Lament of Hope

This is the first of three interviews with individuals in Pakistan who have experienced pain and suffering due to Pakistan's blasphemy laws. This episode tells the story of a young couple, Shahzad Masih and Shama Bibi, who were brutally killed in 2014 by a mob for allegedly burning pages of the Quran. There was no conclusive evidence found for this allegation, and several members of the mob are currently in prison. The children of the couple as well as Shama's father share the details and their reactions. The faces of the translator as well as the family members are blurred for their safety.

Viggo Mortensen sat down with me to talk about his newest film, "The Dead Don't Hurt," which tells the story of two lovers in the nineteenth century. Holger goes to fight in the Civil War, while Vivienne endures the trials of being left behind. We talked about different perspectives of specific scenes, Viggo's thoughts on the film and its characters, and what our culture looks like today.

Jordan Smith is a gospel singer who became nationally known when he won season 9 of NBC'sThe Voice in 2015. In addition to the creation of his upcoming album, Jordan shared with me his musical journey from a pop to gospel focus as well as the deep love and admiration he has for his wife, Kristen. Jordan also talked about his faith in Jesus Christ and his thoughts on masculinity in our culture. Jordan's new album,The People's Hymnal, releases next Friday, February 21st!!

What a gift to connect with Ruta Lee! I spoke with Ruta over the holiday season and am so glad to finally get this out there for my listeners. Ruta Lee has been in numerous films and television shows from Hollywood's classic era ranging from "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" as Ruth, Lettie in "Funny Face," to episode appearances on "The Twilight Zone," "I Love Lucy," "Bonanza," "The Andy Griffith Show," and many more. I really enjoyed getting to learn more about her life and career, not to mention getting a glimpse into her bold and sexy personality.

Louisa John-Krol is a fascinating individual to speak with, and I hope one day I can visit her, and we can sit down in-person with a cup of tea and talk more about her life. Louisa has a strong belief and passion for the fairy world, otherworldly music, and storytelling. We talked about those topics as well as her husband's experience with PTSD and her physical illness. She ended our time singing a lullaby she wrote for one of her cats who passed away.

I was introduced to Yazdan's acting talent through his voice work on the recent anime release, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. Yazdan was the voice of Hama, son of Helm Hammerhand and sister of the protagonist, Héra. Yazdan talked with me about his love and experience of acting on the stage as well as how to balance his mental well-being with the rigor of show after show. He also gave me a window into the world of the Iranian culture.

It was an absolute delight to speak with Lucie. Lucie took a break from taking down her Christmas decorations to talk with me about the hard in the world right now. She had kept her decorations up just a bit longer to hold on to the warmth and hope of Christmas. We talked about the LA fires, working through trauma and growing as individuals, and marriage. 

This is one of the most fascinating interviews I have had so far. Dr. Catherine Raven lives in a cabin she built on an isolated piece of land in Montana. Her life changed forever when a wild fox knocked on her door to get her attention. That fox became Catherine's closest friend to the point where she even read him an illustrated story outside when he would come visiting. Their friendship became a book: Fox and I: An Uncommon Friendship, which I highly recommend you read as it details her four-year-long friendship with Fox. A delightful interview from start to finish!

I loved getting to sit down with Lisa Brenner and talk to her about her career and the choices she has made in Hollywood. We talked about navigating sexual intimacy on screen, how aging affects landing roles, and her love and passion for her family and storytelling.

Meredith Hall wrote the New York Times Bestselling memoir, Without a Map, which documents her story as a pregnant teenager without the support of her family or New Hampshire community. Meredith shared with me her journey from that frightened and vulnerable young woman, who was forced to give up her son at birth without even laying eyes on him, to a brave woman who bears the scars with the ambition to love.