Verna Laboy spoke with the Missouri On Mic team at an annual tree giveaway for Arbor Day that was held at the Columbia Farmers Market in April. She’s a gardener and spoke about her connection to nature.

Stephan Haynes spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the Missouri State Fair last August. He spoke about his relationship to Missouri barbeque and the love that it represents.

Kibby Smith spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at an annual tree giveaway for Arbor Day that was held at the Columbia Farmer’s Market in April.The event was hosted by Columbia Parks & Recreation, the Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture and other nature-based organizations.Kibby spoke about the importance of trees to a community – and about how the devastating 2011 EF5 tornado that hit Joplin, Missouri continues to impact the landscape of that community to this day.

Megan Gilbertson spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the Central Missouri Renaissance Faire last October.She spoke about her love of Johnson Shut-ins and the nature of the state, as well as some of her hopes for the future of Missouri.

Cassie Moore spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the Daniel Boone Regional Library in February.She spoke a little bit about her relationship to reading and about a unique family tradition – a family club that continues to be a foundation of her relationships to this day.

Van Beydler spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the Missouri State Fair last August. Beydler is a Missouri native that grew up in Dixon, Missouri.He spoke about his love for this state, and how his early radio career led to his current position as the public relations coordinator at the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

Sarah Stouffer-Lerch spoke with Missouri on Mic team on the Fourth of July. She’s an Ohio State University student who interned at the State Historical Society of Missouri.She spoke about how she fell in love with studying history.

Tonya Ellis spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the Daniel Boone Regional Library in February. Tonya’s an educator and coordinator for library services for the Jefferson City School District and said that reading has had a major influence on her life.She spoke about the importance of access to information and her worries about the latest round of attempts to ban books in schools.

Yesterday was Mother's Day.So, this week we hear from Lisha Taylor and Leah Freeman, a mother-daughter duo who spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the Daniel Boone Regional Library in February.As a single mom of five, Lisha believes in always showing her kids love. Together, they discussed the importance of family in their household and about the power of a mother's love.

Scott Lochmueller lives in Columbia. He spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at a pop-up event at Paquin Tower in March.Scott loves creative worlds – whether of his own or someone else’ creation. He spoke about his love of fantasy, collecting action figures and writing.