We In Lewes

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Co-founders Steve Esfandiari, Matt DiSabatino, and Kevin McGuiness were unburdened by knowledge, experience, or a good premise for a podcast when they released their first episode back in May 2023.  What they did have was an interesting town filled with interesting people. They hoped that would be enough. At least they got that right.  A candid look back at what they learned, who’d be listening, and the power of giving a little oxygen to what’s good. There is something special happening in little Lewes, Delaware, and it’s the people, what they call the “we” in Lewes. Their guests - remarkable, creative, civically active people - are helping build a community spirit, maybe even a collective soul, that may be an antidote for the persistent negativity of our times and give us all some much needed hope. 

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Jenn Wagner is a local artist working in multiple mediums.  She describes herself as a metal worker who also paints and makes jewelry.  She attended 12 different schools growing up, as her family moved around the country and the world.  She followed a traditional business path, getting her MBA from Rice University, then lived with her husband in Budapest and Paris.  After a serious boating accident made a normal office job unlikely, one day she visited a museum and saw a brochure for the Glassell School of Art in Houston. Propelled by what she self-deprecatingly calls her power combination of confidence and ignorance, she applied to the sculpturing program and got in despite her lack of any formal training. There, Jenn found her real passion and has never looked back.  You can see her amazing work in multiple mediums on her studio website at Bronze Anchor Studios.

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Mike DiPaolo has spent over 25 years working with non-profits, helping make them and the communities they serve more effective and impactful.  He helped steer the Lewes Historical Society into prominence, and today is helping the Delaware Community Foundation improve and better coordinate charitable activities throughout the state.  He’s won national and state awards for his public service. When awarding him the prestigious Nancy Hanks Memorial Award for Professional Excellence, the American Association of Museums said Mike was proof that one person, with energy and drive and imagination, can turn a modest institution into a major one.  Not bad for someone still in his 40’s. 

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What would your life be like if you couldn’t read? Think about school, getting a job, so much of your daily life. Hillary Summerbell has dyslexia. She can’t read like most people. Not just books or textbooks.  She couldn’t even read road signs, let alone use a computer. But, Hillary doesn’t give up. She finds solutions. She used the talents she had - an amazing eye for design and colors - and built a multi-million dollar interior design company and then, one night, after years of trial and error, she had that eureka moment. By simply breaking away from the linear presentation of words, she could realign them into a format that she could read.  It was immediate.  It worked.  She’s had it tested and validated. And now, with her company, the Summerbell Reading Method, she is enabling people across the country to read what they want, when they want. There’s a Chrome extension and an app. It’s a remarkable, story of courage, conviction, and hope. 

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Imagine a life where your work involves kayaking with dolphins, dressing as you like (shoes and shirts are optional), and only answering to the person staring at you in the mirror.  Matt Carter created a career built around what he loves - showing people how to stay healthy, have fun playing outdoors, and relishing the simple joys in life like sitting around a beach fire doing absolutely nothing.  It allowed him to raise children who so enjoyed their childhood that they want to return after school. A true Lewes original, Matt explains how all of this started when he was in college, studying in an ice cave in the Rocky Mountains. Only he had the foresight to see how that experience could be brought to the Delaware Shore.  One suggestion - this episode is best enjoyed barefoot, sitting at the beach, with an adult beverage in hand. Yes, we experimented.

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Lisa Graff is well known for creating and performing her own one woman shows based upon her insightful and humorous take on life.  Accompanied by musicians Holly Lane and John Flynn, she has created, starred and produced The Benefits of Aging …Uncensored; Secrets to a Long Marriage and Other Myths; and Chicago is My Kind of Town, to name a few. Known for her wit, bluntness, and courage, Lisa has always been willing to tackle tough topics, whether its alcoholism, marital exasperation, or parents failing schools. She’s a trained actress, taught public school, authored two well-received young adult books, and had her articles published in The Washington Post, Woman’s World Magazine, and the Cape Gazette.  No matter the medium, Lisa is proof that laughter is not just the best medicine, it’s also a very, very good teacher

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With the July 4th holiday only days away, we wanted to share part of a prior episode with Russ Palmer. He talks about how the town’s fireworks extravaganza got started, how it’s funded, where you can sit and watch, and other key logistical information. 

This is a big city fireworks party in a small town. It’s all privately funded, so donations are always welcome. Visit Go Fourth Lewes and give what you can. 

And remember, get there early. It’s going to be crowded.

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Following Episode 38, listeners asked for examples of UAPs - unidentified anomalous phenomena (what we used to call UFOs) - and how they’ve been validated.  UAP expert and To The Stars co-founder Jim Semivan returns to provide multiple examples of different kinds of encounters people have had with the Phenomenon.  Jim explains the evidence behind the sightings and what needs to be considered.  Clearly, regardless of what you believe, much of what we’ve taken for granted about physics, the human experience, and our own reality is evolving.  What once seemed impossible is increasingly becoming not just possible but probable. Visit weinlewes.com for a list of links to more detailed information on the examples that Jim discusses in the episode.

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In Part 2, Kevin Mallinson shares how he applied the lessons he learned as a firefighter to a career in nursing.  Earning a MSN and a PhD from John Hopkins.  He spent much of his career helping find ways to combat the tragic consequences of the AIDS epidemic and provide comfort to those who were dying and their families, whether in the United States or Africa. Whether in the classroom or in the field, Kevin always found a way to empower others and helped local nurses and doctors develop treatments programs that would work in their communities. His is a story of bravery, toughness, and a testament to importance of understanding the perspective of others, including those who wish you the worst.