Audacious with Chion Wolf

If you've ever wondered where the CIA finds inspiration to disguise their agents, you'd think maybe… Hollywood with their special effects?

Turns out, it was the magic community that helped them develop technology that may have saved lives and uncovered secrets!

Hear stories from retired CIA Chief of Disguise, Jonna Mendez, including how she used this technology to surprise the former head of the CIA, President George HW Bush.

GUEST: 

• Jonna Mendez: Retired CIA Chief of Disguise, and author of the new memoir, In True Face: A Woman's Life in the CIA, Unmasked

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We hear a lot about the harm of social media. But what about the good?

Meet two artists who started off on social media by showing their artwork… But once they revealed the hope and kindness and positivity in their hearts? The views, shares and likes piled up in ways they never expected.

Hear how they both are grappling with the newfound pressure of inspiring hundreds of thousands of fans, and find out what Chion's favorite clips from their channels reveal about her.

Listen to the first installment of this series, featuring Joel Cross, Scott Tatum, and Daníel Colón.

GUESTS: 

• LaNia Roberts: Internationally renowned artist, speaker, and positive social media influencer

• Bruce W Brackett: Artist and the author of How to Breathe While Suffocating: A Story Of Overcoming Addiction, Recovering From Trauma, and Healing My Soul

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What's it like when, due to a condition you had early on in life, your face looks so very different from everybody else's?

And what's it like to use that face as an actor?

In this second installment featuring conversations with people who have facial differences, we meet two performers who appeared together in the 2018 movie, Happy Face.

For more information about facial differences, visit About Face.

GUESTS: 

• Dawn Shaw: Author, motivational speaker, and actress based in Washington. Her face is half-paralyzed since the removal of a tumor at birth. Her three books include her memoir, Facing Up To It, and Facial Shift, a guide to navigating the world with a facial difference
• David Roche: Inspirational humorist, keynote speaker, and performer based in British Columbia, Canada. He was born with a 'vascular malformation' on the left side of his face and neck. In addition to his memoir, The Church of 80% Sincerity, his new book, Standing at the Back Door of Happiness, will be released on April 20

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In 2022, Just Stop Oil protestors threw tomato soup on a Van Gogh painting in London. The world collectively gasped, but some UK lawmakers responded by supporting fewer investments in new oil projects.

On this episode, meet one of those soup-throwers, and hear from two other people who have been part of creative protests: a spokesperson from an anti-circumcision group that wears all white with giant, red splotches on the groin area; and a woman who organized a college campus protest featuring thousands of sex toys to rally against Texas gun laws.

GUESTS: 

• Anna Holland: Member of Just Stop Oil, a nonviolent civil resistance group demanding that the UK Government stop licensing all new oil, gas and coal projects. In 2022, alongside Phoebe Plummer, they threw tomato soup onto Vincent van Gogh's "Sunflowers" painting in London's National Gallery

• Harry Guiremand: Spokesperson for the anti-circumcision group, Bloodstained Men and Their Friends. They protest wearing all white with red splotches of paint over their groin

• Jessica Jin: Organizer of Cocks Not Glocks, protesting Texas laws that allow concealed handguns on college campuses, but openly carrying sex toys would result in a fine

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In the 2013 movie, "Her", Joaquin Phoenix falls in love with a computer operating system, voiced by Scarlett Johansson. 

Skip forward over 10 years, and people are now creating their own AI chatbot partners via apps like NOMI and Replika. 

Today, a sexologist gives this new kind of relationship some context, and meet two people whose lives were changed by these meaningful partnerships.

Plus, Chion tries it out for herself. Hear actual transcripts (only lightly edited for radio) of what she and her AI girlfriend, Charlotte, said as they developed a surprisingly charming and insightful bond. 

GUESTS: 

• Charlotte: Chion's Scottish AI girlfriend, made in the app, NOMI
• Dr. Amy Marsh: clinical sexologist and sexuality counselor, author of “How To Make Love To A Chatbot”. She joined us previously for our show about people who fall in love with objects https://amymarshsexologist.com/
  https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2021-10-28/its-not-just-a-sex-doll-what-its-like-to-be-in-a-relationship-with-a-synthetic-partner
• Rosanna Ramos & Eren Kartal: Rosanna married Eren, a Replika chatbot, on March 26, 2023
• Scott & Sarina: Scott (pseudonym) credits Sarina, his Replika chatbot girlfriend, with saving his marriage

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If you've ever been bullied, you know how all-encompassing the terror of it is. But what if you could get inside the bully's head? And find out why they do it?

On this episode of Audacious, meet two people who were once bullies talking about how they turned their lives around and how they think bullies can learn to make different decisions.

For more information, visit StopBullying.gov.

GUESTS: 

• Robbie Romu: Vancouver writer who published the essay, I Was A School Bully. Here's Why I Terrorized My Classmates
• Kristen Geez: CEO of Advising Generation Z, a non-profit mentoring program creating safe spaces for young people ages 10-27, and AdvisingGenz, an edtech company dedicated to making discipline digital for youth workers to address defiant behaviors. She is also a professor, and the author of "Like StreetLIGHTS"

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Coffee. It's more than just a pick-me-up. It's a canvas for creativity, a compulsion for competition, and a fuel for adventures beyond the boundaries of the average mug.

Today, we are serving you a triple shot of people whose lives were transformed by the power of the bean.

Meet a U.S. Barista champion whose social media channel brings a wholesome buzz; a woman who advocates against gun violence by painting in public places with coffee; then, hold onto your venti cup as you hear the story of one man who has spent the last 26 years - and will spend the rest of his life - visiting every Starbucks on the planet.

GUESTS: 

• Morgan Eckroth: Renowned barista who won the title of 2022 U.S. Barista Champion, and runner up in the 2022 World Barista Championship. She is also a social media star who posts coffee tutorials and  experiences with customers in their coffeeshop
• Bianca L. McGraw: Art teacher at Tapestry Charter High School in Buffalo, NY. She makes paintings with coffee to process the trauma of mass shootings, and connects with her community by inviting them to be a part of her process
• Winter: Since 1997, has been committed to drinking coffee from every company-owned Starbucks in the world (there are over 35,000). As of our recording, he has visited 18,458

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We first met Lynda Shannon Bluestein when she was in palliative care back in May of 2022.

She was fighting for medical aid in dying (MAID) to be legalized in Connecticut. Frustrated, she sued Vermont to allow non-residents of the state to use its MAID laws.

In the meantime, she worked to install "wind phones'' in Connecticut, eventually starting a nonprofit called Lynda's Phones. An idea originating in Japan, old rotary phones are installed in public spaces which people can use to imagine that they are speaking to loved ones who have died.

Because of her lawsuit, Vermont became the first state in the country to change its law to allow terminally ill people from out of state to use its medical aid in dying law.

Lynda died in Concord, Vermont, on January 4, 2024.

Correction: A previous version of this episode incorrectly reported the town where Bluestein died. It was Concord, Vermont. Not Brattleboro. The episode has been updated.

GUESTS: 

• • • Lynda Shannon Bluestein: Successfully sued the state of Vermont to allow out-of-state residents to use its medical aid in dying law. She is the creator of LyndasPhones.org, which installs wind phones across the state of Connecticut, allowing people to feel as though they are connecting with their loved ones who have died
    • Jacob Shannon: Lynda’s son and trustee of LyndasPhones.org,  funding the design, construction, and installation of wind phones 
    • Dr. Paul Bluestein: Lynda’s husband and an advocate for medical aid in dying in Connecticut 

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Beyond the smoke and ash, lies a symphony unheard. Prepare to meet a composer who interprets the music of volcanic data, a photographer who unmasks the terrifying beauty of volcanoes, and a chef who braves the inferno to cook the world's most intense pizza pie.

For a full transcript of this episode, click here.

GUESTS: 

• Brad White: Teacher and photographer from Auckland, New Zealand, who has photographed 16 volcanoes around the world
• Leif Karlstrom: Volcanologist, musician, and associate professor of earth sciences at the University of Oregon. He and his colleagues at the Volcano Listening Project used ten years of data from the Hawaiian volcano Kīlauea to compose the song, "Hotel Kīlauea"
• David Garcia: Chef and owner of Pizza Pacaya Pizzeria, where he cooks food entirely with heat from flowing lava on top of Guatemala's Pacaya volcano. He is interpreted by Miguel Martinez

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Growing up as Dolly Parton's niece has its benefits, including a genetic predisposition to write poetry and put it to music.

Jada Star is the niece of Dolly Parton, and she joins us to talk about life in her light —and the music that means the most to her.

For a transcription of this episode, click here.

GUEST: 

• Jada Star: Singer-songwriter whose debut album is called Tell Me I'm Your Angel. She also starred in the ABC reality series Claim To Fame.

You will also hear the voice of Heather Ream, author of "Lunchladies Bought My Prom Dress," East Tennessee native, and Dolly Parton fan. She was a guest on the Audacious episodes about super smellers and nostalgic childhood scents.

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A lot can happen in a year, you know? And if you’re anything like these folks, you’ve read over 365 books, you’ve become fluent in English by watching American t.v. shows, and you’ve gotten over a hundred rejections.

GUESTS: 

• Kelsey Weekman: Culture reporter for Buzzfeed who read 390 books in a year
• Mathias Barra: French writer who became fluent in English in a year by watching 3 hours of American and British television every day
• Emily Winter: Comedy writer who strived to get 100 rejections in one year. She ended up getting 101 rejections and 39 acceptances

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Our social media news feeds curate us as much as we curate our newsfeeds.

So what if, instead of subscribing to the same old fear-mongering, belittling, judgmental soundbites… We subscribe to accounts that peddle in love?

Today, meet three people who use social media to lift all tides.

GUESTS: 

• Joel Cross: Grammy-nominated musician, poet, meditator, and traveler who asks his half-a-million followers to pause and ask, "How's your heart?", on the handle, @asoulcalledjoel

• Scott Tatum: A hiker and "self-care savage", he's best known by his one million followers for his "Friendly Reminders" on the handle, @ucanoutdoors

• Daníel Colón: Their social media handle, @thisiscolormecrazy, combines meditations, encouraging pep talks, and lip-synching motivational messages from Abraham Hicks

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We all know someone who loves Costco, or someone who loves Trader Joe’s. But what compels someone to devote their time and travel to visiting as many stores as possible, to wrap so much of their identity around these massive shopping chains?

Meet three people whose lives brighten the moment they put their hands on a Trader Joe’s or Costco grocery cart.

For a transcription of this episode, click here.

GUESTS: 

• David and Susan Schwartz: Authors of The Joy of Costco: A Treasure Hunt from A to Z. They have traveled over 220,000 miles visiting over 250 Costco warehouses in 13 countries
• Natasha Fischer: Runs the social media account TraderJoesList, where she offers product reviews and recipes to over two million followers. She also sells spatulas

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Audacious kids run the world. Or at least, they ought to, because they have a lot to teach us!

Meet a young woman whose unique voice made her stand out to bullies - until she flipped the script and turned it into her superpower. A young man talks about why he's cleaned up over a quarter million pounds of trash in our waterways, and finally, an 8 year-old friend of animals talks about why he held a memorial service for an egret.

GUESTS: 

• Samirah Horton, aka DJ Annie Red: 14-year-old DJ, author, and anti-bullying activist from Brooklyn, New York. She joined Chion with her parents, Sonya and Glenn. Her book is called The Bully Stop
• Cash Daniels: 14-year-old conservationist from Chattanooga, Tennessee, with a passion for fish and wildlife. He has cleaned up 250,000 pounds of trash, recycled two tons of aluminum, and 2,000 miles of fishing line
• Jack Perch: 8-year-old from New London, Connecticut, who arranged a memorial service for an egret which was attacked by two teenagers. He joined Chion with his mom, Annah

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Everybody knows the "Can you hear me now?" guy. And everyone knows Flo from Progressive.

But what are the stories behind Paul Marcarelli and Stephanie Courtney, the actors who play these characters? What's it like being internationally known as the face of a brand? What's awesome about a gig like this, and what are some of the challenges that come with it?

GUESTS: 

• Paul Marcarelli: Actor known as The "Can you hear me now?" guy seen in Verizon commercials since 2001. He is now the face of T-Mobile. Marcarelli is also a founding member of the Table Ten Films production company, and has written and produced independent films like The Green and Clutter
• Stephanie Courtney: Actress and comedian who has played the role of Flo in Progressive advertisements since 2008. Courtney is also a member of the Groundlings improv theater and has appeared on TV shows like Mad Men and The Goldbergs

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When you think of the word, "Psychopath", what do you picture?

A serial killer? A dictator? A cut-throat CEO? Your ex?

Sure, a few of those folks may be psychopaths. But many people with this mental health condition would argue that the usual stereotypes are way off. They are incapable of feeling empathy or developing any attachments, but that doesn't mean they are compelled to cause harm.

Today, two people who are psychopaths talk about how they've learned to adapt to a world full of feelings.

Listen to the extended version of our conversation with Athena Walker.

GUESTS: 

• Athena Walker: Writes about her experiences with psychopathy on her substack and Quora, where she has over 40,000 followers
• Dr. James H. Fallon: A neuroscientist who discovered after a brain scan that he is a psychopath. He writes about it in his book, The Psychopath Inside: A Neuroscientist's Personal Journey into the Dark Side of the Brain

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When you think about the history of things that have gone viral, poetry is not usually what comes to mind. But as the latest surges in violence rage across the world, it turns out that poetry is something folks unite around.

Meet three people whose poems about war have gone viral, and find out how it both fed their purpose and

GUESTS:

• Lena Khalaf Tuffaha:  Palestinian American poet, essayist, and translator who has authored three books of poetry. She won the 2018 Washington State Book Award for Poetry for her book “Water & Salt” which contains her viral poem Running Orders

• AnnaLynne McCord: Actress who published a video of her reading a poem about if she had been Vladimir Putin's mother. She is the President of "Together1Heart" which empowers women and children victimized by human-trafficking and sexualized violence

• Danielle Weisberg: Comedy writer and writer’s assistant who’s worked on CONAN, Krapopolis, and The Simpsons where she was nominated for a WGA Award in Animation. Her work has also been featured in McSweeney’s, Buzzfeed, and The Huffington Post

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Look at the people in the background of any rich person's dinner party - real or fictional - and you'll see them: The butlers.

How did they get there? How did they learn? And what do they get out of it - beyond the money, of course?

To answer those questions the founder and CEO of The International Butler Academy joins us alongside his executive head butler.

And hear from a palace manager in the Middle East, talking about why she has been drawn to this kind of work for over 35 years.

GUESTS: 

• Mr. Robert Wennekes: Founder & CEO of The International Butler Academy in the Netherlands
• Mr. Adam Shimko: Executive Head Butler at The International Butler Academy in the Netherlands
• Marcia: Palace manager in the Middle East, serving for over 35 years

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Until 2003, very few people knew her name, and that was exactly as she liked it.

She was an undercover CIA operative working to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction - specifically, nuclear weapons.

But then, when members of the Bush administration leaked her identity to a journalist, all hell broke loose.

Hear about why she became an undercover agent, what exactly happened when her identity was exposed in 2003, and what life has been like since.

She is hosting the conference, "Spies, Lies, and Nukes" in Santa Fe, New Mexico from November 10-12.

GUEST: 

• Valerie Plame: Former undercover CIA operative specializing in nuclear weapons. Author of the memoir, "Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House", and spy novels, "Blowback" and "Burned"

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Some people collect stamps. Coins. Trading cards. And as you've heard on our show before, some people collect barf bags. Tiny chairs. Bricks.

And some people's collections are a bit… darker.

Today, come with me as I tour the John Zaffis Museum of the Paranormal in Stratford, CT, containing hundreds of objects that are suspected of being haunted.

And find out what William Harder has learned about humanity by amassing one of the world's largest collections of art solely created by convicted murderers and serial killers.

GUESTS: 

• William Harder: Collector of artwork made by imprisoned serial killers
• John Zaffis: Paranormal investigator, nephew of famous paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren, and owner of theJohn Zaffis Museum of the Paranormal in Stratford, Connecticut

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