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Leadership isn't about changing who you are; it's about becoming the fullest expression of who you were meant to be.   SUMMARY What does quiet leadership look like? From military deployments to the flight deck at Alaska Airlines, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Kimberly Ford '90 explains how preparation, trust and listening can be just as powerful as command.    COL. FORD'S TOP 10 LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS 1. Leadership doesn't have to be loud to be effective. Ford's journey demonstrates that quiet, thoughtful leaders can inspire just as deeply as outspoken ones. Authenticity is what earns trust and influence. 2. Feedback can become the catalyst for transformation. Receiving a poor leadership evaluation at the U.S. Air Force Academy was painful, but instead of allowing it to define her, Ford used it as the beginning of her growth as a leader. 3. Finding your voice begins by believing your perspective matters. Confidence wasn't something Ford was born with. It was developed through mentors, experience and the courage to share her passion with others. 4. The best mentors don't remove fear, they help you move through it. From the jump master to her pilot instructors, Ford's mentors equipped her with the mindset and confidence to act despite uncertainty rather than waiting for fear to disappear. 5. Preparation creates confidence under pressure. Chair flying, visualization, repetition and mastering the fundamentals allowed Ford to perform when the stakes were highest. Excellence begins long before execution. 6. Trust is earned through competence and consistency. Whether flying combat missions or commercial aircraft, Ford explains that teams build trust quickly when they know each member is prepared, dependable and committed to doing their job well. 7. Leadership must adapt to the mission. Effective leaders recognize when decisive command is required and when empathy, patience and service are the qualities the moment demands. 8. Listening is one of leadership's greatest strengths. Ford's approach emphasizes seeking feedback, understanding different perspectives and creating an environment where others feel heard before decisions are made. 9. Resilience is built through daily disciplines, not extraordinary moments. Grounding practices, physical fitness, reflection, continual learning and intentional self-care help leaders remain ready for whatever challenges come next. 10. Great leaders remain lifelong students. Ford's advice to her younger self reflects her enduring philosophy: believe in yourself, seek mentors, embrace feedback, learn from mistakes and never stop growing.   CHAPTERS 00:00:13 – Meet Lt. Col. (Ret.) Kimberly Ford, USAFA Class of 1990 00:00:57 – The "Rate Your Neighbor" Moment that Changed Everything 00:05:33 – Finding Her Voice & Honoring the Tuskegee Airmen and WASPs 00:08:34 – Family, Faith and the Foundation of Leadership 00:11:00 – Jump School: Fear, Courage and Asking for Help 00:15:15 – Developing a Warrior Mindset Through Preparation 00:17:24 – Transitioning from Military Aviation to Alaska Airlines 00:20:06 – Leading Under Pressure in Combat Operations 00:23:38 – Adapting Your Leadership to Fit the Mission 00:27:28 – Daily Habits That Make Better Leaders 00:29:43 – Advice to Her Younger Self & the Power of Mentorship 00:31:26 – Final Reflections: Leading with Quiet Confidence     ABOUT COL. FORD BIO Lt. Col. (Ret.) Kimberly Ford, USAFA Class of 1990, is a distinguished combat aviator, senior mobility leader and lifelong advocate for aviation, leadership, and service. During her 25-year U.S. Air Force career, she served as a KC-135 and C-17 command pilot, instructor pilot and mission commander, logging more than 11,000 flight hours while supporting combat, humanitarian and contingency operations around the world. She also served in strategic leadership roles at Air Mobility Command, helping shape enterprise-level operations and leadership development across the Air Force's global mobility mission. Following her military service, Col. Ford has continued to lead through aviation and community engagement as a commercial airline pilot, board leader and champion for preserving the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen and Women Airforce Service Pilots while expanding opportunities in aerospace and STEM education. A recipient of numerous military and civilian honors, including induction into the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals Hall of Fame, she remains dedicated to mentoring the next generation of leaders through a life defined by service, resilience and authentic leadership. CONNECT WITH KIM LINKEDIN CONNECT WITH THE LONG BLUE LINE PODCAST NETWORK TEAM Ted Robertson | Producer and Editor:  Ted.Robertson@USAFA.org Send your feedback or nominate a guest: socialmedia@usafa.org Please note: we are only considering USAFA graduates as guests at this time. Ryan Hall | Director:  Ryan.Hall@USAFA.org  Bryan Grossman | Copy Editor:  Bryan.Grossman@USAFA.org Wyatt Hornsby | Executive Producer:  Wyatt.Hornsby@USAFA.org     ALL PAST LBL EPISODES  |  ALL LBLPN PRODUCTIONS AVAILABLE AT USAFA.ORG/LONGBLUELEADERSHIP AND ON ALL MAJOR PODCAST PLATFORMS     FULL TRANSCRIPT Guest, Matthew Ayers '99  |  Host, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz '99    Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz 0:00 Sometimes leadership isn't about speaking the loudest; it's about finding the courage to speak when your voice matters most. I'm Naviere Walkewicz, Class of '99; Long Blue Leadership starts now. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 0:13 Today's guest is Air Force Lt. Col. (Ret.) Kimberly Ford, United States Air Force Academy, Class of 1990. She has had a remarkable career through KC-135, C-17 command pilot, instructor pilot, senior air mobility command leader. Today she serves as an Alaska Airlines pilot, aviation advocate, and champion — preserving the legacy of our Tuskegee Airmen and Women Airforce Service Pilots, WASP, while inspiring the next generation of aerospace leaders. I should also add that Kim is our 2025 — one of our 2025 recipients — of the Leadership Achievement Award. Kim, we're so glad to have you here. Lt. Col. (Ret.) Kimberly Ford 0:53 Thank you so much. It's just an honor to be here to speak with you today. Thank you. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 0:57 Absolutely. And so, here on Long Blue Leadership, we like to jump right on to a really key moment in your life, and one, if we dial back the time a little bit, goes back to your three-degree year at the Air Force Academy, and they had something at the time, I think you mentioned it was “Rate Your Neighbor,” so something that you all did, and you scored a D. And I'm curious on what that was about, and then can you take us back to that conversation that time. Col. Kimberly Ford 1:23 Correct, they had something at the time called Rate Your Neighbor, and that called for your classmates, your peers, people above you and below you, rating your ability to be a leader in the Cadet Wing and in your squadron, and then eventually a leader in the Air Force, and so everyone in your class would get a rating. I had come into the to the meeting thinking that I had done really well, and that my passion was shining through, and so imagine my surprise when I found out that I received the equivalent of a D grade. My air officer commanding was empathetic, but he was also very concerned, and what I did appreciate was he did give me the chance to respond. At that time, I just felt really disappointed. You know, I'd come into the Academy, I really wanted to be in aerospace, I was really excited about STEM. I was so happy to have the opportunity to be there, and so I must admit that I really felt crushed when I heard his words, that I hadn't done as well as I thought I had. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 2:32 It almost sounds a little bit like a 360-degree kind of assessment. What, in particular, I guess attributed to that, kind of that score, that rating from your peers? What did they see, I guess, in that to give you that score? Col. Kimberly Ford 2:49 Yes, you know, looking back with my lens now, I know that there are different types of leadership, different styles of leadership, but I think at the time the type of leadership that was expected was someone who was assertive, who was upfront, who was more sort of direct. At the time, I was a young cadet who definitely needed to be mentored and learn some skills. I think what they saw in me was someone who was very quiet. I had not had the opportunity or taken the opportunity to speak about who I was, my background, my passion for aviation, someone who didn't make eye contact, and you know, someone who maybe didn't greet them on a personal level, who didn't check in before a session, during a session and maybe after a session. And so they just really weren't sure about my aptitude, and I can understand that big picture. I was someone who definitely needed to be mentored and definitely needed to learn those skills in a style that was commensurate with my personality and what I had to bring to the table. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 3:55 Well, you talked about being passionate and you went in feeling really good and hoping that it shined through. How did you adjust, maybe, or adapt after that feedback to bring your voice and that passion forward. What did that look like in your leadership journey at that time? Col. Kimberly Ford 4:10 Yes, I remember the air officer commanding said, “Hey, you know, let's talk about this. What do you — what are you bringing to the table?” And so I said, “Wow, I'm someone who wants to be here. I'm someone who wants to fly. I am someone who wants to give back to my country, and I want to serve my nation.” And so, after that, I'm lucky that I had a good group of mentors, both peers and older cadets, and I was able to sit down with them and get that constructive feedback and constructive criticism. So I was able to speak with my flight commander about, you know, goals that I have. I want to do, you know, eventually I want to do the soaring program. I want to do — which I may have already finished by that point. I want to do the T-41 program, which was the solo program at the time. I would like to be a pilot. And so I really practiced making eye contact, speaking about my goals, sharing my passion, and just really checking in and making sure I receive that feedback from my leadership, and then also points where I could improve. You know, as an 18-, 19-year-old, you know, young woman who was very shy, that was a lot for me. But it just — so it took a lot of courage, so I'm really proud of myself for being able to get there, to be able to interact and have those conversations that I needed to have with my cadet leadership at the time. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 5:33 Well, let's fast forward now, because I feel like that voice that you found has been really instrumental in some of the advocacy and work that you've done around really highlighting the legacies of our Tuskegee Airmen and the Women Air Service Pilots, or WASPs. Can you talk about, you know, where that came into play, or how finding your voice, what that looked like, and what some of that work, important work, was that you did? Col. Kimberly Ford 5:59 Yeah, yeah, I will go back. When I was a young woman, still in high school, I had really started to show interest in aviation, and we didn't know a lot of people who were pilots or in aerospace, and so what my parents did for me, especially my mother, who loved to read, is she found me a lot of books, and she found me books about the Tuskegee Airmen and about the Women's Air Service Pilots as examples. And so I read about these courageous, you know, young people who were serving during World War II, all of the challenges and barriers that they had to overcome, and the life lessons that they had to share. And so I really took that to heart, and that really helped to inspire me during my career. I had the opportunity to speak with some Tuskegee Airmen during my Air Force career by attending conferences. As I moved back to the Seattle area, when I came back to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, I had the opportunity to serve at the Seattle Museum of Flight and serve in panels. We would talk about subjects such as the Berlin Airlift, some of the flying out of a Ramitelli in Italy, and just sort of passing along those leadership lessons. I had also joined my Sam Bruce Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen. We were able to work on some youth programs and grow them from very small programs to larger programs, which really passed along those important leadership lessons to young people and inspired them on their journeys to becoming pilots. I had another opportunity to volunteer with the Congressional Gold Medal ceremony for the Women's Air Service Pilots. So, I went to Washington, D.C. I was able to pass along the Congressional Gold Medal to June Lecky and spend time with her family and learn about her service, so I always called her my WASP. I'm lucky that I was able to go to the museum, the Women's Air Service Pilot Museum in Sweetwater, Texas, and have the chance to interview WASPs, volunteer alongside of WASPs, and as well pass along my message of my service and sort of help to grow young people. Through my Sam Bruce Chapter, I met mentors such as Bill Holloman, who was an original Tuskegee Airmen, and Ed Drummond, who shared their stories of just leadership and courage. So to me, those lessons are so important to pass on to the next generation. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 8:34 I think you hit it on the, you know, hit the nail on the head when you talk about sharing the stories, and as we share your story today, I think it's really important that our viewers and our listeners kind of really appreciate that not all leaders, you know, approach things in the same way. To your point, you know, you start off really shy, and you found your voice, and then you're able to even share stories of other leaders. I'm curious, in your journey, of, you know, how that continued to evolve, you know, where did you find yourself really championed, perhaps? You mentioned your parents early on, and you know, understanding your love for aviation, did they also kind of show up for you in that way of helping you to hone in on your leadership skills a little earlier? Col. Kimberly Ford 9:20 Yes, yes. As a young person, I knew early on that I wanted to go to college, that I wanted to achieve a graduate degree, and seeing those examples of my father serve overseas, and my mother alongside with him… Col. Naviere Walkewicz 9:37 Both your parents served? Col. Kimberly Ford 9:38 Actually, my father was in the Army, he got up to the rank of captain, and my mother, they had just gotten married, and my mother joined him in France, where they served outside of Paris at a place called Saran, France. So I just saw that example. They started taking me to museums, as I mentioned, they had me read books, but they did see that I was more shy and more quiet, and so they started really relating to me, they just passed along that I, that I'm a leader, you know, I am a leader in my own way. These were often quiet messages, they weren't often direct, but I just remember when I showed up at the Academy, they just, I remember that that message, that I am a leader, that I am capable, that I can do these jobs, that I had just as much of an opportunity to succeed, they were really just strongly, strongly instilled in me. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 10:37 I love those affirmations, and I'm curious, you know, obviously you went on to go to pilot training. How did that continue to evolve, and being a quiet leader, show up in, you know, in the cockpit or amongst your peers? Were there times where you had to be more assertive, or use a different voice? How did you kind of deal with how you're wired, so to speak, with what was needed for the moment? Col. Kimberly Ford 11:00 Yeah, so one story that I'll take you back to goes back to jump school. One of my friends wanted me to take jump school, I was really uncertain about this, and she's like, "No, we let's take jump school together.” We were both seniors, and it was just a great opportunity. We went through the training. I had always thought of the people that did jump school as just these amazing people. I wasn't sure if I could just reach that pinnacle. I'm so lucky that we made it. We both made it to the through the training, and then you get to the point where you, you're standing in the door, so this is the point where you take all of your training and you are going to execute this training, and you're going to face this really critical, intense moment. And so to me it was sort of like a parallel of I was finding my voice, I'm a cadet, and then I have the chance to go to pilot training. I remember before we stood in the door on the ground, I'd spoken to the jump master, which was really intimidating for me as a young cadet, and I said, "I want to jump out the door. Can you help me get there? Can you sort of show me how you get yourself ready to do that?” And so, looking back now, when I got into the door, he basically looked me in the eye, and he helped me to take a deep breath, to settle myself, and to take that big step forward. And I jumped out the door, and I went on to do five jumps, and I completed that program. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 12:21 I have to give you props, because I think the fact that you recognized in yourself, giving yourself the permission to ask for help, right? You said, "Can you help me get to and through the door and accomplish this jump?” And then go on to get your jump wings. I think it's really powerful and a leadership lesson in itself. Was that something that you just you — it happened, or you've seen it modeled before you, or you just, it was just something in you that, “I'm going to ask for help here?” Col. Kimberly Ford 12:52 He certainly helped me to get that warrior mindset. So, I believe even back before, you know, maybe wanting to do a certain program at in high school, or even wanting to apply for the Academy, my father said, “You know, you just have to step forward and do it.” Also, dating back to my father's father, who was one of the first Black policemen in Baltimore City. He was a very, he was also a very reserved man, very much like myself. And I remember speaking to him about being nervous about applying to the Academy and going to the Academy, and he said, “You know what, Kim? You've just got to get started, you've just got to take that first step.” So, basically, putting yourself in that space, that mental space, being prepared, being confident, and believing in yourself, and taking that step forward. I was able to carry that through, going to pilot training. I was really nervous. A lot of cadets had the opportunity to do a lot of flying, a lot of discovery flights or programs like Civil Air Patrol or scouting, and my parents were only able, they were able to provide me with one amazing discovery flight, but it was tough. I had to learn a lot of information in a short period of time. I had an amazing UPT instructor for my first flight. His name is Colonel, retired now, Kevin Mastin, and he actually went on to become a Thunderbird. He went to the University of Washington, where I'm from, so a neat link there. And I just told him about my fears. “I'm nervous. I don't know if I have what it takes. I don't know if I can keep up with the other students.” And he was — he said, "Do you really want to do this and finish this program?” And I said, “I really do,” and he said, “Well, let's work together, basically to develop this warrior mindset, or this mindset of focus, of intensity, of bringing your best, of being excellent like the Tuskegee Airmen.” So he really worked with me and helped me to do that. So I was basically able to bring that to serving throughout my career up to serving in Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom. You know, just really taking that deep breath, knowing that I am capable, knowing that I am a good leader, and sort of executing the mission, working with the crew, or working with the team that I'm working with at the time. So I'm really proud that that started, as you know, as a child with my parents was honed also at the Air Force Academy and with other mentors through my career. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 15:15 Were there particular pillars of leadership or things that he said this is how, you know, your process to thinking like a warrior having that warrior mindset. What did that look like? Col. Kimberly Ford 15:25 Yes, yes, he always he focused on telling me to sort of don't listen to the noise and the other inputs. You know, fly the airplane and focus on the important tenets, the important things that you need to do. You know, “You need to fly the airplane into the air, you need to make it act in ways that you want it to act.” He spoke with me about, you know, learning all of the information, such as, you know, chair flying or visualizing. He said, "I want you to know that information cold. So, if you know the information cold and you're nervous, you're it'll allow you to fly the airplane and focus. So, we would actually have study sessions where we would go to the squadron, and we would basically go through our steps and procedures, and just really practice focusing and just eliminating all of that noise, flying the aircraft, and putting the airplane, you know, in acrobatics and VFR flight and IFR flight. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 16:20 And for someone who's not in aviation, what does VFR flight and IFR flight mean? Col. Kimberly Ford 16:23 Visual flight rules, where you can see, and instrument flight rules, where there are clouds, and you're not to see the ground. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 16:31 Well, I can imagine that's really helpful, going through the repetition of actually being in the cockpit, you know, not in the cockpit, right? Like you said, chair flying. I think that's really powerful, visualizing. Were there any other kind of key instructions or thoughts in that process of putting on the warrior mindset and being able to push through any of the self-doubt or kind of the reservations that not just you but I think other leaders share? Col. Kimberly Ford 16:57 I think it's also, you know, being the consummate professional, you know, always learning about your craft, so I'm always learning something new, I'm always reading, always listening to what others might say, always listening to feedback. And always showing up, you know, being early, looking professional, having your uniform look well — just sort of those are some of the other tenants that he taught me, also. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 17:24 And I think about what you're doing now. So you're a current pilot with Alaska Airlines. Oftentimes, you know, many of our graduates do go into, especially those who served as pilots, go into, I think, you know, commercial aviation. You know, was that an easy process for you? How did that challenge you as a leader? Was that something that was already kind of written in your game plan of life? Col. Kimberly Ford 17:47 Right, so I actually became a commercial pilot in 2001, so it was right around the time of 9/11. It was a little bit challenging, just because I had just finished my active duty, where I was flying the KC-135. I did the Kosovo operations, and also Northern and Southern Watch, where you're basically flying around Saudi Arabia. I finished that and I was just starting my time as an Air Force reservist as a C-17 pilot. So I did initial training for the MD-80 at the time, which was an older passenger airline for Alaska Airlines, and I was also starting training for the C-17. There is quite a difference in culture — you're learning with, you know, working with a different crew, slightly different style of crew resource management. Your purpose is, you know, a little bit different. You're flying passengers and some cargo to get to where they need to go. So I'm really lucky that I was able to rely on mentors to step me through, do that visualizing and share flying. Soon after that, I was actually called up to serve full time for the Air Force for about three to five years for Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom, that's operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. So I always had to, you know, I took copious notes. We had a lot of conversations on those flight decks as we were doing our military operations. There were a lot of Alaska Airlines and other airline pilots, and so I'm so lucky that I could fly with some really experienced crew members who could really talk to me about this civilian procedures. It is fast paced — you're working at large civilian airports, so I had to learn those standardized procedures, and I had to learn to work with the crews to be able to execute that civilian mission well. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 19:41 I'm curious about, you know, your service while you were deployed in support of those different operations. If you could talk about where you saw yourself evolve as a leader. How did you continue to grow in that space from, you know, where you started as a quiet, more reserved leader, still quite passionate, but where did that show up, and how did it show up in the deployed spaces? Col. Kimberly Ford 20:06 Right, let's see, in the deployed spaces, just to give people an idea of the operations at the time, they were a very fast-paced. This is like around 2001, 2002 and on. We had to fly a large part of the mission because a lot of the experience was in the Air Force Reserve. I was serving at a joint-based Lewis-McChord, and so we would take large contingents of especially Army personnel from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, usually to the East Coast, maybe to Europe, such as Germany, and then overseas. It might have been the opportunity for me to sort of have a briefing, and then in general the mission would match the briefing, usually, usually in the KC-135. I would say in the C-17 it was very intense, where you were on alert, and then the mission could change and evolve. It might be incredibly intense where it was at night, — you might be landing with night vision goggles on a runway that wasn't lit, and so they were very intricate details. So changing mission, very intense missions. In the last part was very long missions. So I believe that I had to really dig deep and always be willing to have that resilience and more resilience and more endurance than I'd ever, ever had before. Also, working with a larger crew for a longer period of time. Just really — I knew that the people around me knew their jobs well, they were motivated, they wanted to serve, and they could execute well, and they were passionate about the mission, so I think just having that stamina and endurance, and flying in more challenging conditions. Definitely. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 21:57 When you're stepping into some of those roles, there's this need to build a team very quickly, and trust, and you know, obviously leadership is part of pulling all that together. How did you do that successfully? I mean, aside from, you know, having stamina and really just, I think, being ready, were there any other things that you thought you really tapped into from your strengths that helped you to navigate that cohesion and that trust together pretty quickly? Col. Kimberly Ford 22:24 Right, it seems like one of the easiest ways to build trust and have that team as — there are really standardized roles that are expected in the crew, and when the crew knows that you know your role inside and out, and that you can execute well, that you will, you know, speak the way you need to speak, that you'll fly the way you need to fly, that really quickly helps to build trust. I think, also, it helps to be able to speak through the mission to be able to talk about some of those key crunch points, and you know, options that we would have as a crew, and basically work together to make decisions, and also if that one person had information that the rest of the crew didn't have, such as the need to go around or to stop or to turn the other way, that the entire crew, especially the other pilot, would listen to that information and execute immediately. So, building that trust by performing your role, being prepared, going over the mission, going over those crunch points and acting quickly when you needed to act, that really seemed to form a cohesive crew. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 23:38 You know, if we can go back a little bit, I'm curious to your time, you know — I guess it's not really going back, it's a bit more current now — but you'd mentioned a little bit ago that working with Alaska Airlines, the pace is a little different, and the mission has changed. I'm curious on how your leadership has evolved when you think about a changing mission, and maybe it's not life or death or national security, but how do you continue to evolve as a leader when the stakes aren't as high? Col. Kimberly Ford 24:06 Right, right, so in the military mission, it was more — it was usually time critical, and it called for often a very assertive type of quiet leadership. So you're still bringing that assertive type of quiet leadership, but you're also bringing customer service to families and passengers who are getting to where they need to go, whether it be a vacation or to visit family, or, you know, taking a businessperson where they want me to go, so you're having that patience, letting people know that they're welcome, that you're happy to see them on board, you're working with crew members who may not have that sort of military background. And so there are different communication styles, different, you know, they're different people, and so you're really sort of reading who they are and making sure that you can communicate information in a way that is effective for them as a person, and their age and experience level. You are — it is also a compressed timeframe, so ensuring that you're getting loaded and boarded within that timeframe, and sort of helping the airline to get those, you know, different pushes of different aircraft at different times off on time. So I think I had to just sort of maybe dial it back a little bit in my presentation; make sure I just gave that great customer service. I would say in the cockpit it is that same — in the flight deck, I'm sorry — you're giving that same crew resource management. That same — building that same trust within the person who, you know, letting them know that you know your job and that you're ready to execute. So I would say it's probably more the same within the flight deck there. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 25:53 I would almost go so far as to say is the ability to understand when you need to assert more, and when maybe a more quiet and customer service-oriented leadership style needs to be used — you almost have a superpower of understanding when to employ them, and I might, I might ask you this: You know, how do you help others who maybe have the other side of the leadership spectrum, where they come in very — “I'm a very assertive type leader.” How do you help them see the value in your approach that is natural to you? Col. Kimberly Ford 26:25 We have a moment at the end of our flights at Alaska Airlines, where we sort of, we sit back and we basically say, “How do we think that went?” You know, “What could we change?” And we speak about, you know, “How did the crew receive our message? How did the passengers receive our message? How did the gate personnel receive our message?” And sometimes you could say, like, “OK, well, maybe we could have said this this way. Maybe we could have responded this way as we were flying the approach.” And so I'm able to sort of give my perspective, and maybe how I might have done things, or perhaps sometimes the will divide duties, and the captain will say, "OK, I see here, maybe you would be great at doing this duty, could you take this over?” And so I think that's how I can show that maybe a different style of leadership would be more effective in those certain situations, and we're trained to really listen and just take in the feedback that's coming towards us, and I would say all of the crew members are very good at listening, adjusting and taking in what's offered to them. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 27:28 By you kind of sharing the ability to listen, but also share your perspectives, I think, in itself, is another great leadership lesson that strong leaders have the ability to listen to others and take in other inputs before making decisions or moving forward. So I think that was a wonderful recollection of how you do that in the civilian world in aviation. So one of the things we love to do is ask our guests: What they're doing every day to be a better leader? Would you mind sharing with us what that is? Col. Kimberly Ford 27:59 Let's see, I do a number of things. One is I try to take a quiet moment just to do some breathing and just really to center myself and ground myself, so a quiet moment. I'm trying to get enough sleep. It's amazing how much, you know, good sleep can affect your ability to execute your day properly. I'm trying to get some exercise every day, so whether it be — I'm trying to do a lot of weightlifting, Pilates, yoga, doing things to strengthen myself as well as ground myself. And I'm also making sure I'm taking a break to do something fun, you know, something that I enjoy with my spouse or a friend, going out to lunch or something like that. So, you know, trying to take care of myself and make sure I take some time for fun and just set time for grounding and for breathing a few minutes each day. I find those things very helpful. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 28:57 Is that something that you sort of employed as, you know, you've become more understanding of time and experience, or have you always kind of operated in that way — just to kind of appreciate the moments, you know, take time to fill your cup, etc.? Col. Kimberly Ford 29:12 You know, I would say that that is something that my parents instilled in me a long time ago. My mother instilled in me, especially just that: that breathing and just taking that moment and just grounding yourself. I remember we went to some sort of exercise classes together when I was in junior high and high school, so I'm really proud that she instilled that in me early. My father also exercised with me as I was getting ready for my Academy initial fitness test to get in. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 29:43 Well, frankly, I mean they really did help prepare you so well for being a cadet and then going on to be highly successful, both as an officer and then in the civilian world. But speaking of when you're a cadet, if you could go back in time now, Kim, and tell, you know Cadet Kimberly Ford, you know, something that she should be thinking about to be a better leader down the road, what would you tell her? Col. Kimberly Ford 30:06 I would say always believe in yourself. Know that you can do this, that you are capable, and you have an important perspective to bring to the table. Your voice is necessary, and you have something to bring. So, I would just say it's coming. Keep believing yourself, and I would also say to her, you know, keep finding different mentors, you know. Some mentors are sort of focused on the operation that you're doing on a narrow scale, and some are more big picture mentors, so rely on those mentors and peers, and continue taking that feedback, and always growing, remain a student, always improving, making corrections, and it's OK to have those missteps. And it's an amazing journey as you keep learning and growing and becoming a better leader. That I would tell Cadet Kim. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 30:59 That is outstanding. And may I ask you, what are you most proud of about yourself as a leader? Col. Kimberly Ford 31:06 I am proud of resilience, but I learned how to be resilient leader, you know, that I learned from my parents, relatives and, most importantly, through those programs and leadership at the Academy instilled in me that I'm a resilient leader, that I have a lot to offer. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 31:26 Awesome, this has been amazing. I mean, we always enjoy being able to take a peek behind the story of our Air Force Academy graduates and our leadership journeys, but I really appreciate the time, and you really pulling back the layers, taking it back to your family, taking it back to some of the, you know, just right away the lessons you learned from peer feedback and how to adapt and evolve and be resilient, and then when the moment calls for it, bring your voice back to those important moments when you need to help others see a different perspective. It's been an absolute pleasure having you on Long Blue Leadership today. Col. Kimberly Ford 31:59 Thank you so much. And I just have to say, Mighty '90 for the class, as well as War Eagles for the CS-15 War Eagles. But thank you so much. It's been just an honor to be here with you, and I have really very much enjoyed this. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 32:13 Thank you. And for all of you watching this or listening, be sure to share this journey with others who are also in their leadership journeys, whether in aviation or not. Right? Just looking for what are those ways that our leaders are taking shape. We do this on this particular Long Blue Leadership episode, and all of our others at longblueleadership.org. What really stuck with me about this particular conversation is to really be a leader for what the moment calls for, and I think that Lt. Col. (Ret.) Kim Ford, Class of '90, Mighty '90, as she said, did it really well. So until next time, I'm Naviere Walkewicz, Class of '99 and we'll see you on Long Blue Leadership, KEYWORDS Quiet leadership, authentic leadership, finding your voice, leadership development, leadership philosophy, resilient leadership, leadership resilience, mentorship, servant leadership, emotional intelligence, courageous leadership, confidence, self-belief, constructive feedback, growth mindset, warrior mindset, leadership under pressure, trust, team building, crew resource management, aviation leadership, military leadership, Air Force Academy, USAFA, combat leadership, decision-making, adaptability, resilience, visualization, chair flying, lifelong learning, personal growth, women in leadership, women in aviation, Tuskegee Airmen, Women Airforce Service Pilots, WASP, professional excellence, leadership communication, leadership lessons.   The Long Blue Line Podcast Network is presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation        

Baltimore City District Judge Nicole Pastore joined the show to discuss the Re-Entry Project.

Black Chicagoans slam Obama Presidential Center; Chicago is a bloodbath over Juneteenth and Father's Day weekend. Kamala Harris on Don Lemon's podcast. Baltimore City mayor under investigation for having his friend and campaign worker use city funds for personal and campaign activities.#barackobama #michelleobama #chicago #fathersday #obama #kamalaharris

Send us Fan MailFather's Day is this weekend and we're focusing on leadership and fatherhood, and how they shape outcomes for early childhood and serve the children and families in our cities, towns, and villages across America. Mayor Brandon Scott and Council President Zeke Cohen from Baltimore City join Clarence Anthony to discuss both.For more information, visit us at nlc.org.

FIRE LINE: You're never going to be fully healed from everything, but a work in progress is what you want.Jess Hilarious, the dynamic stand-up comedian and co-host of The Breakfast Club, shares her journey of parenting, purpose, and professional evolution. Dive into this episode to understand how resilience defines her legacy and the raw truths behind her success.WHAT YOU'LL LEARN- 3 key reasons for Jess Hilarious's because- 6 months to form a bond with her son- 2 Baltimore venues that define her career- Why "dummy" is a term of endearment- The importance of a supportive parenting villageQUOTES THAT HIT"You're never going to be fully healed from everything, but a work in progress is what you want." - Jessica "Jess Hilarious" Moore"Legacy is one of the most important things to ever leave behind." - Jessica "Jess Hilarious" Moore"Parenting is one of the hardest things. It's just the most challenging thing you could ever do. But it's complex and it's complicated, but it's beautiful." - Jessica "Jess Hilarious" MooreCHAPTERS00:00 Defining Jess Hilarious's Because01:03 The Shared Parenting Purpose03:49 Joy Over Happiness in Parenting06:25 Jess Hilarious's Breakdown Moment13:49 Fear and the Pregnancy Announcement22:34 No One is Fully Healed25:00 The Baltimore "Dummy" Hot Take27:19 Martin Lawrence and The RoomQUESTIONS THIS EPISODE ANSWERSQ: How did Jess Hilarious connect with her son emotionally?A: Jess Hilarious describes a moment six months after her son's birth, picking him up while crying, when she felt a deep emotional and mental connection, realizing he was her pride and joy.Q: What was the pivotal moment for Jess Hilarious's stand-up career?A: The pivotal moment was performing at the Wells Fargo Arena in Baltimore City in 2016, opening for Martin Lawrence in front of 13,000 people, which confirmed her path in stand-up comedy.Q: Why is "dummy" a term of endearment in Baltimore?A: "Dummy" became a term of endearment in Baltimore starting around 11 years old for Jess Hilarious's generation, used among peers, and signifies a cultural bond rather than an insult.Connect & Discover Jess Hilarious:Instagram: @jesshilarious_officialWebsite: jesshilariousofficial.comFacebook: @JessHilariousofficialYouTube: @jesshilariousofficialX: @jess_hilariousTikTok: @jesshilarious_officialBook: “Till Death Do We ParentFOLLOW MICK ON:Spotify: MickUnpluggedInstagram: @mickunplugged Facebook: @mickunpluggedYouTube: @MickUnpluggedPodcast LinkedIn: @mickhunt Website: MickHuntOfficial.comWebsite: howtobeagoodleader.comWebsite: Leadloudseries.comApple: MickUnpluggedSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Join the conversation with C4 & Bryan Nehman.  Bruce Elliott sat in for Bryan Nehman this morning.  Recap of interview with BPD Commissioner Worley.  BCCC ghost students.  $40 million in uncollected bills in Baltimore City.  Brant Fisher, President of Brewer Hill Neighbors Association joined the show discussing tires slashed on vehicle in the neighborhood.  Ben Wagner, O's play-by-play man joined the show discussing the upcoming weekend series in Toronto.  Listen to C4 & Bryan weekdays from 5:30-10am on WBAL News Radio 1090, FM 101.5 & the WBAL Radio app!!

Join C4 and Bryan Nehman as they discuss how Baltimore City has failed to collect bills from vendors totaling up to $2.7 Million dollars over the last two years. Also, a new law was passed the round up or down the pennies you may owe when paying for an item or paying for a service. Later, Isaac "Yitzy" Schleifer joins the show to discuss the clean cor program and money from COVID ARPA funds may have been misused. Listen to C4 and Bryan Nehman Monday through Friday live, from 5:30 AM to 10:00 AM on WBAL News Radio 1090, FM 101.5, and the WBAL News Radio App.

Are the streets of Baltimore City safer than they were a decade ago? Peace and progress in our city continues to be a daily effort for Baltimore City State's Attorney Ivan Bates, who joins Nestor at Faidley's at Lexington Market to discuss youth crime, accountability and the challenges of the juvenile system while getting the repeat offenders off the street to make the city safer. The post Baltimore City State's Attorney Ivan Bates discusses law and order and prosecution with Nestor first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

Give us about fifteen minutes daily, and we will give you all the local news, sports, weather, and events you can handle.   SPONSORS: Many thanks to our sponsors… Annapolis Subaru, the SPCA of Anne Arundel County, Covington Alsina, MacMedics, and  Hospice of the Chesapeake.  Today... A crash closes the public side of the Jessup post office, the Naval Academy's Class of 2029 conquers Herndon, World Market sets an Annapolis Plaza opening date, and Rehab 2 Perform is expanding into Baltimore City. Catch the full rundown on today's DNB. Link to daily news recap newsletter: https://forms.aweber.com/form/87/493412887.htm Trevor from  Annapolis Makerspace is here with your Maker Minutes, along with our in-home care segment from Interim Healthcare Annapolis! DAILY NEWSLETTER LINK: https://forms.aweber.com/form/87/493412887.htm The Eye On Annapolis Daily News Brief is produced every Monday through Friday at 6:00 am and available wherever you get your podcasts and also on our social media platforms--All Annapolis and Eye On Annapolis (FB) and @eyeonannapolis (X) NOTE: For hearing-impaired subscribers, a full transcript is available on Eye On Annapolis.

Join the conversation with C4 & Bryan Nehman.  President Trump did not like the latest deal Iran Brought to the table.  Numerous acts of violence in the city over the weekend.  Is there a deal between Bill Ferguson & Governor Wes Moore.  David Lapp from the MD Office of People's Council joined the show to discuss PJM atempting to assign $2 billion in data center costs to Marylanders.  President of the MD State Senate also joined the show to weigh in on the data center discussion.  Are we ready for another virus.  Listen to C4 & Bryan weekdays from 5:30-10am on WBAL News Radio 1090, FM 101.5 & the WBAL Radio app!!

We Like Shooting - Ep 661 This episode of We Like Shooting is brought to you by: Midwest Industries (Code: WLSISLIFE) Die Free Co. (Code: WLSISLIFE) Bowers Group (Code: WLS) Otis Technology (Code: WELIKESHOOTING15) Flatline Fiber Co (Code: WLS15) Guests: Ken Ross – CMC Triggers – https://cmctriggers.com – @cmctriggers Text Dear WLS or Reviews +1 743 500 2171  Public   Show Titles   GOA GOALS Aug 1-2 in Iowa. https://goals.goa.org/ GunCon.net Tickets on sale now. Use code AGENCY171 GEAR CHAT [FLUX Defense] Raider X Chop Top El Camino The Raider X Chop Top “El Camino” is a P320/M17 chassis from FLUX Defense with the non-reciprocating optic mount removed, allowing retention of the optic mounted on the slide for easy swapping between pistol and chassis configurations. It features a lower optic height over bore and is engineered as a premium personal defense weapon chassis system for SIG Sauer P320, M17, and M18 pistols. Compatibility is limited to 9mm, .40 S&W, .357 SIG variants, excluding P320 XTEN, .45 ACP, and certain magazines. Note Pew Report opening the doors. [XTech Tactical] Extended Magazines and Magazine Adaptor Sleeves for Ruger RXM XTech Tactical offers extended magazines and magazine adaptor sleeves designed for the Ruger RXM. No further technical overview is provided on the page. Magpump Magpump Pew Locker Pew.locker is a service described as ‘Your Stuff. Your Data. Encrypted.' No firearms or technical gear products are detailed on the page. It appears unrelated to physical technical gear in the firearms industry. [CMMG] Pistol Suppressed DL44 Blaster Mk4 .22LR 3.2″ Limited Edition This limited-edition CMMG pistol is derived from the company's .22LR firearms line, mimicking the Solo Blaster with a unique battle-worn Cerakote finish and integrated DL44 suppressor using the same internals as the ZEROED 22K for superior sound suppression. It features a Mk4 platform with traditional blowback operation, 3.2-inch nitride-finished 4140CM barrel, ZEROED drop-in trigger (4.5 lb pull), ambi charging handle, and a three-piece DL44 pistol grip with aluminum frame and walnut wood panels. Only 100 units are produced, each including three 10-round magazines and matching serial numbers on firearm and suppressor. Kiro Morph Kiro Morph BULLET POINTS Note Does grip angle matter? Magpul M-LOK Hand Control Accessories: SVG Short Vertical Grip (MAG1567), Thumb Shelf (MAG1566), Index Stop (MAG1568) Magpul announced three new M-LOK accessories for improved support hand control and consistent indexing on octagonal aluminum handguards: the M-LOK SVG Short Vertical Grip, M-LOK Thumb Shelf, and M-LOK Index Stop. Constructed from proprietary polymer with included 4140 chromoly steel hardware, they are ambidextrous and available in Black, FDE, ODG, MCB starting May 2026.2040 Ferro Concepts Dangler AR The Ferro Concepts Dangler AR is a modular pouch designed to carry two AR-15 style magazines horizontally or reconfigure for longer items like breaching charges or multi-tools. Constructed from hydrophobic X-Pac fabric with rigidity to minimize bounce, it features a removable internal divider, customizable shock cord retention, and 2-inch hook and loop mounting for plate carriers, back panels, or belts. It is Berry Compliant and compatible with items such as Skin packs and breaching tools. GUNDERWEAR Concealed Carry Underwear GUNDERWEAR is a patented underwear product designed to improve comfort for concealed carry, particularly appendix carry, by integrating padding as a barrier between the body and gun/holster. Developed by Tyler Abadie, it prevents rubbing, stabbing, and irritation during prolonged wear in activities like security work, driving, and daily tasks. Available for men and women, it has received positive feedback from civilians and professionals in law enforcement and military. GUN FIGHTS No one stepped into the arena this week. WLS IS LIFESTYLE RXM Pillager Chassis PA6-GF The RXM Pillager Chassis is a grip module designed for the Ruger RXM FCI, featuring a complete chassis, sheet metal finger shroud, RXM charging handle (OEM slide only), and secondary magazine holder. It is FDM 3D printed from fiberglass-reinforced nylon (PA6-GF) and annealed to manufacturer specifications, available in colors like Flat Dark Earth, Light Grey, and Black. Priced at $279.99 USD, it comes assembled and ready for the RXM FCI and slide. GOING BALLISTIC DOJ Cease-and-Desist to City of Denver on AR-15 Ban The National Association for Gun Rights reports that AAG Dhillon issued a cease-and-desist letter to the City of Denver. The letter demands the removal of their AR-15 ban. Failure to comply will result in action by the DOJ. Hysteria Continues Unabated Following ATF's Announcement (Savage) The article discusses the ATF's rollback of gun regulations under the Trump administration's Justice Department, led by confirmed ATF head Robert Cekada, following an assassination attempt on President Trump. Gun control advocates like John Feinblatt of Everytown for Gun Safety criticize it as gutting ‘commonsense gun safety laws.' The author argues the hysteria is unwarranted, as the weapons used were legal nationwide and prior rules failed to prevent attacks. NAGR: Minnesota Dems Pushing Gun Ban via Omnibus Bill SF 4067 (Savage) The National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR) warns that Minnesota Democrats are advancing SF 4067, an omnibus firearms bill, through the state Senate and House. The bill proposes bans on certain semiautomatic rifles, magazines over 17 rounds, privately manufactured firearms, binary triggers, and expands red flag gun confiscation laws. NAGR urges Minnesotans to contact legislators to oppose the measure amid a tied House vote. New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen: Impact on Baltimore, MD Homicides at 50-Year Low (Savage) Following the Supreme Court's Bruen decision, Maryland shifted from ‘may-issue' to ‘shall-issue' concealed carry permits, increasing from under 50,000 in 2020 to over 200,000 by April 2025. Baltimore City has seen homicides drop to a 50-year low, with only 33 homicides and 89 non-fatal shootings as of May 1, 2025, down 10.8% and 11.9% from the prior year. April 2025 recorded just four homicides, the fewest monthly since at least 1970. ATF Reforms on Pistol Braces (NPRM 1140-AA98) (Savage) The article discusses ATF reforms under the Trump administration that remove regulatory language from the vacated Biden-era pistol brace rule (NPRM 1140-AA98), affecting enforcement of the National Firearms Act (NFA) and Gun Control Act (GCA) on braced pistols classified as short-barreled rifles. While presented as a positive step, the changes do not limit ATF's statutory interpretation authority, allowing continued enforcement risks for gun owners. The author views it as meaningful progress but potentially ‘smoke and mirrors' without further congressional action.0 Navy v. Patrick Tate Adamiak: NRA Files Amicus Brief Urging U.S. Supreme Court Review (Savage) The NRA, along with other gun rights organizations, filed an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to hear Navy v. Patrick Tate Adamiak, involving a Navy veteran's 20-year sentence for National Firearms Act violations over nonfunctional firearm relics. The case challenges the treatment of inert, destroyed items as regulated ‘firearms' under an expansive NFA interpretation, bypassing Second Amendment protections. The brief argues lower courts distorted precedent by avoiding Bruen's historical analysis test. DOJ/ATF 34 Final and Proposed Firearms Rules (April 29, 2026) (Savage) On April 29, 2026, the Department of Justice and ATF announced 34 notices of final and proposed rulemaking, the largest overhaul of federal firearms regulations in agency history, following Executive Order 14206 Protecting Second Amendment Rights. The package includes 8 finalized rules (e.g., rescinding bump stock machine gun definitions per Garland v. Cargill) and 26 proposed rules aimed at reducing burdens on FFLs and gun owners, modernizing forms like 4473, streamlining NFA processes, and aligning with court precedents. Rules cover repeals of Biden-era pistol brace and ‘engaged in the business' expansions, electronic recordkeeping, and interstate transport protections. Trump Pardon Call for Patrick ‘Tate' Adamiak (Fourth Circuit Federal Case) Patrick ‘Tate' Adamiak, a U.S. Navy sailor, was convicted on federal machinegun and unregistered destructive-device charges and sentenced to 20 years in prison despite no prior record or victims; the Fourth Circuit remanded on double-jeopardy grounds. The article urges gun owners to petition President Trump for a full pardon, framing it as a stand against ATF overreach and federal weaponization against Second Amendment activities. Items involved remain legally sold online, highlighting perceived injustice. REVIEWS Review: Anonymous Coward from Iowa Five Review: Anonymous Coward from Nebraska Review form coward. 5 something. Like the early gun fights can put guesses in. Since I get up at 5.47 am like to be in bed by 10. Also hasn't Aaron been fired yet to come back. Can listen to the rest next day in the truck. Enjoy the banter and I don't read much news so keeps me informed on 2a stuff. Review: Chris W Five Stars. The year is 2035. Civil unrest, political turmoil, and record high inflation has crippled America. Its citizens are divided, almost tribal. Most have lost hope of returning America to a bastion of freedom. but there are some that fight to keep the American dream alive. The agents of 171 used to be a gang of online gun nerds bonded by the love of the second amendment; now they are an underground collective of the countries most deadly assassins and fighters trying to bring America back to her former glory. Shawn: the leader of the agency,...

Join the conversation with C4 & Bryan Nehman.  Latest on the Iran conflict.  Reaction to the interview with Andy Harris.  Johnny O's Robe Act.  Baltimore City gets $1.8 million dollars for GVRS.  Study on banning cell phones in schools.   Listen to C4 & Bryan weekdays from 5:30-10am on WBAL News Radio 1090, FM 101.5 & the WBAL Radio app!!

Reconnecting Families Powered By The Word!This Episode is about breaking cycles in our community! Here we Breakdown issues witin our communities and Solutions to them Problems... BUT BUT we back it up with what the word says we should do or not do!!! Recorded in person first Saturday of Each Month in Baltimore City!

Use Code PREPARE for 5% at petfirstaid4u.com to celebrate PetFirst Aid Month! What happens when you stop trying to serve everyone and build a business specifically for cats? In this episode, we talk with Grace Taylor of Furever Friends Cat Sitting about what it really looks like to niche—intentionally and unapologetically. Grace shares how defining success for both clients and sitters transformed her onboarding, pricing, and team culture. We dig into medical cat care, client education, and why more time—not less—is often the answer for cats. This conversation is packed with practical insight for anyone wondering whether specialization limits growth or unlocks it. Main topics: Cat-only business niching Defining client success Training and team trust High-touch pricing strategy Community-driven marketing Main takeaway: "Someone else can give amazing care—but it isn't your care unless you teach it." That single idea reshapes how you hire, train, and lead a team. In this episode, Grace Taylor explains why great onboarding isn't about skills—it's about expectations, communication, and defining success from day one. When clients feel consistency and sitters know exactly what great care looks like, trust follows. If you've ever struggled to duplicate your level of care as you grow, this conversation is for you. About our guest: Grace Taylor is the owner of Furever Friends Cat Sitting, a cat-only pet care company based in Baltimore City. With a background in education and over 200 foster cats behind her, Grace has built a team specializing in medical, behavioral, and high-touch feline care. Her business is known for strong client education, community involvement, and creative service offerings like staycations. Grace is also co-founding an initiative to elevate professional feline care standards industry-wide. Links: Built for Cats Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/843523431827984/ Furever Friends on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fureverfriendscatsitting/ Furever Friends on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fureverfriendscatsitting/ Their website: https://fureverfriendscatsitting.com Check out our Starter Packs See all of our discounts! Check out ProTrainings Code: CPR-petsitterconfessional for 10% off

On this episode of The Ty Brady Way, Ty sits down with Chris Papst, Emmy Award-winning investigative reporter for Fox 45 News and author of the explosive new book Failure Factory: How Baltimore City Public Schools Deprive Taxpayers and Students of a Future. Chris found Ty through a previous podcast interview with a candidate running for superintendent in Georgia, and it quickly becomes clear why the two were destined to have this conversation. What starts as a deep dive into one city's school system turns into a wake-up call for parents, voters, and taxpayers all across America. Chris walks Ty through his journey from small-town Pennsylvania to the halls of Washington DC journalism, and ultimately to Baltimore in January of 2017, where he launched Project Baltimore, a five-person investigative team at Fox 45 dedicated entirely to covering public education. What he expected to find and what he actually found over the next nine years are two very different things, and that gap is exactly what Failure Factory is built on. Over eight years, Baltimore City Schools received a 38% funding increase, an additional $500 million per year in taxpayer dollars. In that same window, math proficiency rose by just one percentage point and graduation rates climbed by just one point as well, still the lowest in the state of Maryland. Of the 1,700 additional employees hired with that money, only 200 were teachers. The data, Chris makes clear, tells the story all on its own. One of the most eye-opening moments of the episode comes when Chris breaks down what he calls the 50% rule, a policy where no student can receive below a 50% for a marking period grade, regardless of attendance, homework, or test performance. Since the lowest passing grade is a 60, students effectively only need to earn 10 points to pass a class. Chris explains that this policy exists not to help students learn, but to help schools pass students, boosting pass rates and making the system appear more successful than it actually is. And the higher performing school systems in Maryland, he notes, do not have this rule. Ty and Chris also get into the very human cost of all of this, and that is where the episode hits hardest. Chris shares the story of Michelle Bradley, a woman who made it all the way to ninth grade in Baltimore City schools without ever learning to read, her dyslexia going undiagnosed until her late thirties. She now has two daughters in the same system, living in Section 8 housing with no educational or financial means to seek alternatives. These are not statistics. These are people caught in a cycle of generational poverty that a broken school system keeps spinning. The conversation also covers teacher burnout and retaliation, the discipline crisis inside classrooms, grade changing scandals, and why so many school system employees speak to Chris only under the condition of anonymity. Chris is clear that solutions exist and that we already know how to educate kids well. The difference, he argues, comes down to accountability, and accountability starts at the ballot box. Local school board elections, he tells Ty, may matter more to the average American than any presidential race when it comes to daily quality of life, from home values and local economies to crime rates and unemployment. Failure Factory is available now wherever books are sold, including Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Chris's social media handles are simply his name, Chris Papst, C-H-R-I-S-P-A-P-S-T.

A significant legal and regulatory backlash against Elon Musk's xAI and its chatbot, Grok, following allegations that the tool was used to create and spread non-consensual sexualized deepfakes. Entities including Baltimore City, a coalition of 35 state attorneys general, and private victims have launched lawsuits and formal inquiries, particularly highlighting the exploitation of minors. The legal challenges suggest that the platform lacked essential safety guardrails and may have even profited from the generation of harmful imagery by placing advanced features behind a paywall. Furthermore, legal experts are examining how these cases might redefine Section 230 protections, questioning whether AI companies should be viewed as content creators rather than neutral hosts. Collectively, these documents illustrate a pivotal moment in the attempt to hold generative AI developers accountable for the real-world trauma and privacy violations caused by their technology.

Join the conversation with C4 & Bryan Nehman.  Inspector General Cummings releases report on possible misuse of funds with city procurement cards.  Superintendent Rogers stepping down as of July 1st.  Is ICE ramping up to come to Baltimore, unmarked cars & MREs are being stockpiled.  Americans don't want data centers in their back yards.  Eight individuals that have ties to MS-13 have been indicted in the area.  Delegate Mike Griffith joined the show discussing Kanaiyah's law.   Listen to C4 & Bryan weekdays from 5:30-10am on WBAL News Radio 1090, FM 101.5 & the WBAL Radio app!!

Join the conversation with C4 & Bryan Nehman.  Governor Moore appeared on CBS' Town Hall Last night.  A violent weekend in Baltimore City.  Ferguson called out by Hakeem Jeffries.  287G & the promise to still honor it.  Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly joined the show discussing 287G, the superintendent situation & more. The speaker in the house of delegates Joseline Pena Melnyk joined the show as well, talking about redistricting, 287G/ICE & more..  Listen to C4 & Bryan Nehman live weekdays from 5:30 to 10am on WBAL News Radio 1090, FM 101.5 & the WBAL Radio App!

The Murder of Police, Our Careers in Baltimore, Maryland. Special Episode. Being a cop in Baltimore, Maryland has never been just a job. For generations of officers, it has been a test of resolve carried out in one of America's most violent cities, where the murder of police officers was not an abstract fear, but a lived reality. The streets remembered everything, even when time moved on. The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast social media like their Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , Medium and other social media platforms. For John Jay Wiley, the host of the La Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast, also a retired Baltimore police officer, that reality resurfaced decades later through a candid conversation with retired Baltimore Police Detective Gary McLhinney. Shared across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Spotify, Apple, and other Social Media and Media platforms as part of a Podcast, the discussion centered on a crime that forever shaped their careers: the murder of Baltimore Police Officer Vincent J. Adolfo. This Special Episode of the Podcast is available and shared for free on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast website, also on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and most major podcast platforms. “This was something I carried with me from 1985,” John Jay Wiley, the retired Baltimore Police Sergeant said. “It stayed buried, but it was never gone.” The Murder of Police, Our Careers in Baltimore, Maryland. Special Episode. Supporting articles about this and much more from Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast in platforms like Medium , Blogspot and Linkedin . The Murder of Police Officer Vincent J. Adolfo On November 18, 1985, Officer Vincent J. Adolfo of the Baltimore Police Department was performing routine police work in a city already known for violence. That night, officers attempted to stop a stolen vehicle. The suspect vehicle rammed another patrol car, and all occupants fled on foot. Officer Adolfo pursued one suspect into Iron Alley. “He thought the suspect was surrendering,” the retired officer explained. “That's what makes this so hard to accept.” As Officer Adolfo approached, the suspect suddenly produced a .357 caliber handgun and opened fire. Officer Adolfo was struck in both the chest and the back. At the time, his department-issued ballistic vest contained only a front panel, capable of stopping rounds up to .38 caliber. Available for free on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast website, also on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube and most major Podcast networks. “The equipment wasn't what it is today,” Gary McLhinney said. “He never had a chance.” Officer Adolfo died from his wounds, becoming another name etched into Baltimore's long and painful history of officers killed in the line of duty. The Murder of Police, Our Careers in Baltimore, Maryland. Special Episode. The suspect fled the state and was later apprehended in Oklahoma. He was extradited back to Maryland, convicted, and ultimately executed in 1997 for the murder. A Crime That Followed Careers for Decades The murder of Officer Adolfo connected two men who would later reflect on their careers from retirement, men who had never worked together, yet shared the same burden. Retired Baltimore Police Detective Gary McLhinney played a critical role in helping his former colleague, radio and odcast host confront unresolved guilt and regret. Look for The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast on social media like their Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , Medium and other social media platforms. “Gary helped me finally put things to rest,” John Jay Wiley said. “He understood because he lived it too.” Both men served during an era when killing police officers in Baltimore was not rare. It was a time when violent crime surged, fueled first by heroin in the 1970s and later by crack cocaine in the 1980s and early 1990s. “You didn't count years by calendars,” Gary McLhinney said. “You counted them by funerals.” Policing One of America's Most Violent Cities Baltimore City, an independent city under the Maryland Constitution since 1851, has long struggled with crime rates well above the national average. With a population of more than 585,000 at the 2020 census and part of a metropolitan area exceeding 2.8 million residents, Baltimore's challenges have been both urban and systemic. The Murder of Police, Our Careers in Baltimore, Maryland. Special Episode. Available for free on their website and streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube and other podcast platforms. In 1993, the city recorded a peak of 353 homicides, during a period when the population was nearly 130,000 higher than it is today. In 2019, Baltimore recorded 348 killings, nearly matching that grim record. Though the city saw a sharp decline to 201 homicides in 2024, the scars of decades of violence remain. “These numbers don't tell the whole story,” Gary McLhinney said. “They don't show the officers who went home different, or didn't go home at all.” The decline in homicide rates in 2011, when killings dipped below 200 for the first time since 1978, was credited to focused enforcement on repeat violent offenders and increased community engagement. But the gains proved fragile. Homicides climbed again in 2012 and 2013, defying national trends and reinforcing the unpredictable nature of violent crime in Baltimore. Gary McLhinney's Career and Leadership Gary McLhinney came from a family of firefighters but chose a different calling. “He wanted to be a Baltimore City police officer,” his colleague said. “That's where his heart was.” McLhinney loved the job and the people he served alongside. After retiring from the Baltimore Police Department, he was appointed Chief of the Maryland Transportation Authority Police. In that role, he oversaw security for the Port of Baltimore, BWI Marshall Airport, and the state's bridges, tunnels, and toll roads, particularly during the tense years following the September 11 terrorist attacks. The Murder of Police, Our Careers in Baltimore, Maryland. Special Episode. It is discussed across News platforms and shared on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Apple, and Spotify, where true crime audiences continue to get their content. “Those were years where the weight of responsibility never let up,” McLhinney said. “But Baltimore prepared us for that.” Preserving the Stories in a Book McLhinney later turned his attention to preserving the stories of officers lost in the line of duty. Along with renowned journalist and author Kevin Cowherd, he co-wrote Bleeding Blue: Four Decades Policing the Violent City of Baltimore. “The book isn't about glory,” McLhinney said. “It's about remembering the men and women who paid the ultimate price.” The Book documents decades of violence, sacrifice, and resilience within the Baltimore Police Department. Portions of the proceeds benefit the Signal 13 Foundation, a nonprofit established in 1983 to support Baltimore police officers and their families through financial hardship grants and scholarships. The Murder of Police, Our Careers in Baltimore, Maryland. Special Episode. You can find the show on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn, as well as read companion articles and updates on Medium, Blogspot, YouTube, and even IMDB. Additional proceeds support Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.), a national 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1984 that now serves more than 87,000 survivors nationwide. Supporting Survivors After the Headlines Fade C.O.P.S. provides peer support, counseling, scholarships, survivor weekends, youth camps, trial and parole support, and training for law enforcement agencies on how to respond after the loss of an officer. “The agency response matters,” the retired officer said. “It shapes how families survive the aftermath.” C.O.P.S. chapters operate in all 50 states, with national survivor programs administered from Camdenton, Missouri. Funding comes from donations, grants, and continued public awareness—often driven by News, Podcast, and Social Media exposure. Available for free on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast website, also on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube and most major Podcast networks. Why These Stories Still Matter Today, these conversations live on across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Spotify, Apple, and other Media platforms, not as nostalgia, but as testimony. “The murder of police officers doesn't end with the trial,” the retired officer said. “It follows careers, families, and cities for generations.” The Murder of Police, Our Careers in Baltimore, Maryland. Special Episode. By revisiting the murder of Officer Vincent J. Adolfo, the realities of policing Baltimore, and the bonds formed through shared trauma, this story serves as both remembrance and warning. It honors the fallen, supports the living, and reminds the public that behind every statistic is a name, a badge, and a life that mattered. Find a wide variety of great podcasts online at The Podcast Zone Facebook Page , look for the one with the bright green logo. Be sure to check out our website . Be sure to follow us on X , Instagram , Facebook, Pinterest, Linkedin and other social media platforms for the latest episodes and news. Background song Hurricane is used with permission from the band Dark Horse Flyer. You can contact John J. “Jay” Wiley by email at Jay@letradio.com , or learn more about him on their website . The Murder of Police, Our Careers in Baltimore, Maryland. Special Episode. Attributions Amazon Signal 13 Foundation Concerns of Police Survivors C.O.P.S. Officer Down Memorial Page   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The details of Baltimore City v. Hanover Armory, using litigation as a tool for public health, and making Maryland a safer place.Cass interviews Dr. Daniel Webster about his experience as expert witness in a landmark gun violence court case. -o-www.everythingispublichealth.comBluesky Social: @everythingisPHMastodon: @everythingispublichealth Email: EverythingIsPublicHealth@gmail.com   Support the show

Join the conversation with C4 & Bryan Nehman.  C4 & Bryan started the show this morning by discussing the congressional redistricting map vote.  Homan to go to MN amid ongoing tensions with ICE.  Could there be a low-risk grid event due to demand of energy with the cold weather.  State Senator Christopher West joined the show discussing a possible state energy authority.  There is outrage over the ICE facility viral video here in Baltimore.  President of the state senate Bill Ferguson joined the show discussing a number of topics including redistricting, energy, if he and Governor Moore are cool & more.  Listen to C4 & Bryan Nehman live weekdays from 5:30 to 10am on WBAL News Radio 1090, FM 101.5 & the WBAL Radio App!

What if the key to finding meaningful, inspiring, purposeful work could be found in what you loved as a child?That's exactly what today's podcast guest, photographer Ingrid Berrios discovered for herself!After spending decades in careers that bored her and left her deeply unfulfilled, she followed the treasure map her inner child guided her towards and gave herself permission to pursue her photography dreams. If you too are ready to believe it's possible to love your work and finally give yourself permission to explore what that could be… this podcast episode is for you!IN THIS EPISODE WE TALK ABOUT:How learning what you don't want in a career is just as valuable as learning what you do. Having the courage to change careers even after pouring time, money and years into other paths. ADHD and the importance of choosing a career that supports your lifestyle, passions, brain and values. Why a photoshoot goes so far beyond the photos. The transformation that comes from celebrating yourself and your essence. A special opportunity for Baltimore locals ready to embrace their journey and let themselves be seen in all their radiant glory!Ready to learn from your past and create your future with confidence, clarity and courage?Own your Becoming was designed for you.

In 2025, Governor Wes Moore's housing bills were defeated in the General Assembly, in part due to the efforts of the Maryland Association of Counties (MACo), which represents the state's 23 counties and Baltimore City. Will the state's counties be more supportive of the Governor's housing bills this year? Sunil Dasgupta talks with MACo Executive Director Michael Sanderson about housing and related questions. Music by Kara Levchenko.

Mike Rudasill serves as a Battalion Chief with the Baltimore City Fire Department (BCFD), assigned to the 3rd Battalion in West Baltimore. He joined the ranks of the BCFD in 1998 and has served in a variety of operational and leadership roles throughout his career, including Firefighter with Rescue Company 1, Lieutenant with Truck Company 2, and Captain with Engine Company 8. He was promoted to Battalion Chief in 2010. Chief Rudasill is a former United States Marine and holds a bachelor's degree in Fire Science and Organizational Leadership from Waldorf University, as well as a Master of Public Administration from the University of Baltimore's School of Public Policy. In addition to his operational responsibilities, Chief Rudasill serves as the Program Manager for the BCFD Mental Performance Initiative and oversees the development program for Baltimore City's first-line and chief-level foreground commanders.

Join the conversation with C4 and Bryan Nehman as they speak with Commissioner Richard Worley about Baltimore City's crime reduction success in 2025 and its implications for 2026. But first, we tackle the major news of John Harbaugh's release after an 18-year tenure, with insights from Ravens ESPN analyst Jamison Hensley. They speculate on the Ravens' future and discuss potential coaching strategies as they prepare to fill Harbaugh's formidable shoes. C4 and Bryan Nehman are live Monday through Friday from 5:30 AM to 10:00 Am on WBAL News Radio 1090, FM 101.5, and the WBAL News Radio App.

Join the conversation with C4 & Bryan Nehman.  Happy New Year! Angelette Aviles sat in for C4 this morning.  Bryan & Angelette started the show this morning asking what you were doing up early on New Years Day.  For the year 2025 there were 133 homicides in Baltimore City.  Words of 2025.  The biggest stories of 2025.  25 years from today.  Listen to C4 & Bryan Nehman live weekdays from 5:30 to 10am on WBAL News Radio 1090, FM 101.5 & the WBAL Radio App!

It's an election season and we're welcoming plenty of political candidates and sitting elected officials onto the Maryland Crab Cake Tour. Councilman Mark Conway has told us about his challenges and triumphs in the 4th District of Baltimore City and now is focused on running for the current seat of Congressman Kweisi Mfume in the 7th U.S. Congressional District, encompassing large parts of the city and edges of the county. The post Councilman Mark Conway tells Nestor why he's running for Congress at Gertrude's at The BMA first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

It's always a treat to welcome Matt Gallagher of The Goldseker Foundation back to Faidley's Seafood at Lexington Market on the Maryland Crab Cake Tour to discuss the progress and challenges of Baltimore City, while shouting out more holiday dining options and civic celebrations than any other podcast or radio show in the market. We love Baltimore – and it shows! The post Matt Gallagher returns to discuss holiday love of Baltimore and ways we can improve and lift the city first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

In this episode of CCA On the Air, Alliance Engagement Director Jonathan Gowin sits down with two leaders from the CollegeBound Foundation in Baltimore, Maryland: Khala Granville Williamson, Director of High School Programs, and Jennifer Covahey, Director of College Success. They explore how CollegeBound has built a comprehensive "to and through college" model that supports Baltimore City public high school students from college access through graduation. The conversation reveals the power of individualized advising, strategic partnerships, and financial support in driving student success. Listeners will learn about CollegeBound's impressive retention rates, their recent merger with Adelante Latina to better serve Baltimore's Latina students, and the essential ingredients for replicating this work in other communities. Learn more about the CollegeBound Foundation at www.collegeboundfoundation.org.

Join the conversation with C4 & Bryan Nehman. C4 opens the show reacting to the shooting in Washington D.C. of two National Guard members. Do you believe that we should suspend the asylum system? Members of Congress want to investigate U.S. Military's "Double Tap" Boat Strike in September. Did Hegseth violate international law?  Plus, C4 reacts to a story involving a 71-year-old Baltimore City transportation worker who died over a parking space. Keith Mills joins the show for an extended sports segment with C4 and WBAL Sports Reporter, Valerie Preactor, to preview the Ravens matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Richard Henry, Inspector General, Maryland Office of the Inspector General for Education, joins the show to discuss the Omnilert system in schools. Listen to C4 & Bryan Nehman live weekdays from 5:30 to 10am on WBAL News Radio 1090, FM 101.5.

Join the conversation with C4 & Bryan Nehman.  Bruce Elliott filled in for Bryan this morning.  C4 & Bruce started off the show this morning discussing the meeting between President Trump & Zohran Mamdani.  MTG resigns from congress.  A very violent weekend in the city with multiple shootings.  More & more Americans are working from home or a hybrid type schedule & the numbers coud be even higher in the next few years as well.  Listen to C4 & Bryan Nehman live weekdays from 5:30 to 10am on WBAL News Radio 1090, FM 101.5 & the WBAL Radio App!

Baltimore City prosecutors indict a police officer on an attempted murder charge after a viral video shows him driving his police cruiser directly at a man in Park Heights. A flight bound for Chicago makes an emergency landing in Missouri after a man claims his wife has a bomb in her luggage, forcing federal agents to search the plane. Drew Nelson reports.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Maryland State Senator and IBEW Local 24 leader Cory V. McCray joins Rich and Dan to share how a paid electrical apprenticeship rewired his life—from Baltimore City and the juvenile system to business owner and public service. Cory breaks down how union apprenticeships work, why mentors and discipline matter, and how practical pathways can lift families and entire communities. A grounded, honest guide for anyone who cares about second chances and real opportunity. Sponsored by Daniel McGhee and the Victory Team Guest Bio:  Cory V. McCray is a Maryland State Senator, husband, and father of four who completed an IBEW Local 24 electrical apprenticeship before launching a career in business and public service. He's the author of The Apprenticeship That Saved My Life and serves as a business agent and vice president within his local, championing working families, mentorship, and scalable pathways to the middle class.  Main Topics: ·         How a paid union apprenticeship provides wages, benefits, and schooling without debt. ·         Discipline, mentors, and “learning to listen” as success multipliers on the job site and in life. ·         Differences between premier union apprenticeships and other pathways, plus common pitfalls. ·         Moving from limited exposure to leadership: business owner, union officer, and senator. ·         Building pipelines for data centers and future infrastructure—and why Maryland needs more tradespeople now. ·         Recovery, reprogramming habits, and choosing environments that support growth. ·      Send us a textJoin us in spreading holiday cheer and making a child's Christmas magical! Agape Projects is hosting a special fundraising drive for our annual Toy Run, aiming to brighten the lives of children in need. Your generous contribution will help us bring joy and laughter to little hearts this holiday season. Together, let's make a difference and create unforgettable memories for the children in our community.

Brian H. Waters shares his opinion on NBC's usage of Michael Jordan and how fans thought they would be getting another version of his airness (1:08). Plus he discusses the Baltimore Orioles hiring a new manager (9:34), Angel Resse trademarking her name (10:45), Starz cancelling BMF (11:51), a very uncomfortable video regarding a Baltimore City police officer (14:24), Clayton Kershaw's final time at Dodger stadium (17:50).Purchase a Breaking Through Glass Ceilings T-Shirt: https://bit.ly/BTGCShirts Support this podcast while supporting your favorite sports teams by making your purchases on Fanatics and using this link: https://bit.ly/34rWdXr Save 10% off Rogue Energy Drink https://rogueenergy.com/discount/BrianH?ref=wfGgU8WHQ98SUr Symphony of Balloons https://bit.ly/SYMPOBallonsForm Book with Symphony of Ballons here: https://bit.ly/SYMPOBallonsForm

Join the conversation with C4 & Bryan Nehman. C4 & Bryan kicked of the show this morning talking about the government shutdown entering Day 21. What did Speaker Mike Johnson have to say? A federal appeals court ruled that the National Guard can go to Portland; C4 & Bryan react to the ruling. Maryland's population is down; why are so many people leaving the state? Plus, C4 & Bryan break down the scathing article on the Ravens written by several reporters at the Baltimore Sun. Dan Stoltzfus, the CEO of Helping Up Mission, joins the show to discuss Baltimore City's opioid funds.  Listen to C4 & Bryan Nehman live weekdays from 5:30 to 10am on WBAL News Radio 1090, FM 101.5 & the WBAL Radio App!

Send us a text message and tell us your thoughts.What if the medicine you need was growing right outside your door? We sit down with author and farmer Aleya Fraser to trace the living thread of Caribbean herbalism as she details in her new book Caribbean Herbalism: Traditional Wisdom and Modern Herbal Healing. Together, we unpack the tension between modern convenience and disappearing habitats, and we get practical about what to do next: how to identify plants safely, why relationship matters more than hype, and where citizen science can meet peer-reviewed research without losing soul. We talk creolization—the way Indigenous, African, European, and South Asian traditions fused into today's remedies—and why names matter, from “guinea hen weed” to Latin binomials that help us translate across islands. If you're in the diaspora or on the islands, you'll find clear steps to reconnect: sit with elders, join a local farm or foraging group, support growers protecting habitats, and keep a simple log of what teas and tinctures do for your body. This conversation opens a another gate into herbal practices that are accessible, rigorous, and deeply Caribbean—where story and science enrich each other and wellness returns to the commons. If this speaks to you, subscribe, share with a friend who loves bush tea, and leave a review to help more listeners find these roots.Aleya Fraser is a land steward and ethnobotanist with a strong lineage of land-based people. She has spent the last 12 years managing and founding farms and deepening her herbal knowledge through communing with elders, practice, and scientific research. Aleya uses her bachelor's degree in physiology and neurobiology as well as the ancestral wisdom in her fingertips to guide her studies and research interests. She blends her upbringing in Maryland with a strong focus on Trinidadian roots in her writings. She is considered a pollinator of people and weaver of landscapes. Aleya managed and cofounded farms in Baltimore City, on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, in Northwest Virginia, and now, in her ancestral lands of Trinidad and Tobago, where she lives with her husband and daughter. She can be found on Instagram (@naturaleya) or online at naturaleya.substack.com.Support the showConnect with Strictly Facts - Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube | Website Looking to read more about the topics covered in this episode? Subscribe to the newsletter at www.strictlyfactspod.com to get the Strictly Facts Syllabus to your email!Want to Support Strictly Facts? Rate & Leave a Review on your favorite platform Share this episode with someone or online and tag us Send us a DM or voice note to have your thoughts featured on an upcoming episode Donate to help us continue empowering listeners with Caribbean history and education Produced by Breadfruit Media

Cory McCray is a journeyman electrician, father of four, and public servant who proudly represents East and Northeast Baltimore in the Maryland State Senate. As the only member of the Maryland General Assembly to have completed a registered apprenticeship, he brings an unwavering commitment to expanding access, uplifting working families, and removing barriers to opportunity. Raised in Baltimore City, Cory's life was transformed through an apprenticeship with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 24. That experience not only gave him a career, but a calling—and led him to invest in real estate as a tool for stabilizing neighborhoods, win elected office, and pass over 100 pieces of legislation aimed at equity and economic mobility. His debut book, The Apprenticeship That Saved My Life, is a blueprint for those navigating the “earn-while-you-learn” path and a call to action for educators, policymakers, and mentors to see the potential in every young person. When he's not in Annapolis or working in the community, you can find Cory cheering on his daughters at track meets / tennis matches or walking his sons into basketball practice—deeply grounded in family, faith, and the future of Baltimore. To purchase: https://www.amazon.com/Apprenticeship-that-Saved-Life-Earn-While-You-Learn/dp/1636986897 Thank you to this episode's sponsor, The Landmark Trust USA

In this episode of the South Baltimore Now podcast, hosts Nate Carper and Kevin Lynch sit down with State Delegate Luke Clippinger, the dedicated representative for Maryland's 46th Legislative District. As a native Baltimorean and the powerful Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, Delegate Clippinger offers a deep dive into the legislative process, the state's efforts on public safety, and hyper-local issues affecting the South Baltimore peninsula. We discuss everything from his family's history as homesteaders in Reservoir Hill to the priorities he's bringing to the upcoming 2026 legislative session.   Delegate Luke Clippinger represents Maryland's 46th Legislative District in Baltimore City and serves as the Chair of the House Judiciary Committee.   Contact Information: Official Webpage: Luke H. Clippinger, Maryland State Delegate Campaign/Personal Site: Luke Clippinger Annapolis Office Address: 101 Taylor House Office Building, Annapolis, MD 21401 Email: luke.clippinger@house.maryland.gov Phone (Office/Campaign): 410-841-3488 (Annapolis) or 410-989-3876 (Direct/Campaign) Location Shout-out A huge thank you to Angela and Rob at Bodega & Vino for allowing us to record this episode on location in their wonderful store in Locust Point! We appreciate the great coffee and the relaxing neighborhood vibe. Visit them and check out their selection of coffee, wine, groceries, and snacks:   Bodega & Vino Website: https://www.bodegaandvino.com/

Join the conversation with C4 & Bryan Nehman.  $2M in grant funds for drug overdose prevention.  Could Trump win the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in ending the conflict in the Middle East.  Letitia James indicted on fraud charges.  Baltimore City States Attorney Ivan Bates joined the show in person to discuss a number of topics including the DPW worker crushed by the truck, the latest overdose incident at Penn North & more.  Listen to C4 & Bryan Nehman live weekdays from 5:30 to 10am on WBAL News Radio 1090, FM 101.5 & the WBAL Radio App!

Join the conversation with C4 and Bryan Nehman as they discuss ANOTHER Mass Overdose incident in the Penn-North neighborhood in Baltimore City yesterday. Mayor Brandon Scott joins the show to discuss that and other City issues, including the problem with a DPW driver who backed a truck into a co-worker. Also, they break down a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas. C4 and Bryan Nehman are live Monday through Friday from 5:30 AM to 10:00 AM on WBAL Newsradio 1090, FM 101.5, and the WBAL News Radio app.

In this episode, Rev. Dr. Heber Brown, founder of the Black Food Security Network, describes how experimenting with one small church garden led to connections with other churches and then with farmers and eventually to a transformed ecosystem—in this case, a food shed. This inspiring refugia story weaves through health justice, food security, and climate resilience. Even more, this story celebrates the power of relationships among thousands of gifted, passionate, faithful people. Many thanks to Heber Brown for graciously welcoming us to a church garden at one of the network churches in Baltimore, where we enjoyed chatting together in the greenhouse. To learn more about Rev. Dr. Heber Brown as a pastor, writer, and speaker, take a look at his website. You can also explore the wider work of the Black Church Food Security Network here.Rev. Dr. Heber BrownTRANSCRIPTHeber Brown Our garden has really become like a front door. It's a demonstration site. You're not going to feed an entire city or community with a church garden, but it becomes an activation space for your congregation members and the neighbors to come and reap the personal and individual benefits of just being closer to soil, but then also to practice what collectivism looks like in a garden space. It's a very controlled environment for a laboratory for, “how do we do this together?” And those learnings can roll over into other places as well.Debra Rienstra Welcome to the Refugia Podcast. I'm your host, Professor Debra Rienstra. Refugia are habitats in nature where life endures in times of crisis. We're exploring the concept of refugia as a metaphor, discovering how people of faith can become people of refugia: nurturing life-giving spaces in the earth, in our human cultural systems, and in our spiritual communities, even in this time of severe disturbance. This season, we're paying special attention to churches and Christian communities who have figured out how to address the climate crisis together as an essential aspect of their discipleship. Today, I'm talking with Rev. Dr. Heber Brown, founder of the Black Food Security Network. Beginning with a small congregation, a 1500-square foot garden, and a divine calling, the Black Food Security Network now connects 250 Black churches and 100 Black farmers in the Mid-Atlantic states and beyond. Reverend Brown's story weaves through issues of health justice, food security and climate resilience. And I love how beautifully this story illustrates the power of refugia. One small experiment started to form connections, then spread and eventually transformed a whole ecosystem—in this case, a food shed. I think you'll find Heber's brilliance and humility and joy inspiring, but he would be the first to say that this network is built on relationships among thousands of gifted, passionate, faithful people. People finding and exercising their beauty and agency is the best part of this story. Let's get to it.Debra Rienstra Heber, it's so great to talk to you today. Thank you so much for spending some time with me.Heber Brown Thank you for the opportunity.Debra Rienstra You've told your origin story about the Black Food Security Network a million times. Will you tell it again for our listeners?Heber Brown Absolutely. So, somewhere about five years in to pastoring a beautiful congregation here in Baltimore City called the Pleasant Hope Baptist Church, I began to notice a pattern of members of our congregation who were being hospitalized, and in response to that, like any well trained pastor will do, we do the things that seminary and other places have taught us: to show up by the bedside, give prayer, give encouragement, don't stay too long, and get to the next member who needs that kind of pastoral care. And so I was doing what my family—which was a family full of pastors—and seminary taught me to do: to go and visit. And during those visits, and while extending that encouragement, those prayers and the like, I also got the opportunity to do deep listening and learn some things about the people in my church, that stuff that doesn't necessarily and normally come out on a Sunday morning during all of the activity of a service. And one of the things that would come up, that started to come up in the confidentiality of those sacred circles, was the ways that diet and food was a part of the picture that was leading to the dis-ease and suffering, physical suffering, of those in the church. And I began to hear that over and over again. So I'm going, I'm praying, I'm giving scripture, I'm listening, shaking hands and moving on, and listening and hearing about food being in the picture. Alright, next visit. I'm going, I'm praying, I'm giving scripture, I'm giving encouragement, I'm listening, shaking hands, move to the next person. Food comes up again. It came up so much that eventually I got tired of just hearing about this challenge and walking away. I got unsettled by listening to people who I love and share life with, share with me their challenges, and as much as I believe and know that prayer is powerful, I wondered if there was ways that I could pray in a different way, pray through action.And so I got the idea—well, God gave vision. Well, no, God didn't give the first vision. The first one was just my idea. And my idea was to partner with the local market that was really right across the main intersection from our church. And I wanted some type of pathway so that food from that market could get to our church, get to our members, and it could improve their quality of life and address the health challenges in our church. But I still remember the day I went over to that market. And when I went to that market, and I looked at the prices of the produce, and then I also took note of the—as the young folks would say—the vibe of the space. It failed the vibe test, and it failed the price tag test. I saw barriers that would prevent, or at least slow this idea around nutrient-rich produce coming from that market right across the main intersection to our church within walking distance. And I got frustrated by that. I was frustrated because what we needed was right within reach. It was right at our fingertips, literally, but those barriers there would have made it very difficult for us to acquire and obtain the food that was there. Over the years, and like you said, I've told this story many times, and it's a living story, and so even my reflections on parts of it illuminates different ways, even at this stage of my journey with this. But I thought about like, what stopped me from talking to the market manager anyway? So I made the decision on that day just to walk out and say, “No, I'm not going to pursue partnership.” As I reflect on it, I interrogate myself, like, “Why didn't you at least have a conversation? Because who knows, something could have come out of the conversation, and maybe they would have given you the food for free or the discounted rate...” et cetera, et cetera. And when I sat with that and I thought about it more, I think there was something within me that didn't want free food. I thought, and I still think to this day, in a different, deeper, more conscious way, more aware way—but back then it was just something within where I thought that free food would have been too expensive. And not in a dollars and cents kind of way. That would have cost us too much with respect to our dignity, our sense of somebody-ness, and I did not want to lead my congregation in kind of genuflecting to the benevolence and charity, sense of charity, of the “haves” of the neighborhood. I did not want to reinforce kind of an inferiority complex that comes with staying in a posture of subservience to what you can recognize to be unjust and racist systems that keep food away from people when I believe that food is a God-given right. Healthy, nutritious food is a God-given right. I didn't want to lead my congregation into that, and I didn't want to reinforce even a sense of superiority, which is an equally devastating and damaging thing to the human soul, to think that these poor Black people are coming across the street to get food, and we are in the position to help those poor, at risk, needy people. Whether inferiority or superiority, both, I believe, are corrosive to the human soul. I did not have the articulation of that then, but I had enough in me that was living in that space that stopped me from leading our congregation into a partnership there. And so I left out, I walked back to the church. While I'm walking back to the church, near the front door of our church, there's a plot of land, and that land I'd walked past a thousand times before that day, but on that day, with divine discontent bubbling up inside of me, that's when God gave a vision. God vetoed my idea, gave a real vision, and that vision was rooted in us growing our own food in the front yard of our congregation. And so I go inside the church and I announce this vision to members of the church, and I remember saying to them, “Hey, y'all. God gave me a vision!” And I saw eyes rolling, like, “Oh, here he goes again.” I was at that time, I was in my early thirties. I started pastoring at 28 years old. And, you know, I came in at 28, I had all the ideas in the world. We was gonna fix everything by the weekend. And this patient congregation gave me room to work out all of that energy around changing everything immediately. So they were used to hearing this kind of stuff from me before, and so the rolling of the eyes when I said, “Hey, y'all, let's start a garden,” was quite expected, but I'm grateful for a remnant of the folks who said, “This one actually might work. Let's stick with him. Let's go with him on this.” And that remnant and I, we got together, we started growing food in the front yard of our church, and long story short, that garden helped to transform the spiritual and the physical material conditions of our congregation. 1500-square feet. We started growing 1200 pounds of produce every season: tomatoes, broccoli, kale, corn, even watermelon some years. It just transformed our ministry and even attracted people to the ministry who were not Christian, who'd never come to the church. Some people flew in from out of town. Like this little congregation of like 125 people with the 1500-square foot garden became, for some people, a destination, like church. And I was like, “What is this? We don't have bells and whistles and smoke machines and everything else. We're just a regular church on the side of the road with a little piece of land. And this garden is becoming a calling card for our ministry.”Debra Rienstra It was such a wild thing to do, and yet—it's just a garden.Heber Brown It's just a garden!Debra Rienstra So, I want to come back to, now, you know, long fifteen years later, you have this network of 250 Black churches and a hundred Black farmers, mostly up and down the East Coast, but all over the US. And we'll get to that exciting development in a bit, but I want to go back to those early days, because we're really interested in how congregations get excited. So could you talk about Maxine Nicholas?Heber Brown Yes, yes. Maxine Nicholas was the president of the sanctuary choir when I first got to Pleasant Hope. And she also was the one who organized a lot of exciting trips for seniors. They went shopping and went to plays. And you know, that was my introduction to her, when I first got to the church. And really, that was the extent, pretty much, of what I knew about her, how she showed up in the ministry. And when I shared this vision from God for us to start a garden, she was one of the members who said, “I'm gonna help.” And it was critical that she...what she did was critical to even us having this conversation today because she had the agricultural and farming know-how. I didn't.Debra Rienstra You didn't know anything!Heber Brown No, I didn't know anything! I was, I mean, born in Baltimore City. Yes, I spent summers down the country. As we say in my family and community, we say, you know, “We're going down the country for the summer.” And so, when school let out, my parents took us down to our relatives' home in rural Virginia, and my big mama, mama Geraldine, we would stay with her. She had land. She grew, you know, all the things. I wasn't paying attention to any of that when I was a young child, but some seeds were planted. But it really wasn't what I was focused on then, so I didn't know much about growing or, you know, agrarian kind of rhythms of being at all. Sister Maxine, though, grew up with multiple brothers and sisters on a farm in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina. She moved to Baltimore from North Carolina around the fifties, joined Pleasant Hope shortly after that, and had really grown with the church over the years. Though she left the farm, the farm never left her. It was still in her. I didn't know it was there. My seminary-trained pastoral eyes were socialized to lock in on the gifts that people had that could be in service to our Sunday service, the production of the corporate worship experience. So if you can sing, I was trained to say, “Hey, I think you should join the choir.” If you could play an instrument, get on the band. Could you stand for two hours or so? The ushers' ministry. But I had some major blind spots about the gifts of God in people that were detached— seemingly detached and devoid—from what corporate worship and liturgy could look like in our space. Sister Maxine stepping forward helped to challenge my blind spots. She's not just a sanctuary choir president. She's not just the planner of trips for the seniors. She was a farmer.Debra Rienstra Isn't that remarkable? I think so many churches are full of such talent and passion, and sort of untilled passion, right? That, as you say, we're so focused on church programs, whatever those might be, for a church, that we often don't realize what people are capable of in the service of the name of Jesus, right? So, now you say, when you go to work with a potential partner church, you look for the Sister Maxine.Heber Brown That's right, she's a profile.Debra Rienstra How do you find the Sister Maxines? Everybody wants them.Heber Brown Yeah. Many times, well, one thing I know for sure, I'll say. Sister Maxine is rarely the pastor. It's not the pastor or anybody with the big highfalutin titles up front on the website, on the camera. It's rare. I'll just say that: it's rare, in my experience, that that's your Sister Maxine. They do play a crucial role in the furthering and establishment of this kind of ministry, “innovation,” innovation in air quotes. But Sister Maxine is, in many times, in my experience, that's the one who is recognized as getting things done in the church. And many times, they're almost allergic to attention. They're the ones who are running from the microphone or the spotlight, but they're the ones who prefer, “I'm in the background.” No, they often say things like that: “No, no, that's not for me. I just want to get stuff done. You know, I don't know what to say.” Oftentimes they talk like that. But everybody in the church knows if it's going to get done, this one's going to do it. Or, you know, maybe it's a group, they're going to get it done. And so that's one of the things that I've just trained myself to look for, like, who really is over—you know, when I shake the hand of a pastor, many times I'm looking over their shoulder. Who is behind you? Because what I know is, “Pastor, and no disrespect, but you're not the one who's gonna be with me in the garden on the land. You'll be getting an introduction to the land most times, just like I will be when I first arrive.” Who's the person who already knows it? And then too, I think you find the Sister Maxine by listening. Hearing Sister Maxine's story, and really listening to the fact that she grew up on a farm in North Carolina. And watching her face light up when she talked about growing up, she talked about her parents, and she's since passed away, but I still remember so many conversations we've had. And she would tell me about how her parents would send all the children out to work the farm before they went to school. And she would chuckle and say, “My daddy sent the boys and the girls out there to work that land,” to kind of challenge notions of this is not a woman or a girl's work. Her parents like, “Nope. Everybody get outside.” And she chuckled and laughed and smiled sharing so many of those kinds of memories. And I think you can find the Sister Maxines oftentimes by doing deep listening. And sometimes it's not a Sister Maxine that's really doing the farming thing, but it might be a Sister Maxine who's into herbalism, or, you know, or who has stories about their elders or parents who could walk in the field and put stuff together and tend to a rash or a wound or a bruise. These things might not show up on a resume, but they're in the lines of the stories of the people who are right under our nose. And so maybe I'll just offer it finally, that maybe it's, you know, you find Sister Maxine by doing deep listening.Debra Rienstra Yeah, yeah. Okay, so now you've got a church garden. And it's transforming the congregation. How? What's changing?Heber Brown Well, one of the things that transformed with the congregation was just like the pride. Members of the church was taking pride in what we were doing. You know, we're not a megachurch in the city. Never have been a megachurch. In fact, our church blended in so much in the background of the neighborhood that when I first got to the church, the trustees—really one of the trustees in particular—was really adamant about us needing to build a steeple on top of our building, because the steeple would then indicate to the community that this is a church. And thank God we never got a steeple, but we didn't need it. The garden became the steeple, and the members started taking pictures of the produce they were receiving from the church garden and posting it on their Facebook page, and putting it, you know, sharing it with their families. They began sharing recipes in the congregation related to what we were growing in our garden, and I saw people start coming to our church for worship and programming that were coming because we had a garden.Debra Rienstra Lured by the cabbages.Heber Brown That's it! Not these sermons I worked so hard to put together.Debra RienstraNope. It was the cabbages.Heber Brown I'm trying to say, “You know, this word in the Greek means...” and all this stuff. And I'm trying to, “Hey, y'all, I have a degree!” And I'm trying to show you I have a degree. Like, “no, we're here for cabbage.”Debra Rienstra You just need carrots. So, from there, we become this big network, and there's a lot going on between those steps. So you've got the garden. You start having markets after services on Sunday. What happens next to begin creating this gigantic network?Heber Brown Yeah, so this network, I mean, this activity with our garden continues to grow and mature. We're testing. We develop an appetite for experimentation and a curiosity, and nurturing kind of a congregational curiosity about what could happen, like, what if? What if, what if? And in that kind of context, my “what ifs” also grew to: “What if other churches could do this too?” And what if we could work together to systematize our efforts? And so I was very clear that I was not interested in a scaling of this experience in such a way that would create additional siloed congregational ministries. Like, that's not going to fix and help us get to the root of why we are hungry or sick in the first place. If we're going to, you know, really get at the root of, or some of the root, of the challenges, we have to create an ecosystem. We have to have churches who do it, but also work with other churches who are doing it. And we compliment—like a choir. You got your sopranos, your altos, your tenors, and you got some churches that will do this part well, other churches will do that part well, but if you sing together, you can create beautiful music together. And so that idea started rolling around in my head, and I started talking to farmers and public health professionals here in the city, and other folks, food justice folks in the city, and just kind of getting their reactions to this idea. I had never seen or heard of anything like that before at that time. And so I was just trying to get a read from others who I respected, to kind of give some insight. And in the course of that, this city, Baltimore, experienced an uprising related to the death of Freddie Gray.Debra Rienstra Yeah, this is so interesting, how this became a catalyst. Describe that.Heber Brown It kicked at the uprising and the death of Freddie Gray at the hands of Baltimore City police officers. And for those who are not familiar, Baltimore City, like many communities around this country, sadly, had experienced a long line of Black people who've been killed by Baltimore City police officers with no consequences to those officers or to government officials who supported them. So Freddie Gray in 2015 was the latest name in a long list of names and generations of Black families who've endured the brutality and the horror of those kinds of experiences. When the city goes up in demonstrations and protests against police brutality against Black people in Baltimore, one of the things that happened was those communities nearest the epicenter of the demonstrations and protests that were already what we call “food apartheid zones” and struggling with food access and food security, those neighborhoods...things intensified because the corner stores that they were dependent on also closed during that time. Public transportation did not send buses through the neighborhood, so they were stranded there. Even the public school system closed for a few days, and 80,000 students in Baltimore City, many of them who were dependent on free breakfast and free lunch from school, had to figure out something else. So with all of that support not there anymore, members of the community started to call our church, because by 2015 we were known kind of like as the “food and garden” church. They got food. It was our calling card. So they called the church office. They said, “Hey, Reverend Brown, Pastor Brown, we need food.” I called our garden team. We harvested from our garden. We called farmers that we knew. Other people just made donation to us. We transformed our church into like this food depot. We started processing donations, harvesting, loaded it up on our church van, and I was driving our church van around the city of Baltimore in the midst of the uprising, getting food to people and into the communities that called us to come.Debra Rienstra Wow, you've done a lot of driving vans around, it seems like. We'll get back to that. But it's just so fascinating that that moment catalyzed, it sounds like, an awareness of food insecurity that made it really real for people who are maybe aware of it, but now it's reached a sort of acute moment. And I love the way that you talked in an interview with Reverend Jen Bailey about how Black churches are already a network. And so that moment, it sounds like, activated that network. And in fact, the way that you talked about the legacy of Black churches having a spiritual vocation connected to social change for a long time, and so many people used to doing things with hardly any obvious resources, like not money or power, and depending on God to make a way out of no way. And it sounds like you just leveraged all of those incredible assets born of years of struggle and said, “We can do this. We can move from being consumers at the whim of systems like this to producers that create food security.” So how did you, you know, sort of leverage those assets and help people understand that they had them?Heber Brown Yeah, I think that what was helpful to me early on was to almost look at the church like, assume the posture of a social scientist. And to almost go up on the balcony of the church and look down on it. Like, just back up and try as best as possible to clean your lenses so you can just look at it. What does it do? What does it care about? What does it prioritize? Like, just really take notes. And that's a part of what I was drawn to do early on, was just: what does Pleasant Hope— and not just Pleasant Hope Baptist Church, but all the churches that we're in relationship with, and all the churches that I knew, being a preacher's kid, my dad still pastors in this city. And so I've grown up in the church, the Black churches of Baltimore and beyond, and so just stepping back and watching to see what it does gave me some curiosities, some clues, some tips and hints, like: wow, if it already does that, then if I can just run downfield a little bit and get in the path of where I know it's about to come, then potentially it could make what it's going to do anyway even more impactful. So an example is: pastors' anniversary or church anniversary services always have food in the picture. You're going to eat. And you don't have to be a Black—that's any church. You're going to eat throughout the year. It's a part of the practice of the faith. If you can run downfield and get in front of where you know the congregation is about to come—because church anniversary is the same Sunday every single year. And you can reverse-engineer like, at what point will the church need to buy food? At what point do they need to decide where they get the food from? At what point is the budget decided for the following year so they see how much money they're going to spend on food. If you can get in and kind of almost double dutch into those critical moments, like jump rope, and be like, “If I make this suggestion at this particular moment, then it's going to introduce something into the conversation with the trustees that might increase the amount of money spent on food that we then could use to connect with this particular farmer, which we then can use to connect with the kitchen ministry, who they can then use to create the menu for the meal.” And before you know it, you have a plate with local food right in front of everybody's faces at the church.Debra Rienstra You have said that after the pulpit, the second holiest place in the building is the kitchen.Heber Brown It really...honest to God, is the second, and it's a close second too, because everybody can't walk into that kitchen. And if you can strategize and think about how to leverage the stuff, the assets, but also your knowledge of how this entity operates, it could really be transformative.Here we are, chatting at the greenhouse. Debra RienstraHi, it's me, Debra. If you are enjoying this podcast episode, go ahead and subscribe on your preferred podcast platform. If you have a minute, leave a review. Good reviews help more listeners discover this podcast. To keep up with all the Refugia news, I invite you to subscribe to the Refugia newsletter on Substack. This is my fortnightly newsletter for people of faith who care about the climate crisis and want to go deeper. Every two weeks, I feature climate news, deeper dives, refugia sightings and much more. Join our community at refugianewsletter.substack.com. For even more goodies, including transcripts and show notes for this podcast, check out my website at debrarienstra.com. D-E-B-R-A-R-I-E-N-S-T-R-A dot com. Thanks so much for listening. We're glad you're part of this community. And now back to the interview.Debra Rienstra You've really asked people to go back in the system to origins, like the origins of the soil, and think about the provenance of everything they eat—in the church, but also at home and and say, “Well, why can't we help Black farmers find markets for their food by creating this whole network?” Talk a little bit about what the network actually looks like. So you've got farmers, they create produce, and then you go with a truck, and sounds like it's all you! You go with a truck, bring their stuff to a church. So explain how that all works now in the larger network.Heber Brown Yeah, so now, after getting our official start ten years ago, so I started 15 years ago on this journey. The network itself, this is the tenth year. 2025 is our ten year anniversary. And now what our network looks like is helping member churches to start gardens on land that they own. We are very clear about starting on garden-owned—sorry, on church-owned land, just because in this kind of context, gentrification, eminent domain, that's real. You got Black communities who don't know if their land or property will be taken because a highway needs to be built here. And we don't, we've not tapped into, or don't have the sense of agency, collective agency, yet to push back against those kinds of things. And so church-owned land really is important because it creates some political buffers against systems that would be hesitant to snatch church land. Just politically, it's not a good idea. So knowing that about the political environment, that they don't want to mess with—they want votes from congregations. They don't want to, you know—congregations coming after them is like, “Oh, okay, well, let's grow food on the land that is less likely to be taken by politicians or developers.” And so we help churches to start gardens or agricultural projects. It might be composting, it might be rain barrels. It might be, you know, different types of things to either establish it or to expand it. And our gardens really become like a front door. It's a demonstration site. You're not going to feed an entire city or community with a church garden, but it becomes an activation space for your congregation members and the neighbors to come and reap the personal, individual benefits of just being closer to soil, but then also to practice what collectivism looks like in a garden space. It's a very controlled environment for a laboratory, for, “How do we do this together?” And those learners can roll over into other places as well.Heber Brown So gardens is one thing. Markets, Black farmers markets. We do them at churches. We like to do it on Sundays right after worship, when people are hungry anyway. We like putting those farmers right there before people get to their car. We want to make it feel like a family reunion, a cookout in your backyard, a holiday gathering. There's a DJ, we're line dancing, there's prepared food, and there's produce, games for the children. So kind of an event experience. It's really fun. It's an experience, you know? And that's what we really try to do with that program. It's not just transactional, “Here is your squash.” It's: let's give people a nourishing experience that even goes beyond the food that the farmers are bringing. And then we do Black farm tours, where we're driving people around to kind of literally get your feet on soil. And it's become an increasing request of groups and churches that many times they don't even know there are farmers right under their nose, like right around the corner. We're so disconnected from our local food environments. So Black farm tours are helpful. And then what you reference, with respect to driving food around—it's almost like, I've called it the BCSA program. It's kind of a play off of “CSA: Community Supported Agriculture,” like the subscription box program. Black Church Supported Agriculture looks like us helping farmers with the logistics of getting bulk items from their farm to congregations. And yes, over these past ten years, I have done a lot of the driving of refrigerated trucks and box trucks. It's been my joy, though, to do that. It's been a sanctuary for me, even while pastoring. I mean, so I'm preaching on Sunday, and then I'm delivering sweet potatoes on Monday, and like, behind the wheel of a big box truck. I love that kind of stuff, just because it helps me be feel free to explore my call beyond just more conventional, classic understandings of what it means to be a clergy person. So it's been great for me to experience that, but ten years in, it is increasingly important that I get from behind the wheel and pass the keys to somebody else, so that we might really systematize it, because if it stays with me, this network won't go far at all.Debra Rienstra Yeah. Okay, so I want to read a quote from you, and then I want to ask a question about that very thing. So you put it before that your vision is to move people from being—and this is my summary—your vision is to move people from being disadvantaged consumers to confident producers, and that means, and here's your quote, “co-creating alternative micro food systems, not just because of the racism and the oppression in the current food system, but also because of the impending challenges around climate change, the growing concerns around geopolitics, and, at the time you said this, Covid-19, which showed us how fragile our current food system is.” So the Black Food Security Network is wrapped up in health justice, food security, climate resilience. Do you have ways of communicating all of that to people? Are the folks who are buying the carrots and the kale aware of all that? And if so, how are they aware of all that?Heber Brown Yeah, many. I mean, this food is a very political thing, and so it sets a good table for conversations around all of that and so much more that you just lifted up. And so there are many one-on-one conversations or small group conversations or online, you know, conversations that happen where people do recognize the implications of what we're doing. Yeah, that goes far beyond your next meal. And so that is helpful. I am definitely interested, though, in how we do more in the way of communicating that. I would love to see, for example, Sunday school curricula created that kind of takes—again, if I'm looking at how churches operate today, Christian education programs are one of the things that have been on the church budget and in the air of the programming of the church for a very long time, and I suspect it's going to stay there. How do we inject it with Sunday school curriculum that fits? So climate change, racism, social justice, food justice. How do we have Sunday school curriculum, vacation Bible school and summer camp experiences that speak to that? How might we reimagine our Sunday live streams? Is anybody really watching the full one hour of your live stream on Sunday? Could it be that we could produce programming that perhaps pops in on a piece of the sermon, but then pops out to another segment that touches on these different things, so that people really have a dynamic experience watching? Maybe there's one stream of the Sunday service that stays just on the whole service, but maybe there's an alternative link for those who may be closer to the outer edges or different edges of the ministry, who's really not interested in hearing the church announcements and when the tea is gonna be and when the that...Maybe, if we thought about how to create material, curriculum, streamed experiences that are a little bit more dynamic, it would also create a runway for the sharing of those. And last thing I'll say is: what about our small group and discipleship programs at our churches? And so many congregations have book clubs and small group studies that have done wonderful things over the years. I wonder if there could be, in addition to those kinds of groups, where there's an action component. So we don't read just for the sake of reading. We read to reflect. We read to be activated to go do, and then we come back and reflect, and then we read the next thing, and then we go do, and then come back—a praxis. Could our small group and discipleship programs embrace a different kind of praxis, or for how they are experimenting with the practice of this faith in this day and time?Debra Rienstra “Okay, let's pause and go out to weed a little bit.” There you go. So one of the things I love about your story is the way you began with this—we could call it a “low-resource refugia space,” one congregation. And I'm curious how things feel different now. So ideally, refugia in nature persist and grow, connect and spread through corridors, and eventually you have this renewed ecosystem. So the Black Food Security Network is essentially a successful refugia network. You've created an ecosystem. What feels different now for you and for the whole network? You've been at this a long time.Heber Brown What feels different now? So I was thinking this week about the rhythm of nature, and in my personal embrace of this vocation, I try to mirror and mimic nature in a number of ways. And so like during winter, you won't hear me a lot. I'm doing what nature does, and the energy is in the roots and not in the fruit. And I don't take a lot of interviews. I don't travel a lot. I get real still and real quiet. And during the spring, I start poking my head out a little bit more. During the summer, it's go time. During the fall, it's harvest time. So I look at that personally, but now I'm also beginning to look at that organizationally, and with respect to this network. And I'm saying, I'm intentionally saying “organization” and “network” separate. With respect to the organization, I am clearer today, as we go through the life cycles of what nature does, that I now have the opportunity, and the responsibility even, to till the soil again in the organization. And a part of that tilling of the soil, turning the soil over, means me renegotiating my position in the organization. That out of necessity, I leaned into a role that, for the past decade, I've been organizing and bringing things together, but I recognize, and I always have, my highest and best use is really not in the management of the day to day operations of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. My skills are not as sharp in all of the ways that would continue to cultivate that kind of consistency and efficiencies in an organization. And so currently, I am working as hard as I can and as fast as I can to get out of positions that I've been holding, particularly with the executive director. This is not going to be overnight, but I'm articulating it and saying it out loud to help remind myself, remind my team, and also make it more real. I'm speaking it into—I'm manifesting it through my words that if the organization is to continue to grow and flourish. I can't stay in this role.Debra Rienstra Okay, you want to go back to the soil.Heber Brown Right here. For those who are listening, we're sitting at one of our member gardens, and this is where I belong. I still, I will obviously still have a role with the organization. I'm not leaving. But maybe there's a different configuration. Maybe I become more of a John the Baptist. I'm just going out, and I go out and I'm preaching in the wilderness about, and painting the picture, about the necessity of this stuff. And then after that, after I paint the picture, get folks excited, show them that it's real, help them in the early stages—I love talking about the early stages and my failures and all that kind of stuff. And then pass the baton. Once these congregations are activated and energized and ready, at some point very soon, passing the baton to those in the organization who will continue to work with them to mentor them and grow them. And then with the network as a whole, you know, going around and being like a people pollinator—that's what I really feel called to. I want to grow food, and I want to go around and people-pollinate. I want to introduce people. I want to connect folks. I think that's part of my highest use in the network, which will demand a renegotiation of how I show up in the organization.Debra Rienstra Yeah, yeah, because you've talked all along about how important relationships are in making this. It's always person to person, always about relationships. Yeah. So is the network right now fundamentally built on congregations, still? Like it's a network of congregations plus farmers.Heber Brown It's a network of congregations and it's a network of relationships with farmers. We really, over the years, one of the developments that we had over the past maybe year and a half or so, was that really the sweet spot of what we do well is work with Black congregations. That's what we do well. Black farmers, because of a century of discrimination and so many other systemic injustices against them—they need a high level of advocacy, technical assistance, support, financing, et cetera. And we really came to a place about a year and a half ago where we realized...before that point we were trying to help the churches and the farmers. I was like, no, it's enough getting a church to change one small thing, seemingly small thing. How are you going to do churches and farmers? And so a clarity around—what is the sweet spot of what we do well, and where's the thing that others are not doing as much? There are a lot of organizations now, thankfully, that give a lot of support to farmers in general and Black farmers in particular. We don't need to try to be the experts there. We can just be again in a relationship with those organizations that do that with the farmers, and just make sure that we're dancing well together in how, “If y'all help the farmers and we help the churches, now we bring together what our advocacy, organizing and programming can look like.” And so right now, it's congregations, and we're trying to increase our ability to serve our congregations well.Debra Rienstra Yeah, so that's refugia-like, too, in the sense that refugia are very particular to a species in a place, and when they spread and grow through corridors, the biodiversity increases. So you know, you're building, as you say, this ecosystem, and it naturally, you would have biodiversity increase, but there's still going to be specialized pockets. Okay, lightning round. and then a final question. Lightning round, what's your favorite veg?Heber BrownFirst thing that came up...oh man, that's a lot. Nevermind. I'm gonna go with kale. Stay with my kale.Debra RienstraKale! Okay. I'd have to say carrots for me, because they're so versatile. And they last a long time.Heber Brown I've had carrot hot dogs. I'm vegetarian, and so I've had carrot hot dogs. They are really good.Debra Rienstra Okay, so I wanted to ask you about being a vegetarian, because this is essentially the South, right? It is so meat centric. I'm vegetarian too. It is hard to find something to eat. How do you do that?Heber Brown Yes, yes.Debra RienstraWhat do you do about like, pork barbecue?Heber BrownYeah. So a lot of things—social functions and fellowships—I know I have to eat beforehand or bring my own food. And so that's what I do to kind of get through. It's like, I'm not going for the plate, I'm going for the people.Debra Rienstra Macaroni and cheese works.Heber Brown Mac and cheese still works a lot. So the sides—all the sides, I'm good on the sides.Debra Rienstra Yeah, me too. Most impressive farm skill?Heber Brown Attracting labor to help.Debra Rienstra That's a huge skill!Heber Brown Huge, huge huge. I'm still learning. I went to beginner farm school, and I'm still learning the farm stuff, and I'm excited about it, but I'm grateful that God has gifted me to get folks to show up to him.Debra Rienstra Unappreciated farm skill. Okay. Elderberry syrup for communion. Talk about that.Heber Brown When we all get to heaven, I think Jesus will be serving elderberry syrup. It's like, no, I'm playing. Yeah, that was one of those experimentations.Debra Rienstra Did it work?Heber Brown It worked! And then the next week, Covid hit and shut down. So we were just beginning. I partnered with an herbalist who was gonna—and she also was a baker, so she was gonna be doing fresh bread and elderberry syrup every communion Sunday. The day we did this, she was in the church kitchen, baking the bread, and the smell of bread is just going through the congregation. And I knew she had the elderberry syrup in this big, beautiful container. And so it was such a beautiful moment. And I was so jazzed about...I was jazzed about that, not only because the bread was good and like children were coming back for seconds for communion bread, but also because I felt like with the elderberry syrup and the bread, that it was in deeper alignment with our ethics and what we preached.Debra Rienstra It's better sacramentalism. Because, you know, as you've been saying all along, it's not consuming an element of unknown provenance. It's producing. It's the fruit of human labor, right? It's the work of God, the gift of the earth, and the fruit of human labor. And it's labor you've had your actual hands on. So it's a lot to ask for churches to do this, but it's, you know, one of these small experiments with radical intent that could be really, really cool.Heber Brown And I think in a time when congregations, well, I'm thinking about trustee ministries, those who are over financial resources of the church, right? So one of the ways that it worked at my church was, I was like, “Listen, I noticed in our financial reports here that we're spending X amount on buying these boxes of these pre-made communion cups. What if we could take some of the money we're already spending and divert it to an herbalist who could grow, who could make us the syrup that we need, and what if we can do it that way?” And so I had to speak to that particular ministry, not from the perspective of like the earth and the soil, but in a language that I thought that they could better appreciate was dollars and cents.Debra Rienstra Yeah, keeping those dollars local. Oh my gosh. Okay. Final question: what is your vision for the Church, capital C, in the next 50 years?Heber Brown That we'd be baptized back into the soil. That Scripture speaks about the ways in which we are brought from the soil, and God breathed into Adam, the breath of life. And I think there's more of the breath of life now back in the soil, if we would but release ourselves into the compost of what is happening socially now that we would be in a position where new life, resurrection, would be experienced in a different kind of way through our ministry.Debra Rienstra Heber, thank you so much. This was such a pleasure. Thank you for your time today. Thank you.Debra Rienstra Thanks for joining us for show notes and full transcripts, please visit debrarienstra.com and click on the Refugia Podcast tab. This season of the Refugia Podcast is produced with generous funding from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. Colin Hoogerwerf is our awesome audio producer. Thanks to Ron Rienstra for content consultation as well as technical and travel support. Till next time, be well. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit refugianewsletter.substack.com

Ethan is a Baltimore-area investor who moved from offices and strip centers into strictly industrial after years of high capex and constant turnover in those assets. His 30,000 sf small-bay warehouse bought in 2013 for $2.15M has run nearly full for 12 years, needed little capex, and is now worth about $4.5M. Limited new supply of small bay, 3 percent annual rent bumps, and sticky tenants made it a cash cow. He sees big funds drifting down-market from big box to chase yield, but notes small-bay tenants are gritty and practical, so local owners who know the profile often have an edge.He has doubled down on industrial outdoor storage. A 16-acre site near Dover was bought for about $1.2M, improved with gravel, fencing, solar lights, cameras and an app-controlled gate, then run by a truck-parking operator. Pricing is about $175 per spot per month with daily and weekly options, modeled for roughly 180 stalls and now about 65 percent occupied, already covering the mortgage. He financed quickly via a line of credit then plans to refi after stabilization. A failed Phase I led to a clean Phase II, which unlocked the deal. He also owns two 5,000 sf warehouses with 1.5 acre yards leased to a pipe distributor, a contractor and a granite company, plus another IOS site across from Dover being turned into containerized self-storage. Strategy wise he avoids Baltimore City's higher taxes, favors Harford County and secondary markets near highways on the I-95 corridor, and targets IOS parcels of 3 to 5 acres or more where supply is scarce and demand is deep.--

What hidden stories of women are tucked inside this humble herb—linking old folklore, a touch of alchemy, and even today's healing practices?My guest today, Alyssa Dennis, invites us into the world of lady's mantle (Alchemilla spp.), a plant whose cloak-shaped leaves hold both practical healing gifts and threads of ancient story. From her experiences in urban herbal sanctuaries to a life-changing encounter on the sacred isle of Iona, Alyssa shares how this humble herb invites us to see plants not just as remedies, but as storytellers and companions on the path of reconnection.Alyssa's favorite way to work with lady's mantle is as a tincture, using just the right amount of glycerin to sweeten it up and draw out the toning, astringent nature of the plant. You'll find a beautifully-illustrated recipe card for Alyssa's Lady's Mantle Tincture here.By the end of this episode, you'll know:► Why lady's mantle is such a trusted ally for pregnancy, birth, and postpartum healing► How the downy leaves of lady's mantle collect dew—and why alchemists once revered this process► What makes lady's mantle both an ancient wound healer and a modern digestive ally► How myth, folklore, and modern ecology can come together to shape our understanding of plants► and so much more…For those of you who don't know her, Alyssa Dennis is a dedicated earth activist, educator, interdisciplinary artist, and clinical herbalist devoted to the movements of peace, justice, and ecological kinship. Her work has been to reawaken to her ancestral traditions of plant medicine in order to guide her community back into relationship with the living world.Alyssa has two fine art degrees, advanced training in clinical herbalism, and spent years within the natural building profession. She is the founder of Eclipta Herbal and steward of a vibrant herbal sanctuary in Baltimore City—a living classroom home to over 100 species of medicinal plants (and counting). This space is a heart-centered venture of ecological conservation—of both the human body and the land body—which serves as gathering ground for plant medicine education, community building, earth skills workshops, and collaboration. I can't wait to share our conversation with you today!----Get full show notes and more information at: herbswithrosaleepodcast.comFor more behind-the-scenes of this podcast, follow @rosaleedelaforet on Instagram!Working successfully with herbs requires three essential skills. Get introduced to them by taking my free herbal jumpstart course when you sign up for my newsletter.If you enjoy the Herbs with Rosalee podcast, we could use your support! Please consider leaving a 5-star rating and review and sharing the show with someone who needs to hear it!On the podcast, we explore the many ways plants heal, as food, as medicine, and through nature connection. Each week, I focus on a single seasonal plant and share trusted herbal knowledge so that you can get the best results when using herbs for your health.Learn more about Herbs with Rosalee at herbswithrosalee.com.----Rosalee is an herbalist and author of the bestselling book

In this Podathon for Recovery episode, co-hosted with Wendy Beck, Kayla G shares how an emotional plea—“try harder”—and a brutal bottom pushed her to choose recovery, detox at home during COVID, and rebuild her life through Narcotics Anonymous. Now five years clean, a mom and a certified peer recovery specialist, Kayla advocates for mothers in Baltimore City navigating CPS and the courts, bringing empathy, accountability, and hope to families in crisis. It's a raw, honest look at what it really takes to get clean and stay clean. Sponsored by Rage Against Addiction Guest Bio:  Kayla G is a parent advocate with the Office of the Public Defender in Baltimore City and a certified peer recovery specialist. In recovery since 2020, she sponsors women in NA, supports mothers working toward reunification in CPS cases, and speaks candidly about addiction, domestic violence, accountability, and faith. She's a devoted mom, engaged to be married, and passionate about turning pain into purpose. Main Topics: ·         Podathon for Recovery: 12 Days of Hope benefiting Rage Against Addiction·         The “try harder” moment: a friend's grief-stricken plea that became Kayla's mantra·         Early meetings, NA as a safe space, and choosing recovery daily·         Detoxing at home during COVID and why desperation mattered·         Leaving an abusive relationship; accountability for harming others·         Working a program: sponsor/sponsee relationships, home group, step work·         Parenting in recovery and rebuilding trust with family·         Advocacy: what parent advocates do in CPS cases; “Better Together” emphasis on mother-baby placement·         System realities: time, patience, setbacks, and discouragement in reunification·         Grief in the work: losing a client and not taking credit—or blame·         Hope and resilience: weekends in jail, long processes, and the life she has today  Resources mentioned: ·         Donate to Rage Against Addiction Send us a textDonate HereRage Against AddictionRage Against Addiction is a non-profit organization dedicated to connecting addicts and their familiDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the showRate & Review on Apple Podcasts Follow the Conversations with Rich Bennett podcast on Social Media:Facebook – Conversations with Rich Bennett Facebook Group (Join the conversation) – Conversations with Rich Bennett podcast group | FacebookTwitter – Conversations with Rich Bennett Instagram – @conversationswithrichbennettTikTok – CWRB (@conversationsrichbennett) | TikTok Sponsors, Affiliates, and ways we pay the bills:Hosted on BuzzsproutSquadCast Subscribe by Email

President Trump and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. move to overhaul America's vaccine policies, from ending mandates and reshaping advisory panels to firing the CDC director, sparking fierce resistance from the public health establishment. Fed Governor Lisa Cook takes her fight to court to block President Trump's attempt to remove her for cause over mortgage fraud allegations. An explosive investigation into Baltimore City schools reveals systemic grade-changing, manipulated data, and dismal proficiency rates, failures Investigative Reporter Chris Papst, author of "Failure Factory," says are driving the city's crime crisis. All Family Pharmacy: Order now at https://allfamilypharmacy.com/MEGYN and save 10% with code MEGYN10 Riverbend Ranch: Visit https://riverbendranch.com/ | Use promo code MEGYN for $20 off your first order.

The opioid epidemic continues to devastate communities across Maryland, and Baltimore City remains at the forefront of both the crisis and the response. In this episode, Karrington Anderson from the MACo policy team sits down with Baltimore City Councilwoman Phylicia Porter to discuss the city's evolving strategies for confronting opioid misuse, saving lives, and investing in long-term recovery.Councilwoman Porter shares how her lived experience and legislative leadership shape her work, the city's preliminary Overdose Response Strategic Plan, and the critical role of equity in harm reduction. From settlement funds and access to treatment to housing, workforce support, and stigma reduction, this conversation explores how Baltimore is working to turn immediate responses into lasting change—while providing lessons for counties and communities statewide.Follow us on Socials!MACo on TwitterMACo on Facebook

John talks about Trump's horrific economic skills including his pathetic DOGE cost saving cuts, the gutting of migrant service and farm workers, and his knee jerk tariff maneuvers. Then, he interviews Councilwoman Phylicia Porter who is a public health advocate focused on building healthy communities in Baltimore City and South Baltimore. As a longtime and active resident of Baltimore City's 10th District, Phylicia approaches community advocacy with an independent voice of sincere leadership, honesty, and integrity. Phylicia prides herself on believing there is nothing more rewarding than empowering individuals and communities to use their political voices for change. Next, John welcomes back democratic political strategist Max Burns and they chat about his new opinion piece in The Hill called "It's Pritzker's Party: Hell Yes, He's Messing with Texas, and He's Not Sorry". And then finally, John jokes with TV's Frank Conniff and they take calls from listeners about the latest news and pop culture.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Civil rights groups in New York City have filed a lawsuit challenging the NYPD's gang database, which these groups call discriminatory. Meanwhile, City Council and the Adams administration have clashed over the issue. Babe Howell, professor at CUNY School of Law, and Peter Moskos, professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, former Baltimore City police officer and author of Back from the Brink: Inside the NYPD and New York City's Extraordinary 1990s Crime Drop (Oxford University Press, 2025), debate the efficacy of the gang database 

About this episode: A look back at health policy in the first 100 days of Trump's second presidential administration including global health, vaccines, and the Department of Health and Human Services restructuring—plus a few things to keep an eye on for the future. Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University. Guest: Dr. Josh Sharfstein served in a number of political roles in his career including as the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Health, the Principal Deputy Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, as Commissioner of Health for Baltimore City, and as a Congressional health policy advisor. He is currently a health policy distinguished professor of the practice in Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Host: Lindsay Smith Rogers, MA, is the producer of the Public Health On Call podcast, an editor for Expert Insights, and the director of content strategy for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Show links and related content: The First Week's Executive Orders—Public Health On Call (January 2025) Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @‌PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @‌PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed