Fill To Capacity (Where Heart, Grit and Irreverent Humor Collide)

Send us Fan Mail What happens when bedside stories we almost never hear step into the light—and sing? In this episode, Ben Kintisch—chaplain, Cantor, and playwright behind “ Life Review: The Hospice Musical” —shares how end-of-life moments became songs that make you laugh, weep, and reach for someone you love. We get honest about what hospice really is: the power of moments over months, the chapla...

Send us Fan Mail When the world goes hard, softness isn’t weakness—it’s strategy. This quick episode is about what happens when you answer cruelty… with a seat at the table. Please Note: The views expressed by our guests do not necessarily reflect the views of the podcaster. Follow me on Instagram!

Send us Fan Mail Plot twist: Gen Z, first to grow up with smartphones and social media 24/7- decide now to unplug?  Meet Olivia Telecky, a 20-year-old Minnesota college student whose article “The Dumb Phone Trend—And Why I Bought Into It” made waves.  With honesty and humor, Olivia explains why she turned her iPhone into a dumb phone—and what that choice reveals about a generation pushing back on...

Send us Fan Mail 🐾 What does it mean to truly give someone their life back? Alyssa Golob, Executive Director of Helping Paws , takes us inside their mission to train service dogs for people with physical disabilities, veterans, and first responders with PTSD. From a mother's loving calls to her struggling son—"go play with the dogs"—to a 15-year-old girl opening her bedroom door in...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when a veteran’s truth is shaped by a writer, interpreted by an artist, and transformed into something the world can finally see? When the silence of war is met—not with politics—but with art? With unflinching honesty, Marine Corps veteran and writer Robert LeHeup shares the story behind Bullets and Bandaids , a nonprofit that pairs veterans with writers and artists t...

Send us Fan Mail  The high-voltage impact of the ordinary-in this quick episode!  Please Note: The views expressed by our guests do not necessarily reflect the views of the podcaster. Follow me on Instagram!

Send us Fan Mail While the world scrolls through chaos and cruelty, something else is happening—quietly, insistently, beautifully. This episode is a dispatch from that other world. The one where people are building, healing, creating, and connecting—right in the thick of it. Not in spite of the madness, but through it. Because beyond the headlines, the human spirit is busy at work Please Note: The...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when wood becomes voice, and craft becomes calling? Luthier Nina Poots doesn’t just build string instruments—she brings them to life. Born in the Netherlands and now working in the Scottish Highlands, Nina’s journey has taken her from art education to centuries-old violin-making traditions, with stops at Glasgow Clyde College and the renowned Newark School in England....

Send us Fan Mail In this riveting episode, Joel Sosinsky and Andi Sosin take us inside the 1911, Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire—one of the deadliest workplace disasters in U.S. history—and the fierce determination to make sure it’s never forgotten. 146 immigrant workers, mostly young women. Locked exits. A burning building. And out of the horror—a reckoning. Labor laws. Fire codes. Frances Perki...

Send us Fan Mail When was the last time you really saw the stars? Not just a few twinkles—but the Milky Way stretching overhead like a cosmic river? Caroline “Siffy” Torkildson—geographer, explorer, and author of the new book “My Home Is Where My Trunk Is”—has spent a lifetime chasing eclipses, hiking sacred landscapes, and advocating for the night sky. We dig into light pollution—the silent invad...

Send us Fan Mail 🚗 She left a marriage, packed her life into a Kia, and drove straight into the unknown. What Brittany Colt found on the other side wasn’t just a new beginning—it was a radical reclaiming of self. 📷 Brittany’s photography doesn’t just capture beauty—it captures reckoning, release, and raw presence. Her images, both portrait and landscape, are striking, soulful, and unforgettable....

Send us Fan Mail What kind of person runs toward the fire — not away? Kristianne Schultz has lived many lifetimes in one: firefighter, EMT, surgical tech, acupuncturist, healer. But behind every role is one relentless search — for healing, for wholeness, for a self-reclaimed from childhood pain and trauma. In this episode, Kristianne opens up about surviving Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, learning...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when the justice system gets it wrong—devastatingly wrong? In this riveting episode of Fill To Capacity , attorney Chris Renz shares the harrowing story of how his legal team at Chestnut Cambronne—working with the Great North Innocence Project—helped exonerate Robert “Bobby” Bintz, who spent 25 years behind bars for a brutal crime he didn’t commit. Through persistence...

Send us Fan Mail ⚖️ When truth stands alone, it still stands—just ask Joan of Arc. 🛡️⚜️ Joan of Arc Scroll Medal This brass alloy medal can be worn on a necklace, a keychain, dogtags, on a bag, or in your car. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Please Note: The views expressed by our guests do not necessarily...

Send us Fan Mail Who cares for the caregiver? In this powerful and tender conversation, Mandy Barr—President Carter’s great-niece and Engagement Specialist at the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers—opens a door into the heart of caregiving in America today. With raw honesty and lived experience—as a caregiver, military spouse, and mother of a medically complex child—Mandy Barr brings depth,...

Send us Fan Mail In this revealing episode, we go to the heart of a crisis too many parents carry in silence. Dr. Kate Gawlik—Doctor of Nursing Practice, researcher, professor, and mother of four—exposes the quiet toll of parenting—burnout and the loneliness no one talks about. We dig into what the data reveals, how the pandemic reshaped family life, and what it means to juggle the nonstop demands...

Send us Fan Mail In this re-recorded episode, I return to a story that wouldn’t leave me alone. What started as a tribute to my grandfather, Papaco, took on new depth after uncovering surprising threads—especially from Sardinia, where poetry was a lived tradition. This isn’t just about genealogy. It’s about a burned diploma, a salvaged book of Italian love poems, and what it means to defy the stor...

Send us Fan Mail Pavement is everywhere—trapping heat, polluting water, and cutting us off from nature. But what if we could tear it up and bring life back to our cities? Enter Depave, a dynamo organization transforming urban spaces by tearing out unnecessary pavement and replacing it with thriving green landscapes. In this episode, Katherine Rose of Depave, reveals why pavement is both an environ...

Send us Fan Mail In this moving episode, Aidan Ryan—writer, publisher, and filmmaker discusses his deeply personal book, I Am Here - You Are Not - I Love You . The book unearths the extraordinary yet overlooked lives of Cindy Suffoletto and Andy Topolski , two groundbreaking artists who came out of Buffalo’s raw, experimental 1970s art scene and made their mark in the intense 1980s–90s New York ar...

Send us Fan Mail Misinformation floods the internet. Can you separate fact from fiction? In this must-hear episode, Brittani Kollar, Deputy Director of MediaWise at the Poynter Institute, breaks down the rise of online deception—and how you can fight back. ·      The biggest red flags of online misinformation ·      How AI, deepfakes, and clickbait are changing the game ·      Why speed is overtak...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when a top-tier athlete, defined by discipline and control, is faced with a rare illness and the collapse of an 18-year marriage? Risa August got off her couch, named her tumor “Bubba,” grabbed her bike, and rode 1,845 miles down the Pacific Coast, battling pain, gale-force winds, and heartbreak. In this gripping episode, Risa shares how she traded perfectionism for a...

Send us Fan Mail Reimagine women’s healthcare! This episode explores the groundbreaking work of Herself Health, redefining care for women 65+ with a bold, whole-person approach.  Join Becca Kummer, Clinic Manager, and Morgan Lange, Physician Assistant, as they share how they’re charting new paths with empathy, connection, and innovative value-based care—giving women the respect, attention, and hea...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when a crow with serious attitude takes to the skies? A flight path you won’t believe! Sometimes, it’s in the smallest acts of defiance that we find our truest strength.  Joan of Arc Scroll Medal This brass alloy medal can be worn on a necklace, a keychain, dogtags, on a bag, or in your car. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may...

Send us Fan Mail What do coral reefs, the Heartland and a student at Southern Illinois Univ. have in common? A groundbreaking journey to save our oceans. Dive deep with Ashlynn Shea, a zoology senior and coral conservation advocate, whose work in a landlocked lab is transforming the future of marine biology. From studying coral microbiomes to dreaming of heat-resistant reefs, Ashlynn is tackling c...

Send us Fan Mail What do metronomes, circles, and chemical reactions have to do with the new year? Find out in this 5-minute episode where anxiety meets purpose, and the sacred takes center stage. Joan of Arc Scroll Medal This brass alloy medal can be worn on a necklace, a keychain, dogtags, on a bag, or in your car. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may rec...