As we age, we come to appreciate the holiday traditions of our youth. Ricky Mullins remembers receiving treat bags at his small, backroads church. The poke bags were stuffed oranges, peanuts, cracker jacks and sometimes even a chocolate bar. Now, he’s passing the tradition along to the youth at the church that he pastors. And: Mary Lou Williams was a renowned jazz pianist and composer. She brought sacred Black jazz music to Duke University’s chapel every year. Gayle Murchison shares some of Williams’ music with us.

Later in the show: How Ryan Stouffer learned the value of fellowshipping over food from his dad’s rib spot. Plus: Mary Beth Matthews walks us through how the American traditions of Hanukkah and Christmas have changed over the years.

The holiday season is about cheer, gathering with loved ones and, of course, food. Alex DiFeliceantonio warns that ultra processed foods—like the ones on your holiday snack table—are actually addictive. She wants food manufacturers to include processing information on their labels. And: Healthy nutrition for Virginia Indian communities is about more than just the food on the table—it’s also about how that food got there. Troy Wiipongwii and Zach Conrad are building software that helps Virginia Indians plan to grow their own food.

Later in the show: Tracy Conder shares some of her favorite strategies for sticking to a balanced diet, even during the holidays. Plus: If you google “Lebron James’ diet” there are hundreds of hits that come back. Same for Lionel Messi or Dak Prescott. Nutrition is just part of being a pro athlete these days. But back in the 1990s, when Eddie Shen was a pro soccer player in China, nutrition wasn’t part of his training at all. And: Zidong Li helps us understand the latest research on nutrition for sports and fitness.

NIL sent shockwaves through college athletics when it was signed into law in 2021. Now student-athletes could earn money off of their name, image, and likeness. But there weren’t any guide-rails to help student-athletes navigate the new NIL landscape. Enter Kim Whitler. She co-wrote Athlete Brands: How to Benefit from Your Name, Image and Likeness. And: In 2020, Sha’Carri Richardson was barred from representing Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics because she tested positive for marajuana. Jo Morrison says there are many other elite athletes like Richardson who’ve had their reputations tarnished for taking banned substances that have little to no evidence of enhancing performance.

Later in the show: For runners, there’s nothing like the freedom of lacing up your shoes and putting foot to pavement, logging mile after mile in the open air. Sabrina Little studies how running can hone virtues that are beneficial to life outside of sports. Plus: While golf might not be a high-octane contact sport like basketball or football, it’s something you can play throughout your life and even into your later years. Carray Banks is on a mission to generate funding to field both womens and mens golf teams at all HBCU’s in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

Worldwide there are more than 35 million refugees who have fled their homes. And when other countries take in a huge influx of those refugees, there’s a lot to consider. Erika Frydenlund studies how host countries can help manage a refugee surge. And: In March 2023, the William & Mary Law School’s Immigration Clinic had their very first approval of an asylum case–a client from Afghanistan, who fled when Kabul fell. Stacy Kern-Scheerer shares what it’s like navigating the complicated asylum system.

Later in the show: The war in Ukraine created the largest refugee crisis since World War II. Patrick Rhamey says that Poland has taken in the most refugees–and actually done a good job of welcoming and resettling them. Plus: In the U.S., mainstream media has given the Ukrainian refugee crisis a lot of coverage. Nearly every day brings new headlines about it. On the other hand, the tens of millions of people making up Africa’s refugee crises are largely overlooked. Soji Akomolafe speaks to what’s causing so much movement in Africa and why Western countries aren’t paying enough attention.

Michael Carter Jr left America looking for home in Ghana. Now, on his fifth generation farm, he’s growing farmers through what he calls Africulture. And: How Virginia’s maritime climate enhances its fruit, according to celebrated sommelier Lee Campell.

Later in the show: In Richmond, Virginia, you can walk up to one of 13 community refrigerators and get what you need. No questions asked. It all started because Taylor Scott had some extra tomatoes to spare. And: How Leni Sorenson uses these cookbooks to bring to life the stories and stick-to-it-iveness of the enslaved women and men who really threw down in the kitchen.

Some of America’s first maestros of European art music were enslaved and free Virginians of African descent. Violinist David McCormick shares the music of the Black violinists of Monticello from the Hemings and Scott families. Also: Justin Holland was a black man who was born free in 1819 in Norfolk County, Virginia. He became one of America's first classical guitarists and was respected by European Classical Guitar Masters. Ernie Jackson discusses Justin Holland and Jackson’s own life as a contemporary classical guitarist of African descent.

Later in the show: Renowned musician JoVia Armstrong plays some of her latest works and discusses how her childhood led to her life as a musician and composer. This episode is hosted by musician and With Good Reason sound engineer Jamal Millner, who spent 20 years as a professional touring musician and composer and was a member of the Corey Harris 5x5.

You have Chef James Hemings, who cooked for Thomas Jefferson, to thank for the macaroni and cheese on your plate this Thanksgiving. Setting the Table's Deb Freeman tells us how the French dish became so baked into American cuisine. And: Across troubled waters, enslaved people carried benne seeds and grew them in a new land. Chef Amethyst Ganaway is snacking on benne wafers while thickening the Thanksgiving stew.

Later in the show: The Lowcountry is always cooking. Chef BJ Dennis says the vast rice plantations of the Lowcountry are visible from outer space. The famed Gullah Geechee chef honors the grain with his smoky tomato purloo.

Dorothy Suskind diagnoses the kind of workplace culture that allows bullying. And: Chris Reina says that prioritizing relationships creates better results in the workplace. This belief is at the center of his work at the Institute for Transformative Leadership.

Later in the show: Alexandra Dunn shares how “imposter syndrome” can affect us at work. Plus: The 2020 global pandemic transformed the American workers and the American workplace Ben Biermeier-Hanson found that workers now prioritize flexibility in a job.

No matter how they served or where or when, for veterans, returning to civilian life is a big transition. Eric Hodges is researching what it was like for African American veterans in his small Virginia community to return home. And: Alicia DeFonzo’s grandfather was a big part of her life as a kid. He was charming and jovial and the absolute best storyteller. But his stories always left out the years he spent fighting in WWII. Late in his life, Alicia finally asked her grandfather to tell those stories and their conversations gave rise to her new book The Time Left Between Us.

Later in the show: After the Civil War, veterans and their families were able to apply for a pension. But they had to prove they were eligible. Sharon Roger Hepburn’s book Private No More compiles almost 60 letters written by John Lovejoy Murray submitted as proof for a pension and kept in his government file since the Civil War. Murray, a Black soldier who died during the war, wrote home about the food, the pay, and racism in the ranks. Plus: Community colleges can offer a particularly welcoming landing spot for veterans transitioning to civilian life. Steve Borden shares some of the ways his college is easing the transition.

After watching movies like the Terminator, it’s hard not to come away a little jaded about the future of AI. But Dan Runfola says the rise of AI will be a huge boon to society, similar to the industrial revolution of the 18th century. And: As we enter into the age of AI, where do the humanities fit in? Rishi Jaitly recently founded the Virginia Tech Institute for Leadership and Technology, a one-of-a-kind fellowship that immerses rising leaders in the tech world in all things humanities.

Later in the show: Many teachers are scared about the impact AI will have on cheating. But Anand Rao says most of his students will be using AI in the workplace once they graduate. So he encourages them to use AI on assignments and coaches them on how to use it appropriately. Plus: Falling down the rabbit hole started as a reference to Alice and Wonderland. Now it's mostly used in the context of online radicalization. Ugo Etudo uses a form of AI called natural language processing to glean new insights into how people get radicalized on the internet.