Ojai: Talk of the Town

What makes a city fertile ground for creative reinvention? In this episode, we sit down with Fred Fisher, one of the architects immortalized in the iconic 1980 photograph on the sands of Venice Beach, and now a pillar of the Ojai community.

The photo, taken by Abe Pildas of Fisher, Robert Mangurian, Eric Owen Moss, Coy Howard, Craig Hodgetts, Thom Mayne, and Frank Gehry for Interiors Magazine, captured a very specific moment when LA, viewed as a backwater, was about to take its place among the front rank of cities for design and innovation, largely because of the work of these "rebel architects."

Fred was recently featured in Rebel Architects: From Venice to the World Stage, a new 12-part documentary hosted by Frances Anderton, revisiting those heady years in L.A. when low rents, maverick ambition, and cross-disciplinary collision yielded landmark architecture. World-Architects+2Archinect+2

In our wide-ranging conversation, we explore:

• What “place” means to a designer — and how 1970s–80s L.A. left indelible marks on its built environment

• The shift from being perceived as a cultural backwater to becoming a global arts hub

• Fred’s role in that transformation — creative risks, collaborative intensity, and surprising mistakes

• How his identity as an Ojai neighbor and arts advocate shapes his perspective today

This episode is for anyone curious about the alchemy of architecture, community, and time — and how one generation’s restless ambition becomes the foundation for the next. We did not talk about mahseer fishing in the Himalayas, jai alai or the literary stylings of Nelson Algren.

Tune in and step into that moment with us. Check out the documentary at https://www.world-architects.com/en/architecture-news/film/watch-the-first-episode-of-rebel-architects and learn more about Fred and his works at FisherPartners.net.

On this episode of Ojai Talk of the Town, I sit down with composer, songwriter, and sound designer Stephen Geering — whose music you’ve likely heard even if you haven't heard his name. Growing up in a deeply musical family (his mother, Jenny, was a concert pianist and teacher), Stephen began his musical education at age seven, learning piano and classical music in Chicago and Ravinia.In Geer Music

From there, he forged a path that spans studio albums, video game scoring, commercial work, and soundtrack composition. After postgraduate studies in scoring at UCLA under Don Ray, his original songs began to draw attention, which opened doors to composing for television, commercials, and ultimately the booming world of interactive gaming.In Geer Music+2IMDb+2

We dive into his time creating music for major studios and game publishers, his creative process when shifting between musical genres and media formats, and how he maintains artistic identity in commercial work. Stephen also shares how he and his wife Dawn — an attorney — chose Ojai as home, and how they became involved in nurturing music education and youth programs such as the Ojai Music Festival's Bravo! Program with their daughter.

We talk of ambition and adaptation, of composing as storytelling, and of the joys and challenges of being both a commercial and personal artist. We did not talk about new discoveries at Pompeii, Germanic diphthongs or Czech nymph fishing.

He also also offers sound (sorry, couldn't resist) for young people seeking a career in music. If you’ve ever wondered how a musician builds a life out of sound, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss. To learn more about Stephen and his fascinating career, point your browser to ...

https://www.ingeermusic.com/about.html

This week on Ojai Talk of the Town, I sit down with Brian and Lisa Berman, two longtime Ojai residents whose life together has been devoted to peace, reconciliation, and healing.

Their journey began in Germany at a Holocaust memorial event: Brian, a sculptor who lost family to the Holocaust, and Lisa, a German citizen searching for ways to understand and repair her nation’s history, met in that powerful moment of remembrance. From there, their partnership became a shared mission.

As co-founders of Awakening Peace, the Bermans have spent decades fostering dialogue, compassion, and creative solutions to conflict. In recent years, their work took them to Poland, where they lived during the height of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, supporting refugees and promoting peace initiatives in a country on the edge of war. They’ve also carried their message to global conferences and workshops — from Hiroshima to international peace councils — building bridges where division has sown pain.

In this episode, Brian shares how his sculpture embodies resilience and remembrance, while Lisa talks about her work as a naturopathic healer and counselor, helping individuals and communities find inner resources for peace. Together, their story is a reminder that healing history and shaping a more compassionate future are possible when art, spirit, and activism unite.

We did not talk about the Wannsee Conference, Rommel and Montgomery in Northern Africa, or the Great Swift-Kelce Convergence. Check out https://awakeningpeace.org to keep up-to-date with the Bermans.

It's a deep and inspiring conversation - a perfect antidote for the low simmer of nihilism and pessimism so prevalent today.

Brian and Lisa Berman’s story begins in one of the darkest chapters of human history and arcs toward a lifelong dedication to healing and peace. Brian, an award-winning sculptor whose relatives perished in the Holocaust, and Lisa, a German citizen struggling to reconcile her country’s past, first met at a memorial event in Germany. That moment of shared reckoning became the foundation of a partnership that has spanned decades and continents.

Together, they founded Awakening Peace, an organization devoted to cultivating compassion, reconciliation, and community. From their years living in Ojai to their time on the ground in Poland helping Ukrainian refugees, the Bermans have worked where peace is most urgently needed. They recently traveled to Hiroshima for the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing, carrying their message of remembrance and resilience to the global stage.

In this episode, we talk about their lives in Ojai, their international peace work, and the deep connection between art, healing, and humanity. We did not talk about the Ojai Studio Artists Tour Oct. 11-13, the Storytelling Festival, Oct. 23-26 or the Ojai Film Festival, Nov. 6-10.

For more information on the Bermans, or to help their cause, visit AwakeningPeace.org.

What happens when you give young adults leaving foster care more than just a roof over their heads? At Mesa Farm on Ojai’s East End, the answer is dignity, stability, and a real chance at self-sufficiency.

With ten tiny homes nestled among citrus orchards, vegetable plots, and honeybee hives, Mesa Farm is more than a facility — it’s a launchpad. Residents, ages 18–24, gain practical skills like interviewing, résumé building, and financial literacy while also tending the land and connecting with a supportive community of staff and volunteers.

In just its first year, Mesa Farm has already celebrated success stories: young people transitioning off the property into jobs and independent lives. The stakes couldn’t be higher — nationally, more than half of foster youth face homelessness when they age out of the system.

In this episode of Ojai Talk of the Town, I sit down with Dan Parziale, Mesa Farm’s executive director, for his second appearance on the podcast. We talk about the progress made in year one, the challenges ahead, and why Ojai is uniquely positioned to nurture a brighter future for some of our most vulnerable young neighbors.

We did not talk about tensions in the Nagorno-Karakh region, Canadian exchange rates or Jimmy Kimmel.

You can check out more about Mesa at https://www.mesafarm.org/

Isaac and Thorald Koren — known to many as The Kin—spent decades chasing the bright lights of the music industry. They toured the world, opened for Coldplay, P!NK, and Rod Stewart, and signed with major labels. But along the way, they discovered that the most powerful stage isn’t a stadium — it’s the human heart.

In this episode of Ojai Talk of the Town, the Brothers Koren share the story behind their upcoming album, The Long Way Home, out this October. (Listen through the end of the episode for a sneak listen to the title track.)

They also reflect on the moment they stepped away from the traditional industry grind to launch The Songwriter’s Journey and Your Big Voice — transformational programs designed to help anyone reclaim their authentic expression through music.

From boardrooms at Google and AMEX to retreat centers like Esalen and Omega, Isaac and Thorald have guided thousands of voices — from shy first-timers to seasoned executives —i nto a deeper relationship with creativity and self-worth. Along the way, they’ve become award-winning educators, Webby-recognized creators, and champions of a voice-positive world.

Join us for a conversation about music, transformation, and what it really means to “take the long way home.” We did not talk about our favorite Food Tubers, the Shepherd Tone or Julian Jaymes' theory of the bicameral mind.

To learn more about their transformative work, check out BrothersKoren.com

How does a shy, artistic boy raised in a family of hard-bitten Jackson Hole cowboys become one of the world’s most insightful guides to India’s sacred and tribal arts?

In this episode of Ojai Talk of the Town, Dr. Stephen Huyler joins me to talk about his extraordinary new book, Transformed by India: A Life — his seventh, but the first to tell his own story. Huyler recounts growing up in Ojai as the son of Thacher School’s legendary horseman, "Uncle" Jack Huyler, and the pivotal moment when artist Beatrice Wood recognized his kindred spirit and nudged him toward India. That chance encouragement led to a lifetime of scholarship, deep friendships with Indian artists and tribal communities, and a career bridging East and West.

We talk about his early encounters — from leading a beloved horse to its burial pit as a boy, to pedaling a rickshaw across the Indian border on his 20th birthday — and how those experiences forged a life of empathy, resilience, and wonder. Along the way, Huyler shares how India’s remarkable generosity reshaped his own sense of self, and why its arts and crafts remain vital expressions of humanity today.

Transformed by India has already earned acclaim in India, the UK, and the U.S., with a foreword by the Dalai Lama and an audiobook version narrated by Huyler himself. Join us for a conversation about art, identity, rebellion, and the redemptive power of culture.

We did not talk about cooking with scallion oil, William F. Buckley Jr. or the Brewers-Cubs rivalry. For more information, check out Dr. Huyler's website at https://stephenhuyler.com/

Emmy-winning director and producer Mimi Leder joins Ojai Talk of the Town to talk about the fourth season of Apple TV+’s The Morning Show, premiering September 17. Leder, the show’s creator and executive producer, takes us behind the scenes of one of television’s most talked-about dramas — where the personal battles of anchors, producers, and executives mirror the seismic shifts shaking our real-world culture.

We discuss how this season tackles some of today’s most urgent issues: the rise of artificial intelligence, the growing influence of the manosphere, the struggle of legacy media to stay relevant, and the high-stakes games of corporate ambition. Leder shares insights into the show’s complex characters — whether it’s Jennifer Aniston’s Alex Levy navigating power and vulnerability, Reese Witherspoon’s Bradley Jackson searching for truth in a world of spin, or Jon Hamm’s Paul Marks embodying the allure and danger of tech billionaires.

Leder also opens up about the intensity of bringing these themes to life on set, and how her time in Ojai has been a welcome sanctuary to recover and reflect after grueling shooting schedules. What emerges is a portrait of an artist at the top of her game — using story not just to entertain, but to hold a mirror up to America’s shifting cultural landscape.

If you’re a fan of The Morning Show or fascinated by how art and entertainment capture our collective anxieties and hopes, this conversation is not to be missed. (Note: We did not talk about Anacapa Island spearfishing, Hoyt Wilhelm's knuckleball or the throat singers of the Tuvan.

Keep up with The Morning Show at https://tv.apple.com/us/show/the-morning-show/umc.cmc.25tn3v8ku4b39tr6ccgb8nl6m

1. Los Angeles’ most famous cat changed how the world sees urban wildlife. In this episode, Beth Pratt, California Regional Executive Director for the National Wildlife Federation and leader of the #SaveLACougars campaign— joins me to talk about P-22’s extraordinary life, humane euthanasia in 2022, and how his story is reshaping conservation far beyond Griffith Park. National Wildlife Federation+1California Fish and Wildlife

Beth explains what we learned from P-22’s final exam and necropsy, why officials made the call they did, and what it means for aging predators navigating city edges. We also dig into practical tips for safe wildlife encounters here in Ojai; how to avoid “acting like prey,” what to do if you meet a lion on the trail, and why the real risk is usually lower than people think. California Fish and WildlifeUC Davis School of Veterinary MedicineCBS News

Looking forward, Beth updates us on the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing over the 101, designed to reconnect the Santa Monica Mountains with critical habitat, reduce roadkill, and restore genetic flow for lions, bobcats, deer, and more. She also tells why corridors like this matter for every community, Ojai included. We talk migration pathways, backyard habitat, and how listeners can help build a landscape where people and predators both thrive. Caltranssmmc.ca.gov

Whether you loved P-22 for the Hollywood-sign photo or for the conversations he sparked, Beth’s perspective is a masterclass in coexistence — and a roadmap for keeping wild neighbors wild. We did not talk about radiometric discoveries about the Great Pyramids, Lake Nile perch populations or the Milwaukee Brewer's surprising success.

In this episode of Ojai: Talk of the Town, I ride along with Dr. Christina Sisk and her dedicated vet-tech crew from the Ventura County Humane Society on their mobile spay-neuter clinic. Our destination: a homeless encampment in Oxnard, where veterinary care can mean the difference between a pet thriving or suffering.

Dr. Sisk shares her journey from growing up a farm girl with a deep bond to animals, to competing as an equestrienne in college, and ultimately to leading community-focused programs that go beyond the clinic walls. We talk about the Humane Society’s innovative Pets for Life program, which connects underserved pet owners with resources, supplies, and ongoing care — meeting them where they are, both literally and figuratively.

It’s a conversation about service, trust, and the quiet but transformative power of showing up for those who need it most, whether they walk on two legs or four.

We did not talk about cast-iron cookery, Napoleon's 100 Days or the fascist comedy of Frank Fay.

Check out the Humane Society's "clear the shelter" adoption-fee free event on August 23rd at https://www.hsvc.org/