On this episode, I’m talking with musician and reproductive rights activist A.J. Haynes of the band Seratones.

We talk about making space for peace in our lives, how sexuality is kind of like dessert, the ways capitalism & white supremacy effect everything from reproductive rights to children’s music, and the exploring the depths of ourselves through reflection and art. It’s a beautiful conversation that left my heart so full.

I’m talking with chef, restaurant consultant, and menu developer Jamie Davis.

Jamie is the chef of The Hackney, a restaurant and distillery in the small waterfront town of Washington, NC. There he uses locally sourced, seasonal ingredients to create Modern British/American cuisine in an area not typically known as a food destination. Jamie has plans to change that and help put North Carolina on the map.

We talk about his love of seafood, how the pandemic shifted his focus, where he draws inspiration from, and our shared love of Eastern North Carolina BBQ.

I’m hanging out with musician, producer, and drum tech extraordinaire Ashwin Deepankar.

Ashwin and I met about 7 years ago when we worked together at Chicago Music Exchange. In 2015, Ashwin left CME to go on tour with the band Wilco as their drummer Glenn Kotche’s tech. Ashwin is a sonically creative person with a generous heart and he shares stories that I think perfectly showcase how those qualities make him excel in is career. Life on the road is always an adventure and he shares what it was like being on tour when the world shut down last year.  16 months was a long time to be off the road and he shares how he created a space for creativity in his home and how he needed .

I’m talking with British indie rock musician and critically acclaimed singer/songwriter Katie Malco.

We talked about releasing her debut album "Failures" in the middle of a pandemic, how she's getting her voice back after having Covid-19, the vulnerability of writing such deeply personal songs, and the ways we betray our own needs to be loved.

This conversation is as intimate as her music and as hilarious as her Instagram stories. You won't want to miss this.

I’m talking with Grammy nominated Producer, Songwriter & Mixer Warren Huart.

I discovered Warren a few years ago through his acclaimed YouTube channel Produce Like A Pro where he works to demystify the recording process. For Warren it’s all about bringing people together as equals and he’s built a community of musicians, engineers, and producers around that very idea.

Warren is passionate about gear, music, and great players, and that’s so clear when you hear him tell stories about meeting some of his heroes. It’s that genuine love of music and people that is possibly the most important component of his job.

We also talk about how staying calm is an essential skill and he tells a couple incredible stories about times he’s gotten through a session without the artist having any idea something had gone wrong.

I’m talking with artist and writer David Hayward aka Nakedpastor. David is a naturally creative person who uses his art to challenge the status quo, deconstruct dogma, and offer hope he says to those who struggle and suffer under that dogma.

He didn’t become a full time artist until after spending 30 years in the ministry. He tells the story of the epiphany he had that broke him through a false belief that he was trapped in a life he didn’t want. He talks about how one of the biggest shifts he had to make when deciding to become a full time artist what he says was his shitty attitude towards money.

It often takes a big spark to make a life change like that. I was curious what lit the fire that led David on this journey. He shares the beautiful story about the drawing that would become his Sophia book and how she changed his life by helping him to understand himself.

I’m talking with spiritual mentor and jewelry maker Christine Love-MacLeod. Christine is partners in life and in business with past-life psychic Ainslie MacLeod. It felt like such a treat to hear the story of them meeting and what she thought when she found out this guy she was into was a psychic.

The work they do is focused around helping people get a deeper understanding of themselves. As she puts it, the more you understand how you're wired and embrace that, the more you’ll be able to feel a deep soul level purpose in life.

Authenticity is something deeply important to Christine, whether that’s in her work or just breaking the ice with a stranger. She makes the point that if someone isn’t accepting your authenticity maybe they're people you don't want in your sphere.

There’s just so much great stuff in this episode including some stories about how she became a jewelry maker and started following the Grateful Dead. I’m telling you, no one brings the big sister Mama Love vibes like Christine does so without any further ado allow me to introduce you to Christine Love-MacLeod.

I’m talking with electro-pop artist SuperKnova. SuperKnova is a one-woman band created by multi-instrumentalist Ellie Kim who writes, produces, and records all her own music.

Ellie shares how she honed her guitar skills studying jazz in college, but always loved the accessibility of pop music to reach a wider audience. While her music has a strong queer focus she says its message is for everyone because we all deserve to live our authentic lives and be treated with respect.

Respect is something so many of us seek in life. Ellie shares how she got her medical degree as a way to prove she had value in the world and how it took working through her own internalized transphobia, racism, generational trauma for her to fully embrace herself.

This conversation was so powerful for me and honestly helped me embrace different parts of myself in a new way. I hope you find something beautiful in it too.

I’m talking with artist Ashley Mishler. I met Ashley a few years ago at a show I was playing with her now husband Silas Mishler who you met on episode 2.

Ashley is multi-faceted creative and we discuss her journey with music, art and writing and how playing drums let’s us express the loud, brash sides of ourselves that women are generally discouraged from showing.

Along with painting, Ashley makes wearable art by customizing and upcycling clothes and accessories. That sparks a conversation around how it’s common these days for artists only feel valuable when they’re monetizing the things they make versus just letting art exist for the sake of art.

I’m sitting down with Chicago bluesman Toronzo Cannon. I’ve known Toronzo for over a decade and he’s honestly one of the coolest most down-to-earth people I’ve ever met. Toronzo spent years as a city bus driver and he shares how it unexpectedly helped his music career and also the revelation that led him to retiring early amidst the pandemic.

He tells the story of getting into reggae before he started playing blues. We get the exclusive on what he said the first time he ever listened Bob Marley and lemme tell ya… it’s not what I expected. Toronzo and I share how music allowed us to see places and perspective we never would have dreamed of growing up. He believes that you have to set your ego aside and listen if you’re going to advance in your career and he shares stories of some of the people he learned from before becoming a bandleader himself.