American Tributaries

Ivelisse Porroa-García lives in Virginia and worked on Capitol Hill for approximately six years, during which she was a legislative assistant for U.S. Representative Raul Ruiz and worked for U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer, before becoming director of government affairs for Ferox Strategies, a consulting firm, in October 2021. Ivelisse and host Michael Whidden were connected by a mutual friend, Nic Adams, who was also a guest on the podcast in Episode 25.

Our discussion covers, among other things:
*her journey from growing up in Peru to working in the halls of Congress
*the American Dream and what it means to her
*the importance of compromise
*the burn pit exposure health bill for veterans and how it connected her with a certain activist celebrity
*how the inner workings of the Capitol have changed in recent years

Ivelisse finds hope in the younger generation and the confidence they have in their ability to effect change, as well as in many of the altered workings of the Capitol.

Brad Alaniz lives in Middletown, Rhode Island.  Since retiring from the US Navy as a Commander, he has been a Military Professor at the US Naval War College in Newport, RI, and is currently an Operations Research Analyst exploring new underwater technologies in New London, Connecticut. Brad and host Michael Whidden were shipmates on USS Bunker Hill (CG-52) from 1995 until 1997, when it was homeported in Yokosuka, Japan.

Our discussion covers, among other things:
*some history about Newport and Rhode Island
*which US metropolitan region is bigger than the entire state of Rhode Island
*his transition from military to civilian life
*insights into civil discourse within American society
*ethics and artificial intelligence, including his article “Artificial Ethics May Make Poor Choices”
*the philosophy of probability

Brad finds hope in a number of things: the calm discussions he’s able to have, including on this podcast; the many people he works with who work for a higher cause; the younger generation who vote at a higher rate than older generations; and his observation that the optimists outnumber the pessimists.

Sally Curci lives in New Jersey and is co-founder with her husband Mike of Shining Stars Network, a not-for-profit dedicated to providing a platform for folks in the special needs community to showcase their performing arts talent in an inclusive environment. Sally and host Michael Whidden were connected by a mutual friend, Frank Vito, who was also a guest of the podcast on episode 3.

Our discussion covers, among other things:
*how the show got started and has grown
*the beneficial impact of the show on its performers as well as their assisting high school buddies
*what happens when a performer goes rogue
*her long-term goals for the program
*their upcoming “Christmas Spectacular” show on December 9 at the Union County Performing Arts Center

Sally finds hope in the smiles, the positivity and the pure joy of Shining Stars Network participants, who highlight what’s really important in life.

David Sorich lives on the northern coast of Maine (aka the “Down East”) and for the last 3+ years has been a professor in the International Business and Logistics Programs at Maine Maritime Academy. He has had a vast array of experiences, including growing up in Utah, attending college in Philadelphia; and being stationed in Athens, GA, Charleston, SC, Pearl Harbor, HI, and London, England.  David and host Michael Whidden have known each other since they were fellow students and Navy ROTC midshipmen at the University of Pennsylvania.

Our discussion includes, among other things:
*transiting the Panama Canal
*what happens when a submarine runs aground
*thoughts on visiting three principal sites of World War II horrors
*life in the Down East
*the careers available from a maritime academy education
*the troubles of just-in-time inventory and how Ukraine impacts the world food supply

David finds hope in everyday experiences so easy to take for granted: a sunrise, his children, his wife and his students. He also finds hope in experiencing the tranquility that can arise in the most unexpected places.

Jonathan Lopes lives in San Diego, CA where he is an artist who uses LEGO as his medium. In 2019, his first book, “New York City Brick by Brick,” was published, depicting the cityscape of his former hometown. Among other things, he is an artist-in-residence for Brick Universe, a LEGO fan convention which tours the United States. Jonathan and host Michael Whidden were connected by a mutual friend who thought that travel and Michael’s interest in learning more about the country dovetailed.

Our discussion includes, among other things:
*his career path from aspiring rock musician to LEGO brick artist
*how he has been able to make LEGO art sustain his livelihood
*LEGO as an artform
*learning about America from his extensive travels
*does he use kragl?
*his signature style of LEGO art

Jonathan finds hope from the vast knowledge that’s available as long as we seek it out and keep ourselves receptive to it.

Manu Meel lives in San Francisco, CA where he is the Chief Executive Officer of BridgeUSA, a youth-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that creates spaces on high school and college campuses for open discussion between students about political issues. They’re currently on 74 campuses, with 500 students passing through their programming every two weeks.  Manu and host Michael Whidden connected through their mutual interest in promoting respectful engagement across our many differences.

Our discussion includes, among other things:
*his path from pre-med studies at UC Berkeley to leadership of such an important civic organization
*BridgeUSA’s mission to equip people with better skills to participate in democracy
*the notion of “conflict entrepreneurs” and reduction of their influence
*the prevailing choices of political engagement: hyper engagement, apathy...or bridge-building
*the implications of America becoming a majority minority country

Manu finds hope by putting U.S. current events in their historical context, pointing out that we’re just at the beginning of the American story, crafting an ambitious construct of society, with so much promising possibilities ahead.

Carolyn Gartner lives in Brooklyn, NY and has had her own private therapy practice since 2019. Before then, she had been a home hospice social worker for eight years, a powerful experience which became the basis for her book “Death, Brooklyn and the Gritty Side of Grace”.  The book is now also available as an audio book from Audible. Carolyn and host Michael Whidden have known each other since their children first went to  school together.

Our discussion includes, among other things:
*her responsibilities as a hospice social worker
*death and how people cope with it
*the sociological/ethnic/religious/economic diversity of her case load as a hospice worker
*death as motivation to have a positive impact and appreciate our interconnectedness
*her career path from television commercial work to social work
*social media’s negative impact when we compare ourselves to others

Carolyn finds hope in her clients’ human spirit to connect and improve.

The tables are turned on Michael Whidden, the usual podcast host for American Tributaries.

He himself is interviewed by guest host Erin Lovett about American Tributaries Travel, the company he created in 2022 to give U.S high schoolers opportunities to travel within the United States, as an alternative to the overseas trips that are far more widely available.

The trips are intended to empower students to find their own understanding of the country via uniquely-curated, people-focused trips to promote civil engagement and dialogue among Americans, practicing four core values, unconditionally: curiosity, respect, compassion and humility.

The company's first official trip is to South Carolina from New York City's Moynihan Hall (via Amtrak!) February 18-26, 2023, starting with historic, evocative Charleston; continuing to the capital city of Columbia; and finishing with rising star Greenville. Michael led a pilot trip of four NYC high schoolers this past summer and saw more fellowship, understanding and transformation than he could've ever hoped.

Anyone interested should contact Michael at [email protected]. Erin is a member of the Board of Advisor for American Tributaries Travel.

Irakli Gabriel lives in Nashville, TN where he partners with his wife Anana Kaye to produce music videos through their company Duende Vision and collaborate as a performing and songwriting duo under her name “Anana Kaye”. Mundane Magazine more succinctly calls them a “Nashville Alt-Americana power couple”. Their music is unshakably mesmerizing; some examples include “My Last Dream of You”, “Foolish Pride” and “Blueberry Fireworks”.

Irakli’s life started in the Soviet Republic of Georgia and wound its way through Norway, Long Island, Amherst and New York City, before settling in Nashville back In 2017. Irakli and host Michael Whidden were connected by Episode 21 guest John Dennis, who is also in the Nashville music community.

Our discussion includes, among other things:
*Nashville’s ideal, centralized location, enabling exploration of so much of America
*the civil war that unfolded in Georgia while he was studying abroad
*the common ground we all share, which he sees when performing on the road
*adding politics into music
*some aspects of his creative process
*gratitude for America’s unique ability to let people realize their full potential here

Irakli finds hope as a natural or divine element of humanity. Even in the darkest hour, there will be a crack of it. He finishes by observing we sometimes expect too much from life; it’s better to “enjoy it when you can and endure it when you must.”

Laura Süpper has lived in New York City almost her entire life and, after a career in wine and hospitality which included co-ownership of an influential boutique Italian wine importer, recently embarked on a new act in her life: a career in nursing.  Laura and host Michael Whidden worked together at that wine importer, Acid Inc., from 2012 to 2015, becoming good friends.

Our discussion includes, among other things:
*her path into nursing, initiated by pandemic-related work at Jones Beach and the Javits Center
*the educational demands of her first year, which nevertheless resulted in a 4.0 GPA
*how she reframes her mindset to remain positive and uplifting for patients and families
*her adoration for the borough of Queens, where she has lived most of her life except for...
*living in Tuscany and learning Italian before she came into the wine trade
*the power of curiosity

Laura finds hope in the younger generation, especially those who she is studying and training with, and the clarity of their dreams and goals.