For a High-Quality Version, CLICK HERE.   Our First story comes to us from  Katie Condon. Katie shares her story about an unlikely neighborly friendship. It’s an ode to neighbors, to Fran the dog, and to the community.  Katie calls her story “The Bologna House”.  Katie Condon📷kmr studio Katie Condon is a humanitarian at heart. She believes in the connection of all things. Katie is a lover of art and the simple beautiful things this life has to offer. Our next story comes to us from Reid Reimers. Reid Reimers is recognized for his Montana accent during a trip to Vietnam and is then invited to a neighborhood family wedding.  Reid calls his story “Crashing a Wedding in Vietnam”.  Reid Reimers📷kmr studio Reid Reimers was born and raised in Missoula and has a Master’s in Theatre from The University of Montana.  You’ve probably seen him hosting numerous events around town, running trivia nights, or strutting his stuff on the stage in local theatre productions, including The Rocky Horror Show. He has a deep love for other cultures and climes, which has taken him to almost 50 different countries.  Because he travels on a tight budget, he has to get creative on those trips, which often leads to unexpected adventures. He also teaches theatre to local kiddos, tends to his plethora of house plants, and recently became a puppy papa to an adorable sociopath named Dewey. Pascaline Piquard📷kmr studio Pascaline Piquard is the French Fulbright Grantee 2023 who is currently an EFL teacher in a public junior high school in Besançon in the east of France. Apart from teaching from Grade 6 to Grade 9, she is a mentor for English teachers-in-training and she is quite involved at her school (gardening club, choir, anti-bullying group, German promotion). She has studied English Language and Literature, German, Italian, and French as a Second Language at the University of Franche-Comté and at Knox College, Galesburg (Illinois). She also has a master’s degree in International Education and Cultural Project Management (University of Lyon 2). She has worked as an EFL teacher in France in public high schools and at Besançon public hospital (hematology cancer and behavioral problems departments). Besides she has taught FSL and FFL in Canada at the University of Guelph (Ontario), at Fairview CBE school (Alberta), and in Jordan at the University of Amman. She loves being outdoors, taking pictures, experiencing new adventures, traveling, and learning languages to meet people. She also enjoys having fun with friends, especially doing improvisational theater, dancing, singing, and cooking. Of course, she loves her two sons, Gaspard and Guillaume, with whom she shared her story first. Rounding out this episode of the Tell Us Something podcast, Kaegan Bonstein, a short king makes friends with a Native Hawaiian family on the beach and feels safe and comfortable in his skin.  Kaegan calls his story “Short King”  or “Out of the Head and into the Heart”.  Kaegan Bonstein📷kmr studio Kaegan Bonstein is a lifelong performer excited to take a hand at storytelling tonight. He has twenty-five years of performance experience ranging from musicals to environmental theater to political demonstration. He is also a lifelong food service worker and energy practitioner. He’s very grateful to call Missoula home and for this opportunity. 

<h1>For a High-Quality Version, <a href="https://bit.ly/TUS01301-NeighborsPart1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>.</h1> Our First story comes to us from  Katie Condon. Katie shares her story about an unlikely neighborly friendship. It’s an ode to neighbors, to Fran the dog, and to the community. Katie calls her story “The Bologna House”. Katie Condon 📷kmr studio Katie Condon is a humanitarian at heart. She believes in the connection of all things. Katie is a lover of art and the simple beautiful things this life has to offer. Our next story comes to us from Reid Reimers. Reid Reimers is recognized for his Montana accent during a trip to Vietnam and is then invited to a neighborhood family wedding. Reid calls his story “Crashing a Wedding in Vietnam”. Reid Reimers 📷kmr studio Reid Reimers was born and raised in Missoula and has a Master’s in Theatre from The University of Montana.  You’ve probably seen him hosting numerous events around town, running trivia nights, or strutting his stuff on the stage in local theatre productions, including The Rocky Horror Show. He has a deep love for other cultures and climes, which has taken him to almost 50 different countries.  Because he travels on a tight budget, he has to get creative on those trips, which often leads to unexpected adventures. He also teaches theatre to local kiddos, tends to his plethora of house plants, and recently became a puppy papa to an adorable sociopath named Dewey. Pascaline Piquard 📷kmr studio Pascaline Piquard is the French Fulbright Grantee 2023 who is currently an EFL teacher in a public junior high school in Besançon in the east of France. Apart from teaching from Grade 6 to Grade 9, she is a mentor for English teachers-in-training and she is quite involved at her school (gardening club, choir, anti-bullying group, German promotion). She has studied English Language and Literature, German, Italian, and French as a Second Language at the University of Franche-Comté and at Knox College, Galesburg (Illinois). She also has a master’s degree in International Education and Cultural Project Management (University of Lyon 2). She has worked as an EFL teacher in France in public high schools and at Besançon public hospital (hematology cancer and behavioral problems departments). Besides she has taught FSL and FFL in Canada at the University of Guelph (Ontario), at Fairview CBE school (Alberta), and in Jordan at the University of Amman. She loves being outdoors, taking pictures, experiencing new adventures, traveling, and learning languages to meet people. She also enjoys having fun with friends, especially doing improvisational theater, dancing, singing, and cooking. Of course, she loves her two sons, Gaspard and Guillaume, with whom she shared her story first. Rounding out this episode of the Tell Us Something podcast, Kaegan Bonstein, a short king makes friends with a Native Hawaiian family on the beach and feels safe and comfortable in his skin. Kaegan calls his story “Short King”  or “Out of the Head and into the Heart”. Kaegan Bonstein 📷kmr studio Kaegan Bonstein is a lifelong performer excited to take a hand at storytelling tonight. He has twenty-five years of performance experience ranging from musicals to environmental theater to political demonstration. He is also a lifelong food service worker and energy practitioner. He’s very grateful to call Missoula home and for this opportunity.

Neighbors – Part 1

Our first storyteller is Jim Harte.  Jim has always loved film, ever since he was a boy. When the distributors forget to send the second reel of “Wild in the Streets”. Jim gets creative in the way that he avoids giving refunds. Jim calls his story “More Than a Movie”📷 kmr studiosJim Harte has worked in the film business for 45 years. He was raised in New Jersey and majored in Drama at Ithaca College in Ithaca NY before moving to Manhattan where he received a BFA in Film and Television at New York University. He lived in Manhattan in the 1970s and 80s before moving to Rochester NY where he was a film editor for Eastman Kodak Company and an Archival Projectionist at George Eastman Museum. Since moving to Missoula Montana in 2021 he has acted in several films produced in Montana. His favorite storyteller is Jean Shepherd. Abigail Gilbert has to borrow a car when she is traveling for her job in a super small town in Nebraska. She ends up accidentally stealing a car in the process. Abigail calls her story “The Keys to Success”.📷 kmr studiosAbigail Gilbert is a professional actor, educator and director who originally hails from Duluth, Minnesota. She is proud to work at the Missoula Children’s Theatre as the Tour Marketing Associate and Social Media Specialist and at Studio M as a teacher and vocal instructor. On stage, she was most recently seen as Columbia in The Rocky Horror Picture Show Live right here at the Wilma and as Little Red Riding Hood in Into the Woods at the Missoula Community Theatre. She was recently voted Missoula’s Best Actor in the Missoulian’s “Best of Missoula 2022” contest. She would like to thank her mom, Lisa, and Miles for their support! Next up is Regina O’Brien. Regina was unable to afford housing and was living in a tipi in the desert. Living in a tipi causes one to notice so many little things that others might miss. Regina calls her story “Little Things Aren’t Little.”📷 kmr studiosRegina O’Brien put herself through college, working a montage of odd jobs for eleven years.  She graduated with two bachelor’s degrees, and eventually got a career with the federal government. After years of seeing people staying in positions they hated so they could have a secure retirement, having that security bled out by illness, death, or catastrophe, and feeling stressed out and ineffective in her own job, she quit. She got rid of everything that did not fit into her midsize pickup and started driving. Regina has been living around the edges of mainstream society ever since. Regina is a relative newcomer to Montana, and currently lives in Potomac and works in Missoula as a massage therapist. Closing out this episode of the podcast, Jeremy N. Smith, in 7th grade,  walks around his teacher’s desk all day. The lessons he learned that day has lasted 30+ years. Jeremy calls his story “One Thousand Times”.📷 kmr studiosJeremy N. Smith is a journalist, podcaster, and author. He has written for The Atlantic, Discover, Slate, and the New York Times, among other outlets, and he and his work have been featured by CNN, NPR, NBC Nightly News, The Today Show, and Wired. Jeremy is from Evanston, Illinois, but has lived the last 20 years in Missoula—except for last year, when he spent a family year abroad with his wife Crissie and daughter Rasa in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Mexico. His latest interest is skateboarding, and he is looking for someone to help teach him how to ollie. Learn more and make contact at jeremynsmith.com.

Our first storyteller is Jim Harte.  Jim has always loved film, ever since he was a boy. When the distributors forget to send the second reel of “Wild in the Streets”. Jim gets creative in the way that he avoids giving refunds. Jim calls his story “More Than a Movie”📷 kmr studios Jim Harte has worked in the film business for 45 years. He was raised in New Jersey and majored in Drama at Ithaca College in Ithaca NY before moving to Manhattan where he received a BFA in Film and Television at New York University. He lived in Manhattan in the 1970s and 80s before moving to Rochester NY where he was a film editor for Eastman Kodak Company and an Archival Projectionist at George Eastman Museum. Since moving to Missoula Montana in 2021 he has acted in several films produced in Montana. His favorite storyteller is Jean Shepherd. Abigail Gilbert has to borrow a car when she is traveling for her job in a super small town in Nebraska. She ends up accidentally stealing a car in the process. Abigail calls her story “The Keys to Success”.📷 kmr studios Abigail Gilbert is a professional actor, educator and director who originally hails from Duluth, Minnesota. She is proud to work at the Missoula Children’s Theatre as the Tour Marketing Associate and Social Media Specialist and at Studio M as a teacher and vocal instructor. On stage, she was most recently seen as Columbia in The Rocky Horror Picture Show Live right here at the Wilma and as Little Red Riding Hood in Into the Woods at the Missoula Community Theatre. She was recently voted Missoula’s Best Actor in the Missoulian’s “Best of Missoula 2022” contest. She would like to thank her mom, Lisa, and Miles for their support! Next up is Regina O’Brien. Regina was unable to afford housing and was living in a tipi in the desert. Living in a tipi causes one to notice so many little things that others might miss. Regina calls her story “Little Things Aren’t Little.”📷 kmr studios Regina O’Brien put herself through college, working a montage of odd jobs for eleven years.  She graduated with two bachelor’s degrees, and eventually got a career with the federal government. After years of seeing people staying in positions they hated so they could have a secure retirement, having that security bled out by illness, death, or catastrophe, and feeling stressed out and ineffective in her own job, she quit. She got rid of everything that did not fit into her midsize pickup and started driving. Regina has been living around the edges of mainstream society ever since. Regina is a relative newcomer to Montana, and currently lives in Potomac and works in Missoula as a massage therapist. Closing out this episode of the podcast, Jeremy N. Smith, in 7th grade,  walks around his teacher’s desk all day. The lessons he learned that day has lasted 30+ years. Jeremy calls his story “One Thousand Times”.📷 kmr studios Jeremy N. Smith is a journalist, podcaster, and author. He has written for The Atlantic, Discover, Slate, and the New York Times, among other outlets, and he and his work have been featured by CNN, NPR, NBC Nightly News, The Today Show, and Wired. Jeremy is from Evanston, Illinois, but has lived the last 20 years in Missoula—except for last year, when he spent a family year abroad with his wife Crissie and daughter Rasa in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Mexico. His latest interest is skateboarding, and he is looking for someone to help teach him how to ollie. Learn more and make contact at <a href="http://jeremynsmith.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">jeremynsmith.com</a>.

It’s the Little Things – Part 2

Four storytellers share their true personal story on the theme “It’s the Little Things”. Their stories were recorded live in-person in front of a sold-out crowd on December 15, 2022 at The Wilma in Missoula, MT. Our first story comes to us from Ean Kessler. Ean wrestles with himself and his relationship to his father, whom he barely knows. Ean calls his story “Shaken Ground”.📷 kmr studiosEan Miles Kessler is a playwright, theater artist, and storyteller, originally hailing from the East Coast.  A recent transplant to Montana, Ean relocated to Missoula to enroll in Wild-2-Ride Academy, a mustang ranch and equine program, where he learned the process of gentling wild horses.  He’s proud to be a level 6 graduate of that program and thrilled to be sharing his story tonight.  Currently, Ean is working on a debut novel. Our next storyteller is Hannah Harvey. Hannah finds herself with more than she bargained for when she moved in with her then-boyfriend and the rest of his family ends up moving in with them. A big storm washes an injured frog into the yard and everything begins to change. Hannah calls her story “Frog Rescue”.📷 kmr studiosHannah Harvey is an artist and person living in Missoula. Originally from Helena, she is a University of Montana graduate. If you’ve ever visited the Missoula Art Museum, you may recognize her as the face behind the front desk. When she’s not at work, she can be found painting, drinking hot cocoa at Break, and looking for creepy crawlies. In our next story, Lori Chase wins the housing lottery when she is selected as someone who can place an offer on a house. Now she has to navigate all of the twists and turns involved in financing a house in Missoula, MT. Lori calls her story “Adventures in Home Buying”.📷 kmr studiosLori Chase has two almost-adult children, two cats, and two jobs. She teaches yoga and works for GatherBoard, AKA MissoulaEvents.net (the best community event calendar in Missoula, and also a long-time sponsor of Tell Us Something). In her free time, she likes to do all the outdoor things, and dance the Argentine tango. The final story comes to us from Tell Us Something Executive Director Marc Moss recounts his journey growing Tell Us Something and making the big leap and becoming a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. He calls his story “Journey”.📷 kmr studiosMarc Moss has been cultivating personal storytelling in Missoula since 2011 with the 501(c)3 non-profit organization Tell Us Something. He brings his expertise in storytelling to recruiting storytellers and to the story coaching workshops that he requires of each storyteller before each Tell Us Something event. He lives on Missoula’s Historic Northside with his wife Joyce and their perpetual kitten Ziggy.

Four storytellers share their true personal story on the theme “It’s the Little Things”. Their stories were recorded live in-person in front of a sold-out crowd on December 15, 2022 at The Wilma in Missoula, MT. Our first story comes to us from Ean Kessler. Ean wrestles with himself and his relationship to his father, whom he barely knows. Ean calls his story “Shaken Ground”.📷 kmr studios Ean Miles Kessler is a playwright, theater artist, and storyteller, originally hailing from the East Coast.  A recent transplant to Montana, Ean relocated to Missoula to enroll in Wild-2-Ride Academy, a mustang ranch and equine program, where he learned the process of gentling wild horses.  He’s proud to be a level 6 graduate of that program and thrilled to be sharing his story tonight.  Currently, Ean is working on a debut novel. Our next storyteller is Hannah Harvey. Hannah finds herself with more than she bargained for when she moved in with her then-boyfriend and the rest of his family ends up moving in with them. A big storm washes an injured frog into the yard and everything begins to change. Hannah calls her story “Frog Rescue”.📷 kmr studios Hannah Harvey is an artist and person living in Missoula. Originally from Helena, she is a University of Montana graduate. If you’ve ever visited the Missoula Art Museum, you may recognize her as the face behind the front desk. When she’s not at work, she can be found painting, drinking hot cocoa at Break, and looking for creepy crawlies. In our next story, Lori Chase wins the housing lottery when she is selected as someone who can place an offer on a house. Now she has to navigate all of the twists and turns involved in financing a house in Missoula, MT. Lori calls her story “Adventures in Home Buying”.📷 kmr studios Lori Chase has two almost-adult children, two cats, and two jobs. She teaches yoga and works for GatherBoard, AKA <a href="http://MissoulaEvents.net" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">MissoulaEvents.net</a> (the best community event calendar in Missoula, and also a long-time sponsor of Tell Us Something). In her free time, she likes to do all the outdoor things, and dance the Argentine tango. The final story comes to us from Tell Us Something Executive Director Marc Moss recounts his journey growing Tell Us Something and making the big leap and becoming a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. He calls his story “Journey”.📷 kmr studios Marc Moss has been cultivating personal storytelling in Missoula since 2011 with the 501(c)3 non-profit organization Tell Us Something. He brings his expertise in storytelling to recruiting storytellers and to the story coaching workshops that he requires of each storyteller before each Tell Us Something event. He lives on Missoula’s Historic Northside with his wife <a href="https://www.joyceoftile.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Joyce</a> and their perpetual kitten Ziggy.

It’s the Little Things – Part 1

This episode of the podcast was recorded in front of a live audience on July 8, 2010 at The PEAS Farm in Missoula, MT at an event that predates Tell Us Something.  Missoula residents Jeremy N. Smith and Josh Slotnick hosted the event, which they called “Eat our Words”. 5 storytellers shared their true personal story on the theme “Leaving Home”.  Jeremy Smith recently reached out to me because one of those storytellers recently passed away.  John Engen has graced the Tell Us Something stage twice, and Jeremy suggested that it would be a nice way to honor him to share this story too. John recounts all of the addresses he called home during his time in Missoula and what he learned at each place.  John Engen was born October 27, 1964 in Missoula, MT. During his 57 years on this planet, John touched the lives of many people as a journalist, friend, businessman, Mayor, and all-around great human. He died August 15, 2022 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.  Listen to more of John’s stories here. Click here to read John Engen’s obituary. Thank you to Jeremy N. Smith and Josh Slotnick for providing the audio for this episode of the Tell Us Something podcast. Thanks too, John, wherever you are now.  I remember this “Eat our Words” event as the first time that I experienced true personal storytelling live in-person as a performance. The evening was special, held outdoors at Missoula’s beautiful PEAS Farm on a warm July evening among an intimate crowd sitting on haybales and engaging with each other as community. I am grateful to Jeremy and Josh for the opportunity to share this story from Eat Our Words.

This episode of the podcast was recorded in front of a live audience on July 8, 2010 at The PEAS Farm in Missoula, MT at an event that predates Tell Us Something.  Missoula residents <a href="https://www.tellussomething.org/storytellers/jeremy-smith/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jeremy N. Smith</a> and <a href="https://www.tellussomething.org/storytellers/josh-slotnick/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Josh Slotnick</a> hosted the event, which they called “Eat our Words”. 5 storytellers shared their true personal story on the theme “Leaving Home”.  Jeremy Smith recently reached out to me because one of those storytellers recently passed away. John Engen has graced the Tell Us Something stage twice, and Jeremy suggested that it would be a nice way to honor him to share this story too. John recounts all of the addresses he called home during his time in Missoula and what he learned at each place. John Engen was born October 27, 1964 in Missoula, MT. During his 57 years on this planet, John touched the lives of many people as a journalist, friend, businessman, Mayor, and all-around great human. He died August 15, 2022 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.  <a href="https://www.tellussomething.org/storytellers/john-engen/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Listen to more of John’s stories here.</a> <a href="https://www.gardencityfh.com/memorials/john-engen/5003168/obituary.php" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click here to read John Engen’s obituary.</a> Thank you to Jeremy N. Smith and Josh Slotnick for providing the audio for this episode of the Tell Us Something podcast. Thanks too, John, wherever you are now. I remember this “Eat our Words” event as the first time that I experienced true personal storytelling live in-person as a performance. The evening was special, held outdoors at Missoula’s beautiful PEAS Farm on a warm July evening among an intimate crowd sitting on haybales and engaging with each other as community. I am grateful to Jeremy and Josh for the opportunity to share this story from Eat Our Words.

Eat Our Words – John Engen

This episode of the podcast was recorded in front of a live audience on August 31, 2022 in Black Rock City at Center Camp at the Burning Man event. 5 storytellers shared their true personal story on the theme “Waking Dreams”. Today we hear from three of those storytellers.  Jack Butler was raised in Kentucky, and found the outdoors and forests to be a great playground. He developed a love of reading at an early age and would lose himself in the adventures and stories. Jack spent 6 years in the military after high school and then another 25 years bouncing around the world as a merchant marine on ships. Jack’s first burn was in 2016, and it began a process of opening his eyes to another world, a different life.  Jack Butler is the author of two books, Into the Dust – The Virgin – A Burning Man Story and Racing to the Dawn. You can find jack at his website, jacklyonsauthor.com.  Click here to listen to an excerpt from his book. In our next story, after a long overnight shift patrolling Black Rock City, Ranger Sasquatch is tasked with delivering an exciting message. In the days before cell service on the Playa, Ranger Sasquatch must find his intended recipient the old fashioned way – by interacting with his fellow citizens in a story that we call “Special Delivery”.  Ranger Sasquatch has been a ranger since 2000 and has seen and experienced so many singular things, events and people in his life, which , he thinks, is the point of it all.  Sasquatch is also one of the DJs at Radio Electra, 89.5 on your dusty FM dial. Rounding out this edition of the Tell Us Something podcast, Missoula resident Katie Condon shares her psychic journey of love with us in a story that we call “Discovery”.  Katie Condon is a humanitarian at heart. She believes in the connection of all things. Katie is a lover of art and the simple beautiful things this life has to offer. 2022 was her first visit to Black Rock City.

This episode of the podcast was recorded in front of a live audience on August 31, 2022 in Black Rock City at Center Camp at the Burning Man event. 5 storytellers shared their true personal story on the theme “Waking Dreams”. Today we hear from three of those storytellers. Jack Butler was raised in Kentucky, and found the outdoors and forests to be a great playground. He developed a love of reading at an early age and would lose himself in the adventures and stories. Jack spent 6 years in the military after high school and then another 25 years bouncing around the world as a merchant marine on ships. Jack’s first burn was in 2016, and it began a process of opening his eyes to another world, a different life.  Jack Butler is the author of two books, <a href="http://intothedustbook.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Into the Dust – The Virgin – A Burning Man Story</a> and Racing to the Dawn. You can find jack at his website, <a href="https://jacklyonsauthor.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">jacklyonsauthor.com.</a> <a href="http://www.intothedustbook.com/IntoTheDust_AudioSample.mp3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click here to listen</a> to an excerpt from his book. In our next story, after a long overnight shift patrolling Black Rock City, Ranger Sasquatch is tasked with delivering an exciting message. In the days before cell service on the Playa, Ranger Sasquatch must find his intended recipient the old fashioned way – by interacting with his fellow citizens in a story that we call “Special Delivery”. Ranger Sasquatch has been a ranger since 2000 and has seen and experienced so many singular things, events and people in his life, which , he thinks, is the point of it all.  Sasquatch is also one of the DJs at Radio Electra, 89.5 on your dusty FM dial. Rounding out this edition of the Tell Us Something podcast, Missoula resident Katie Condon shares her psychic journey of love with us in a story that we call “Discovery”. Katie Condon is a humanitarian at heart. She believes in the connection of all things. Katie is a lover of art and the simple beautiful things this life has to offer. 2022 was her first visit to Black Rock City.

Waking Dreams – live from Burning Man

Four storytellers share their true personal story on the theme “Letting Go”. Their stories were recorded live in-person in front of over 900 listeners on September 27, 2022 at The Dennison in Missoula, MT. Our first story comes to us from Kate Wilburn. Kate loves wood and woodworking. She learned the craft of timber framing 40 years ago, collected materials for a timber frame house, hauled them around for 30 years, and is now ready to let them go. Kate calls her story “Dovetail: A Love Story”.    Kate Wilburn cherishes wild land and is keenly aware of legacy across generations. Her life’s terrain is diverse: from engineering and carpentry to single parenting, permaculture design and teaching. She’s found in Missoula a place to show the beauty and practicality of living simply, of creating an urban yard that is a vibrant ecosystem of perennial food for people, birds, bees and other wild things all at the same time. She seeks green wildness and a neighborhood like a village, even in the city! Kate continues, “In her late 20’s, Kate turned away from the corporate-career-hearth of her time to “Renaissance engineering”– problem-solving grounded on the land– demonstrating and seeking sustainable human life &amp; livelihood. Parenting in her 40’s made personal her inquiry: how to come through to a kinder &amp; sweeter future than the one we seem aimed for? Teaching middle school then too, Kate saw how physical examples with hands-on learning make the most impact. Kate arrived in Missoula in 2022, keenly aware of legacy across generations. Kate is committed to standing as an elder deepening into service, alongside and behind all the younger ones. Kate endeavors to stand as an Earth-protector and as a settler-ally to her Indigenous neighbors. Kate wants regenerative community for each of us. Kate aims to embody simplicity, sustainability and the safeguarding of precious resources. Kate teaches, paints, writes &amp; remains in inquiry. Kate advocates for political &amp; cultural leaders, energy policies and technologies that support social equity, the health of the planet, all species, and future generations. You can find Kate on Instagram. Working 3rd shift at a late-night copy shop, Marc Moss met all kinds of people. He generally made a connection with most of them, until a regular customer, very grumpy, presented a challenge for him. Marc Calls his story “3rd Shift”.   Marc Moss and Ruby – Face Copy at 3AMMarc Moss the Executive Director of the non-profit organization Tell Us Something. He recently hosted a Tell Us Something event at Burning Man, where he’s  literally walked through fire with his life-partner Joyce. They live together on Missoula’s historic Northside with their perpetual kitten Ziggy. In our next story, Amy McAllister’s dad dies 2 weeks after her mother dies. Amy visits his body in the funeral home and the funeral director assures her that the body he has prepared for her is indeed her father’s in a story that we call, “That’s Not My Dad!”   Bill McAllister – photo courtesy of Amy McAllisterAmy McAllister comes from a strong and loving family and has lived  in Missoula for 45 years. Amy loves the variety of events offered in Missoula. She was a schoolteacher for 32 years.   Bringing us home in  this episode of the Tell Us Something podcast, Rachel Goo-en, on a trip to New York City with her family and some of their international friends, visits a fancy ballet at The Met after eating pizza.   Rachel calls her story “When Letting Go Stops the Show”.  Rachel Gooen hails from the gorgeous lush state of NJ in a county where there were more cows than people. This is perhaps why it took her so long to learn the art of being cultured. She’s lived in Missoula for 25 years and loves playing in the mountains and rivers of Montana with her partner Jeremy and their pups, along with all of her dear friends in Missoula. She socializes for a living, because she is a “social” worker. You can find Rachel on Instagram.

Four storytellers share their true personal story on the theme “Letting Go”. Their stories were recorded live in-person in front of over 900 listeners on September 27, 2022 at The Dennison in Missoula, MT. Our first story comes to us from Kate Wilburn. Kate loves wood and woodworking. She learned the craft of timber framing 40 years ago, collected materials for a timber frame house, hauled them around for 30 years, and is now ready to let them go. Kate calls her story “Dovetail: A Love Story”. Kate Wilburn cherishes wild land and is keenly aware of legacy across generations. Her life’s terrain is diverse: from engineering and carpentry to single parenting, permaculture design and teaching. She’s found in Missoula a place to show the beauty and practicality of living simply, of creating an urban yard that is a vibrant ecosystem of perennial food for people, birds, bees and other wild things all at the same time. She seeks green wildness and a neighborhood like a village, even in the city! Kate continues, “In her late 20’s, Kate turned away from the corporate-career-hearth of her time to “Renaissance engineering”– problem-solving grounded on the land– demonstrating and seeking sustainable human life &amp; livelihood. Parenting in her 40’s made personal her inquiry: how to come through to a kinder &amp; sweeter future than the one we seem aimed for? Teaching middle school then too, Kate saw how physical examples with hands-on learning make the most impact. Kate arrived in Missoula in 2022, keenly aware of legacy across generations. Kate is committed to standing as an elder deepening into service, alongside and behind all the younger ones. Kate endeavors to stand as an Earth-protector and as a settler-ally to her Indigenous neighbors. Kate wants regenerative community for each of us. Kate aims to embody simplicity, sustainability and the safeguarding of precious resources. Kate teaches, paints, writes &amp; remains in inquiry. Kate advocates for political &amp; cultural leaders, energy policies and technologies that support social equity, the health of the planet, all species, and future generations. You can find Kate on Instagram. Working 3rd shift at a late-night copy shop, Marc Moss met all kinds of people. He generally made a connection with most of them, until a regular customer, very grumpy, presented a challenge for him. Marc Calls his story “3rd Shift”.  Marc Moss and Ruby – Face Copy at 3AM Marc Moss the Executive Director of the non-profit organization Tell Us Something. He recently hosted a Tell Us Something event at Burning Man, where he’s  literally <a href="https://www.tellussomething.org/stories/2017/the-first-time/marc-moss-firewalk-with-me" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">walked through fire</a> with his life-partner <a href="https://www.tellussomething.org/storytellers/joyce-gibbs/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Joyce</a>. They live together on Missoula’s historic Northside with their perpetual kitten <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/ChClshXOnSC/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ziggy</a>. In our next story, Amy McAllister’s dad dies 2 weeks after her mother dies. Amy visits his body in the funeral home and the funeral director assures her that the body he has prepared for her is indeed her father’s in a story that we call, “That’s Not My Dad!”  Bill McAllister – photo courtesy of Amy McAllister Amy McAllister comes from a strong and loving family and has lived  in Missoula for 45 years. Amy loves the variety of events offered in Missoula. She was a schoolteacher for 32 years. Bringing us home in  this episode of the Tell Us Something podcast, Rachel Goo-en, on a trip to New York City with her family and some of their international friends, visits a fancy ballet at The Met after eating pizza. Rachel calls her story “When Letting Go Stops the Show”. Rachel Gooen hails from the gorgeous lush state of NJ in a county where there were more cows than people. This is perhaps why it took her so long to learn the art of being cultured. She’s lived in Missoula for 25 years and loves playing in the mountains and rivers of Montana with her partner Jeremy and their pups, along with all of her dear friends in Missoula. She socializes for a living, because she is a “social” worker. You can find Rachel <a href="http://www.instgram.com/raychill8200" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on Instagram</a>.

Letting Go Part 2

Four storytellers share their true personal story on the theme “Letting Go”. Their stories were recorded live in-person in front of over 900 listeners on September 27, 2022 at The Dennison in Missoula, MT. Our first story comes to us from Susan Shenker. A chance meeting with a stranger in a car wash waiting room leads to a (consensual) ogling of breasts, a feeling up, and much-needed information for Susan on her journey of deciding about breast reconstruction after surviving breast cancer. Susan calls her story “Deconstruction.”  Susan Shenker is originally from Houston and is a retired educator.  She and her husband Mark, have three adult children, one grandson, and one very spoiled puppy. Now living happily ever after in Missoula, Susan enjoys hiking, trail running, yoga, and (surprisingly) long winter evenings. Our next storyteller is Margi Cates. Margi, in her own words, tells us that her story is “…about the transition between burning with ambition and discovering that the thing you needed has always been inside you. No flames required. Maybe some tears?” Margi calls her story, “The Body Keeps the Score, and Boy, is She Pissed!”  Missoula born and raised, Margi Cates is a singer, writer and comedian. She has appeared on stages all over Missoula as well as in New Orleans, where she lived and worked for five years. You can find her riding her bike around town, practicing Whitney Houston riffs. Find Margi on Instagram. You can also see her on the YouTubes. In our next story, Michael LaPointe lets go of his daughter’s bike when he’s teaching her to ride. He figures out that this is a metaphor for allowing his daughter Penny to grow up and become her own individual person. He in turn, begins letting go of his ego and embracing his daughter’s humanity in a new light with a story that he calls “I *GOT* This, Dad!”    Michael LaPointe is a regular guy trying to make it in an increasingly complicated world. He finds himself at 40 with dogs, kids, a wife, and a mortgage, not exactly sure how he arrived here or where he’s going next.  He believes that wherever you go, whatever you do, whenever you leave, leave it better than you found it.   Rounding out this episode of the Tell Us Something podcast, is Hazel Wright. Along with her brother, Hazel builds an awesome sledding jump and proceeds to unintentionally flip a 180 after landing, leading to a confused recovery. Hazel calls her story, “Sledding Catastrophe”.  Hazel is a twelve year old who lives in Missoula. She has a younger brother and a dog. She enjoys mountain biking, skateboarding and playing ice hockey. She is attending Washington Middle School as a seventh grader. In her free time she is curled up with a good book, or watching Grey’s Anatomy with her mom. (with permission) Hazel on IG.

Four storytellers share their true personal story on the theme “Letting Go”. Their stories were recorded live in-person in front of over 900 listeners on September 27, 2022 at The Dennison in Missoula, MT. Our first story comes to us from Susan Shenker. A chance meeting with a stranger in a car wash waiting room leads to a (consensual) ogling of breasts, a feeling up, and much-needed information for Susan on her journey of deciding about breast reconstruction after surviving breast cancer. Susan calls her story “Deconstruction.” Susan Shenker is originally from Houston and is a retired educator.  She and her husband Mark, have three adult children, one grandson, and one very spoiled puppy. Now living happily ever after in Missoula, Susan enjoys hiking, trail running, yoga, and (surprisingly) long winter evenings. Our next storyteller is Margi Cates. Margi, in her own words, tells us that her story is “…about the transition between burning with ambition and discovering that the thing you needed has always been inside you. No flames required. Maybe some tears?” Margi calls her story, “The Body Keeps the Score, and Boy, is She Pissed!” Missoula born and raised, Margi Cates is a singer, writer and comedian. She has appeared on stages all over Missoula as well as in New Orleans, where she lived and worked for five years. You can find her riding her bike around town, practicing Whitney Houston riffs. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/margi.cates.5" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Find Margi on Instagram</a>. You can also <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIP6HvSENl2DV3DudNefutQ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">see her on the YouTubes</a>. In our next story, Michael LaPointe lets go of his daughter’s bike when he’s teaching her to ride. He figures out that this is a metaphor for allowing his daughter Penny to grow up and become her own individual person. He in turn, begins letting go of his ego and embracing his daughter’s humanity in a new light with a story that he calls “I *GOT* This, Dad!” Michael LaPointe is a regular guy trying to make it in an increasingly complicated world. He finds himself at 40 with dogs, kids, a wife, and a mortgage, not exactly sure how he arrived here or where he’s going next.  He believes that wherever you go, whatever you do, whenever you leave, leave it better than you found it. Rounding out this episode of the Tell Us Something podcast, is Hazel Wright. Along with her brother, Hazel builds an awesome sledding jump and proceeds to unintentionally flip a 180 after landing, leading to a confused recovery. Hazel calls her story, “Sledding Catastrophe”. Hazel is a twelve year old who lives in Missoula. She has a younger brother and a dog. She enjoys mountain biking, skateboarding and playing ice hockey. She is attending Washington Middle School as a seventh grader. In her free time she is curled up with a good book, or watching Grey’s Anatomy with her mom. (with permission) <a href="https://www.instagram.com/hazelwright134" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hazel on IG</a>.

Letting Go Part 1

Joseph Grady talks about Native spaces, acting, art and storytelling. Thanks to Sierra Tai-Brownlee for sharing her podcast Impactful Experiences with Sierra Tai-Brownlee.

Joseph Grady talks about Native spaces, acting, art and storytelling. Thanks to Sierra Tai-Brownlee for sharing her podcast <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1WMzXreYFPWw9JMzBPGrct" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Impactful Experiences with Sierra Tai-Brownlee.</a>

Meet Board Chair Joseph Grady

Rachel Bemis shares her impactful experience of finally deciding to become a teacher after a fulfilling career in other sectors. Sierra Tai-Brownlee, former Tell Us Something Board member, interviews Rachel for her podcast ” https://www.tellussomething.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/0TUS012-014-Meet-the-Board-Rachel-Bemis.mp3 .

Rachel Bemis shares her impactful experience of finally deciding to become a teacher after a fulfilling career in other sectors. Sierra Tai-Brownlee, former Tell Us Something Board member, interviews Rachel for her podcast ” <a href="https://www.tellussomething.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/0TUS012-014-Meet-the-Board-Rachel-Bemis.mp3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.tellussomething.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/0TUS012-014-Meet-the-Board-Rachel-Bemis.mp3</a> .

Meet the Board – Rachel Bemis

Sarah FitzGerald

Tell Us Something Board Secretary Sarah FitzGerald reflects on the impactful experience of volunteering for a Jesuit organization in St. Louis, Missouri.

Tell Us Something Board Secretary Sarah FitzGerald reflects on the impactful experience of volunteering for a Jesuit organization in St. Louis, Missouri.

Meet the Board – Sarah FitzGerald

Tell Us Something awakens imagination, empowers storytellers and connects the community through the transformative power of personal storytelling. It is a celebration of each other, our stories and how we move through the world together. All of the stories at Tell Us Something are true. Stories last for 10 minutes and are told from memory.

These stories are raw, real, and unscripted. I love this program! Each story is only 10 minutes long, so I can listen to a performance on short commutes or long ones.

Real Stories with Real People

A wonderful way to connect to the human condition through storytelling. Funny and heartfelt.

Great Storytelling

Tell Us Something

Our first story comes to us from Mignon Hess, who is is a boxer in Kalispell Montana when a horrific storm destroys the boxing club where she used to box. She calls her story “Boxing in the Floodplains”.  Mignon Hess is a 46-yr-old retired engineer. She enjoys House Hunters international, hockey and Biga Pizza. She loves Missoula’s roundabouts and wishes she was two inches taller. Watch Mignon’s story. Shawn Faiella’s Hot Shot crew is on a fire in Nevada when every firefighter’s worst nightmare happens. Shawn calls his story “Lolo Hotshot Justin Beebe and the story of August 13, 2016”.  Watch Shawn’s story. Shawn Faiella is the Assistant Superintendent of the Lolo Hotshots. View Justin’s memorial page here. Allison James’ husband gains a pound and their friend Ryan loses a pound when Allison’s husband accepts a donated kidney. Allison calls her story “The Closest Match”.  Watch Alison’s story. Alison James is a life-long and devoted Montanan. She lives in Missoula, where she spends a lot of time working on conservation and reproductive rights. She loves hiking, good beer, and adventuring with family and friends. She has mixed feelings about water chestnuts, e-books, and Christmas. Anna Haslund navigates the dating world and has some surprising experiences as a deaf woman dating a hearing man. Anna calls her story “Hopeless Romantic”. Note that Anna is profoundly deaf. Her story is voiced by an interpreter.  Watch Anna’s story. Anna Haslund is from Seattle WA. She is a very free spirit and a very kind person. She loves being a dancer. Click the link to watch Anna’s Seek The World story:  Inspirational Story – Best Friends Anna and Erika This is a story about how Anna’s life was saved in an amazing way. She was getting bullied by 3 hearing cheerleaders, and this hearing girl, Erika, stood up for Anna and told them to stop. Now, they've been best friends for 10 years! &lt;3#JourneyBySVRS SVRS Posted by Seek the World on Wednesday, January 9, 2019

Our first story comes to us from Mignon Hess, who is is a boxer in Kalispell Montana when a horrific storm destroys the boxing club where she used to box. She calls her story “Boxing in the Floodplains”. Mignon Hess is a 46-yr-old retired engineer. She enjoys House Hunters international, hockey and Biga Pizza. She loves Missoula’s roundabouts and wishes she was two inches taller. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuaY_ryvV9o&amp;t=55s" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Watch Mignon’s story.</a> Shawn Faiella’s Hot Shot crew is on a fire in Nevada when every firefighter’s worst nightmare happens. Shawn calls his story “Lolo Hotshot Justin Beebe and the story of August 13, 2016”. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuaY_ryvV9o&amp;t=622s" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Watch Shawn’s story.</a> Shawn Faiella is the Assistant Superintendent of the Lolo Hotshots. <a href="https://www.lolohotshots.com/justin-beebe" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View Justin’s memorial page here.</a> Allison James’ husband gains a pound and their friend Ryan loses a pound when Allison’s husband accepts a donated kidney. Allison calls her story “The Closest Match”. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuaY_ryvV9o&amp;t=1233s" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Watch Alison’s story.</a> Alison James is a life-long and devoted Montanan. She lives in Missoula, where she spends a lot of time working on conservation and reproductive rights. She loves hiking, good beer, and adventuring with family and friends. She has mixed feelings about water chestnuts, e-books, and Christmas. Anna Haslund navigates the dating world and has some surprising experiences as a deaf woman dating a hearing man. Anna calls her story “Hopeless Romantic”. Note that Anna is profoundly deaf. Her story is voiced by an interpreter. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuaY_ryvV9o&amp;t=1955s" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Watch Anna’s story.</a> Anna Haslund is from Seattle WA. She is a very free spirit and a very kind person. She loves being a dancer. Click the link to watch Anna’s Seek The World story: <blockquote><a href="https://www.facebook.com/seektheworld2015/videos/1661659403980374/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Inspirational Story – Best Friends Anna and Erika</a> This is a story about how Anna’s life was saved in an amazing way. She was getting bullied by 3 hearing cheerleaders, and this hearing girl, Erika, stood up for Anna and told them to stop. Now, they've been best friends for 10 years! &lt;3#JourneyBySVRS SVRS Posted by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/seektheworld2015/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Seek the World</a> on Wednesday, January 9, 2019</blockquote>

Did That Really Happen Part 1

Juanita Vero

Seven-year-old Juanita Vero brings up the rear in a string of horses, as her father leads a line of guests on a ride. Crossing The Big Blackfoot River gives her horse the opportunity to shake Juanita off, which it does, and Juanita’s instinct and training kick in. Juanita’s calls her story “Poop and Drowning, Relax”. Juanita Vero is part of the fourth generation on a dude ranch in Greenough, Montana. She says it’s like City Slickers meets Dirty Dancing meets The Horse Whisperer with A River Runs Through It and some Downton Abbey mixed in. This episode of the Tell Us Something podcast was recorded in front of a live audience on September 10th, 2017, at The Wilma in Missoula, MT.  8 storytellers shared their story on the theme “Up the Blackfoot”.

Seven-year-old Juanita Vero brings up the rear in a string of horses, as her father leads a line of guests on a ride. Crossing The Big Blackfoot River gives her horse the opportunity to shake Juanita off, which it does, and Juanita’s instinct and training kick in. Juanita’s calls her story “Poop and Drowning, Relax”. Juanita Vero is part of the fourth generation on a dude ranch in Greenough, Montana. She says it’s like City Slickers meets Dirty Dancing meets The Horse Whisperer with A River Runs Through It and some Downton Abbey mixed in. This episode of the Tell Us Something podcast was recorded in front of a live audience on September 10th, 2017, at The Wilma in Missoula, MT.  8 storytellers shared their story on the theme “Up the Blackfoot”.

Juanita Vero – “Poop and Drowning, Relax”

Young entrepreneur Jerry Spencer and his partner are working the largest trade show of their careers: Macworld Expo, and they barely have time to take a break. Jerry stops for a quick bite to eat and shares a table with an unexpected guest. Jerry calls his story “A Surprise Lunch That I’ll Never Forget”.  Jerry Spencer first came to Montana in 1979, when he got a summer job as Desk Clerk at a lodge in Glacier Park. That is where he met the love of his life and partner, Janet. Jerry is a serial entrepreneur. He has founded several successful companies, and Janet helped found Tidbits the Paper, which is currently published in over 180 locations. Jerry is currently managing a project to revitalize an old iron foundry in Indiana and splitting his time between Indiana and Montana. To learn more about Jerry’s work, check out Intelligent Funding.   Rachel Aagenes loves being in love and has finally found THE ONE. She shares the story of that journey in a tale she calls “Lucky in Love”.  Rachel Aagenes was born in Jackson, Wyoming but has lived in Helena for 23 years. She works as an Insurance Agent. Rachel spends her spare time fishing and hiking, hanging out with her 3 dogs and singing with Helena Symphony. She has one awesome son named Liam and a stepdaughter named Hannah with her recent marriage to Eric Schmitz   “In 1963 Suzy met the love of her life in NYC while studying art. When he returned from a trip around the world he wanted her to go to Montana. She also loved travel and instead ran away to have her own European adventure. After 4 months of hitchhiking across Europe, she got a little more of both than she bargained for when she headed home by freighter.  Once home, she went to Montana after all and was married to Martin for 46 years. Helena has been her home for 40 years. After a 30-year career in librarianship, including 15 years with the Shodair Medical Genetics program, she has resumed her earlier passion for making art. Her photography and paintings have been exhibited in museums and galleries throughout Montana.   Marc Moss shared a story that night too, and a version of it recently appeared on the Tell Us Something podcast. To hear Marc’s story, listen to the final episode of Right Place Right Time here.

Young entrepreneur Jerry Spencer and his partner are working the largest trade show of their careers: Macworld Expo, and they barely have time to take a break. Jerry stops for a quick bite to eat and shares a table with an unexpected guest. Jerry calls his story “A Surprise Lunch That I’ll Never Forget”. Jerry Spencer first came to Montana in 1979, when he got a summer job as Desk Clerk at a lodge in Glacier Park. That is where he met the love of his life and partner, Janet. Jerry is a serial entrepreneur. He has founded several successful companies, and Janet helped found <a href="http://tidbitsweekly.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tidbits the Paper</a>, which is currently published in over 180 locations. Jerry is currently managing a project to revitalize an old iron foundry in Indiana and splitting his time between Indiana and Montana. To learn more about Jerry’s work, check out <a href="http://intelligentfunding.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Intelligent Funding</a>. Rachel Aagenes loves being in love and has finally found THE ONE. She shares the story of that journey in a tale she calls “Lucky in Love”. Rachel Aagenes was born in Jackson, Wyoming but has lived in Helena for 23 years. She works as an Insurance Agent. Rachel spends her spare time fishing and hiking, hanging out with her 3 dogs and singing with Helena Symphony. She has one awesome son named Liam and a stepdaughter named Hannah with her recent marriage to Eric Schmitz “In 1963 Suzy met the love of her life in NYC while studying art. When he returned from a trip around the world he wanted her to go to Montana. She also loved travel and instead ran away to have her own European adventure. After 4 months of hitchhiking across Europe, she got a little more of both than she bargained for when she headed home by freighter. Once home, she went to Montana after all and was married to Martin for 46 years. Helena has been her home for 40 years. After a 30-year career in librarianship, including 15 years with the Shodair Medical Genetics program, she has resumed her earlier passion for making art. Her photography and paintings have been exhibited in museums and galleries throughout Montana. Marc Moss shared a story that night too, and a version of it recently appeared on the Tell Us Something podcast. To hear Marc’s story,<a href="https://www.tellussomething.org/stories/2018/right-place-right-time/right-place-right-time-act-2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> listen to the final episode of Right Place Right Time here</a>.

Didn’t See That Coming – Part 2

A philosophical discussion in the principal’s office changes the course of young Aaron Parrett’s life. A few years after that conversation, he has the unexpected opportunity to apologize for the behavior that landed him in the principal’s office in the first place. Aaron calls his story “How to Make a Teacher Cry”. Aaron Parrett is a professor of English at the University of Providence. His most recent book is MAPLE &amp; LEAD, a collection of short stories with woodcuts by Seth Roby. He also runs The Territorial Press in Helena, Montana, devoted to fine letterpress editions of hand-crafted Montana literature. Learn more about Aaron at aaronparrett.org. After years of struggle with the emotional damage that comes from abuse, Elizabeth Rivard comes to believe that the beauty of the world can be found in the human heart. She calls her story “A Beautiful Heart”. Elizabeth Rivard grew up in a very large family in Buffalo, NY. She fell in love with stories at the family dining room table, where they were a regular occurrence. Being one of the youngest siblings, she was mostly a listener. Her family still shares stories when they get together – it’s one of their favorite things to do. Chelsia Rice and her partner take a long train ride to Minneapolis where they hope to get better information about Chelsia’s recent cancer diagnosis. In the midst of their fear and confusion about the diagnosis, they are reminded of the kindness of strangers. Chelsia calls her story “On a Train to Cancer Town”. Chelsia Rice moved to Montana in 2011 to join her partner, and within a year was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive bladder cancer. It was then that she finally learned about the greatness of love that is born of community and sometimes comes from complete strangers. She is an advocate for cancer patients, teens and misfits; a lover of arts and literature, and a writer of nonfiction. She believes in resilience, is a survivor, and is also a crazy bird lady. Bob Yost certainly didn’t see it coming when he receives a text from his wife as he unpacks the U-Haul after a big move. Bob calls his story “If Love Was Easy”. His regular daytime career has been working with taxes in Indiana, Oregon, and Montana. His nighttime gigs were playing drums in the bands: Brand-X, Jack Daniels, Sodbusters and last few years, sitting in as the drummer for Tom Catmull in the Clerics, Radio Static, and The Last Resort. His greatest joys come from his family plus helping raise wonderful children that prove he did something right! Learn more about Bob and his music at baptismbar.com

A philosophical discussion in the principal’s office changes the course of young Aaron Parrett’s life. A few years after that conversation, he has the unexpected opportunity to apologize for the behavior that landed him in the principal’s office in the first place. Aaron calls his story “How to Make a Teacher Cry”. Aaron Parrett is a professor of English at the University of Providence. His most recent book is MAPLE &amp; LEAD, a collection of short stories with woodcuts by Seth Roby. He also runs The Territorial Press in Helena, Montana, devoted to fine letterpress editions of hand-crafted Montana literature. Learn more about Aaron at <a href="http://aaronparrett.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">aaronparrett.org</a>. After years of struggle with the emotional damage that comes from abuse, Elizabeth Rivard comes to believe that the beauty of the world can be found in the human heart. She calls her story “A Beautiful Heart”. Elizabeth Rivard grew up in a very large family in Buffalo, NY. She fell in love with stories at the family dining room table, where they were a regular occurrence. Being one of the youngest siblings, she was mostly a listener. Her family still shares stories when they get together – it’s one of their favorite things to do. Chelsia Rice and her partner take a long train ride to Minneapolis where they hope to get better information about Chelsia’s recent cancer diagnosis. In the midst of their fear and confusion about the diagnosis, they are reminded of the kindness of strangers. Chelsia calls her story “On a Train to Cancer Town”. Chelsia Rice moved to Montana in 2011 to join her partner, and within a year was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive bladder cancer. It was then that she finally learned about the greatness of love that is born of community and sometimes comes from complete strangers. She is an advocate for cancer patients, teens and misfits; a lover of arts and literature, and a writer of nonfiction. She believes in resilience, is a survivor, and is also a crazy bird lady. Bob Yost certainly didn’t see it coming when he receives a text from his wife as he unpacks the U-Haul after a big move. Bob calls his story “If Love Was Easy”. His regular daytime career has been working with taxes in Indiana, Oregon, and Montana. His nighttime gigs were playing drums in the bands: Brand-X, Jack Daniels, Sodbusters and last few years, sitting in as the drummer for Tom Catmull in the Clerics, Radio Static, and The Last Resort. His greatest joys come from his family plus helping raise wonderful children that prove he did something right! Learn more about Bob and his music at <a href="http://baptismbar.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">baptismbar.com</a>

Didn’t See That Coming (part 1)

Our first set of stories features mead sample sippers at a farmers market, love stories in a bookstore, at The Top Hat and Luke’s Bar, true love under the Higgins Street Bridge, and meeting President Obama. These stories and more in this week’s audience participation podcast brought to us by Lauren Ciampa and Sara Raz reading from the anonymously submitted audience participation forms just after intermission at the live event. This act was recorded in front of a live audience on March 20th, 2018 at, The Wilma in Missoula, MT.  The theme was “Right Place Right Time”. Then, Katy-Robin Garton’s story was recorded in front of a live audience on February 19, 2013 at Monks Bar in Missoula, MT. The theme was “Ten”. Katy-Robin Garton bickers with her sister about who must empty the poop or the pee bag as they hike up Denali, 14,00 feet above where they began. They make a decision about turning back or moving on after an unexpected storm. Katy-Robin Garton was raised in the Rocky Mountains and now resides in Missoula, Montana. Learn more about Katy and the work she does at sproutfilms.net And our final story comes to us from Aaron Roos, and is a little longer than the typical Tell Us Something story. There were some people who dropped out at the last minute that night, and I told Aaron that he could run long. This story was recorded in front of a live audience on February 19, 2013 at Monks Bar in Missoula, MT. The theme was “Ten”. In his story, Aaron is near death with sickness but must travel all the way to Africa because of a job he held on a reality television program where he was responsible to quarantine the losers of the show. Aaron Roos studied Digital Film at the University of Montana. He now is Traffic Manager at The Roxy Theater in Missoula, where he lives with his wife Hailey and their pet pig Louie. Learn more about Aaron and the work he does at Instagram.com/Heartpinewoodworks Remeber, you can support Tell Us Something during Missoula Gives right now. Click here to make your donation. Thank you!

Our first set of stories features mead sample sippers at a farmers market, love stories in a bookstore, at The Top Hat and Luke’s Bar, true love under the Higgins Street Bridge, and meeting President Obama. These stories and more in this week’s audience participation podcast brought to us by Lauren Ciampa and Sara Raz reading from the anonymously submitted audience participation forms just after intermission at the live event. This act was recorded in front of a live audience on March 20th, 2018 at, The Wilma in Missoula, MT.  The theme was “Right Place Right Time”. Then, Katy-Robin Garton’s story was recorded in front of a live audience on February 19, 2013 at Monks Bar in Missoula, MT. The theme was “Ten”. Katy-Robin Garton bickers with her sister about who must empty the poop or the pee bag as they hike up Denali, 14,00 feet above where they began. They make a decision about turning back or moving on after an unexpected storm. Katy-Robin Garton was raised in the Rocky Mountains and now resides in Missoula, Montana. Learn more about Katy and the work she does at <a href="http://sproutfilms.net" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">sproutfilms.net</a> And our final story comes to us from Aaron Roos, and is a little longer than the typical Tell Us Something story. There were some people who dropped out at the last minute that night, and I told Aaron that he could run long. This story was recorded in front of a live audience on February 19, 2013 at Monks Bar in Missoula, MT. The theme was “Ten”. In his story, Aaron is near death with sickness but must travel all the way to Africa because of a job he held on a reality television program where he was responsible to quarantine the losers of the show. Aaron Roos studied Digital Film at the University of Montana. He now is Traffic Manager at The Roxy Theater in Missoula, where he lives with his wife Hailey and their pet pig Louie. Learn more about Aaron and the work he does at <a href="http://Instagram.com/Heartpinewoodworks" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram.com/Heartpinewoodworks</a> Remeber, you can support Tell Us Something during Missoula Gives right now. <a href="https://www.missoulagives.org/organizations/tell-us-something" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click here to make your donation</a>. Thank you!

Tell Us Something Season 7 episode 1 act 5

Our podcast today was recorded in front of a live audience on March 18, 2019, to a sold-out crowd at The Wilma in Missoula, MT. 8 storytellers shared their true personal story on the theme “Stranger in a Strange Land”. Today we hear from four of those storytellers.   Mike Jakupcak, who moves to Missoula from Illinois and has culture shock adjusting to life out West.    Mike Jakupcak is a 76 year old retired professor who was born in South Chicago. Mike has been a Montana resident for over 40 years and is the Grandfather of three boys and three girls. He is a cancer survivor, and has been married to the same woman for nearly 48 years. Mike is a secret shopper and Subaru ambassador.   Jason Forges puts his anger aside to allow curiosity a place in his heart as he attends a Trump rally in an attempt to better understand those with whom he disagrees.  Jason Forges is interested in creating a space where facilitated social issue discussions can be had, while figuring out actionable steps to move forward. Jason is originally from Florida and has triumphantly survived two Missoula winters.   Lily Clarke shares her story of feeling alienated as the only white woman in the rural town of Kholesimal until she befriends a very special 11 year old boy.    Lily Clarke grew up in Condon, Montana where she attended the one-room, K-8 schoolhouse Salmon Prairie School. The frequent wildfires and fire morels that followed, sparked her interest in understanding the ecological and social consequences of wildfire and wild mushroom harvests in rural areas. Following her Fulbright Scholarship in Nepal, she returned to Missoula to pursue graduate studies in wildfire at the University of Montana, and reconnect with Missoula and its people. Kelsey Stamm Jimenez takes 20 Montana high school students to Cambodia and they encounter an unexpected challenge while hiking in the jungle.  Kelsey Stamm Jimenez is Program Director at the Mansfield Center at the University of  Montana, where she engages students and adults throughout the state, in international educational experiences. Originally from Paradise, Montana, Kelsey is passionate about providing international opportunities in the Big Sky state, and connecting peoples and cultures. When she’s not planning her next adventure, she is busy chasing her 2 year old, with her husband Ben, and their two smelly hounds.

Our podcast today was recorded in front of a live audience on March 18, 2019, to a sold-out crowd at The Wilma in Missoula, MT. 8 storytellers shared their true personal story on the theme “Stranger in a Strange Land”. Today we hear from four of those storytellers. Mike Jakupcak, who moves to Missoula from Illinois and has culture shock adjusting to life out West. Mike Jakupcak is a 76 year old retired professor who was born in South Chicago. Mike has been a Montana resident for over 40 years and is the Grandfather of three boys and three girls. He is a cancer survivor, and has been married to the same woman for nearly 48 years. Mike is a secret shopper and Subaru ambassador. Jason Forges puts his anger aside to allow curiosity a place in his heart as he attends a Trump rally in an attempt to better understand those with whom he disagrees. Jason Forges is interested in creating a space where facilitated social issue discussions can be had, while figuring out actionable steps to move forward. Jason is originally from Florida and has triumphantly survived two Missoula winters. Lily Clarke shares her story of feeling alienated as the only white woman in the rural town of Kholesimal until she befriends a very special 11 year old boy. Lily Clarke grew up in Condon, Montana where she attended the one-room, K-8 schoolhouse Salmon Prairie School. The frequent wildfires and fire morels that followed, sparked her interest in understanding the ecological and social consequences of wildfire and wild mushroom harvests in rural areas. Following her Fulbright Scholarship in Nepal, she returned to Missoula to pursue graduate studies in wildfire at the University of Montana, and reconnect with Missoula and its people. Kelsey Stamm Jimenez takes 20 Montana high school students to Cambodia and they encounter an unexpected challenge while hiking in the jungle. Kelsey Stamm Jimenez is Program Director at the Mansfield Center at the University of  Montana, where she engages students and adults throughout the state, in international educational experiences. Originally from Paradise, Montana, Kelsey is passionate about providing international opportunities in the Big Sky state, and connecting peoples and cultures. When she’s not planning her next adventure, she is busy chasing her 2 year old, with her husband Ben, and their two smelly hounds.

Stranger in a Strange Land – Part 1

Our first story comes to us from Joe Nickell, who shares his discovery story about the world of polyamory in this coming of age tale. Joe calls his story “Coming Out Poly”.  Joe Nickell is a leftie writer and the creator and cohost of the first TV series ever broadcast on the Internet. He plays percussion in the Missoula Symphony and drums in the band Motorhome, which once wrote a song inspired by a Tell Us Something story. Joe’s relationship status is complicated, which is how he likes it.  Anyone interested in connecting with the poly community in Montana should look up Joe or the Great Montana Gateway Group on Facebook.   On a motorcycle trip in Baja, Mexico, Geoff Sutton’s companion breaks his ankle in deep sand 90km from town. Geoff shares the story of how they worked together to get Greg and both bikes home safely. Geoff calls his story “Sandbagged”.  Geoff Sutton is an avid traveler and his favorite way to see the world is on a motorcycle. He has ridden across China, the Altai Republic of Russian Siberia, Oman to the North cape of Norway and the most southern point of Africa. He continues to ride and explore new places around the world.   Brihannala Morgan is a political activist protesting at the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco, whose friend almost dies falling from great heights. Brihannala calls her story “Fear and Falling”.    Brihannala Morgan has been working to protect Indonesia’s tropical forests and the people who depend on them for over fifteen years. When she’s not causing trouble in the name of the environment and social justice, she’s working in the garden or wildcrafting and making wine, jam, and other products to preserve the bounty for family and friends. Originally from Madison, Wisconsin, she lives in Missoula with her partner Jonathan, and their amazing whippet cattle-dog mix, Tufa.   In our final story, Mike Robinson quits his steady job to be a horse farrier. He calls his story “Farrier on a Bike”.  Mike Robinson has been a certified journeyman farrier for the past 15 years, working on about 2,500 horses per year. He has worked on just about every type of horse breed and discipline there is, from race horses to trail horses, ranch horses to show horses, drafts to minis, backyard pets to police horses. In addition to horses, he regularly works on mules, donkeys, and burrows, and the occasional llama, sheep, goat, pig and cow, and has tended to the foot care of species of ungulates he can’t even name at the La Crosse Municipal Zoo.

Our first story comes to us from Joe Nickell, who shares his discovery story about the world of polyamory in this coming of age tale. Joe calls his story “Coming Out Poly”. Joe Nickell is a leftie writer and the creator and cohost of the first TV series ever broadcast on the Internet. He plays percussion in the Missoula Symphony and drums in the band Motorhome, which once wrote a song inspired by a Tell Us Something story. Joe’s relationship status is complicated, which is how he likes it.  Anyone interested in connecting with the poly community in Montana should look up Joe or the Great Montana Gateway Group on Facebook. On a motorcycle trip in Baja, Mexico, Geoff Sutton’s companion breaks his ankle in deep sand 90km from town. Geoff shares the story of how they worked together to get Greg and both bikes home safely. Geoff calls his story “Sandbagged”. Geoff Sutton is an avid traveler and his favorite way to see the world is on a motorcycle. He has ridden across China, the Altai Republic of Russian Siberia, Oman to the North cape of Norway and the most southern point of Africa. He continues to ride and explore new places around the world. Brihannala Morgan is a political activist protesting at the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco, whose friend almost dies falling from great heights. Brihannala calls her story “Fear and Falling”. Brihannala Morgan has been working to protect Indonesia’s tropical forests and the people who depend on them for over fifteen years. When she’s not causing trouble in the name of the environment and social justice, she’s working in the garden or wildcrafting and making wine, jam, and other products to preserve the bounty for family and friends. Originally from Madison, Wisconsin, she lives in Missoula with her partner Jonathan, and their amazing whippet cattle-dog mix, Tufa. In our final story, Mike Robinson quits his steady job to be a horse farrier. He calls his story “Farrier on a Bike”. Mike Robinson has been a certified journeyman farrier for the past 15 years, working on about 2,500 horses per year. He has worked on just about every type of horse breed and discipline there is, from race horses to trail horses, ranch horses to show horses, drafts to minis, backyard pets to police horses. In addition to horses, he regularly works on mules, donkeys, and burrows, and the occasional llama, sheep, goat, pig and cow, and has tended to the foot care of species of ungulates he can’t even name at the La Crosse Municipal Zoo.

“Risk” Part 2

Lisa Venuti

A family vacation to Jamaica gets complicated on the return trip in a story from Lisa Venuti. Lisa Venuti was born and raised in the South Bay area of California where, as a young adult, she had stints as a performance artist and the lead singer in a punk-dirge band. She moved to the Missoula area almost 30 years ago and now teaches at the University of Montana. She also raised two Missoula-born boys who are now young men and, assuredly, infinitely more responsible than she was at their age. This episode of the Tell Us Something podcast was recorded in front of a live audience on December 12th, 2017, at The Wilma in Missoula, MT. 8 storytellers shared their story on the theme “Getting Away With It”.

A family vacation to Jamaica gets complicated on the return trip in a story from Lisa Venuti. Lisa Venuti was born and raised in the South Bay area of California where, as a young adult, she had stints as a performance artist and the lead singer in a punk-dirge band. She moved to the Missoula area almost 30 years ago and now teaches at the University of Montana. She also raised two Missoula-born boys who are now young men and, assuredly, infinitely more responsible than she was at their age. This episode of the Tell Us Something podcast was recorded in front of a live audience on December 12th, 2017, at The Wilma in Missoula, MT. 8 storytellers shared their story on the theme “Getting Away With It”.

Lisa Venuti – “Ganja, Hedonism, and Burning Spear”

Our podcast today was recorded in front of a live audience on May 9, 2019, at The Myrna Loy in Helena, MT. 8 storytellers shared their true personal story on the theme “Getting Away With It”. Today we hear from four of those storytellers. Our first story comes to us from Gay Eyemon who drops acid with her boyfriend before embarking on a hitchhiking trip to San Francisco for a show at Winterland. Their trip takes an unexpected turn when their driver takes a detour to Oakland to meet up with some friends. Gay calls her story “Just One Look”.  Gay Eyemon is a mom of 5 children and 3 grandchildren. She and her husband farm in Helena, which has always been the dream for her hands *and* her heart. Gay was raised in the Bay Area near San Francisco, and has lived in Montana, her father’s home place, for over 40 years. Stories are the threads that weave her together in the fabric of grace and love. She is Nana to her grandchildren, like the dog in Peter Pan. Our next story comes to us from Bryan Sharp, who lets us tag along on his mail route as he delivers mail in the neighborhoods of Helena, Montana. Brian’s story is called “A Day in the Life of a Mailman”.  Bryan Sharp started carrying mail before bar codes were used. In 40 years, he has experienced the changes in technology affecting all mail carriers. One thing has *not* changed however, in 40 years, and that is people. People make the job of being a mailman fun and full of surprises. In our next story, Jenny Buchman Phelps invests the money she earned waiting tables into a new-to-her, Jeep. Knowing that Jeeps are notorious for tipping over, she selects a humorous vanity plate for her rig, with unintended, and unexpected, results. Jenny calls her story “Getting TIPSEE”.  Jenny Buchman Phelps was born and raised in East Helena, Montana. As a young woman she headed west, like the gold prospectors before her, and settled in Helena. Jenny has been doing hair and listening to stories for 11 years. She lives with her husband Colin, daughters Graycen and Grier, and her dog Lane. In this episode’s final story, Chuck Parrett takes care of a quick chore before church one Sunday &amp; is misdiagnosed with a terrible skin condition as a result. Chuck’s story is called “Sunday Morning Chore”.  Chuck Parrett is a retired water scientist who still likes to play around Montana streams, because, that’s where the fish live. He and his wife Bonnie are native Montanans, who were both born and raised in Butte, America. They have lived most of their lives in Helena, except for a brief stint in Bozeman and a 10-year sojourn in California. They have a son and family in Helena and a daughter and family in California.

Our podcast today was recorded in front of a live audience on May 9, 2019, at The Myrna Loy in Helena, MT. 8 storytellers shared their true personal story on the theme “Getting Away With It”. Today we hear from four of those storytellers. Our first story comes to us from Gay Eyemon who drops acid with her boyfriend before embarking on a hitchhiking trip to San Francisco for a show at Winterland. Their trip takes an unexpected turn when their driver takes a detour to Oakland to meet up with some friends. Gay calls her story “Just One Look”. Gay Eyemon is a mom of 5 children and 3 grandchildren. She and her husband farm in Helena, which has always been the dream for her hands *and* her heart. Gay was raised in the Bay Area near San Francisco, and has lived in Montana, her father’s home place, for over 40 years. Stories are the threads that weave her together in the fabric of grace and love. She is Nana to her grandchildren, like the dog in Peter Pan. Our next story comes to us from Bryan Sharp, who lets us tag along on his mail route as he delivers mail in the neighborhoods of Helena, Montana. Brian’s story is called “A Day in the Life of a Mailman”. Bryan Sharp started carrying mail before bar codes were used. In 40 years, he has experienced the changes in technology affecting all mail carriers. One thing has *not* changed however, in 40 years, and that is people. People make the job of being a mailman fun and full of surprises. In our next story, Jenny Buchman Phelps invests the money she earned waiting tables into a new-to-her, Jeep. Knowing that Jeeps are notorious for tipping over, she selects a humorous vanity plate for her rig, with unintended, and unexpected, results. Jenny calls her story “Getting TIPSEE”. Jenny Buchman Phelps was born and raised in East Helena, Montana. As a young woman she headed west, like the gold prospectors before her, and settled in Helena. Jenny has been doing hair and listening to stories for 11 years. She lives with her husband Colin, daughters Graycen and Grier, and her dog Lane. In this episode’s final story, Chuck Parrett takes care of a quick chore before church one Sunday &amp; is misdiagnosed with a terrible skin condition as a result. Chuck’s story is called “Sunday Morning Chore”. Chuck Parrett is a retired water scientist who still likes to play around Montana streams, because, that’s where the fish live. He and his wife Bonnie are native Montanans, who were both born and raised in Butte, America. They have lived most of their lives in Helena, except for a brief stint in Bozeman and a 10-year sojourn in California. They have a son and family in Helena and a daughter and family in California.

Helena – “Getting Away with It” Part 1

After living as an exchange student in Paraguay and meeting her host family’s nephew, Raphael, Jane Doherty loses track of her love for years. All of that changes one afternoon with the arrival of a blue airmail letter in her NYC apartment mailbox. Jane calls her story “Blue Airmail Letter or International Exchange, Paraguayan Style”.  Jane Doherty was born in Southeast England and emigrated to the Philadelphia suburbs with her family when she was ten. She went to college in New York City and went on teach in public schools there for fifteen years. She moved to Missoula in 2012 and teaches second grade Spanish Immersion at Paxson Elementary.  Our next story comes to us from Ellie Costello. Ellie has a recurring dream in which she hears a man’s voice giving her a disturbing message. Later, that voice manifests into reality on a Montana forest service road late one night. Ellie calls her story “Nobody to Witness”. Ellie Costello has lived and worked in Montana since 2009. Her love of this place is gradually morphing her into every Missoula cliche: grad student, yoga teacher, distillery cocktailer, distance runner, injured distance runner, small-business owner, nonprofit staffer, farmer, and baker, but not a candlestick maker, fly fisherman, or clay artist…yet. Currently, she is the Director of the MUD Project where she works with a handful of kind and badass Tool Librarians.  Marc Moss is a die-hard Bruce Springsteen fan living in Gardiner Montana when Bruce gets the E Street Band back together for a world tour. The closest they come to Gardiner is Fargo North Dakota, and Marc is determined to see the show. He calls his story “Land of Hope and Dreams”. Marc Moss is the director and founder of Tell Us Something.  He grew up near Akron, OH and moved to Montana via Yellowstone National Park in 1997. He landed in Missoula in 2003 and has been helping people get their stories heard at Tell Us Something since 2011.  Our final story comes to us from Kat Werner. Kat came to The United States as a German exchange student and is placed in Yankton, SD where she gets a true picture of ‘Merica! She calls her story “Welcome to the Heartland”. Kat is an immigrant from Germany and proudly represents her country’s stereotypes: She loves being on time and will tell you what she thinks whether you asked for it or not. Kat is an experienced globetrotter and you will find her adventuring and fighting for positive social change both in Montana and around the world.

After living as an exchange student in Paraguay and meeting her host family’s nephew, Raphael, Jane Doherty loses track of her love for years. All of that changes one afternoon with the arrival of a blue airmail letter in her NYC apartment mailbox. Jane calls her story “Blue Airmail Letter or International Exchange, Paraguayan Style”. Jane Doherty was born in Southeast England and emigrated to the Philadelphia suburbs with her family when she was ten. She went to college in New York City and went on teach in public schools there for fifteen years. She moved to Missoula in 2012 and teaches second grade Spanish Immersion at Paxson Elementary. Our next story comes to us from Ellie Costello. Ellie has a recurring dream in which she hears a man’s voice giving her a disturbing message. Later, that voice manifests into reality on a Montana forest service road late one night. Ellie calls her story “Nobody to Witness”. Ellie Costello has lived and worked in Montana since 2009. Her love of this place is gradually morphing her into every Missoula cliche: grad student, yoga teacher, distillery cocktailer, distance runner, injured distance runner, small-business owner, nonprofit staffer, farmer, and baker, but not a candlestick maker, fly fisherman, or clay artist…yet. Currently, she is the Director of the MUD Project where she works with a handful of kind and badass Tool Librarians. Marc Moss is a die-hard Bruce Springsteen fan living in Gardiner Montana when Bruce gets the E Street Band back together for a world tour. The closest they come to Gardiner is Fargo North Dakota, and Marc is determined to see the show. He calls his story “Land of Hope and Dreams”. Marc Moss is the director and founder of Tell Us Something.  He grew up near Akron, OH and moved to Montana via Yellowstone National Park in 1997. He landed in Missoula in 2003 and has been helping people get their stories heard at Tell Us Something since 2011. Our final story comes to us from Kat Werner. Kat came to The United States as a German exchange student and is placed in Yankton, SD where she gets a true picture of ‘Merica! She calls her story “Welcome to the Heartland”. Kat is an immigrant from Germany and proudly represents her country’s stereotypes: She loves being on time and will tell you what she thinks whether you asked for it or not. Kat is an experienced globetrotter and you will find her adventuring and fighting for positive social change both in Montana and around the world.

Right Place Right Time – Act 2

Jerry O’Connell

A knock on Jerry O’Connell’s door yields an unexpected visitor seeking permission to fish in his backyard. He grants permission to Noah Maclean, on the condition that Noah join Jerry and the family for dinner. Noah agrees, and mistakenly leaves behind an important flybox. Jerry O’Connell founded Big Blackfoot Riverkeeper and is currently the executive director.  He first viewed the Blackfoot in 1986 while hitchhiking through Montana.  It was love at first sight, and that moment planted the seed that eventually resulted in his moving from New England to the Blackfoot valley in 1992.  His love affair with the Big Blackfoot River continues today. Jerry has been involved in a variety of projects to protect the Big Blackfoot.  He served on the River Recreation Advisory for Tomorrow committee which, in conjunction with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, developed new recreation guidelines for the Blackfoot.  He is currently on the board of The Big Blackfoot Chapter of Trout Unlimited which has restored over 700 miles of Blackfoot tributaries.  Additionally, he is currently president of the Missoula City/County Consolidated Planning Board. Jerry lives in Greenough with his wife Deborah, a couple of horses and a rather large crew of dogs. Learn more about Jerry and his work at bigblackfootriverkeeper.org. This episode of the Tell Us Something podcast was recorded in front of a live audience on September 10th, 2017, at The Wilma in Missoula, MT.  8 storytellers shared their story on the theme “Up the Blackfoot”.

A knock on Jerry O’Connell’s door yields an unexpected visitor seeking permission to fish in his backyard. He grants permission to Noah Maclean, on the condition that Noah join Jerry and the family for dinner. Noah agrees, and mistakenly leaves behind an important flybox. Jerry O’Connell founded Big Blackfoot Riverkeeper and is currently the executive director.  He first viewed the Blackfoot in 1986 while hitchhiking through Montana.  It was love at first sight, and that moment planted the seed that eventually resulted in his moving from New England to the Blackfoot valley in 1992.  His love affair with the Big Blackfoot River continues today. Jerry has been involved in a variety of projects to protect the Big Blackfoot.  He served on the River Recreation Advisory for Tomorrow committee which, in conjunction with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, developed new recreation guidelines for the Blackfoot.  He is currently on the board of The Big Blackfoot Chapter of Trout Unlimited which has restored over 700 miles of Blackfoot tributaries.  Additionally, he is currently president of the Missoula City/County Consolidated Planning Board. Jerry lives in Greenough with his wife Deborah, a couple of horses and a rather large crew of dogs. Learn more about Jerry and his work at <a href="http://bigblackfootriverkeeper.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">bigblackfootriverkeeper.org</a>. This episode of the Tell Us Something podcast was recorded in front of a live audience on September 10th, 2017, at The Wilma in Missoula, MT.  8 storytellers shared their story on the theme “Up the Blackfoot”.

Jerry O’Connell – “Lost and Found”

Delany Wascherol is 17 years old and on the precipice of womanhood as she contemplates jumping off a cliff in Utah with some badass women. She calls her story “Testing Gravity”.  Delany Wascherol is an avid volunteer of many Missoula nonprofits, a backpacking enthusiast, an artist and a self-identified cool girl. A merit badge in canoeing doesn’t help John Schneeberger on the Lochsa River and he ends up on the wrong side of the river with a friend and his 4-year-old son. John calls his story “Down the Lochsa in a Canoe”.  John Schneeberger lives in the Bitterroot with his wife of 35 years, Karen Coombs. He is employed providing small business assistance with the local economic development authority. He has three adult children who are all splendid human beings. He is often politically active, likes hiking, skiing and doing landscape pastel paintings. Denise Baker risked her comfortable retirement by facing her daughter’s drug addiction and assuming the responsibility for her daughter’s children. She calls her story “Child of Mine”. Denise Baker is not the storyteller’s real name. She’s asked us to use a pseudonym to protect her daughter’s privacy, which is why there is no photo and we are not posting her bio. The kiddos are happy and healthy, exuberant and curious. Nerma Dobričanin, fresh off the plane from Rožaje, Montenegro, is disoriented by her surroundings in Missoula. Feeling lonely and hungry, she finds a friend who helps her adapt. Nerma calls her story “Resident Evil Fairy Tale” or “Salvation in Missoula”.  Nerma Dobričanin is a mother of two little girls and a teacher at the Secondary Vocational School in her hometown of Rožaje, Montenegro. Nerma has been teaching English for eleven years. She loves to play volleyball and is passionate about traveling. One of her childhood dreams has been to visit the United States which will has finally come true with the Study of the U. S. Institute on Secondary Education.

Delany Wascherol is 17 years old and on the precipice of womanhood as she contemplates jumping off a cliff in Utah with some badass women. She calls her story “Testing Gravity”. Delany Wascherol is an avid volunteer of many Missoula nonprofits, a backpacking enthusiast, an artist and a self-identified cool girl. A merit badge in canoeing doesn’t help John Schneeberger on the Lochsa River and he ends up on the wrong side of the river with a friend and his 4-year-old son. John calls his story “Down the Lochsa in a Canoe”. John Schneeberger lives in the Bitterroot with his wife of 35 years, Karen Coombs. He is employed providing small business assistance with the local economic development authority. He has three adult children who are all splendid human beings. He is often politically active, likes hiking, skiing and doing landscape pastel paintings. Denise Baker risked her comfortable retirement by facing her daughter’s drug addiction and assuming the responsibility for her daughter’s children. She calls her story “Child of Mine”. Denise Baker is not the storyteller’s real name. She’s asked us to use a pseudonym to protect her daughter’s privacy, which is why there is no photo and we are not posting her bio. The kiddos are happy and healthy, exuberant and curious. Nerma Dobričanin, fresh off the plane from Rožaje, Montenegro, is disoriented by her surroundings in Missoula. Feeling lonely and hungry, she finds a friend who helps her adapt. Nerma calls her story “Resident Evil Fairy Tale” or “Salvation in Missoula”. Nerma Dobričanin is a mother of two little girls and a teacher at the Secondary Vocational School in her hometown of Rožaje, Montenegro. Nerma has been teaching English for eleven years. She loves to play volleyball and is passionate about traveling. One of her childhood dreams has been to visit the United States which will has finally come true with the Study of the U. S. Institute on Secondary Education.

“Risk” Part 1

A woman accidentally points a gun at Jim Beyer in a rough biker bar in the 1970s of Missoula when she tries to defend herself against a brutal attack from another guy in the bar.  Jim Beyer has ridden motorcycles in Missoula for over 40 years. He says “I used to be cool, now I am  cliche”. Watch Jim’s story. Caroline Caldwell is a shepherd in The Falkland Islands when she is invited on a debauchery filled Christmas celebration that lasts for days. Riding her horse through town and drinking excessively with the locals, she didn’t tell Mom about this one until after it happened.  Raised in the midwest, Caroline Caldwell headed up to Maine for college and never looked back. After graduation she was granted a Watson Fellowship, which allowed her to travel to the far ends of the earth to work on sheep and cattle ranches in remote places and extreme environments. After her return to the states, she continued ranching and traveling stateside, until she found her perfect fit with Oxbow Cattle Company in Missoula, and is happy to call Montana home. Watch Caroline’s story. Heidi West grew up in Germany and watched the Berlin Wall come down. She shares her story about the after-effects of the wall falling and how that forced her and her family to flee Germany.  In 2009, after a long drive from Stillwater, Oklahoma, Heidi West found home in Missoula’s Northside neighborhood. She raises food and a family, turns pots at the Clay Studio of Missoula, and is immersed in an extensive reinvention of the family’s 1900 house. Heidi develops permanently affordable housing with the North Missoula Community Development Corporation and also holds elected office as Ward 1 City Council Representative. Heidi has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Studio Art with minors in German and Horticulture as well as a Master of Science in Plant and Soil Science, all from Oklahoma State University. Watch Heidi’s story. Brad Lane happens on a funk music festival while he is hiking the Pacific Coast Trail.  Watch Brad’s story. Brad Lane recently moved to Missoula from Iowa. He has had residencies in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and the Cascades of Washington. He moved to Montana because he wanted to live in the Rockies. His career in freelance writing made Missoula seem like the right place. You can find more of Brad’s work and other adventures at BradLaneWriting.com.

A woman accidentally points a gun at Jim Beyer in a rough biker bar in the 1970s of Missoula when she tries to defend herself against a brutal attack from another guy in the bar. Jim Beyer has ridden motorcycles in Missoula for over 40 years. He says “I used to be cool, now I am  cliche”. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVN5FLq3Jbw&amp;t=676s" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Watch Jim’s story.</a> Caroline Caldwell is a shepherd in The Falkland Islands when she is invited on a debauchery filled Christmas celebration that lasts for days. Riding her horse through town and drinking excessively with the locals, she didn’t tell Mom about this one until after it happened. Raised in the midwest, Caroline Caldwell headed up to Maine for college and never looked back. After graduation she was granted a Watson Fellowship, which allowed her to travel to the far ends of the earth to work on sheep and cattle ranches in remote places and extreme environments. After her return to the states, she continued ranching and traveling stateside, until she found her perfect fit with Oxbow Cattle Company in Missoula, and is happy to call Montana home. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVN5FLq3Jbw&amp;t=1360s" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Watch Caroline’s story.</a> Heidi West grew up in Germany and watched the Berlin Wall come down. She shares her story about the after-effects of the wall falling and how that forced her and her family to flee Germany. In 2009, after a long drive from Stillwater, Oklahoma, Heidi West found home in Missoula’s Northside neighborhood. She raises food and a family, turns pots at the Clay Studio of Missoula, and is immersed in an extensive reinvention of the family’s 1900 house. Heidi develops permanently affordable housing with the North Missoula Community Development Corporation and also holds elected office as Ward 1 City Council Representative. Heidi has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Studio Art with minors in German and Horticulture as well as a Master of Science in Plant and Soil Science, all from Oklahoma State University. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVN5FLq3Jbw&amp;t=1981s" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Watch Heidi’s story.</a> Brad Lane happens on a funk music festival while he is hiking the Pacific Coast Trail. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVN5FLq3Jbw&amp;t=2635s" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Watch Brad’s story.</a> Brad Lane recently moved to Missoula from Iowa. He has had residencies in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and the Cascades of Washington. He moved to Montana because he wanted to live in the Rockies. His career in freelance writing made Missoula seem like the right place. You can find more of Brad’s work and other adventures at <a href="http://BradLaneWriting.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">BradLaneWriting.com</a>.

Did That Really Happen Part 2

Our podcast today was recorded in front of a live audience on October 2, 2018 to a sold-out crowd at The Wilma in Missoula, MT. 8 storytellers shared their true personal story on the theme “It’s Complicated”. Our first story comes to us from Liz Boeheim who finds her birth parents and learns that expectations don’t always meet reality as she begins building a relationship with her newfound family. Liz calls her story “Family Doesn’t Always Come Easy”.  Liz Boeheim moved to Montana to work on a dude ranch for the summer after college and just kept finding excuses to stay. The 18 flight connections to get to upstate New York provides a nice buffer from her very large and very loving family. She can most often be found walking the sidewalks and trails of Missoula with her four-legged main squeeze, Hugo.   15-year-old Arthur Weatherwax lived a double life as a ceremonial Native American as a hard-partying youth in Browning MT. A house party on homecoming began a night of choices that would affect Arthur For the rest of his life. Arthur’s story is called “Life or Death We All Have Choices”.  Arthur Weatherwax is an enrolled tribal member of the Blackfeet band of the Blackfoot Nation. Arthur is known by his family and friends, as well as hospital staff from Great Falls Benefits East and West, as a walking, talking miracle. Arthur wakes up every morning remembering the challenges that he has overcome and acknowledges that not everybody works as hard as he did. Arthur also realizes the importance of family and friends who motivated him.   Marcia Williams and her husband go car shopping together and walk off the lot knowing that they will be searching for a used car for a while. Spoiler alert: they settle on something reasonable. She calls her story “The Car”.  Marcia Williams blogs at citygirlgoeswest.com.  She drives a 2010 Subaru which she bought new in a single afternoon years before she visited Montana or even considered moving from Tennessee to Missoula.   Join Ray Risho as he discovers how to cook what becomes his signature dish, veal scaloppine alla marsala. Ray calls his story “Finding My Artistic Signature”.  Ray Risho is a chef, former restaurateur, and an independent scholar teaching and currently working with a team of people to write a book on global cuisine.

Our podcast today was recorded in front of a live audience on October 2, 2018 to a sold-out crowd at The Wilma in Missoula, MT. 8 storytellers shared their true personal story on the theme “It’s Complicated”. Our first story comes to us from Liz Boeheim who finds her birth parents and learns that expectations don’t always meet reality as she begins building a relationship with her newfound family. Liz calls her story “Family Doesn’t Always Come Easy”. Liz Boeheim moved to Montana to work on a dude ranch for the summer after college and just kept finding excuses to stay. The 18 flight connections to get to upstate New York provides a nice buffer from her very large and very loving family. She can most often be found walking the sidewalks and trails of Missoula with her four-legged main squeeze, Hugo. 15-year-old Arthur Weatherwax lived a double life as a ceremonial Native American as a hard-partying youth in Browning MT. A house party on homecoming began a night of choices that would affect Arthur For the rest of his life. Arthur’s story is called “Life or Death We All Have Choices”. Arthur Weatherwax is an enrolled tribal member of the Blackfeet band of the Blackfoot Nation. Arthur is known by his family and friends, as well as hospital staff from Great Falls Benefits East and West, as a walking, talking miracle. Arthur wakes up every morning remembering the challenges that he has overcome and acknowledges that not everybody works as hard as he did. Arthur also realizes the importance of family and friends who motivated him. Marcia Williams and her husband go car shopping together and walk off the lot knowing that they will be searching for a used car for a while. Spoiler alert: they settle on something reasonable. She calls her story “The Car”. Marcia Williams blogs at <a href="http://citygirlgoeswest.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">citygirlgoeswest.com</a>.  She drives a 2010 Subaru which she bought new in a single afternoon years before she visited Montana or even considered moving from Tennessee to Missoula. Join Ray Risho as he discovers how to cook what becomes his signature dish, veal scaloppine alla marsala. Ray calls his story “Finding My Artistic Signature”. Ray Risho is a chef, former restaurateur, and an independent scholar teaching and currently working with a team of people to write a book on global cuisine.

“It’s Complicated” Part 1

Our podcast today was recorded in front of a live audience on March 18, 2019, to a sold-out crowd at The Wilma in Missoula, MT. 8 storytellers shared their true personal story on the theme “Stranger in a Strange Land”. Today we hear from four of those storytellers.     Our first story comes to us from Dick King, who, In the 1970s, is traveling in Iran and has an uncomfortable encounter with the SAVAK, the Shaw’s secret police. Dick calls his story “Being With the People in the Land of the ‘Lynchpin’”  Watch Dick’s story. Dick King was born and raised on the Hi-Line. He is a sugarbeeter from Chinook, Montana. Dick  attended the University of Montana, and received a masters degree in American history in 1971, after which he became a Peace Corps volunteer, and served four years in Afghanistan. He returned to Montana in 1975 and married Tove Elv-rom in 1980. They have one son, Alex. Dick has  worked in community and economic development, and moved to Missoula in 2000.   Our next story comes to us from Ibrahin Mena who encounters a racist at a local grocery store in Missoula, Montana. The encounter causes him to reflect with empathy despite his anger and hurt, and he responds with love and kindness. He calls his story “What’s Wrong with my Skin?”.  Watch Ibrahin’s story. Ibrahin Mena is from Caracas Venezuela. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Education and a Master degree in Journalism. He has more than ten years of experience teaching at the primary, secondary and university levels. He was honored as teacher of the year in Caracas in 2014. Ibrahin lived in Malta, Europe for a year and half and arrived in Missoula in 2016 to teach at Missoula International School. He loves dancing, writing and traveling. Ibrahin created a video about his experience upon returning from the grocery store. You can watch that video below. Love &amp; Tolerance at the Grocery Store (original Facebook video) Jesse Ballard grew up in East Africa. Her first visit to an American grocery store leaves her amazed at all of the choices of cereal in the US. Jesse’s story is called “The Cereal Aisle and Other Strange Places”.    Watch Jesse’s story. Jesse Ballard is a local childbirth educator, lactation counselor and birth doula (in other words, all things birth, boobs and babies.) She is married with two kids and loves travel, international food and being involved in local theatre productions. In our final story, Carissa Benjamin thinks that she got lucky when a stranger holds the door for her at a pay toilet in Nice, France. She calls her story “Stranger in A Strange Water Closet”.    Watch Carissa’s story. Carissa Benjamin is originally from Miami FL, and moved to Missoula in 2001, eventually making it her forever home which she shares with her husband, two young children and elderly yellow lab. She works as a physical therapist for Missoula County Public Schools and moonlights as an ice hockey referee. She also owns and operates a mobile physical therapy practice,where she enjoys working with individuals in their natural habitat. She also loves all things story.

Our podcast today was recorded in front of a live audience on March 18, 2019, to a sold-out crowd at The Wilma in Missoula, MT. 8 storytellers shared their true personal story on the theme “Stranger in a Strange Land”. Today we hear from four of those storytellers. Our first story comes to us from Dick King, who, In the 1970s, is traveling in Iran and has an uncomfortable encounter with the SAVAK, the Shaw’s secret police. Dick calls his story “Being With the People in the Land of the ‘Lynchpin’” <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkW4e2n2Xfc&amp;t=394s" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Watch Dick’s story.</a> Dick King was born and raised on the Hi-Line. He is a sugarbeeter from Chinook, Montana. Dick  attended the University of Montana, and received a masters degree in American history in 1971, after which he became a Peace Corps volunteer, and served four years in Afghanistan. He returned to Montana in 1975 and married Tove Elv-rom in 1980. They have one son, Alex. Dick has  worked in community and economic development, and moved to Missoula in 2000. Our next story comes to us from Ibrahin Mena who encounters a racist at a local grocery store in Missoula, Montana. The encounter causes him to reflect with empathy despite his anger and hurt, and he responds with love and kindness. He calls his story “What’s Wrong with my Skin?”. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkW4e2n2Xfc&amp;t=1163s" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Watch Ibrahin’s story.</a> Ibrahin Mena is from Caracas Venezuela. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Education and a Master degree in Journalism. He has more than ten years of experience teaching at the primary, secondary and university levels. He was honored as teacher of the year in Caracas in 2014. Ibrahin lived in Malta, Europe for a year and half and arrived in Missoula in 2016 to teach at Missoula International School. He loves dancing, writing and traveling. Ibrahin created a video about his experience upon returning from the grocery store. You can watch that video below. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ibrahinm/videos/10157006307383151/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Love &amp; Tolerance at the Grocery Store (original Facebook video)</a> Jesse Ballard grew up in East Africa. Her first visit to an American grocery store leaves her amazed at all of the choices of cereal in the US. Jesse’s story is called “The Cereal Aisle and Other Strange Places”. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkW4e2n2Xfc&amp;t=1751s" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Watch Jesse’s story.</a> Jesse Ballard is a local childbirth educator, lactation counselor and birth doula (in other words, all things birth, boobs and babies.) She is married with two kids and loves travel, international food and being involved in local theatre productions. In our final story, Carissa Benjamin thinks that she got lucky when a stranger holds the door for her at a pay toilet in Nice, France. She calls her story “Stranger in A Strange Water Closet”. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkW4e2n2Xfc&amp;t=2382s" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Watch Carissa’s story.</a> Carissa Benjamin is originally from Miami FL, and moved to Missoula in 2001, eventually making it her forever home which she shares with her husband, two young children and elderly yellow lab. She works as a physical therapist for Missoula County Public Schools and moonlights as an ice hockey referee. She also owns and operates a mobile physical therapy practice,where she enjoys working with individuals in their natural habitat. She also loves all things story.

Stranger in a Strange Land – Part 2

Jay Dixon

Jay Dixon of Dixon Adventures has clients on the boat and they are planning a 20 mile day on the Blackfoot. It’s the 3rd week of June during a Salmonfly hatch. With about an hour of daylight remaining, he sees a woman in distress on the rock scree above the river. With the help of Search &amp; Rescue, Jay saves the woman’s life in a dramatic ordeal. Listen to Jay’s story, which we call – “Blackfoot River Rescue”. Jay Dixonhas a college degree in environmental geology with an emphasis in groundwater and fisheries from the University of Montana.  He has been fly fishing since the age of 6 and started tying flies soon after.  Jay Dixon owns and operates Dixon Adventures along with his wife and partner in crime, Deb. They live in an off-the-grid solar home they built together in the Sapphire mountains, overlooking the Bitterroot Valley, with their two boys, Jake and Zack.  Learn more about Jay and his work at  dixonadventures.com This episode of the Tell Us Something podcast was recorded in front of a live audience on September 10th, 2017, at The Wilma in Missoula, MT.  8 storytellers shared their story on the theme “Up the Blackfoot”.

Jay Dixon of Dixon Adventures has clients on the boat and they are planning a 20 mile day on the Blackfoot. It’s the 3rd week of June during a Salmonfly hatch. With about an hour of daylight remaining, he sees a woman in distress on the rock scree above the river. With the help of Search &amp; Rescue, Jay saves the woman’s life in a dramatic ordeal. Listen to Jay’s story, which we call – “Blackfoot River Rescue”. Jay Dixonhas a college degree in environmental geology with an emphasis in groundwater and fisheries from the University of Montana.  He has been fly fishing since the age of 6 and started tying flies soon after.  Jay Dixon owns and operates Dixon Adventures along with his wife and partner in crime, Deb. They live in an off-the-grid solar home they built together in the Sapphire mountains, overlooking the Bitterroot Valley, with their two boys, Jake and Zack.  Learn more about Jay and his work at  <a href="http://dixonadventures.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">dixonadventures.com</a> This episode of the Tell Us Something podcast was recorded in front of a live audience on September 10th, 2017, at The Wilma in Missoula, MT.  8 storytellers shared their story on the theme “Up the Blackfoot”.

Jay Dixon – “Blackfoot River Rescue”

Marc Moss hosts Tell Us Something Radio, in which you'll hear four stories recorded during live Tell Us Something events held in Missoula.The stories in this program include a young Jewish boy struggling to please his father, a second-generation immigrant who takes his family to a lake in Michigan as a result of a family story, an important discovery in the basement of the New York City Public Library and a theatre director whose car breaks down on a mountain pass during a time of great chaos.This special Father’s Day edition of Tell Us Something Radio features stories about fathers and sons shared by your community -- regular everyday Montanans with a story to share. Stories were recorded in front of a live audience.Steven Begleiter “My Father and Football” (June 2015)Alex Alviar - "Invisible Scripts (June 2015)Ed Stalling “A Gift For Dad”  (February 2015)David Mills-Lowe “Fixing Windmills” (or) “Saying Goodbye to Dad” (May 2012)

Marc Moss hosts Tell Us Something Radio, in which you'll hear four stories recorded during live Tell Us Something events held in Missoula. The stories in this program include a young Jewish boy struggling to please his father, a second-generation immigrant who takes his family to a lake in Michigan as a result of a family story, an important discovery in the basement of the New York City Public Library and a theatre director whose car breaks down on a mountain pass during a time of great chaos. This special Father’s Day edition of Tell Us Something Radio features stories about fathers and sons shared by your community -- regular everyday Montanans with a story to share. Stories were recorded in front of a live audience. Steven Begleiter “My Father and Football” (June 2015) Alex Alviar - "Invisible Scripts (June 2015) Ed Stalling “A Gift For Dad” (February 2015) David Mills-Lowe “Fixing Windmills” (or) “Saying Goodbye to Dad” (May 2012)

Tell Us Something – Fathers Day Special

In this week’s podcast you’ll learn about a man’s exploration of his family’s ancestry, you’ll hear a young woman’s struggle to keeping her young daughters safe while writing and promoting her first book and memoir while surviving domestic abuse at home, you’ll descend into addiction and come out on the other side, before finally making friends with a person with whom you once vehemently disagreed. Our podcast today was recorded in front of a live audience on October 2, 2018, to a sold-out crowd at The Wilma in Missoula, MT. 8 storytellers shared their true personal story on the theme “It’s Complicated”. Today we hear from four of those storytellers. Our first story comes to us from Chris LaTray, whose father wants nothing to do with his Native American heritage. As Chris becomes an adult, he begins exploring this heritage, seeking understanding of who he is and where he comes from. Chris calls his story “How’s It Going, Chief?””.  Chris La Tray is a writer, a walker, and a photographer. His freelance writing and photography has appeared in various regional and national publications. His first book, One-Sentence Journal: Short Poems and Essays from the World at Large, was recently released via Riverfeet Press. Chris is Chippewa-Cree Métis, and is an enrolled member of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians. Follow Chris at chrislatray.com. Get Chris’ new book:  One-Sentence Journal: Short Poems and Essays from the World at Large Stephanie Land does the best she can as she navigates escaping and surviving domestic violence while keeping her young daughters safe and writing and promoting her first book and memoir. She calls her story “Setting the Missing Piece Down”.  Stephanie Land’s work has been featured in The New York Times, the New York Review of Books, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Vox, Salon and many other outlets. She lives in Missoula, Montana. Follow Stephanie at stepville.com. Her first book, MAID, Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive A Memoir is available starting in January 2019 from Hachette. Pre-order her book now! Steve Brester, a retired Missoula police officer, recovers from drug addiction and alcoholism after being caught stealing from the state crime evidence lab. Recovery led him to work towards ending unemployment for Missoula’s Low Income, Previously Incarcerated and Homeless Populations. Steve’s story is called “Addiction and Second Chance”.    Steve Brester and his wife are native Missoulians, graduating from Sentinel and Hellgate respectively. They both attended University of Montana and have been married for 34 years. They have three adult children and two grandchildren. Steve is a retired City of Missoula Police Officer who served from 1992-2012. Learn more about Missoula Works. Betsy Mulligan-Dague’s work as a peace advocate leads her to forge an unlikely friendship with a Vietnam veteran. Together they move past their differences and see the importance of the work that each of them engages in. Betsy calls her story “My Friend Dan”.  Betsy Mulligan-Dague has a 30 year history as a clinical social worker helping families and individuals address challenges in their lives. She has taught numerous groups to look at ways they can understand the emotions and needs behind communication. Since 2005, she has been the Executive Director of the Jeannette Rankin Peace Center, where she has continued to focus on ways people can increase their communication skills to become better at peacemaking and conflict resolution, believing that our difference will never be as important as the things we have in common. She recently was featured in a full-length documentary, Beyond the Divide: The Courage to Find Common Ground about her efforts to build bridges between peace advocates and veterans. Betsy is a past president of the Missoula Sunrise Rotary Club and currently serves as the Chair of the State Peace &amp; Conflict Resolution Committee for Rotary as well as a board member of the Waterton Glacier International Peace Park. She is available to speak on peace, peacemaking, conflict resolution, team building, nonviolent communication, women’s issues, social activism, the history and importance of Jeannette Rankin as well as specifics of nonprofit management, fair trade and earned income. See the trailer for “9 Pieces of Peace” See the trailer for Beyond the Divide Listen to “A Conversation Between a Peace Activst and a Vietnam Veteran” on PRX.

In this week’s podcast you’ll learn about a man’s exploration of his family’s ancestry, you’ll hear a young woman’s struggle to keeping her young daughters safe while writing and promoting her first book and memoir while surviving domestic abuse at home, you’ll descend into addiction and come out on the other side, before finally making friends with a person with whom you once vehemently disagreed. Our podcast today was recorded in front of a live audience on October 2, 2018, to a sold-out crowd at The Wilma in Missoula, MT. 8 storytellers shared their true personal story on the theme “It’s Complicated”. Today we hear from four of those storytellers. Our first story comes to us from Chris LaTray, whose father wants nothing to do with his Native American heritage. As Chris becomes an adult, he begins exploring this heritage, seeking understanding of who he is and where he comes from. Chris calls his story “How’s It Going, Chief?””. Chris La Tray is a writer, a walker, and a photographer. His freelance writing and photography has appeared in various regional and national publications. His first book, One-Sentence Journal: Short Poems and Essays from the World at Large, was recently released via Riverfeet Press. Chris is Chippewa-Cree Métis, and is an enrolled member of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians. Follow Chris at <a href="http://chrislatray.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">chrislatray.com</a>. Get Chris’ new book: <a href="https://www.factandfictionbooks.com/one-sentence-journal" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> One-Sentence Journal: Short Poems and Essays from the World at Large</a> Stephanie Land does the best she can as she navigates escaping and surviving domestic violence while keeping her young daughters safe and writing and promoting her first book and memoir. She calls her story “Setting the Missing Piece Down”. Stephanie Land’s work has been featured in The New York Times, the New York Review of Books, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Vox, Salon and many other outlets. She lives in Missoula, Montana. Follow Stephanie at <a href="http://stepville.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">stepville.com</a>. Her first book, MAID, Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive A Memoir is available starting in January 2019 from Hachette. <a href="https://www.factandfictionbooks.com/book/9780316505116" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pre-order her book now!</a> Steve Brester, a retired Missoula police officer, recovers from drug addiction and alcoholism after being caught stealing from the state crime evidence lab. Recovery led him to work towards ending unemployment for Missoula’s Low Income, Previously Incarcerated and Homeless Populations. Steve’s story is called “Addiction and Second Chance”. Steve Brester and his wife are native Missoulians, graduating from Sentinel and Hellgate respectively. They both attended University of Montana and have been married for 34 years. They have three adult children and two grandchildren. Steve is a retired City of Missoula Police Officer who served from 1992-2012. Learn more about <a href="http://missoulaworks.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Missoula Works</a>. Betsy Mulligan-Dague’s work as a peace advocate leads her to forge an unlikely friendship with a Vietnam veteran. Together they move past their differences and see the importance of the work that each of them engages in. Betsy calls her story “My Friend Dan”. Betsy Mulligan-Dague has a 30 year history as a clinical social worker helping families and individuals address challenges in their lives. She has taught numerous groups to look at ways they can understand the emotions and needs behind communication. Since 2005, she has been the Executive Director of the Jeannette Rankin Peace Center, where she has continued to focus on ways people can increase their communication skills to become better at peacemaking and conflict resolution, believing that our difference will never be as important as the things we have in common. She recently was featured in a full-length documentary, Beyond the Divide: The Courage to Find Common Ground about her efforts to build bridges between peace advocates and veterans. Betsy is a past president of the Missoula Sunrise Rotary Club and currently serves as the Chair of the State Peace &amp; Conflict Resolution Committee for Rotary as well as a board member of the Waterton Glacier International Peace Park. She is available to speak on peace, peacemaking, conflict resolution, team building, nonviolent communication, women’s issues, social activism, the history and importance of Jeannette Rankin as well as specifics of nonprofit management, fair trade and earned income. See the trailer for “<a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1103072482/9-pieces-of-peace" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">9 Pieces of Peace</a>” See the trailer for <a href="https://beyondthedividefilm.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Beyond the Divide</a> Listen to “<a href="https://beta.prx.org/stories/69702-a-conversation-between-a-peace-activist-and-a-viet" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Conversation Between a Peace Activst and a Vietnam Veteran</a>” on PRX.

It’s Complicated – Part 2

Our podcast today was recorded in front of a live audience on March 18, 2019 at The Wilma in Missoula, MT. 8 storytellers shared their true personal story on the theme “Stranger in a Strange Land”. Audience members were invited to anonymously submit their stories on the night’s theme of “Stranger in a Strange Land”. Selected stories were chosen from a hat and read live on stage by Lauren Ciampa and Amy Thompson.

Our podcast today was recorded in front of a live audience on March 18, 2019 at The Wilma in Missoula, MT. 8 storytellers shared their true personal story on the theme “Stranger in a Strange Land”. Audience members were invited to anonymously submit their stories on the night’s theme of “Stranger in a Strange Land”. Selected stories were chosen from a hat and read live on stage by Lauren Ciampa and Amy Thompson.

“Stranger in a Strange Land” – Audience Participation

In this podcast episode, you’ll hear stories about a man overcoming his obesity and depression through the magic of MMA fighting, a model who escapes the insidious modeling industry, a volunteer who helps restore an historic C-47 aircraft for the commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of D-Day and a mother making a difficult decision on the day of an important hunt. Note that the quality of the sound is not as perfect as we would like it to be. These stories are really worthwhile and we want you to hear them. Thank you. Dave Boulter is an athlete who can no longer play sports. The resulting depression and weight gain drive him to try a sport he never thought he would try — MMA fighting. He calls his story “That Didn’t Hurt So Bad!”  Dave Boulter is a New England boy who moved to Montana early in the Spring of 1993. He graduated from the University of Montana with a degree in Forestry specializing in Recreation Management. He has been making his living as a Stone Mason for approximately 20 years and is a veteran athlete and coach in Mixed Martial Arts. Ainsley McWha begins her modeling career at 16 and is enthralled by the glitz and glamor before she discovers the dark side of the industry and finally escapes.  Near the end of Ainsley’s story, an unfortunate thing happens: she is heckled by someone in the audience who is not listening fully to her story. This sort of behavior is never appropriate. At the live event, I made that clear after Ainsly finished. I mention this here because I kept the heckler in the edit and bleeped her comment. Doing so retains the flow of the story and shows Ainsley’s strength in pushing through to finish her story.  Ainsley calls her story “Seen &amp; Not Heard”.  Ainsley McWha is a writer and essayist whose work appears in the current issue of Barrelhouse Journal and has previously been published in Grist, Tahoma Literary Review, Salon, and the Washington Post, among others. She was recently appointed as the chair of the Parks &amp; Rec committee in the town where she lives. She has never seen the sitcom.  Read Ainsley’s writing about her experiences as a model at Salon, The Washington Post, Huffington Post (1), and Huffington Post (2). Mare at ainsleymcwha.com. John  Haines knows nothing about airplanes and loves a good cause, so he volunteers to help make “Miss Montana” airworthy so she can join the D-Day Squadron and the Daks Over Normandy in commemorating the 75th Anniversary of D-Day on June 6, 2019. (Miss Montana is a historic C-47 aircraft in the Museum of Mountain Flying in Missoula.) John calls his story “75 Years is a Good Start”.  John Haines was born and raised in Plains, MT and lived in Kumamoto, Japan for ten years. John currently works at Ace hardware so he can volunteer at the Museum of Mountain Flying. Molly Bradford awakens on the day of the hunt to the sounds of her son coughing with the croup and has to decide if she should cancel the hunt. She calls her story “The Push and the Pull – or – Spilling Milk”  Molly Bradford is the CEO and Co-founder at GatherBoard, the makers of MissoulaEvents.net. Molly takes community connection seriously, as an active member of the Missoula startup ecosystem in addition to her children’s scholastic and community endeavors. Molly is an avid yet amateur gardener, cook, skier, and hunter who likes to put up mass quantities of food for the winter, race her husband and kids down the slopes and makes telecommuting from Mexico a family priority.

In this podcast episode, you’ll hear stories about a man overcoming his obesity and depression through the magic of MMA fighting, a model who escapes the insidious modeling industry, a volunteer who helps restore an historic C-47 aircraft for the commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of D-Day and a mother making a difficult decision on the day of an important hunt. Note that the quality of the sound is not as perfect as we would like it to be. These stories are really worthwhile and we want you to hear them. Thank you. Dave Boulter is an athlete who can no longer play sports. The resulting depression and weight gain drive him to try a sport he never thought he would try — MMA fighting. He calls his story “That Didn’t Hurt So Bad!” Dave Boulter is a New England boy who moved to Montana early in the Spring of 1993. He graduated from the University of Montana with a degree in Forestry specializing in Recreation Management. He has been making his living as a Stone Mason for approximately 20 years and is a veteran athlete and coach in Mixed Martial Arts. Ainsley McWha begins her modeling career at 16 and is enthralled by the glitz and glamor before she discovers the dark side of the industry and finally escapes.  Near the end of Ainsley’s story, an unfortunate thing happens: she is heckled by someone in the audience who is not listening fully to her story. This sort of behavior is never appropriate. At the live event, I made that clear after Ainsly finished. I mention this here because I kept the heckler in the edit and bleeped her comment. Doing so retains the flow of the story and shows Ainsley’s strength in pushing through to finish her story.  Ainsley calls her story “Seen &amp; Not Heard”. Ainsley McWha is a writer and essayist whose work appears in the current issue of Barrelhouse Journal and has previously been published in Grist, Tahoma Literary Review, Salon, and the Washington Post, among others. She was recently appointed as the chair of the Parks &amp; Rec committee in the town where she lives. She has never seen the sitcom.  Read Ainsley’s writing about her experiences as a model at <a href="https://www.salon.com/2017/12/28/preyed-upon-by-a-hollywood-director-2/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Salon</a>, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2016/06/23/the-life-of-a-supermodel-sounds-glamorous-but-i-lived-it-and-it-made-me-severely-depressed/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a>, <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/why-models-need-protectio_b_8665088" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Huffington Post</a> (1), and <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/i-wish-france-had-banned-underweight-models-when-i-was-one_b_7020356" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Huffington Post</a> (2). Mare at <a href="https://www.ainsleymcwha.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ainsleymcwha.com</a>. John  Haines knows nothing about airplanes and loves a good cause, so he volunteers to help make “Miss Montana” airworthy so she can join the D-Day Squadron and the Daks Over Normandy in commemorating the 75th Anniversary of D-Day on June 6, 2019. (Miss Montana is a historic C-47 aircraft in the Museum of Mountain Flying in Missoula.) John calls his story “75 Years is a Good Start”. John Haines was born and raised in Plains, MT and lived in Kumamoto, Japan for ten years. John currently works at Ace hardware so he can volunteer at the Museum of Mountain Flying. Molly Bradford awakens on the day of the hunt to the sounds of her son coughing with the croup and has to decide if she should cancel the hunt. She calls her story “The Push and the Pull – or – Spilling Milk” Molly Bradford is the CEO and Co-founder at GatherBoard, the makers of <a href="http://MissoulaEvents.net" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">MissoulaEvents.net</a>. Molly takes community connection seriously, as an active member of the Missoula startup ecosystem in addition to her children’s scholastic and community endeavors. Molly is an avid yet amateur gardener, cook, skier, and hunter who likes to put up mass quantities of food for the winter, race her husband and kids down the slopes and makes telecommuting from Mexico a family priority.

“Tipping Point” Part 2

The best podcast episodes on physical health. Episodes talk about your diet, sleep, exercise and all the things that people do to improve their physical health and live a healthier life. This topic is for everyone, with applications in all of our everyday lives. Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!

Best Episodes on Physical Health & Your Body

The best podcast episodes on parenting. Interviewing experts and talking through common issues surrounding parenting. This topic is filled with important lessons and insights for anyone listening. Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!