Stories from the Center of the Universe

This week we’ve got Njeri Kershaw to tell us about her years of gymnastics as a kid, and her unexpected pivot into college rowing. We also hear about the importance of education as a theme in her family, and thoughts on her interracial marriage and race in America generally. We are rejoined by Ed Miller for the episode (you can check out the conversation with him in Episode 12).

Dale Fickett is the president and co-founder of RVA Works, a Richmond-based nonprofit that equips aspiring entrepreneurs with the knowledge and tools they need to start businesses. Dale was traveling Europe as a management consultant making bank, when he had an epiphany that ended up redirecting his career toward the non-profit world and eventually RVA Works. Dale tells us about said epiphany, and...

Over his 33-year Army National Guard career, Command Sergeant Major Carl Holcomb rose to become the State Command Sergeant Major, the highest ranking enlisted soldier in the Virginia National Guard, becoming the first black man to hold the position. He also spent 17 years as a correctional officer, and as you'll hear, had to de-escalate life-threatening situations for himself and the inmates. In....

This week we have Anne Kiefer, who joined us to speak poetically on her beloved city of New Orleans, and how the its festive spirits have been sadly dampened by the pandemic. Anne also went through COVID-19 at the age of 75, which was doubly harrowing because her doctors were unsure how to treat the illness back in early spring. She of course survived, and is now a cheerful plasma donor. We are al...

Rachel Adcock is a survivor of Hodgkin's Lymphoma and the author of the book "Pain with Purpose." Her experience with cancer, as well as a few other twists and turns, led her to write the book as an optimistic commentary on how difficult and painful situations in her life always ended up fulfilling a greater purpose. You can find the book "Pain with Purpose" on Amazon for exactly $8.03, and all pr...

Mark Hammerstrom (AKA Hammer) spent the first 18 years of his life in Metro Chicago with Summer trips to Florida to spend time with his grandparents. His grandparents happened to be friends with the charismatic and longtime manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tommy Lasorda. As you'll hear, Mark has fond memories of Coach Lasorda. After high school, Mark went from the Chicago area to Georgia Southe...

Ross H Mackenzie is a helicopter pilot, published author and a retired Navy man. He also happens to be Paul's brother-in-law. During his 20 year US Navy career, he interdicted drug shipments in the Caribbean and cruised in the Persian Gulf as a Seahawk (SH-60) helicopter pilot. His published works include Brief Points: An Almanac for Parents and Friends of U.S. Navy Midshipmen, My Sailor Dad, and...

Al Lester and Kevin Flippen met through a mutual friend, but they deeply connected through their love of all things golf, which they discovered on a very rainy day a few years ago. While we plan to have both Al and Kevin on individually to hear their personal stories, We want to release their shared story because it includes their desire to start a golf-oriented podcast. We thought we could help.

Kody Miller has lived the kind of challenging life most can't imagine. Kody was born to parents that struggled with heroin addictions, and became a mother and wife at the age of 16. She divorced at age 19, and went on to develop an addiction of her own. She ended up using for the next 14 years, which sadly resulted in the loss of custody of her son during his high school years. She has been clean...

Calvin Duncan has lived an awesome and blessed life. From humble beginnings in Linden, NJ to basketball stardom at Oak Hill Academy and Virginia Commonwealth University to becoming a youth minister and eventually the Pastor and founder of Faith and Family Church in Richmond, VA, Calvin has positively impacted a lot of people. Join us to hear his inspirational story, why he walked away from a secon...

This week we have my (Daniel's) dear sister Ariel Lantz on the show. A lover of travel & adventure, Ariel spent two years in Casablanca, Morocco as a Fulbright Scholar, then returned to the United States for a master's in Montessori Education. She now teaches middle school out in Seattle. In our conversation, Ariel shares her perspectives on Moroccan / Middle-Eastern culture, and how it compares t...

Aaron Albrecht is an activist, thinker, and accomplished Old Time Missouri Fiddler. This episode, Aaron gives us the lowdown on his love for the deep tradition of old time music, an appropriately named precursor to bluegrass, folk, and country that goes back centuries. Ever the activist, Aaron also tells us how he led a forum on drone warfare while in college that culminated with a Keynote speech...

This week we had on the accomplished restaurateur, Joe Carroll, the mind behind several Williamsburg Brooklyn mainstays, including BBQ joint Fette Sau, and the St Anselm Steakhouse. In this conversation (featuring guest host Katy De Koning), we hear from Joe on his pivot from a music career to the restaurant world, and on the creativity with which he approached restaurant concepts, which has resul...

This week we had Craig Grimes (who should probably be a stand up comedian) come on to reminisce with Paul on their 'Salt and Pepper' basketball games, share his experiences growing up as the 12th of 13 grandchildren, and explain how life can fit into Winnie the Pooh characters. We recorded our conversation with Craig before the death of George Floyd, so we had him come back on to give us his follo...

This week we have Chris Young on to talk about growing up in small town Mississippi, and the string of accolades he has since collected, including being the 3x winner of the 'Yes Mississippi' Award, the third-ranked high school football player in the state of Mississippi, and the highest ever rated athlete to sign with Vanderbilt, where he played with Jay Cutler, among others. The first part of th...

Mia Blansett is an ER Nurse who transferred to a hospital in Northern New Jersey to work 12 hour days on the COVID front lines. She's a self-described spitfire with plenty of opinions on the pandemic situation, and has great takes on what it's like on the ground. 

This is the story of the Middlebury Pranksters, an Ultimate frisbee team that left their home in Vermont's wintry north on a quest for the 2019 Division III National Title.  Giving us the rundown are the 2019 team captains: Alex Forde (The Eloquent), Asher Lantz (The Thinker), and Dylan Salzman (The Commander), who share the ins and outs of their journey, including injuries, rivalries, game-saving...

Our guest this week is LaToya Robinson, who came on to tell us about becoming a young mother, and how she rose to the occasion to provide the best life for her daughter. She also shares her experience as a black woman in corporate America and her insights on playing the "game" . On top of her job as a manager for a successful financial services company, Toya is also a top-ranked realtor in the cit...

This week we've got William Still on to talk on growing up in small town GA at the time of the Atlanta Child Murders, then later moving to DC and working various jobs on Capitol Hill (including as a researcher at NRSC and the press assistant to Phil Gramm's campaign). He also tells us about going to law school at night with 2 kids and a full time lobbying job, and his experience of being in DC for...

First Lieutenant Jack Stockhausen is not one for taking the easy road. At 25 years old, he bears the distinction of being a West Point alumnus and U.S. Army Ranger, with a deployment under his belt. Jack comes on to talk about his time at the Academy, and how, upon failing Ranger School in the final week, he decided to do what few others do - go back and start the grueling course all over again. W...

Alexandra Santiago Aguilar, a self-described "Salvado-Rican," grew up in Long Island, NY, and after decades of focusing on her career, found love in her 40s and decided to pursue motherhood. Alex shares her journey with IVF, and her plans to blog about her experience as a new mother for the sake of other women in her situation. We also hear from Alex on how her pursuit of an MBA played into her co...

Sarah Wall has a more diverse career than most Millennials out there. From Democratic campaigns to Republican campaigns; from political think tanks to the food service industry; from nonprofits to a global financial company. We catch Sarah mid-journey, and she shares some wisdom from her breadth of experience, including her thoughts on the non profit world vs the corporate world, what she wishes w...

Yannis Katsaros was born in Athens, Greece as the eldest of three. When he was five years old, his family moved to Cairo, Egypt, where he was raised through high school. In tenth grade, Yannis was evacuated from Cairo due to the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, and returned four months later, after the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak. This episode, Yannis talks about his memories of the Arab Sp...

This episode, we are joined by newlyweds Katy and Niels de Koning. Katy, our senior podcast advisor, fills us in on her background, from losing her Miami home during Hurricane Andrew to chasing the dream of living in NYC. Niels, who was Virginia-born and Netherlands-raised, breaks down American misconceptions about the Netherlands and Dutch history, and reveals the truth about wooden shoes. Finall...

Dr. Kiarri Kershaw is a social epidemiologist whose research focuses on how social environments impact health, particularly cardiovascular health. This episode, we hear about Kiarri's motivations in becoming an epidemiologist, her perspective on the pandemic we find ourselves in, and her research on how race, segregation, and various social factors can influence cardiovascular health. Joining us t...