The Hope Table

Cancer survivor and advocate Dianne Callahan joins oncologist Dr. Reena Vora to share Dianne’s journey through aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma, relapse, and stem cell transplants. They discuss coping with uncertainty, finding support, and how advances in cancer care can offer hope.

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In this episode of The Hope Table, host Erin Brinker interviews Dr. Gina Soliman, Assistant Chief of Service in Geriatrics, Palliative, and Continuing Care at Kaiser Permanente San Bernardino. Drawing on both her professional experience and personal background as a cancer survivor and family caregiver, Dr. Soliman shares practical guidance on healthy aging, brain health, and dementia caregiving.

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On this episode of The Hope Table – Back-to-School Health with Dr. Marla Law Abrolat, we dig into what kids really need to start the school year strong: better sleep, predictable routines, healthier screen habits, and realistic expectations about grades and activities. Dr. Abrolat, a Kaiser Permanente pediatrician and medical school professor, shares practical tips on sleep hygiene, energy drinks, nutrition, anxiety, and why boredom and unstructured time are actually good for kids.

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On this episode of The Hope Table, Erin Brinker welcomes back Dr. Alex McDonald, sports and family medicine physician at Kaiser Permanente and former professional triathlete, for a practical conversation about staying healthy, active, and safe in the summer heat. They break down how to prevent heat exhaustion and heat stroke, why hydration and electrolytes are highly individual, and why everyone—regardless of skin tone—needs sunscreen. Dr. McDonald shares accessible guidance on summer nutrition (including the benefits of plant-forward, Mediterranean-style eating), safe swimming and beach practices for families, smart ways to train for hikes and outdoor adventures without injuring your joints, and how to balance exercise, sleep, stress, and fun. This episode is packed with clear, family-friendly tips to help listeners enjoy the sunshine while protecting their health.

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In this episode of The Hope Table, Erin Brinker sits down with Derrick Kreimann, U.S. Army veteran and founder/CEO of the U.S. Engineering League, to explore how a career in military signal intelligence evolved into a nationwide youth robotics movement. Derek shares powerful stories from Iraq, the life-changing moment that inspired his mission to serve students, and how competitive robotics and AI are opening doors for kids from all backgrounds. Discover why reading is still the ultimate superpower, how ethical AI use is being taught in real classrooms, and how schools and families can plug into free robotics opportunities that prepare kids for the future of work.

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What does it take to lead a modern high school while paving the way for the next generation of educators? In this episode of The Hope Table, host Erin Brinker sits down with Yvette Roman, the dynamic principal of Bloomington High School in Southern California. Roman shares insights into how Bloomington High—a PBIS Platinum and AVID National Demonstration School—is fostering an inclusive, safe, and academically rigorous environment for its 1,700 students through specialized pathways like business, engineering, and criminal justice (COPS). 

The conversation dives deep into the evolving landscape of education, highlighting how the school responsibly integrates AI tools like Google Gemini and Notebook LM while maintaining a core focus on critical thinking and face-to-face collaboration. Drawing from her own upcoming doctoral dissertation, Roman also discusses the critical role of the "AVID Tutor Experience" in shaping professional identity and strengthening the teacher retention pipeline. Tune in for an inspiring look at applied learning, educational evolution, and what it truly means to serve with purpose. 

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In this episode of The Hope Table, host Erin Brinker talks with psychiatrist Dr. Ashley Zucker of Kaiser Permanente Southern California about the emotional realities of the sandwich generation—adults caring for both their children and aging parents. They explore the shifting parent–child roles when an elder moves in, common emotions like anxiety, guilt, resentment, and grief, and how cultural expectations can intensify pressure on caregivers.

Dr. Zucker shares how these changes affect teens in the home, strain marriages, and trigger old family trauma, as well as what warning signs to watch for in both adults and adolescents. Together, they discuss setting boundaries with parents and kids, recognizing when home care is no longer safe, and why support groups and therapy can be lifesaving. The episode closes with practical, realistic strategies for self-care, modeling healthy coping for children, and giving yourself grace when you can’t “do it all.

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On this episode of The Hope Table, Erin Brinker sits down with colorectal cancer survivor Cynthia Hernandez and surgeon Dr. Joseph Ruan to talk about the diagnosis Cynthia never saw coming—found during a “check-the-box” colonoscopy with zero symptoms. They share how early screening saved her life, what actually happens during colon cancer surgery, and why so many younger adults are now at risk. Along the way, Erin explores how healing happens not just in hospitals, but around dinner tables and out in nature, and why we can’t afford to wait for a crisis to start truly living—and to start getting screened.

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In this episode of The Hope Table, host Erin Brinkersits down with Dr. Jeffrey Hsu, vascular surgeon with Kaiser Permanente, and his patient Phil Crawford, a survivor of a ruptured aortic aneurysm—an event that is often fatal. Dr. Hsu explains vascular health in down-to-earth “plumbing” terms, breaks down what aneurysms are, who’s at risk (especially older male smokers), and why screening and early detection matter.

Phil then shares his powerful, emotional story: a sudden onset of excruciating abdominal pain, an emergency 911 call, waking up weeks later from a medically induced coma with 111 staples and a new understanding of his own mortality. He talks about quitting tobacco, facing esophageal cancer a year later, and how family, faith, and sheer determination carried him through. Erin closes by reflecting on post-traumatic growth, advances in vascular medicine, and practical steps listeners can take right now to protect their own vascular health and truly “seize the day.”

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In this episode of The Hope Table, Erin Brinker sits down with designer and storyteller Teresa Bruno, founder of Jordan Alexander Jewelry and host of the Soul Talks podcast. Teresa shares how her jewelry line skyrocketed from a personal creative outlet to adorning Michelle Obama, then collapsed due to fraud—followed by the devastating loss of her husband to suicide early in the COVID-19 pandemic. She and Erin talk candidly about grief, shame, mental health, faith, and the power of community and self‑compassion. Out of this “impossible winter,” Teresa found the courage to begin again through her podcast and her forthcoming book, offering listeners practical hope for living alongside sorrow without being defined by it.

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