Front Porch AF

Front Porch AF

By susanhavlishSociety & Culture
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Front Porch AF episodes

  • Ep.45 Life After the Miss America Pageant with Jaime Fox Hardwick, Miss Maryland 1997

    Jaime Fox Hardwick, Miss Maryland 1997, joins Kelli and Sue to talk about life after the Miss America experience, the Miss America "system," and the skills, service, and scholarship opportunities the pageant can provide.

    They discuss stories from Jaime's podcast Here She Is, the relevance and challenges of pageant life, and Jaime’s career as a singer-songwriter with new music releasing on November 6.

    And Sue gets to do her best Burt Parks, which Kelli tolerates. Just barely. 

    Of course, there are Drinks of the Day, Neighborhood Notes, and the Mailbag—which holds a stinging rebuke from Sue's sister Kit about her bad choice of beverage holders!

    Grab a drink, pull up a chair, and join Kelli and Sue as they try to solve all the problems of the world. Cheers, y'all!

    Facebook: @jaimefoxmusic   Instagram: jaimefoxmusic

    Here She Is on all podcast outlets.  Instagram: @heresheispodcast

     

    More at FrontPorchAF.com and YouTube.

    45 min
  • Ep.44 Food, Rescued & Shared: Brad Clark, The Nashville Food Project

    Brad Clark from the Nashville Food Project discusses how the nonprofit reclaims food, grows produce, and prepares thousands of scratch-made meals weekly to address food insecurity in Nashville.

    Hear how volunteers, community partners, and garden programs work together, and learn simple ways listeners can volunteer, donate, or receive meals.

    Kelli and Sue start off the episode, as always, with Neighborhood Notes (we're in a heat dome), Drinks of the Day (which Sue served in a plastic glass, to Kelli's horror), and a Mailbox with a corrective instruction on press-on nails from our dear friend Amy.

    Cheers, y'all!

    More at FrontPorchAF.com.

    38 min
  • Ep.43 The Nashville Vibe and Nancy VanReece Take the Court: Bringing Pro Women’s Basketball Home

    Kelli and Sue sit down with Nancy VanReece, President and CEO of the new Nashville Vibe, to discuss launching a professional women’s basketball team in Nashville, joining the Upshot League, and the team’s community-focused vision.

    The episode covers logistics like playing their home games at Vanderbilt University, player housing and living wages, hiring a coach and season timing, and how the Vibe aims to create opportunities for athletes, front-office staff, and fans across the city.

    We get Neighborhood Notes from Alaska, New Orleans, Seattle -- and a mastodon archaeological dig! 

    Join Kelli and Sue for a drink, a laugh, and a great discussion as they try to solve all the problems of the world. Cheers, y'all!

    More at FrontPorchAF.com

    41 min
  • Ep.42 Dementia: When Keys Don’t Mean Keys--Inside Memory Care with Kelly Stagg

    Kelly Stagg, director of Stone Creek Memory Care, joins Kelli and Sue to explain how memory care works and how staff create a true sense of home for people with dementia. This is a personal connection for Kelli, whose mother is a resident of Stone Creek. And for Sue, it's about how to deal with what she, at 78, fears the most.

    The discussion covers recognizing warning signs, when to consider residential care, managing sundowning, the power of music and activities, supporting families, end-of-life care, and resources like the Alzheimer’s Association.

    Plus Neighborhood Notes about upcoming travels to Alaska and New Orleans, a Kit Report from the Mailbag, and non-alcoholic (but still potent) Drinks of the Day—all this and more on the new episode.

    Cheers, y'all!

    FrontPorchAF.com for more. 

    42 min
  • Ep.41 Betsy Phillips on Dynamite Nashville: The KKK, the FBI, Unsolved Civil Rights Bombings

    Historian Betsy Phillips joins Kelli and Sue to discuss her book 'Dynamite Nashville' and the unsolved bombings in Nashville during the Civil Rights era of the '50s and '60s. The conversation explores the Ku Klux Klan's violent response to desegregation, the FBI's controversial ties to Klan chapters, and key figures like J.B. Stoner, J. Alexander Looby, and J. Edgar Hoover.

    Phillips describes her investigative work using FOIA requests, archival research, and interviews that helped prompt the reopening of cold cases and sheds light on how these events shaped Nashville and the broader Civil Rights era.

    Kelli and Sue open with Neighborhood Notes (think Dolly Parton, New Orleans second line parades, and press-on nails ...) and close with an invitation to join them as they gather on their audio front porch, sip a drink, and try to solve all the problems of the world. Cheers, y'all!

    More at FrontPorchAF.com

    41 min
  • Ep.40 Listen Like an Artist: Craig Havighurst on Musicality for Modern Humans

    Hosts Kelli and Sue welcome music journalist Craig Havighurst to discuss his book 'Musicality for Modern Humans' and how to "listen like an artist." Craig breaks down key concepts—tone, time, and timbre—offers practical tips for discovering new and instrumental music, and explains how streaming algorithms and playlists can be trained to expand your musical taste.

    The show also includes neighborhood notes — from a week of non-alcoholic drinking and a beloved cat’s passing to an eagle webcam preservation story, election volunteering, and viral video moments — all delivered in this warm, conversational episode about music, community, and curiosity.

    Grab a drink, pull up a chair, and join Kelli and Sue as they try to solve all the problems of the world!

    For more: FrontPorchAF.com. 

    43 min
  • Ep.39 Aftyn Behn, Tenn. State Rep: A Blue Dot in a Sea of Red

    Hosts Kelli and Sue sit down with Tennessee State Representative Aftyn Behn to discuss her activist roots, serving as one of few Democrats in a Republican supermajority, and her recent congressional run.

    The conversation covers Behn's 'Pot for Potholes' plan to legalize and tax cannabis to fund infrastructure spending, skepticism about the Super Bowl’s promised economic windfall, threats to local services like education and roads, and the fight to hold lawmakers accountable.

    Kelli and Sue kick it all off with Drinks of the Day and Neighborhood Notes that include Kelli touting the benefits of getting arrested (for real) and Sue revealing that she was once Ellettsville, Indiana's first and only girl gas station attendant.

    Pull up a chair, grab a drink, and let's solve all the problems of the world ... cheers, y'all!

    More at FrontPorchAF.com.

    43 min
  • Ep.38 Sex Therapist Dr. Emma Smith: When the Birds and the Bees Need a Little Help

    Sex therapy is not sex work. It’s psychotherapy. It's talk therapy. In this episode of Front Porch AF, Kelli and Sue welcome sex therapist Dr. Emma Smith to demystify sex therapy, explain what it addresses, and correct common misconceptions.

    They discuss science-based education, consent, fantasies, changing desire across life stages, the impact of religious upbringing, and gender-affirming care. Dr. Smith also shares how she works with couples and individuals to heal, grow, and rewrite their stories.

    But of course, there’s also Drinks of the Day, Neighborhood Notes (a bush-hogged phone? yup), and more.

    Come grab a drink, pull up a chair, and let’s solve all the problems of the world. Cheers!

    More at FrontPorchAF.com

    41 min
  • Ep.37 Death Doula Bre Clark: When It's Really 'Last Call'

    Yeah, one day it will really be 'last call' ... so we welcome death doula Bre Clark to explain what a death doula does, practical end-of-life planning (wills, advance directives, caregiving roles), and simple rituals to ease grief and dying. Bre shares real-life experiences from death cafes, hospice volunteering, and how talking about mortality can make it less frightening.

    Between this enriching conversation and our regular neighborhood shtick, this episode also touches on Pride Month, local happenings, mailbag gifts, and community links— plus free bibles, drones, and Sue going Tawanda with Kelli's ATV.

    Pull up a chair, grab a drink, and join us. Cheers, y'all!

    More at FrontPorchAF.com

    42 min
  • Ep.36 Home Buying & Selling Tips with Rockin' Realtor Rachel Owen

    Real estate agent, singer-songwriter Rachel Owen ("The Mae West of Rock 'n' Roll") joins the Kelli and Sue to give clear, practical advice for buyers and sellers in Nashville—how to tour a home, spot functional red flags, prepare for inspections and closing costs, and what to expect from timelines and offers.

    The episode mixes market insights with neighborhood notes, music anecdotes, Pride Month moments, and local community issues like the proposed data center near the Nashville Zoo.

    Join us for all this and more. FrontPorchAF.com

    35 min

About Front Porch AF

From the publisher's feed

Neighbors Kelli & Sue -- from the Bend in Madison, TN -- and guests, hang on their audio front porch, drink, laugh, gossip, discuss politics, dogs, local goings on, why Indian motorcycles are a girl’s best friend--and how we can all make a positive difference in our world. Snark meets joy on Front Porch AF.