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You can learn a lot about a town by listening to the people who quietly hold it together, and Kim Phillips is one of those people. We talk about how she grew up in Olympia, Washington with a single mom and four siblings, “dirt poor” but rich in imagination, nature, and the kind of freedom kids remember forever. Then we get into a moment that changes everything: repeating first grade, discovering her vision problems late, and why early screening and early support can shift a child’s whole path.  

Kim has spent decades in early childhood education in Haines, Alaska, from Head Start to home daycare to years leading Chilkat Valley Preschool. She also shares how she came north through fishing work, fell in love with Haines on the Lynn Canal, and met Don through a line so corny it somehow worked. The personal stories are funny, tender, and direct, but they always circle back to what Kim cares about most: babies, parents, and the small choices that build a family’s confidence.  

We dig deep into Parents as Teachers, the strengths-based home visiting program Kim runs and supervises, serving prenatal through age three. She explains what happens during home visits, how screenings work without “testing,” why data and funding matter, and why face-to-face interaction beats any baby video when it comes to language development. We also tackle the child care crisis in small communities: wages, benefits, enrollment caps, Head Start slot changes, housing costs, and why the math can break even when everyone agrees child care is essential.  

If you care about parenting tips, early childhood development, or child care in rural Alaska, this conversation will stick with you. Subscribe to Doug Has Questions, share this with a parent or educator, and leave a review with your take: what would you change first to make child care work in a town like Haines?

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You’ve probably heard someone say, “It was just a dream.” Don Polling is here to complicate that, in the best way. Don is a longtime Haines resident and lifelong Alaskan with a trail of experiences that start with sixth grade hypnosis and a childhood fascination with ESP, then spiral into mentors, scholarship twists, and spiritual stories that still make him pause at 83. We talk with him because these stories aren’t just strange, they’re human: what do you do when your mind shows you something you can’t easily explain?  

We explore vivid visions, out-of-body experiences, and the hypnagogic states that can feel like sleep paralysis or like a “presence” in the room. Don shares what he learned from teachers who practiced meditation and cross-cultural spirituality, including a surprising, practical approach to fear that focuses on calm, curiosity, and integration rather than confrontation. We also dig into the mental health side, including how schizophrenia shows up in families, why some people feel destabilized by visionary experiences, and why guidance and context can be the difference between panic and peace.  

The conversation is rooted in Alaska, too: Chenega Village, Russian Orthodox traditions, cultural memory, and the legacy work of recording diaries, letters, and stories so communities don’t lose themselves to time. If you’re interested in spiritual visions, psychology, out-of-body experiences, Alaska Native history, and how to stay grounded while still staying open, this one will stick with you long after the final line. Subscribe, share this with a curious friend, and leave a review with your honest take: what do you think is really happening in experiences like these?

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A single wrong boat can sink your plan before it starts, and a single good partnership can save it. I sit down with Glen Jacobson, one of the founders behind what many locals know today as Alaska Fjordlines, to trace how a kid from Kansas went from selling crawdads for bait to running hundreds of thousands of miles on Lynn Canal and building a ferry and tour boat business between Haines, Skagway, and Juneau.

We talk through the unglamorous parts of small business in Alaska: buying a boat that is too slow, scraping through seasons that lose money, and learning why “no reservations necessary” stops working the moment you finally get demand. Glen explains how the business turns a corner with better booking, better partners, and one deceptively simple marketing move: asking guests to recommend the trip to everyone they meet, then making sure the experience earns that recommendation. If you care about entrepreneurship, tourism, and rural economics, this is the real stuff.

We also get into what it takes to design and build a purpose-built vessel like the Fjordland, why comfort and seaworthiness matter in Southeast Alaska waters, and what changes when ownership passes to the next generation. Along the way, Glen shares the wildest things he has seen at sea, and we touch on community leadership and loss in Haines in a way that is honest and personal.

Subscribe for more long-form conversations, share this with someone who loves Alaska travel and small town business stories, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What is the biggest risk you have taken for a plan you believed in?

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A passport application shouldn’t rewrite your life, but that’s exactly where Sandy Corbari’s adoption story starts. When she requests her records and opens a live birth certificate, she gets a name, a birthplace, and a new set of questions she can’t unsee. Years later, one spontaneous search turns up an obituary, two half-brothers, and a message that comes back fast: “You’re my sister. I’ve been looking for you for 10 years.”

We talk through the full adoptee journey, from growing up on an Oregon farm to chasing hard things for fun through marathons, triathlons, and adventure races. Sandy also shares the practical side of big life pivots, including leaving mill work for a long career in wealth management, and why taking a short-term pay cut can open long-term stability. Then the search accelerates with social media research, a key phone call with “Auntie Trish,” and the decision to use Ancestry DNA testing to fill in the blanks.

The biggest twist comes when the DNA results show a 50% match and point to Alaska, connecting Sandy to the Hess family and to Duck, who joins us to tell his side of the shock, responsibility, and joy of learning he has another daughter. We also get into the real-life emotions people don’t always say out loud: loyalty to adoptive parents, fear of hurting them, the role spouses play as anchors, and how to let new relationships form without forcing them.

If you care about adoption reunion stories, DNA genealogy, identity, and family connection, this conversation will stay with you. Subscribe to Doug Has Questions, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review telling us: what part of your own story are you still searching for?

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On October 23, 2021, Sandy and Duck connected for the first time—and they haven't stopped celebrating since! Sending so much love and congratulations to everyone involved!

During this Interview, Sandy refers to another podcast that helped her through her journey to find her birth father.  Visit them at:

Apple Podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adoption-the-making-of-me-an-oral-history-of-adoptee-stories/id1565403354

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcLPEzBpQdjq0c6Ne86Nh4Q

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A small town can make your life feel straightforward, right up until you zoom out and realize how many unlikely turns it contains. Kay (Haas) Dunning grew up in Haines, Alaska, with a family story that starts in the 1950s with the US Army, the Haines tank farm, and a mom who chose Southeast Alaska as home after falling hard for aviation and the north. We talk through the kind of local history you only learn by living it, how places change (and how names like “tank farm” never really leave), and what it meant to come of age in a community where everybody has to pitch in.  

From there, Kay and I trade memories of fort life, school days, sports travel across Southeast Alaska, and the wild-normal things kids did for fun, like springtime bay plunges followed by ice cream. She also shares a coming-of-age stretch that is equal parts funny and moving: being pushed into a scholarship pageant she didn’t want to do, winning it anyway, traveling to nationals, and carrying a piece of home with her during a hard moment for Haynes.  

We also get into aviation and marriage, including how she and Rick got together, what long-distance looked like before texting, and how a pilot career can shape every family decision. Kay opens up about starting down a physician assistant and nursing track, changing course, and eventually finding her place in education for decades, plus what retirement looks like when “home” starts calling again. If you love Alaska stories, small town life, community theater, volunteering, and real-world resilience, this one will stick with you.  

Subscribe for more conversations, share this with someone who misses their hometown, and leave a review so more listeners can find Doug Has Questions. What part of your past still feels like home?

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You can hear the exact moment a life story turns into a healing practice. Susie McCartney grew up outside Philadelphia in a family shaped by Vietnam-era fallout, alcoholism, and the kind of “everything is fine” chaos that looks normal until you’re old enough to feel your own nervous system. We trace how that early wiring shows up later as the urge to flee, the need to belong, and the lifelong project of figuring out who you are beneath the roles you inherit.

Susie takes us from college and communication studies into the wild education of Grateful Dead tour life, Rainbow Gatherings, and the culture shock of being judged by appearances. Then the map flips north. She lands in Haines, Alaska, trains as a Glacier Point guide, learns the economics of seasonal work, and explains why this town rewards flexibility, humility, and real boundaries. Along the way, she shares the “act as if” mindset that helps her move through uncertainty without spiraling.

Then the hardest chapter: her brother’s stage four cancer, her husband’s lymphoma, and Susie’s own diagnosis of stage three HER2-positive breast cancer. We talk stress, grief, epigenetics, autoimmune patterns, and what it feels like to finally admit you need a team. That’s where hypnotherapy enters, not as stage tricks, but as guided relaxation and self-hypnosis to work with the subconscious mind, change old programs, and support mind-body healing. If you’ve ever wondered how hypnotherapy can help with anxiety, trauma, pain, confidence, or recovery, this conversation makes it real.

Subscribe for more long-form local stories, share this with someone who’s carrying too much, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show. What’s one “old program” you’d want to rewrite?

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A nine-year-old gets hit by a stray bullet while playing second base. A 30-year-old nursing student hears the words “you have cancer” and still has to get dinner on the table for three boys. A seasoned Alaska RN crashes an airboat into a sweeper, wakes up pinned, and starts running a trauma checklist on herself while the boat sinks. That’s the real-life timeline Nicole Holm lays out with us, and it’s as raw, specific, and human as it sounds.

We talk about growing up in Haines, Alaska, where isolation is normal, adventure is a lifestyle, and emergencies can be hours away. Nicole shares the improbable childhood run of injuries, what the White Fang filming years felt like for local families, and why small-town resilience isn’t a slogan, it’s a skill you practice early. Then we step into military spouse life in Georgia during Iraq deployments: ten-minute communication windows, blackout periods, and the strange mix of community support and constant dread.

Nicole also walks us through her stage two breast cancer diagnosis at 30, the surgery decisions, chemotherapy reality, and the complications that nearly took her out after she “rang the bell.” Finally, we break down the 2022 Chilkat River airboat crash, the inReach SOS that set rescue in motion, the limits of rural EMS pain control, and what it’s like to rebuild a body and confidence after broken ribs, a shattered knee, and sepsis.

If you care about rural healthcare, Alaska survival stories, breast cancer recovery, military family life, or the hard-earned lessons behind outdoor safety gear, this conversation stays with you. Subscribe, share it with someone who needs a push to keep going, and leave a review with the line that hit you hardest.

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A kid from flat Kansas farm country ends up on the open ocean, clinging to a mast in a storm and wondering if he will make it back down. That is where Matt Jones’ story gets real, and where mine as a listener shifted too. Matt walks us through the unexpected chain of choices that took him to the Coast Guard Academy, onto cutters and tall ships, and into a career shaped by responsibility, risk, and the kind of leadership you only learn when other people’s lives are tied to your decisions.

We talk maritime law enforcement and what it actually looks like to run boardings, chase drug interdiction targets, and respond to migrant cases, plus how Coast Guard and Navy operations intersect in the real world. Matt shares the side nobody puts on recruiting posters: being away for weeks at a time, coming home to a family that had to learn how to function without you, and feeling your morals tested in moments when you are exhausted, stressed, and far from home. From there, he explains his shift into vessel inspections and marine safety, and why Kodiak and Alaska changed everything by making the work personal.

The conversation turns toward calling and ministry, including what drew Matt toward becoming a pastor in Haines, how his theology widened over time, and why grace and second chances matter more when you have needed them yourself. We also go straight at mental health, OCD, and the cost of carrying “uber responsibility” for too long, connecting it to resilience, community service, and his role as an EMS chaplain after critical incidents like the Haines landslide.

If you care about leadership, mental health, Coast Guard stories, Alaska life, or how a person becomes who they are, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review with the moment that stayed with you most.

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One minute Jim Stanford is a farm-country kid outside Cleveland pushing a mower across five-acre lawns. The next he’s caddying at a U.S. Open, running track and football at Kent State, and watching campus tension build until the Kent State shooting changes everything. Jim’s story has that rare mix of history, humor, and hard-earned clarity, and it only gets wilder from there.  

We talk about leaving Ohio for San Diego, becoming a professional commercial diver, and how a civilian ends up training alongside Navy SEALs in the Vietnam-era world of mixed-gas diving and demolition prep. Then comes the curveball: a real plan to move to Perth through Australia’s “Australia Needs People” program, a cross-country drive to sign paperwork, and an impulsive decision that reroutes his entire life. That detour leads to a graduate class at Kent State, a red sweater, and a three-week courtship that turns into 54 years of marriage with Deb.  

From Selma, Alabama, where Jim and Deb feel the tension of a divided town and see the Ku Klux Klan in full display, to Phoenix classrooms where he teaches construction tech and coaches, we keep circling back to the same question: how do you build a safe, meaningful life for your family? That question eventually points north to Haines, Alaska. Jim shares what it was like arriving in 1984, living in a tent, grabbing two jobs in three days, and building a reputation through construction, school maintenance, and constant community service.  

We also go deep on dog mushing: training teams, racing across Yukon and Alaska trails, the rising cost of the sport, and why volunteer burnout is quietly shrinking events. Jim’s EMT stories and his ideas about emergency services, public gratitude, and civic responsibility land with real weight, especially if you care about small town life, local politics, or what it takes to keep a community healthy.  

If you enjoy long-form storytelling, Haines Alaska history, dog mushing culture, and honest talk about volunteering and resilience, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves Alaska stories, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

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A great-looking jacket is the end of a very long chain of decisions and most people never see the chain. We talk with fashion designer Shelby Steiner about what actually happens between a sketch and a product you can buy, from pattern making and prototypes to tech packs, factory communication, and the unglamorous details that make gear work (or fail) in real life.

Shelby shares how a rural upbringing and an early fixation on fashion pushed her to move fast, take risks, and eventually land in Chicago design school after a gut-level moment of “I belong here.” From there we get into the reality check that hits many young designers: the industry rewards repeatability, clear specs, and teamwork more than fantasy runway pieces. If you’re curious about apparel design, technical design, and product development, her breakdown makes the process feel concrete and human.

The story gets even richer when she talks about launching her own line at 22, pitching boutiques with a suitcase, surviving rejection, and learning expensive lessons about production. Then comes her Nike chapter: eight years across women’s sportswear, NikeLab collaborations, and Nike ACG, including field testing outdoor systems from base layers to Gore-Tex shells. We also go beyond clothing into leadership, stress management, small-town life in Haines, Alaska, and why “finding your fit” might be the biggest career skill of all.

If you’ve ever wanted to build something, change directions, or lead with more confidence, you’ll pull practical takeaways from this conversation. Subscribe for more, share this with a friend who’s building their path, and leave a review with your biggest lesson from Shelby’s journey.

To learn more about Shelby Steiner:

https://www.shelbysteiner.com/
https://www.instagram.com/shelbysteiner
https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelby-steiner-92a39a22

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