Lives Radio Show & Podcast with Stuart Chittenden

Poet and editor Lindsey Anne Baker talks with me about her most recent book of poems, "This Is Bad," which artfully and pointedly addresses her exploration of life with Graves disease and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, as well as love, desire, and hunger for existence. Lindsey talks candidly about life with a degenerative nerve disease and the impact on her family and her writing. She also reads sel...

Keith Station is the first ever Deputy Chief of Staff for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Mayor’s Office at the City of Omaha . We talk about the aspirations and frustrations of his DEI work, a little of his life journey in coming to this calling, his emergence as a community leader, and more. Keith Station's role is to develop and lead a strategic plan for Diversity & Inclusion in cit...

In my conversation with chef and entrepreneur, Nina Sodji, we talk about her innovative take on traditional west African cuisine at Okra African Grill , her business ups and downs, and her passion for food and community. Nina Sodji first immigrated to America in 1994 with a business visa, hailing from Togo, a west Africa nation. She began her career as a nurse who had a growing passion for cooking...

Soul woman Mary Elizabeth Jo Dixen Pelenaise Kapi’olani Lawson is the heart and artist behind Mesonjixx. In our conversation – featuring a tiny desk concert – Mary shares her growth as an artist, some tough lessons and choices that came with that journey, and how she uses her musical artistry to explore her lived experiences. Mary also talks about the new live album being released on March 11 and...

Born and raised in Mexico, when she was 12 years old Itzel and her family moved to Omaha, where she is currently VP of Advancement & Community Relations at the AIM Institute. In our conversation, we talk about bravery, her journey as an undocumented immigrant, the "glass mountain" of leadership, and her unquenchable energy for community and entrepreneurship. An active member of the Hispanic an...

Author and poet Kassandra Montag uses her poetry as a way into vulnerability and a means to explore challenging experiences. In our conversation, she talks about some of the issues she confronts in her new collection of poetry “Chorus of the Underground Sea,” and reads a couple of poems from that book. We also talk about themes such as motherhood, sacrifice, and our relationship with nature that K...

Marjorie Maas serves as the inaugural executive director of SHARE Omaha , whose mission is to help nonprofits fulfill theirs by offering the giving public opportunities to connect with metro nonprofits through donations, volunteering, and fulfilling "wish lists." In our conversation, Marjorie talks about how SHARE Omaha has grown substantially since its founding in 2019 and the less...

Casey Putney’s 20 year career in the US Air Force sparked his passion for leadership and making an impact in people’s lives, an ethos he takes into his current role with Omaha's Business Ethics Alliance. As well as his career journey, in our conversation Casey shares how his life was shaped by childhood poverty and the example of a hard-working single mom. He also shares the ethical and values-bas...

John Jeanetta is the president and CEO of Heartland Family Service . In this show, John talks about the history and purpose of the agency in tackling social challenges and inequities, as well as his own life experiences and calling. As well as leading Heartland Family Service’s remarkable growth over the last decade, John serves on several nonprofit and community boards, including the Leadership C...

Israel Greene is a highly sought after speaker, trainer, and coach with a focus on DEI and belonging. A wonderful human being who has lived a rich, unexpected life, we talk about his work helping to transform corporate cultures and communities. We also talk about his life story, including the recent discovery that he was adopted, which prompted a search for connection with his biological family. L...

Esther Mejia is the President and CCO of E Creative , a brand strategy and communications firm she founded in 2011. In our conversation, we talk about her upbringing in rural Nebraska, her early exploration in fine art and design, and the leap of faith she made in starting her own business, including lessons learned and challenges overcome along the way. Esther was born into a large, close-knit fa...

Sara Martin is CEO of the Wellness Council of America (WELCOA). In our conversation, she talks about intentions for well-being in 2022, WELCOA's efforts during the pandemic and its efforts for the year ahead. Sara observes how the last two years have provided space for "more beautiful questions" about the wellness industry and how we might embrace a fresh, more honest approach to well-being. Sara...

David Leibowitz talks about the music scene, his favorite bands and albums of 2021, and some amusing anecdotes of encounters with Saint Vincent, Carrie Brownstein, and Paul Westerberg, to name a few. Dave is a life-long music fan, record collector, and music business professional. He first entered the music business as a teenager in the 1980s, when he published his own fanzine dedicated to the ban...

Jeff Spiehs is the Senior Planner at Lamp Rynearson and works with a team of landscape architects and civil engineers to leave a legacy of lasting impact and creating more equitable communities. He is often thinking about how people desire to interact with spaces and about his role in helping to create that lived experience in the places we inhabit. We talk about how we live and could live in...

Nebraska State Senator John McCollister has a history of taking a principled stand for decency and integrity in public office, working with others to achieve beneficial policy progress rather than ratcheting up violent, acrimonious rhetoric. In our conversation, Senator McCollister talks about Republican values, his denouncement of white supremacy within parts of the GOP, the nastiness of the curr...

Nathan Preheim is a serial entrepreneur in every way and can’t help but concept new companies. With Erica Wassinger, he cofounded Proven Ventures, which offers a fresh approach to venture capital and invests in Nebraska startups that wish to start, grow, and stay in Nebraska. In this show, Nathan talks about how Proven Ventures has crafted a uniquely Midwestern approach to startup investing, focus...

Sharon Robino-West was featured in the Nebraska Public Media segment “The Warrior’s Pen” in 2015 discussing the importance of writing and the Veteran experience. In our conversation Sharon talks about issues of sexual assault in the military, PTSD, and the exploration of these and other life experiences through the medium of writing. We also talk about her memoir and much more besides. Sharon has...

Timothy Schaffert grew up on a farm in Nebraska and now lives in Omaha. He is the author of the just released novel “The Perfume Thief,” as well as five previous critically acclaimed novels. In our conversation, we explore some of the themes of his new novel, including Schaffert's poetic use of the senses, shapeshifting and cultural norms, romance and the melancholy. We also talk about the cr...

Dr. Ali S. Khan is a former Assistant Surgeon General and current Dean of the College of Public Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC). Dr. Khan shares his family's journey from the Himalayan foothills in Kashmir to Brooklyn, NY and the beginnings of his passion for medicine and infectious diseases. We talk about bioterrorism, our failed response to the COVID-19 pande...

Naomi Hattaway is passionate about community building and empowering others to thrive, not just survive, in the places they call home. In this show, we talk about identifying as bi-racial, homeschooling, housing access and poverty, being a teenage mom, living in the third world, and being inspired to serve the community's betterment. Born and raised in a small town in rural Nebraska, Naomi moved w...

Patricia Kearns is the President & CEO of QLI , a nationally recognized post-hospital rehabilitation center for individuals with brain and spinal cord injuries. Patricia, a physical therapist by training, joined the clinical team at QLI in 2001, becoming President & CEO in 2011. In the show, Kearns discusses the extensive rehabilitation of the whole person QLI works with and the unique fee...

Emily McElroy is the inaugural dean of the McGoogan Health Sciences Library at the University of Nebraska Medical Cente r. In this show she talks about the brand new Wigton Heritage Center and its many fascinating exhibits, including that of Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte, America’s first Native American physician in traditional western medicine. We also talk about the role of the health science lib...

A believer in “Black Girl Magic” Ashlei Spivey celebrates black talent, entrepreneurship, community advocacy, and social justice. In this show, Ashlei talks about black women being a moral center and catalyst for society, women and influence, public policy, entrepreneurship, the transformative impact of spending months living and studying in Spain, and more. Ashlei works professionally and persona...

As executive director of the Women’s Fund of Omaha, Jo leads a thirteen-member team to address gender-based inequities in the Omaha community. In our conversation, we talk about the work of the Women’s Fund of Omaha , including the need for responsible, appropriate, and necessary education about sexual and reproductive health literacy, workplace and economic equity, freedom from violence, and wome...

Nebraska State Senator Jen Day was sworn into office in 2021 and represents District 49 and the area of west Sarpy County. Born and raised in her home district, she has spent her lifetime building community and advocating for social justice issues. As a business owner, activist, and mother of 2 boys, she initially sought a legislative seat to address the needs of her community, specifically workin...