THNX: A Feelgood Podcast

Kate Germond is the Executive Director of Centurion Ministries: Seeking Freedom for The Innocent in Prison, a nonprofit organization that works to exonerate people serving life sentences or death penalty sentences for crimes they did not commit. After moving to New York, New York from Mendocino, California in 1986, she joined the 501c3 and dedicated her life to the exonerees in 1987. Kate and her...

Mark Metzger III is a criminal defense attorney born and raised in Missouri City, Texas. After graduating from the Marine Military Academy in 1999, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 2000, where he trained as a cryptologic linguist and earned honors as the Honor Graduate of his class. He went on to earn his law degree from South Texas College of Law in 2012 and has been recognized as a Texas...

Jonathan Fombonne is the Deputy County Attorney and First Assistant County Attorney in Harris County, Texas. After graduating from Swarthmore College and the University of Michigan Law School, he started his career with a clerkship for Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Judge Solomon Oliver, Jr. Prior to his current appointment, he practiced law at l...

Cesar Espinosa is a prominent immigrant rights advocate and community organizer based in Houston, Texas. Born in Mexico, he immigrated to the United States at the age of six and went on to earn a degree in Political Science from the University of Houston. In 2007, he co-founded Familias Inmigrantes y Estudiantes en la Lucha (FIEL), the largest immigrant-led civil rights organization in Texas. Espi...

Terry Lord is a retired U.S. Attorney and seasoned criminal justice reform advocate. A Vietnam War veteran, he earned his undergraduate degree in History from Southern Methodist University and his law degree from the University of Texas School of Law. As a commissioned Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, he served three years in the Infantry Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia. He se...

Mike Greenhaus, a writer, blogger, and self-described "live music geek", is the Editor-in-Chief of Relix Magazine and Co-Founder of Relix Media Group. He also hosts the bi-monthly Friday Night Jam, a speaking series that takes place at New York's LPR and Rockwood Music Hall. A former college radio DJ, he has spoken on panels at the South by Southwest and CMJ music conferences, written for outlets...

Theresa Jackson, originally from Fort Worth, Texas, moved to Houston, Texas in 1974. After working at Jesse Jackson & Associates, she went on to earn a college degree. She is a trailblazing educator and the first African American woman to open two charter schools in Houston, Texas. The schools, through her leadership, are committed to providing a high quality education and promoting community empo...

Jamil Rashad, also known as Boulevards, is from Raleigh, North Carolina. He earned a scholarship to the University of North Carolina Charlotte for his performance in track & field, took a step back after graduation to explore his musical calling, and went on to launch his first clothing brand, Above Cruelty, during his time at Grambling State University. One of his numerous albums, Electric Cowboy...

Hyphen Thazhath is originally from India and moved to the United States in 2013. He is a One-Man Band extraordinaire and Multi-Instrumentalist who covers a range of genres including Rock & Roll, R&B, Pop, Jazz, Country, and Indian to name a few. Since 2014, Hyphen has called Houston, Texas home.

Andrew Dansby is a writer who has worked at Rolling Stone, American Songwriter, Texas Music, and Playboy to name a few. He began writing for the Houston Chronicle in 2004 and was the Entertainment Editor until his retirement in January 2025 (This career move left legions of heartbroken readers including one podcast host!). Following his departure, he released a brilliant six part series on the lif...

Jason "Flash Gordon Parks" Woods, originally from South Houston, Texas, is an ethnomusicologist who was trained in photography during high school by artist and educator Ray Carrington. He went on to earn his Bachelor's Degree in Photography at Sam Houston State University in 2001. He published The Beautiful Side of Ugly in conjunction with Eric Blaylock, released the documentary This Thing We Do,...

Paige Lewis is a singer/songwriter and copywriter from Katy, Texas. She has worked with numerous music labels, performed all over the United States both solo and with other noteworthy artists, was awarded an ASCAP, and even has two songs featured on the soundtrack for the film Matchstick Men. After living in Nashville, Tennessee; Los Angeles, California; and Austin, Texas, Paige now calls Houston,...

Michael Wayne Hall is a self-taught artist who uses painting, murals, and woodworking as meditative practices. Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, he spent 13 years in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania before moving to Texas in 2012. After graduating from the University of the Arts with a focus on Film, he honed his screenprinting skills at Space 1026 in Philly. His work has been showcased in New York C...

Kevin D'Andrea is a French chef and the owner and Executive Chef of Foliepop's, a French bakery in Austin, Texas. Originally from Oloron-Sainte-Marie, France, he trained under the guidance of some of the world's most renowned chefs and has worked in some of the most prestigious restaurants internationally. He has appeared on the TV show Top Chef: Wisconsin and was a finalist on Top Chef France. Ke...

THNX is saddened over the loss of Connie Williams, a dear friend of the pod, on December 30, 2025. He was an attorney for five decades, first at the Harris County District Attorney's Office then in the criminal defense arena. He grew up in Brenham, Texas, served his country as a tank commander earning both a silver and bronze star, and recieved his undergraduate and law degrees from the University...

Iliana de la Vega is a Chef-Owner of El Naranjo in Oaxaca, Mexico and Austin, Texas, as well as an educator, culinary consultant, and expert in Mexican gastronomy. Born in Mexico City, Mexico, she has dedicated her life to the study and dissemination of the country's foodways. She is a semifinalist and winner of numerous James Beard Awards, served as the Mexican/Latin Cuisines Specialist for The C...

Jasmine Hearn is an interdisciplinary artist, director, award winning performer, choreographer, organizer, doula, and teacher. They earned a B.A. from Point Park University, has performed in many cities nationwide, and received numerous awards, fellowships, grants, and residencies. Jasmine lives in her hometown of Houston, Texas. 

Today - November 5, 2024 - is the last day to make your voice heard at the ballot box for this year's election. Go to usa.gov to find the polling location nearest you to cast your vote.

Caleb Hans Polashek leads a varied music career as a solo, orchestral, chamber, and collaborative performer, composer, and recording artist. He began studying violin at an early age, eventually earning a post graduate degree from The University of Texas at Austin's highly esteemed studio of Brian Lewis at The Butler School of Music. He has performed domestically and internationally, joined the vio...

Jamonica Phoenix is a former board member of Houston Blues Society and helped organize Houston Blues Museum and Blues for Food. Aside from her involvement with the Houston Blues Scene, she worked for a mediator prior to retirement, was on the board of local Houston radio station KPFT 90.1 FM, and is an avid animal lover. Jamonica makes her home in Houston, Texas.

Amy Malkan is a Visual Artist, Muralist, Author, and Public Speaker. As an International Artist and High Performance Facilitator, she creates, designs, and builds creative spaces all over the world. Her educational background in psychology and 15 years of experience in corporate sales coupled with her passion for and development of her artistic talents contributed to the success of her business, T...