Ben Creighton finds time in his busy schedule to be this week’s guest on Keoni Chats. Anytime I thought about the combination of sports and Journalism, Ben was the first person I thought of. When I first embarked into this field, I immediately thought of my first interaction with Reporter Ben back in high school for the student newspaper. As I kept up with his career, I was more inspired to work harder in the Journalism field as he represented sports networks like ESPN and the PAC-12 Network. Check out his episode now and find out about the origins of his broadcasting career. Follow him on these platforms: https://bit.ly/3casqTk; https://bit.ly/3CiscEt; https://bit.ly/3FdV3f1; https://bit.ly/3wMYo1F.

Anna Nickels takes a virtual trip down i5 for this week’s Keoni Chats. I usually have some kind of plan heading into an interview but as soon as we started talking, this conversation blindsided me. Anna opens up about her thinking process and her fear of talking about deep issues and her mental health while in high school. She is a former college softball athlete (now coach) and Anna reflects on the journey and the crossroads she faced. We talk about the evolution of her faith not just due to the pandemic, but as she grew up and moved around. Follow Anna on these platforms: https://bit.ly/3nD0wEY; https://bit.ly/3mqUqYM; https://bit.ly/3BtvvYW

I reunited with fellow UOSOJC alumni Gus McTigue in this week’s Keoni Chats. Gus’ creativity always stood out in class and I am ecstatic to have him on the show. We spoke about the stresses of handling multiple projects and the importance of making sure that each project got the same amount of attention. From his time behind the camera, Gus has developed deep ideologies on the world and being able to explore those was beyond fun. Check out his episode now and learn about his experience with filming “Who’s on Top.” Check out his website here: https://www.gusmctigue.com/. Follow him on these platforms: https://bit.ly/3ily6xx, https://bit.ly/3is93c1, https://bit.ly/3Faj3AE

Paddle sport athlete, crossfitter and Pizza Schmizza manager Aaron Boje virtually sat down with me for this week’s Keoni Chats. Aaron’s responsibilities as a husky dog dad to Hoku-lele cause this interview to shift from an in-person to a video interview. Reflecting back on the 15 years I've known Aaron, there were a lot of facts about him that I did not know. Check out his episode now and find out what was a motivator behind his drastic body change. Follow him on these platforms: https://bit.ly/3jSLDOp; https://bit.ly/3zJx5pA. Follow Aaron’s Pizza Schmizza here: https://bit.ly/3BLw1Co; https://bit.ly/2YzLIyh; https://bit.ly/3zT4DSg

Fresh off the first year in her pursuit of a Doctorate in Physical Therapy, former D1 soccer athlete Emily Walker joins me for this week’s Keoni Chats. I met Emily during her playing days at Lane Community College and immediately got the impression that she is a fierce competitor. Emily comes from a military family, for which he brought a ferocious and intense mentality to the field and to the classroom. That same upbringing made it hard for her to accept help but when it came to her medical retirement from sports, she worked to overcome that hurdle. Follow her on these platforms: https://bit.ly/3j6gQNk; https://bit.ly/3D5XzUk;

Former Oregon Duck and 2x Super Bowl Champion Dennis Dixon stops by for this week’s Keoni Chats. Dennis’ lucrative college football career at the University of Oregon helped the push to turn Oregon from a well-known basketball school, into the football powerhouse it is known for today. Dennis has been drafted twice into Major League Baseball but ultimately chose to pursue the NFL and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2008. Now with his football career over, Dennis is the founder of Dixon Fit, his own personal training business that expands to athletes of other sports. Check out his website here: https://www.dixonfit.com/. Follow Dennis here: https://bit.ly/3faYSqQ, https://bit.ly/3fwOfyu, https://bit.ly/3BVQDc0

Juwaan Williams shows another layer in this week’s Keoni Chats. I met Juwaan at the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication in a couple classes. I always saw Juwaan with a big smile on his face and laughing but we got to talk about topics that hit him the hardest. We talked about the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement in Portland, OR that garnished the attention of the Homeland Security and more recently, Juneteenth becoming a federal holiday. Juwaan is also a former athlete for the Oregon Ducks football team and we talked about handling that kind of status. Follow Juwaan here: https://bit.ly/2W6vT0w; https://bit.ly/3kNDCeb; https://bit.ly/3iKZQea; https://bit.ly/36TJeLY