FLX Flow

In this episode we met with Carlissa “Honey” Stephenson to learn about her experiences as a competitive cheerleading coach, what brought her to coaching, how instilling and maintaining trust and confidence is key for the success of the team, and how hard work and determination has led her and the athletes she works with to incredible successes throughout NYS and beyond.

We also learned about the challenges in keeping a cheerleading team up and running, how funds are raised, how her brain never shuts off, and the ways in which fine tuning and modifying a routine often comes to her through dreams. Carlissa is an incredibly determined person who pushes herself as hard as she does her team and we’re thrilled that she was able to join us for this conversation. Enjoy!

In this episode we met with Paul McPherson whose decision to work at a funeral home at the age of 19 during a college summer break changed his life and led to a career in the funeral industry that has spanned 36 years.

He told us about the changes he has seen in the industry and expressed some of his unique and unorthodox methods for approaching and assisting his clients through the bereavement process.

We explored the issues that many often fail to consider about end of life for themselves and their family members and the importance of addressing them directly to reduce the stressors and legal problems following the death of a loved one.

He detailed a variety of struggles and challenges he has faced as a funeral director and how he balances empathy and support with clear professional boundaries allowing him to perform at peak professional levels to ensure that people receive the best service he can provide.

There is a tremendous amount to learn from this episode and we encourage you to listen carefully, take to heart, and learn from what Paul has to offer about planning for end of life.

In this episode we met with Mandy Goldman and Sam Lupowitz, married musical super duo and founding members of the Ithaca based prog soul band Noon Fifteen. We learned about how they first met at Ithaca College, fell in love, and decided to stay after graduation to plant their musical roots and grow their sound. We took a deep dive into Noon Fifteen’s creation, the ways in which each member of the band contributes heavily in the songwriting process, and how their synergy has evolved over time.

We were also treated to a sneak peak listening party for their long awaited upcoming album “Finish What You Started” which will be released on Oct 16th, so be sure to stick around or skip ahead if you’re in a hurry to hear some catchy sound bytes towards the end of this episode. Enjoy!

https://www.noonfifteen.com/

In this episode Colleen and I sat down to reflect on the shows third season with a very relaxed and playful conversation. It’s not often that the two of us get to chat in this way and it provided an opportunity for us to fix our microphone arrangement that we didn’t realize was a problem until now, talk about what we’ve learned from our guests and surprises that came up during this season, the energy behind our production process, the fact that Colleen thinks she sounds like a mouse, how much we love doing what we’re doing here, and our sincere gratitude to all of you around the globe for taking the time to listen and being a part of this project. We appreciate your support more than you know. Enjoy and we'll have more content soon!

In this, our final episode of season three, we met with Josh Friedman,  who, along with his wife Joan, owns and operates the Corner House Cannabis, Gifts, and Supplies dispensary located midway between Trumansburg and Ithaca at 1708 Trumansburg Rd. We learned of how an empty business location, paired with an aging cottage, piqued his interest and would later become homes to Mama Said Hand Pies and the Corner House. Josh took us on a deep dive regarding his and Joan’s experiences getting the Corner House started, the challenges they faced, their focus on local growers and products, the inspiration for the design and aesthetic of the store front itself, and the ways in which legalization in NYS is helping to reduce the stigma associated with cannabis use. Enjoy! 

In this episode we step slightly out of the Finger Lakes and directly into virtual reality to meet with the members of the Rise Up Karaoke crew who have been hosting Friday night Karaoke in VR since 2021.

I crossed paths with these lovely human beings while exploring VR spaces over a year ago and have been a regular at their events ever since. We talked about what it means to create a warm and inviting online community, the technical challenges and skillsets required to build VR worlds and spaces, the philosophical nature of reality itself, overcoming adversity and loss when VR platforms close their doors and how a community maintains its connections, finds the strength to rebuild, and flourishes when a new home is found.

Please note that we recorded this online and you may detect a few digital glitches at different points in the recording. Enjoy!

VrChat Hosting Platform

Rise Up Karaoke Facebook Group

In this Episode we met with Susan The Burgundy Bullet and Robin Red Flag Danger Crush of the burlesque troupe Whiskey Tango Side Show. We learned about their history, the ways in which dance experience and expertise of current and past members has helped to contribute to performances, how costumes and attire are created and maintained, and the many ways in which this talented act has evolved since first appearing in the Ithaca area over a decade ago. Just a heads up this episode does contain adult themes and explicit language, so please consider where you are listening and who else may be listening along with you. We hope you enjoy this conversation and find it as entertaining and educational as we did. Enjoy!

In this episode we met with Denise Milito who grew up in Grand Rapids Michigan, lived in Chicago for 20 years, and relocated to the Finger Lakes Region in 2011.

She is a skilled artist across a menagerie of mediums including mosaic, crochet, and beautifully handcrafted mittens made from repurposed articles of clothing.

Denise is very engaged with local schools to help encourage young people to examine their creative side and holds workshops in her home studio that she has aptly named, Studio Manifest.

She also recently rediscovered her love of acting and has participated in several productions with the Encore Players in Trumansburg. If you’d like to check out her wares and say hello, You can find her at the Ithaca Farmers market under the business name of Cece and Lou Lou.

Learn more about Denise here at her official website. 

https://www.denisemilito.com/about

In this episode we met with Bethany Haswell and Marilla Gonzalez, small business owners in Geneva NY and the hosts of the TYFU - Thank You For Understanding podcast. The two started the podcast as a much needed platform where they, along with other small business owners, could commiserate and share their many heartwarming, humorous, and bizarre stories that come with owning and managing small businesses. We learned about some of the challenges and successes that they have experienced, Bethany in her eclectic boutique Stomping Grounds, and Marilla in her refill store Marilla’s Mindful Supplies. We also had an opportunity to look behind the curtain of the TYFU podcast, we learned about the process of producing this entertaining and insightful show, and we also discussed our collective goals and aspirations as podcast hosts.

Thank You For Understanding Podcast https://tyfupod.com/

Stomping Grounds https://www.stompinggrounds.com/

Marilla's Mindful Supplies https://marillas.com/

In this episode we met with Arlene Hewitt and Susanne Morgan to talk about their roles and experiences as threshold singers at Hospicare of Ithaca. Threshold singing is the practice of singing soft, gentle, and often repetitive songs (resembling lullabies) at the bedside of individuals who are very ill, dying, or facing significant life transitions as a means of bringing comfort, peace, and loving presence, rather than musical performance. There was a very distinct contemplative feel in the studio when we gathered to record and we wanted to maintain that feel for the duration of this episode for you our listeners by leaving out our standard opening and closing. The intentionality of each question was often met with long pauses and careful consideration by both Arlene and Susanne before providing us with the thoughtful and insightful answers that followed. We strongly encourage you to stop whatever you are doing now, set everything aside, and allow yourself to settle in and be completely present to listen carefully so that you may experience this conversation as we did in the studio.

For more information regarding Hospicare of Ithaca and Threshold Singing. 

Our sincere gratitude to Heather Houston for allowing us to use a recorded version of her song "You Are So Loved" in this episode. For more information on Heather, please visit her official website. 

https://heatherhoustonmusic.com/