Voices of the Valley Podcast & Radio Show

Join us for a fascinating episide with longtime valley resident and tea connoissure, David Lee Hoffman. David has spent more than four decades traveling the remote backcountry of Asia in search of the world's finest rare, organic, and wild pure leaf teas, becoming the first American to work directly with tea farmers in China and to form joint ventures with long-established tea gardens. This deep e...

Join us for a terrific interview with Nicasio resident wine industry mover & shaker Patrick McNeil who shares some amazing family stories about the history of his fascinating family, Nicasio and Northern California at large.  Patrick McNeil is a native Californian with roots and influences in both Southern California and the Bay Area,. Patrick McNeil's personal history is entwined with—and endures...

Aja Couchois Duncan is a social justice coach and capacity builder of Anishinaabe, French and Scottish descent living on the ancestral and stolen lands of the Coast Miwok / Tamal-ko people. Her debut collection, Restless Continent (Litmus Press, 2016) was selected by Entropy Magazine as one of the best poetry collections of 2016 and awarded the California Book Award for Poetry in 2017. In 2020, Sw...

James Baraz is a founding teacher of Spirit Rock Meditation Center. James started the Community Dharma Leader program, the Kalyana Mitta Network, the Spirit Rock Family Program and helped create the Heavenly Messengers Training Program. James has been leading the online course "Awakening Joy" since 2003. He serves as a guiding teacher to One Earth Sangha, a Virtual EcoDharma Center devoted to Budd...

Join us for an exceptional episode with Woodacre resident and Lagunitas School student Larkin Sylvester. Larkin is a Greenstitch Climate Action Intern, a Aerial Performer, a Stilt-Walker, and all -around amazing creative. This inspiring episode will give you great hope for a bright future! 

Richard Lang is a poet, short story writer, performer, painter, and printmaker. His stories seek to link the modern human with the natural world.  He is a recipient of the Marin Arts Council Individual Artist Grant in poetry. First at Burning Man then later at fund-raising events for Bay Area non-profits, he can be seen performing poetry as The Poetry Jukebox.  It has feted folks at fancy sit-down...

Marty Meade has been a glass artist since 1973, studying traditional stained glass with Judy Raffael, (now known as Judy North). Marty has been teaching glass art at the College of Marin since 1978 and won the College of Marin's Academic Senate award for Community Education teacher of the year in 2006. In 1981, she traveled to Chartres France to study with Roger Darricarrere. Her teaching has take...

Join me for a lively and informative conversation with Elaine Doss and Amy Morse of the Nicasio Historical Society with some fascinating tid-bits of West Marin History.  Elaine Doss grew up in New York City's Hells kitchen neighborhood in the 1950s and 60s. Shortly after graduating from Columbia University in 1968 with a BA in French and Italian, she married talent agent Richard Loren and enjoyed...

Join us for an inspiring and helpful converstion aboiut aging in place from multiple perspectives—both urban and rural. Marian Cremin, received her Masters Degree in Social Work from Columbia University in New York, She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, who has been in private practice as a DBT therapist, was  the former Owner/Director of a major Bay Area Senior Homecare Agency, and currently...

Zoila Berardi is often referred to as "The Matriarch of the Valley," since she has been nurturing young people in our community for more than 50 years. She is one of the founding members of the Open Classroom and a pioneer in early childhood development and started her first childcare program in the 1970s. Since then thousands of young people have come through her programs with a deeper creativity...

Join us for this fun and insightful interview with local valley muscician Darren Nelson of the band San Geronimo, which is clearly inspired by living, playing, and creating community here in the San Geronimo Valley. Darren Nelson is a singer/songwriter, guitarist, graphic artist and poster artist from the San Francisco Bay Area. He's been quoted, "If it doesn't pay well, then I'm probably an exper...

Join us for an informative and revelatory conversation with a member of the Miwok Tribal Council Jason Deschler, on the original peoples who inhabited Marin County, specifically the San Geronimo Valley and Nicasio.  Since time immemorial, as long as the sun has filled our days with the gift of light, and as long as the moon has guided our path at night, Coast Miwok people, who hold the uncontestab...

Today I am super excited to present another bicycling episode, but instead of enduro mountain biking, we are talking about adventure road riding across the globe with local San Geronimo Valley Residents, Margit Pirche and James Polack, you've seen them cruising up White's Hill and along Sir Francis Drake boulevard and if you are a world traveler you might have caught them winding their way through...

Join us for a wonderful conversation about building community on two wheels, through the joys of mountain bicycling, with Access for Bikes Executive Director Vernon Huffman, along with his amazing daughter, Gabby Huffman, an Enduro Mountain Biking champ and media creative. In this episode we discuss, the love of connecting with natiure on two wheels, how to create community through mountain biking...

Join us for an insightful, inspiring and moving conversation with local San Geronimo Valley Photographer Sasha Gulish. Sasha is a parent, gardener, true artist and business-woman who is very active in her local community making a big impact on the lives of so many. Join us as we explore why engagement in community is good for your health, good for democracy, and good for the planet!  Sasha is a Ca...

Join us for this wonderful conversation on spirituality, creativity, music, and community with Forest Knolls resident, Prem Byrne. Prem Byrne grew up in Poona, India before moving to Marin County where he has lived in for 35 years—and a more recently to the valley. Prem is a spiritual seeker, business manager (of a window-washing company in San Francisco), and most-importantly, musician. His music...

Join us for an important conversation on aging in place with gerontologist, Sara Robinson. Sara Robinson is a gerontologist and has been a champion supporting people to age in their homes and communities with broad community information and support. She has gained experience as a hospice volunteer, a Marin Villages steering committee member, and through her work for the 11 Age-Friendly and Age and...

Woodacre Resident Harold Woodson was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1950 and attended the University of Wisconsin before moving to the San Francisco Bay Area. After college he attended the San Francisco Art Institute where he expanded his love of art. Harold worked for the Golden Gate Transit District for 30 years, all-the-while caretaking an important collection of American art. Harold is an art co...

Join us for a fascinating conversation with Woodacre resident and award-winning coreographer Alex Ketley, whose lastest work RESILIENCE about death row inmate Bill Clark has been garning incredible reviews from coast to coast. I saw this performance in April of 2025 and was profoundly moved. It was an extraordinarily dynamic, emotional, poetic and viscerally charged experience, beautifully perform...

Join us for a facinating conversation on building community from the true master Dave Cort the "Mayor of the San Geronimo Valley" (now officially known as "Community Ambassador") who has devoted his life to building, sustaining, and celebrating community!  Dave Cort served as the Executive Director of the San Geronimo Valley Community Center from 1991-2023. After growing up in Cleveland, Ohio Dave...

You are not only what you eat, you are what you wear! Join us for an incredibly informative and fascinating conversation with Rebecca Burgess, founder of the Fibershed Organization, Community and Network. Rebecca Burgess, has two decades of experience working at the intersection of ecology, fiber systems, and regional economic development. She is the author of the best-selling book  Harvesting Col...

How does one get connected and stay connected to community? How do we avoid isolation and lonliness? Tune in to find out and get inspired by longtime Valley resident Suzanne Sadowsky who has devoted her life to being of service in community for more than six decades and for multiple organizations. Suzanne Sadowsky was born and grew up in Brooklyn, New York in 1935. She attended Alfred University i...

Join us for an enlightening conversation with former Marin County Supervisor Steve Kinsey about what it takes to understand the nuance, complexity and commitment of government, policy, and how to engage more deeply in community around important issues that effect us all.  Steve Kinsey served as District 4 Marin County Supervisors from 2007-2017.  Prior to taking public office, Steve owned and oper...

Join me for an adventurous conversation with adventure film-maker and local valley resident Josh "Bones" Murphy. Josh Murphy is a director and producer of film, commercials, and branded entertainment who began his career in film as a professional skier turned filmmaker and launched the UNPARALLELED series of award winning action sports films in the early 2000's. Josh directed and produced PURPLE M...

Join me for a fun (and funny) interview with longtime valley resident and award-winning writer Molly Giles, where we discuss her latest book LIFE SPAN:  Impressions of a Lifetime Spent Crossing and Recrossing the Golden Gate Bridge , which is a memoir in flash form (short vignettes).  We also cover a little about the creative process, creative community and the power of place (Woodacre). Molly Gil...