THNX: A Feelgood Podcast

Mana Yegani is an immigration attorney in Houston, Texas. She went to North Carolina State University for her undergraduate degree and went to law school at Louisiana State University. She explains the importance of Election Day and casting a vote.

Maddie Parrish, originally from Franklin, Tennessee, is a professional dancer who lives in New York, New York. After graduating from New York University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance, she has spent two years as a touring dancer, actor, and singer. Most recently, Maddie played Peter Pan and was part of the ensemble for the national tour of Finding Neverland.

Guy Schwartz is a prolific artist and musician who lives in Houston, Texas, and even ran as a non-partisan candidate for president in 2016. This year, he explains why it's important to vote, no matter who for.

Victor Cobos is a general surgeon from West Texas. He went to the University of Texas for an undergraduate degree in physics, then went on to complete his pre-med education at the University of North Texas. After going to medical school at the University of Texas, he completed his general surgery residency at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. Victor has been practicing general surg...

Jesse McClure went to UNC Chapel Hill for undergrad, The University of Texas for law school, and now serves as judge of the 339th district court of Harris County in Houston, Texas. He gives his motivation for why it's important to vote.

Joanna Stingray and her sister wandered from a group tour in the USSR and ended up in an underground Rock & Roll venue following a bump in the road in her own musical career. From that moment forward, Joanna became the biggest benefactor of Russian Rock; she smuggled instruments into the country and smuggled the music out. She exposed the US to Soviet Rock and evolved into a respected performer an...

Jack Cagle has served as county commissioner for Harris County Precinct 4, which represents 1.3 million residents, since 2011. Prior, he graduated from Rice University and Baylor Law School and was a county court judge for 11 years. Jack lives in Houston, Texas with his wife, Janet, and their three children. He describes what VOTE means to him.

Felix Lugo is a native Houstonian and a marathon runner, coach, and organizer. Halfway through his senior year of high school in 1974, he got married and joined the army, traveling to Oklahoma and later North Carolina to become a paratrooper. He was able to finish high school, then went on to paralegal school and began working in a law office. Felix began running, then got more and more involved w...

Chris Tritico went to Sam Houston State University, studied law at South Texas College of Law, and is now a criminal defense attorney based out of Houston, Texas, where he lives with his wife and three children. He explains why it's so important to vote, especially in this election.

Juan Carlos Asse has been a personal trainer for the last fifteen years. He owns Zen Fitness, a personal training studio, in Gainesville, Florida, where he promotes and educates people about eating a plant-based diet. Juan has directed and produced three documentary films, including the multiple award winning Unsupersize Me.

Sandra Menzies Ahlhorn is the co-founder of Books Between Kids, a non-profit organization that puts books in the hands of children that are most in need. Born in South Africa and moved to the United States at 7, Sandra has lived in Texas since she was 16. She earned a business degree from the University of Texas and worked in Human Resources, and she and her husband bought a printing business in 2...

Robert Goyen, a native Texan, is a race director for Trail Racing Over Texas, one of the largest trail running companies in the country, and owns The Summit Shop, a site to buy and sell new and used running gear. Rob began distance running after battling addiction and obesity for years and getting sober in 2012. A business-driven and service-focused man, he went to the University of Houston and co...

Ciro Lampasas was born and raised in Houston, Texas and went on to Sam Houston State University. After not getting a job in the field he expected, Ciro began working with some cousins throughout the city and realized his love for working with food. He opened Ciro's Italian Grill, a local favorite, that has been around for 35 years now. Ciro, his wife, and their children live in Houston.

Keri Blakinger, originally from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, graduated from Cornell University. She covered local government for the Ithaca Times and breaking news for the New York Daily News. At the Houston Chronicle, she covered breaking news, prisons, and the death penalty. She is currently writing for the Marshall Project, a news organization that covers all aspects of the criminal justice system....

Guy Schwartz is indescribable; he is a musician, bandleader of several bands including Z-Rocks and The New Jack Hippies, respected guitar and bass player, prolific recording artist, songwriter, videographer, music journalist, and advocate for local Houston musicians, showcased by his work on South by Due East. He has been dubbed a musical chameleon because his music pays respect to influences from...

Angela Sugarek has been a teacher, principal, and is now the CEO of York Academy Regional Charter School in Pennsylvania. After graduating from Eastern New Mexico University and the University of Texas at Austin, she has had an extremely successful career, receiving accolades such as Campus Teacher of the Year in two school districts and 2015 Texas Elementary Principal of the Year. Her interview i...

Marc Carter presided over the 228th Judicial District Court in Harris County, (Houston), Texas for 16 years. While he was on the bench he created the first Veterans Court in Texas, which, along with many other accomplishments in criminal justice reform, led to him receiving numerous local, state, and national awards and honors. Marc  received his undergraduate degree form the University of Texas a...

Rodica Gonzalez is an accomplished violinist who has been playing since she was four. Originally from Romania, she earned a masters degree in violin performance from Rice University. Rodica has been a member of the first violin section of the Houston Symphony since 1990, toured internationally, and performed at Carnegie Hall more than once. In addition, she teaches at the University of St. Thomas...

Pastor Ashley Dellagiacoma is a native Houstonian who studied Spanish Studies at Texas Lutheran University and attended Luther Seminary, a seminary for the Evangelical Lutheran Church. She served as a Vicar for the Christ Lutheran Church of Brenham, Texas and the Youth and Education Minister of the Abiding Love Lutheran Church in Austin, Texas. She is presently the pastor at Kindred, located in th...

Michael Wiesenthal is a native Houstonian and a third generation haberdasher. After graduating from Lamar High School, he earned a degree in business from the University of Houston. His uncle and late father, Milton and Harold Wiesenthal, founded Harold's in the Heights, known for treating all customers like royalty. Michael carries this compassion in his business, MWiesenthal, which he opened aft...

Van G. Garrett hails from Wharton, Texas. He is a poet, novelist, musician, teacher, and photographer; he's a rare artist because he excels in every medium that he chooses. While a podcast series could be solely dedicated to his travels, creations, inspirations, and the interesting people he has met along the way, we were lucky enough to talk to him on a January evening about someone who helped be...

The Honorable Jason Luong tells us the story of his journey from Vietnam to the United States and gives thanks to one of the many people who exhibited selflessness and kindness throughout his life. He then follows Rand's lead in thanking more than one person. (Note from Rand: Jason can thank as many people as he wants!) Jason is a District Court judge in Houston, Texas, where he presides over crim...

Rand, the creator and co-host of THNX, gives thanks to the person who counseled him when he was failing out of college and it appeared his life was going nowhere. He proceeds to break one of the rules of the podcast by thanking more than one person, but it makes for an interesting listen. Rand Mintzer lives in Houston, Texas where he is a criminal defense attorney, selling author, podcast host, an...