Host Brian Buckley interviews Kellea Miller, who grew up in Tahoe Vista and was familiar with the Western slope of the Sierra from visits to Victorian Christmas as a kid. Raised with 4 siblings by a devout Buddhist mom, a Russian Jew dad from New Jersey and a step-mom raised Catholic, she grew up with a wide perspective on the world. Spreading her wings to travel, live and work in areas like New York, the Bay Area and LA eventually led her back to the Sierras in Nevada County to finish her PhD dissertation and raise her kids. She received her PhD in Sociology from University of Wisconsin at Madison and holds degrees in Public Policy and Feminist Studies. Her work in international human rights spans the globe. (Her coworkers from around the world often remark that, for an American, she has a surprising amount of electricity and internet outages!) A passionate promoter of women’s rights, she connected with Community Beyond Violence in 2016 through their Crisis Intervention Training, joined the board in 2019 and became Board President in 2020. She is working to bring the dark truth of domestic and sexual violence out of the shadows and to increase the visibility of CBV in our community.

Host Keith Porter talks with Cindy Zuelsdorf, marketing professional, Founder of KoKoRo Marketing, and author. Video technology brought Cindy’s parents to Nevada County in the ‘80s, and after a couple of visits Cindy made it her home also. Marriage, a daughter, work at Sierra Mountain Coffee Roasters and Ensemble Designs preceded founding KoKoRo Marketing and writing 3 books on Marketing for small and medium-sized businesses. Her team now has many clients in the US and abroad, and her book, 7 Marketing Basics, is a number 1 seller in its category on Amazon. Cindy is very involved in the community, where she helped launch Girls Who Code, and participates in programs to provide assistance to others in need.

Host Keith Porter talks with Thomas Kanomata, MD, about his life growing up as a Japanese-Canadian, his extensive experience in Internal Medicine, his perspective on health care and his work as a front-line primary care physician during the most traumatic health crisis of our lifetimes.

Host Lori Burkart Frank introduces us to Scott Beesley, and the fascinating story of a kid from a Southeast Michigan town that doesn’t exist anymore who didn’t have a clue about what he was going to do when he grew up. An early job as a caddy at a golf club with a forged birth certificate contrasted with his modest background. Volunteering with the YMCA during college eventually led to a staff position. Time in Ft. Lauderdale and Minneapolis reinforced his desire to not live in a big city and be out of doors whenever possible. Visits to his ancestral land of Macedonia were part of his passion for adventure travel, including meeting his eventual wife a second unplanned time at the Taj Mahal. A move to Nevada County and a cute little yurt project on 19 “outback” acres eventually gave way to a move to “the city” of Grass Valley. Scott became a financial advisor in college and advises clients on socially responsible investing. Volunteering with South Yuba River Citizens League, Nevada County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue, the Center for Nonprofit Leadership and other community initiatives keeps him busy, happy and healthy.

Host Taylor Wolfe helps us with a deep dive into the life and times of Robin VanValkenburgh, who manages transit services....

Host Keith Porter helps us follow the journey of a young man from Sioux Falls, S.D. to Nevada City, with stops in Rapid City, Quincy Illinois and sojourns with several start-ups in Silicon Valley. A life-long love of music and radio led to volunteering at music festivals in the woods and finally the fateful move to become Chief Engineer for KVMR in 2012. Learn how his life was changed with a 12-step program, why Buzz believes radio is the utmost in communication, and why in his professional opinion KVMR is very special. 

Host Hollie Grimaldi Flores brings us an inside look at the life story of Jan Fishler. After graduation from Ohio University, she loaded her belongings into her VW Super Beetle and headed for San Diego. One of only a few women in the video production industry meant time  in San Francisco and Oakland, marriage, children and an eventual move to Nevada County and work with Grass Valley Group. A self-published memoir acted as a healing journey in her experience as an adoptee who sought information about her birth parents. Volunteer activities included lots of support for veterans, and a walk with her neighbor launched a collaborative effort to write “Don’t Stop Now: Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life.” She finds great pleasure in working with others teaching writing and hosting “drop in and write” sessions on Zoom. Her wish for our community is for people to stop shouting at each other and to learn how to listen and experience civil dialog. Her work is all summarized on her website, janfishler.com.

Host Lori Burkart Frank brings us the inside story of the life and times of Dick Law, realtor and co-founder of This Is Now Your Home (“TINY”), a nonprofit helping create small homes for unhoused folks in need. Raised in San Francisco and Marin County, Dick had a high school classmate named Robin Williams. After a short stint as a butcher, he moved into real estate and came to Nevada County in his early 20’s. Forty-some years later, Dick’s kids and grandkids are all part of our mountain community. With a lifetime of experience with the issues that can leave people without homes, Dick has become a strong advocate for housing for everyone. Helping unhoused folks develop the life skills necessary to maintain a home has become a major interest. TINY has just recently housed its first veteran in a tiny home they constructed, and is actively working with agencies in the community to remove obstacles and create many more opportunities to increase shelter for unhoused folks in our area. 

Host Taylor Wolfe leads our discovery into the life and adventures of photography instructor and environmental filmmaker Jeff Litton. Jeff’s work has been published in National Geographic  and many other environmental publications. Growing up in Nevada County, he attended Nevada Union High School where he got great ideas and inspiration about doing something you love and figuring out how to be paid for it. College in Santa Barbara and early work as a shipboard videographer gave him an environmental focus. The South Yuba River Citizens League’s Wild and Scenic Film Festival changed his life, sparking a passion for environmental stewardship and making environmental films. Patiently setting wildlife camera traps eventually resulted in exclusive footage of a wolverine in Nevada County. The proposed Centennial Dam on the Bear River brought Jeff’s filmmaking closer to home, where he filmed to support the local Nisenan tribe. A recent project chronicling the amazing accomplishments of the Bear Yuba Land Trust will soon be viewable. Learn how he came to be called “Gringo Loco” at the Galapagos Islands. A compilation of Jeff’s work can be viewed at UGENA.com and Instagram.com/jeff_litton.

Host Keith Porter draws us into the intriguing story of Optometrist, actor and community theater founder Lisa Moon. Lisa’s parents--daughter of a wealthy Chinese family and a poor American studying Chinese--met at a Chinese university and over the bride’s family’s objections, moved to the U.S. Growing up in San Francisco in a family that encouraged education meant an advanced degree was expected, and Lisa readily complied by gaining a Doctor Of Optometry degree from UC Berkeley. The student romance theme continued as she met and married fellow Optometrist Jerry Chan, and together they bought an Optometry practice in his hometown of Grass Valley. While busy operating and expanding their practice, Lisa took time out to become founding President and Artistic Director of CATS—Community Asian Theatre of the Sierra. She has recovered from a serious health issue that meant retirement from her practice, Chan Family Optometry, which is now operated by daughter Dr. Tiffany Chan, also a noted Optometrist. Lisa maintains an active involvement in CATS, and finds joy in acting, reading, baking and two young granddaughters.