American Tributaries

Devin Davis lives and works in Manhattan, New York City, going between his home in Harlem and the wine shops he has worked in downtown.  Devin and host Michael Whidden have known each other for approximately six years, going back to when Michael started working with one of Devin's shops.

Learn about one of NYC’s essential workers who...from receiving, storing and stocking to greeting, advising and processing...made sure that everyone got their bottles of wine during the pandemic.  He’s happy to have found his “tribe” in the wine community. 

Devin talks about his transition from working at a warehouse (unrelated to wine) into the wine trade.  Guess how long it takes him to move a delivery of 1,200 bottles (100 cases) of wine from the main floor down to the shop cellar. Devin shares his journey of discovery and his affection for Riesling, Bordeaux and natural wines. His dream food/wine pairing will likely surprise many (unless they’re in the trade themselves).

His experience working during the pandemic, even during the most ominous days, is not what you’d expect.  Devin offers thoughts on how to identify a wine shop worthy of your business...and it has nothing to do with the bottles on the shelves.  He also discusses the importance of curiosity and honesty in customer relations.

Devin finds hope in his friends, family and relationships.  Indeed, simply being out in the city, talking and dealing with people from all over gives him hope and contradicts the negativity of news and social media. He concludes saying life may not be perfect but there’s a lot we can enjoy in life and we just need to keep pushing through.

James Roberson lives in Brooklyn, NY, where he is the lead pastor of  Bridge Church, which he founded in 2014.  James and Michael first met in the fall of 2021 when their children played on the same neighborhood soccer team.

Learn how the child of an avowed atheist grew to the cusp of professional football before being called to faith and, eventually, founding a Brooklyn church for people who don’t go to church (as he describes it).

James talks about the importance of compassion in coping with the flaws of others and, more importantly, ourselves.  He discusses how he found his current location for morning services at The Atlantic Brooklyn after touring 43 other spots and how that experience connects to notions of faith.  James explains why, surprisingly, he is not disheartened by statistics that show decreasing church attendance.  Last, he cites the movie Rocky as a lesson for how we can have ambition without becoming consumed by it.

James finds hope from his belief that – in the shortcomings, failures and sins of life – he is no different than anyone else and he can look to Jesus Christ as his inspiration.

David Goldsmith has owned Urban Classics Auto Repair, located in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, since its founding in 1990.  Host Michael Whidden took his first family car to Urban Classics in 2006 and has never gone anyplace else since.

Get an expert’s thoughts on which car manufacturers are trustworthy and how to evaluate the quality of an auto repair shop.

David talks about the automotive radio show he co-hosted, AutoLab, and his winding path to becoming...what we’d describe as...the Yoda of auto repair because of his thoughtful and deliberative approach.  He started at New York City’s elite Stuyvesant High School and went on to University of Chicago and some time in Mexico City before returning to NYC to work with a friend at an auto repair shop on Central Park West at 110th St (definitely a looong time ago!), which inspired him to study at City Tech and quickly start his own shop.  David discusses how he's developed a culture of care at his shop and what the supply challenges of the last few years have been like.  He shares the story of how an angry Yelp review actually attracted new business and led to return business from the reviewer himself.  Last, he opines on the state of vocational education in the U.S. and the opportunities that exist for a healthy six-figure salary for anyone who embraces the technology and obtains the necessary training.

David draws hope from human beings, saying that if you choose to, you can see we’re all quite remarkable and amazing. He sees it in the resilience of his crew and their perseverance through personal tragedies and professional challenges in the last few years.  There are certainly rotten people out there, but there are many more good people.

Captain Joshua Himes is stationed in Norfolk, Virginia, where he is the Information Warfare Commander at Carrier Strike Group TWELVE, a U.S. Navy force that includes approximately 7,000 sailors, 5 vessels and 100 aircraft, among other assets.  Josh and host Michael Whidden first met as fellow Penn ROTC midshipmen in 1989.

Josh discusses his current responsibilities and, more generally, life at sea, including how he ran a marathon with his wife from thousands of miles away.  He then explains the challenges of intelligence gathering by relating it to putting together a jigsaw puzzle.  Josh describes a few times in his career when the responsibilities seemed especially momentous.  While naval service presents a unique challenge to parenthood and marriage, he shares how he and his family have persevered and enjoyed living around the world. Josh and Michael exchange thoughts on unity and common purpose in the military and in our country.  When asked about elements of the military that the general public may not appreciate, Josh talks about how military members truly prioritize service over self (it’s definitely not for the pay, he quips) and that members reflect the diversity of the country.

Josh draws hope from seeing his children grow and develop and learn at a quicker rate than he did, from the younger officers he sees developing even more rapidly than he did and from increasing efforts by Americans to explore and identify who we are as a country, what our country is about and where we want to go.

Frank Vito lives in Union County, New Jersey and is a teacher of U.S. History at Cranford High School.  Frank and host Michael Whidden have been friends since their high school days.
 
 Frank shares thoughts about the contemporary high school experience compared to his own in the '80s and his mindset for staying current.  He pulls back the curtain a bit on how a teacher goes about their usual day.  Frank discusses his winding, fascinating path to becoming an educator, which included job recruiting, a brief stint in vacuum sales, accounting for an opera house and a gig at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.  In closing, he talks about how the study of history helps understand the current and future.  Throughout, Frank exhibits the dedication, curiosity, creativity and optimism which allow him (and educators like him) to positively and meaningfully impact our next generation.
 
 Frank draws hope each day from his hundreds of students, who want to make the world a better place.

Dr. Deborah Bass lives in the Los Angeles area and is currently the Psyche Mission Manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where she started as a research scientist more than two decades ago. Deborah and host Michael Whidden know each other through Michael’s wife Christie.

Deborah discusses her inspiring path from high school to university geology major to extraterrestrial geology specialization and the inspiration she drew, early on, from seeing a fellow woman in the field. She shares details about her exciting current project -- a mission to asteroid Psyche-16 -- including some of its cutting edge technology and how complex and interdependent such a team is.  Deborah explains the realism of a few iconic sci-fi movies, Matt Damon's "The Martian" and Jody Foster's "Contact," and shares her thoughts on whether we are alone in this universe.  She also discusses how she recharges in the idyllic rural setting of her home and by making sourdough bread and exploring California wines.

Deborah draws hope from Generation Z, which she observes has a good understanding of what really matters and is interested in making the world a better place.

Eric Ireland lives in the Upcountry of South Carolina, near the Blue Ridge Mountains, where he works at Michelin's North American headquarters. Eric and host Michael Whidden (who lives in Brooklyn, NY) became friends through an organization, Braver Angels, which is building bridges across the political spectrum throughout the country.

 Eric discusses his life, which has long been based in the Palmetto State but included more than a decade in Ohio. He further shares enthusiasm for his hometown’s modern comforts and natural beauty and talks about a few iconic global companies headquartered there. Eric touches upon the fun but intense college football rivalry between Clemson University and the University of South Carolina. Eric and Michael swap notes on technology, parenting and transporting kids around whether it be by car or subway.

 Eric has hope each day because he believes the foundation of our country is good and will help us persevere through the inevitable struggles the times throw at us.

The American Tributaries podcast will explore the various currents of people in the United States of America, like a modern-day Lewis & Clark journey, talking with...learning from...and being amazed by...people of all stripes from all places doing all sorts of things.  Although a broad mission, the podcast will focus on a particular and very important niche: cultivating hope in – and celebration of – America.  Host Michael Whidden (Brooklyn, NY), in this origin episode, expands upon these themes and discusses his background, which includes service in the U.S. Navy, time as a corporate lawyer and years in wholesale wine sales.