Steady State Podcast

By Steady State NetworkSociety & Culture Sports Health & Fitness

Steady State Podcast episodes

January 19, 2025 S6E2: Blind Sculler Kate Lindgren Can See What's Possible
When Kate Lindgren and award-winning coach Peter Forrest met at Peterborough City Rowing Club, it came with more than a few firsts for these two Brits. While they were both self-proclaimed “late onset rowers" – learning to row later in life – neither could have expected the partnership and bond they’ve forged.
Inspired by Kate, whose blindness doesn’t even come close to impeding her rowing in a single, together they are the brains and brawn behind Row the Rhythm, a ground-breaking initiative designed specifically for visually impaired rowers across England.

QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Intro
01:55 - The Huddle
04:35 - Rowing Week: 1-10
05:45 - A brief history of PCRC’s purpose-built rowing lake
07:45 - The Hot Seat Q&A
09:16 - Rowing origin stories: Pete needed a knee-friendly sport; walking and cycling no longer “cut the mustard” for Kate
13:15 - Kate’s retinitis pigmentosa and learning to feel the stroke
17:00 - Mind mapping your stroke
22:35 - Developing the logistics, trust, and respect for a successful blind rower/coach partnership
27:17 - Pete’s philosophy: coach the rower in front of you
30:43 - Row the Rhythm, with support from Love Rowing, is bringing rowing to visually impaired athletes across England
39:41 - Pete: British Rowing Inclusive Coach of the Year 2024
40:48 - Advice to clubs on integrating visually impaired athletes
43:36 - Describing the perfect stroke
44:24 - Steady State Network news and notes
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To see photos of Kate and Pete, and get links to the people, clubs, and organizations mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
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SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE BY DONATING TO ALLIES WITH OARS: www.steadystatenetwork.com/allieswithoars
Check out more Steady State Network here:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
Connect on FB and IG with Tara at @CmonBarber, and Rachel at @RowSource
48 min
January 04, 2025 S6E1 - Behind the Lens: Row2k Founder Ed Hewitt
In 1997, just 36% of adults went online. Websites from this era were known as "Web 1.0." Google didn’t exist yet. And a guy with information to share about Eastern Sprints decided to cobble together some HTML and get the word out. And so, row2k.com was born.
Twenty seven years later, founder and owner Ed Hewitt joins us to talk about how his own rowing journey – from Atlantic CIty High School, to Columbia University rower and coach, to 7x National Team member – influenced the development and success of Row2k, one of the most visited rowing-related websites in the world.
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QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Intro
01:45 - Rowing Week on a scale of 1 to 10
02:10 - The Huddle
03:13 - The Hot Seat Q&A
09:05 - Rowing origin story: Football player convinced by “clowns” to row
13:01 - Walking on at Columbia
14:27 - Being young and driven: developing the new women’s program at Columbia in the 1980s
21:31 - Launching Row2k with HTML and chutzpah
24:33 - Row2k as archive, scrapbook, news source; and the people behind the scenes
28:34 - On being a Row2k photographer
30:30 - Row2k galleries mold rowers perceptions of themselves, their crews
34:06- Brutal Row2k message boards of the 1990s
35:54 - The necessity of watermarks on photos (aka stop stealing from Row2k)
38:10 - Just how many shots do Row2k photographers take at a regatta?
39:20 - Surviving the dot.com bubble
40:50 - Supporting, engaging with, and being a part of the rowing community
44:22 - Steady State Network news and notes
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To see photos of Ed, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
.
Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
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SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE BY DONATING TO ALLIES WITH OARS: www.steadystatenetwork.com/allieswithoars
Check out more Steady State Network here:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
Connect with Tara at @CmonBarber, and Rachel at @RowSource
50 min
December 07, 2024 S5E25: No Water? No Problem. Rower and Trainer Cassi Niemann Thrives in Albuquerque
Like many athletes sidelined by injury, Cassi Niemann turned to rowing to see what her body could handle. After walking on as a freshman, she found strength in the community her Georgia Tech crew provided.
Cassi never could have known then that her trajectory was about to drastically change. Nearly 30 years later, Cassi’s resume is packed with coaching experience and training certs. She's the lead UCanRow2 Master Rowing Instructor with Concept2. She’s also a competitive power lifter and the owner of CASstrong, where she blends rowing with her expertise as a strength coach.
Cassi not only helps indoor rowers improve their skills and confidence on the machine, but also trains other coaches to effectively integrate rowing into a variety of fitness settings.
We got to talk to Cassi about indoor rowing, lifting, and creating sustainable training habits for health, confidence, and community.
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Want a training program that combines strength and rowing?
Check out BarbellMedicine.com and use code CASSI10 for a discount.
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QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Intro
01:38 - Rowing Week: 1-10
02:42 - The Huddle
03:20 - The Hot Seat Q&A
04:53 - Rowing origin story: walking on at Georgia Tech brought community and a focus for success as a student athlete
09:45 - First coaching gig: Georgia Tech novices
12:30 - Developing a coaching style, influences
16:13 - Transition from collegiate rowing to masters rowing
18:18 - Bootcamps, powerlifting, and CrossFit
21:37 - UCanRow2 training verification, coaching other coaches, and talking about indoor rowing without talking about rowing on the water
29:18 - Setting yourself up for winter fitness success with: BAM (bare ass minimum), RAD (really awesome day), auto-regulation
33:58 - Barbell Medicine rowing + strength training program
39:29 - Cassi’s “original domino piece” - the thing that's gonna catapult someone into making more changes with just one change
42:15 - Outro
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To see photos of Cassi, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
.
Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE BY DONATING TO ALLIES WITH OARS: www.steadystatenetwork.com/allieswithoars
Check out more Steady State Network here:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
Connect with Tara at @CmonBarber, and Rachel at @RowSource
46 min
November 23, 2024 S5E24: Asheville's Rebel Rowing Set to Make a Comeback
In 2024, Rebel Strength and Rowing was named to Entrepreneur magazine’s list of the top 150 independently owned and operated small businesses in the United States. Then in late September – like hundreds of other businesses in Asheville, NC – it was inundated by the flood waters of Hurricane Helene.
In this episode, we talk with owner Adam Smith, and member Jason Mogen, about founding a small business, growing meaningful community, and sustaining it all through incredibly challenging times.
EPISODE QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Intro
02:00 - The Huddle
04:23 - The Hot Seat Q&A
12:15 - Rowing Week: 1-10
14:32 - Brain surgery, a new perspective on life, and founding Rebel Row
20:03 - Growing the Rebel community and the non-sales pitch pitch
19:55 - Processing the reality of Hurricane Helene
33:45 - Post-hurricane recovery
39:21 - Training non-rowers to use the erg as a conditioning tool
42:56 - Looking forward to getting back to Rebel Row
45:20 - How you can help small businesses in Asheville
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To see photos of Adam and Jason, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, iCrew, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE BY DONATING TO ALLIES WITH OARS: www.steadystatenetwork.com/allieswithoars
Check out more Steady State Network here:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
Connect with Tara at @CmonBarber, and Rachel at @RowSource
54 min
November 09, 2024 S5E23: Nermine Khenefar - COVID, Kilimanjaro, and Crew
Ever dreamed of rowing on the Nile? Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro? Competing in the World Rowing Indoor Championship?
Egyptian Nermine Khenefar found rowing in her 40s when, winded on her ascent of Mt. Kilimanjaro, friend and explorer Omar Samra suggested she take up the sport to increase her aerobic capacity. After just a few years, Nermine is an avid masters rower and indoor rowing competitor who is seeking to row everywhere she travels and welcome visitors to row with her on the Nile in Cairo.
EPISODE QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode intro
01:38 - Nermine's rowing origin story
03:35 - Rowing Week 1-10: training for the 2025 World Rowing Indoor Championships
05:39 - The Hot Seat Q&A
09:24 - Competitive horse riding came to end with a knee injury
11:00 - Rowing as spiritual and sacred time
13:36 - Rowing provided renewed body confidence
14:31 - Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro on her 40th birthday
17:23 - Challenges of racing when there are so few masters women rowing in Cairo
22:53 - Flat water rowing on the River Nile, coastal rowing on the Red Sea
27:53 - Rowing bucket list
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To see photos of Nermine, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
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Follow us on Facebook and Instagram at @steadystatenetwork
36 min
October 20, 2024 S5E22: Fusing Innovation and Tradition at the Head of the Charles
Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, Mass. is one of the jewels in the rowing crown. In our annual homage to this mega rowing event, we meet the leadership that makes it happen – new HOCR Executive Director Tori Stevens, and Director of Racing Brendan Mulvey.
We find out their personal stories of involvement in sport, and what about this regatta attracts 12,000 athletes and a few hundred thousand spectators each year to the waters and banks of the Charles River.
EPISODE QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Intro
1:26 - Rachel and Tara talk personal HOCR histories
4:40 - Welcome to Tori Stevens and Brendan Mulvey
5:40 - Rowing Week on a scale of 1 to 10
05:57 - The Hot Seat Q&A
07:02 - Brendan's rowing origin story
08:05 - Tori’s life has always been infused with sport, including spectating HOCR as a college student
10:45 - HOCR is about racing, as well as community, tradition, reunion, and celebration
12:25 - What makes HOCR so unique?
14:50 - The importance of volunteers, from local regattas to HOCR’s 2000+ volunteer crew
19:45 - Tori’s onboaring as HOCR Executive Director, and continuing Fred Schoch’s legacy of balancing innovation, growth, and tradition
23:06 - Finding a new audience for HOCR using storytelling, the media, and technology to showcase rowing and help increase engagement and understanding for spectators
27:57 - Survivor Rowing Network and the exhibition Survivor Row
28:50 - Creating an inclusive envionment
30:38 - What’s not to be missed at HOCR: everything *else* to do at HOCR
33:52 - Getting Boston, and spectators, prepared for race weekend
35:54 - Brendan’s Race Director tip for all crews
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To see photos, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
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Follow us on Facebook and Instagram at @steadystatenetwork
43 min
October 12, 2024 S5E21: A Growing Network of Survivors Find Renewal on the Water
Kick off Breast Cancer Awareness Month with Beth Kohl, the President of Rowing Cares and Founder and Executive Director of Survivor Rowing Network; and rower, survivor and Pink Ribbon Row Seattle organizer Angie Gabel.
The Survivor Rowing Network is on a mission to create more opportunities for cancer survivors to row. Since launching in 2023, SRN has grown to 27 survivor rowing programs. This year, for the first time ever, the Head of the Charles regatta will host a Survivor Rowing Network event, featuring 11 women’s 8s, all of them breast cancer survivors!
EPISODE QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Intro
01:40 - The Huddle
03:20 - Rowing Week on a scale of 1 to 10
06:38 - The Hot Seat Q&A
08:32 - Beth’s height caught the attention of the Smith College rowing coach
11:57 - Beth’s tall children followed in her rowing footsteps
13:46 - Angie found rowing after a divorce and move to Austin, TX
18:58 - Angie’s rowing community got her through breast cancer treatment and recovery
19:59 - Angie’s motivation to create Pulling for Pink, and involvement with Row for the Cure, Pink Ribbon Row
21:57 - Angie’s return to rowing at Head of the Charles
24:46 - Pink Robbin Row by the numbers
25:44 - How Survivor Rowing Network learned lessons from its predecessors, and became a successful grant-making organization
30:15 - First-ever Survivor Row event at Head of the Charles
32:32 - Survivor rows, survivor programs, and creating community
34:54 - Outro
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To see photos of the Beth and Angie, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
.
Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
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Follow us on FB and IG at @steadystatenetwork
39 min
September 28, 2024 S5E20: Finding a Deeper Connection to the Water with Coastal Rowing
Once upon a time, way back in 2020, we thought of rowing in a very particular way: flat water, racing shells, and seeking the perfect stroke. As coastal rowing and beach sprints has gained some traction here in the U.S., we’ve broadened our understanding and definition of rowing to bring these disciplines into the conversation, too.
On balance, coastal has probably tipped the scales of our conversation in 2024 as we trained for and participated in Race Around the Rock a coastal circumnavigation of Salt Spring Island in British Columbia. If you’re a tried and true flat water rower, thanks for exploring these new ideas about rowing right along with us!
In case you missed it, the 2024 World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals were held September 13-15 in Genoa, Italy and Team USA brought home 3 Gold and 1 Silver medal.
Joining us to talk about the rise of coastal rowing and beach sprints are Team USA head coach Marc Oria, and rower Pearl Outlaw, a member of the first ever pararowing women’s quad.
QUICK LOOK
02:10 - The Huddle
03:15 - Welcome
05:18 - Rowing Week 1-10
07:32 - The Hot Seat Q&A
15:54 - A degenerative eye disease impacted Pearl’s sight; learning to row offered her an opportunity to participate in a sport
19:47 - Marc learned to row at age 12 in Spain, and ate humble pie at his first regatta
22:13 - Marc’s coaching career began with making sure little kids had fun, and he maintains that philosophy today
28:11 - A brief introduction to coastal endurance and beach sprints
31:43 - Pearl’s transition from flat water national team to coastal rowing
33:45 - Adaptive technology for vision impaired athletes
38:58 - Letting go of perfection and embracing chaos
40:49 - Next Level Rowing’s role in developing coastal and beach sprint athletes
44:33 - The first pararowing women’s quad
45:54 - Opportunities to get involved in coastal are sparse, but growing, in the U.S.
47:29 - Pearl’s pursuit of being a dual sport athlete, with success in nordic skiing and biathlon
52:15 - Pearl and Marc’s training, racing, and coaching goals for 2025
54:19 - Getting the ball rolling for Youth Olympic Games 2026, and LA Olympics 2028
57:43 - Outro
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To see photos of the Marc and Pearl, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
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Follow us on FB and IG at @steadystatenetwork
1 hr 1 min
September 14, 2024 S5E19: Allies with Oars Goes Coastal at Race Around The Rock
After six months of training, Steady State Network’s Allies with Oars’ first coastal – and first international – race is a wrap! Two Allies With Oars mixed 4x+ crews spent the better part of Aug. 25, 2024 circumnavigating an 88k course around Salt Spring Island in British Columbia, for Race Around the Rock, hosted by Salt Spring Island Rowing Club. We got a little bit of everything: flat water, rolling waves, eddies, boat wakes, seals, massive jellyfish, excitement at the start line, confidence, pain cave suffering, and elation at the finish line.
Post-race, and with beverages in hand, the team sat down together to relive some highlights (and low lights) and share what made the experience so meaningful.
Thanks to all our family and friends for volunteering to lend a hand throughout race weekend. We couldn’t have made it around this rock without you.
Thanks to our race sponsors: JL Racing, Live2Row Studios, and Racing Hands.

QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode Lead-In and Welcome
02:02 - Six months of training with Live2Row Studios
05:20 - Favorite part of the race
08:53 - Challenges of the race
14:45 - Imposter syndrome and getting hooked
16:36 - Race day success was only possible with a lot of help from teammates, friends, and family
20:55 - Race day firsts
22:25 - About the Allies with Oars initiative
26:25 - ”Thank yous”
28:46 - What’s up next for Allies?
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To see photos of the Allies with Oars crew, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Live2Row Studios, Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
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Follow us on FB and IG at @steadystatenetwork
35 min
August 31, 2024 S5E18: Club Spotlight - Salt Spring Island Rowing Club
As part of our semi-regular club spotlight series, we cross the northern border into British Columbia, Canada to learn more about Salt Spring Island Rowing Club. Steady State Network's own Allies with Oars crews were just on the island for the Club's 88k coastal rowing regatta – Race Around the Rock.
Meet Salt Spring Island Rowing Club head coach Stacey Mitchell, RAR race director Zoe Clark, and new(ish) master's sculler Michael Strumberger. Together they embody the enthusiasm, passion, and motivation necessary to build and sustain this small town rowing club.

QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode Lead-In and Welcome
01:55 - The Huddle
03:37 - Rowing Week on a scale of 1-10
06:40 - The Hot Seat Q&A
11:22 - Stacy’s LTR story started with a swimming injury
14:24 - Michael’s “very casual relationship with fitness” shifted when he decided to try the gym erg
17:18 - Zoe’s rowing journey started with gnarly hands from hours on the monkey bars
20:02 - Why keep coming back to rowing?
26:59 - Salt Spring Rowing Club is small and growing!
32:22 - SSI members
34:08 - A rowing morning on St. Mary’s Lake starts with a quiet trip down a dirt road
37:20 - Race Around the Rock
49:50 - SSN's Allies with Oars: ruffling feathers to push the boundary of “mixed” lineups
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To see photos of Stacy, Zoe, and Michael, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
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This episode was made possible in part by Live2Row Studios, Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
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Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
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Follow us on FB and IG at @steadystatenetwork
57 min