Ojai: Talk of the Town

Isaac and Thorald Koren — known to many as The Kin —spent decades chasing the bright lights of the music industry. They toured the world, opened for Coldplay, P!NK, and Rod Stewart, and signed with major labels. But along the way, they discovered that the most powerful stage isn’t a stadium — it’s the human heart. In this episode of Ojai Talk of the Town , the Brothers Koren share the story behind...

How does a shy, artistic boy raised in a family of hard-bitten Jackson Hole cowboys become one of the world’s most insightful guides to India’s sacred and tribal arts? In this episode of Ojai Talk of the Town , Dr. Stephen Huyler joins me to talk about his extraordinary new book, Transformed by India: A Life — his seventh, but the first to tell his own story. Huyler recounts growing up in Ojai as...

Emmy-winning director and producer Mimi Leder joins Ojai Talk of the Town to talk about the fourth season of Apple TV+’s The Morning Show , premiering September 17. Leder, the show’s creator and executive producer, takes us behind the scenes of one of television’s most talked-about dramas — where the personal battles of anchors, producers, and executives mirror the seismic shifts shaking our real-...

Los Angeles’ most famous cat changed how the world sees urban wildlife. In this episode, Beth Pratt, California Regional Executive Director for the National Wildlife Federation and leader of the #SaveLACougars campaign— joins me to talk about P-22’s extraordinary life, humane euthanasia in 2022, and how his story is reshaping conservation far beyond Griffith Park. National Wildlife Federation+1 Ca...

In this episode of Ojai: Talk of the Town , I ride along with Dr. Christina Sisk and her dedicated vet-tech crew from the Ventura County Humane Society on their mobile spay-neuter clinic. Our destination: a homeless encampment in Oxnard, where veterinary care can mean the difference between a pet thriving or suffering. Dr. Sisk shares her journey from growing up a farm girl with a deep bond to ani...

When Beth Lane was six years old, her mother let slip a family mystery: she had six siblings, all adopted. That cryptic admission set Lane on a decades-long journey to uncover the truth — a journey that culminated in UnBroken , a powerful documentary about how her mother and six siblings, all Jewish children in Nazi Germany, survived the Holocaust with the help of a courageous German farmer and hi...

In this special episode of Ojai Talk of the Town , we sit down with the luminous Kitty Winn — award-winning actor, devoted mother, and granddaughter of Gen. George C. Marshall — to trace a remarkable life lived on her own terms. After winning Best Actress at Cannes for her raw, unforgettable performance in The Panic in Needle Park alongside Al Pacino, and stepping into horror history as Sharon in...

What happens when five brilliant, rebellious Romantics take refuge from a climate catastrophe in a lakeside villa — and decide to conjure monsters? In this episode of Ojai Talk of the Town , we sit down with acclaimed playwright, screenwriter and novelist Jule Selbo to discuss her gripping new play, Mary Shelley: The Year Without Summer , premiering in Ojai on August 8, running through August 17th...

When a mystical optimist and a self-proclaimed cynic start a podcast, sparks fly—and sometimes combust. In this lively, revealing conversation, Ojai-based artists Daren Thomas Magee ( the Instagram juggernaut Real Fun, Wow ) and musician Jaymee Carpenter ( Love Is the Author ) open up about the origin story of their podcast Mystical-Cynical , how each season seems to end in a breakup, and why they...

In this episode, we sit down with Kelley D’Angelo, founder and CEO of Lark Ellen Farm and the visionary behind the brand-new Purely Sprouted™ line. What started as personal wellness experiment in her home kitchen in Ojai — driven by chronic aches, low energy, and grain sensitivities — has blossomed into a national success story. Kelley began in 2015 at the Ojai Farmers Market with her first sprout...

In this episode of Ojai Talk of the Town , we dive into the magic of movies under the stars with Brady Hahn and Nick Weissman, two driving forces behind the Ojai Film Society's revitalized Summer Series at Libbey Bowl. Brady, a holistic strategist and community connector, and Nick, an acclaimed documentary filmmaker and producer, share their passion for cinema, community, and curating experien...

Filmmaker, environmental advocate and Ojai neighbor Rebecca Tickell joins us to talk about storytelling as activism and how she and her husband, Josh Tickell, are using their cameras and their land at Big Picture Ranch to shift the global conversation on food, farming, and the future. From the Netflix hit Kiss the Ground to its award-winning follow-up Common Ground — and the hyper-local lens of Re...

Join us in a vibrant conversation about the 34th annual Ojai Pride Walk & Picnic, happening Sunday, June 29, 2025 , as we gather at Libbey Park. It has now now expanded from its humble 1992 beginnings with just six marchers, to a vibrant celebration of diversity, inclusion, and joy In this special episode, we sit down with: Helen Allen and Lynn Doherty , Ojai Living Treasures and co-founders o...

We're here with a special Father's Day weekend release: Actor Tyler Labine ( New Amsterdam , Tucker & Dale vs. Evil ) and filmmaker-writer-photographer Reed Fish ( I'm Reed Fish ) join the pod to talk about their new venture: I Love You So Much , a no-holds-barred podcast on parenting, co-parenting, divorce, being single dads, and rethinking masculinity in the age of social media....

In this episode of Ojai Talk of the Town , we wander into the wilds with Cole Bush, founder of BCB Shepherdess, whose herd of 800 goats and sheep are quietly revolutionizing how we manage wildfire risk, invasive species, and land stewardship across Southern California. What began as a humble vision just four years ago has grown into a high-impact, ecologically sound practice that blends ancient pa...

In this reprise episode of Ojai Talk of the Town , we sit down with writer and historian Mark Lewis to explore one of the most unsettling chapters in American cultural history — the Hollywood Blacklist. Mark's feature in the Fall 2015 issue of the Ojai Quarterly dove deep into the fear-fueled politics of the late 1940s and ’50s, when actors, writers, and directors were exiled from the entertai...

On this episode of Ojai Talk of the Town , we take a sun-dappled stroll through the life and work of Stephanie Hubbard —landscape architect, abstract expressionist, and one of the newest members of the Ojai Studio Artists. Fresh off a prestigious nine-month residency at the Taft Gardens, Stephanie shares how Ojai’s wild beauty has rooted itself in her art — and her soul. We talk childhood in the T...

In this episode, we sit down with filmmakers Jack Piatt and David Breschel, the creative forces behind Highway West Entertainment, whose work spans literature, music, and the open road of independent cinema. Their short film The Singers , a haunting and poetic adaptation of Ivan Turgenev’s 19th-century story, has been selected for the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival, where its timeless themes of...

Join us as we talk with the Ojai Music Festival’s Bravo Education Coordinator Laura Walter on planting the seeds of musical creativity, and what’s coming up for young performers this spring and summer In this episode of Ojai Talk of the Town , we sit down with Laura Walter, the inspiring force behind the Bravo! education program at the Ojai Music Festival for decades. Laura shares how elementary s...

This week on Ojai Talk of the Town , we’re joined by storyteller Megan Dolan and Ojai Storytelling Festival’s executive director Kara Lakes. Megan shares the inspiration behind her powerful solo show, Not the Right Mom: One Mother's Misadventures in Autism, a Full Spectrum Comedy — a deeply funny, raw, and tender look at parenting on the spectrum, and what it means to show up when you feel wil...

After several years in Los Angeles, the Ojai Playwrights Conference Gala - widely known as one of the best parties of the social calendar - is coming home — to the Ojai Playhouse. on May 17th. Executive Director Jeremy Cohen joins us to talk about this year’s star-studded celebration, featuring appearances by Tig Notaro and Indigo Girls’ Emily Saliers, as well as the upcoming 28th anniversary fest...

In this episode of Ojai Talk of the Town , we sit down with dancer, teacher, and cultural organizer Isha Ferraz, the powerhouse behind the Ojai World Dance Festival, now in its second joyful year. Happening Saturday, May 3 at Libbey Bowl — and spilling out into Libbey Park with free public events — the festival brings together world-class dancers and musicians from across the region to celebrate r...

In this heartfelt episode of Ojai Talk of the Town , we sit down with singer-songwriter Abigail Cartright and her husband, veteran producer and engineer Ika, to talk about the deep emotional journey behind Abigail’s new album, Miracle Year , with her band Ana Mirabilis — a loose yet beautifully bonded collective of Ojai musicians and artists. With echoes of Lana del Rey, Beach House, Mitski, Radio...

As the new 75-bed Continuing Care Center in Ojai opens for business, we revisit a conversation from 2022 with Haady Lashkari, Chief Administrative Officer of Ojai's Community Memorial Hospital. Haady shares what it was like to lead a rural hospital through the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic, how the experience shaped his perspective on healthcare, and the lessons he’s carried forward. We also...

In this episode of Ojai Talk of the Town , we sit down with Raúl Alvarado, a 33-year Accenture veteran and former COO who helped shape — and save — some of the world’s most influential companies. Born in Panama, educated at the Colorado School of Mines, and seasoned by decades of global leadership in Europe and beyond, Raul brings an engineer’s precision and a humanist’s touch to the art of transf...