Host: Jude DiMeglio TrangGuests: Julie Remer & Josh Remer

Description:In this episode of The Gift of Need Podcast, Jude DiMeglio Trang sits down with Julie and Josh Remer to explore how caring for our neighbors around the world can become a profound response to human need and fulfill a sense of calling. Drawing from their experiences volunteering with Mercy Ships on the Africa Mercy in Senegal and Madagascar, Julie and Josh share stories of sacrificial service, community-centered care, and the life-changing impact of access to safe surgery. The conversation examines how Mercy Ships not only transforms individual lives through medical care, but also strengthens societies through training, partnership, and long-term investment in local communities.

We talk about:• Julie and Josh’s professional backgrounds in pediatric nursing and nonprofit leadership• What Mercy Ships is and how the Africa Mercy hospital ship deliver life-saving surgeries in developing nations• The wide range of medical procedures provided, from cataracts to complex reconstructive surgeries• Why volunteers self-fund their service—and what that sacrifice looks like in practice• How non-medical roles like dishwashing, baking, and driving are essential to the mission• Life aboard a hospital ship and the challenges and beauty of close-knit community• Cultural differences between Western individualism and community-centered societies• Stories of patient transformation and healing, including long-term burn and orthopedic cases• The emotional power of care, presence, and human connection beyond words• Addressing concerns of “white saviorism” and how Mercy Ships prioritizes dignity and partnership• Education, Training, and Advocacy (ETA) programs for local surgeons, nurses, and crew• Training African medical and maritime professionals for long-term impact• How local staff and volunteers work alongside international crews• The spiritual motivations behind service and following a call to care for others• The personal cost—and deep joy—of serving far from home• Why unmet global needs can become gifts that reshape perspective, purpose, and faith• How serving across the sea reframes how we serve in our own neighborhoods

Information about Mercy Ships: Why We Need to Serve Around the World – Episode #31Host: Jude DiMeglio TrangGuests: Julie Remer & Josh Remer

Description:In this episode of The Gift of Need Podcast, Jude DiMeglio Trang sits down with Julie and Josh Remer to explore how caring for our neighbors around the world can become a profound response to human need and fulfill a sense of calling. Drawing from their experiences volunteering with Mercy Ships on the Africa Mercy in Senegal and Madagascar, Julie and Josh share stories of sacrificial service, community-centered care, and the life-changing impact of access to safe surgery. The conversation examines how Mercy Ships not only transforms individual lives through medical care, but also strengthens societies through training, partnership, and long-term investment in local communities.

We talk about:• Julie and Josh’s professional backgrounds in pediatric nursing and nonprofit leadership• What Mercy Ships is and how the Africa Mercy hospital ship deliver life-saving surgeries in developing nations• The wide range of medical procedures provided, from cataracts to complex reconstructive surgeries• Why volunteers self-fund their service—and what that sacrifice looks like in practice• How non-medical roles like dishwashing, baking, and driving are essential to the mission• Life aboard a hospital ship and the challenges and beauty of close-knit community• Cultural differences between Western individualism and community-centered societies• Stories of patient transformation and healing, including long-term burn and orthopedic cases• The emotional power of care, presence, and human connection beyond words• Addressing concerns of “white saviorism” and how Mercy Ships prioritizes dignity and partnership• Education, Training, and Advocacy (ETA) programs for local surgeons, nurses, and crew• Training African medical and maritime professionals for long-term impact• How local staff and volunteers work alongside international crews• The spiritual motivations behind service and following a call to care for others• The personal cost—and deep joy—of serving far from home• Why unmet global needs can become gifts that reshape perspective, purpose, and faith• How serving across the sea reframes how we serve in our own neighborhoods

Information about Mercy Ships: MercyShips.org

Join the Conversation:We’d love to hear how you’ve seen the “Gift of Need” show up in your life. Share your story in the comments or leave a review. Please follow this podcast and rate it. Subscribe to my free newsletter to get future episodes and newsletters sent right to your inbox.

Music Credit: Gabe Kubanda / Damn Plans (Instrumental) © 2021 Kubanda Music

Engineer: Ray Ingegneri, Third Street Productions, Tucson, AZ

Producer: Jude DiMeglio Trang

Description:In this episode of The Gift of Need Podcast, Jude DiMeglio Trang sits down with longtime Tucsonan, entrepreneur, and nonprofit founder Bryan Benz to explore what a truly compassionate response to societal need looks like—especially for young people aging out of the foster care system. Drawing from decades of business experience, years of international community development, and deep local involvement, Bryan shares the vision behind Wholistic Transformation, a nonprofit focused on changing hearts, minds, and communities through relationship-centered development rather than short-term relief. Together, they examine poverty, trauma, foster care outcomes, and how community-based solutions can create lasting transformation. Learn more at

https://wholistictransformationtucson.org

We talk about:• Bryan Benz’s background as a Tucson native, business owner, and ministry leader• Why “wholistic” is spelled with a w—and why the whole person matters• Lessons learned from community development work in Cambodia and Cameroon• Development versus relief: why long-term change requires relationships• Poverty in Tucson and what the statistics reveal about unmet needs• Why Tucson has many nonprofits but still struggles with systemic poverty• The connection between foster care, homelessness, incarceration, and unemployment• Alarming statistics for youth aging out of the foster care system• How Brian’s personal upbringing shaped his passion for foster youth• The vision behind Wholistic Transformation and its focus on prevention• Building a small village of shipping-container homes for young adults (18–21)• The role of “resident navigators” in guiding—not directing—young people• Incentivizing education, financial literacy, and behavioral health support• Partnering with existing nonprofits instead of recreating services• Mentorship, community-building, and the importance of positive relationships• How animals, shared activities, and hospitality help build trust• Allowing residents ownership and choice in building and designing their homes• Current challenges: permits, funding, and next phases of construction• Ways listeners can get involved through volunteering, mentoring, CASA, or giving• How meeting the needs of others also fulfills deep needs within ourselves

Join the Conversation:We’d love to hear how you’ve seen the “Gift of Need” show up in your life. Share your story in the comments or leave a review. Please follow this podcast and rate it. Subscribe to my free newsletter to get future episodes and newsletters sent right to your inbox.

Music Credit:Gabe Kubanda / Damn Plans (Instrumental) © 2021 Kubanda Music

Engineer:Ray Ingegneri, Third Street Productions, Tucson, AZ

Producer: Jude DiMeglio Trang

Description:In this episode of The Gift of Need Podcast, Jude DiMeglio Trang welcomes author, researcher, and lifelong Shakespeare enthusiast Kim Bradley for a lively conversation on why humans need laughter—and how Shakespeare’s comedies meet that need so profoundly. Together, they explore the Elizabethan worldview, the role of comedy in challenging rigid social hierarchies, and how Shakespeare used humor not to belittle, but to invite empathy, self-awareness, and shared joy. The discussion weaves together literature, psychology, health, and everyday life, showing how laughter becomes both medicine and connection.

We talk about:• Why laughter and comedy are essential human needs• Kim Bradley’s wide-ranging background and return to Shakespeare• The Elizabethan “Great Chain of Being” and cosmic order• How Shakespeare used comedy to challenge rigid social structures• Women, wit, and wisdom in Shakespeare’s plays• Laughing with others versus laughing at others• W.H. Auden’s comparison of Greek comedy and Shakespearean comedy• Why Shakespeare’s humor has endured for over 400 years• The physical, emotional, and social benefits of laughter• Shakespeare’s compassion for human flaws and missteps• The Merchant of Venice and Portia as a model of intelligence within constraint• Much Ado About Nothing and the joy of shared laughter• The Comedy of Errors and hospitality as a pathway to the good life• Using storytelling, community, and creativity to meet human need

Join the Conversation:We’d love to hear how you’ve seen the “Gift of Need” show up in your life. Share your story in the comments or leave a review. Please follow this podcast and rate it. Subscribe to my free newsletter to get future episodes and newsletters sent right to your inbox.

Connect with Kim: https://www.kim-bradley.com/

Music Credit:Gabe Kubanda / Damn Plans (Instrumental) © 2021 Kubanda Music

Engineer:Ray Ingegneri, Third Street Productions, Tucson, AZ

Description:In this episode of The Gift of Need Podcast, Jude DiMeglio Trang speaks with Robynne Jeisman, founder of Turntable in the San Francisco Bay Area, about the complex crises facing young people today—including homelessness, juvenile justice involvement, exploitation, and trafficking. Drawing from nearly three decades of global experience, Robynne shares how safe housing, wraparound care, authentic relationships, and purpose-driven support can transform lives. Together, they explore how unmet needs can become powerful entry points for healing, dignity, and long-term change.

We talk about:• The age group Turntable serves and why early intervention matters• How young people arrive at homelessness through layered “push and pull” factors• The role of trauma, brain development, and survival behaviors• Why housing must include wraparound services—not just a lease• Juvenile justice involvement and its intersection with exploitation and trafficking• Why there is no such thing as a “child prostitute” and how power imbalance defines exploitation• The importance of prevention, identification, and early response• The scattered-site housing model and why dignity and privacy matter• Creative partnerships with landlords and housing authorities in high-cost cities• Community involvement through time, talent, and financial support• Mentorship, therapy, and storytelling as tools for healing• Addressing spiritual needs through invitation, authenticity, and belonging• The role of purpose, identity, and the “Circle of Courage” in recovery• How relationships—not programs alone—change lives

Join the Conversation:We’d love to hear how you’ve seen the “Gift of Need” show up in your life. Share your story in the comments or leave a review. Please follow this podcast and rate it. Subscribe to my free newsletter to get future episodes and newsletters sent right to your inbox.

Contact Robynne: TurntableHousing.com

Music Credit:Gabe Kubanda / Damn Plans (Instrumental) © 2021 Kubanda Music

Engineer:Ray Ingegneri, Third Street Productions, Tucson, AZ

Description:In this episode of The Gift of Need Podcast, Jude DiMeglio Trang sits down with writer, poet, musician, and lifelong storyteller Charlie Hodges for a rich conversation on the art and necessity of storytelling. Drawing from Charlie’s upbringing in rural East Tennessee, his career as an engineer, and decades of writing and creative practice, the discussion explores how stories shape identity, preserve culture, and meet deep human needs. The episode concludes with Charlie sharing an original story that brings his philosophy of storytelling vividly to life.

We talk about:• Growing up in a culture of oral storytelling in rural East Tennessee• The influence of music, church, and front-porch conversations on narrative voice• Storytelling as practice, not just talent or “gift”• The difference between telling information and showing meaning• Authenticity in fiction and why stories must feel emotionally true• Writing to “find out what you know” versus writing to display knowledge• The importance of restraint—why not telling everything makes stories stronger• Oral tradition, Native American storytelling, and myth as shared human language• Storytelling as survival information and sense-making• How storytelling fills a need both for the listener and the storyteller• The relationship between poetry, music, and narrative memory• Charlie’s reflections on writing, rewriting, and creative discovery• A closing original story illustrating place, memory, and lived experience

Join the Conversation:We’d love to hear how you’ve seen the “Gift of Need” show up in your life. Share your story in the comments or leave a review. Please follow this podcast and rate it. Subscribe to my free newsletter to get future episodes and newsletters sent right to your inbox.

Charlie Hodges: cwhodges.com

Music Credit: Gabe Kubanda / Damn Plans (Instrumental) © 2021 Kubanda Music

Engineer: Ray Ingegneri, Third Street Productions, Tucson, AZ

Host: Jude DiMeglio TrangGuest: Dr. A.J. Swoboda

Description:In this episode of The Gift of Need Podcast, Jude DiMeglio Trang is joined by theologian, author, and pastor Dr. A.J. Swoboda to explore the nature of human desire and why our longings—especially when frustrated—can become formative gifts rather than liabilities. Drawing from A.J.’s book The Gift of Thorns, the conversation examines how desire shapes character, how disordered loves lead to pain, and how unmet longings can deepen our dependence on God and bring maturity.

We talk about:• The difference between surface desires and “bedrock” desires that truly shape our lives• Why desire itself is a gift—and how it becomes destructive when misdirected• Biblical imagery of thorns as both consequence and gift• How unfulfilled desires can cultivate humility, prayer, and dependence on God• The role of delayed gratification in maturing our passions• Why unmet needs often lead to codependency and emotional debt in relationships• Reordering desire through experiencing unconditional love and divine pleasure• How freedom, choice, and suffering intersect in a broken world• Why our deepest longings reveal where healing is most needed

Join the Conversation:We’d love to hear how you’ve seen the “Gift of Need” show up in your life. Share your story in the comments or leave a review. Please follow this podcast and rate it. Subscribe to my free newsletter to get future episodes and newsletters sent right to your inbox.

A.J. Swoboda: AJSwoboda.substack.com / Slow Theology Podcast (w Dr Nijay Gupta)

Music Credit:Gabe Kubanda / Damn Plans (Instrumental) © 2021 Kubanda Music

Engineer:Ray Ingegneri, Third Street Productions, Tucson, AZ

Host: Jude DiMeglio Trang Guest: Sam Quinones

Description:In Part 2 of our conversation, New York Times bestselling author Sam Quinones returns to unpack one of the most intriguing threads in his book The Perfect Tuba: Forging Fulfillment from the Bass Horn, Band, and Hard Work. Sam shares the origin story behind the book’s title, exploring the near-mythical York tubas of the Chicago Symphony and how a single instrument helped elevate an entire generation of musicians, band members and directors. Together, Jude and Sam reflect on music as medicine, the tuba’s surprising role in community and identity, and how shared effort, discipline, and collaboration can become antidotes to isolation and despair. This episode weaves together craftsmanship, belonging, fulfillment, and the quiet power of collective purpose.

We talk about:• The origin and meaning behind The Perfect Tuba• The legendary York tubas and why they’re considered “perfect”• Arnold Jacobs and the rise of the modern tuba virtuoso• Music as medicine, identity, and survival• Bullying, belonging, and finding purpose through band• Community bands around the world and their unifying power• Why talent is overrated—and discipline, collaboration, and patience matter more• Band as an antidote to isolation, addiction, and hyper-individualism

Join the Conversation:We’d love to hear how you’ve seen the “Gift of Need” show up in your life. Share your story in the comments or leave a review. Please follow this podcast and rate it. Subscribe to my free newsletter to get future episodes and newsletters sent right to your inbox.

Music Credit:Gabe Kubanda / Damn Plans (Instrumental) © 2021 Kubanda Music

Engineer:Ray Ingegneri, Third Street Productions, Tucson, AZ

Host: Jude DiMeglio TrangGuest: Sam Quinones

Description:In this episode, Jude sits down with acclaimed journalist and author Sam Quinones to explore how the themes in his bestselling books Dreamland and The Least of Us surprisingly dovetailed into his latest book, The Perfect Tuba: Forging Fulfillment from the Bass Horn, Band, and Hard Work. Together they unpack the concept of finding fulfillment through hard work and how playing tuba and being part of a band help create meaning and connection amid the loneliness and dislocation so many teens are experiencing today.

Sam shares the real-life stories behind how tuba musicians and the band directors created joy and belonging for their neighbors and communities, and why moments like this matter in a society battling poverty, isolation, drug epidemics, and social fragmentation. This conversation invites listeners to consider the power of showing up and doing the work that results in belonging, and how community and connection fulfills our deep human need for one another.

We talk about:

• Why Sam wrote Dreamland and The Least of Us and how it reshaped his understanding of needing community and connection• The rise of isolation, the erosion of community, and its impact on addiction• The difference between consumer happiness and deep human fulfillment• Why small acts of connection can be transformative• How loneliness fuels modern epidemics—and how community helps heal• The hope Sam sees in local, grassroots reconnection efforts• Practical ways ordinary people can build micro-communities around them

Join the Conversation:

We’d love to hear how you’ve seen the “gift of need” show up in your life. Share your story in the comments or leave a review. Please follow this podcast and rate it. Subscribe to my free newsletter to get future episodes and newsletters sent right to your inbox.

Music Credit: Gabe Kubanda / Damn Plans (Instrumental) © 2021 Kubanda Music

Engineer: Ray Ingegneri, Third Street Productions, Tucson, AZ

Host: Jude DiMeglio Trang

Guests: Dr. John Trang and Dr. Roger Stoller

Description:

Host Jude DiMeglio Trang, author of The Gift of Need, welcomes two scientists—her husband, Dr. John Trang (Pharmaceutical Scientist), and friend Dr. Roger Stoller (Material Scientist and Nuclear Engineer)—to discuss the essential roles of science and technology in meeting society’s needs. As with all of her podcasts, Jude wants to just introduce us to one more area of human need. We explore the scientific process, the importance of their respective fields (nuclear energy and pharmaceuticals), and how their Christian faith informs their work and pursuit of meaning.

We talk about:

· Roger Stoller’s work in nuclear engineering and materials science, focusing on strategies to mitigate the effects of radiation on structural materials used in nuclear energy systems (e.g., preventing embrittlement in reactor pressure vessels).

· The scientific process as a systematic method for acquiring knowledge through observation, experimentation, analysis, hypothesis testing, and iteration.

· John Trang’s work as a pharmaceutical scientist in pharmacokinetics—modeling what the body does to a drug (absorption, distribution, metabolism, elimination) to determine proper dosing.

· The societal fear surrounding nuclear energy versus the measurable risks of other technologies like coal and driving.

· How scientific work serves society by benefiting health (pharmaceuticals, refrigeration) and providing the energy to manufacture essential items.

· How their Christian faith provides a framework for intellectual inquiry and a motivation to conduct work with integrity, maintain good relationships, and serve others, both through their careers and in serving their communities.

· The human need for purpose and meaning, and how this is fulfilled through Roger’s second career as a Bible translation consultant in Bangladesh.

· The “mysterious”—the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and science, acknowledging that there is always more to discover and understand.

Join the Conversation: We’d love to hear how you’ve seen the “gift of need” show up in your life. Share your story in the comments or leave a review. Please follow this podcast and rate it. Subscribe to my free newsletter to get future episodes and newsletters sent right to your inbox.

Music Credit: Gabe Kubanda / Damn Plans (Instrumental) © 2021 Kubanda Music

Engineer: Ray Ingegneri, Third Street Productions, Tucson, AZ

Description:In this episode of the Gift of Need, Jude welcomes back her friend and longtime collaborator Linda Bale. Together, they explore how understanding personality differences and collaborating with others can help us meet the needs of those around us. From personal growth to creative projects, they share stories and insights on why we need each other to go farther and achieve more.

We talk about:• How basic personalities influence collaboration and why they don’t fundamentally change• Introvert vs. extrovert traits and the role of thinking vs. feeling in teamwork• The importance of trust, communication, and emotional intelligence in collaboration• Famous examples of collaboration that created extraordinary results (e.g., Paul McCartney & John Lennon, Georgia O’Keeffe & Alfred Stieglitz, Ben & Jerry)• Personal stories of collaboration, including school projects, HOA leadership, and musical partnerships• How acknowledging needs and gifts in ourselves and others leads to mutual support and growth

Join the Conversation:We’d love to hear how you’ve seen the “gift of need” show up in your life. Share your story in the comments or leave a review. Please follow this podcast and rate it. Subscribe to my free newsletter to get future episodes and newsletters sent right to your inbox.

Music Credit:Gabe Kubanda / Damn Plans (Instrumental) © 2021 Kubanda Music

Engineer:Ray Ingegneri, Third Street Productions, Tucson, AZ