Kate Garman & Friends

On October 8, 2020, Seattle became the second city in the country to mandate a minimum wage structure for Uber and Lyft drivers. I talk to my former colleagues Kylie Rolf and Kerem Levitas with the City of Seattle to learn more about the City's study and outreach. Also making a KGAF debut is Gabe Klein, my colleague and co-founder of Cityfi, and the former director to the Chicago and Washington DC departments of transportation. Gabe and I discuss Prop 22, the historically expensive ballot initiative in California, and what's next for the TNC industry.

Jumping out of hibernation, KGAF is back to talk about the 2020 election. In this episode, you'll hear from politico friends working in the states of Washington, Nevada, and Iowa respectively. Julia Reed, Quentin Savwoir, and Matt Sinovic join to talk about what issues are resonating in the states they live in, and the long term impacts from the politics of today.

On this episode you'll meet my partner, David Burns. David and I dated long distance for several years, until I moved 3,000 miles to live with him in a one bedroom apartment in Washington DC. That was January. This is our story of learning to live together in normal times, and then very quickly, in a pandemic.

KGAF welcomes the incomparable Mayor Nan Whaley of Dayton, OH. Mayor Whaley is a leader among mayors, a driver for change, and a genuine soul in American politics. We talk about her life; how she got into elected office and how her friendships with mayors across the country have impacted her personally and professionally. She also has the best answer of the season explaining her first ever job. 

What does innovation actually mean? How do cities learn from each other during this era of innovation? Is this a particular "era," even? I speak with David Graham, the Chief Innovation Officer at the City of Carlsbad, CA, and with David Ricketts, the inaugural Innovation Science Fellow in the Technology and Entrepreneurship Center at Harvard about these very questions and more.

Coffee is not only delicious, it brings people together. On this episode I talk with Bo Nelson, a coffee roaster and creator of intentional spaces. He brings his background of horticulture and community to disrupt the coffee industry and build exceptional placemaking. We also talk about his experience as an entrepreneur and, of course, our love of coffee.

You may have heard of companies that are B Corp Certified, or businesses with a triple bottom line. But the creation of the Benefit Corporation is relatively new after a century of law obligating companies to maximize profit thanks to the Dodge brothers suing Henry Ford. I talk with three subject matter experts, John Tyler, Tony Luppino, and Evan Absher about cars, baseball, and social entrepreneurship.

Kate Garman & Friends welcomes Beth Aguilera to talk about self acceptance. Self acceptance, we discuss, means many things. This includes especially celebrating ourselves for who we are and not necessarily who society says we should be, or what we should look like. Beth started her self acceptance journey several years ago and shares her experience. She also gives practices and actionable advice to embrace self acceptance. This conversation is vulnerable, uplifting, and has a few four letter words.... Enjoy.

Bobby Appelbaum joins KGAF to tell his story of growing up in Kansas and moving to Los Angeles to pursue his dreams of producing films. He started by buying his own camera, and years later his directorial debut, Out of Touch, is on the 2020 festival circuit. This is also Bobby's story of becoming who he is today. To everyone, Happy Pride Month. Watch Out of Touch for a limited availability here.

I catch up with former Kansas City Mayor Sly James to hear his thoughts on race and social reform, what he's up to now, and what he's hopeful for in the future. And my friend and former colleague Kelly Stange joins as guest co-host as we talk about social media and more with Mayor James. #frosty

Get a sneak peak of what's to come in season one of Kate Garman & Friends.