What Dreamers Do

This was a hard episode to record, because there are SO MANY songs I love. And, full disclosure, this list might vary on any given day--just as yours likely would! Some of these you will likely have heard, and I hope that others will be a delightful discovery. I tried not to include too many by the huge pop stars and bands that everyone has heard, although I couldn't resist a couple of my Bri...

I love a good love story, so I decided to share the improbable story of how I met my true companion a bit later in life. (Even though we'd met as kids when my search for baklava in a town we'd both just moved to landed me in his dad's bakery!) I get candid about my own struggles to find harmony in the realm of romance, in spite of most things in my life going pretty well. I also tal...

So many dances in my childhood began with the caller shouting, "All join hands and circle to the left...!" The community of loving hearts and lively music that I grew up in anchored my love of the art forms, and I enjoyed sharing with you some of the elements of how I became an improvisatory flatfooter and clogger who makes music with my feet! A few things I talk about include: how most...

In this episode, I interview longtime friend and accomplished Appalachian Clinical Herbalist Andrew Bentley of Lee County, Kentucky. This is part two of two, where he shares more about what it's like to visit his clinic or have a tele-health appointment, opens up about projects on the horizon, and tells us more about his new online school of herbalism, called The Hedge School. He also talks a...

In this episode, I interview longtime friend an accomplished Appalachian Clinical Herbalist Andrew Bentley of Lee County, Kentucky. This is part one of two, where he shares his earliest experiences learning about herbs from his Irish-American family, and talks about his childhood in Appalachia. You'll learn about all the components of his education which went into his eventual decision to pur...

As an artist who performs traditional Appalachian music and dance, I get lots of questions about the styles of music and dance that I play. "You play banjo--does that mean you play bluegrass?" "What's the difference between flatfooting and clogging?" And, quite often, "Will you play Dueling Banjos?" In this episode, I sketch out the major differences (and similar...

In this episode, I take you on a little trip through time and the backroads of Kentucky, across swinging bridges and up dirt roads to the tiny dwelling of my mother's mother, Ollie Gilbert Hudson.  I wanted folks to feel what a visit there was like for me as a child, and I also share a special story about a moment I shared with her as a child, and how I had an experience years later that let...

In this episode, I take on a potentially sensitive subject: cultural insensitivity toward Appalachian people, as manifested in the musical community. This episode deals with what I see as respectful vs. insensitive ways to approach performing and participating in cultures of groups and places that are different from your culture of origin. To lay the foundation, I discuss how I believe the music a...

I was blessed with a mother and grandmother who were both incredibly generous. The older I get, the more I appreciate the sweet spirits they had and the way they lived their values via their actions---they TOTALLY walked their talk! In this episode, I tell a quick story about the way their generosity affected the children in their communities. And I also share information about how the generosity...

In this episode, I share some of my thoughts on songwriting and why I have a bit of impostor syndrome when it comes to calling myself a songwriter. I also share tons of information that I normally give in my songwriting workshops, including information about: song forms and structures, rhyme schemes, formats, story songs, and ballads. I also share some actionable tips for songwriters (and perhaps...

In this episode, I explore the ways in which patriarchal and colonial thought systems affect the parts of ourselves we get to experience and express, and how we can begin to think of ways to be more complete, free human beings. I touch on how our dominant thought systems shape the reality we experience, how qualities associated with the "feminine" are often looked down on in Western syst...

Sometimes, when you're meant to hear a message, the universe will send it to you over and over again in a variety of ways. That's what happened to me this week with the message about how we all need to become more of who we are, so that's what we're talking about on the podcast! I'm happy to be joined this week by my sweetheart and partner in all things, Yani Vozos. Yani i...

Gratitude is something we often talk about in November in the US, but I truly believe it's important to cultivate all through the year. In this episode, I tell some stories about how growing up in Appalachia and also my experiences interacting with people from other cultures have shaped my ideas about abundance, lack, and the importance of appreciating what we have. I truly believe that dwell...

Today we're talking about....CREATIVE HABITS! You know, those things that you do to cultivate your creativity and keep your ideas flowing, no matter what your interests and skills are.  In this episode, I cover: The paradox inherent in a regular creative practice, the idea of discipline vs. playfulness and spontaneity, how to deal with the frustrating bits, living in alignment with our values...

“What’s this podcast all about? Who’s it for?”  I’m sure those are some of the questions you have.  In this debut episode, I talk about my origin story a bit: the family and community members that influenced my growing-up years in Appalachian Kentucky, the artistic journey that brought me where I am today, the ups and downs of being a self-employed performer, and how my art informs my activism. It...

Hi, I’m Carla Gover, an Appalachian musician, flatfoot dancer, mama, and DREAMER from Kentucky. I'm on a mission to share fierce love, good humor, and inspiration to help you live a life of creative freedom.  I decided to start the What Dreamers Do Podcast to help answer the question: How can we use our gifts and talents to build a better world, and have fun along the way? You’ll also find in...