To Hum is Human

Have you ever looked up at the night sky and wondered about our place in this vast universe? I've always found something both humbling and comforting about the stars. They remind me how small we are in the grand scheme of things, yet how extraordinary it is that we're here at all.

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Salman Hameed, an astronomer, educator, and science communicator whose passion for the cosmos began as a young boy growing up in Karachi, Pakistan. Inspired by Carl Sagan's Cosmos, Salman went on to pursue a PhD in astronomy, not necessarily to make the next great discovery, but to share his love of science and inspire curiosity in others.

Salman is the founder and CEO of Kainaat Studios, a nonprofit creating engaging astronomy content for audiences in Pakistan and throughout the Global South. He's also an associate faculty member with the Five College Astronomy Department in Massachusetts, where his interdisciplinary research explores the relationship between science, culture, and society. You may recognize him from his weekly astronomy conversations on New England Public Media or his appearances on WHMP's Talk the Talk with Bill Newman. His writing has appeared in Science, The Guardian, Dawn, and The Express Tribune.

We explore Salman's early fascination with the stars, how astronomy can change our understanding of time and our place in the universe, and why scientific curiosity is so important in our everyday lives. We also venture into some fascinating territory about the intersection of science and culture, the history of astrology, and the ethical questions surrounding humanity's future on the Moon.

One of my favorite moments was hearing Salman describe how taking out the garbage has become an almost transcendent experience for him. He pauses to look at the stars and imagines the incredible distances their light has traveled to reach us. I love the idea that something so ordinary can become an opportunity to experience wonder. His perspective reminded me that we don't need a telescope or a degree in astronomy to appreciate the mysteries around us. We just need to pay attention.

As Salman reminds us, "All you have to do is to actually look, pause and wonder."

✨ Whether you're fascinated by the cosmos, curious about science, or simply someone who enjoys contemplating life's bigger questions, I think you'll love this conversation!

▶️ Watch on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@ToHumIsHuman

🌐 www.sonorouslight.com

Follow along:
@tohumishuman
@sonorous.light555
@thisisdbc

What is it about live theater that can transport us into someone else's world, and perhaps change the way we see our own?

In this episode, I sit down with Talya Kingston, a playwright, dramaturg, director, producer, and educator who has spent much of her career bringing stories to life and helping other artists find their creative voices.

Talya's work has taken her to Capital Repertory Theatre, Berkshire Theatre Group, the New York Fringe Festival, and the Ko Festival. She's currently a producer and commissioned playwright with Plays in Place and an Artistic Advisor for the Play Incubation Collective. Previously, she served as Associate Artistic Director at WAM Theatre, taught theater at Hampshire College, and held educational leadership roles at Hartford Stage and New Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. She holds an MFA in Dramaturgy from UMass Amherst.

We explore Talya's early love of theater, her unexpected path into dramaturgy, and the fascinating process of turning an idea into a living, breathing performance. We also talk about intuition in the creative process, the importance of collaboration and deep listening, and how storytelling can challenge our assumptions and help us better understand one another.

One of my favorite parts of our conversation was hearing Talya describe how theater invites us to be fully present with a story—and with each other. In a world where we're constantly scrolling and moving on to the next thing, there's something powerful about sitting together and allowing ourselves to experience another person's perspective.

✨ Whether you're an artist, writer, theater lover, or simply someone who loves a good story, I think you'll enjoy this conversation!

▶️ Watch on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@ToHumIsHuman

🌐 www.sonorouslight.com

Follow along:
@tohumishuman
@sonorous.light555
@thisisdbc

What if our animals are communicating with us in ways we don’t always recognize?

In this episode, I sit down with Monica Rose, a psychic medium, animal communicator, and certified Angels and Ancestors Oracle Card reader.

Monica’s path into this work began through both love and loss, especially her relationship with her beloved dog, Ruby Rose. What began as a desire to better understand and support Ruby eventually led Monica to animal communication, mediumship, and a deeper understanding of the bonds we share with the animals in our lives.

We talk about what our animals may be trying to tell us, why certain behaviors can carry deeper meaning, how animals experience illness and transition, and what happens to our connection with them after they pass.

Monica also shares simple ways we can begin listening more deeply to our own animals, and why they may have just as much to teach us as we have to offer them.

This is such a heartfelt conversation about love, grief, intuition, and the sacred companionship of the animals who walk beside us. ❤️

✨ To Hum is Human
@tohumishuman
@sonorous.light555
@thisisdbc
www.sonorouslight.com

What if the thing standing between you and your next breakthrough isn’t more discipline, but deeper connection?

In this episode of To Hum is Human, I sit down with Molly Keehn, co-creator of CoJourn, a peer support and accountability framework built around a simple but powerful idea: we don’t have to do it alone.

Molly has spent more than 20 years working in social justice education and intergroup dialogue, helping people navigate conversations around race, identity, and difference with honesty and care. She holds a doctorate in Social Justice Education from UMass Amherst and is co-author of CoJourn: Harnessing the Power of Connection to Tune Into Your Wisdom, Achieve Your Goals and Create the Life You Want.

But our conversation goes far beyond accountability.

Molly shares how her own experience with anxiety and isolation led to the creation of CoJourn, why being witnessed can help us move through places where we feel stuck, and how learning to ask for support can be just as important as offering it.

And then there’s Golden Girls Bingo. 💛

Yes, bingo! Molly—aka “Molly Keehn the Bingo Queen”—also creates joyful community gatherings where people dress up, laugh, sing, play, and simply enjoy being together. What started as a love of bingo has become another expression of the same thread running through all of her work: creating spaces where people can connect.

One of my favorite takeaways from our conversation was Molly’s reminder that connection doesn’t always require a grand gesture. Sometimes it begins with a phone call, a smile at a stranger, asking someone for help—or simply letting another person know, I see you.

You can also view it on YouTube: @SonorousLight

Follow me on Instagram:
@sonorous.light555
@tohumishuman
@thisisdbc

Website: www.sonorouslight.com

What if learning a language wasn’t about memorizing more, but about learning to connect differently?

In this episode of To Hum is Human, I sit down with Tarek Nesreldin, an Arabic educator, dentist, and founder of ArabEase, a Cairo-based company that helps non-native speakers learn Arabic in a way that feels more natural, intuitive, and connected to real life.

Tarek didn’t originally set out to become a language teacher. He studied dentistry, following a path familiar to his family, but an unexpected exchange with a friend—Arabic lessons for English lessons—opened another door. What began informally grew into more than 6,000 hours of teaching and eventually became ArabEase.

His background in dentistry has shaped the way he teaches in a fascinating way. Instead of simply correcting a student’s mistake, Tarek wants to know why the mistake is happening in the first place. Where did the confusion begin? What is the student missing? Much like diagnosing a patient, he looks for the root cause and builds the learning experience from there.

We talk about why so many adults approach language learning with fear and perfectionism, and what changes when students are permitted to make mistakes. Tarek believes progress matters far more than perfection, and that learning should fit into a person’s actual life rather than feel like going back to school.

We also explore why learning Arabic is about so much more than vocabulary and grammar. Language carries humor, history, religion, gestures, emotion, and culture. Tarek shares the moving story of a student whose parents had left Egypt 50 years earlier. After learning Arabic, she returned to their old neighborhood and was able to speak with people who still remembered her family. In that moment, language became more than communication. It became a way home.

Tarek also shares why he teaches the Arabic alphabet in an unconventional order, how his students continually influence the evolution of his curriculum, and why he believes Arabic doesn’t have to feel inaccessible or intimidating.

At its heart, this conversation is about what happens when we stop treating language as something to master and begin experiencing it as something alive—a bridge to culture, identity, belonging, and one another.

Follow To Hum is Human on Instagram: @tohumishuman

Follow me on Instagram: @sonorous.light555 and @thisisdbc

Watch To Hum is Human on YouTube: @SonorousLight

Visit: www.sonorouslight.com

Have you ever stopped yourself from singing because you decided you “can’t sing”? Or walked away from a conversation wishing you had said what you really meant?

My guest, Aideen Ni Riada, believes these moments have more in common than we might think.

In Finding Your True Voice: Singing, Intuition, and the Confidence to Be Yourself, Aideen and I talk about the voice as something much deeper than sound. It carries our history, our confidence, our hesitation, and sometimes the places where we learned it was safer to stay quiet.

Aideen knows this journey personally. At 28, when someone asked about her dream, she answered, “I want to be a singer, but I can’t do that.” Hearing herself say those words made her realize that she was the first thing standing between herself and something she deeply wanted. She eventually returned to study jazz vocal performance and began exploring the connection between voice, psychology, intuition, and self-expression.

Today, Aideen brings together her background in psychological studies with voice mastery, intuitive listening, singing, mantra meditation, and embodied practice. She is the author of Discover Your True Value, host of the Resonate Podcast with Aideen, a singer and recording artist, and creator of the annual Voice Summit. At the heart of her work is helping women move beyond self-doubt, perfectionism, and over-giving so they can trust what they have to say.

We talk about the “voice wounds” we can carry from childhood, why singing can feel so vulnerable, how a song we’re drawn to can reveal something about us, and the subtle ways people-pleasing and holding back can actually show up in our voices. We also explore breath, deep listening, difficult conversations, and how singing can help us reconnect with parts of ourselves we may have quieted along the way.

One thing Aideen said really stayed with me: “The inner voice is the precursor to the outer voice.”

You can also watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SonorousLight

Instagram: @sonorous.light555 @tohumishuman @thisisdbc
Website: www.sonorouslight.com

What if the greatest divide between us isn't our differences, but our unwillingness to truly listen?

In this episode, I sit down with Jim Ault, an award-winning documentary filmmaker, author, and sociologist educated at Harvard and Brandeis whose life's work has been devoted to helping us better understand one another through storytelling.

Jim's acclaimed documentary Born Again and his award-winning book Spirit and Flesh offered an intimate look inside a fundamentalist Baptist church at a time of deep cultural division. Since then, his work has taken him around the world, documenting faith communities in Ghana and Zimbabwe and exploring how culture, spirituality, and lived experience shape the way we see ourselves and others.

Our conversation isn't about politics or religion as much as it is about something deeper: the courage to be curious. Jim shares how moving frequently as a child sparked his fascination with different cultures, why building trust is the foundation of every meaningful documentary, and how listening with genuine openness can dissolve assumptions we didn't even realize we carried.

One of my favorite takeaways is Jim's reminder that understanding doesn't begin by convincing someone they're wrong. It begins by taking the time to truly see and listen to them. That simple shift has the power to transform not only our relationships but the communities we live in.

If you've ever wondered how we begin healing the divisions in our world, I think you'll find hope in this conversation.

You can also view it on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SonorousLight

Follow me on Instagram: @sonorous.light555 @tohumishuman @thisisdbc

Website: www.sonorouslight.com

What if living in flow isn't about giving up control—but learning to trust the quiet nudges that are always guiding you?

In this episode of To Hum is Human, I sit down with Deb DeCelle—internationally recognized educational medium, mentor, bestselling author of The Intuitive Entrepreneur: Deeper Connections for Soul-Driven Success, and host of The Intuitive Edge. Having studied at Omega Institute and Arthur Findlay College and taught at the renowned spiritual community of Lily Dale, Deb has dedicated her life to helping others awaken their intuitive abilities and live with greater clarity, confidence, and purpose.

Together, we explore what it truly means to co-create with the universe, how to recognize and trust intuitive guidance, why collaboration is more powerful than competition, and how saying "yes" to life's whispers can open doors we never imagined possible.

I hope this conversation inspires you to trust your inner knowing, embrace the flow of life, and remember that intuition isn't reserved for a select few—it's available to all of us.

 You can also view it on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SonorousLight
Follow me on Instagram: @sonorous.light555 @tohumishuman @thisisdbc
Website: www.sonorouslight.com

In this milestone episode of To Hum is Human, I sit down with Ang Roell—beekeeper, educator, and co-leader of They Keep Bees, a 300-hive queen breeding and honey production operation dedicated to ethical beekeeping, biodiversity, and workforce development. Ang is a 2021 Grist 50 Fixer, a founding member of the Adaptive Bee Breeders Alliance, co-founder of the Northeast LGBTQ+ and BIPOC Beekeepers Network, and a certified instrumental insemination practitioner working to conserve and strengthen honeybee genetics. Through Queen School, Ang has helped train dozens of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ farmers and emerging professional beekeepers, creating more equitable pathways into agriculture.

Together, we explore the remarkable intelligence of the hive and what bees can teach us about leadership, resilience, stewardship, and community. We also talk about climate change, nervous system regulation, and why the hum of a hive can become a powerful reminder of connection, purpose, and possibility.

Follow me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SonorousLight

Instagram: @tohumishuman @sonorous.light555 @thisisdbc

Website: www.sonorouslight.com

Liz Chalfin is a practicing artist, master printmaker, and the founding director of Zea Mays Printmaking in Florence, Massachusetts—a community studio and internationally recognized research center dedicated to the safest and most sustainable printmaking practices available. For more than 45 years, she's helped transform the field through education, research, and advocacy, teaching artists across the U.S. and internationally, with residencies in South Africa, Italy, Cuba, and Japan.

In our conversation, Liz shares how a love of community first drew her into printmaking, why curiosity and experimentation continue to shape her artistic practice, and how founding Zea Mays became a vision for changing not just how art is made, but how artists care for themselves, each other, and the environment.

Follow me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SonorousLight

Instagram: @tohumishuman @sonorous.light555 @thisisdbc

Website: www.sonorouslight.com