Life on Orcas Island with Edee Kulper

The Dalai Lama has advised and supported a number of the Leveys’ projects, encouraging them in their work by saying: "You are presently engaged in work that has great prospects for bringing the inner sciences and technologies of human development and transformation to a very wide section of people who may not under ordinary circumstances come into contact with these teachings." Teaching Mindful Le...

Medium Sally Mathis O’Brien's life path has been guided by her communications with “ascended masters” like Jesus, Gandhi, King Midas, and others. "Sally is a rare combination of religious docent and spiritual navigator. She received her master’s degree in Pastoral Studies from Seattle University in preparation for a second career in hospital chaplaincy, when a multiple sclerosis diagnosis took her...

An octogenarian preparing to visit Bhutan, known for Gross National Happiness, Paramita gifted herself with a new name for her 80th birthday and is following her heart in visiting this Himalayan country with a development philosophy that aims to measure the well-being and happiness of the population rather than focusing only on economic growth. She plans to travel with a group of people connected...

A classical watercolorist who didn’t begin painting until the age of 44, Marcia later turned to working with acrylics, oils, and abstracts. Marcia is also a birder who has traveled all over the country to observe avian life, and a gardener whose property has been part of the Orcas Island Garden Tour. Marcia came to Orcas in the early ’70s as a back-to-the-lander, was one of the first women using t...

Master herbalist, artisan jeweler, former activist, and all around deep human being, Carol Anderson of Magic Island Herbals shares everything from how intentionally she gathers specific plants for her handmade products and the sheer bulk of rose petals it takes to end up with a handful of rose beads many months later, to her thoughts on real beauty, the illusion of powerlessness, trusting one's in...

Epitomizing American roots music, Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms are "some of the most compelling musicians making country roots music in America today." They tour as a duo as well as with the Caleb Klauder Country and the renowned Foghorn Stringband, "the present-day gold standard for real-deal hard-hitting genuine old-time American string band music, with nine albums, thousands of shows, over 20...

A crisis consultant for 30 years, Christine is a communications advocate helping clients find their voice in navigating complex systems, communicating their priorities, and becoming more creative and effective advocates for themselves and/or their kids in systems like education, family court, special needs services, and long-term care planning. She has worked in executive management as well as sta...

An hour of poetry every morning is the way Tish Knapp begins her day. She is a book author, former Orcas Island High School English teacher for 26 years, writing group host, and matriarch of a blended family with 7 children. Tish embodies individuality, a passion for life, a love of fellow man, and she radiates joy. Listen to KIXP and you'll hear Tish reciting poetry on the air!

She pioneered Wednesday in the Woods and Farm-to-Classroom during her 20+-year teaching stint at the public school, and has been a real estate agent for 13 years at T Williams Realty. Mandy was born and raised here and is one of the warmest, most helpful, resourceful human beings you'll ever meet. She's an absolute idea machine, and makes the most of every moment she has with each person, each sit...

Son of a printer in a Mormon family, stockbroker in his 20s, printbroker, self-taught CD-ROM maker, marketing consultant and owner of a design/advertising agency for 10 years, father of 8 children, oilfield worker, and owner of a custom woodworking business (frames, tables, furniture, etc.) called Old Goat Creative, George's experiences have run the gamut. The desire to sail around the world broug...

Rolf Eriksen has a unique relationship with The Tower on Top of Mount Constitution, which is also the name of his book. He first visited the monument as a baby and then worked to repair it through the decades as the owner and general manager of Happy Acres Company for over 53 years. Rolf has bicycled up to the tower weekly for the past 25 years in order to assess wear and tear, document graffiti,...

Consulting with theme parks, museums, zoos, and aquariums, and managing creative development with architects, graphic designers, writers, composers, painters, sculptors, fabricators, and contractors takes Brian Leonard all over the world, from Washington, D.C.'s National Geographic Museum of Exploration to the largest aquarium in the world in Abu Dhabi. Brian also has a few fun inventions he dream...

Meet The German Magician: "I lost my mother when I was ten. The world stopped making sense. At seventeen, I was living alone, figuring it out. I picked up my first deck of cards - not for the art of magic, but to connect with people. Magic gave me something I didn’t expect: FAITH. For the next 18 years, I worked in Germany's automotive industry - Volkswagen, Porsche, stability and structure. But t...

A Tai Chi practitioner for 54 years and an instructor for decades, Stephanie radiates joy and an ever-growing zest for life, and speaks of the depth of physical, spiritual, and emotional lessons she has learned over the years.

Advice from a local Inuit man to "make sure you talk with the ancestors" has shaped Karl's mindset and survival, and he is preparing for his third season paddling the Canadian Arctic's Northwest Passage. Karl is the founder of Krüger Creative, a nonprofit dedicated to wilderness exploration, personal growth, and environmental awareness. Through Krüger Expeditions, he offers day sails and multi-day...

Bruce Benton went from Peace Corps work in West Africa to the US Treasury Department’s Deputy-Director of the Office of Raw Materials and Oceans Policy to a career managing the World Bank’s efforts to defeat parasitic riverblindness in Africa. He has written a book of the same. Locally, Bruce continues to work hard to help the Island Rides program. A few years ago, he secured grant funding totalin...

Modern-day explorer, Karl Krüger, is preparing for his third leg of a three-summer solo journey through the Canadian Arctic's Northwest Passage. He covered 900 miles combined in 2022 and 2023 on his stand-up paddleboard, and in the summer of 2027 he plans to use a Holopuni outrigger canoe instead to retrace the coast he explored on his SUP, starting in Tuktoyaktuk, continuing past Kugluktuk - his...

Georgette Wong's expertise is in impact investing and strategic consulting to strengthen local communities. She currently serves as Board Chair of the Nonprofit Finance Fund, the Investment & Audit Committee for The Russell Family Foundation, as well as the Investment Committee of the Orcas Island Community Foundation. She has been the CEO of Correlation Consulting for the past 10 years, focus...

Meet Jay Longfellow, a hunter, trapper, outdoorsman, and reader of the stoics. He has rid his life of all screens aside from his phone, and he joins me in the studio with his pointing lab, Marcus Aurelius, to talk about everything from difficult injuries to the fantastic flavor of certain species of waterfowl. This guy has some serious skills!!

A deep dive into Liberty's turbulent early years and what formed her sense of freedom, adventure, and the desire to be who she chooses to be and surround herself with people she trusts. Liberty talks here about biking across Finland, solo horseback riding in Mongolia among horse thieves and threatening bandits, feeling akin to orca whales, writing a series of books for children about a society of...

Geophysicist and stone sculptor Michael Yeaman is also the creator and curator of the Orcas Island Film Festival’s Classic Film Series. Films are at 4 PM on Sundays at Orcas Center from January 11 - February 8, 2026. They are free to the public and you can bring any food you'd like to enjoy with you!

Not only is Robin Lassen one of the warmest, most encouraging human beings you'll ever meet, she's also a tireless go-getter. While her fine art paintings hung in a local gallery and shop, she was zipping across the sky as a flight attendant for Alaska Airlines ~ a new hire at the age of 69. During summers, she trades the quiet life of Orcas Island where she practices challenging musical memorizat...

Local legend Jimmy Mudd is known for the “Train Wreck,” a local jam time for any musicians interested, which he hosted every week for decades. I wanted to give an Orcas Island student the opportunity to be an interviewer with me at the radio station, and the school recommended Senior Kairam Bailey, vocalist of a local band called Bonzi. I asked who his ideal guest would be to interview, and the an...

Tony and Jenna brought the Día de los Muertos community celebration of remembrance to the island ~ first at their home, then at the Village Green. The Morenos are Paul Mitchell hairstylists, business owners, parents, and dreamers who live each day with joy, intention, kindness, and ambition.

Andy is a high school English, literature, Spanish, guitar, drama, history, government, and economics teacher at Orcas Christian School, a repeat pilgrim on the Camino de Santiago in Spain, a 6-language polyglot, a guitarist, Choral Society singer, world traveler, and adventurer in all things human and divine.