former evangelical conservative turned liberal democrat who talks about the January 6th insurrection being the product of evangelical white nationalism. The Big Interview is with Jen Bowen of the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop, which helps humans experiencing incarceration tell their written stories. In the…

Our first show of ’21 has a nonprofit, Invisible People, and its founder, Mark Horvath, featured for their work in telling the stories of humans who are experiencing homelessness. The Big Interview is with U of M professor Dr. Keith Mayes, who talks about historical and current-day structural racism in the Twin Cities. In the…

We’ve got a holiday show with Attorney Larry McDonough, a nationally-recognized expert on landlord-tenant law, who talks about the plight of renters in Minnesota and the eviction moratoriums that are in place. Larry—a man for all seasons—is also an accomplished pianist and vocalist, so in between important information sharing about how the virus has adversely…

We start today’s show highlighting PandemicofLove.com, a mutual aid organization that directly matches donors with people in need; in barely 9 months, the organization has helped to transfer $40M in resources to folks in need. The Big Interview is with Kate Cimino of Citizens League, where we hear about the incredible work this 6-person nonprofit…

It’s an Ellie’s Talking Head Show! We start out highlighting Poetic Justice, an Oklahoma nonprofit that teaches writing and poetry to women who are incarcerated. In lieu of The Big Interview, I talk about allyship and share stories of how a neighborhood in North Little Rock Arkansas showed unique support for a family that was…

We begin by highlighting an Atlantic Magazine interview of the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II re: the need to avoid returning to “normal” (e.g. historical inequity) with the Biden-Harris Administration. The Big Interview is an encore of my March 2020 interview with Caitlin Rogers of Next Day Animations—you’ll love this young idealist’s spunk and…

We start the show highlighting Melissa Statz, a fourth-grade teacher at Cooper School in Burlington, WI, who ignited controversy by teaching her students about Black Lives Matter and structural racism. The Big Interview is an encore of my interview of another Wisconsinite, Jessica Greb, from earlier this year—she had organized other women to support restaurant…

Our featured idealist is soon-to-be First Lady Dr. Jill Biden; despite the cache of being married to Joe Biden for 30+ years, she’s taught in public schools and community colleges because she wanted to make a difference. The Big Interview is with Rachel Pilgrim, whose work in investigating the identities of five black women who…

Ellie Krug fills in for Brett and takes listener calls on what’s going on with the election.

It’s a pre-election live show! For a break from politics, our featured idealist is Woody Faircloth, who has created a nonprofit to supply refurbished RVs to survivors of the Nov. 2018 Camp Fire that swept Paradise, Calif., destroying 14,000 homes and leaving 50,000 people homeless. The Big Interview is with Dr. Kurt Nelson, a behavioral…

We start with our featured idealist, Pham Doan Trang, a Vietnamese journalist, blogger and author, who was imprisoned by the Vietnamese government on October 6th for advocating for democracy and freedom. The Big Interview is an encore of my January 6th interview of Hippy Feet founders Michael Mader and Sam Harper. In my C-Block, I…

This week’s featured idealist is Delores Huerta, who helped galvanize migrant farm workers and who later championed women in politics; there’s so much she’s done to make the world a better place! The Big Interview is with Laura Belin, curator of the blog, Bleeding Heartland, which covers Iowa politics. In my C-Block, I talk about…

It’s a rare live show! The first half includes me sharing about the origins of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and because we are live, we could take calls; one caller shared about being American Indian and how she saw firsthand young Native children being taken from their families and put in “Indian Schools.” It was a…

Our featured idealist this week is Alexander Vindman, who spoke truth to power during last year’s proceedings to impeach President Trump; the Big Interview is an encore interview of Emily Hunt Turner from All Square, a chic grilled cheese restaurant that provides formerly confined humans an opportunity for a second chance. In my C-Block, I…

For those interested in attending the RBG Tribute event on Oct. 3, here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/events/810170443144838 Our featured idealist for today’s show is Franz Jaegerstaetter, the inspiration behind the movie, A Hidden Life—he lost his life because he refused to swear allegiance to Hitler in 1943. The Big Interview is with Leslie Wright, an…

This week I highlight a huge idealist just lost—Ruth Bader Ginsburg; she did so much to change the world for so many people! The Big Interview is with John Anderson, who is walking 8.46 miles everyday for 8 days to inspire others to stand-up to racism. In my C-Block, I talk about the President’s attempts…

Today’s theme is lawyers as idealists. Our featured idealist is Benjamin Crump, the attorney for the family of George Floyd and many other black and brown people who have been harmed through police misconduct. The Big Interview is with St. Paul attorney Rachael Schromen regarding her pro bono and volunteer work. In my C-Block, I…

This week I highlight the Milwaukee Bucks as idealists for their strike on August 26th, refusing to play and providing a statement about the need for the Wisconsin Legislature to address police violence directed at Black men. The Big Interview is an encore of my August 18, 2019 interview of Dan Blake, a man whose…

Our featured idealist is Linda Sarsour, a Palestinian-American who has worked to curb police violence in NYC and on a larger scale, helped to organize the 2017 Women’s March on Washington. The Big Interview is with Michael Fosberg, author of Incognito: An American Odyssey of Race and Self Discovery, who shares about ways to get…

This week’s featured idealist is Cori Bush, the progressive Democrat who unseated Lacy Clay in Missouri’s 1st congressional district. The Big Interview is with Jillian Chmiel, a champion of domestic violence survivors and presently a therapist with the Sojourner Project in the west metro. (Jillian is also a mentee and “Third Daughter” to me!) In…