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I really enjoyed this conversation with Natalie and her mother, Mary, because it reminded me how an unstoppable mindset is often built quietly, over time, through creativity, learning, and persistence. Together, they share what it has been like to navigate life across generations while facing learning disabilities, health challenges, workplace adversity, and the constant need to adapt. We talk about Natalie's journey with attention deficit disorder and anxiety, how creative outlets like baking, art, music, and storytelling helped her find focus and confidence, and why returning to school later in life became an act of self-trust rather than fear. Mary's story adds another powerful layer. She reflects on growing up with low self-esteem, navigating male-dominated workplaces, and dealing with sexual harassment long before there were systems in place to address it. As a mother, artist, and professional, she shares what it means to keep moving forward while supporting her daughter's growth. Throughout our conversation, we explore accessibility, creative entrepreneurship, lifelong learning, and why accommodations and understanding still matter. I believe you will find this episode both honest and encouraging, especially if your own path has been anything but linear. Highlights: 00:00 – Hear how creativity and resilience shaped an unstoppable mindset across two generations.08:35 – Learn how attention deficit disorder and anxiety changed the way focus, learning, and confidence developed.14:33 – Discover why stepping away from a demanding career can open the door to new growth.21:23 – Understand how workplace sexual harassment leaves lasting effects long after it happens.35:16 – See why protecting and celebrating local artists became a personal mission.59:09 – Learn why accessibility, accommodations, and empathy still matter in everyday life. About the Guest: Mary Dunn: Mary was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA.  She was the only child of Norman and Lucille Rump.  At a young age, she liked to draw and as she grew older she enjoyed painting.  Her first painting was in oil and Mary was eleven years old.  However, because of the expense of art supplies, it was difficult to pursue a continuous endeavor in that particular form of art. While in high school, nothing really exciting happened as Mary was on the shy side.  She didn't belong to any groups and she really just wanted to graduate.  She graduated in the upper third of her class.  The most momentous part of the graduation was that Jeff Goldblum was also a graduate of her class. After graduation, Mary continued her education at The Pittsburgh Beauty Academy.  There she studied cosmetology and acquired a teacher license.  Although she never taught, she did work at a few different shops and also managed a shop.  These experiences helped Mary to become less shy. At that time, she met her first husband and had two children.  The marriage lasted for eleven years, and Mary was left with two small children.  Mary realized that her background in cosmetology would not be sufficient to raise two small children. She decided to go to college. With the support of her parents, she was accepted to attend Carlow College which is now Carlow University.  There she studied business and minored in theology.  She almost minored in art, but she needed one more credit to have that as a minor.  It was important for her to graduate in order to take care of her children.  While in college she belonged to several organizations.  One organization was an honor society called Delta Epsilon Sigma.  There she became an assistant chair of the organization.  The second organization was OASIS.  The organization was for non-tradition students.  She was vice-president during her senior year at Carlow.  She graduated in 1991 cum laude. After Carlow, she found her first employment opportunity working the Equitable Gas Company as a “Technical Fieldman”.  In this position, Mary would draft pipeline installations, work up costs for those installations, and fill in for supervisors when they went on vacations.  The job was difficult as it had usually been filled by men prior to her.  She was thrust into a job that she learned on her own and was subject to sexual harassment.   At that time, sexual harassment was not spoken about.  Mary didn't even realize that her peers were doing these things to her.  When she supervised union personnel, they were nice and valued her expertise.  However, when she returned to the office, more harassment continued. During that period, Mary decided to get a Master's Degree and enrolled in Carnegie Mellon's Heinz school of Public Management.  Her classes were very valuable as she learned about leadership, information systems, and marketing communications.  She graduated in 1996 with distinction.  Even though after she graduated from CMU, she continued to be sexual harassed.  She thought it might be a good idea to document the issues that made her position difficult.  She began to take notes on these incidents.  When she went to Human Resources, Mary was told that she should confront these people and tell them how she was feeling.  Mary couldn't do that because she felt it would make matters worse.  She applied for another position within the company.  In 1997, Mary became Program Manager of Energy Technology. While there, Mary developed and implemented a marketing plan to promote the use of alternative fuels.  As a Program Manager, Mary became a member of Pittsburgh Region Clean Cities which focused on alternative fueled vehicles.  During this time, she became a board member and focused on grants and wrote the Pittsburgh Region Clean Cities Newsletter. In 1999, her position was eliminated at Equitable.  In some ways, Mary was relieved about the elimination, but in other ways, it was the first time this ever happened to her.  She was now remarried and was concerned about her children. It was very scary. Thankfully, Mary was not unemployed for long.  She was hired at Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission as a Transportation Planner.  In this position she implemented a newly designed client tracking system of their products and services that helped to increase revenue. Additionally, she worked on a communication plan to implement branding and crisis communications. Eventually, Mary became a Marketing/Communication Specialist for Southwestern Pennsylvania Communications.  She was responsible for multi-media communications connected with branding. Mary designed logos for special projects, arranged special affairs, open houses and conferences.  She remained a part of Pittsburgh Region Clean Cities.   Mary additionally prepared presentations for executive management to deliver regarding the Joseph A. James Memorial Excellence in Local Government Achievement Award that recognizes a municipal government elected or appointed official in any local government, agency, or Council of Government for a lifetime of exemplary governance or management. Unfortunately, a new Executive was hired to replace the past Executive who had passed away.  Because of this, our whole department was eliminated. After Southwestern, Mary was hired as the Manager of Administration and Human Resources for THE PROGRAM for Female Offenders.  While at THE PROGRAM, Mary was responsible for maintaining the policies and daily operations in THE PROGRAM.  She implemented a cost effective foodservice program, introduced staff ID cards and implemented the Windows NT network server and computer security using a Digital Subscriber Line which is a type of high-speed internet connection that uses existing copper telephone lines to provide internet access to three PROGRAM facilities. Additionally, Mary implemented a human resource database for directors and managers that targeted specific employment information. Mary maintained safety equipment and introduced a safe evacuation plan for her building.. Unfortunately, because THE PROGRAM was grant based and when it was time to acquire grant money much of the previous grants were not renewed and Mary lost her job.  Mary eventually was hired by Roach and Associates, Inc. as a Project Manager. In this position, she negotiated oil and gas leases for exploration and productions of future gas wells in Clearfield County Pennsylvania.  During this time, Mary was responsible for permitting activities with the state, county and federal agencies as well as prepared training seminars to meet pipeline safety regulations as per U.S. Department of Transportation, CFR49, Parts 192-193. Mary authored documentation regarding pipeline regulations for various housing authorities and gas production companies within Pennsylvania, West Virginia and New York.  Besides working at Roach, Mary became part of the Transition Team for Peduto for Mayor of Pittsburgh.  That was such a memorable experience as my team focused on some of the issues facing the newly elected Mayor. It was nice to be a part of change. After working ten years at Roach and Associates, Inc., Mary decided it was time to retire in 2015. While working at Roach, Mary began dabbling in art again.  It had been quite a while since college and painting.  But she began to work in pastels and eventually more in the line of acrylic painting.  She became president of the Pittsburgh Pastel Artist League.  She no longer is president of that group.  Mary now belongs to the Pittsburgh Society of Artists where she was juried into the group.  She has had her work display at The Galaxie in Chicago,  Pittsburgh Technical Institute, Monroeville Library, Gallery Sim, Boxheart Gallery, Southern Allegheny Museum of Art, Saville Gallery in Maryland and various other galleries around Pittsburgh.  Her Study in Pastels won an Award of Excellence from Southern Allegheny Museum of Art.  Mary also came in second place in the Jerry's Artarama Faber Castel Contest. As time went on, Mary decided to focus more on her art work and began teaching students how to paint with Acrylic.  She also began a YouTube channel, Pittsburgh Artist Studio, where she gave free art lessons in acrylic to future artists around the country.  Unfortunately, Mary developed chronic back issues, and she had to give up her teaching.  She has had two back operations to alleviate the pain, but the second operation really didn't help.  It has caused more painful issues.  Therefore, it is difficult for her to paint a long period of time.  Currently, Mary devotes her time to illustrating her oldest daughter's books for children.  The books are a series about a little boy's adventures in his life.  Her books can be found on Amazon under her name “Nicole Leckenby”.  Additionally, she has illustrated a book for her younger daughter, Natalie Sebula, entitled “The Many Colors of Natalie”. In conclusion, now that Mary is retired, she has had more time to work on different art projects a little at a time.  She lives with her husband Steve and two dogs Grumpy and Sally.  She belongs to a group of wonderful women who review Bible Psalms each week. Since my minor in theology, I do enjoy reading various books on different religious subjects.  I am thankful for each day that I have and continue to work on the gifts God has given me. Natalie Belin: I am focusing on the arts. I am a creator with an ambitious attitude. I have no problem thinking BIG and dreaming BIG. While everyone else stays inside the lines, I boldly color outside the lines. Natalie resides near Pittsburgh, PA. She is 40 years old and loves adventures. Within these 40 years Natalie has experienced highs and lows. However, during the low points she was like water: adaptable, resilient, and always finding a way through. At toddler age, it was brought to the attention that she had high pressure in her eyes. However, nothing was really done about it because of her age. Typically, high pressures occur in older adults. After many years, one eye doctor took it seriously.  He prescribed eye drops and finally recommended a laser technique to open the tear ducts.  This alleviated the high pressure and since no eye drops have been needed. In 5 grade, she was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder. Her mother, Mary Dunn advocated for her until someone listened, and her teachers realized it was a real problem. Steps were taken to help Natalie focus more.  As she grew older, it was important to do activities that helped her focus such as cheerleading and possible careers in culinary. Because of the importance of focusing, Natalie decided that culinary arts would be beneficial.  Natalie graduated in October of 2004 from the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute with an associate's degree in Specialized Technology Le Cordon Bleu Program in Patisserie & Baking.  While there, she was elected class president. The Pennsylvania Culinary Institute offered externships to various prestigious areas to hone the craft.  Natalie's externship was at the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulpher Springs where she was ultimately hired. However, Natalie decided to return to Pittsburgh after a car accident. Natalie continued to work as a pastry chef for about five years. After, she decided to further her education, and Natalie graduated in December of 2023 from the University of Pittsburgh with a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities. Some of her academic achievements are National Society of Collegiate Scholars, National Society of Leadership and Success, Alpha Sigma lambda-Alpha Chi Chapter at the University of Pittsburgh, Delta Alpha PI Honor Society. During her academic life, Natalie became an Emmy nominated producer for Pitt to the Point (a class focusing on the news as well as behind the scenes of a news/magazine program that covers the City of Pittsburgh, the University of Pittsburgh regional campuses as well as national and international events.) Currently, Natalie is in a Graduate Certification Program which is also at the University of Pittsburgh. The Certification is in Sports, Entertainment, and Arts Law (SEAL). She hopes to use this program as a steppingstone to complete her master's degree in Sports, Entertainment, and Arts Law. In addition to the SEAL certification, one could say that Natalie is a woman of many colors.  She works full-time as an Administrator for the Rehabilitation Science Program in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. This is where she provides administrative support for general program management, advising and faculty. Another aspect of Natalie's many colors is writing.  Several years ago, she wrote a poetry book called The Many Colors of Natalie. This is a book for 18+. There are several illustrations in the book that complement the poems. Mary Dunn, Natalie's mother, created the illustrations. In August of 2020, Natalie launched The Many Colors of Natalie Blog. She started this blog to give a new perspective to Pittsburgh other than being known for sports. This allows individuals the ability to educate themselves on different variations of Pittsburgh's art or artists as well as bringing awareness to the art scene. Natalie's motto is Love Art & Support Your Local Artist! Additionally, Natalie has been a model/actor since 2012. Most of her work consists of being an extra in various music videos and movies. Furthermore, she is an ambassador for Ambassador Sunglasses and Just Strong Clothing. Just Strong Clothing's Mission “We are a clothing brand on a mission to empower those who are not just strong for a girl, they are just strong. Whether you are an experienced lifter, a new starter or have simply overcome great adversaries in your life, the JustStrong community are here to empower and motivate you to never give up.” “Ambassador was formed to extract, refine, and exhibit the marriage between what was and what will be in fashion culture. When wearing Ambassador, you break the mold of the mundane to embrace your unmatched individualism.” Besides being an ambassador, Natalie became a Creative Percussion Artist in 2020. “Creative Percussion is a family-owned business, established in 2018, and run by husband-and-wife team, Kevin and Cheri Feeney.” Her picture is on the site as a CP percussion artist. Not only is Natalie a musician, but she dabbles in various mediums in art. Her mixed media piece Peace, Love, and Woodstock is currently in the Woodstock Museum located in Saugerties, New York. “The purpose for the Woodstock Museum is: To gather, display, disseminate and develop the concept and reality of Woodstock, encompassing the culture and history of a living colony of the arts, with special emphasis placed on the exhibition of self-sustaining ecological technologies. To encourage and increase public awareness of Woodstock by providing information to the general public through cultural events, displays of artifacts, outreach programs, communication media events and personal experiences, and to contribute, as an international attraction, to the cultural life and prosperity of our region; and to engage in all lawful activities in pursuit of the foregoing purposes.” Lastly, Natalie and her mother Mary Dunn started a side hustle several years ago. Mother and Daughter Collaboration (vending show name) is a great opportunity for Natalie to showcase her entrepreneurial skills in addition to her art. Their Etsy name is Maker's Collab Studio. In conclusion, Nat is excited for the future, and to see what is in store. She considers herself to be dynamic and resilient. Even those who know Natalie would say the same.  Regardless of what she has been through, she keeps going. She realizes that the tough times eventually do end. In self-reflection, the “tough time” may have been a life lesson, or a possible steppingstone to what's next in her life. Only time will tell. Natalie will always be a supporter of the arts, and she will always create in some way. As Natalie ages, she sees the importance of advocating for the disabled. At one point in her life, she was embarrassed about sharing her learning disability because she felt that we live in a society where having a disability isn't necessarily welcomed and is frowned upon. Do not fear individuals who need special accommodations.  Instead, educate yourself. Try being that individual who needs certain accommodations, and the accommodations are not provided or easily accessible. Progress has been made in educating the ignorant. However, there is more work that needs to be done. Ways to connect with Natalie & Mary**:** Blog website: Home - The Many Colors of Natalie Personal website: Home | natalie-sebula-belin Book of poetry: The Many Colors of Natalie: Written by: Natalie Belin - Kindle edition by Dunn, Mary, Leckenby, Nicole, Merlin, Grace, Palmieri, David. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com. Facebook: (1) Facebook Instagram: Natalie Sebula (@themanycolorsofnatalie) • Instagram photos and videos Etsy: MakersCollabStudio - Etsy About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset . Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson  00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us. Michael Hingson  01:21 Hi everyone, and welcome to another edition of unstoppable mindset. We're doing something that we've done a few times before, and we get to do it again today. We have two people as guests on unstoppable mindset this time, mother and daughter, and that'll be kind of fun they have, between them, lots of experiences in art, but in all sorts of other kinds of things as well. They live in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area, and I'm not going to say a whole lot more, because I want them to tell their stories. So I want you to meet Natalie bellen and her mother, Mary Dunn. So Natalie and Mary, both of you, welcome to unstoppable mindset. We're glad you're here. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  02:03 Well, thank you for Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  02:03 having us. Yes, we're happy to be here. Thank you. Michael Hingson  02:06 Well, let's see. We'll start with mom. Why don't you tell us something about the early Mary growing up, and you know what? What life was like growing up? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  02:18 Well, growing up, I was born in Pittsburgh. I was actually born on in the south side of Pittsburgh, and it was called St Joseph Hospital, and now it's an apartment building, but we lived here. I've lived here all my life. I lived in Hazelwood until I was about the age of three. Then we moved to Whitaker, Pennsylvania, and now I'm in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. So it's like we hopped around a bit. Growing up in my family was a little bit difficult. I had been bullied quite a bit by my cousins, so it kind of like left you know how it does with bullying. You know, it's not like today. Of course, I didn't want to go out and do something terrible to myself. It's just that it left my self esteem very low, and I just kind of stayed and was by myself most of the time. So until I grew up, I graduated from high school, I went to West Midland, North High School, I graduated in the same class as Jeff Goldblum. Although I didn't know him, I knew that he was very talented. I thought he was more talented on a piano than he was with acting, but he is still he's still very good with the piano, with his jazz music, and that's basically it. I've been in West Mifflin now for she's been quite a bit Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  03:49 since I was in seventh grade, and now I'm 40 years old, so we've been here a long time. Michael Hingson  03:54 Yeah, so it's sort of like 3027 years or so, or 28 years? Yes, well, Natalie, tell us about you when it was like growing up in and all of that. Sure. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  04:08 No problem. So I grew up in Whitaker for the most part, my yearly eight years, like until about fifth grade, I guess about like fifth grade, and then we moved, well, we just moved to a different house and whatever. Yeah, that when we moved for the second time, it was more in a neighborhood with kids, so that was, like, a lot more fun. And we played like tag and all that. So that my early years, I remember that like playing tags, swimming, I love, like skiing on the water, jet skis, stuff like that. Definitely. I loved running around. And I loved dance as a kid too, that was a lot of fun. Michael Hingson  05:00 Okay, and so you went to high school? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  05:05 Oh, yeah, I went, Yes. I went to West Midland area high school, and I graduated in 2003 in 2004 I graduated from the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute as a pastry chef and part of the things that I had to do to graduate, I had to do, like, about a six month internship where I resided in white sulfur springs, West Virginia, and I got to do my externship at the Greenbrier, and that was pretty exciting, because it has quite the history. There. People love it there for Well, one of the things that sticks in my mind is Dorothy Draper, who decorated that resort. Her taste is very cool, because she went bold, like with flower print and stripes mixed together for wallpaper. There's stories in history behind the sulfur water there. And then most people might know the Greenbrier for their golf courses, for the golf course actually, or in history about the sulfur water Michael Hingson  06:26 now, you had high eye pressure for a while after you were born, right? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  06:31 Oh, yes, the eye pressures. That's quite the story, let me tell you so at a very young age, like different doctors and eye doctors that I went to. They knew that I had high pressures, but they didn't seem like it was a big issue. But my mom had the inkling that I needed to go to a different doctor when I was like, I guess you Middle School, Michael Hingson  06:58 yeah, yeah, you were about now, was there a lot of pain because of the pressure. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  07:02 I didn't even know was happening, so I wasn't in discomfort or anything. So they said, don't they kind of dismissed it. So I wasn't worried about it, Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  07:14 Neither was I. But you know, like eventually we did go to a doctor and he said, Oh, my goodness, you have these high pressures. And it's, it could be like glaucoma. We don't ever see that in a young person, you know, they haven't ever seen anything like that. He was just amazed by it. And go ahead, you can finish this. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  07:36 Dr Al, I have so much respect for him, because he truly took care of my eyes for a very long time. I started seeing him in middle school, and I saw him up until, like my late 30s, and he I would see him quite frequently, because he would always monitor those pressures, because he knew the importance of that and how they could damage my eyes and I can lose my sight. So he always had me do like fields test eye pressure checks, because your pressures in your eyes can fluctuate throughout the day. So I would come in in like different times of the day to make sure they're not super high and stuff like that. He would prescribe me on different eye pressure medications like eye drops, because the they like the eye drops would help my eyes to it to regulate the pressures to a certain point, and then my eyes would get used to them, it seemed like, so then we would have to go to a different prescription. I caused that doctor a lot of stress, I think, because he was always thinking about my case, because it was so rare. And he went to a conference, actually, and brought that up at a conference, and at that conference, they said for me to get the laser, laser procedure done to Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  09:10 open the tear ducts. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  09:12 Yeah, yeah. And luckily, that solved it. Michael Hingson  09:18 Wow, so you so the the tear ducts were, were small or not draining properly, correct? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  09:26 Yeah, it was points where, like, if I wanted to cry, no tears would come Michael Hingson  09:31 out, no tears would come out. Well, yeah, yeah. Then you also discovered, or somehow you you learned about being Attention Deficit Disorder. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  09:45 Yeah, so, um, when I was from like one or like, from kindergarten to third grade, I went to a Catholic school, and I didn't seem like there was anything. Being really wrong. But then when I went to a public school, I was really having a hard time grasping the material, and I would get really frustrated when I was at home trying to do the homework and I just wasn't understanding. I believe the educators there said like I was also behind, which could have been part of the issue. But my mom would like try to help me with my homework, and it was like Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  10:28 it was hard. She would, she would get so frustrated and throw the papers and just, you know it, because it was very difficult for her, and we really couldn't under I couldn't understand why. You know this was happening, because my, my other daughter, I never had issues like that with so we had, I guess we were told to go. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  10:53 I think that was Miss Lenz in fifth grade. Yeah, she had me get tested for a learning disability, and with all the testing that was done with that, they said that I had attention deficit disorder. So whenever that diagnosis was made, I was able to get like teacher teaching aids to help me through tests to help me understand the curriculum a little bit better. Tutors did the counselor Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  11:28 I well they I did take her to get tested outside of school, and that's they actually told me some things that could help her with this. And then I went to the teachers, and the teachers, some of them, didn't, like, actually take this into consideration. They, they didn't really realize attention deficit disorder at that time. It was new. And so they, they kind of said, well, we don't, we don't believe in that or whatever. And I said, Well, can you just have her, like, sit up front, because she would pay attention more and she would focus better, because that's the problem she couldn't focus on. So it took a while, and then finally, the principal in the fifth grade, he had a meeting with the teachers us, and he actually was the one who brought that to their attention, that this is a problem, that attention disorder, you know, does occur, and some of it is hyper, just hyperactive disorder. So it luckily she didn't have that part of it, but it was the focusing, and we just got her more involved in things that she could learn how to focus. They recommended cheerleading, they recommended culinary school, and I think that really helped her to learn more on focusing. But she still has anxieties and things like that. It's still Michael Hingson  13:03 it's still there. So why culinary school? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  13:07 So that is such a fun question. When my grandma used to watch me, she was very particular on what I was like watching. She didn't want me to watch anything like super crazy or out there. So I would always watch cooking shows, and I thought he was so unique, the different recipes and everything that these chefs were making. And I love some of their personalities, like emerald, he was always so hyper and loud, so fun. And it was interesting to see the different types of foods that they were creating that, like certain countries make. You know, I love Spanish food. It's so good. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  13:55 She decided not to even get into that part. That was the thing. She wanted to be a pastry chef, yeah, Michael Hingson  14:02 something to be said for chocolate chip cookies. But anyway, go ahead. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  14:07 Yeah, she makes a good one, too. At Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  14:10 this point, I don't even know why. What drew me to baking more than culinary I think the two different styles are cooking are very interesting, because like with cooking, you don't have to be so exact with the measurements and everything with certain things like the spices and stuff. If you don't like rosemary, you don't have to put it in there. But with baking, it's definitely more scientific. Have to be more accurate with the measurements of certain ingredients, like baking soda, because it's lavender and like, altitude will totally screw up your baking Yes, so many reasons that elevation is so important. So yeah, so Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  14:59 mine's to it. Or whatever, you know? Yeah, Michael Hingson  15:01 so you went and did an externship, and then what did you do? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  15:06 So with the externship, I was there for a little bit over six months, I was officially hired, and I graduated from culinary school, but, um, I got in a car accident. So that's like, why left? So I was in baking professionally for about a total five years, and then I went back to school. Sorry, that's grumpy. Can you hear him barking? 15:36 I'm sorry. I'll go. No, no, it's fine. Michael Hingson  15:41 So why did you leave culinary? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  15:43 Um, I was just ready for a change. Because I started working professionally when I was like 19, so by my mid 20s, I was just ready to go back. I mean, that is a very demanding field. You're working several hours. Um, you're working with all types of personalities, certain pressures, long days sometimes. And I was just ready to see what else was out there for me. Michael Hingson  16:12 So you went back to school to study, Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  16:15 yes, so my when I graduated in 2023 with my undergraduate degree, it was in humanities, and it focused on three areas of art, music, studio, arts and theater. The main focus was theater, okay? Michael Hingson  16:39 And so, what did you do with that? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  16:42 So with that degree, I did several different things. I wrote a poetry book, which I provided a link so people can access if they would like to purchase it. I created a blog in 2020 called the many colors of Natalie, and I created a blog to help bring a different perspective to Pittsburgh, other than just it being a city for sports, because there's a lot of talented artists out there, and plus, like during a pandemic, that caused a lot of strain on a lot of things, and I was really worried about certain venues that were iconic here closing and completely wiping out the whole art industry here, you know. So, um, with that too, I also, um, I was doing music at the time as a percussionist, and that's when I got introduced to creative percussion products, and I was using that with the different performances that I was doing. And I ended up being one of their artists featured on their page, website or website, yeah. Okay, yeah, and I also volunteered at a local dance studio called Lisa de gorrios dance, and I got to work with the younger kids, and I did that for a couple years. So that was interesting to see what it was like to teach and put on performances. It's a lot of you get to see the behind the scenes and time management and stuff like that. Also, I'm thinking here for a second, sorry. How about, oh, we, my mom and I created an Etsy shop. So we started a few years ago, called Mother Daughter collaboration, a vending that was like our vending show name, and we did that for Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  18:56 we've been doing that for a while. Yeah, we, we put different products up. I kind of tend to do my artwork, and she puts up some things also in art, we have, we have interesting things like CD, telephone, covers, cases, purses, you know. And we're working on a new product now to to put on to the Etsy shop this year. We didn't do many vending shows. I had surgery last last year on my back, and I had a hard time recovering because it was pretty expensive. So we're hoping to get that going again this year, or towards the end of the year, when the Christmas shows start happening, Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  19:47 we did, um, create an Etsy shop called makers collab studio, and we were focusing more on that this year. Um, so we do have, like, a variety of different products. Um. Um, which I also provided the link to the Etsy shop. If anybody wants to check out our products and what we have, that'd be great if you stop checked out that. Michael Hingson  20:11 Yeah, my late my late wife, was a quilter and tried to run an Etsy shop, but people didn't want to pay any kind of real prices for handmade quilts, because they just thought that quilts should be, like, 50 or $75 and that just wasn't realistic. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  20:30 But, well, that's, that's the trouble. What we're seeing also, yeah, we do, I do, like, we do t shirts and things like that too. But people it. I don't think people realize what's behind the whole process. No, or they don't care. No, you know, I mean, there's a lot involved as far as your equipment. When it was covid, I was, well, I'm retired, but I was working part time, and I was able to, you know, get what is it, you know, workers, whatever, yeah, you know, yes. And with that money, I actually bought like things to do, T shirts, like the heat press and different parts to like a cricket that we can do things with. And so, you know, like the things that you know, you still have to buy supplies, even with my artwork, it's so expensive anymore, when I first started back in, you know, when my kids grew up and they were on their own, where I really focused on it, and I can't believe the expense of it. You know, it's just, it's everything's expensive these days. So, yeah, really watch what you're doing and how you approach it too. You know, you can't spend a lot of money on things. We don't have, like, a whole backlog of products. I mean, we just do a few things and hope that the things that we make are sellers, you know, Michael Hingson  22:05 yeah, well, and I hope it, it can is more successful for you going forward. That's a useful thing. You You've done a lot Mary with with art over the years, but you've also had other, other kinds of jobs where you've worked for some pretty large companies, and you've been reading your bio, you faced some sexual harassment issues and things like that, haven't you? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  22:29 Yes, yes, that was difficult boy, and I didn't realize that at the time I went to college late in life because I was getting divorced and I needed a job that I could take care of my family, my girls, and so I decided to go to college and my my mom and dad watched my kids while I went to school, which was nice. And the first job I had was with the gas company here, and I was called a technical Fieldman. And what I would do is, like, I would draw pipeline installations and the and sometimes I would fill in as a supervisor. When I filled in first as a supervisor, it was great. I mean, the guys were decent. We always came to a conclusion. I always trusted what they're you know what they would say about pipeline? Because I knew nothing about pipeline. It was all new to me. But when I would go back to the office, it was, it was just like crazy things that would happen. I mean, I won't go into detail, and I started writing these things down because I thought this just doesn't seem right, that these people are saying these things to me or doing these things to me. I had a nice little book of all these incidents that happened, and I went to the HR department, and they wanted me to confront these people in my office, to tell them how I felt. Well, that, to me, would have made everything worse, because that's just that, you know, kind of work environment. So luckily, I was, I was promoted into a job that lasted two years, and then my job was eliminated. So that was my first, my first thing with that was the only time I really had sexual harassment that was really bad. I went on to another which was the program for female Well, I worked for a university for a while, and then I went into the program for female offenders, which was really interesting work. I enjoyed that it was like people that were out on that needed to, that were like drug addicts and and they were looking for a new way. They had been in jail and this incarcerated, and they came into this. Program they had that was part of their incarceration or parole. They had to do this, this program, and that was so interesting. I mean, it was just heartfelt, because you just saw these people that were trying so hard to make a good life for themselves and not to go back to their original way of living. And unfortunately, that was all grant money. And that job ended also so that, you know, and I was a transportation planner, I did a lot of things, and then I ended up going back into the gas industry. I worked for an engineer, and we were working in the production side of everything. So he had drove to you wells, and we had leases, and I took care of those. And I liked that job for about 10 years. I stayed there, and then I I retired. I was getting tired of it at that point. Michael Hingson  26:02 Yeah. Why was your first why was your first job at the original gas company eliminated? Or when you were promoted and you said it was eliminated, yeah? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  26:10 Well, that's what I like to know why it was eliminated. I think sometimes that job was just to keep me quiet. That's how I felt. I mean, I, I they, they knew that I was upset and that I didn't like what was happening. And I think it was just to keep me quiet, and they realized that that job wasn't going to last, but it was a marketing job. We were using different ways to use gas, alternative fuel vehicles, fuel cells, you know. So it was an interesting job, too, but it it didn't really have the supervisor we had was not really a person that pushed the product, you know. So that could have been the reason, too, that they eliminated a lot of that. Yeah, so I wasn't the only one that went I mean, there was another person in that at that time, and eventually that whole department was eliminated. Now that gas company, they sold all that off, and another gas company took it over and equitable. Still is EQT here, and they work, I think at this point, they work with the leases and things like that, and horizontal drilling, they call it. Michael Hingson  27:38 So now that you're retired, what do you do? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  27:41 Well, for a while there, Michael Hingson  27:44 in addition to Etsy, yeah, for Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  27:47 a while, I was actually doing hair. I was my first, my first, I guess, employment type, or whatever. I went to beauty school, and I became a cosmetologist, and I also became a teacher in cosmetology. So when I first became all that the money wasn't so great. I worked my first job. I was so excited I had this job because I thought I was going to be making millions. You know, they they really pump you up in in beauty school that you're going to really succeed and you're going to make this money. Well, my first job, I worked over 40 hours at that job, and I only got $15 in my first pay. It was like we had to stay there the whole time until everyone was finished working. So the girls that had their clientele that they worked the whole day and into the evening, like till eight o'clock. Maybe we had to stay till eight o'clock. Even though I didn't have anybody to do. I might have had one person that day, yeah, so that that wasn't too I just worked at that for a few years, and then I decided to leave and take care of my family. Yeah, well, that that I went back to it when I retired, and it had changed significantly, making pretty good money. I was only working three days a week, and I did pretty well. But then my back. I had the issues with my back, and I couldn't go back to it, which really upset me. I really love that job. Michael Hingson  29:29 Well, things happen. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  29:31 Yeah, it does. You know, I'm happy not to stay at home. I figured now that I'm actually 73 years old now, so I think I I should retire Michael Hingson  29:47 and enjoy my life a little. Well. So Natalie, you graduated in 2023 and so then what did you start to do? And what are you doing now? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  29:57 So what I'm doing now is I'm. Still focusing on the Etsy shop, but I also got into a graduate certificate program, and this certificate is in sports entertainment and arts law, and I really hope to use this program as a stepping stone to complete my master's degree in the sports entertainment and arts law program. Michael Hingson  30:25 What exactly is a graduate certification program, as opposed to a master's degree? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  30:32 So that's a great question. So the certificate program is like a newer program, and it's like the only one in the world, I'm pretty sure, that focuses on sports, entertainment and art. So it's like a newer, more modern type of learning program. And this certificate is a great stepping stone, and for me to check it out before I actually go in to the master's program. This is, like, my second week, and I love it so far, and all these classes that I'm doing, and if I keep my grades up and everything, will apply to the master's program if I get in. Michael Hingson  31:15 Okay, well, so Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  31:20 less credits than, like, what you would need for a master's program, and it's less I don't need a textbook. I have these things called nutshells, where I'm pretty sure, like, I'll be studying different types of cases or something like that through that. So it's like online stuff. Michael Hingson  31:43 The Okay? And how long do you think it will take you to complete that Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  31:49 the certification program should be about a year, and it's all online, okay? Michael Hingson  31:55 And how, how long have you been doing it so far? Just two weeks. Oh, so next August, yeah, yeah, yeah. And the hope is then you can use that to go forward and actually work toward getting a master's degree. Which, which sounds pretty cool, yeah, for sure. What do you want to do with it once you get a master's degree? Well, like Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  32:20 all those points like sports entertainment and arts, I think is Pittsburgh is a great city to represent all of those. And I hope to help represent like clients, maybe do like to protect their works and them as an artist. And I would like to hopefully get into paralegal work. That's what I'm focusing on right now. Michael Hingson  32:47 So is school pretty much full time for you these days? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  32:51 No, it's still part time, and that's what I like love about this program, because, like all week, you'll be doing 10 hours outside of so I still work full time as an administrator in the SHRS program, and I am the administrator for Rehabilitation Science. So yeah, it's great to have like, bosses and everything that support me in my educational journey, because that makes my life a lot easier too. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  33:26 Yeah, that's some great bosses. Michael Hingson  33:29 Well, it's good to have some people who tend to be a little bit more supportive. It helps the psyche when you get to do that. Yes, yeah. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  33:39 Because the one thing that I noticed with this program, it is definitely more manageable, because, like the undergrad program, I did enjoy the process. For most parts, some of it was really challenging. But the undergraduate program, it was really hard for me to get late night classes. Most of those classes that I had to take were I had to be in person, so like late classes were pretty hard to get, but my bosses allowed me to take earlier classes so I could help finish the program faster, but I just had to make up that time. Right? Michael Hingson  34:28 When did you discover that you had artistic talent? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  34:32 Um, I don't know if I ever really discovered that I had the talent, but I was very passionate at a young age, like when my mom was going back to school, I always loved watching her paint, because she had like the painting classes. I always thought so I like sit on the floor and watch her paint. And at a very young age, I was in the dance class. Do you remember the name? A France Dance School of Dance, France School of Dance. And I love dance class so much. I remember one time the dance school was closed because of a holiday, and I was, like, so upset, like, I didn't believe, like, the dance school was closed and I didn't understand, like, why I wasn't allowed to go. So they called the school and it went straight to, like, the answering machine so they could prove, like, it was closed and nobody was there. I was like, ready to show up. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  35:30 She wanted to go, yeah. She was just about three or four when she was taking the dance classes at that time. Yeah. But then it became on, you know that they both the kids were involved, but I couldn't afford it anymore. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  35:45 So dance is very expensive. Yeah? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  35:48 Well, you know, like, at that time too, I was going to school, and I didn't have much of a salary, and I was living with my parents, so, I mean, and they were retired, so it was, like, very tight. Yeah, right. Michael Hingson  36:04 Well, it nice to have an enthusiastic student, you know, Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  36:13 so true. Well, Michael Hingson  36:15 so you've created the many colors of Natalie blog, tell me about that. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  36:22 So I reach out to different artists that were that are located in Pittsburgh or at one time, working or living in Pittsburgh. So this is like musicians, photographers, actors and they, I I create questions for them, for them to answer in their own words, like advice that they would give, or funny stories that they had while working in the field. And that's that's the main point of the blog, because I want it to be a resource for people and for them to also see, like, why that genre is cool. And I think another reason that motivated me to create that blog is some people just don't see an importance to art, and I find that so offensive. Like, yeah, so I just wanted it to be as an educational type thing as well. Michael Hingson  37:28 How long has the blog been visible? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  37:33 So it's been visible for about five, six years now, five years, yeah, and I did over like 50 some posts. Michael Hingson  37:45 Do you do that with consistency? Or So do you have one, like, every week or every three weeks, or every month, or something like that? Or how does that work? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  37:53 So when I first started, I was consistent with the posts I don't ever leave my blog, like, not active for like a year. Like, I always try to post something, but it's a little more challenging to do a post. Like, every month, whenever I'm working, going to school, volunteering for different things, running the Etsy shopper, vending so I had to cut it back a little bit because that is just me running it. Michael Hingson  38:30 So you've also created a mixed media piece. First of all, what is a mixed media piece? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  38:35 You want to explain Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  38:36 the mixed media? Oh, well, a mixed media is like different mediums. It could be paint, it could be pictures, and it's posted on a board, a canvas, or whatever it can be in a journal. You know, you just use various types of mediums. It could be using lace, it could be using fabric, it could be using, like I said, pictures, paper, and they call it mixed media. So she decided she wanted to create a mixed media. I had a huge canvas that was given to me. It was like 36 by 36 giant. It was huge, and I knew I couldn't do anything on that, because I don't paint big. I like to paint on smaller canvas, like an eight and a half by 11, or eight and a half by 14. So she, she decided she wanted to use that Canvas for something. But you go ahead and tell them. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  39:38 So, um, whenever Woodstock had their 50th anniversary, and I believe that was around 2019 I had the opportunity to go to yaska's Farm and camp where the original campers from the very first Woodstock would stay in that. Campsite was like, right next to this yaska farms. So I took some pictures of it, like me with the yaska farm house. And so it was very inspirational to go to that because I was doing research on what Woodstock was, the original Woodstock. And what that was about, I talked to Uber drivers that were actually at the original Woodstock. Jimi Hendrix is one of my favorite musicians, and for him to not be there, I was like, so sad. Very sad. So with all the education experience. I needed to release that. And I took my mom, let me have that canvas, and like I created a mixed media giant collage, and I got that into the Woodstock Museum in Socrates, New York. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  41:01 Wow, it's actually there now, Michael Hingson  41:04 yep. How long has it been there? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  41:07 I believe got that in there? Yeah, about two years. Michael Hingson  41:13 Wow. So it's kind of almost a permanent piece there. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  41:17 I hope so. I hope they keep it there for sure. What? Michael Hingson  41:21 What prompted them to be interested in having it there. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  41:25 So I that piece was so giant, and I loved how it turned out, and I wanted that more than just in my house, my art pieces are very close to me, because that's like my soul and my work, and I want it out there to somebody who cares about it. So I reached out to Shelly nation, Nathan, because they, I believe, are the owners of the Woodstock Museum, and they were more than happy to have it. I had it shipped out there. And then, whenever the season was to reopen the museum, I went out there and visited it. And it's a very great it's a very cool place. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  42:10 Recommend, yeah, she, she was interviewed by them, also, right? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  42:14 Oh, yeah, we did go on a radio station. And that was also a cool experience, because I was never on a radio show at that time. Cool. Michael Hingson  42:25 Well, that's pretty exciting. I have not been to the Woodstock Museum, so that might be something to explore at some point when I get get back there next that'd Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  42:35 be great. Yeah, Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  42:37 all those things like, you know, like I grew up during that period, of course, I didn't go to the Woodstock. Original Woodstock wouldn't let me do that. I was only 16 at the time, and but I mean, you know, like, like looking back at that and and seeing how all those people were there, and not nothing terrible happened, you know, I mean, hundreds of 1000s of people, and nobody got hurt. Well, they might have passed out, maybe from things, but nobody was, like, shot or killed or and like today. I mean, you can't you're so afraid to do anything today, you don't know what's going to happen. And it just was a different time. And the musicians that were there. I mean, that music was is still good today. You know, it's it, it hasn't faded. And I wonder sometimes about today's music, if it will continue to be popular in years to come, or if it's just going to fade out. You know, we won't know that, and so well I won't be here, probably Michael Hingson  43:44 we won't know for a while anyway, yes, but I did hear on a radio station a rebroadcast of a lot of the Woodstock concerts that was kind of Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  43:56 fun. Yes, yes. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  44:00 Sorry I didn't mean to cut you. Go ahead. Go ahead. When I was talking to like the Uber drivers and stuff like that, and people who were at the original Woodstock, it seems like they were reliving that experience when they were telling the stories. I mean, it was great. Michael Hingson  44:15 Yeah. Well, you play creative percussion. First of all, what is pre creative percussion? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  44:23 So I actually have that written in some notes, what it actually is. So do you mind if I read off my notes? Michael Hingson  44:30 You're welcome to however you want to answer, perfect. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  44:33 So I was asked to be a creative percussion artist in 2020 and creative percussion is a family owned business established in 2018 and run by husband and wife team, Kevin and Sherry Feeney. They're great. I've had the opportunity to talk to them very much a couple of times, and my pictures also on the site. Um. Uh, under like my stage name now is a Bulla. So if you scroll down spell that it's S, E, B as a boy, u as in unicorn, L, L as in Len and a is an apple. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  45:16 Okay, what types of things, kinds Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  45:18 of there's various types of shakers that I played because of various bands that I was in, I was the percussionist, so I played tambourine and stuff. But like, they have uniquely shaped shakers, like there's the hatch shakers, which I love them. They had a baseball shaker, and these little golf ball shakers, and they all carry different sounds, and they really blended differently with the type of song that I was playing was playing, yeah, so it's cool, Michael Hingson  45:53 yeah, so interesting. So you you play them as part of being with a band, or what Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  46:01 for the most part, yeah, sometimes there was an acoustic band or just like a full band, and either way, I tried to have those pieces blend into the song. What I didn't learn when I was doing that is and an acoustic you really have to be on your game, because, like, if you mess up, like, people are gonna hear it more than if you're in a full band. So, yeah, right. Michael Hingson  46:38 So you do you still do that? Do you still play Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  46:42 at this time? I don't, um, just because I wanted to focus on other things, so I took a step back from that. Michael Hingson  46:51 Do you think you'll do more of it in the future, or Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  46:56 possibly, but like, that's how I am. I kind of just like, experience it, do it until I'm ready to move on to something else. Michael Hingson  47:04 So you flit, you flip from thing to thing, yeah, yeah, yeah. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  47:10 So, like, if you ever follow me, you might just see, like, me evolving and just trying other things. Michael Hingson  47:19 Well, you're adventurous. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  47:22 Yes, I love adventure. Michael Hingson  47:25 Nothing wrong with having an adventure in the world and getting to really look at things. So what are you doing now if you're not doing creative percussion and so on? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  47:38 Well, for the last couple months, I was helping my mom recover from like the back surgery. And then I was I was focusing on my blog, just really paying attention to that, getting certain interviews, and then schooling, getting ready to go into the certificate program. Michael Hingson  48:05 So you think you're gonna go ahead Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  48:09 and I'm setting up the Etsy shop. Michael Hingson  48:13 So you're pretty excited about seal, the sports entertainment, art and law. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  48:19 Yes, I'm very excited about that. I was very excited to get into the program. The professors are great. The whole programs like really good. The people involved in it, they seemed, they seem really organized and let me know what I need to do to get into the program. And they are really nice. If I have a question, they're happy to answer it. I love the curriculum, so I hope you go, Well, Michael Hingson  48:46 do you experience anything any more dealing with like attention deficit? Oh, 100% it still creeps up, huh? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  48:55 Well, it's more anxiety than anything. But like this program, I think, is to help calm my anxiety with just different things that are set up. And like, how responsive the professors are and how nice they are. But my goodness, when I was in my undergraduate program, like I was really pushing myself, and I would like, of like, when 2020, came around in the pandemic, I needed to talk to my doctor and get on meds, like I could no longer not do that without meds. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  49:29 Yes, she was, she was struggling. It was tough. Yeah. I mean, when I went for my Bachelor's, I I I wasn't working. She was working. When I went for my master's, I was working, but, and I know how hard that is, you know, trying to balance things, especially I was working at equitable at the time, and the things that I was going through and being, you know, filling in for supervisors was I. I was on call, like, 24 hours a day, and it, you know, like that was, I can see how difficult it is to do both. It's just, I know what she was going through there, and she goes through it, but she did well. She graduated sigma, sigma cum laude. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  50:17 Yeah, I did get some honorary, like accolades for like, whenever I graduated. So that was pretty exciting, because the hard work did pay off. Michael Hingson  50:29 What do you think about studying and attending classes virtually as opposed to physically being in the room? Hybrid learning? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  50:38 Some people may have an issue with that, but I personally, cause I was working full time and it was hard for me to get later classes, I preferred the online learning, but I understand, like some of the classes really did need me to be there, like the theater classes, and I was okay with that. I don't mind either, either or, but it just seems like online learning is more manageable. For me, it Michael Hingson  51:08 takes more discipline to to stick with it and focus on it, as opposed to being in the classroom. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  51:14 Um, yeah, I agree, but I think which, which is not a negative thing, by the way. Oh, yeah, no, no, no, I totally understand, but I think, um, I forget what I was going with that. Michael Hingson  51:26 Sorry. Well, we were talking about the fact that more discipline dealing with, Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  51:33 Oh, yeah. Oh, that's right, thank you. It's just, um, I think if you truly want it, you're gonna put forth the effort in anything. You know, it's may not always be enjoyable, but like, if you want it, you'll put through it. You'll push through it, like with high school, my mom knows, just like from elementary to high school, like that curriculum, I was just not feeling it, but I knew I had to stick it out. I wanted to be a high school dropout. I voiced that many of times, but like, I knew if I wanted to get to culinary school, I had to really focus on my academics through then and just try to push through and just do it, do what I had to do to graduate. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  52:19 Yeah, it's such a different environment to high school, I believe, you know, like I found that I really enjoyed college. I enjoyed my subjects. They went fast. The classes went fast. It was fast paced, but it was an I learned more. I you know, I think that slowness of the way that they do things in in the high school, it takes them like three weeks to get through one chapter, you know, and so it, it just, it just made it a big difference. And I, I wished I could continue to go to school. I think I was a really good student. Michael Hingson  52:59 I think one of the things about college is, and I've talked to several people who agree, is, you certainly learn from the courses that you take, but College offers so much more with with with the extracurricular activities, with the interaction with people, with The greater responsibility. College offers so many more life lessons if you take advantage of it, that really makes it cool. And I, I always enjoyed college. I liked it a lot. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  53:29 Yeah, yeah, I did too, I think with some of my challenges and frustrations, not only with my learning disability, but like the fact that

How do you build a city that's truly fair for all its residents? Plan Dulce Podcast Host Keyanna Ortiz-Cedeño, AICP talks to Andre Soucy, a Transportation Planner for OakDOT, whose mission is to secure the funding for projects that prioritize equality in transportation. He breaks down how cities secure multi-million dollar grants and explains his work managing Oakland's equity-driven Capital Improvement Program. Andre's passion for access and justice comes from his own roots as a Colombian/Venezuelan-American growing up in exurban South Florida. You'll hear how this Master in City Planning from UC Berkeley is shaping the future of urban areas.Bio and Links:Andre Soucy is a Transportation Planner for the City of Oakland's Department of Transportation (OakDOT). He holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Florida and a Master in City Planning from UC Berkeley. He is a Colombian/Venezuelan-American from South Florida whose interest in transportation access and equity is based on his experience growing up in the exurban community of Loxahatchee, Florida. His work on OakDOT's Funding Strategy team involves pursuing grant funding to support multimodal capital projects across Oakland and updating the City's equity and data-driven Capital Improvement Program.Learn more about:https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrebsoucy?trk=blended-typeahead--------------------------------------Plan Dulce is a podcast by members of the ⁠⁠Latinos and Planning Division⁠ of the American Planning Association⁠. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only. Want to recommend our next great guests and stay updated on the latest episodes? We want to hear from you! Follow, rate, and subscribe! Your support and feedback helps us continue to amplify insightful and inspiring stories from our wonderfully culturally and professionally diverse community.This episode was written and produced by Keyanna Ortiz-Cedeño and edited by Stefanie Esteban (She/They).Connect:Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/plandulcepodcast/ Facebook:⁠https://www.facebook.com/LatinosandPlanning/⁠Youtube:Subscribe to Plan Dulce on Youtube LinkedIn:⁠https://www.linkedin.com/groups/4294535/⁠X/ Twitter:⁠https://twitter.com/latinosplanapa?lang=en⁠—----

Chris interviews Arminta Syed, transportation planner for Maricopa Association of Governments, about Prop 479 and what it means for the future or the West Valley.

John DiNunzio, Transportation Planner with SLOCOG, speaks with KCBX's Marisa Waddell about the county's Regional Road Safety Action Plan. The Morro Bay Bird Festival is in January of 2025, and Bob and Robbie Revel talk about how to best enjoy the festival. Fr. Ian, of Playing With Food, is sharing his exploration of coffee produced on the California Coast.

In this episode Dane Carlson and Beka Shiver (Economic Development and Transportation Planner for the Southwest Georgia Regional Commission) delve into the grant application process for federal programs like the Economic Development Administration. They explore a range of projects, from critical infrastructure improvements to innovative business incubators. Shiver highlights the importance of patience and effective communication throughout the grant process. She notes that while federal funding may not be ideal for urgent needs, it plays a crucial role in supporting long-term community development, particularly in historically underserved rural areas. Like this show? Please leave us a review here (https://econdevshow.com/rate-this-podcast/) — even one sentence helps! Actionable Economic Development Insights Capitalize on every opportunity: Be proactive in networking by answering all phone calls, attending relevant meetings, and consistently distributing business cards. This approach can lead to unexpected partnerships and opportunities. Seek out multiple funding partners: Don't rely on a single source of funding. Combine resources from various entities such as county, city, and economic development commissions to create stronger, more competitive grant applications. Aim for higher matching contributions: While federal EDA grants typically require a 20% match, providing a higher match (e.g., 35%) can make your application stand out and increase chances of approval. Focus on regionalism and partnerships: Collaborate with multiple partners on singular projects. This approach not only strengthens applications but also fosters a spirit of regional cooperation. Be patient with the grant process: Understand that federal funding is designed for long-term community development, not immediate needs. Plan accordingly and manage expectations. Maintain consistent communication: Keep regular contact with funding agencies throughout the grant application and review process. This helps build relationships and keeps your project on their radar. Look for innovative solutions: Draw inspiration from historical necessity-driven innovations to solve current challenges in rural communities. Think creatively about how to address modern problems. Leverage STEM education initiatives: Use these programs as a foundation to build an ecosystem of innovators in the region. This can help create a skilled workforce and attract high-tech industries. Be a good steward of resources: Continuously look for ways to maximize the impact of available funds and talents. This includes finding creative ways to stretch budgets and leverage existing assets. Create an ecosystem for innovation: Focus on developing an environment that encourages people to try new ideas and approaches, even if they might fail. This can foster a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation. Diversify economic base: Work towards having a variety of industries in the region, from agricultural to manufacturing. This creates a more resilient local economy that can weather sector-specific downturns. Leverage local strengths: Identify and utilize existing resources and industries (like major corporations or military bases) as anchors for further economic development. These can serve as the foundation for supply chains or complementary businesses. Plan for sustainability: Think beyond the initial grant cycle. Develop strategies to maintain momentum and progress after the initial funding ends, ensuring long-term impact. Focus on infrastructure improvements: Prioritize essential upgrades like wastewater systems, transportation networks, and broadband internet. These are often critical for attracting and retaining businesses. Be aware of funding limitations: Understand the competitive nature of grant funding and plan accordingly. Have backup plans and alternative funding sources in case primary grant applications are unsuccessful. Build long-term relationships: Instead of applying for grants year after year, focus on developing ongoing partnerships with funding agencies. This can lead to more consistent support and better alignment with agency goals. Consider industrial park development: Where appropriate, explore opportunities to create or expand industrial parks. These can serve as hubs for business attraction and expansion efforts. Embrace a long-term perspective: Recognize that significant economic development often takes years or even decades to fully manifest. Set realistic timelines and celebrate incremental progress along the way. Special Guest: Beka Shiver.

We're joined this week by Corey Ritenour, current Sr. Director Transportation and interim Head of Supply Chain for Lindt & Sprungli, one of the premier chocolate manufacturers in the country. Corey comes to the table with 20 years of industry experience, all working for large, established manufacturers. He began his career at the ground level at Conagra working as a Transportation Planner, working his way up and across various roles as he moved on to PepsiCo, Smurfit Stone, and Mars PetCare before establishing himself for 5 years at Dairy Farmers of America. He has now spent the last 5 years in his current role with Lindt. This wide breadth of transportation experience makes for a riveting conversation that any supply chain professional can learn from. He provides advice and insights that he gathered from his time at each of these great companies.We spend time doing deep dives into Dairy Farmers of America and Lindt & Sprungli, two very unique organizations, one owned by farmers, the other representing a shared services model across three chocolate companies. The nuances from these experiences and depth provided make for quality conversation and valuable learnings for listeners.We pivot from there to Corey's perspective on brokers and carriers pursuing his business. He gives us an inside look to his role, the challenges he faces on a day-to-day basis, and the "do's and don'ts" for prospective partners. We get into a market cycle conversation as well, looking at the last four years, from the highest of highs during Covid, to the lowest of lows brought on the last two years in the aftermath. End to end, this episode is filled with great nuggets of information thanks to Corey's decades of experience and wisdom shared. ***Episode brought to you by Rapido Solutions Group. I had the pleasure of working with Danny Frisco and Roberto Icaza at Coyote, as well as being a client of theirs more recently at MoLo. Their team does a great job supplying nearshore talent to brokers, carriers, and technology providers to handle any role necessary, be it customer or carrier support, back office, or tech services.***

To Get To The the Attorney Tom Ganim Melissa in the Morning Diner Tour Live In Stamford, You Have To Get There Somehow. That's Where Luke Buttenwiser, Transportation Planner, Comes In. He Spoke To Melissa About Vision Zero And Road Safety In Stamford. Image Credit: Dee Ortiz

Hosts: Leah Murray and Maura Carabello Regardless of where you live in Utah, you’re bound to visit Salt Lake City at some point. Whether for a sports game, General Conference, or the potential 2034 Olympics, the world comes to Salt Lake City pretty often. That results in traffic issues, so the city’s looking at revamping its transportation plans. Joe Taylor, Transportation Planner for SLC’s Transportation Division, joins the show.

Hosts: Leah Murray and Maura Carabello Recapping the biggest moments from the weekend’s state conventions KSL at Night hosts Leah Murray and Maura Carabello kick off the week talking about the biggest political stories from the weekend – all centered around the political state conventions. Bridger Beal-Cvetko, KSL.com reporter, joins the program to recap the biggest races and challenges the convention faced. Controversy surrounds the behavior displayed at the conventions Besides the races, the biggest thing coming out of the GOP convention was decorum, or the lack thereof. Former Speaker of the Utah House, Greg Hughes, joins the show to defend conventions, while also admitting that there were several things that disappointed and concerned him with last weekend’s conventions. He explains his more nuanced stance. State political conventions – how do they adapt to the changing times? Continuing the conversation on conventions, we take a look at the opposing views. Holly Richardson, Editor of Utah Policy, discusses her concerns about future conventions due to “disgraceful” behavior by GOP delegates. The hosts discuss if the convention process is even applicable nowadays with the signature-gathering primary option. The FCC restores net neutrality – what does it mean? Troy Rydman, Sr. Practice Manager for AWS Security, Risk, Compliance for Strategic Accounts, calls into the program to talk about the Federal Communication Commission’s recent decision to restore net neutrality. He clarifies what the changes will look like, and how they compare to the last time net neutrality was in place. Democratic Lt. Gov. nominee Rebekah Cummings discuss her and Brian King’s campaign Just today, Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Brian King chose his running mate: Lieutenant Governor-hopeful Rebekah Cummings. She joins KSL at Night – in her first media interview – to explain her stances. She shares how book bans brought her to the political arena, and what she wants to do because of it. Historic deal gives Colorado River tribes access to water rights An historic deal gives water rights to six tribes in the Upper Colorado River Basin. Gene Shawcroft, Colorado River Commissioner for Utah, explains the recent developments that will impact how water will be used along the river. He also talks about how Lake Powell is looking, especially with this year’s snowpack. Salt Lake City revamps its transportation plans Regardless of where you live in Utah, you’re bound to visit Salt Lake City at some point. Whether for a sports game, General Conference, or the potential 2034 Olympics, the world comes to Salt Lake City pretty often. That results in traffic issues, so the city’s looking at revamping its transportation plans. Joe Taylor, Transportation Planner for SLC’s Transportation Division, joins the show. Retiring at 62: Why the trend for earlier retirement is growing in popularity More and more people try to retire earlier than 65, but is it actually feasible? If you didn’t get started on saving for retirement in your 20s, is it too late? Should you prioritize retirement or your kids’ college? Kristen Cooper, President of Axios Capital, breaks it down on KSL at Night, giving good resources for those who might not be the most financially-savvy.    

Today we start with another This 'N That segment with Jerica T as she shows us some items we can all use. Next, Trae sits with Christine Alar, a Senior Transportation Planner for SDOT, to learn more about the bus only lanes on Rainier Ave. Lastly, Trae connects with Shamso Issak, Founder and Executive Director of Living Well Kent to learn about their work and why she started this organization.

This week Jim, Kate and David talk post Parks Ballot Measure survey. Plan ahead for Presidents' Day City Hall closure. Apply for a Board or Commission. Thank a Community Resource Officer. Create a Neighborhood Emergency Plan with your neighbors. Enroll to be a Green Kirkland Steward. Watch out for crypto currency crimes. Prevent electrical fires. Win $5K for your business idea. Watch out for traffic alerts. Catch an upcoming event. Special guest: Kimberly Scrivner, Transportation Planner, chats about the Transportation Strategic Plan, and how you can help prioritize City projects with the interactive feedback map.Find relevant links and info about this episode here: https://www.kirklandwa.gov/podcast#20240215

Jeremy Glover's interest in cities began while he was a college student in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and his passion for cities blossomed while living in New York City. This led Jeremy to pursue a career as a transportation planner. His focus is on rebalancing streets to provide more opportunities for active transportation while promoting density in areas that are well-served by public transportation.

On this Rate of Rise episode I am thrilled to get to have a conversation with the new U.S. roasting Champion, Andrew Coe of Elevator Coffee in Portland, OR Andrew Coe is the owner and roaster at Elevator Coffee in Portland, OR, founded in 2016. Andrew launched his professional roasting career by winning the first Cascadia Cup roasting competition at Buckman Coffee Factory, a co-roasting facility across the street from his cafe, using a Behmor 1600. He currently operates out of another co-roasting facility in NE Portland called Roast, which is home to a fully customized 1938 12kg Probat (probably one of the cooler machines in town). Andrew also private label roasts for Two Stroke Coffee. He has a masters degree in Mathematics from Oregon State University, and worked as a Transportation Planner prior to coffee. In our conversation we chat about Andrew's entry into coffee, competition, and insights learned over his career In our conversation we cover: Community and its role in learning Key turning points in his understanding of roasting Methods and disciplines for consistency Favorite part of the competition Collecting, curating, and using data How his career experience helped in roasters competition Optimizing  green and roasted coffee Links: www.elevator.coffee Instagram @elevatorcc + @andrewcoaecoffee  Related Episodes: 286 : Coffee Roasting Best Practices w/ Scott Rao RoR #5: Time and Color in Roasting w/ Morten Munchow of Coffee Mind” 147 : U.S. Roasting Champion, Shelby Williamson of Huckleberry Roasters, Denver, CO 026 : What Your Roaster want you to Know w/ U.S. Roasting Champion, Mark Michaelson, Onyx Coffee Lab   Visit our sponsor ROAST MAGAZINE and subscribe! 

2:33 https://on.soundcloud.com/gjUub Violence Reaction: A steep spike in Oakland, California car killings after the pandemic and the loss of the city's pandemic-era slow streets spurred the formation of The Traffic Violence Rapid Response Team. Seamus Garrity interviews George Spies and Carter Lavin, volunteers with the Team. 21:59 https://on.soundcloud.com/nW5By Lives Above All Else: Columbus, Ohio is on board for safer streets. Taylor Nichols interviews Maria Cantrell, Vision Zero Coordinator for Columbus, Ohio, Emma Kogge, Transportation Planner for the City, and Angie Shmitt, a transportation writer and planner based in Cleveland. 39:10 https://on.soundcloud.com/EjebM No Place Like Home: We look to places like the Netherlands for examples of safe biking infrastructure, but Inlander editor Nick Deshais has written an article that places Spokane, Washington among the great biking cities of the world. https://www.inlander.com/culture/the-future-belongs-to-the-bicycle-in-copenhagen-mexico-city-portland-and-spokane-24647156 By Taylor Nichols. Editing by Kevin Burton. Closing Song, "Bike," by Mal Webb. Interstitial music, "Just Moving," by Don Ward. Visit BikeTalk.org to be involved.

Happy New Year! For the first show of 2023, Bingham Group Associate Hannah Garcia and CEO A.J. discuss Austin Council staff picks (see below) and today's (at 6PM) Mayor Pro Tem vote. Episode 179 2023 COUNCIL STAFF PICKS (As of 1.6.2023) Mayor Kirk Watson Barbara Shack, Executive Assistant - Continues the role she served under Mayor Steve Adler's 8 years in office. Alexis Garcia, Title Not Announced - Most recently served a Director of Regional & Local Policy with the Austin Chamber of Commerce. Council Member Vanessa Fuentes - District 2 Jason Lopez, Chief of Staff - Most recently served as Policy Adviser to departing Council Member Ann Kitchen (District 5). Council Member José Velásquez - District 3 Lizette Melendez, Chief of Staff - Served as a Constituent Liaison and Policy Advisor (from November 2015 to February 2021) to Council Member Pio Renteria. Yuri Barragan, Policy Advisor - Most recently served as Policy Advisor to departing Council Member Pio Renteria (District 3) covering transportation, land use, public safety, animal services, and code enforcement. Dora Anguiano, Constituent Liaison - Most recently served as Constituent Liason to departing Council Member Anne Kitchen (District 5). Council Member Ryan Alter - District 5 Ben Leffler, Chief of Staff - Most recently a candidate for Austin's District 9. Prior Policy Advisor to Council Member Chris Riley. Michael McGill, Policy Advisor - Most recently Senior Policy Advisor to Mayor Steve Adler (since Jan. 2018). Michael has been with the city since 2011, where he served as Chief of Staff for the Council Member Sheryl Cole. Zohaib "Zo" Qadri - District 9 Sara Barge, Chief of Staff - Previously served as Chief of Staff to Councilwoman Vanessa Fuentes (District 2). She also served as Legislative Director to State Rep. Julie Johnson in the 87th Texas legislative session. Natalie Deller, Policy Advisor - Most recently served as Policy Advisor to Council Member Leslie Pool (District 7) covering land use matters. She is also a former Bingham Group intern. Melissa Beeler, Policy Advisor - Most recently served as a Transportation Justice Coordinator for Air Alliance Houston. She also has been a Transportation Planner at the City of Houston. ABOUT THE BINGHAM GROUP, LLC The Bingham Group, LLC is a Austin lobbying firm serving businesses, nonprofits and trade associations. Austin and Austin Metro lobbying and advocacy, along with Texas lobbying and advocacy are our largest service areas, covering municipal governments and the legislative and executive branches of Texas government. Check our Service Deck -> www.binghamgp.com/servicedeck We are a HUB/MBE-certified Austin lobbying firm. Follow us on LinkedIn for content updates and the BG Reads: www.linkedin.com/company/binghamgp CONTACT US at: info@binghamgp.com FOLLOW US: Facebook -> www.facebook.com/binghamgp Instagram -> www.instagram.com/binghamgroup Twitter -> twitter.com/binghamgp PART OFTHE BG MEDIA NETWORK Released by: BG Media Group for The Bingham Group, LLC (www.binghamgp.com)

Downtown Discussion: Parking Podcast- City of Redding Transportation Planner, Zach Bonnin,  joins Viva Downtown Program Coordinator, Blake Fisher, to discuss The City of Redding's restructured Downtown Parking Plan that is set to be implemented in the new year after January 23, 2023. Zach, shares the history of parking in Downtown, the functionality of this restructured plan, and the timeline/realities of parking changes and how they affect Downtown transportation and the Downtown economy. This is an episode you do not want to miss. For more information on the City of Redding Parking Program, visit cityofredding.org/downtownparking. As always thank you for supporting Downtown and Downtown businesses.  The City of Redding has more than 2,000 on-street and public off-street parking spaces in the Downtown core that will be available for use. Two private parking facilities Downtown provide additional public spaces, with 400 in the large parking garage on California Street and 60 spaces available in the garage under Market Center, located at 1551 Market Street.- The rate for Downtown public metered parking or parking in City-owned lots will be $1.00 per hour, Monday through Friday, from 8 am to 6 pm.  Parking is free on nights, weekends, and holidays, with no time limits after 6 pm. - -Privately-owned parking garages require payment 24 hours a day, seven days a week, up to $8.00 daily. Hundreds of free parking spaces without time limits are located just outside the paid parking zones and are available for anyone willing to walk a couple of blocks.During this transition, metered parking in Downtown Redding will be free of charge, beginning Monday, December 19th, through Monday, January 23, 2023.  Parking time limits  will still apply, as stated in the parking  signage. Parking enforcement will notify drivers of the parking options ahead of the implementation of the new system. Beginning Monday, January 23, 2023, the payment system for metered parking downtown will be active. Warning notices for non-payment will be issued for the first couple weeks, at which time parking enforcement will begin issuing tickets.-The parking system will utilize physical pay stations located throughout the Downtown core, in addition to other payment options. The pay stations will accept payment by coin, credit, or debit card.-A second payment method, a mobile app called “Flowbird,” is available for download on smartphones and will identify your specific parking location, allowing easy payment with your smartphone. Once your vehicle and method of payment are entered, payments will be made simply and remotely, without the need to visit a pay station.-The third payment option will allow users to pay via text, without the need for an app. This option, which is expected to come online in January 2023, will allow for a one-time payment, accessed by texting “ParkRDG” to 727563. This method will also provide text reminders to alert the user to the remaining time left on the parking meter and an option to add more time via text. The Downtown Discussion is a podcast that focuses on the people who enhance Downtown Redding through social, cultural, and economic development. Thank you Zach Bonnin and the City of Redding for joining Viva Downtown. The Downtown Discussion is produced by: Viva Event Coordinator, Jacob Akana. 

Wondering what's happening with construction and parking in Downtown Redding? Katie and Steve welcome Mark Christ, Associate Project Coordinator of Housing, and Zach Bonnin, Transportation Planner, to this episode of the City of Redding Podcast to share what's coming Downtown and when!  Mark walks us through the Block 7 project, including the Shasta College building, the closure of the California / Market alley, and when the new pocket park will be started. If you've been considering a move to Downtown Redding, you'll find out when the new apartments coming to the area will be move-in ready.Zack shares details about what parking changes are coming, including when new parking meters and the coordinating mobile app will come online. How soon will enforcement begin, and what's the parking situation like for Downtown employees? We asked the questions, and you'll have the answers by the end of this episode. Downtown Project Updates>>Downtown Parking Information>>Shasta College Community Leadership Center>>Read the transcript>>

Chris Herrmann, Transportation Planner and Traffic Commission Liason for the City of Rock Hill, joins Matthew and Ashley on CityCast to talk about how road projects begin and end and some road projects going on within the City.

Welcome to the special edition of the Conversations with WLI, where ULI Toronto's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Reconciliation Committee highlights the changemakers who are doing amazing DEI work in city building in our new Conversations with DEI podcast with Jennifer Khan and Sameer Patel. In this episode, they speak with Clarence Qian and Chantal Lee, who provide their unique perspective from those entering the Toronto city building industry and how they experience their sense of community. Clarence Qian Clarence Qian is the Director of Development at Distrikt and has responsibility for the management and execution of value creation strategies across Distrikt's development portfolio. Prior to joining Distrikt, Clarence was a project manager at BDP Quadrangle, one of Canada's leading architecture, design, and urbanism firm, where he worked on various international and domestic mixed-use master plans. He also managed the planning, design, and construction of several award-winning mid and high-rise projects in Toronto. Prior to BDP Quadrangle, Clarence was a project manager at Bowan Group, a leading full-service design and development firm in Shenzhen, China, where he worked closely with numerous development partners to ensure the successful execution of real estate projects across Asia. Clarence holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Waterloo and an MBA from the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. He is actively involved with the Urban Land Institute, currently serving on the Management Committee as Student Committee Co-Chair for the Toronto District Council. Clarence was an Urban Leadership Fellow at the School of Cities, University of Toronto, and he has contributed as a guest studio critic at OCAD University. Chantal Lee Chantal Lee is an urban planner who is passionate about creating thriving cities through effective urban planning, design and policy. Chantal received her Master of Science in Planning at the University of Toronto. She is currently a Transportation Planner at LEA Consulting and a Student Committee Co-Chair at ULI Toronto. Previously, she has worked as a Community Planning Assistant for the City of Coquitlam and a Sustainability Analyst at JTS Consulting. Chantal has also volunteered for city-building non-profit organizations such as Our Greenway Conservancy and Evergreen Brick Works.

Patrick Hoban: CEO, Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council Whitney Chesher: Community Marketing Manager, Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council Website: https://www.bnbiz.org/ Guest: Raymond Lai, MCRPC Executive Director and Jennifer Sicks, Transportation Planner at MCRPC Jobs: https://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=&l=McLean+County%2C+IL Site(s) of the Week: McLean County Regional Planning Commission MCRPC Transportation Survey

Tune in to this episode of "Get To Know As We Grow." Hosted by Director of Marketing and Community Engagement Sheena Cooper, this podcast was created to share the story of the Durham Public Schools' "Growing Together" initiative with DPS families, staff, and the Durham community. About This Episode This episode will discuss the new updates in the Transportation Department and how it is addressed in the Growing Together Initiative. We invited special guests, Mathew Palmer, Executive Director of School Planning, Transportation, and Nutrition, Joe Harris, Director of Transportation, and Kristen Brookshire, Transportation Planner, to discuss these changes and how they will benefit all DPS students and families. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wearedps/message

सुनिए उदयपुर के रहने वाले युगल टांक के जीवन की प्रेरक कहानी। युगल टांक पेशे से एक आर्किटेक्ट-ट्रांसपोर्टेशन प्लानर है और जुनून से एक साइकिलिस्ट है, जो हमेशा खुद को स्वस्थ एवं फिट रखने के साथ-साथ दूसरों में भी इसको लेकर जागरूकता फैलाने का काम कर रहे है। साइकिल चलाने से जहां एक ओर यातायात के दबाव एवं प्रदुषण के स्तर को कम किया जा सकता है, वही साइकिल चलाने के और भी कई लाभ है, ऐसे में सभी को साइकिल का उपयोग करने के लिए प्रेरित करते है। आपको बतादें उदयपुर में जन्में युगल ने अपनी स्कूली शिक्षा यही से प्राप्त की। और फिर गुजरात, कर्नाटक सहित अलग अलग राज्यों में रहने एवं अच्छी शिक्षा प्राप्त करने के बाद वही पर रहते हुए कुछ समय तक काम कर अच्छा अनुभव प्राप्त किया और पंद्रह सालों बाद दुबारा उदयपुर लौटे और यहीं से अपनी पेशेवर यात्रा की नयी शुरुआत की। पिछले 5 सालों से ये उदयपुर में ही रह रहे है पेशे से एक आर्किटेक्ट एवं ट्रांसपोर्टेशन प्लानर होने के साथ-साथ एक पैशनेट साइकिलिस्ट भी है। युगल टांक ने ये मुकाम हासिल करने के लिए कड़ी मेहनत की है। घर परिवार से दूर रहना इनके लिए आसान नहीं था, लेकिन किसी तरह इन्होंने अपनी अपने जज़्बातों को संभाला और अपने करियर पर पूरा फोकस किया और आखिरकार इनकी मेहनत रंग लायी और आज ये कामयाबी के एक अच्छे मुकाम पर पहुंच चुके है। पूरी कहानी पढ़ें: https://stories.workmob.com/yougal-tak-architecture-designवर्कमोब द्वारा #मेरीकहानी कार्यक्रम के माध्यम से एक नयी पहल शुरू की गयी है जिसके ज़रिये  हर कोई  छोटे बड़े बिज़नेस ओनर्स अपनी प्रेरक कहानियों को यहाँ सभी के साथ साझा कर सकते है। क्योंकि हर शख्स की कहानी में है वो बात जो जीवन को बदलकर एक नयी दिशा दिखाएगी, और ज़िन्दगी में ले आएगी आशा की एक नयी चमकती किरण। #प्रेरककहानियाँ #युगलटांक #आर्किटेक्ट #ट्रांसपोर्टेशनप्लानर #साइकिलिस्ट #स्वस्थ #फिट #यातायात #प्रदुषण  जानिए वर्कमोब के बारे में: जुड़िये वर्कमोब पर अपनी कहानी साझा करने और प्रेरणादायक कहानियाँ देखने के लिए। ये एक ऐसा मंच है जहां आप पेशेवरों, लघु व्यापारियों, उद्यमियों और सामाजिक कार्यकर्ताओं की वीडियो कहानियां देख सकते हैं और दूसरों को प्रेरित करने के लिए अपनी व्यक्तिगत और व्यावसायिक कहानी सभी के साथ साझा कर सकते हैं। आपकी कहानी में लोगों को आशा देने, प्रेरणा देने और दूसरों का जीवन बदलने में मदद करने की एक अद्भुत क्षमता है। यह 100% मुफ़्त है। इस लिंक पर क्लिक करें और देखें प्रेरक कहानियां https://stories.workmob.com/ हमारे ऐप्प को डाउनलोड करें: Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.workmob iOS: https://apps.apple.com/in/app/workmob/id901802570 

May is National Bike month! In this episode of the podcast we talk with Zach Bonnin, Transportation Planner, for the City of Redding.  He gives us an update on the exciting new projects coming that support active transportation around town.  Bike lanes, protected intersections and wide sidewalks will be coming to several main roadways in Redding soon.We also connect with Sara Sundquist and Anna Blasco of Healthy Shasta about the Shasta Bike Challenge and the other fun ways to celebrate biking in May.  There are prizes, events and organized rides all month long. Prizes include two bike giveaways, $500 bike shop gift certificates, and more so sign up for the challenge today!For those that feel Redding isn't a bike friendly city, there are many community and city resources working to change the perception. There's never been a better time to explore biking options in Redding.Visit the Shasta Bike Month website for more info.Read the transcript here>>

Tim presented our entry to the Liberland International Design Competition at Porcfest 2021. His talk covered: The geographical and political history of Liberland Site and ecology, ground conditions, flooding Energy, Water, Wastewater Infrastructure Transportation Our proposed site layout Blockchain based development incentivisation and infrastructure DAO's THE LIBERTARIUM Q&A Download Slideshow (PDF) Our entry to the Liberland Design Competition (download PDF) Use hashtag #ana034 to reference this episode in a tweet, post, or comment. View full show notes at https://anarchitecturepodcast.com/ana034.   ----more----Intro (1:55) Liberland is not developable land… Our entry to the Liberland design competition We submitted an engineering report to an architecture design competition Honourable Mention Award Porcfest NHExit venue Over 2,000 people Some real heavyweights Shout outs A 2 hour conversation about privatizing public space (who would listen to 2 hours of.. oh wait) Winners have been announced Summary of presentation Next episode teaser Download PDF of Slideshow Presentation (14:37) SLIDE 3 – History of Liberland (14:50) Land Parcel between Serbia and Croatia Border dispute Croatian Border Control SLIDE 4 – Hydrological History (16:36) Story of the Danube River Pannonian Sea Flood basin from Alps snow melt SLIDE 5 (17:23) Historical flows Canals and hydropower reduced flow 1894 – Austro-Hungarian Empire dredged canal SLIDE 6 Political History (18:50) Liberland originally part of Hungary WWI, 1918 – borders redrawn to create Yugoslavia SLIDE 7 (19:16) 1945 – Yugoslavia became a Federated Republic SLIDE 8 (20:12) Map of property deed registrations Border established down center of Danube river SLIDE 9 (21:07) Which center? SLIDE 10 (21:31) 1990's – Yugoslavia broke up, Croatia declared independence Brutal war, ethnic cleansing, bad stuff Liberland encompassed within Serbia during war Boundary not resolved SLIDE 11 (23:02) Present day disputed boundary Vit Jedlicka claimed Liberland Diplomatic efforts for recognition Guy in a pickup truck – Liberland License Plate SLIDE 12 Liberland Design Competition (24:31) We felt obligated to enter SLIDE 13 (25:06) Facebook post of winning entries – click here for links to formal announcements with full resolution posters for winning entries SLIDE 14 (25:29) 8th grade science fair project, or award winning architectural manifesto? Competition forces you to look at Liberland as a real site We dug deep on site analysis SLIDE 15 Design Team (26:16) Tim Brochu, Principal of Adra Architecture and co-host of Anarchitecture Podcast Joe Brochu, Mechanical Engineer and co-host of Anarchitecture Podcast Goshe King and Joe Green, Mechanical Engineers from Angineering Tech Podcast Car Campit, Civil Engineer from Timeline Earth Podcast John Ellis III, Architect who interviewed Tim on our episode 28 Palmer Ferguson, Architect Ryan Myers, Architect Andy Boenau, Transportation Planner, author, and host of the podcasts “Urbanism Speakeasy” and “How We Get Around” (https://www.andyboenau.com/) Mat Slaughter, Engineer SLIDE 16 (28:16) Why hasn't Liberland been developed? SLIDE 17 (28:31) Wetlands Good reasons to protect wetlands Prevent eutrophication from fertilizers SLIDE 18 (29:26) Cute otter Ugly sturgeon Large fish spawning ground RAMSAR – Wetlands of International Importance SLIDE 19 (30:40) Liberland floods 8 meters (24 ft) of flooding SLIDE 20 (31:37) Topographical analysis of flood levels Half of Liberland underwater during recent 100 year floods Import fill? SLIDE 21 (32:42) Eutric Fluvisol, aka “Mud” Soil good for growing things, unless you want to grow a city SLIDE 22 (33:49) Why hasn't Liberland been developed? SLIDE 23 (33:54) Because Liberland is not developable land SLIDE 24 (34:13) Next best idea is Seasteading, in the middle of the ocean Liberland's not looking too bad! SLIDE 25 Opportunities for Autonomy (34:26) International waterway Investment in economically depressed region International multi-cultural society Win-Win solutions Infrastructure redundancy – no one nation can cut the cord Environmental stewardship SLIDE 26 Transportation (38:18) Road connection through Croatia Riverboats – passenger and freight Trains – bus service to nearby stations Airports Avoiding border control – international terminal on the river? SLIDE 27 (41:41) Seaplane landing on the river Helicopters Eurovelo cycle network – cycle to France SLIDE 28 (43:05) Gondola transit – not quite flying cars, but close eco-tourism Gondola from international terminal? Very scenic SLIDE 29 Energy (44:05) Self-sufficiency Solar PV – poor solar exposure Save sunlight for the plants Bifacial panels, “Floatovoltaics” (Yes, they actually call it that) Wind – not enough wind Hydroelectric – needs height differential “Run of the River” – not much power Tidal power generation Geothermal – underground hot rocks produce steam Biogas – Sewage Treatment Plant generates enough gas to power the sewage treatment plant Diesel – in early stages Natural Gas Power Station Nuclear – Paks facility in Hungary Micro-nuclear SLIDE 30 (50:00) Power Lines Redundancy from Croatia, Serbia, maybe Hungary 120,000 population target The Power of Freedom Among the most interconnected areas Fiber Optic – along power line routes (OPGW cable) Energy must be delivered via road, boat, pipeline, or wire Bury a cable down the river from Hungary? Risky. SLIDE 31 (54:14) Energy mix over 50 years buildout SLIDE 32 (54:56) Heating and Cooling Cogeneration Centralized Heating Plant SLIDE 33 (55:33) Water – plenty of water Wastewater – treatment required Containerised WWTP SLIDE 34 (56:15) Would other designers use our analysis? We hope so. Our Design Even though this is a small place, we're gonna make it smaller The Tom Woods Woods nature preserve SLIDE 35 (57:41) Developed areas on high ground Decentral Park Walkable city Whowillbuildthe Road Marina and Wharf SLIDE 36 (59:35) Transportation Hub and road to Croatia Unnamed Heliport Croatian Border Control Border Controls are Stupid Dr. Ron Paul Medical Center Emergency Services Dispute resolution agencies (not police) Eugen von Bohm Bawerk Waterworks John Maynard Keynes Sewage Treatment Plant (full of crap) Power station and substation Gondola stations Deep foundations, concrete piles Gondolas – expensive, but a tourist attraction Urban gondolas and cable cars Bike path is right of way, build up roads above flood level SLIDE 37 (1:04:24) Masterplan with no zoning Incentives for density Blockchain based Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) Limits on homesteading Encirclement Technological Unit Limits on parcel size Developers pay in to DAO, paid out based on built floor space Who governs the development process? Liberland corporation may have prior claim Homesteading resolves disputes between competing claims High demand makes technological unit small Liberland as a Free Private City Incentives for creating public space and amenities Environmental mitigation – build goodwill A latecomer catches up Enter the Eurozone? Probably not. SLIDE 38 Infrastructure DAO (1:15:19) Financing large scale head-end infrastructure Investment bond – interest rate increases with population Balance risk between investors, service provider, and users SLIDE 39 Napredak (1:18:39) Land parcel in Apatin, Serbia Floating Man Festival Port for freight and passenger transport via riverboat SLIDE 40 THE LIBERTARIUM (1:19:26) Museum of Liberty Full Dome Theater 3D visualizations of future developments Foot in the door to bring business into the region, establish goodwill SLIDE 41 (1:20:54) Adra Architecture Tim specializes in residential gondolas SLIDE 42 (1:21:41) Facebook link QR code We got an Honourable Mention Tom Woods Seal of Approval Questions (1:23:02) (1:23:05) Some towns neglect maintenance – how do you finance ongoing maintenance? Strong Towns – Growth Ponzi Scheme made explicit Infrastructure DAO could align incentives for long term maintenance (1:24:33) A lost opportunity? The Heliport shall remain unnamed (1:24:59) Squatter states, staging, and skepticism Utah Kowloon Walled City What's step 1? We started with some wilder ideas Suspension bridge town Phase 1: Houseboats, tourism, marina, small settlements Head end infrastructure – 35kV power line >1,000 people – water treatment plant Initial stages – wells and septic Many people willing to contribute 600,000 applicants for citizenship A small percentage of 600k will be willing to rough it “This whole thing is an exercise in skepticism” Ecotourism hub Blockchain mining (1:32:18) Would the infrastructure be privately owned and blockchain based? We hope so Free Private Cities model – corporation takes ownership of most common services Sandy Springs, GA – city hall just administers contracts and tenders for private providers (1:35:03) Corporate city with explicit contract and recourse Half of Florida is private golf communities Manchester, NH – Amoskeag Mill Company Company bought up all surrounding land parcels Water powered mechanical mills Layout – river, mills, apartments, commercial strip, houses, mansions (1:39:33) Reston, VA – “It doesn't have a city government” Suburb of DC, owned by a corporation Walkable BTW Liberland has no car traffic Every urbanist's wet dream Disneyworld – another great example (1:41:02) What's the point of this competition? Publicity, investment based on design ideas There needs to be some degree of planning (1:42:18) How did they determine the winners? Panel of judges Patrik Schumacher 2015 competition Vit Jedlicka is interested in the architecture (1:44:20) What were the prizes? Awarded in Merits – Liberland's cryptocurrency A winner will help design Napredak (1:45:11) How do you move to Liberland? Nobody lives there now, Croatian border control trying to keep it that way Croatia: the boundary dispute does not involve terra nullius (1:46:34) A lot of issues, all difficult to solve “You have to solve a land dispute in the Balkans” There is existing shipping You need billions of dollars of institutional money Alternative offer: Liber-land swap Liberland protects wetland preserve, builds somewhere else “Best of luck – I want to be wrong!” Links/Resources Our entry to the Liberland Design Competition (download PDF) Click image to download PDF of posters Dave Smith: “Oh look guys, that's my favorite architecture firm! And my favorite architecture themed podcast! Well, “built environment” themed podcast actually, because they don't just talk about architecture. In fact, you would think that they would spend more time talking about architecture. But they don't. They talk about other stuff. But also some architecture.” (transcribed by Joe, who was not present at Porcfest and has no idea what Dave actually said or what he was pointing at.) Anarchitecture-led Team Awarded Honourable Mention in Liberland's Second International Architectural Competition Free Republic of Liberland Home Page Episodes Mentioned ana031: Liberland Design Competition 2020 | Daniela Ghertovici Interview Episodes with Team Members: ana021: AGENDA 21!!! | Friends Against Government (renamed to Timeline Earth) ana028: Anarchitecture 101 | John Ellis Interviews Tim ana032: HVAC vs. COVID: Will Schools Spread Airborne Infection? | with Goshe and Joe from Angineering.Tech Episodes with Jurors PATRIK SCHUMACHER SERIES (episodes 9-12) ana018: Startup Cities with Adam Hengels and Patrik Schumacher Other Episodes Mentioned ana025: Free Private Cities | Titus Gebel Interview ana008: Way Beyond the Roads | The Tom Woods Show Ep. 802 plus Post-game ana033: Tim Battles Town Hall | Tom Woods Interviews Tim | Short Term Rental Ordinance Support Anarchitecture Podcast on Patreon!

S2 EP18 with Nyagaki Gichia-an Engineer & Tech Educator and Peninah Ndegwa-a Transportation planner and the founder of Wowmomkenya. Nanny Cams? Home-schooling? Stay-at-home Parenting? Do any of these topics ever cross your mind? In Part 02, Brenda continues the conversation with a Transportation Planner (mom of one) and an Engineer (mom of four) about their personal parenting strategies including the aforementioned topics and how this all mingles with their career goals and intentions. Happy Listening. For Part 01, check out SN 02 EP 04. ________ GUEST INFO: Check out wowmomkenya: Blog: https://wowmom.co.ke/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WowMomKenya/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wowmomkenya/ ________ SHOW NOTES: Homeschooling Facebook Groups: 1. Nairobi Homeschool Families 2. Homeschool 254 ________ OUR SOCIALS .Join the CaCo FACEBOOK community: https://www.facebook.com/cafeconstruct-114077163717924 Follow our INSTAGRAM!: https://www.instagram.com/cafeconstruct/?hl=en Read our TWEETS: https://twitter.com/CafeConstruct ________ Have a Cup on Us! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cafe-construct-podcast/message

This summer we are collaborating with Dr. Xiumei Pu in her Project, "Mountains and Stories: Building Community Among Asian and Pacific Islander Refugee and Immigrant Families in Salt Lake Valley," with the support of a Whiting Public Engagement Programs Seed Grant (https://www.whiting.org/scholars/public-engagement-programs/about). Anchored in the theme of mountains, the project consists of a twelve-part podcast and a documentary, a storytelling-conversation cultural event (June 26, 2021), and a group hike in the Wasatch Mountains (October 23, 2021). It is our hope that these efforts will amplify the environmental voices of Asian and Pacific Islander refugee and immigrant communities, and spark more public interest in thinking about the connection between culture, identity, and the natural environment. You can listen to previous episodes here (https://podcast.mountainresearch.org/) on the IMR Podcast website. At the heart of the project is a podcast series featuring the life and work of twelve storytellers who come from a range of age groups, occupations, and ethnic and racial backgrounds. Some of them are born in the United States; many of them are born in another Asian country or Pacific Island and immigrated to the US at a young age. Their stories show fascinating complexities of immigration routes and histories, incredible cultural richness and resilience, and long-lasting contributions of the Asian and Asian Pacific Islander communities to the social life and cultural landscapes of Salt Lake Valley and the broader Utah. Nikki Navio https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/1/1fa521c0-f451-41ad-b95a-11b649737210/eF1bHq7H.jpeg Nikki Navio (she/her) was born on Panay Island in the Philippines. At seven years old she immigrated to the United States and settled on Dena'ina Lands of Anchorage, Alaska with her family. Water and mountains have been an important fixture growing up in the Philippines and Alaska. Nikki finds healing, joy, and freedom in the mountains while also remembering the cultural importance of respecting the weather and landscapes she visits. She is currently a Transportation Planner at the Wasatch Front Regional Council, where her days are dedicated to working with communities and alongside partners to plan for better regional transportation mobility in the Wasatch Front. Nikki holds a bachelor's degree from University of Alaska Fairbanks and a master's degree in City and Regional Planning from Clemson University. She currently lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. Jeff Nichols and Brent Olson co-direct the Institute for Mountain Research (http://mountainresearch.org) and our 2018-2019 Mountain Fellows are Katie Saad and Naomi Shapiro. Our theme song is “Home” by Pixie and the Partygrass Boys. (https://www.pixieandthepartygrassboys.com). As Naomi likes to say, “They are awesome and you should check them out.” The Institute for Mountain Research is located on the ancestral and traditional lands of the Ute, Goshute, and Shoshone Peoples. Special Guest: Nikki Navio.

On-Demand transit has been gaining in popularity and maturity as an innovative solution that Transit Agencies can use to address various challenges in operating public transportation services. This popularity has led to an increase in the number of technology providers, new terminology, and varied experiences which can create a cloud of confusion for those that are trying to assess how best to approach an on-demand transit solution. Pantonium brought together a panel of Transit Professionals to discuss the lessons they've learned from their own On-Demand Transit RFP experiences (from planning to deployment) and how they can be designed to encourage innovation and generate the best outcomes for your agency. Featuring: - Sam Trebilcock, Transportation Planner at City of Sioux Falls - Stephen Hunt, Principal Planner at Valley Regional Transit

Quantum Quote: “It's great to get people from point A to point B, but we should also look at ways to avoid harm in doing so,” said Renae Reynolds, “We need to move around. And so we engage in modes of transportation that, depending on how they are fueled, lead to impacts on our health and environment.” Renae Reynolds is the Transportation Planner for the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance and the statewide coordinator for Energize New York. Her work focuses on advocacy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector by electrifying New York's transit buses, municipal fleets, and medium and heavy-duty vehicles. In this episode, Renae shares the importance of understanding how transportation intersects with equity and public health in communities of color & low income. She discusses advocacy efforts to evolve public transit buses to clean energy across the state, while creating good jobs and transitioning workers who currently manufacture diesel buses into building cleaner electric buses.  The advocacy started with pilot projects, first getting the MTA (the New York City Transit Authority, the nation's largest transit agency) to commit to transitioning its entire fleet to zero-emissions, all-electric public buses by 2040. A congestion pricing plan will now reduce traffic, improve air quality and provide a dedicated funding stream to improve the public transportation system, and neighborhood-based grassroots campaigns are making transportation improvements that equitably serve all New Yorkers. Supernova 1: “ElectrifyNY is a statewide coalition of advocates from environmental justice, environmental advocacy, transit, advocacy, and labor who came together to advance vehicular electrification. We focus on public transit electrification as a way to tackle the public health and the climate impacts that the transportation sector has in its emission of greenhouse gases.”   Supernova 2: “A lot of things are challenging our communities. Greenhouse gas emissions are predominantly coming from the on-road traffic of diesel buses, trucks, and all kinds of vehicular traffic that traverse our neighborhoods. That means we have an extreme level of exposure to different pollutants, including fine particulate matter that has negative health impacts on our community. “   Supernova 3: “Predominant users of public transit are folks from low income communities and communities of color. We represent 75% of the ridership on the MTA fleet. “   Supernova 4: “We needed to engage with a large authority, the MTA, to secure that commitment. We did that through rallying and through cooperative meetings with the Authority. Similar activities will advance other fleet transitions.” Important Links: www.electrifyny.org , www.nyc-eja.org  Connect with Renae Reynolds: https://www.facebook.com/NYCEJA/ 

Something big is happening in Downtown Phoenix and it's not just a drop in temperature. Listen as Brittany and Madeline discuss the kickoff of South Central Downtown Hub construction and hear from Transportation Planner, Becky Santiago, about the exciting future of Central Station.

On this episode, we talk to Stephanie Stearns. “Steph” is a Transportation Planner with the Maricopa Association of Governments where she works in programming. Join us as we talk to Stephanie about her role at MAG, navigating WFH, her history with the Metro Phoenix Chapter of WTS and how she’s making the most of great adventure of a career in transportation!

In this episode we talk to Maria Hyatt. Maria is the Chair of Friends of Transit, the Vice Chair of the Arizona Transit Association, and a self described Transit Activist. While she currently works for Gannett Fleming as a Transportation Planner, she recently left the City of Phoenix where she served for many years at the Director of the Public Transit Department. The Metro Phoenix area has seen a lot of changes over the past twenty years and even more are on the horizon. Get the inside perspective from a transportation influencer who, many times, has been the voice of transit.

Our Election Issues series concludes with Eric Lamb, Transportation Planner for the city of Raleigh. We discuss what it means for Raleigh to be a planned city, what types of things fall under the city's jurisdiction and how they work with the state and federal government, and some recent and upcoming projects he and his department have worked on. We also talk about what impact elected officials have on Raleigh's transportation decision, where you'll see some new roundabouts in the future, and a new scooter company in town.Be sure to check out our other Election Issue episodes:Episode 24, Smedes York talking campaigning and city issues past and presentEpisode 25, Elizabeth Alley on city planning and zoningEpisode 26, Gregg Warren and Yvette Holmes of DHIC on affordable housingSpecial thanks to our sponsor, Steele Residential--check them out for buying, selling or renting!Subscribe/rate Podcast Raleigh on your favorite podcast sites:Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/podcast-raleigh/id1458907220Google: https://play.google.com/music/listen?u=0#/ps/Inzk5woxrsjwf3zhd5vv3av4yei Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/podcast-raleighSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6b3dVvLJfO0EqvDGQaFTAP?si=QrcfEq8WSE2h3aEZSGV0pQ

Scatter Podcast interview with David Wasserman, Transportation Planner & Data Scientist at Fehr & Peers. Specializing in transportation planning and engineering services, Fehr & Peers is a consulting firm that has serviced public and private sectors since 1985. David has worked with them for four years at the intersection of data science, transportation and urban planning, and he gives us a deep dive into some of the work he's done. David has spent significant time working with GIS systems and advanced visualizations and explains how these tools are helping to study and solve complex transportation planning challenges. David's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-j-wasserman/ Other links: David's GitHub: https://github.com/d-wasserman Fehr & Peers: https://www.fehrandpeers.com/data-science/ Esri's Complete Street Rule: https://github.com/d-wasserman/Complete_Street_Rule Brisk Synergies: https://brisksynergies.com/ Numina: http://www.numina.co/ Ecopia: https://www.ecopiatech.com/ Mapillary: https://www.mapillary.com/

Emily received a Master of Urban Planning and Master of Urban Design from CU Boulder before eventually finding her way to the Colorado Department of Transportation, and then to the City of Denver, as a Transportation Planner. After almost 6 years at the city, Emily transitioned to her current role deploying Denver's Smart City Program. Related links for this episode: Denver Smart CityDenver Vision ZeroColorado Smart CitySmart City Portland (PDX)Austin Smart Mobility Be sure to support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing! Visit Authentic Form & Function for more information: https://authenticff.com © 2019 Authentic Form & Function

Black Kids in Outer Space had a panel discussion about the Future of Space in New Jersey with Enjoleah Daye and Thalya Yanell Reyes. Enjoleah Daye is a Transportation Planner and transit equity and bicycle enthusiast with eight years of diverse experience in corridor planning, NEPA analysis, transportation demand management, and technical writing. She is Rutgers grad. Thalya Reyes is a candidate for the dual Master’s in Public Policy and City & Regional Planning from the Bloustein School at Rutgers University. She also studied economics at Michigan State University. Reyes has researched a variety of issues related to economic well-being, environmental justice, and regional development including the impacts of climate change on public transportation infrastructure and policy, place-based and child-focused poverty eradication programs, and public schools and education.

We celebrated International Women’s Day on March 8 on Shades of Green. International Women’s Day is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities. On this day we celebrate all the many women leaders and extraordinary women in Austin, Texas. Our first guest was: Shibiya Sabu who is Originally from India, is a Transportation Planner with the Planning Dept. of CH2M, an international engineering consulting firm specializing in water and several layers of Technology and Planning. She focuses on optimizing the transportation flow and facilities to perform better, with projects involving bike-ped planning, corridor planning (at interstate level to FM roads). Her specialty includes sustainable urbanism, multi-modal transportation planning and community engagement. She is also the Chapter lead of the Global Women’s Network at CH2M. She has been doing Henna Professionally for 11 years now at various events, at weddings, and social/communal gathering. And, she was invited to be a Henna Artist at the East Austin Studio Tour.

We celebrated International Women’s Day on March 8 on Shades of Green. International Women’s Day is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities. On this day we celebrate all the many women leaders and extraordinary women in Austin, Texas. Our guests were: Shibiya Sabu who is Originally from India, is a Transportation Planner with the Planning Dept. of CH2M, an international engineering consulting firm specializing in water and several layers of Technology and Planning. She focuses on optimizing the transportation flow and facilities to perform better, with projects involving bike-ped planning, corridor planning (at interstate level to FM roads). Her specialty includes sustainable urbanism, multi-modal transportation planning and community engagement. She is also the Chapter lead of the Global Women’s Network at CH2M. She has been doing Henna Professionally for 11 years now at various events, at weddings, and social/communal gathering. And, she was invited to be a Henna Artist at the East Austin Studio Tour. Hala N. Ballouz has been a lead consultant in the electric power industry since 1991. She is the President of Electric Power Engineers and she has over 20 years of experience in power systems and energy market. Ms. Ballouz is also the former president of the Texas Renewables Energy Alliance (TREIA) and currently serves as board member of several organizations. She is a registered Professional Engineer in several states as well as other countries. We also had in the studio Janis Bookout and Andrea Alfaro, two influential Austin women representing Earth Day Austin.

Portland, ciudad del estado de Oregon en Estados Unidos de América se ha ganado un lugar en los rankings mundiales de "ciudades para vivir" y no es casualidad. Desde hace muchos años comenzaron un proceso de planificación y gestión centrado en las personas y sus vidas cotidianas. Mauricio Leclerc fue "Transportation Planner" por más de 10 años y actualmente gestiona el Área de Planificación de Transporte del Bureau de Transporte de la ciudad.

In a wrap-up session at the end of an 18-month of field work, four participating cities report out on their work to invest in low-income city residents while financing public infrastructure Pittsburgh, Saint Paul, the District of Columbia and San Francisco - field-tested collaborative approaches to paying for things that cities need. Guests on this episode: Jen Meyer, Infrastructure Finance Advisor, Living Cities Seth Miller Gabriel, Director, Office of Public-Private Partnerships, District of Columbia Elizabeth Reynoso, Associate Director, Living Cities Kristin Saunders, Transportation Planner, Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, City of Pittsburgh, PA Wes Saunders-Pierce, Water Resource Coordinator, City of Saint Paul, MN Kristen Scheyder, Senior Program Officer, Citi Foundation Brian Strong, Chief Resilience Officer, City and County of San Francisco, CA