Cranford Radio

There are many reasons a person will seek out a therapist. It might be due to a major life event or a long-brewing issue a person is trying to cope with. In other cases, someone may view therapy in the same way others go to the gym. They want to maintain or improve their health.

Serenium Therapy & Wellness opened their office in Cranford at 25 Commerce Drive in January. It joins offices in Brick and Manalapan. 

Joining me on the podcast are Allison Devlin, Serenium's clinical director, and Keri Roberts, the marketing director.

From its Depression Era beginnings, the school now known as Union College of Union County, NJ, has sought to provide a path for students who might not be able to afford a four-year college education. That mission continues today and the Union County College Foundation is the means to assist students who need financial assistance. Its role today is more than just traditional scholarship help. For example, it also provides food assistance to students who are hungry.

Doug Rouse is UCNJ's Vice President for Institutional Advancement. He talks about the work of the foundation and how it serves students.

Christine Del Negro is a certified EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) practitioner and a mindfulness coach. One of the techniques she uses is a process called tapping. On this episode Christine talks about what tapping is and how it can be a useful practice in releasing stress and helping users.

Christine's business is School4joy and she talks about other aspects of her work and how people can use the techniques she teaches anytime on their own.

It's difficult to think of a tragedy more difficult to deal with as a child than the death of a parent or sibling. Kids don't deal with grief in the same way as adults and don't have the same tools to help them through the process.

Imagine is an organization formed to help children deal with their suffering. The non-profit offers a number of services and turns to the community to help support its work. One way is through Greta's Run, taking place on May 18.

This week on the podcast I talk with Imagine's executive director, Lindsay Schambach, and Bob Kelly, a Cranford resident who serves on the organization's board of trustees as treasurer.

Legally Blonde: The Musical closes out the 2024/2025 season of the Cranford Dramatic Club with a run from May 2 to May 18. 

Three principles involved with the show are my guests this week on the podcast. They are Edgar Hildago, the director, Jaimie Bass, the choreographer and Melissa Calicchio, who plays Elle Woods, the lead of the show.

For the fifth year, the Cranford Film Festival will take place at the Cranford Theater. The festival is just one part of Arts Day, which will also feature, weather permitting, performances at Eastman Clock Plaza. Money raised through the day's activities benefits the Cranford Schools Friends of Performing Arts. 

My guests on this week's episode are Stephanie Levine Ashinoff, Anne Marie Bornstad and Kristine Gaffney.

Often when I do an interview on the podcast I feel as if I'm introducing a person to the Cranford community. In this week's episode, I don't feel that's necessary. Matt Nazzaro grew up in town and has spent his career as a Cranford police officer. In December Matt was sworn-in as the Cranford Police Department's 12th police chief.

While Matt is well known by the Cranford community I hope you'll still learn a few things about him and his plans as police chief.

John Patterson grew up in Cranford. After high school he worked for about eight years at the Cranford Public Library. More recently, he's lived in Brooklyn. On Thursday, April 17, his latest play, The Last Supper, will debut in the Gene Frankel Theater at 24 Bond Street in Manhattan.

John is my guest on this episode. We talk about the creative process, the play and his growing up years in Cranford. 

Many fields have pinnacle awards. Of course there's the Tony Award on Broadway and the Pulitizer for journalism. Among community colleges, the Aspen Prize is considered by many as the top award. This year, UCNJ Union College of Union County, NJ is one of ten finalists for the prize. The announcement of the winner comes April 17 in Washington, DC.

This week on the podcast I speak with Dr. Bernard Polnariev, the Vice President for Administrative Services at UCNJ. We chat not only about the Aspen Prize but about how both community colleges and their students are evolving.

In October 2024 Cranford Radio featured its first AI-hosted podcast. It was amazing and scary. 

As the technology continues to evolve, there's a new experimental program by a company called Sesame. In a demo available online you can chat live with one of two voices; Maya and Miles. Both have distinct personalities. In this week's episode I have Maya as my guest. 

I wanted to not only demonstrate the technology but to show what this particular AI program knows about Cranford. We talk about topics such as the Rahway River, Downtown Cranford and CHS. The interview is only lightly edited to show some of the challenges of talking to a computer in real time.