Jane Q. Public

In this episode of the Jane Q. Public podQast, Q speaks with entrepreneur Elijah May. May is the and co-founder Team CMO and Executive Producer of The CMO Show podcast. The two discuss how shitty the job search process is, and then dive into the topic of America's commitment to materialism, why religion isn't helping, and how their Gen X upbringing has defined their identities and search for meaning in middle age. The Jane Q. Public podQast features conversations with people across the social and political spectrum about the nature of modernity; our collective concerns as a nation; and the impacts of technology and digital civic culture on American life. Subscribe on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts Stitcher Audible Support The Jane Q. Public podQast at: Patreon (patreon.com/TheQniverse) PayPal (paypal.me/ImTheQ) Venmo - @AmandaQ555

In this episode of the podQast, Q talks with Adam P. Knave, an Eisner and Harvey award winning editor and writer who writes prose fiction (Culture's Skeleton, The Endless Sky, This Starry Deep and others), comics (The Airless Year, The Once and Future Queen, Amelia Cole), stories in Titmouse Vol 2, Heavy Metal, and many more, as well as humor essay collections (NYCWTF, I Slept With Your Imaginary Friend) and used to write columns for sites such as thefoonote, TwoHeadedCat, Comics101, PopCultureShock, Three If By Space, and MamaPop. He worked as one of the editors of Image's Popgun anthology, also editing many other works along the way. Find Adam on Mastodon.  

In this episode of the Jane Q. Public podQast, I chat (and fangirl out) with Neda Mo'Money, a hijab-wearing, pole-dancing, social media creator who generously shares her humor, stories of recovery from familial abuse, and wisdom with the world.  Find Neda online: Instagram (@hijabiluscious) TikTok (@hijabiluscious)

In this episode of The Jane Q. Public podQast, Q talks with Shireen Qudosi, about her new project The Foundation for Human belonging. The two discuss Shireen's vision for 'spiritually feminine leadership', breaking dichotomous frames, and the bittersweet life of following your heart into the unknown. Find Shireen online at: Instagram (@ShireenQudosi) ShireenQudosi.com      As an immigrant over and over again across three continents Shireen Quidosi has lived the themes coloring our cultural and policy landscape today — migration, radicalization, and adaptation across seismic cultural shifts. In 2019, Shireen grew deeply concerned about the new eruptions of extremism and identity politics (a ‘gateway drug' to radicalization). The following year, alarmed by the normalization and acceleration of radicalization, she shed the skin of her own identity markers by choosing to no longer self-identify based on race, ethnicity, faith, or political ideologies. Shireen chooses beyond polarity and offers her experience and expertise through a new model of conscious leadership rooted in the feminine. She is currently writing a book, "The Song of the Human Heart" and forming an accompanying 501c3, The Foundation for Human Belonging.

In this episode of the podcast, Q talks with Ari Cohn, Free Speech Counsel at TechFreedom, an organization dedicated to understanding the impacts of technology on our society. They discuss social media's impact on American culture; the importance of protecting first amendment rights to speech, especially in our new communications landscape; and how we can both protect and assert ourselves online. Connect with Ari online: Twitter (@AriCohn) TechFreedom Ari is an experienced First Amendment and defamation attorney based in Chicago. A native of Skokie, Illinois, he developed an interest in First Amendment issues at an early age, and has dedicated his career to protecting civil liberties from government intrusion. Prior to opening his own practice, Ari served as director of the Individual Rights Defense Program at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), where he defended the free speech rights of students and faculty members at colleges and universities and co-authored amicus briefs to state and federal courts across the country on vital First Amendment issues. Before joining FIRE, Ari was a litigation associate at the Chicago office of Mayer Brown LLP, where he represented multinational businesses in high-stakes commercial litigation. ------ The Jane Q. Public podQast features conversations with people across the social and political spectrum about the nature of modernity; our collective concerns as a nation; and the impacts of technology and digital civic culture on American life. Subscribe on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts Stitcher Audible Support The Jane Q. Public podQast at: Patreon (patreon.com/TheQniverse) PayPal (paypal.me/ImTheQ) Venmo - @AmandaQ555 Ca$hApp - $AmandaTheQ

In this episode of The Jane Q. Public podQast, Q talks with her longtime internet colleague and digital marketing guru Rachel Heseltine. They discuss Rachel's Micronation Nobility; grouse in a decidedly Gen X way about other generations; and discuss what it's like to be a trans woman making her way in the world - online and off. Find Rachel online: Twitter (@YorkshireBorn) ------- Rachel Heseltine is the VP of Consumer Growth at Trader Interactive in Norfolk, VA. Her award winning team is responsible for all traffic channels for industry leading sites such as Cycle Trader and Commercial Truck Trader. Rachel has led award winning teams at ForRent (2017) and AOL (2014), also working in-house at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and for several years on the agency side. Rachel taught digital marketing for 5 years at Georgetown University, and was on the board of SEMPO for 4 years, 2 as VP of Education. Rachel is a frequent speaker / trainer / moderator at conferences around the world on a variety of online marketing topics. She has a BA (Hons) from the University of Humberside (England), and a Masters in IT from Virginia Tech Rachel is the Duchess of Simonskorg (Ladonia). and a Dame of the Order of the Polar Cross (West Arctica) - both micronations. Rachel is a former improv / sketch comedy performer and currently writes poetry as an outlet. This Labor day will be the 30th anniversary of Rachel's move to the US from the UK.  

In this episode of the Jane Q. Public podQast, Q talks with her friend and colleague Dr. David Dault about his Catholic faith; the limitations inherent in institutions; and the impact of technology on our public discourse and deliberative democracy.  Find Dr. Dault online at: Personal website (daviddault.com) Twitter (@DaultRadio) Things Not Seen website (thingsnotseenradio.com) Twitter (@NotSeenRadio) ------- David Dault is a writer, media professional, and educator. He is the host and executive producer of Things Not Seen: Conversations About Culture and Faith, an award-winning radio show and podcast. David began the show in Memphis in 2012, and it now airs weekly on WCPT in Chicago. It is distributed nationally through the Public Radio Exchange (PRX), and has listeners around the nation and the world. Along with Father Daniel P. Horan, OFM, and National Catholic Reporter executive editor Heidi Schlumpf, David is the co-host of The Francis Effect, a popular podcast that features commentary on news and events from a Catholic viewpoint. He is the co-founder of Sandburg Media, a consulting and production company that works with clients across the nation to develop and produce content for radio, streaming, and television. His work has won awards from the Religion News Association and the Religion Communicators Council, and in 2015 he received an Emmy nomination for the television documentary Selma at 50: Still Marching. David teaches in the Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University of Chicago, where he is currently an assistant professor of Christian spirituality. His previous faculty appointments were at Christian Brothers University in Memphis, where he also served as vice president of the faculty assembly and as the school's special liaison to the Catholic Diocese of Memphis, and at American Baptist College in Nashville, where he served as chair of the department of theology and biblical studies. In 2020 he was elected President of the Society for Comparative Research in Iconic and Performative Texts (SCRIPT), an international scholarly association affiliated with the American Academy of Religion and Society of Biblical Literature. David received his Ph.D. in religion from Vanderbilt University, and he holds an M.A in religion from Vanderbilt, as well as an M.A. in theological studies from Columbia Theological Seminary. He lives with his family in Hyde Park, a neighborhood on the south side of Chicago.

Season 3 of the Jane Q. Public podcast kicks off with a new format! In this episode, Q welcomes journalist and longtime friend Omar Gallaga to the show to discuss his experience in media before, during and after the digital revolution. Gallaga is a veteran journalist with more than two decades at The Austin-American Statesman. Today, he is a freelancer with bylines at Texas Standard; Texas Monthly; and The Washington Post.  Find Omar Gallaga online at: Terribly-Happy.com Twitter (@omargee) Instagram (@omargee)  

In this episode, Q talks with Fernanda “Nani” Meier - a catalyst, changemaker and community connector - about her art, the environment and what it's like to lead a truly fabulous life. Follow Fernanda online: Website: FernandaMeier.com Twitter: @lenubienne Instagram: @lenubienne

In this episode Q talks to Shana V. White, and educator and activist, about her love of RomComs, her passion for equitable education, and how she copes with the extraordinary challenges she sees in the world around us. ---------- Shana V. White is currently the Senior Associate, CS Equity and Justice Initiatives at the Kapor Center. Shana is a passionate educator who works as an advocate for marginalized groups in education and has an unwavering commitment to providing opportunities for all students to engage in unique and relevant learning experiences. She believes in purposeful disruption of the status quo and encourages teachers to exercise autonomy and humanize schools for students. Find Shana online at: Website Twitter

The second annual Festivus Airing of the Grievances episode of The PodQast is here! Joined again by her BBF (Best Bitching Friend), Hansel, The Q unleashes her pent up frustrations about Instagram Propaganda, Influencer Culture, Bureaucracies - and much more! As always, please subscribe to the podQast and share your favorite episode. If you'd like to support the podQast, you can do so via Patreon or Paypal.

In this episode of the podQast, Q talks to her longtime friend Maharat Rori Picker Neiss about what exactly a Maharat is; the challenges in leading community during such politically divisive times; and her public support of transgender rights. Find Maharat Rori Picker Neiss online: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/roripickerneiss Twitter: https://twitter.com/roripn --------------- Maharat Rori Picker Neiss serves as the Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of St Louis. She is one of the first graduates of Yeshivat Maharat, a pioneering institution training Orthodox Jewish women to be spiritual leaders and halakhic (Jewish legal) authorities. Rori is the Chair of the Interfaith Partnership of Greater St. Louis, a David Hartman Center fellow of the Shalom Hartman Institute, and co-editor of "InterActive Faith: The Essential Interreligious Community-Building Handbook." Her passions center on Judaism, feminism, interfaith dialogue, social justice, and her three children.

In this episode, Q chats with her friend Cornell Woolridge about civics, the impact of digital media on our engagement with the political process, and the need to unplug once in a while. Cornell Woolridge, is Founder/President of CivicSolve LLC, a Civic Empowerment Consultant Firm founded in Building Better Communities Through Civic Empowerment. Raised in the South and educated in the North, Cornell often walks the line between Southern Hospitality and Brutal Honesty. When he's not working with various communities to build community and civic capacity, Cornell is known to write creatively, inhale non-fiction podcasts and documentaries, cook, sing and generally enjoy people. Cornell has run political campaigns in Texas and Massachusetts, coordinated issue campaigns in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania as well as national grassroots advocacy for the Epilepsy Foundation of America and served as a civic engagement consultant for the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities. He holds a B.A. in English (Creative Writing) from Skidmore College, M.S. in Ethics & Public Policy from Suffolk University and Graduate Certification in Transformative Leadership from Maryland University of Integrative Health. Find Cornell online: CivicSolve.com Twitter: @CivicSolve Facebook: facebook.com/CivSolve/ Twitter: @RenaissanceXM (Personal)  

In this episode of the podQast, Q talks to her friend and touchstone, Paul-Gabriel Wiener about MST3K, internet culture, coping with disability, and finding community online. Paul is a general purpose nerd with an overactive immune system just trying to make the world an incrementally better, happier, fairer place. Forecast calls for fog in the morning giving way to clouds and pun with a 40% chance of brain. Find him on: Twitter: @hataroni Twitch: @wearshats    

In this episode Q talks with Erin Walter, the front woman for indie rock band Parker Woodland, whose new EP and music video trilogy The World's On Fire (and We Still Fall in Love) came out in 2021, and bassist for queer rock band Butch County. Erin is also a Unitarian Universalist minister based in Austin, TX, a former YMCA director, Zumba teacher, activist, and mom of two.   Erin Walter - personal website Parker Woodland - band website   Parker Woodland social media: Instagram Twitter Youtube          

In this episode of the podQast, Q talks with her friend Dr. Yehuda Kurtzer about identity, belonging, social transformation... and food. Shalom Hartman Institute website Shalom Hartman on Facebook Identity Crisis Podcast ----------------------- Dr. Yehuda Kurtzer is the President of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America. Yehuda is a leading thinker and author on the meaning of Israel to American Jews, on Jewish history and Jewish memory, and on questions of leadership and change in American Jewish life. He is the author of Shuva: The Future of the Jewish Past, which offers new thinking to contemporary Jews on navigating the tensions between history and memory; and the co-editor of The New Jewish Canon, a collection of the most significant Jewish ideas and debates of the past two generations. He is also the host of Hartman's Identity/Crisis podcast which can be found at identitycrisispod.com.

In this episode Q talks to her friend, teacher and mentor, Brie Loskota about how to (realistically!) make a positive impact. Find Brie online at: BrieLoskota.com Twitter: @brieloskota ------------- Brie Loskota is the executive director of the Center for Religion and Civic Culture at the University of Southern California. Her research explores how religions change and make change in the world. She is a leading voice working to enhance religious pluralism and community resilience in the US and around the globe. She is co-founder and senior advisor to the American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute and implementing partner for the United State Institute of Peace's Generation Change program where she trains emerging leaders committed to peace-building from the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Colombia.

In this episode, Q talks with her friend Dr. Tiffany Puett about religion, politics, race and her journey to interfaith and diversity work. ----------- Tiffany Puett is a scholar of American religions and a community educator. As the founding Executive Director of the Institute for Diversity and Civic Life, she researches, develops resources and curriculum, and writes about religious and cultural diversity, equity and social justice. She also teaches at St. Edward's University and Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. She holds a PhD in Religious Studies from the University of Waterloo and a master's degree in Ethics from Boston University. Her work is inspired by the rich diversity of Texas, the power of storytelling, and her commitment to mutual liberation. She lives in Austin with her husband, two lovely children, and two energetic dogs.

Season 2 of the podQast kicks off with a conversation with Christine Glenn, an executive coach and organizational design consultant who also writes and models in her "spare" time. In this episode Q and Christine discuss the future of feminism. Find Christine online at ChristineGlenn.com.

In this episode Q is joined by her friend Mickey Gomez, a writer and passionate supporter of rescue dogs and libraries.  Read Mickey's hilarious blog. Follow Mickey on Twitter.

In this episode of the podQast, Q is joined by her longtime friend (and notorious character) Cathy Benavides. They discuss Cathy's family - one of the founding families of Austin, Texas - and her views on art, fashion and social media. ———— Cathy is the founder of Cathy360, a small but mighty digital marketing agency. She's a storyteller at heart that loves to help her clients tell their unique stories online. She is a proud Scorpio and Slytherin, she has 21 tattoos, and she collects sneakers. Find Cathy on... Instagram Twitter Facebook Pinterest  

In this episode of the podQast, Q talks with her friend Liz Scherer, a health journalist/reporter, content creator, strategist, and women's health advocate. Liz is a rebel from NYC who now resides outside Washington DC. She loves cats, bourbon, and art. Liz Scherer's website Follow Liz on Twitter  

In this episode of the podQast, Q talks to her friend, Reverend Jim Keat about his work as a digital minister at the Riverside Church in New York, his decision to buy an Airstream and travel the country with is wife Chelsea, and what it was like for them to have a baby during a global pandemic. Find Reverend Keat on social media at: Twitter  Instagram   Facebook  TikTok  Free and Simple Life Youtube Instagram  Facebook  Rev. Jim Keat is the Digital Minister at The Riverside Church in New York City and the Director of Online Innovation for Convergence, a diverse collective of faith-based leaders, learners, artists, activists, learners, communities, and congregations. He is also a Digital Consultant to various progressive faith agencies and organizations. He is the producer of original media projects from The Riverside Church like Be Still and Go, The Word Made Fresh, and Church Talk as well as the creator of the Thirty Second Bible project and Thirty Seconds or Less. But more important than any online church projects, Jim enjoys spending time with his wife, Chelsea, their son, Loren, and their two cats, Whitman and Wendell. When the weather is warm they enjoy visiting a new state park in their sixteen foot Airstream and creating videos for their Free and Simple channel on YouTube.

In this episode of the podQast, Q talks to her friend Naama Haviv about the impacts of the pandemic on family life; the state of hunger in America; her work at MAZON as a Jewish anti-hunger activist; and the Tiny Museum she started up in the heart of Los Angeles. Learn more: The Tiny Museum on Instagram MAZON - A Jewish Response to Hunger About Naama: Naama Haviv is MAZON's Director of Community Engagement and brings more than a decade of experience in social justice advocacy, coalition-building, and international development. Prior to joining MAZON, she served as Executive Director of Panzi Foundation USA, supporting its mission to end sexual violence against women in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and provide holistic healing services to its survivors. Naama also served as Assistant Director at Jewish World Watch, where she directed policy, programming, and partnerships both in the US and with organizations in Chad and Eastern Congo in its work to address genocide and mass atrocities worldwide. She has created and managed educational programs for Relief International, connecting students from the US to students in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Tajikistan, and the West Bank, and she held research positions with the Institute for the Study of Genocide, the Middle East Media Research Institute, and the American Anti-Slavery Group. She earned her M.A. from Clark University's Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, and graduated summa cum laude from Clark University with a B.A. in History.

In this conversation, Q talks with her internet friend Peter Marmorek, a Canadian. Peter taught high school for 32 years (10 in Alternative Schools) and his favorite subject is World Religions. Since “retiring”, Peter has taught creative writing and works with Unitarian congregation to heal the world. In this conversation we discuss photography; his mom surviving COVID and turning 100; religion and its value in modern life; and his family history as Holocaust survivors.   Read Peter Marmourek's blog.  

In this episode, Q visits with Karen Strong, her friend and former boss! Karen is a native Texan and a proud product of Texas public schools. She loves learning things and sharing what she learns with others. Karen's career has been in various aspects of communications for non-profits, local governments, and consulting for small businesses.

In this episode, Q talks with Lil Milagro Henriquez about nerd culture, finding one's identity, cultural appropriation and her passion for educating and supporting youth in environmental activism. --------- Lil Milagro Henriquez is the founder and Executive Director of Mycelium Youth Network, an organization dedicated to preparing and empowering young people of color for climate change. Lil Milagro is a veteran of social justice organizing with over 18+ years of experience working on a myriad of issues, including access to higher education for low-income people and communities of color, food sovereignty, environmental racism, union democracy and labor organizing, among others. In 2017, she founded Mycelium Youth Network. She is the 2020 recipient of the Women's Earth Alliance fellowship.   Find Mycelium Youth Network on social media: Instagram Facebook Twitter

In this episode, Q talks to her longtime friend Anslee Connell, a vocalist, songwriter, and multi-faceted artist currently living in Austin, Texas. Learn more about Savannah Red's music here. Follow Savannah Red on social media: Instagram Facebook Youtube  

In this episode, Q chats up her Canadian friend, Bob LeDrew - a recovering communicator who now spends most of his working time libraries and dabbling in musical things.

In this episode, Q talks to her mama, a progressive environmentalist and high energy motivator. Q's mom loves working and/or getting to know people from all walks of life and all age groups. In her retirement she stays involved with the climate change issues and spoils her grandchildren.

In this episode of the podQast, Q talks to her friend Anwear Pandit, a father of two giant teens - Zeyd and Amani. Residing in Cypress, TX just outside Houston Anwar has lived in (Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Murree) Pakistan, (Bangkok) Thailand, (Dayton) Ohio, (Falls Church) Virginia, (Clinton) Maryland, (Chicago) Illinois, (Howell, and Perth Amboy)New Jersey, and (Dallas, Carrollton, and Cypress) Texas.   Cooking, community service, and travel are Anwar's favorite activities other than work and raising kids. He's a self-proclaimed proud basic dude, feminist, LGBTQI ally, and costcoholic.   Anwar's favorite quote is "Every Saint Has a Past and Every Sinner A Future" by Oscar Wilde.

In this episode of the podQast, Q talks to the dynamic husband and wife duo, Matt & Kelly Prestbury.  The Presbury's are co-founders of The Black Fathers Foundation, which started from a popular Facebook Group with a community of 75,000 (and counting) members. In this conversation they share their vision for the foundation; Kelly's revelation about her calling to be a doula - and how it changed her life; and what it's like to live out loud on the internet as a married couple. The Black Fathers Foundation website The Black Fathers Foundation Facebook Page The Black Fathers Instagram Jua Birthing Services website Jua Birthing Services Instagram Jua Birthing Services on Facebook Kelly Prestbury on Instagram Matt Prestbury on Instagram ----------- Support the podQast on Patreon

In this episode, Q talks to her friend and co-worker Sarah Orman about their shared love of reading and writing; their experience doing The Artists' Way together; and how finding your purpose has a lot to do with allowing yourself to reprioritize your life around the things that really make your heart sing.   —————   Sarah Orman was raised in Austin, Texas, by a Baptist mom and a Catholic father. She converted to Judaism in 2005 and celebrated her bat mitzvah in 2018, at age 42. For her day job, she works as a staff attorney for the Texas Association of School Boards, where I focus on student civil rights, including legal issues regarding discipline, special education, Title IX, and privacy. She also writes at any and every opportunity. Her essay, "Shiksa Balls," was recently included in "Choosing Judaism: 36 Stories," and she is currently working on a memoir about her experiences living in red and blue states, in and out of religion. ————— Sarah Orman on Medium Follow Sarah on: Twitter Facebook Instagram Sarah's recommendations: ONLINE CLASS: Write. Submit. Support. for Memoirists with Rachel Starnes  ONLINE CLASS: Poetry with Susan Niz BOOK RECOMMENDATION: Uncanny Valley by Anna Wiener  

In this episode, Q talks to her longtime friend Umar Hakim Dey, a community organizer, activist and social entrepreneur from Compton, CA.  Find Umar online at: Twitter Linkedin Facebook Instagram Watch Umar tell his story on the New Ground YouTube channel. ----------- A native of the city of Compton, Umar A. Hakim Dey serves as Consulting Director of I.L.M. (Intellect Love Mercy) Foundation. After 13 years in telecommunications, Umar shifted his focus to become an entrepreneur, which opened him to social and community service work. He earned a business management degree from the University of Phoenix and a master's degree in Ethical Leadership from Claremont Lincoln. Umar is the founding principal of INKERIJ® (pronounced as Encourage) which is an advisory organization whose objective is to "disrupt irrelevant leadership, in order to re-establish relevant leadership perspectives and co-design new values for a more effective situational approach." Inkerij is a place where we discover and design working solutions for organizations and teach community members how to sustain themselves and avoid gentrification.  -------- Support the podQast on Patreon.

In this episode of the podQast, Q talks with her friend Dr. Ashley Maltz about family, identity, and what drew her to establish her own integrative medicine practice in Austin, Texas. Find Dr. Maltz online:  Dr. Ashley Maltz MD West Holistic Medicine in Austin, Texas On social media: Facebook Instagram Linkedin ----- After Dr. Maltz earned a Medical Degree and Master in Public Health from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, TX, she completed a combined Internal and Preventive Medicine Residency at UTMB. She then pursued and completed a 2-year clinical Integrative Medicine Fellowship at Stamford Hospital, in Stamford, Connecticut. During her Fellowship, she underwent clinical training in Medical Acupuncture, trigger point injections, meditation, spirituality, clinical nutrition, mind-body therapies, botanicals and herbs, as well as an intensive 1000-hour online curriculum created by The University of Arizona Integrative Medicine Program founded by Dr. Andrew Weil. During this time, she also completed a 300-hour Medical Acupuncture course through the State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate. Dr. Maltz's specific interests include helping her patients improve their health through lifestyle interventions including, but not limited to, eastern medical practices, nutrition, botanicals, mind-body techniques and decreasing environmental exposures. She is passionate about social justice, environmental restoration and creating healthful lifestyle change for patients and healthcare workers alike. In August 2016, she hosted an advocacy event at the Texas State Capital to bring awareness to the epidemic of medical student and physician suicide and in September, 2017, she joined a virtual rescue operation in SE Texas for Hurricane Harvey relief work. Earlier that year, she founded the Austin Wellness Collaborative, a 2000-participant Facebook group for health and wellness professional collaboration in the Texas Hill Country. It is a robust organization serving residents of Central Texas.

In this episode of the podQast, Q talks with digital journalist Bobby Blanchard about Texas state politics, generational differences, mental health, and his lifelong passion for fantasy role-playing games. Follow Bobby on Twitter at: @bobbycblanchard

In this episode of the podQast, Q talks with her friend and co-worker Dax Gonzalez about their shared love of all things Star Wars, what it was like for Dax growing up on the Texas-Mexico border, and Dax's adventures as an amateur paleontologist.

In this episode of the podQast, Q talks with Dorie Griggs, a PR and marketing professional turned chaplain. They discuss Dorie's fascinating career path, and the challenges of meeting deeply human needs in online spaces. ------------- After a career in various public relations and marketing positions in college and professional sports and the hospitality industry, Dorie L. Griggs attended Columbia Theological Seminary, where she earned her Master of Divinity degree in 2002. During her final year at Columbia, Dorie developed a model of chaplaincy for journalists who cover traumatic events. She has served as a volunteer with the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, an organization founded by Dr. Frank Ochberg, MD. She is the Chaplain for the Roswell, GA Fire Department. Find Dorie on Facebook

In episode six of the podQast, Q is joined by Kati Irons Perez, a librarian and writer who lives in Tacoma Washington with her delightful husband, a dog and two cats, and her darling mom who lives nearby. Kati is a film buff, pop culture junkie, and political armchair quarterback. Her hobbies include crafting Facebook quips, aspiring to write a screenplay and fantasizing about winning The Voice.   Find her on Facebook.

Each year for Festivus, Q enthusiastically airs her grievances on social media - and this year she's also got a special episode of the podQast featuring her Twitter friend Hansel. The two of them share some of their top gripes of 2020, and chaos reigns. Grievances begin at the 15:00 mark.

Evin Cooper is a mom, writer, cook, contact center coach, and giant pain in the ass. In this episode of the podQast she and Q talk about the challenges of motherhood, what it's like to live as a liberal amongst conservatives, and Baby Yoda. Follow Evin on TikTok: @yourmomnowtx    

In this episode, Q talks to Yasmin Diallo Turk, a long-time Austinite and non-profit professional in the field of sexual and domestic violence. They discuss multi-generational family life, the joys of creating digital content, Yasmin's commitment to her Islamic faith, and the importance of focusing on the things we can actually do something about.   Yasmin is also an activist and writer who notoriously procrastinates when she should be writing by watching ridiculous things on TV with her husband and 3 kids.  Check out her project: Hope for Senegal    

In episode 3 of the podQast, Q talks to her friend and co-worker Stephanie Butler about their shared love of podcasts, the legitimate threat posed by Palmetto bugs, weddings, and why TikTok is the antidote to Twitter. Stephanie Butler is a marketing and communications professional who stands for cats, podcasts, reality TV, and girl power. Follow her on: Twitter Instagram

In this episode, Q talks to Coy Jones, a native Texan who wandered around the country for a couple of decades before making his way back home. A former philosophy professor turned healthcare policy consultant, he is also a national park enthusiast, armchair historian, and writer of fantasy stories. Coy is a misanthrope with a soft side for what the human race leaves in its wake as it bulldozes through history...like arrowheads, cathedrals, cosmologies, and Coca-Cola products.   Q & Coy talk about everything from Doctor Who to Greek philosophy and everything in between.

In this episode of the podQast, Q and Ilene (a/k/a Weenie) discuss art, writing, travel, and Ilene's attempt to pick up her husband in a cheesy dance club while dressed as another woman. ------- Website:  Casa Weenie Website:  Graphic Designerd Casa Weenie on Facebook Casa Weenie on Instagram Ilene Haddad on Twitter Award-winning essayist, Ilene Haddad, is a graphic designer, cartoonist and writer from Austin, Texas. Her work has appeared in outlets such as Austin's NPR station, Foliate Oak Literary Magazine, the National Headache Foundation, and the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop. In 2012, she began drawing a web comic, Casa Weenie, about her mixed/mixed up marriage. Her cartoons have appeared in High Shelf Press, The Syndrome Mag, and on her mother's refrigerator. Ilene lives with her husband, Bill, and two useless lapdogs, all of whom inspire her work and feature prominently in her current project, a graphic memoir about married life.