Do you ever see people doing something that just ain’t right, and no one’s doing anything about it… So you take matters into your own hands? Today, meet one Portland, Oregon auto shop owner who has recovered over 200 stolen cars in less than a year. And meet another man who uses humor to shame people when they don’t return their shopping carts. Plus, CT Public’s own Colin McEnroe talks about his Facebook post about the morality of returning your shopping cart. That post detonated hundreds of pas...
Sep 23, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 101
We know that some of our Audacious episodes, well, they can be kinda heavy. So for our 100th episode, it’s all about GOOD NEWS! You’ll hear about a baby announcement, an upcoming wedding, and a big grant approval. Plus, a powerful compliment, an important anniversary, a surprising acceptance at a funeral, and even what it’s like to find out that you just won a year’s worth of free smoothies! GUESTS: Alexa La Fever, Empress of Tease : Burlesque teacher based in Hartford, CT Coleman Gladis : Filmm...
Sep 16, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 100
On this rebroadcast, you'll hear a seasoned pro taking Chion into the depths of a dumpster in West Springfield, Massachusetts, plus a tik tok star talks about how she got hooked on dumpster diving. You’ll also get some do’s and don’ts from a guy who wrote a book about it! GUESTS: Robert Vadas is the author of A Beginner's Guide to Dumpster Diving and the creator of the Facebook group, Dumpster Diving Tips and Finds Tiffany Butler from Denton, Texas, is also known on Tiktok as “ The Dumpster Divi...
Sep 09, 2022•50 min
When I say, “The Sugar Lifestyle”, I'm not talking about the typical high-fructose, American diet. I’m talking about the often financially-centered lifestyle of sugar daddies and sugar babies. On this episode, you’ll hear from one sugar baby who teaches women how to “embrace their inner sugar”, and from a sugar daddy who talks with us about the ways in which meeting women this way has changed his life. A researcher will give you a lay of the land, and you’ll hear stories about what it’s like bei...
Sep 02, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 99
For over a year, we followed American, Francesca Cronin as she experienced being a high school student abroad in Sarajevo. You’ll hear what she felt, what she learned, and how she changed. Plus, you’ll hear her dad’s reflections on loving her from afar, and from the best friend she made over there, too! And Audacious producer, Jessica Severin de Martinez, talks about how her experience as a German student in the United States 25 years ago formed her life. GUESTS: Francesca Cronin: A high school ...
Aug 26, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 98
Writer and educator, Dr. César A. Cruz, said, “Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable”. So on this episode, meet a goldsmith who turns expired abortion pills into jewelry, another artist who uses word art to amplify messages of racial justice, and a cartoonist who puts Disney characters into dire, real-life situations. GUESTS: Dani Coke : An illustrator and activist representing Black history, racial justice, and social dynamics through easy-to-digest drawings, diagrams, an...
Aug 19, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 97
Today: Audacious trick shots! Hear from a guy who went viral for throwing plungers onto store signs, a Harlem Globetrotter on his slam dunk from 13,000 feet, a young woman who threw out the pre-game pitch at all 30 major league stadiums with her robotic hand, and one man whose 24-hour basketball free-throw experience created a massive fundraising operation for people with cancer. GUESTS: Chris Ivan : Has over a million followers on TikTok who watch him throw plungers at company signs Hailey Daws...
Aug 12, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 96
I think it’s safe to say that all of us have multifaceted relationships with the way our faces look. We may notice a blemish here, a scar there, a bump or a divot all arranged on our face to show the world some of what makes us… us. But what if, on your precious face, it wasn’t just a blemish or a bump, but an injury so extensive that it makes people stare? Makes you reconsider what beauty means, and how you measure your worth. Makes public radio show producers reach out to ask you to talk about...
Aug 05, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 95
Zulynette needs no last name. She’s a Hartford-based poet (among other things) whose book, Seeing in the Dark , just came out. She joins Chion around a fire to talk about poetry, power, and, of course, names. GUEST: Zulynette: Visual artist, social worker, host of The Creative Alchemist podcast, creative workshop facilitator, creator of A Little Bit of Death, and a poet. Her books are Building A Powerhouse (2017) and the recently-released Seeing In The Dark Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org...
Jul 29, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 94
Note from Chion: This episode of Audacious deals with themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including stories from our guests about rape and assault. Ten people talk about why they had an abortion, how they feel about it years down the road, and how they felt when Roe v. Wade was overturned. Plus, what it's like telling your abortion story as a comedian. Alison Leiby, a Brooklyn-based writer and comedian, created her show, "Oh God, A Show About Abortion," which premiered at the Cherry...
Jul 22, 2022•1 hr 23 min•Season 1Ep. 93
Almost 1000 people have won Nobel Prizes. But only 300 have won IG Nobel Prizes! That’s the award honoring achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think. In this episode, meet the creator of the prize, and three people who’ve won it! Mark your calendar : The next Ig Nobel Prize ceremony will happen on September 15, 2022! GUESTS: Marc Abrahams : Founder of the Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony in 1991, celebrating achievements that “make you laugh and then think”. He is also the co-fo...
Jul 15, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 92
Think about your BFF (that’s Best Friend For Life). Now, imagine if that “for life” part was a deliberate, co-creative commitment. You’re free to date other people if you’re into that kinda thing, but you put each other down as your emergency contact, you live together, you may even raise kids together. On this episode, you’ll meet people who are in what’s called Platonic Life Partnerships, or PLP’s. GUESTS: Rhaina Cohen : producer and editor for NPR’s Enterprise Storytelling Unit. She talked ab...
Jul 08, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 91
What’s it like to be a child prodigy? In this episode, you’ll meet a boy who became a chess master at the age of ten, a pair of siblings who started college at seven years old, and one of the youngest members of the high-IQ society, Mensa, who joined it when she was two. GUESTS: Tanitoluwa Adewumi : an 11-year-old Nigerian-American chess prodigy and chess master, who co-wrote My Name Is Tani . . . and I Believe in Miracles: The Amazing True Story of One Boy’s Journey from Refugee to Chess Champi...
Jul 01, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 90
How do auctioneers do what they do? Meet some of the best in the business, including a 102 year-old auctioneer - America’s oldest. Plus, hear what it was like for the guy who auctioned off that $28 million seat on the rocket ship, New Shepard. And find out what happens when a lead charity auctioneer for Christie’s teams up with Bruce Springsteen. Finally, find out how Chion did when she tried her hand at auctioneering for the first time! GUESTS: Steve Little has been an auctioneer for 31 years, ...
Jun 24, 2022•50 min
TikTok is full of… well, everything, so the Audacious team scoured the app to find people who use TikTok to spread kindness. Like a woman who researches and then cleans gravestones , another woman who cleans - at no charge - the houses of people who are going through tough times, and the CEO of a company whose employees post videos of drive-by compliments. GUESTS: Auri Kananen, a.k.a. Auri Katariina, a.k.a. “Queen of Cleaning ”: handles extreme cleaning situations for free to those who find them...
Jun 17, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 89
Here are a few things we often get wrong about anorexia: That it always has something to do with body image. That men don’t really get it. That it’s insurmountable. Hear from an eating disorder specialist, and two people - including one who is in recovery - talking about their lives with anorexia. GUESTS: Mary Dobson: a certified eating disorder specialist, author and community organizer based in Fairfield County, CT. She is also the founder of LIFT Wellness Group Agata Gawron: woman from Saskat...
Jun 10, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 88
When you hear the words, “cuddle party”, what do you picture? Something playful? Something salacious? Something… else? When your culture equates affection with attraction, how does it feel to challenge that connection? And to what degree can affection be healing when it isn't necessarily connected with sex? Join Chion as she ponders all this during her experience one-on-one with a professional cuddlist, and then as she attends a 25-person-strong cuddle party. GUESTS: Amanda Ananda : Professional...
Jun 03, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 87
You may be familiar with Joan of Arc, who cut her hair, wore men’s clothing and, well, led the French army in a momentous victory in 1429… But what about all the other women who dressed like the men of their times and cultures to get stuff done? You’ll hear all about them in this conversation with Tracy Dawson, author of Let Me Be Frank: A book about women who dressed like men to do shit they weren’t supposed to do. Photo: Kathleen Munroe Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystu...
May 27, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 86
Humans of New York is a photo-slash-storytelling-slash-fundraising powerhouse with 30 million followers on social media. You read narratives about overcoming adversity, personal revelations, or just flat-out great stories. Just that combination alone - the photos and their captions - have been enough to launch Humans of New York into worldwide popularity. But its creator, Brandon Stanton, has taken it one step further. When a subject of his tells a story about a specific need, he shares their Go...
May 20, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 85
Medical aid in dying offers what some may call “a good death”. But how will the increased use of it change our relationship with dying? Meet a hospice and palliative care consultant who has been present for over 1,500 deaths, and hear his concerns about the effect of so-called “designer deaths” on the human species. Then, hear from a woman living with terminal cancer who is an enthusiastic advocate for passing Medical Aid-In-Dying legislation in Connecticut. GUESTS: Stephen Jenkinson: An author,...
May 13, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 84
What's it like being an environmental activist who takes a vow of silence for 17 years? What's life like as a Trappist monk who defaults to silence for a lifetime? And what's it like to be a public radio host who gives up speaking for a week? The voice in Chion's head narrates the experience, and you'll hear audio she collected along the way. GUESTS: John Francis : an environmental activist who took a 17 year vow of silence when he was 27 Brother Paul Quenon : a Trappist monk and poet at the Abb...
May 06, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 83
This is a bonus track from the first time Chion Wolf spoke after a week-long vow of silence. It was for an episode of Audacious featuring two people who've had their own vows of silence, including an environmental activist who didn't speak for 17 years (with the exception of one time), and a Trappist monk, whose lifestyle defaults to silence. This video of this moment is also available here: ctpublic.org/audacious . Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for pr...
May 06, 2022•8 min
The most common name in the United States is Smith, and if that's your surname, you'll have around 4.5 million others in the world to share it with. But just because you have a popular name like, say, Pat Smith, that doesn’t mean that you’re common! The four Pat Smiths you’ll meet are unique: an environmental activist, an adventurous videographer, an African-American kindergarten teacher in Japan, and a beloved mentor who taught me in 3rd and 5th grade. Enjoy the Pat Smith Show! Support the show...
Apr 29, 2022•50 min
The odds that you’ll be in an airplane crash are about 1 in 1.2 million. The odds you’ll die that way? 1 in 11 million. So what’s it like being someone who made it through something like that? On today’s show, hear stories from two people who did, including a military pilot, and a woman who was one of only two survivors of a crash that claimed 107 lives. GUESTS: Kechi Okwuchi : author of More Than My Scars , a memoir about being one of the two survivors in a 2005 plane crash that claimed 107 liv...
Apr 22, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 82
It’s one thing to have a hard time with parenthood. But what if you wholeheartedly regret it? On this Gracie Award-winning episode , hear from two parents who feel this way, and find out how they balance feeling full of regret while wanting to make sure their kids are well taken care of. And is it really possible to love someone whom they regret bringing into existence? You’ll also meet a woman who knew she was regretted, and find out why she thinks we should be more open about it. GUESTS: "Anna...
Apr 14, 2022•42 min
This episode of Audacious is tops! You’re gonna meet the first African-American to summit Everest, the world’s first candidate to consider transplanting his head onto a different body, and how teachers and students of a special education school in the UK beat the world record for the tallest stack of hats worn for at least 30 seconds! GUESTS: Sophia Danenberg: The first African-American and first Black woman to reach the peak of Mount Everest Val Spiridonov: A candidate to be the first person to...
Apr 07, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 81
On past episodes of our Audacious Love series, we’ve talked with people who’ve been married for over 50 years, people who’ve fallen in love with synthetic companions, people who’ve fallen love with objects, and today, you’ll meet four people who are married to spirits, ancestors, or gods. GUESTS: Dr. Megan Rose : An initiated ceremonial magician, a Shakta Tantric practitioner, and the author of Spirit Marriage: Intimate Relationships with Otherworldly Beings . She serves as an ordained interfait...
Apr 01, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 80
How do you define forgiveness? Turns out, the definition tends to be as different as every person. And that definition changes depending on where you are in the process, too! On this episode of Audacious, Chion talks about it with a best friend, a pastor, a philosopher, and a man who lost his face after getting hit by a drunk driver. You’ll also hear ponderings on forgiveness from some of our Audacious listeners! GUESTS: Sarah Eyre: A Willimantic-based textile artist Rev. Dr. Shelley Best : CEO ...
Mar 25, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 79
On the most recent episode of Audacious, we talked about the definition of forgiveness. It seems like every person has their own interpretation of it, and how we define it often defines us. David Whyte is a philosopher, poet, speaker, and author of Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment, and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words . He begins our conversation by reading the passage on forgiveness in that book. You can experience more of his work at davidwhyte.com Go ahead and check out the full epis...
Mar 25, 2022•36 min
JURY DUTY. Just those two words evoke a lot of reactions. And the stories you get from jury duty can be funny, absurd, or, like you’ll hear a juror from the Derek Chauvin trial, they can be traumatic. Hear stories from the jury box on this episode of Audacious. GUESTS: Michael Leung : Hartford, CT resident who had an awkward encounter as a foreperson in a jury Bishop John Selders : Assistant Dean of Students and Coordinator of Community Standards at Trinity College in Hartford, and he’s one of t...
Mar 18, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 78
