The Dream Chasers Podcast

Hosted by Samantha Ainsworth

Episode 11

Max Lorei

Photographer/Actor

Max Lorei is a photographer based in Pittsburgh, PA. His forte is dramatic bold visual engaging portrait work of and clean stunning headshots. Max has an extensive background in acting and modeling and this has helped him extensively in bringing out the mojo and great expressions from his clients. You can find his work at Loreauxphotography.com and his headshots at maxlorei.com. The best way to book a session is reaching out at 8148813718 or [email protected]

Harlem by Langston Hughes

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?

Or fester like a sore— And then run?

Does it stink like rotten meat?

Or crust and sugar over— like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

The Dream Chasers Podcast

Hosted by Samantha Ainsworth

Episode 10

Michelle Balfe

Michelle M Balfe, CI CT NIC

ASL English Interpreter for 30+ years

Adjunct Instructor for 25 years

Academic Advisor at CCAC for 2 years

Health & Wellness Coach for Oola the Mind & Body Company for 4 years

Wife, mom, sister, aunt. Dog mom to 2 crazy Labradors

Chaser of dreams for a long ass time.

30 years deep into an interpreting career took me from Akron, OH to Anchorage, Alaska to

Pittsburgh. I have interpreted more than a few Broadway shows – Chorus Line, and Jersey Boys

(twice) are favorites. Stand-up comedians Jerry Seinfeld, and Lisa Lampanelli. Speakers Dr. Maya

Angelou, and Sir Edmund Hilary. Countless politicians. Musicians like Steven Curtis Chapman, Josh

Groban, Tyrone Wells, and JT Hodges.

Currently, I process video relay phone calls for the FCC and holy hell have I seen / heard some

shit during these calls. 11 years of processing phone calls could fill a book. I even have a title for it “I

Couldn’t Make This Shit Up” I may write it when I’m 90.

I teach the process of interpreting at CCAC not ASL, I leave that to the Deaf community to do. I

teach what to do with ASL after you have a firm grasp of the language. I train future interpreters best

practices, help them decide what kind of interpreting best suits them – educational, medical,

theatrical, political, legal, etc.

I also teach College Seminar for CCAC. All the shit you wish someone would have told you

before you started college. I help them answer 3 questions: what do you want to be when you grow

up, who can best educate you for that purpose, and how do you do it without going broke or crazy?

Being a teacher and motivator at heart lead me to becoming a Coach. Oola helped me find a

life of health and wellness from the inside out. I followed the Oola framework for a year on my own.

One of the founders, Dave Braun, emailed me and asked if I’d be interested in being a Coach. I said

no, because I was committed to offering certified interpreters workshops every month for the entire

year. Dave knew nothing about interpreting, but he knows workshops. He emailed me every month or

6 weeks or so to ask how it was going and how he could help. He wanted nothing from me, he just

wanted to help me succeed. Creating materials is time consuming and expensive. Oola framework

aligned with my training philosophy, and their materials are top notch. In January 2020, I became a

Certified Oola Coach.

Dream Chasing, to me, means taking my gifts and talents and building a balanced life of purpose.

Finding a purpose and impacting the world with it IS the chase and the dream, therefore, changes.

I always say 2 things:

1) I can change the world in 10 minutes.

2) they (you Samantha!) could write a bad B flick about my life.

Harlem by Langston Hughes

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?

Or fester like a sore— And then run?

Does it stink like rotten meat?

Or crust and sugar over— like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

A multi-talented award winning storyteller with over twenty-five years of experience as a producer, director, writer, director of photography and editor, PJ Gaynard has a BFA in Film, Video, and Animation from Rochester Institute of Technology and an MA in Humanities/Humanistic Studies from CalState Northridge. Recently his work has included a strong bend toward community filmmaking. You can learn more about PJ Gaynard at https://www.goatmilkfudgeproductions.com/

Dreams take on many forms. As a society, we often focus solely on the results of goal-setting an dream chasing and not the journey itself. Because of this, many folks are shy about talking about their Big Fat Dreams until they achieve them. BUT what if we simply celebrate the journey TOWARDS the dream? The journey is often overlooked but can truly be the life-changing event... even more so that the realized dream. In each episode, we will discuss a new dream, an old dream, a realized dream, or perhaps a dream that didn't turn out the way we expected.

Harlem by Langston Hughes

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?

Or fester like a sore— And then run?

Does it stink like rotten meat?

Or crust and sugar over— like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

The Dream Chasers Podcast hosted by Samantha Ainsworth Episode 8 Bess Stillman Bess Stillman is an emergency physician and writer. Her newsletter, Everything Is An Emergency, explores themes of health, cancer, love, resilience, and also answers reader healthcare questions. You can read her work at bessstillman.substack.com. She writes with her husband, Jake Seliger, whose essays can be found at JakeSeliger.com Dreams take on many forms. As a society, we often focus solely on the results of goal-setting an dream chasing and not the journey itself. Because of this, many folks are shy about talking about their Big Fat Dreams until they achieve them. BUT what if we simply celebrate the journey TOWARDS the dream? The journey is often overlooked but can truly be the life-changing event... even more so that the realized dream. In each episode, we will discuss a new dream, an old dream, a realized dream, or perhaps a dream that didn't turn out the way we expected. Harlem by Langston Hughes What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore— And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over— like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode?

As a Magee-Women's-born Pittsburgh native who loves to travel, Laura has yo-yo-ed across the country and though she is currently settled in Harmony, one of the dreams she is chasing is to end up in Homer, Alaska. In the meantime, she is growing her clinic of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine and loving both the successes and the challenges that come with business ownership. Growing up in a family of pioneering spirits on both sides in fields ranging from social justice work to computing technology, Laura has always had the sense that she was meant to do something impactful, but has never had a specific sense of what. She and her brother were unschooled since elementary school, which preserved her curiosity and honed her ability to self-direct, so chasing her dreams has often meant just taking the next step toward whatever felt open and exciting. At this point, that looks like growing a successful and well-respected clinic of East Asian medicine; but Laura is excited to see what other dreams evolve out the next steps she takes.

Dreams take on many forms. As a society, we often focus solely on the results of goal-setting an dream chasing and not the journey itself. Because of this, many folks are shy about talking about their Big Fat Dreams until they achieve them. BUT what if we simply celebrate the journey TOWARDS the dream? The journey is often overlooked but can truly be the life-changing event... even more so that the realized dream. In each episode, we will discuss a new dream, an old dream, a realized dream, or perhaps a dream that didn't turn out the way we expected.

Harlem by Langston Hughes

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?

Or fester like a sore— And then run?

Does it stink like rotten meat?

Or crust and sugar over— like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

Bruce Story-Camp is a Pacific Northwest native who has found himself hiding out in Pittsburgh for nearly decade. Formerly an elementary teacher, he is now a continuing educator in accessible technology for the blind. He has also helped his wife run their soap business, Pip & Lola’s, since they started in Seattle, WA. Admittedly, Bruce calls himself a hack in most things. Apart from education, he has spent most of his life being a singer, an actor, and the primary cook in his family. Not formally trained in anything (except anthropology and education), he is a big believer in just going out and figuring out how to do the things that you want to do. Just have fun if it’s supposed to be fun, and try not to blow yourself up if it’s home improvement. Thankfully the house has never burned down or flooded, and now he has a few more skills to use later. Bruce has been with his fantastic wife, Samantha (quite possibly the very same host of this podcast) for nearly 14 years. He considers himself quite lucky to be able to be her strongest supporter and cheerleader as she continues her quest to follow the path of Mark Ruffalo (minus the green body paint and CGI).

Dreams take on many forms. As a society, we often focus solely on the results of goal-setting an dream chasing and not the journey itself. Because of this, many folks are shy about talking about their Big Fat Dreams until they achieve them. BUT what if we simply celebrate the journey TOWARDS the dream? The journey is often overlooked but can truly be the life-changing event... even more so that the realized dream. In each episode, we will discuss a new dream, an old dream, a realized dream, or perhaps a dream that didn't turn out the way we expected. Harlem by Langston Hughes What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore— And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over— like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode?

Steve Rudzinski (Director/ Co-writer) knew he wanted to be a director ever since he saw Army of Darkness at the age of 12. Ever since then he has done everything he can to learn as much about filmmaking as possible. He started making short films in high school, poor features post graduation, and in 2011 finally started his true career with the release of The Slasher Hunter. Since then he has directed a film a year on average. He is MOST known for the CarousHELL Trilogy (2016-2023), Amityville Christmas Vacation (2022), Shingles the Movie (2023), and the Meowy Chronicles (2017-2020). Several of these have been picked up for world-wide distribution and have graced store shelves, cable, and online VOD. Dreams take on many forms. As a society, we often focus solely on the results of goal-setting an dream chasing and not the journey itself. Because of this, many folks are shy about talking about their Big Fat Dreams until they achieve them. BUT what if we simply celebrate the journey TOWARDS the dream? The journey is often overlooked but can truly be the life-changing event... even more so that the realized dream. In each episode, we will discuss a new dream, an old dream, a realized dream, or perhaps a dream that didn't turn out the way we expected. Harlem by Langston Hughes What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore— And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over— like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode?

Rob Falce is the current mayor of Munhall Pennsylvania. He holds a Bachelors degree in Communications from the University of Pittsburgh. Before working at Allegheny County Department of Court Records, he worked at Mellon Bank for 14 years,. He has been Mayor for the last 20 months. Prior to that he served on Munhall's Borough Council for 16 years.

As Mayor, Falce started Munhall CARES and the high school Mayors liaison program. He works closely with the schools and boy and girl scout program, is a proud advocate for the Carnegie Library of Homestead, initiated the Ask Mayor Falce Facebook page to answer constituents question and works closely with the State Representative and State Senator.

Falce is President of the Allegheny County Boroughs Association, and is on the Board of Directors for the Allegheny League of Municipalities. He is currently in the beginning stages of starting an Allegheny County Mayors Association.

His motto is working for Munhall for a better tomorrow.

Laura Irene Young has been a writer, director, and actor for many years. Favorite acting credits include Julie in After Miss Julie, Marian Paroo in The Music Man, and Lorraine in Bubble Boy. A lover of odd contracts, Laura Irene Young also performed as a jellyfish, in an Amish Musical, and as a zombie apocalypse survivor. Laura Irene Young co-directed the 2022 season of Hershey Park Dark Nights and directs a local elementary school musical featuring over 125 children every year. She has written a children's book series, The Dapper Adventures, based on her dog. Dapper teaches kids how to live with anxiety and still go on adventures. Laura is currently writing a few more shows that will soon see the light of day. www.lauraireneyoung.com