Full Expression

Heidi Gustafson is an artist and writer, but is perhaps best known as an ochre whisperer. Based in the Pacific Northwest, she curates the Early Futures Ochre Archive, a growing collection of over 600 samples of ochre from around the world. Her debut book, Book of Earth: A Guide to Ochre, Pigment, and Raw Color, explores our ancient relationship with color, creativity, and the land. Heidi is dialed in on the lesser known world of minerals upon which our world revolves. It's a discipline that bridges science, anthropology, spirituality, history, poetry, and captivating photography.

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Marina Krut is a Ukrainian born composer, poet and singer who also plays the bandura, a 64-string instrument, weighing 15 pounds. Marina's story is one that everyone needs to hear. These days, the 28-year-old leads a double life. From her temporary home in the west of Ukraine, she travels to the front lines of the war to perform for soldiers. She spends much of her time abroad, performing and relating what she has seen on the front lines. Influenced by traditional Ukrainian music, her bandura playing also incorporates non-traditional sounds, particularly jazz, to accompany her powerful voice.

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Jaqueline Baylon is a journalist and filmmaker. As a young child she crossed into Texas across the Rio Grande river, and was deported several times before earning her dual U.S. citizenship at the age of 9. She attended Texas State University, as well as the School of Visual Arts in New York. Jaqueline has worked at the New York Times and other newspapers covering healthcare, criminal justice and immigration. Her documentary film, Until He's Back, explores the fate of a Moroccan man, who attempts to cross the straights of Gibraltar into Spain. It has won numerous awards, and was on the short list for an oscar in the Documentary Short category in 2025.

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John Francis, Ph.D. is known around the world as the "Planet Walker." Following a tragic oil spill in the San Francisco Bay in 1971, he took a vow to reject motorized transportation. Some time later he added a vow of silence which lasted 17 years. An author, traveler, student, and teacher, John Francis has explored every continent without the use of motorized travel. "Planet Walker" is the title of his autobiography as well as a documentary film about his life released in 2024.

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Trevor Wallace is an expedition filmmaker, explorer and cultural heritage advocate. His projects focus on expanding human curiosity about the wild and remote corners of the world. He is the co-founder of the Menorca Shipwreck Project and collaborates with scientists, archeologists and communities to document stories of the human spirit — present and past.

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Will Allen is a farmer, author and activist. Raised in California, he has spent the last 20 years on Cedar Circle Farm in southeastern Vermont. I talked with Will about finding ancient pottery in a Peruvian jungle, the evolution of the modern organic farming movement and the joy he brings to each day even in the face of adversity.

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Alondra Bentley is a British-born songwriter and illustrator living in Madrid. She was raised in southern Spain, studied fine arts before launching her music career, and has recorded five studio albums (with a new release pending). For over ten years, Alondra has taught children art and music based on the Montessouri methodology which emphasizes the discovery and understanding of our emotions.

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Peter Schaumann is a native of Pennsylvania, and currently resides in Newtown Square. He is a graduate of Philadelphia College of Art, and has been on the faculties of Philadelphia College of Art and Moore College of Art and Design. Following a distinguished career as a New York illustrator where he was cited for numerous honors and awards, he turned to fine art, figure painting, and portraiture. His work has appeared in many galleries across the United States. Peter has earned numerous awards for his portraiture and most recently completed a painting of Tom Wolf, the former governor of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the American Society of Portrait Artists. Peter is also my first cousin.

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Bonnie Hayes is an American singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, and educator. The eldest of seven children from a highly musical family, she attended Washington High School and San Francisco State University. Her brother, Chris, was the lead guitarist for Huey Lewis and the News. Her brother, Kevin, was a drummer with the Robert Cray Band. Bonnie has performed in numerous bands as well as on tours with Bob Seeger, Belinda Carlisle and Billy Idol. Her songs have been recorded by Cher, Bette Midler, Bonnie Raitt, Natalie Cole, Robert Cray, David Crosby, Adam Ant and Booker T and the MGs. Between 2013 and 2022 she served as the chair of the songwriting department at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Bonnie Hayes is also a long-time board member at Blue Bear School of Music in San Francisco. She currently directs Blue Bear's All Star Songwriting Program for teens. I spoke with Bonnie Hayes about her early years in the San Francisco music scene, her many ideas about the craft of songwriting, and why she believes limitations can positively help define an artistic persona. You can find out more about Bonnie Hayes here.

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Michael Pollan is an author, educator, documentary film creator and avid gardener. His work investigates the nexus of nature and culture and spans topics of gardening, agriculture, nutrition and cuisine, and neuropsychology. Six of his nine books have been New York Times bestsellers; three of them (including, How to Change Your Mind) were immediate #1 New York Times bestsellers. His other books include This is Your Mind on Plants, Cooked, Food Rules, In Defense of Food, The Omnivore's Dilemma, The Botany of Desire, A Place of My Own and Second Nature.

The Omnivore's Dilemma won the California Book Award, the Northern California Book Award, the James Beard Award for best food writing, and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. I was grateful to include his Introduction in two versions of my book, Food Fight: A Citizen's Guide to the Food and Farm Bill and his essays in Farming and the Fate of Wild Nature and CAFO.

I spoke with Michael Pollan about his lifelong exporation with immersive journalism, the value of being open to other people's creative ideas, and what it's like to be interviewed by Stephen Colbert.

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