Constant Wonder

Meet an Icelandic woman who speaks to (and for) elves. Her efforts led to a famous compromise over a highway construction project in Iceland that would've taken out an elf "church." But more importantly, American researcher Nancy Marie Brown claims, a belief in elves–or in the possibility of elves–could change the way we see, and care for, our environment. Skeptical? That's okay. On this Constant Wonder podcast, we aim to suspend our disbelief to explore ancient ways of thinking, at least for an episode.

Guests:

Nancy Marie Brown, author of "Looking for the Hidden Folk: How Iceland's Elves Can Save the Earth"

Website: https://www.nasw.org/users/nmb/

Ragnhildur Jónsdóttir, elf seer and educator

Mara Menzies, Kenyan/Scottish performance storyteller

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raggajonsdottir/?hl=en

In three decades at National Geographic, Ann Williams has been an eyewitness to some of the greatest archaeological treasures of the last century. She was just outside on the dark and stormy night when they loaded King Tut's mummy into a CAT scanner. She examined the fibers of an ancient woven blanket shrouding an Incan teenager, who'd been sacrificed to the gods. She documented the bowls and baskets left behind as an entire Alaskan Yupik village fled an attack.

Guest: Ann Williams, General Editor of "Treasures of Egypt: A Legacy in Photographs from the Pyramids to Cleopatra" and "Lost Cities, Ancient Tombs: 100 Discoveries That Changed the World"

Listen to Constant Wonder wherever you get your podcasts.

From a young age, Rachel Graham was interested in all kinds of marginalized animals, from snakes to bats. But when she went on a dive trip and experienced a real-life sharknado, it became clear that her future would be inextricably tied to sharks. This marked the beginning of her quest to change people’s mindsets about these fascinating and threatened creatures.

Guest: Rachel Graham, Ph.D., Founder and Executive Director of MarAlliance

Learn more about MarAlliance's work: https://maralliance.org/

Listen to Constant Wonder wherever you get your podcasts.

Astronaut Terry Virts experienced a juxtaposition of the sublime and the mundane, sensing God while floating weightless, fixing cables outside his spacecraft. While in orbit, Virts took more than 300,000 photos, which became part of the National Geographic IMAX film "A Beautiful Planet."

Podcast Guest: Colonel Terry Virts, fighter pilot, test pilot, NASA astronaut, and author of "How to Astronaut: An Insider's Guide to Leaving Planet Earth." He also directed "One More Orbit,” documenting the fastest circumnavigation of the earth via both poles.

When Korean adoptee Sara Jones went looking for her birth family, she wondered if a strange tattoo given to her in childhood could unlock any secrets. Jones was adopted into an American family at age three. She found much success here in America, becoming an attorney and CEO. It wasn't until her own kids started asking questions that she decided to search for her birth family. And she started her search with that mysterious tattoo. Hear the story on this week's podcast.

Guest: Sara Jones, CEO of InclusionPro, Board Member of The (Utah) State Workforce Development Board, Board of Trustees for Intermountain Salt Lake Valley Hospitals, Co-Founder of Women Tech Council

Visit Sara Jones on Instagram to learn more: https://www.instagram.com/saradansiejones/?hl=en

Neurosurgeon Jay Wellons performs the most delicate surgeries on the traumatized brains of children, where every cut and stitch has life-changing consequences. He’s also an enthralling storyteller and a tireless advocate for his patients–a lesson he learned the hard way. Join us as he shares inspiring tales of his patients’ journeys.

Guest: Jay Wellons, MD, Cal Turner Chair and Chief of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center; author of "All That Moves Us: A Pediatric Neurosurgeon, His Young Patients, and Their Stories of Grace and Resilience"

Read Jay Wellons' book: https://parnassusbooks.net/book/9780593243381

Find him on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allthatmovesus_official/?hl=en

A story of human triumph: A young child is rescued from life on the streets, fostered, and mentored. He chases a dream to play classical music, and now as a mentor himself, he encourages others to dream big. With humility and humor, Richard Antoine White shares his unique journey.

Guest: Richard Antoine White, author of "I'm Possible: A Story of Survival, a Tuba, and the Small Miracle of a Big Dream"; principal tubist for the Santa Fe Symphony and the New Mexico Philharmonic; Associate Professor of Tuba/Euphonium at the University of New Mexico

Visit Richard's website to learn more about him and his music: https://rawtuba.com/

The abyss of the deep sea is anything but lifeless!

Part 2 of our Freedom House story involves the racial politics of saving lives in the late '60s and early '70s, a norm-shattering young White female doctor, and the graceful but determined response of one skilled Black paramedic, who provided unheralded leadership to the people he worked under.

Kevin Hazzard, author of "American Sirens: The Incredible Story of the Black Men Who Became America's First Paramedics"

John Moon, former paramedic at Freedom House and former Assistant Chief, City of Pittsburgh EMS

Photo Credit: Harvard University, Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America

Visit Kevin Hazzard online to learn more about his writing and research:

Main website: https://www.kevinhazzard.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goes_by_haz...

X/Twitter: https://x.com/goes_by_hazzard

Paramedics haven't always raced to the scene of an emergency. Before 1966, if you called for help to get to the hospital, you might get a police car, or even a hearse. That year, Pittsburgh's non-profit Freedom House set out to change that for the city's Hill District, which was predominately Black. Staffed by trained Black men and mentored by the inventor of CPR, the ambulance service served as a model for newly emerging paramedic services around the country.

Guests:

Kevin Hazzard, author of "American Sirens: The Incredible Story of the Black Men Who Became America's First Paramedics"

John Moon, paramedic at Freedom House and former Assistant Chief, City of Pittsburgh EMS

Photo Credit: Heinz History Center

Visit Kevin Hazzard online to learn more about his writing and research:

Main website: https://www.kevinhazzard.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goes_by_haz...

X/Twitter: https://x.com/goes_by_hazzard