I'm Frickin' Lonely...Tell Me Your Story! (Staying Connected Through Conversation)

Today’s guest, Jamie Kyte Sapoch, is a self-described nonprofit junkie”!  I was so grateful to have an opportunity to

 Jamie is truly an expert in the field of running a not for profit, from governance to capital campaigns, to just working well with teams of truly caring and smart people.  Her experience started in DC during the 80’s working with Common Cause on arms control and campaign finance reform.  So inspired by the work and the people, she was bitten by the non-profit bug.

 Listen in while we talk about her roots in New Jersey, her path from being an art major to the world of nonprofits; from working within organizations such as the Watershed

 I was particularly taken by her description of convincing donors to participate in a capital campaign.  Rather than

 Jamie advises us to remember “it’s not about you”, to never stop learning and to always search for ways to make a difference.  That’s certainly the path she’s chosen.

 We had a great conversation!  Please join us!

A few of the organizations Jamie has been involved with include:

 The Watershed Institute:  www.thewatershed.org

 The Burke Foundation www.burkefoundation.org

 The Chubby’s Project www.thechubbysproject.org

I feel so lucky that my office was right across the street from the home of today’s guest, because with his wave and a smile, we became acquainted and later, I am happy to say, friends.   

Lance Liverman is a true man of the community! He has worked passionately for the benefit of those in need.  In fact, his community service has been so impactful, the mayor of Princeton has named a day after him; February 25, 2024, is officially Lance Liverman Day!

Like most of my guests who are involved in community service, Lance got an early start helping others.  It was part of his family ethos to care for others and throughout his life, he has taken it to the next level. 

Lance tells us about his life and how it led him to serve the community of Princeton in many capacities, especially related to his passion for affordable housing.  His positive attitude, gratitude for what he has, and desire to share his bounty are evident in his story.  And as he says, giving back gives him a natural “high”! 

We had a great conversation and I hope you’ll listen in!

My connection to today’s guest is yet another example of how each person we meet exponentially broadens our network.  I am getting less and less lonely and more and more inspired with each episode and conversation! 

Join me as I talk with Nathalie Nelson, CEO of Womanspace who I met through Joan Bartl, who I met through…never mind, you get the picture!  Womanspace is a wonderful organization, founded in 1977 by Barbara Boggs Sigmund, providing safe haven and resources to victims and families impacted by domestic violence here in Mercer County, NJ.   

Nathalie shares the story of how her family emphasized hard work, education and most importantly volunteering and giving to those in need.  This became a passion for Nathalie and factored heavily in her decision-making process as she chose her paths in education,

Her strength in Human Resources (people skills and caring all rolled into one) led her to Womanspace and ultimately the role of CEO.  She shares with us how Womanspace does outreach, trains its response team, works with local administrations, hospitals and police officers, provides counseling, safe housing, programs and more to victim/survivors of domestic and sexual abuse. 

It is important but taxing work.  Nathalie, as a leader, emphasizes the importance of self-care to everyone on the Womanspace team.  And although her schedule is intense, she is careful to set an example through meditation and time spent with friends and her wonderful family. 

Please listen to this episode and if you know of anyone in Mercer County who needs these services, please have them reach out. 

The number is (609)394-9000 and is answered by actual human beings 24/7!  Check out their website at https://womanspace.org/.

I’m particularly excited about this episode because it embodies the very reason I started this podcast: to create connections! The purpose of this episode, along with telling a wonderful story, is to help someone launch her own podcast.  And I made a new friend in the process!

 Karen Kowalski, one of today’s guests, is an Occupational Therapist.  She reached out to me because her clients’

 With Karen is one of her friends, Jen Orlick. It’s her amazing journey we’ll hear about today. Jen shares the story of her ovarian cancer diagnosis and how the

Jen tells us how a childhood love of toy mice helped her to think outside the box.  She went far beyond the typical therapy exercises focusing on regaining cognitive and motor skills.  Her project started as building a house for

We hope you’ll enjoy listening to this episode as much as we did recording it, and are inspired to watch for the launch of Karen’s podcast in the fall of 2024. 

Please enjoy our conversation!

Check out my Facebook Page at I’m Frickin’ Lonely.How About You to see pictures of Szusy, Ralph, Szusy’s siblings, and the mouse house. 

In this episode, I spoke with Paula Flory, an amazing woman who parlayed a huge shock…her Stage III breast cancer diagnosis…into a catalyst for creating a joy-focused method of care. Recognizing her own un-filled needs during treatment and recovery, Paula’s wheels (literally) started turning. This led to her creation of Move Over Breast Cancer, (MOBC) a fully mobile breast cancer support organization, complete with a beautiful van, fit out to provide breast cancer services in a spa-like setting.  But that’s not all!  We’ll hear about all the breadth of supportive programs Paula has created to help those facing what she faced.  She considers MOBC “the face of hope” for her family of women fighting breast cancer.  

Paula shares with us the story of her upbringing in New Jersey and her path through university, focusing on psychology and counseling. Give a listen as she tells us about her study abroad run-in with her ex-boyfriend.

After Paula’s diagnosis, the treatment and staying strong for her family took all the strength she had. But her experiences planted the seed that ultimately led to

Make sure to watch her interview on The View.  It’s available on YouTube and the link is at her website. There you can hear more of her story, see the van, and meet some of the women she has helped. 

 We had such a fun time recording this episode.  Please enjoy our conversation!

Paula encourages anyone in our region with breast cancer or a with loved one with breast cancer to reach out.  Information can be found at her website:

https://moveoverbreastcancer.org/

Paula kept a blog throughout her treatment to keep friends and family informed of her progress, but also as a form of personal therapy.  She used a site called CaringBridge:

https://www.caringbridge.org

In this episode, we welcome Joan Bartl, a woman who doesn’t sit back (although she does “sit-in”…you’ll get the reference when you listen) when she sees something wrong in the world…she

Joan’s story follows her path from growing up in Philly as a “normal kid”, to her first awareness of inexplicable gender role assignments, to her early adulthood in the 70’s when these stereotypes became ever more apparent.

It was then, as a young mother, she was inspired to band together with like-minded women to rail against ingrained (and to be honest, offensive) gender role models in educational materials, TV and beyond. They created a group called WOWI, “Women on Words and Images” and gained national acclaim as they fought for change.  It is a great story about seeing an issue and taking action.  Happily, it is a true success story and all those who have come after have benefited from these herculean efforts.  I personally was amazed at what they were able to achieve…especially in a time before anything was digital or there was such a thing as the internet!

After this successful campaign, Joan continued to be driven by the desire to make things better wherever she focused her attention.  Along with being a member of NOW, the League of Women Voters, Coalition for Peace Action, and the ACLU, Joan has been on the board of Womanspace for the past 18 years. 

 Along with all this, Joan is president of Payment Management, a national credit card processing company where she has been a trailblazer for providing payment services for small and medium sized businesses for almost 30 years. She is also Co-Director of Banking On New Jersey and serves on Governor Murphy’s Implementation Board to bring a Public Bank to New Jersey.

 As you can see, Joan is a force to be reckoned with!  Please enjoy

To see the work of Joan’s WOWI group,

Here are other links relevant to our conversation:

https://womanspace.org/

Womanspace, Inc. is a

https://www.paymentmgmt.com/our-team

Payment Management is a

In today’s episode, we enter the world of books, history, journalism, and celebrity!  My guest, Landon Jones, is a renowned author and journalist.  He served as Managing Editor of both People and Money magazines, and has authored four critically

Lanny’s most recent book, Celebrity Nation: How America Evolved into a Culture of Fans and Followers is a cautionary tale about our nation’s shift from hero worship to celebrity/influencer worship.  Timely and telling!

 Lanny shares with us how his early childhood hearing loss fed his love of reading.  Libraries were his haven and feature prominently

 We learn what brought Lanny to Princeton University (teachers saying, “Go East young man!”) where (including graduating with honors) he was editor of the Princeton Alumni Weekly and

Celebrity Nation: How America Evolved into a Culture of Fans and Followers has (as do all of his books) a grand theme, is meticulously detailed and thoroughly researched. 

I hope you’ll enjoy listening to this episode as much as I enjoyed recording it! Lanny has great stories to tell and was fun to talk with!

 Head to Lanny’s website for more information:  www.lannyjones.com

And make sure to check out all ofLanny’s books! 

Today’s guest, Carol Golden, is yet another involved and engaged individual, constantly looking for ways to improve the world.  You’ll want to hear her story about how she came up with the term “community activist” as a response to the question “what do you do?” It’s a fun one!

Carol explains how her sense of the importance of community goes back to her roots.  Her parents, both “civil servants”, instilled the spirit of “tikkun olam” into their lives and hers. If you don’t know what that means, you’ll have to listen to find out!  Suffice it to say, it’s a wonderful

Exposure to diversity and wonderful teachers during her formative years also informed Carol’s world view.  The slogan “it can be done, but

Later, recognizing that “our lives are (relatively) easy, but others’ aren’t”, Carol sought out ways to have her work to be useful and impactful. 

Carol's desire to be more “hands-on” and directly in touch with people led to her current involvement with Housing Initiatives of Princeton (H.I.P). A wonderful organization, helping to break the cycle of homelessness. 

The Dobbs decision also spurred her and fellow activists to create a group to support women’s reproductive rights by shepherding people through the difficulties thrown in their paths as they seek reproductive care. 

Carol never runs out of new sources of motivation!  So much to do, so

Please listen in to our conversation!

Links to some of the

https://www.101fund.org/

For over 50 years, The 101: Fund has been providing need-based

 https://www.housinginitiativesofprinceton.org/

The mission of Housing Initiatives of Princeton is to assist local individuals and families experiencing housing insecurity build toward a sustainable future via stable housing, better employment, and a

https://www.greenwoodhouse.org/about/

What started as a community nursing home for the aged back in 1939, Greenwood House is now a comprehensive provider of wellness-focused senior lifestyles and health care services. As a  not-for-profit,

In this episode of “I’m Frickin’ Lonely”, our conversation returns to the world of art, but a very different medium from what we’ve previously covered.  Today we’re talking about cinema…and specifically community cinema.

Our guest is Chris Collier, the Executive Director of Renew Theaters, a nonprofit management company that operates four member-supported theaters in the Greater Philadelphia Region, both in PA and NJ. Each of the theaters is a saved historic theater that now operates to share great films and events, educate the community about the film and media arts, engender a lifelong love of the arts, and to preserve cultural resources of the communities they serve. 

Chris tells us about how an early introduction to cinematic music (specifically the Pink Panther theme) led him to trombone as his instrument of choice.  It’s fascinating to hear how his combined passion for this music genre, along with his community-minded upbringing led him on a path that took him through

After speaking with Chris, I now understand the key role that community theaters such as those in Renew’s family of cinemas play in revitalizing neighborhoods and fostering community.  I feel lucky to live in a community that enjoys one of Chris’s babies…the 100-year-old Princeton Garden Theater.  A true gem! 

I hope you will tune in to listen! 

Check out these sites for Renew and its theaters:

https://renewtheaters.org/

https://princetongardentheatre.org/

https://amblertheater.org/

https://www.countytheater.org/

https://www.hiwaytheater.org/

In this episode of “I’m Frickin’ Lonely”, my conversation is with Claudia Toby,  tireless entrepreneur, community advocate and agent for change, addressing issues such as homelessness, mental illness, food insecurity and youth mentoring. 

Join us to hear about how Claudia’s 20-year background in nursing led her to her ultimate calling to serve the community. 

 Claudia tells us about programs she, along with her husband, started including Magnificent Men, providing developmental workshops for men in Brooklyn and then Breakfast with Our Boys Series, teaching and mentoring young men in life skills in New Jersey.

 Claudia came to the realization that in order to be able to nurture others, one needs to first replenish oneself.  This, along with her entrepreneurial spirit,  led her to develop Zenfully Living, which guides women in self-care through workshops and products.  She is also working to bring an “I’m Worth It” program to girls, teaching them self-love, and personal strength.  Both programs focus on four core connections: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. 

Her current focus is “Breathing Space”, where she and her husband plan and officiate unique and beautiful micro-weddings, and guide couples in understanding the importance of joining together in a shared purpose and shared spiritual journey. 

Please join in the conversation! 

Make sure to check out these sites:

www.breakfastwob.org

www.facebook.com/zenfullylivingbyclaudia

www.breathings.space

And if you listen before the weekend of Juneteenth, make sure to check out the Black Excellence Festival in Atlantic City, June 16 through 18.

https://www.thebefestival.com