Front Porch AF

Real estate agent, singer-songwriter Rachel Owen ("The Mae West of Rock 'n' Roll") joins the Kelli and Sue to give clear, practical advice for buyers and sellers in Nashville—how to tour a home, spot functional red flags, prepare for inspections and closing costs, and what to expect from timelines and offers. The episode mixes market insights with neighborhood notes, music anecdotes, Pride Month m...

Rachel Campbell, chair of the Tennessee Democratic Party, joins Kelli and Sue to discuss rebuilding the party from the county level, recruiting candidates, calling primaries, and fighting back against gerrymandering to restore balanced representation across Tennessee. This episode highlights practical steps for voter registration, local organizing, and how grassroots efforts can turn into statewid...

Hospice chaplain Khette Cox joins Kelli and Sue to explain and demystify hospice care — what it is, who it serves, how Medicare covers it, and the difference between hospice at home and hospice houses. She explains the hospice team, spiritual support, and how families can honor a loved one’s wishes. Through candid stories, humor, and practical advice, Khette and the hosts explore facing death, sup...

Join Kelli and Sue and their guest Gina Sicilia as they blend blues music, Italian cooking, and entrepreneurship in a wide-ranging, fun conversation. Gina recounts how home-cooked recipes turned into Gina's Skinny Italian—low-carb sauces and pastas sold at markets, online, and in grocery stores—while sharing cooking tips and food-business insights. The episode also includes JazzFest highlights, co...

On Earth Day, Kelli and Sue chatted with Tonya and Michael Bradford of Una Acre Farm about their move from city life to Neely's Bend and building a small, sustainable farm. They cover organic no‑till practices, crop rotation, CSA shares, farmers markets, chef partnerships, egg production, and front‑porch delivery. The episode highlights practical tips for reducing food waste, supporting local agri...

Jann Seymour of Hands On Nashville talks with Kelli and Sue about connecting volunteers to 200+ nonprofits, coordinating disaster response, and how even a single act of service can create lasting ripple effects in a community. They cover training and logistics for volunteer crews, long-term recovery timelines, local programs like Shower the People and SAFPAW, and close with neighborhood news and a...

Kelli and Sue sit down with musician and horsewoman Nicki Bluhm, also their neighbor, to talk about her new album ‘Rancho Deluxe’, her move to Neely’s Bend from urban California, viral van videos, and her journey from West Coast tours with Grateful Dead members to local “Rocky Tonk” nights with The Neely’s Band. They also discuss Nicki’s farming life, her work with horses, and a recent project tha...

Kelli and Sue welcome their neighbor, Old Crow Medicine Show multi-instrumentalist Cory Younts, for a relaxed conversation about growing up in Nashville, his drummer father, making a living as a musician, life on the road, and the band’s storied song “Wagon Wheel.” The episode mixes neighborhood banter, drink-of-the-day fun, local recommendations (including a burrito tip), and behind-the-scenes st...

Everything you always wanted to know about homeowner's insurance but were afraid to ask ... Join Kelli and Sue with their guest, independent insurance agent Johnny Shelby, as they break down homeowner's insurance in the wake of Nashville's recent ice storm. Get practical, local and general advice on when to file claims, choosing deductibles, guaranteed replacement cost, umbrella policies, roof and...

Kelli and Sue (notably not drinking in this episode because (a) it's morning and (b) there are firearms involved) first cover neighborhood updates and post-ice storm tree-removal scams, then follow aging hippie, bleeding heart liberal Sue’s journey into handgun ownership with an in-depth interview with Aqil Qadir of the Citizens Safety Academy about living the armed lifestyle responsibly, permit o...

Kelli and Sue introduce their new video studio set-up, share neighborhood updates—like the Snack Friday Cookbook, the Love is Deaf Valentine’s event, and snowy storm adventures (among them, burying a cow with Kelli’s mini-excavator)—and read listener mail. Then they welcome special guest Stacie Huckeba, renowned photographer (Dolly Parton, Michelle Obama, Public Enemy, Todd Snider, to name a few)...

Megan Palmer, nurse and musician, joins Kelli and Sue to talk about her journey into nursing, palliative care, and the nursing crisis, and how she uses healing music, songwriting, and therapeutic touch to support patients and colleagues. The episode mixes neighborhood banter with thoughtful conversation about compassion, creativity on the job, and practical steps to care and connect.  The YouTube/...

We open our 2nd season with a live show from our home-away-from-home Dee's Lounge — with special guest Elizabeth Cook, music outlaw and all-around badass woman. We celebrate the new season with not only our regular audio podcast, but also a Elizabeth-Cook.com for more, especially about her upcoming film The Easy Kind and a new album, too! Pull up a chair, grab a drink, and join us on our audio fro...

Kelli and Sue host a festive holiday edition of Front Porch AF with family, friends, and remote guests sharing favorite traditions — from tractor Christmas displays and eggnog recipes to St. Nicholas boots and gumbo. Plus a Bonus Video of the gang singing “Blue Christmas” — Front Porch AF style. Of course, there are Neighborhood Notes, listener mail, a Snack Friday Cookbook, and, challenging “Gran...

Hosts Kelli and Sue welcome Lauren Egan of The Bulwark to discuss the high-stakes Tennessee District 7 special election between Democrat Aftyn Behn and Republican Matt Van Epps, the effects of gerrymandering, and why national Democrats are pouring in resources. The conversation covers campaign strategy, cultural messaging, the role of social media and rising Democratic figures, the impact of the E...

Given the topic of immigration and immigrants in today's America, this episode's guest is most enlightening. Kelli and Sue sit down with Diana Perez from Conexión Américas to learn how the nonprofit supports Nashville's Latino community through English classes, education assistance, food distribution, workforce programs, and more. The episode highlights personal stories of success, current challen...

"Big change has to start somewhere, and it starts just by doing it." In this episode of Front Porch AF, hosts Kelli and Sue chat over drinks and laughter before welcoming Joseph Clark from Nashville’s Oasis Center to discuss support networks for LGBTQ+ youth. They cover Oasis’s Just Us program, mental health services, the Stonewall Scholars internship, ways to volunteer or donate, and how adults c...

“Right now we just can’t forget that on a long enough timeline, fascism always loses.”  —My Cluck Hut co-founder Trevor Silva Fighting against fascism and for love and acceptance — that’s My Cluck Hut, a company started during the 2020 pandemic on a mission to change the world, one bar of soap at a time. Founders Dr. (by marriage) Trevor Silva and Dr. (for real) Jennifer Berry join Kelli and Sue t...

After scintillating talk of snapping metal huggies, haunted drive-through car washes, and Taylor Swift’s new album (Sue is clueless), we talk about how to change the system from within with Amanda Litman, co-founder of Run For Something, a nonprofit organization which recruits and supports young, diverse progressives running for down-ballot office. Since its launch in 2017, Run for Something has h...

Our little town of Madison, Tennessee gets the big-city treatment with a new coffee table book! On this episode, Kelli and Sue sit down with author — and neighbor — Laura Amaral to talk about the new book MADISON: Portraits of Our Neighbors, created with award-winning photographer (and yes, neighbor) Stacie Huckeba. This luscious book captures nearly a hundred Madisonians — artists, business owner...

"With Instagram and internet research, there is no excuse now for going to a bad tattoo artist." —SHANNON WAGES, Tattoo Artist   We start off with how Sue got her first tattoo at age 77 (from a great tattoo artist, Chuy, at his Tatuajes Raza studio), and why the rainbow peace sign is so meaningful to her. And fun fact: Kelli's first tattoo was administered by a dude named Buzzard in a Mississippi...

Q: What is the one thing you want our listeners to know? A: If you've been impacted by sexual assault, it was NOT. YOUR. FAULT.    —Greta McClain, founder of Silent No Longer This episode focuses on gender-based sexual violence. Our guest is Greta McClain, founder of Silent No Longer, an organization which empowers survivors of sexual violence to transform their stories into powerful forces for ed...

Kelli and Sue welcome veteran Wes Minto to the front porch to discuss his Army experience, deployment to Iraq, and concerns about the use of military forces in U.S. cities, especially in the light of a soldier’s training to “toe the line.” Wes also offers practical advice on supporting veterans and how the public can engage with service members during tense moments. Along with travel tales from Do...

“The best thing about getting older is ... I got nothin’ to lose!” —Dr. Bob, on the Front Porch of Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge in Madison, TN To set the stage for our foray into the topic of aging, we checked in with neighbors and friends about what they considered to be the worst and best parts of getting older. From the worst of chin hairs, sore joints, and the loss of loved ones, to the best...