HarmonyTALK is a podcast about dreamers and doers conversations with people from all walks of life: inventors and authors, artists and entrepreneurs, people who have followed through on their dreams and want to talk about it... to us.
His life’s work is focused on “creating better humans” through his involvement in the children’s summer camp industry. Hear entrepreneur and philanthropist, Skip Vichness, talk about how his diverse life, career path and willingness to be completely involved, have led him to the service of others.
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Jim Weiss has evolved Real Chemistry from a one-person consultancy into an international leader in health innovation. Currently, he serves as Chairman and Founder and as Executive Advisor to New Mountain Capital, Real Chemistry’s investment partner. Jim is a healthcare, biopharma, medical tech entrepreneur, business leader, and digital health pioneer. He’s been named a Top 50 Health Influencer and Innovator of the Year. Last year, he received the Trailblazer Lifetime Achievement Award.
His affable curiosity began in our hometown of Honesdale, Pennsylvania, and was furthered at his alma mater, Syracuse University, where he was inducted into the Newhouse School’s 50 Forward as one of its most accomplished graduates of the last 50 years. Jim and his wife Audra also founded the Weiss Center for Social Commerce at S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. In this episode, Jim talks with Todd Stephens about taking the leap from big pharma to launching a start-up. He recounts his early days becoming the leader that, perhaps, no one saw coming. He also touches on the next phase of his career. Through it all, Jim says his commitment to family and giving back kept him grounded. Still, he dispels the myth of work-life balance. He believes the pursuit of “downtime” and "work time" will usually merge. When he's not working, he loves to watch his Northern California teams and listen to The Grateful Dead or see Dead and Co. live! Jim resides with his wife and two children in the Bay Area.
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In honor of Black History Month, we revisit Greg Frigoletto’s conversation with Glynis Johns, the Founder of the Black Scranton Project.
Growing up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Glynis Johns dreamed of one day moving to New York City to explore the arts, fashion and to further her education. While attending St. John’s University and establishing herself as a Brooklynite, Glynis found her calling and her passion. In this episode, Glynis speaks with Greg Frigoletto about her fascinating journey from dreaming to doing, becoming the founder and CEO of the Black Scranton Project, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, local heritage initiative, and public history venture dedicated to archiving and celebrating the Black history of Scranton and Northeastern Pennsylvania.
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It started with a stamp from the Belgian Congo and took Professor Ed Williams around the world—along with hundreds of students, older adults, and college deans. “It” is the retired professor’s passion for travel, and not just any travel. Learning Vacations. Ed shares his journey with host Lisa Champeau on how he made a career of travel education with a focus on China, the “sleeping giant” who sleeps no more.
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Author Amy Ferris has just published a new memoir that lives up to its title-- Mighty Gorgeous, a Little Book About Messy Love.” From her home in northeastern Pennsylvania, Amy chats with Harmony TALK host Lisa Champeau about everything from dropping out of high school at age 15 to being nominated for a big award in Hollywood. But most significantly, Amy talks from the heart about how important it is to embrace who you are and how you got there.
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Peter Bohlin, the architect behind many iconic structures, including the Apple store on 5th Avenue in New York, the Barn at Fallingwater and Bill Gates’ Seattle-area mansion, talks to host Lisa Champeau about creating works that are not only sustainable but “humane.” Find out how Peter Bohlin followed his calling.
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Growing up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Glynis Johns dreamed of one day moving to New York City to explore the arts, fashion and to further her education. While attending St. John’s University and establishing herself as a Brooklynite, Glynis found her calling and her passion. In this episode, Glynis speaks with Greg Frigoletto about her fascinating journey from dreaming to doing, becoming the founder and CEO of the Black Scranton Project, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, local heritage initiative, and public history venture dedicated to archiving and celebrating the Black history of Scranton and Northeastern Pennsylvania.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Lisa Champeau interviews Dreamer, Entrepreneur and Choreographer Rebecca Davis. Learn how she turned her passion for dance into a globe-spanning tool for social change.
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A medical visionary with the soul of an artist, Dr. Melvyn Wolk has made his mark on humanity. In this episode he talks with Todd Stephens about his lifelong desire to make going to the doctor more “fun” for kids. He also shares how working in a junk yard as a young boy may have inspired his fascination with “found object” art and ignited his love of photography. Gifted with a passion for dreaming and doing, Dr. Wolk introduces his latest project, an interactive children’s book called “The Illphabet”, which helps kids learn and understand the alphabet and their health.
Listen here or watch this episode on streaming video at: https://youtu.be/ogMVAzKUZpY?si=LweJ-kIWkL-7W2s0
To see Dr. Wolk’s artistic work visit melwolkstudio.com.
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Congratulations to Celeste Mergens, founder of the global nonprofit Days for Girls International, on the publication of her new book, The Power of Days. Mergens’ programs to fight menstrual stigma can now be found in 140+ countries. She spoke with Harmony TALK host Lisa Champeau in 2022 about her own journey from an impoverished youth to crusader for women’s rights. Her new book, released October 3, 2023, has many poignant—sometimes painful but always moving—stories of struggle and resilience. Celeste and Lisa are joined by Olivia Scartelli, a post-graduate student at the time, who works today for the U.S. Agency for International Development. She helps customize financing solutions for projects in developing countries – including improving women’s access to finance. For more info on Days for Girls, visit www.daysforgirls.org.
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After a concussion in training camp ended his dreams of playing for the New York Jets, Russ Cooke found himself pumping gas in his home town. In this episode he talks with Todd Stephens about his unlikely transition from the locker room to the board room. Today he’s focused on the mental health and wellbeing of student athletes who face increasing rates of anxiety and depression, through his work with NDUR for Athletes.
https://ndurforathletes.health
https://www.linkedin.com/in/russ-cooke-0883b014/
Instagram: @russellcooke73
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He's a businessman and a grandfather, she's a spirited young artist and mother. Different, yes, but with a shared passion. Henry Skier and Jill Carletti chat with Harmony TALK host Lisa Champeau about how they came together to grow Harmony Presents from a small performance space in an old silk mill to a successful, sophisticated yet rustic outdoor performance venue in Hawley, Pennsylvania, called Harmony in the Woods.
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Brian Balthazar is a TV personality and executive producer who has built a career creating, producing, and appearing on some of the country’s most popular networks and programs.
Brian has amassed more than 300 appearances as a television host, journalist, and pop culture guest on a variety of shows including The TODAY show, The Talk, Good Morning America, and more. This is a great peek behind the curtain from an entertainment professional who took a dream and made it into a successful career in television!
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Well-known portrait artist Oliver Johnson sat down with Lisa Champeau to discuss his art and tumultuous youth in and out of reform schools and prisons, and how during these confinements he always painted. Prison provided him with the tools he needed: canvas, paint, and, of course, plenty of time. Oliver talks about his journey of teaching art to his fellow inmates, and how, by the time he was paroled, he had a waiting line to attend his classes. Since Oliver Johnson’s untimely death due to illness in 2021, shortly after this interview, his name and his work have reached new heights, his passion forever remembered in his art. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/harmonytalk/id1573509159?i=1000533117818
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Isabel Bohn and Jeff McGinnis founded the Pennsylvania Center for Adapted Sports to fill a gap in available recreation and sports activities for the disabled on the East Coast. Thirty-five years and mountains of challenges later, they are thriving. The Center has produced 11 Paralympians, but more than that, it’s “really changed people in so many positive ways” and built a flourishing community of inclusivity and possibility.
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Funky bluesy riffs—a Southern pace out of a New York base! The Gold Magnolias talk with Lisa Champeau about how their dream to make music became a “golden” reality. Based in Brooklyn, Daniel Foose, Hudson Mueller, Evan Felts, Ryan Anselmi and Jeff Barton evoke jam-band sounds reminiscent of the Alabama Shakes and Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats. Their melodies pay homage to their musical heroes, including Willie Nelson, the Allman Brothers and Stevie Wonder. This interview first aired in June of 2021. The band performs live on the Harmony in the Woods stage in Hawley, Pennsylvania on August 19th, 2023.
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Carpenter turned brew master! Travis Rivera, the founder of Black and Brass Coffee Roasting Company, talks to host Lisa Champeau about the fast-rising success of his brand from one store to a national business. Travis shares why he almost but didn’t give up when the going got rough and a little secret about his tv appearance on a reality show.
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Pete Muller, singer-songwriter and founder of the Kindred Souls, talks to host Lisa Champeau about his successful careers in music, mathematics— and crossword puzzles! A quantitative math wizard and Wall Street hedge fund executive before forming his band, Muller’s songs and melodies reflect his life and passions. Since this interview was recorded in September, 2021, Muller has dropped two albums, Spaces and a covers album Hello Outside. Pete Muller and the Kindred Souls return to the Harmony in the Woods stage in Hawley, Pennsylvania on July 14, 2023.
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His life’s work is focused on “creating better humans” through his involvement in the children’s summer camp industry. Hear entrepreneur and philanthropist, Skip Vichness, talk about how his diverse life, career path and willingness to be completely involved, have led him to the service of others.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Juan Espino marries architecture, history and the human experience to create some of the most “smile-inducing” paintings of our time. Working in the “Art Naïve” or, Folk-Art style. Guest Host Todd Stephens, and Juan discuss his use of painting as a form of therapy before relocating to the United States from his native Mexico. He is now the owner of Looking Glass Art Gallery, in Northeast Pennsylvania. www.lookingglassartgallery.com.
Find Todd Stephens at:
@toddjstephens (Twitter)
@tjstephens (LinkedIn)
@workinman1 (Instagram)
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