Patricia Broersma loved horses as a kid and shifted from pre-med to literature in college where she met her husband. They were introduced to the Ecumenical Institute (renamed the Institute for Cultural Affairs) in Chicago and moved to San Antonio. Trish got involved in competitive horse show work, was led to a Jean Houston workshop in Houston, and moved to Ashland, OR where her therapeutic riding work began to focus on using mythic stories with her young, 'troubled' teens (and others). Riding Beyond is her present work with breast cancer survivors.

Skye Burn's vision in 1979 became the basis for understanding human beings and our motivations. Many researchers have noticed human history and values divided into three periods: before agriculture (10,000 years ago), from 10,000 years ago up to the last 150 years or so, and now. Skye understands Story has the same 3 parts: beginning, middle, and end. She discovered this 3-part pattern in many areas and disciplines and has begun to write extensively about her findings as narrated by the mythic Dr. Doe, a depth psychologist for the protagonist (humanity). We talked about all this and more.

Jan Sanders lives in Canada as a Planetary Citizen having worked in countries around the world. Shortly after beginning what she thought would be a traditional teaching career, she was introduced to the work of the Ecumenical Institute and decided to commit her next 20 years to it. In that time it evolved to the Institute for Cultural Affairs which still has a world-wide influence. In the late 1980s, Jean Houston did a program for the ICA and Jan decided to shift her commitment to Social Artistry work. She now uses a mixture of their tools to bring about cultural change to those who are seeking it. Her company is called People Energy (website under construction).

Born in South Carolina as an Army brat, Jack Williams attended 17 schools before graduating high school. Exposed to classical, country, and every other genre, Jack has written, arranged, and performed most. Now living in NW Arkansas, he and his wife Judy travel much of the year doing music and twice a year join with Still on the Hill at Wattle Hollow to lead a creativity music workshop for about 20 folks from around the country. He highlights a song about James Dickey. Today's show was first recorded Oct.23, 2019 in the downtown Columbia KOPN studios.

Jet has 25 years in the radio business, mostly in commercial radio and most recently with Learfield Communications as a sports announcer for multiple football teams. He has worked in multiple capacities both behind the scenes and on air. Jet grew up in Glasgow, Fayette, and New Franklin before starting at State Fair in Drama/Journalism. Presently Jet lives in Jefferson City and commutes to his new job. His other interests include film-making, music (eclectic songwriter, singer, musician, producer), and networking. One of his goals is to assist each programmer in reaching more listeners. We have a great time revealing that much and much more.

Al Tacker has been a gift to Columbia, MO in so many ways. He was a programmer for numerous creative KOPN shows (e.g. covering City Council meetings, covering local sports, music), was elected to the City Council for 3 years, taught himself computer programming and worked in that capacity for various places. He and his wife, Mary Jo, divided the duties of Director at the Family Counseling Center before Al took on the job solo. We met for the first time at Earth Day 2022.

Joy Fox is the co-creator of Wattle Hollow Retreat Center, which she has been developing for over thirty-five years. She has been a fruit picker, homesteader, a world-wide hitch-hiker, baker, grief therapist, bereavement coordinator for Hospice, meditation and yoga teacher, and mud builder. Joy spends her winters doing service work in the Third World, most recently in Thailand. If you’d like
to receive her “Tales From Thailand” this winter, just drop her an email at [email protected].

David and Patsy Dalton married in 1984, each with two children. Good people. David had his own CPA business with Jim Marberry and Patsy was in marketing for Boone Hospital and the MU Med Center. She was elected Southern District Commissioner, dealt with some serious skin cancer, and produced Missouri Business Account, a weekly show on KOMU-TV, for over 6 years. When he was 44, David was diagnosed with Parkinson's. Much of our conversation concerns their commitment to creating and maintaining support groups and what that involves.

Charley Blackmore came to Columbia, MO in 1955 entering the 5th grade. He graduated from Hickman in 1963 and 40 years or so later was given the name, Mr. Kewpie, due to his amazing digital work to showcase his alma mater from every angle imaginable. Charley is a story teller and gives the background to how the Kewpie became the mascot for Hickman among many other stories. I graduated there the year before so we had many common threads to talk about. Charley was also a letter carrier, Tribune carrier, and DJ in Columbia for nearly 40 years. 

Gregory Butler survived the South Side of Chicago when many of his peers did not. He is all about giving back and it shows up in his choices for service. A 3-month volunteer mission trip to Zambia was like a semester abroad without credit. He learned a lot. After Lincoln U, he stayed in Jefferson City and ran for City Council in his ward. He lost but gained many friends and allies. He was appointed to the Planning & Zoning Commission. Last year he started working for Missouri Faith Voices/Jeff City. His personal business is Butler Marketing Group. He has also joined with other Black male mentors in Jeff City promoting Black Men Thrive to help youth achieve their fullest potential.