Kindness Matters Podcast

Mike goes solo on this episode to discuss some things that have been in the news and on his mind including; the Senate Report on the January 6th Capitol attack, taxing the wealthy, the Winston Smith killing and no more Snow Days?

Senate Report on January 6th.

Pro Publica Report on the wealthy and taxes.

The killing of Winston "Boogie" Smith. 

In this episode I speak with Adam Basciano who is the co-founder and National Director of IPF Atid, Israel Policy Forum’s young professionals network.  We discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the efforts by his organization to bring about a Two State Solution to this part of the world.   Adam was kind enough to share some great articles and videos on this conflict.  If you are interested in learning more please fell free to follow these links.

Matti Friedman is a go-to thinker on Israel things.  Some people have tried to relate the race issues we are having here in America to the situation in Israel.  Here is what Matti thinks about that.

VIDEO:  Congressman Jaime Raskin & Stories from Young Israelis and Palestinians.
OP-ED: "There is only one war: the extremists vs. the moderates"
MEDIA PIECE: "Life Under Occupation: The Misery at the Heart of the Conflict"

In this episode I speak with April Bielefeldt. April is the owner of Your Photo Travel Guide, booking trips and providing guide services primarily in New England during Autumn but all over the U.S. really.  We talk about the pandemics effect on her business and how she came out the other side in better shape than when she went in.  We also discuss what travel will look like going forward. 

You can also catch up with April at her YouTube channel and her Instagram Page.

Join me and my guest Stephanie March, Senior Food and Dining Editor for Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine, to uncover why restaurants have a labor shortage what some innovative Chefs' are doing about it and a closer look at an industry we thought we knew. 

If you want a better look into food and dining (not to mention great recipes and, well, food porn) follow Stephanie here and here.

Also make sure to try out the fine establishments we mentioned in the show.   We are not getting paid to mention them.  Two of them are in the northern metro, have amazing food and atmosphere and I honestly recommend them; Smokey's is all about the BBQ there is nothing on the menu you would not enjoy. (In case you couldn't tell, I am not the writer, here.)  And T-Box is all class and unique dining.  (I can vouch for the Bacon Wrapped Bison Tenderloin).

 I started this episode as a statement and a question;  "If we are stuck on arguing about taking guns away from citizens, we are not addressing the real question, that is, how do we keep guns from people who would do harm with them?  I reached out to Pat Watson, someone I knew because he is a founder of a Moderate Gun Owners Facebook Group

To be honest, I was not prepared for Pat's answer to that question.  We, as gun owners, as political leaders, as citizens need to stop looking for answers to problems in the same old policies.

• Devin Kelley should have been banned from owning guns before he shot up a Texas Church.
• The 19 year old who killed eight people at a FedEx facility in Indiana should have never had guns.
• Gregory Ulrich had threatened the Doctors and staff at a Buffalo, MN. medical clinic and had a restraining order in place.  Nonetheless, he was granted a permit from the local Police department and purchased a gun. He killed one and injured four.

So, here we are.

A strong social safety net can remove many of the factors that contribute to gun violence.     Please share this with your elected officials to start a conversation about what we can do to end gun violence.

In this episode I speak with my son, Richard Combs, about his experience with Meth.  The issue is even more of a problem than the Opioid crisis.  We talk about the crisis and how it is decimating the LGBTQ community and why there may be hope.  We look at studies and social experiments that point to a new way of thinking, like the Rat Park and Portugal's unique and successful attempt to drive down addiction and HIV rates.

If you are in the LGBTQ community and live in the Raleigh, N.C.  area there are resources for you. 

If you are struggling with addiction you can reach out to SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration for help.   Or call their National Hotline 1-800-662-Help (4357).

If you would like to reach out to Richard personally please leave a voicemail with your contact information or a comment and we will forward it to him. 

In this episode I speak with Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch; an Immigration Lawyer from Austin, Texas.  We talk about immigration policy; what we're getting right and what we're getting wrong, who are the immigrants at our border and why we're having such a hard time accommodating those crossing.   

If you would like to learn more about immigrant justice or would like to help in some way, I strongly encourage you to look into Vecina.org.  A non-profit whose mission is to empower immigrant justice advocates through mentoring attorneys, educating communities, and mobilizing volunteers.

In this episode we speak with El Chenier, a non-binary person who is a Professor and mentor t those who are non-binary and those who are trans and, most importantly to me, a patient, calm educator of all things gender.
I reached out to El because I wanted to have a conversation about gender identity.  My son, is transgender and although he came out to me several years ago, I had a hard time choosing to learn about what went into that decision.  El helps me, and perhaps you or someone you care about, make sense of that conversation.  We hope that you can use this episode to spark or deepen your conversations and maybe look at these issues in a way you wouldn't have before.

You can reach out to El through her website above or through her Facebook group Gender Mentors.

In this episode I speak with Gabrielle Jones, founder of Black America Summit.  We talk about her organization which brings people together to discuss issues facing Black Americans and discusses and strategizes ways to deal with them.  I am so incredibly grateful to Gabrielle for taking the time to speak with me and help me understand and think about some of these issues.

If you are interested in learning and growing and understanding, please check out their podcast; Black America Podcast.

If you feel moved to support their efforts, please think about donating.

In this episode I speak with Graham D. Brown  founder of Pikkal & Co., host of four podcasts and Master Storyteller.  We talk about how we use stories to sell both ourselves and our brands; be it personal or professional and how the new age of audio (via Clubhouse or Podcasting) has changed the narrative.