Shows
Tell Me What HappenedJim Kleinmann, Artistic Director and co-founder of the playwright incubator PlayGround, recalls driving the Staten Island Ferry as a ten year old.JIM KLEINMANN, he/him, co-founded PlayGround in 1994, along with playwright Brighde Mullins and director Denise Shama, and has served as Artistic Director since 1996. For PlayGround, he has provided artistic and administrative leadership for the past twenty-four seasons, developing PlayGround’s unique array of new playwright and new play incubator programs, including Monday Night PlayGround, the PlayGround Festival of New Works, the full-length play Commissioning Initiative, the New Play Production Fund, Potrero Stage: PlayGround Center for New Plays, and most recently the Innovator Incubator. For PlayGround, he has directed more than one hundred short and full-length plays, including works by Ga...
2024-12-1010 min
Tell Me What HappenedGaby Iori, publicist at Quirk Books, recalls how receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation in front of her second grade classmates started years of OCD. Gaby is a born and bred North Carolinian currently living in Baltimore with her partner and two cats. She is a publicist at Quirk Books and the digital projects coordinator for Witch Please Productions, where she is the video editor and associate producer for Making Worlds. She is a writer, home cook, and storyteller, and she wants to make you laugh.Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor.More information about Susan Salidor can be found at her websiteGet Susan Salidor’s One Little Act of Kindness Ch...
2024-11-2515 min
Tell Me What HappenedKatie Todd, award winning elementary music educator & children’s music artist, recalls being inspired by the creative leadership of Mr. White, her second grade teacher.Music is the medium, and helping students feel seen and valued is the goal. This is the fuel behind Maize Elementary School teacher Katie Todd’s music instruction to kindergarten through fourth grade students.Katie earned her Bachelors of Music Education in 2012 from Kansas State University. She continued her education by pursuing a Masters of Music Education degree at her alma mater, graduating in 2017. Todd is in her twelfth year of teaching and currently teaches in Maize USD 266, where she is admired by colleagues, parents, and students alike.Katie finds much of the inspiration for le...
2024-11-1214 min
Tell Me What HappenedMartin Ross, a nonprofit leader, recalls the advantages/disadvantages of growing up with an identical twin brother.Martin Ross a nonprofiit leader who specializes in forming Trifectas for community transformation and continues to add to his “10,000” hours in areas of workforce development, partnerships, external affairs and community engagement. In Spanish, he likes to call himself a “puente” or bridge/bridge builder. As an appointed person in Sacramento County, he serves as a chairman, commissioner, or committee member, and is a candidate for school board for the San Juan Unified School District Area 4. For more on the good that he is doing in the neighborhood in practical, compassionate, and innovative ways please follow him on social media and/or g...
2024-10-2915 min
Tell Me What HappenedAlex Kingsley, writer and game designer, recalls being in third grade, feeling isolated, and how their participation in a "Destination Imagination" program changed their perspective.Alex Kingsley (they/them) is a writer, comedian, game designer, and playwright. They are a co-founder of the new media company Strong Branch Productions, where they write and direct sci-fi comedy podcast The Stench of Adventure and other shows. Their debut novel Empress of Dust will be published by Space Wizard Science Fantasy in Fall 2024. Their short fiction has appeared in Translunar Travelers Lounge, Radon Journal, The Storage Papers, and more. In 2023 they published their short story collection, The Strange Garden and Other Weird Tales. Alex’s sci-fi plays have been produced in LA, Philadelphia, and Chicago. Alex’s SFF...
2024-10-1518 min
Tell Me What HappenedKen Tang, the first Vietnamese refugee elected to the Alhambra Unified School District Board of Education, recalls being a child, fleeing Vietnam on a fishing boat that was attacked by pirates.Ken Trung Tang, the first Vietnamese refugee elected to the Alhambra Unified School District Board of Education in California uses his 27 years teaching experience to guide his new roles as a public servant.Ken Tang has devoted his life to public education and social justice, advocating for students, families, and teachers as a public school teacher, community volunteer, and labor leader. His special areas of focus are building educational equity, inclusion, and linguistic diversity; developing mental health supports for students and staff; and expanding community relationships.The first in his family to graduate from high...
2024-10-0117 min
Tell Me What HappenedVictoria Oltarsh, author of "The Boy and the Secret of the Stars," recalls being 8 years old and walking in the Easter Parade on 5th Avenue, much to the chagrin of her Jewish mother.Victoria Oltarsh is a native New Yorker who grew up playing in Central Park while visiting her grandparents living across the street. Now a mother and grandmother herself, she feels most comfortable in the delightful company of children. Victoria has spent her thirty-five-year career directing original and classical plays, teaching rapid-fire-Improv, and story theater, She is a published lyricist on the song, “Lucky Charm,” produced by Grover Washington Jr. on Atlantic Records. Victoria also received an individual artist grant from The Arts Council of Rockland. Her adaptations of classical fairy tales have been performed for students by an adult tour...
2024-09-1616 min
Tell Me What HappenedLisa Lindsley, former investment banker turned shareholder activist, recalls being 8 years old and having her cousin returned to an orphanage by her aunt and uncle.Lisa’s 38-year career in finance has gone from investment banking to microfinance to shareholder activism and corporate accountability. Most recently Lisa was the Director of Investor Engagement at Majority Action, where she led a team supporting institutional investors in addressing racial inequity and climate change in their portfolio companies and service providers. She has lived in Brazil, Argentina and Mexico and holds an MBA from NYU and an undergraduate degree from Georgetown.Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor. More information about Susan Salidor can be found at her we...
2024-09-0316 min
Tell Me What HappenedJill Hopkins, Director of Civic Events and New Media for Metro Chicago and Gman Tavern, recalls a 5th grade fight with a friend over New Kids on the Block, and how she learned the power of words.Jill Hopkins is the Director of Civic Events and New Media for Metro Chicago and Gman Tavern in Chicago. She's served as the host of several podcasts, including Making Beyonce for WBEZ and The Opus for the Consequence Podcast Network, and was a radio personality for CHIRP and Vocalo Radio for over ten years.`Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor.More information about Susan Salidor can be found at her websiteGet Susan Salidor’s One Little Act of Kindness Children’s BookGet Susan Sali...
2024-05-0727 min
Tell Me What HappenedEric Horvath, VP for Community-engaged Investing at Earlystone Management, recalls a traumatic simulation of the Ellis Island experience while in 5th grade.Eric is driven by a single, fundamental question: how do we transform how power and resources are shared in our economy, while centering those who have been systematically excluded?Eric mobilizes resources for underserved communities as both an investor and an educator. He is Vice President for Community-engaged Investing at Earlystone Management, a family office. He also leads an initiative at Harvard Law School focused on supporting labor pension fund trustees advocate for more responsible investing at their Funds.Previously, Eric served as the Director of Impact Investments at Common Future...
2024-04-0918 min
Tell Me What HappenedBob Bossie, a 56 year member of the Priests of the Sacred Heart, recalls the moment he suddenly understood his calling, after partying morning, noon, and night in California.Robert (Bob) Bossie, SCJ is a 56 year member of the Priests of the Sacred Heart, a religious congregation located in over 40 countries. He worked at Chicago's 8th Day Center for Justice for over 32 years. The Center (which closed in 2018) was a faith-based collective of 30+ religious congregations committed to created a world of justice, peace and integrity of creation.Bob focused his efforts on nonviolent resistance to nuclear weapons, war, as well as economic and environmental oppression. Though retired now, "he doesn't know how he found time to work before he was retired."Bob was born...
2024-03-2518 min
Material GirlsIntroducing Making Worlds with Hannah McGregorWe're so excited to announce that our new show, Making Worlds, begins January 25th!This video podcast, hosted by Hannah McGregor (maybe you know them?!?), will be released monthly via our Patreon. In each 30ish-minute episode, a guest will bring Hannah a text that has helped them imagine the liberatory possibilities of another world. We’re talking sci-fi, fantasy and speculative fiction! Hot!!!! Our first episode? Why it simply had to be about Our Flag Means Death! What says liberatory possibility more than gay pirates!? And, we're really lucky to have writer Hope Rehak as our fi...
2024-01-1604 min
Tell Me What HappenedMullissa Willette, President of Service Employees International Union 521, is devastated when her parents refuse to allow her to be double promoted from 3rd to 5th grade.Mullissa Willette is serving her first term on the CalPERS Board of Administration.She’s an estate administrator with the County of Santa Clara, president of Service Employees International Union 521, and has served on multiple committees and commissions.Mullissa has a Bachelor of Management, Public Administration from Southern New Hampshire University. She also holds certifications in public pension investment management from UC Berkeley, and advanced assessment analysis at the California State Board of Equalization.Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor.More information about Susan Salidor ca...
2024-01-1614 min
Tell Me What HappenedTammy Fisher, owner of The Pleasure Principles, recalls being in 6th grade in Austin, TX, and being bussed across town to help desegregate the school system.As a 6th grader, Tammy Fisher was bussed across town in Austin, Texas, to help desegregate the school system. On the first day of class, she is encircled by children who claim to have heard that she was racist. Young Tammy holds her ground, but spends the year in self-reflection.Years later, Tammy connects that primary school experience to her interest in psychology and becoming a therapist.Tammy is a Masters Level Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor, Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist-Supervisor and Sex Therapist in with extensive training in couples work and sexual issues. She provides clinical...
2023-12-1320 min
Tell Me What HappenedJohn Chisum, President of the Nashville Christian Songwriters, recalls moving from Birmingham, AL to Memphis, TN during the turbulent 1960's & his first interracial date.John Chisum is a veteran songwriter, recording artist, and coach, as well as founder and President of Nashville Christian Songwriters. He's also host of the popular podcast "Song Revolution with John Chisum."John recalls dating an African-American classmate while they were both in grade school and the racism they both encountered.Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor.More information about Susan Salidor can be found at her websiteGet Susan Salidor’s One Little Act of Kindness Children’s BookGet Susan Salidor’s I’ve Got P...
2023-11-2814 min
Tell Me What HappenedJay Rehak, author, animator and podcaster, recalls being frightened by a horror movie and his father's zen-like advice.At the age of 6, Jay is sitting alone watching a horror movie that frightens him. When he runs to his father and tells him why he is scared, his father tells Jay, "Son, just change the channel." Jay does this and is immediately relieved. Now, as an adult, when his mind races to all of the potential horrors that might happen in real life, he calls to mind his father's sage adviceTell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor.More information about Susan Salidor can be found at her website...
2023-11-1405 min
Tell Me What HappenedAllie McRaith, Chicagoan & worldwide nomad, recalls the moment her mother, suffering from cancer, would never fully recover.Allie currently works in Democratic politics but has had a string of odd jobs along the way including camp counselor, olive picker, ice cream scooper, tour guide, and editor. She enjoys drinking coffee (always iced) and baking, playing and watching tennis, and spending all her nomadic time near the beach. One day she will get around to writing all the stories about her mom she wants to remember here: https://griefbabe.substack.com/.Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor.More information about Susan Salidor can be found at her website
2023-10-3117 minMaterial GirlsStar Wars x Mass CultureWhy is Star Wars so popular? What were the material conditions that set the first film, A New Hope, up for success in 1977? What can a Marxist critique help us understand about the film?In this episode, Marcelle leads Hannah through a conversation about one of her favorite franchises by first taking a close look at George Lucas's politics and the state of Hollywood in the 1970s. Marcelle and Hannah then think through the movie's seemingly progressive narrative — and the way it's been co-opted by people of all political views. Pulling on the work of Theodor Ad...
2023-10-171h 06
Tell Me What HappenedWoody Rini, Spiritual Advisor & Recovering Addict, recalls being 12 & having his pastor tell him he was responsible for his 17 sister going to hell.Woody Rini (they/them) is a nonbinary author and speaker who teaches "anti-self-help" methods. After a decade of failed "self help" attempts, Woody hit bottom and turned to support communities and therapists to heal. What started as a must for survival in mid-2021 has turned into multiple years of thriving growth, all as a result of asking for help instead of doing it alone. Woody now runs their own social support community, The Help Collective. Woody also offers coaching on executive functions like scheduling, task planning, and budgeting to creatives, queer folks, neurodiverse people, and anyone who is struggling...
2023-10-1719 min
Tell Me What HappenedVonda Brunsting, long-time labor & community organizer, recalls being 8 years old when her uncle lost part of his foot in a factory accident.Vonda leads the Global Capital Strategies initiative, at the Center for Labor & a Just Economy at Harvard Law School, focusing on financial strategies in service of labor and human rights, and a just transition to a low carbon economy. She also supports the Capital Strategies for a Common Good initiative, researching ties between movements for workers’ rights, environmental justice, and racial justice. Prior to joining CLJE, she led the Just Transition project and co-founded the Trustee Leadership Forum for Retirement Security (TLF) at the Initiative for Responsible Investment at the Harvard Kennedy School. Before her work at Harvard, Vonda wa...
2023-10-0311 minMaterial GirlsBridgerton x Reading the Romance with Vanessa ZoltanIn this episode we talk about Bridgerton with a very special guest — Vanessa Zoltan. We discuss Bridgerton the book series and its move into the mainstream through the Shondaland adaptation on Netflix. Vanessa gives us some insight on romance fiction as a genre and Hannah leads us through theory from Janice Radway's book Reading the Romance. If you like Romance novels and/or juicy television, this episode is for you! We think through the radical possibilities of romance reading, how we can make sense of certain recurring tropes and what we may learn from the rise in...
2023-10-031h 06Material GirlsPatreon Preview: Avatar Pt. 1We had to talk about Avatar more — especially James "horny for the ocean" Cameron. We structured this bonus like our usual Patreon-only Q&A episodes, except this time we only answered questions you submitted about Cameron's blockbuster hit. We talk colonialism, pony tails and doing whatever Coach tells us to! Thanks for submitting such thoughtful questions.Part II of this bonus will be available on Patreon this week to all of our tiers! Join today for just $5 USD/month to get the rest of the conversation in your feed and for all the bonus perks we've alr...
2023-09-2614 minMaterial GirlsAvatar x HypermediacyDid you love James Cameron's Avatar upon its release in 2009? Have you since watched it and thought, huh, now what were we thinking 14 years ago? Were you critical of it from the start? Baffled by the public's interest in colonialism and hot blue aliens? Then this episode is for you.Tune in for a conversation about this beloved sci-fi blockbuster. Hannah leads Marcelle talk colonialism, sexism, marketing budgets and how the interests of white dude billionaires drives our reality. Together, they discuss Jay David Bolter and Richard Grusin’s iconic 2000 book Remediation: Understanding New Media to be...
2023-09-191h 03
Tell Me What HappenedHannah Rehak, improvasationalist, podcaster, recalls making friends with a girl at a Summer Camp who later revealed that she believed all gay people went to hell.Hannah Rehak is a comedian, essayist, podcaster and filmmaker. She is the Communications Manager at Not Sorry Productions, an understudy at The Second City, the producer of Material Girls and Gender Playground, and the co-host of Nina, Hannah, and Emily in Paris. Hannah is a proud Chicago Public Schools and Macalester College alum with a background in critical race theory and media and cultural studies. She has spent time in Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Morocco, New York and Chicago working in the performing arts and new media. You can learn more about her and see her work at hannahrehak.com.
2023-09-1918 min
Tell Me What HappenedBen Joravsky, Chicago Reader Investigative Reporter, Author, and Host of the Ben Joravsky Show Podcast, recalls one of his earliest experiences as a writer. (He was in fifth grade)Ben Joravsky Staff Writer, Chicago Reader Investigative Reporter, Author and Host of the Ben Joravsky Show Podcast. Ben Joravsky is a prize winning journalist whose piece about Chicago’s Roosevelt High School was chosen as one of 1992’s outstanding sports articles.Reader senior writer Ben Joravsky riffs on the day's stories with his celebrated humor, insight, and honesty, and interviews politicians, activists, journalists and other political know-it-alls. Presented by the Chicago Reader, the show is available by 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays at chicagoreader.com/joravsky or on the Reader's YouTube channel—or wherever you podcast. Don't miss O...
2023-09-0524 minMaterial GirlsGoblin Mode x the Abject with McKayla CoyleIn this episode we’re asking why ‘goblin mode’ is so danged zeitgeist-y such that in 2022 it became the Oxford English Dictionary's Word of the Year. Joined by McKayla Coyle (they/them), author of Goblin Mode: How to Get Cozy, Embrace Imperfection, and Thrive in the Muck, we dig into the term that took twitter by storm last year. Hannah leads Marcelle and McKayla through a discussion on 'the abject,' a concept from Bulgarian-French feminist philosopher Julia Kristeva. We talk about the racialized and ableist construction of bodies and boundaries — and how that may help us understand the radical...
2023-09-0559 minMaterial GirlsQueer Eye x Cruel OptimismWhat makes the Fab Five so fab? In this episode, Hannah leads Marcelle through a discussion of contemporary masculinities and their commodification via pop culture! They talk neo-liberalism, self-care discourse and the interplay of Trump's rise to power and "reaching across the aisle" through entertainment. Hannah pulls on theory from the late Lauren Berlant for a lesson on intimate publics and 'cruel optimism.'This episode is for you if you:watched the original Queer Eye for the Straight Guyenjoy the reboot of Queer Eyehate the rebootthink Antoni is a hunkdon't think Antoni is a...
2023-08-221h 02Material GirlsPatreon Preview: The Barbie Movie Pt. 1We had to talk about the Barbie movie! We structured this bonus like our usual Patreon-only Q&A episodes, only this time we only answered questions you submitted about Greta Gerwig's blockbuster hit. We talk mainstream feminism, satire, the limits and possibilities of camp, aesthetics and so much more! If you needed a hearty discussion about the movie after viewing it as a thinking person in 2023, then we have you covered! Thanks for submitting such thoughtful questions.Part II of this bonus is available on Patreon to all of our tiers! Join today for just $5 USD...
2023-08-1531 minMaterial GirlsBarbie x Petro-CapitalismWe had to talk about Barbie! This episode is all about Barbie dolls and way they took over the toy industry in the 90s. We've since recorded an episode about the movie which will be available on our Patreon in the coming weeks.For now, please enjoy this episode that touches on liberal feminism, petro-capitalism, the history of Big Plastic, Barbie (the metonym!) and so much more. Over the course of an hour, Marcelle leads Hannah through a theory-informed breakdown of why Barbie, created in 1959, had her biggest moment in the early 90s and how we...
2023-08-081h 05Material GirlsSpare x Tender MasculinityIt's here! Welcome to the first episode of Material Girls, a scholarly podcast about pop culture co-hosted by Hannah McGregor and Marcelle Kosman.This show aims to make sense of the zeitgeist through materialist critique* and critical theory! Each episode looks at a unique object of study (something popular now or from back in the day) and over the course of three distinct segments, Hannah and Marcelle apply their academic expertise to the topic at hand.In this pilot episode, Marcelle leads us through a discussion of Prince Harry's memoir...
2023-07-251h 01
The Ben Joravsky ShowJay Rehak—Pension Scams and SchemesAs the former president of the board of trustees of the Chicago Teachers pension fund, Jay Rehak probably knows as much or more than anyone about public pensions. He gives us the ABCs of a system that’s been exposed to the scams and schemes of elected officials and Right Wing ideologues for decades.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
2023-06-2057 min
Tell Me What HappenedCaleb Frankel, co-founder of Early Bird (a financial technology company), recalls moving 20 times in a short period of time after his parent's divorce.Caleb Frankel, recalls the pain he experienced and the resilience he developed as a result of his parent's divorce. Caleb was seven at the time, and he became the protector of his younger brother while his parents frequently changed homes subsequent to their break up. Caleb recalls the sustaining love of his extended family and family friends that has helped him develop an "eternal optimism."Caleb Frankel is co-founder and COO at EarlyBird, a financial technology company and investing platform that empowers parents, family, and friends to collectively invest in the children they love, starting at the...
2023-05-1616 min
Tell Me What HappenedGayle Petrillo, career and confidence coach, consultant, author and speaker, recalls suffering burns over 40% of her body when she was 2 and 1/2 years old.Gayle Petrillo recalls being a toddler, and experiencing a horrific accident that scarred her for life. While she and her mother were visiting a neighbor Gayle accidentally spilled an urn of scalding hot coffee on herself, causing burns over 40% of her body. After months in the hospital, Gayle spent her formative years with scars both internal and external.Born & raised in Albany, New York, Gayle has called Tucson home for 24 years. She has been married to her best friend and most avid supporter, Al, for 43 years.With over 35 years in healthcare leadership roles In 2017 Gayle launched First...
2023-05-0218 min
Tell Me What HappenedEllie Moller, publishing priestess, creative writer & clothing designer, recalls becoming bulimic at the age of 18, after absorbing the offhand comments of an aunt.Ellie Moller believes words are "Like magic spells." That is, what we say to one another often has the capacity to impact us in very powerful ways.As an 18 year old, Ellie returns from two months in Denmark and, while at a family gathering, her Aunt comments on the weight she has gained since being abroad.. Taking it to heart, Ellie immediately begins working out. She joins a gym, and unbeknownst to her boyfriend, family members and close acquaintances, she becomes bulimic. Two years later, Ellie meets a life coach and is able to help her understand...
2023-04-1718 min
Tell Me What HappenedJon Taber, host of the podcast "Audit 15 Fun", recalls being 10 & experiencing the tragedy of his 13 year old brother's drowning & the aftermath of not being able to fully talk about it.Jon Taber recalls being ten and the tragedy of losing his thirteen year old brother, Luis Filipe to a drowning accident. Jon expresses his grief through a poem he wrote, and discovers that his school won't allow him to include it as part of a science fair presentation.Jon Taber is an Internal Audit professional and host of the AUDIT 15 FUN podcast. The podcast assists Internal Audit professionals across the globe, having reached 140 countries as of March 2023.In his reflection,Jon makes reference to the book, The Rabbit Listened.Tell Me What Happened...
2023-04-0414 min
Tell Me What HappenedJon Taber, host of the podcast "Audit 15 Fun", recalls being 10 & experiencing the tragedy of his 13 year old brother's drowning & the aftermath of not being able to fully talk about it.Jon Taber is an Internal Audit professional and host of the AUDIT 15 FUN podcast. The podcast assists Internal Audit professionals across the globe, having reached 140 countries as of March 2023.In his reflection, Jon makes reference to the book, The Rabbit Listened.Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor.More information about Susan Salidor can be found at her website
2023-04-0414 min
Tell Me What HappenedHope Rehak, comic, teacher, writer, recalls being recruited by a classmate to attend religious fundamentalist summer camp when she was in third grade, and how it cost her a friendshipRaised by a Jewish mother and a Catholic father, Hope Rehak shares her powerful perspective on the impact religious fundamentalism can have on friendships and relationships. In this childhood memory, Hope recalls being recruited for a religious summer camp by a third grade classmate, who is worried Hope may wind up in hell if she doesn't convert.Hope Rehak is a comic and writer whose work has appeared online, in print, and on stages in Chicago, New York, LA, Glasgow, Malmo, and Copenhagen. Her weekly blog, "Obsessions This Week" clues readers in on what's happening in the...
2023-03-2115 min
Tell Me What HappenedHarker Jones, LA screenwriter & former managing editor of "Out" magazine, recalls a childhood vacation on Mackinac Island, where a caricature artist labels his sister "cute" and him a "clown" and how those images haunted him for years.While on a childhood vacation on Mackinac Island, Michigan, eight year old Harker Jones and his younger sister are drawn by a caricature artist. The caricaturist draws and labels his little sister "cute," while drawing and labelling Harker as a "clown." For years, and until only very recently, those two images haunted him for as they hung on the wall of his family's home.Harker Jones grew up on a dirt road in Michigan in a town so small it doesn’t to this day have a traffic light. He has written an Amazon #1 best-selling love story, “Unti...
2023-03-0718 min
Tell Me What HappenedTina El Gamal, artist, educator & arts administrator in Chicago, recalls being seven and having her mother accidentally drive off without her and the lesson she learned of self-relianceTina El Gamal is an artist, educator, and arts administrator in Chicago. She believes in the power of a good story, and a good cup of coffee.Tina El Gamal (she/they) is a Chicago-based actor, director, educator, and arts administrator. They hold a BFA in Acting from the University of Illinois at Chicago.Recent acting credits include: Measure for Measure (u/s) (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre); the U.S. premiere of Light Falls (u/s, perf.) (Steep Theatre); Passage (u/s, perf.) (Remy Bumppo); Young Playwrights Festival (Pegasus Theater); Twice, Thrice, Frice... u/s (Silk...
2023-02-2114 min
Tell Me What HappenedDr. Kaci, Licensed Mediator, Life & Sex Coach, recalls being a teenager, and her mother trying to kill her.Dr. Kaci is an intuitive thought provoking leader, licensed as a Mediator, Life & Sex Coach with over 7 disciplines, Earned a Bachelors in Applied Management & Psychology before being honored with a Doctorate Degree for her work & book introducing a new area of psychology: Spiritual Human Behavior. Dr. Kaci has been working as a Life Coach for 10+ years; she's an Author of 16 books and workbooks. But her favorite accomplishment is being a mom & community leader, taking pride in growing and shifting the world into Healing & Wholeness with Love. Her podcast, Speaking Freedom TV has Reached over 650k viewers during the 12 Seasons...
2023-02-0715 min
Tell Me What HappenedRuss Klettke, business writer, recalls a grade school essay contest in which he zagged instead of zigged, and how that decision has influenced his career choice and writing style.Russ Klettke grew up in a small town in upstate New York. From an early age, Russ realized creative thinking was one key to success. An award winning writer, Russ learned a lesson in 6th grade by choosing to write an original essay over a conventional one. Russ tells the story and explains how it has made all the difference in his life.Russ Klettke is a freelance journalist based in Chicago covering energy and the environment, as well as a business writer for hire by companies and not-for-profit organizations. His book on nutrition, 'A Guy's Gotta...
2023-01-2416 min
Tell Me What HappenedJohn Lee Dumas, founder & host of Entrepreneurs on Fire podcast, recalls a ski trip he took with his father when he was 8, and the impact it's had on his life.John Lee Dumas, known to his millions of listeners as "JLD," tells the story of being eight years old on a Colorado ski trip with his father and a number of older men. Young JLD, who's been admonished not to slow down the group, winds up assisting one of the older skiers. His reflection on the memory ends with what Entrepreneurs on Fire podcast listeners have come to know as one of John's "value bombs."John Lee Dumas is the founder and host of the award winning podcast, Entrepreneurs On Fire. With over 100 million listens of his 3000+...
2023-01-0913 min
Tell Me What HappenedAlanna Bennett, screenwriter & culture writer, recalls being in fourth grade and living out of a Portland, Oregon motel with her mother, two cats and a hot plate.Growing up in Portland, Oregon, Alanna Bennett was Initially unaware of the difficult economic circumstances she and her mother faced each day. Over time, however, Alanna understood that most of her grade school classmates didn't participate in the free lunch program, nor did they avail themselves to the second hand shoes and clothing that school administrators offered her. Only after breaking her arm in a skateboard accident as a ten year old, did the living circumstances of Alanna's life slowly begin to change.Alanna Bennett is a screenwriter and culture writer living in Los Angeles. She’s wr...
2022-12-2921 min
Ketamine Insights"My Lutheran Catholic Grandma" from the Tell Me What Happened podcastMolly is the guest storyteller for Tell Me What Happened's 50th episode. Host Jay Rehak listens as Molly remembers her Grandma making a shocking admission (proudly!) at a big family dinner. Jay and Molly discuss how we often think that we already understand the people closest to us, when there is actually great wisdom and insight to be gained from asking them to... Tell Me What Happened.Thanks to Mr. Rehak (my high school English teacher!) for having me on, and for letting me share this story and a poem titled Us, Together. Both are...
2022-12-1619 min
Tell Me What HappenedMolly Dunn, disabled writer and co-host of the podcast, Ketamine Insights, recalls her seemingly devout Catholic grandmother revealing why she hadn't been to confession in 35 years.To the chagrin of her seemingly devout Catholic grandmother, Molly Dunn's parents decided not to baptize their children. Family discord and many uncomfortable moments followed. Years later, while Molly was a teenager, her grandmother reveals that she (the grandmother) has not been to confession in 35 years. Molly is shocked to learn that her grandmother wasn't quite as Catholic as Molly had assumed.Molly Dunn is a disabled writer and former student of mine. She has worked in the US Senate, earned a graduate degree from Oxford, and spent time in a Chicago psych ward. Her weekly podcast...
2022-12-1517 min
Tell Me What HappenedJeff Salidor, Day Trader and Pattern Technician, recalls his father's first words, after Jeff returns home following his mother's cancer diagnosis.Jeff Salidor recalls moving out of his parent's home at a young age, shortly after his mother has been diagnosed with cancer. Deciding to move back in with his parents four months later, Jeff has a short conversation with his father that he carries with him to this day.Jeff Salidor is a Day Trader, Pattern Technician and former Restauranteur & Beverage Industry Importer. He is also a CBD Distributor and Wholesaler.Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor.Get Susan Salidor’s One Little Act of Kindness Children’s Book
2022-12-0310 min
Tell Me What HappenedTimothy Bernard Felton, actor, comedian, relates his rom-com experience that ended a bit differently than expected.At the age of 19, Timothy (aka Tim) has an experience that he's convinced is his personal rom-com 'meet cute' event. His humorous attempt to ask out a college classmate that he believes fate has chosen for him is both poignant and instructive.Timothy Bernard Felton is a comedian, improviser, actor, husband and dad. In his work, Tim likes to explore the entire range of emotions as a way of highlighting the humor contained in each. If he can’t laugh today about the thing he was crying about yesterday … then life may be just too dang hard. If y...
2022-11-1924 min
Tell Me What HappenedKeyante Aytch, Co-founder and President of Sunbend Solar, recalls a childhood full of Power RangersKeyante Aytch, co-founder and President of Sunbend Solar, recalls a childhood shaped by the Power Rangers superhero television show. Together with grade school friends, Keyante studies and replicates the action heroes throughout his childhood. Later, he comes to believe that "Some of the best technology is indistinguishable from magic."Keyante Aytch is motivated by his passion for environmental stewardship and is effortful in providing education on sustainable living practices in urban areas. Keyante has a background as a certified solar installation technician and has pioneered solar power stations in urban agricultural landscapes.Tell Me What...
2022-10-3118 min
Tell Me What HappenedMark Renz, retired Chicago Public School History teacher & administrator, recalls Ms. Marian Hesek, the 3rd grade teacher who inspired his lifelong career.Mark Renz is lifelong educator, with 51 years of formal teaching and learning, both in Chicago's Catholic and Public schools. He is married with a wonderful wife and daughter. In this episode of "Tell Me What Happened, Mark recalls how his journey to become a history teacher began back in a Catholic elementary school as a consequence of a very influential lay teacher. Shout out to Marian Hesek, wherever she may be.Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor.Get Susan Salidor’s One Little Act of Kindness Children’s BookGet...
2022-07-2320 min
Tell Me What HappenedThom Clark, Co-founder of the Community Media Workshop, recalls his arrest and trial for destroying draft cards during the Vietnam War.Thom Clark, peace activist and media specialist, recalls being motivated by his friend, Roland Radford, a military veteran, to try and stop the Vietnam War.Thom Clark is a volunteer with the Investigative Project on Race and Equity. A former co-host of the weekly Live from the Heartland radio show on Loyola’s WLUW 88.7 FM, he’s also lectured on media and American Culture in UIC ‘s Corporate MBA program, working with cohorts of Chinese health professionals. He served on the steering committee of Network 49, an independent political organization of the 49th Ward in Chicago’s Far North Si...
2022-06-0419 min
Tell Me What HappenedMichelle L. Holleman, Highland Park City Councilwoman, recalls becoming a Brownie in first grade, thanks to the efforts of her community minded mother.Michelle L. Holleman has spent a great deal of her life deeply involved in her community. Currently a Highland Park City Councilwoman, Michelle traces her activism back to an experience she had as a first grader, when she became interested in the Girl Scouts and pleaded with her mother to form a Brownie troop. Despite limited time and means, as well as a lack of experience as a troop leader, Michelle's mother honored her daughter's request, and as a consequence, instilled in young Michelle a commitment to civic mindedness and the importance of volunteerism.Michelle L. Holleman...
2022-05-2115 min
Tell Me What HappenedTom Avitabile, Founder of the Online Academy of Creative Skills, recalls landing a job at NBC at the age of 14.Born and raised in the Bronx, Tom Avitabile was intrigued by the power of computers at a young age. One day, while skipping school at the ripe age of 14, Tom visited a Manhattan office high rise in search of customers for a computer program he had designed. As he exited the elevator on the 5th floor of the building, Tom saw famed crooner Dean Martin, hunched over a monitor, editing a video with the actor Frank Gorshin. Before being asked to leave, Tom stumbled into the NBC news studio where he was inadvertently put to work running ticker tape...
2022-05-0728 min
Tell Me What HappenedDr. Philip Neely, Career Law Enforcement Officer, recalls how running track saved him from criminal behavior.When Dr. Neely was two years old, his father was locked away in prison and his mother passed away. Raised by his grandmother who was raising a dozen children of her own, young Philip spent his childhood surrounded by the devastating impact of drugs and alcohol on a family.After numerous run-ins with the police, as well as poor school attendance and brushes with juvenile detention, young Philip's life begins to change after Winfred Jordan, his childhood friend, encourages him to join the high school track team, At that point, things begin to change. Earning a scholarship...
2022-04-3022 min
Teachers' Lounge30 Days to Empathy | Teachers' Lounge CLASSICWe revisit our conversation with the teacher, author and creator of the class-sourced novel: Jay Rehak!
2022-04-2933 minTeachers' Lounge30 Days to Empathy | Teachers' Lounge CLASSICWe revisit our conversation with the teacher, author and creator of the class-sourced novel: Jay Rehak!
2022-04-2933 min
Tell Me What HappenedMarty Pick, Retiree and former Program Director for Chicago's Hull House, recalls attending the 1952 Democratic National Convention at the age of 12.From his earliest days growing up on the West Side of Chicago in the 1950's, Marty Pick had an interest in politics. At the age of 12, Marty and his 13 year old friend Howard volunteer for various Presidential Candidates during the 1952 Democratic National Convention held at the Conrad Hilton Hotel in downtown Chicago. The two middle schoolers spend a week of their summer marching, shouting and singing around Michigan Avenue for all four of the potential nominees: Adlai Stevenson from Illinois, Estes Kefauver from Tennessee, Richard Russell from Georgia, and W. Averell Harriman from New York. In return for their...
2022-04-1616 min
Tell Me What HappenedTravis Koury, ceramics teacher, recalls being 14 years old and committing a subversive act in response to his mother's demanding boyfriend.By the time Travis Koury was 14, his hard working single mother and his 10 year old sister had lived in countless apartments and living conditions. Because his mother worked as a bartender in the evenings to make ends meet, the two children had become, in Travis's words, 'feral', enjoying an independence from rules and obligations. When the family moves in with his mother's boyfriend, a small town construction contractor, things change. Rules are established and Travis and his sister are given daily chores. On an early Saturday morning, the mother's boyfriend wakes the children and demands they spend the day...
2022-04-0914 min
Tell Me What HappenedThomas Liebert, MacAlester grad and family friend, recalls finding "historic" artifacts from his childhood home in Albany and linking the experience to his international travels.MacAlester grad Thomas Liebert a voracious childhood reader, searches for ancient artifacts and makes historic connections in his backyard in Albany, New York and while on a family vacation to the Scottish island where Mary, Queen of Scots, was imprisoned.Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor.Get Susan Salidor’s One Little Act of Kindness Children’s BookGet Susan Salidor’s I’ve Got Peace in My Fingers Children’s BookMore Information about other quality publications from our sponsor can be found on Sidelineinkpublishing.comThose...
2022-04-0323 min
Tell Me What HappenedRandy Richardson, President of the Chicago Writers Association, recalls making an odd choice after learning of his parents' impending divorce.In an effort to soften the blow of divorce on her two young children, Randy's mother invites the duo to each to pick out a toy at.a local store. Randy's eight year old sister picks out a doll while Randy picks out a hockey helmet. Randy recalls wearing the helmet home, although he had never played hockey nor had an interest in the sport.An attorney and award-winning journalist, Randy Richardson is a founding member and first president of the nonprofit Chicago Writers Association. He is the first male recipient of the National Federation of Press...
2022-03-1916 min
Tell Me What HappenedBill Ayers, educator & author, recalls being a 10 year old and having his idyllic suburban childhood profoundly shaken by the suicide of an 18 year old neighbor.Bill Ayers, renowned peace activist and social justice advocate, grew up during the idyllic '50's America, immediately after the end of World War II. A lover of movies, Bill spent his childhood weekends at the local cinema, admiring the characters portrayed by John Wayne and other American war "heroes." One day, while playing "war" in the streets with his friends, the police and firefighters of his town arrive in front of his house. Initially intrigued and excited by the commotion, Bill is transformed when "Jimmy," his eighteen year old neighbor, is brought out into the street on a...
2022-03-0517 min
Tell Me What HappenedKennedy Baldwin, Chicago writer, improviser and actor, recalls leaving a high school swimming class and being told by two of her friends she wasn't Black because she didn't struggle with her wet hair.Kennedy Baldwin is a writer, improviser and actor based in Chicago Illinois.. In this episode of TMWH, Kennedy recalls being 14 years old and having two of her Black friends tell her she isn't Black. (She is - Her father is Black and her mother is Afro-Latina.) The experience has led Kennedy to a continuing quest of self-identity. (e.g., She's hellbent to learn Spanish.)Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor.Get Susan Salidor’s One Little Act of Kindness Children’s BookGet Susan Salidor’s I’ve Got Peace in...
2022-02-0617 min
Tell Me What HappenedAnna Munson - Carpenter, an ICU nurse and former perfectionist, recalls freezing during a viola solo in high school.Anna Munson - Carpenter's childhood included a great deal of hard earned success. Highly disciplined and well practiced, Anna grew up as an accomplished athlete, academic, public speaker and musician. A four year starter on her high school softball team, a top student with the ability to speak with ease in front of thousands of people, as well as a first chair violist as a freshman, Anna was confident in her ability to succeed in all that she attempted. In this podcast, Anna tells the story of the first time she experienced uncharacteristic uncertainty and hesitation. While at a...
2022-01-2813 min
Tell Me What HappenedBree Lind, actor & writer from Seguin, TX, recalls a blow to the head during her first ride on a horse.Bree Lind is an actor and writer from Seguin, TX. She appears in Jordan Peele’s Candyman, Showtime’s Work In Progress, and on improvisational stages in Chicago. With her parents and older brother steeped in the joys of rodeo, Bree recalls her disastrous first ride on a horse as a five year old. As her father accompanies her on a Texas horse trail, Bree keeps asking him to make the horse go faster. The rest of the story is reason enough the saddle that her parents bought for her on eBay was only used once.Tell Me W...
2022-01-1717 min
Tell Me What HappenedEd Dziedzic, retired teacher, recalls how two harmonicas he inherited changed his life.Ed Dziedzic taught history in the Chicago Public Schools and worked on the trading floor of the Chicago Board of Trade. He is a great believer in the power of music and serendipity to change lives. In this childhood memory, Ed recalls discovering the blues through old record albums and two blues harmonicas that his older brother left behind when he moved out of the family house. Ed takes us through his teenage days visiting Chicago's infamous Maxwell Street open street market. He explains how the music he heard at that outdoor trading post impacted his life in ways...
2022-01-0813 min
Tell Me What HappenedEd Dziedzic, teacher, talks serendipityEd Dziedzic taught history in the Chicago Public Schools and worked on the trading floor of the Chicago Board of Trade. He is a great believer in the power of music and serendipity to change lives.
2022-01-0101 min
Tell Me What HappenedMichelle Gunderson, Early Childhood Educator & Union Activist, discusses the importance of adults not having "Childhood Amnesia."Michelle Gunderson, an early childhood educator and expert in the field, recalls having had a place to play when she was young and the importance of having such a place is for all children. Linking her own childhood to her teaching, Michelle reminds parents and educators not to suffer from "Childhood Amnesia." Ms. Gunderson notes that on her tombstone, she'd like it to read, "She Let Them Play."Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor.Get Susan Salidor’s One Little Act of Kindness Children’s BookGet Susan Salidor’s I’ve...
2021-12-2930 min
Tell Me What HappenedKathy Kelly, International Peace Activist, recalls her first childhood love and how that person has circled back into her life.Kathy Kelly is a peace activist whose efforts at times led her into war zones and prisons. She now coordinates the "Ban Killer Drones Campaign." Hers is a love story, of first meeting Bobby Alberts when she was in first grade, only to reject his romantic advances in fourth grade. Fast forward fifty years of peace activism and Kathy finds herself looking out a prison window only to see Bobby Alberts has come to visit. The rest is herstory.Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor.Get Susan Salidor’s One Little Ac...
2021-12-2518 min
Tell Me What HappenedR DUB!, AKA "The Sultan of Slowjamastan" and the creator & host of Sunday Night Slow Jams, recalls breaking into radio at the age of 15, thanks in part to his supportive mother.Encouraged by his mother, 15 year old Randy Williams (the future R DUB!) hesitantly and reluctantly applies for a local DJ job in Tucson, AZ. Feeling totally unqualified and fully convinced he has little chance of being hired, young R DUB! interviews for the job, earns it, and learns a lifelong lesson.Thirty years later, and the rest is history. By combining his love of talking and listening to music, R DUB! has lived a life he never could have imagined.R Dub! is the creator, producer and host of the internationally syndicated radio show, Sunday...
2021-12-1325 min
Tell Me What HappenedDr. Duane Davis, Educator & Executive Director of K12 Education Initiatives and My Very Own Library at the University of Chicago, recalls interviewing for a business internship though the Inroads Program.As a fifteen year old, young Duane Davis interviews for a business internship though the Inroads Program. It is from that experience that he determines he will become an English major in college.Duane recalls wearing a clean shirt and pants and an earring to the first interview after filling out the Inroads application and including both "business" and "English" as he current fields of interest. At the conclusion of Duane's successful first interview the interviewers offer him three critiques: 1) wear a suit to the next interview, 2) remove "English" as one of his interests on his application...
2021-11-2723 min
Tell Me What HappenedKenzo Shibata, Union Activist and Teacher, recalls resisting recruitment in a gang when he was in 4th grade.Kenzo Shibata, currently studying to be a social worker, recalls repeated attempts to recruit him into the "pee wee" version of the Latin Kings when an older member asks him to steal a bike. Fearful, young Kenzo declines the invitation, unlike other classmates, one of whom is killed before graduating from high school. Kenzo reflects on his younger days, and has used his experiences to empathize with many of the young people he teaches today, some of whom are in gangs or members of crews.Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor....
2021-11-2119 min
Tell Me What HappenedZaya Odish, Physical Therapist Aide, recalls immigrating to the Unites States when he was nine.Zaya Odish tells the story of his first days in the United States at the age of nine after having been born in Iraq and having lived in a Syrian refugee camp. Zaya recalls his first days in Chicago and his first bus ride to school with his younger sister. Unable to speak English, Zaya is helped by his teacher and school mate and, over time, learns to become resilient to life's hardships.Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor.Get Susan Salidor’s One Little Act of Kindness Children’s Book
2021-10-2418 min
Tell Me What HappenedTimothy Troy, filmmaker, (Crazy Little Monster Productions) recalls not making the baseball team as a player in high school and the valuable lessons he learned from the experience.Timothy Troy, a filmmaker (Crazy Little Monsters Productions) who lives and works in Chicago (working on the crew side for an NCS TV show and directing his own short films) tells the story of trying out for his high school baseball team although he had never played organized baseball before. After training with the team for a season, he is cut during the tryouts but is brought back in by the coach as the manager for the team. Timothy discusses the valuable lessons he learned from the initial experience of "failing" to make the team.Tell Me...
2021-10-0715 min
Tell Me What HappenedEli Boyer, family friend, recalls being physically removed from his home in the middle of the night on Father's Day during his difficult teen years.Eli Boyer, a strong family man, discusses the night he was physically removed from his house by two "large men" and taken to a therapeutic wilderness camp in remote Minnesota. The young Eli initially has a great deal of anger about his family's drastic actions, but ultimately concludes that the courageous action taken by his parents has helped him in his adult life.Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor.Get Susan Salidor’s One Little Act of Kindness Children’s BookGet Susan Salidor’s I’ve Got Peace in My Fi...
2021-09-2122 min
Tell Me What HappenedNina Slesinger, co-host of the Podcast "Nina, Hannah & Emily in Paris," tells the story of creating a music blog as a teenager & the boldness of her "Almost Famous" experiences.Nina Slesinger recalls her teen years "secretly" blogging about music. Unbeknownst to her parents and most of her friends, Nina develops an ever larger audience for her blog. Over the course of a year, record labels reach out to her and she successfully "crashes" a large music event held on the National Mall in Washington DC by boldly asserting non-existent media credentials. Nina relates her memory with a clear fondness for an earlier time when she felt emboldened to ask for what she wanted without fear of rejection.Here's a link for listeners who would like to...
2021-09-0313 min
Tell Me What HappenedLawyer Darfour describes his journey from the South Side of Chicago to International Construction Management.I reconnect with a former student of mine, Lawyer Darfour, whom I met 35 years ago as his sixth grade teacher at St. Thomas of Canterbury, in Uptown, Chicago. Lawyer details his journey from transferring from a South Side of Chicago school to one on the North Side. As he recalls, his experience in Uptown led him to a greater understanding of the ethnic and cultural diversity of the world. Lawyer takes us through his days in high school, college and beyond. His deep understanding of diversity has helped him along the way, up to and including his current employment...
2021-08-2119 min
Tell Me What HappenedDr. Efrain Martinez, Middle School Principal & host of the "Wisdom & Productivity" Podcast, describes discovering why his mother mistreated him throughout his childhood and his journey to forgiving her and himself.The story Dr. Martinez tells is profoundly moving and, ultimately cathartic.Dr. Efrain Martinez describes a painful childhood in which he slowly realizes why his mother both physically and mentally abuses him. As a pre-teen, Efrain realizes that his mother's attitude towards him is the direct result of the fact that he and his sister are the children of a relationship his father had with a Venezuelan prostitute.One day, years after successfully completing college, building a successful professional career, marrying, and having children, Dr. Martinez has an epiphany while rescuing a man from a...
2021-07-2026 min
Wisdom and Productivity: The Podcast of An Imperfect EducatorS2:E7: “Interviewing Jay Rehak, Teacher, Author, Podcaster”“Learn
from everyone
you meet.”
“#Actualize”
-@jaycr1
2021-07-1425 min
Tell Me What HappenedKristel Bauer, Wellness Expert, recalls visiting Austria as a little girl, and learning how to communicate with relatives through play.Kristel Bauer PA-C, Wellness Expert and host of the podcast "Live Greatly," recalls traveling to Austria as a little girl, not speaking the language, but being able to communicate with her cousins through the joy of play.Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor.Get Susan Salidor’s One Little Act of Kindness Children’s BookGet Susan Salidor’s I’ve Got Peace in My Fingers Children’s BookMore Information about other quality publications from our sponsor can be found on Sidelineinkpublishing.comThose interested...
2020-12-3115 min
Tell Me What HappenedKaelin A. Vu, Host of the Dear Lovely Universe Podcast, recalls being abandoned at the age of three by her mother.Kaelin A. Vu is a self-love coach who specializes in helping young adults love themselves and step into their power to manifest success in every area of their lives. She has overcome addiction, sexual abuse, suicidal thoughts, and so more. In her words, she is grateful for every experience because they have shaped her into the best version of herself and gave her life purpose. She has picked herself up from the lowest points in her life and now uses her experiences to help people just like you become the best version of themselves as well and live purposeful...
2020-09-2815 min
Tell Me What HappenedEva Lopez, New York based Communication Strategist, recalls being eight years old and visiting a market in Mexico to buy a live chicken. Eva Lopez, a former student of mine at Whitney M. Young High School, recalls going to a market in Mexico with her aunt to buy a chicken. At the time, Eva was eight and believed she was choosing a chicken that would live in the farmyard and produce eggs for the family. Little did she realize, she'd be eating chicken soup in the evening. Eva's experience has led her to a deeper appreciation of the animals that nourish us all and the men and women who do the work to make it happen.Tell Me What Happened...
2020-09-2115 min
Tell Me What HappenedKelley Gessner, Product Manager for a web app, recalls her first "time out" in first grade; a "time out" she did not deserve.This podcast is a reminder to all early childhood educators that children are often greatly impacted by their words, especially if those words are a remonstrance. Tell Me What Happened guest, Kelley Gessner, recalls being wrongfully accused as a first grader of "making a ruckus" during quiet reading time. The actual culprit, a fellow student in her reading pod, points at Kelley and the teacher believes her. Kelley is devastated at having to take a "time out" and further remembers meeting the teacher years later.Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor....
2020-09-1408 min
Tell Me What HappenedDoctor Joyce Kenner, Principal, Whitney M. Young Magnet High School in Chicago, recalls the values she learned working at her parents' record store as an 11 year-old in Dayton, Ohio.Doctor Joyce Kenner, educational leader, innovator, and the Chicago Public Schools longest serving principal, discusses the values she learned as a young girl working in her parents' record stores in Dayton, Ohio. Kenner, a triplet, recalls working alongside her siblings, and learning how to listen and react to the needs of people from all walks of life.Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor.Get Susan Salidor’s One Little Act of Kindness Children’s BookGet Susan Salidor’s I’ve Got Peace in My Fingers Children’s BookMore...
2020-09-0717 min
Tell Me What HappenedJay Rehak, author, activist, music producer, is arrested at 16 as an accomplice to a crime, but is given the "Benefit of the Doubt" as a consequence of white privilege.Jay Rehak, author, educator, podcaster, recalls being surrounded by 8 suburban Illinois squad cars and having a gun pointed at his head as he is arrested for aiding a friend in the stealing of a car battery. Cuffed and driven to the police station, he is released to his parents without charges, in large part due to being given the benefit of the doubt that many people of color or means often do not receive.Follow me on Podchaser.Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor.Get Susan Salidor’s One Li...
2020-08-3113 min
Tell Me What HappenedDoctor Wilma Turner, author of Every Day Racism in America & the Power of Forgiveness, recalls integrating her high school.Dr. Wilma Jean Turner, author and educator, recalls her junior year in high school, when she and 13 other African-American students integrated the local all white high school.Every Day Racism & the Power of ForgivenessTell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor.Get Susan Salidor’s One Little Act of Kindness Children’s BookGet Susan Salidor’s I’ve Got Peace in My Fingers Children’s BookMore Information about other quality publications from our sponsor can be found on Sidelineinkpublishing.comThose interested in recordi...
2020-08-2625 min
Tell Me What HappenedJeff Holden, host of the "In Your Words" podcast, recalls being bullied about his weight when he was in grade school.Jeff Holden, CEO of Multipoint Content Strategies, lifelong cycling enthusiast and host of the "In Your Words" podcast, reflects on being bullied about his weight in grade school. Jeff discusses his attempts at placating the victimizer, while recognizing the lifelong implications the bully's words have had on his professional and personal life.Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor.Get Susan Salidor’s One Little Act of Kindness Children’s BookGet Susan Salidor’s I’ve Got Peace in My Fingers Children’s BookMore Information about other qual...
2020-08-1717 min
Tell Me What HappenedRoy Huff, Science Fiction author and educator, tells the story of learning his father was gay and HIV positive.Roy Huff, acclaimed author "Seven Rules of Time Travel" and the "Everville" science fiction series, discusses his impoverished childhood that included a father who was HIV positive. Roy concludes by telling the audience that despite everything, he remains an optimist.Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor.Get Susan Salidor’s One Little Act of Kindness Children’s BookGet Susan Salidor’s I’ve Got Peace in My Fingers Children’s BookMore Information about other quality publications from our sponsor can be found on Sidelineinkpublishing.comThose...
2020-08-1320 min
Tell Me What HappenedScott Suma, author, minister and retired teacher, speaks of the profound influence his barber, a World War II veteran, had on him.Scott Suma, the author of "Don't Act Like the President," reflects on his mentor, John Basel. Mr. Basel was a World War II veteran who spent his life as a barber. Scott tells us that John taught him important lessons about life that he carries with him to this day. That is, personal humility and a compassion for everyone. At the end of the episode, John Basel sings and leaves us with his own message of inspiration.Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor.Get Susan Salidor’s One Little Act of Ki...
2020-08-0913 min
Tell Me What HappenedMollie Glazer, professional cellist & music teacher, recalls her early training and how those experiences have impacted the instruction she provides to her students.Mollie Glazer, a professional musician for over forty years, recalls the best and worst teachers she had and what she learned from them.Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor.Get Susan Salidor’s One Little Act of Kindness Children’s BookGet Susan Salidor’s I’ve Got Peace in My Fingers Children’s BookMore Information about other quality publications from our sponsor can be found on Sidelineinkpublishing.comThose interested in recording and saving your laughter for free and forever go to Laughsaver.com
2020-08-0715 min
Tell Me What Happened Stuart Blatt, TV and Movie Production Designer, on the "Hippie Aunt" who taught him to value painting your own refrigerator and creating "outside the box." Stuart Blatt, a Production Designer for TV & Movies, tells the story of his "Hippie Aunt Rose" who has remained a creative guide to him, despite her untimely death at a young age.Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor.Get Susan Salidor’s One Little Act of Kindness Children’s BookGet Susan Salidor’s I’ve Got Peace in My Fingers Children’s BookMore Information about other quality publications from our sponsor can be found on Sidelineinkpublishing.comThose interested in recording and saving your laugh...
2020-08-0427 min
Tell Me What HappenedEileen O'Farrell Smith, Lifelong social justice advocate, remembers vomiting her First Communion host.Lifelong social justice advocate Eileen O'Farrell Smith tells the story of her shame and humiliation at vomiting up the "Body of Christ" at her First Holy Communion. Eileen goes on to tell the audience the impact that "shameful" moment had on her throughout adult professional life.Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor.Get Susan Salidor’s One Little Act of Kindness Children’s BookGet Susan Salidor’s I’ve Got Peace in My Fingers Children’s BookMore Information about other quality publications from our sponsor can be fou...
2020-08-0115 minTeachers' LoungeCOVID-19, Class-Sourced Novels & 30 Days to Empathy | Teachers' Lounge PodcastOn this week’s show: Jay Rehak. He’s an author and Chicago Public Schools language arts teacher. He and his classes at Whitney Young High School are the co-writers of over a dozen student-sourced novels.
2020-03-2038 min
Tell Me What HappenedOrlando Piedra recalls the difficulties of emigrating to the United States from Cuba as an eleven year old.Orlando Piedra recalls emigrating to the United States from Cuba as an eleven year old boy, following the takeover of the island by Fidel Castro. Mr. Piedra vividly recounts the struggles of moving to a new country shortly after his father is threatened with arrest in his homeland.Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor.Get Susan Salidor’s One Little Act of Kindness Children’s BookGet Susan Salidor’s I’ve Got Peace in My Fingers Children’s BookMore Information about other quality publications from our sponso...
2020-01-1414 min
Tell Me What HappenedJay Rehak, teacher, author, activist, host of "Tell Me What Happened," explains how surviving a fall from a cliff when he was 7 years old has given him a sense of invulnerability, purpose, and surreality.Jay Rehak explains how surviving from a fall from a cliff when he was 7 years old has impacted him in three ways: a sense of invulnerability, purpose, and surreality.Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor.Get Susan Salidor’s One Little Act of Kindness Children’s BookGet Susan Salidor’s I’ve Got Peace in My Fingers Children’s BookMore Information about other quality publications from our sponsor can be found on Sidelineinkpublishing.comThose interested in recording and saving your laughter for free and f...
2019-10-2611 min
Tell Me What HappenedHamlet, an award winning musician, tells the story of growing up without people to call "mom" and "dad" and how other adults in his life helped him emotionally survive.Hamlet, award winning children's musician, tells the painful story of growing up without a mother and father, and how the rest of the adults in his life helped him to emotionally survive. The storyteller explains the pain of his parent's divorce, which occurred right after he was born, and of later on living on the streets as a teenager. Hamlet's memories of his uncle and other kind adults at family gatherings sustained him in his darkest childhood moments. He tells us that his work as an adult is, in part, a result of the pain of his childhood but...
2019-10-1916 min
Tell Me What HappenedAlina Celeste, award winning children's singer and YouTube personality, discovering at the age of 15, that her mother was a real person, and not the saint she believed her to be.Alina Celeste, an award winning children's singer and YouTube personality, recalls being 15 and learning, for the first time in her life, that her mother is more of a real person than the saint she believed her to be. Alina's story is rich in detail of a deeply personal family story.Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor.Get Susan Salidor’s One Little Act of Kindness Children’s BookGet Susan Salidor’s I’ve Got Peace in My Fingers Children’s BookMore Information about other quality publicatio...
2019-10-0818 min
Tell Me What HappenedJulie Biehl, Clinical Professor of Law, Director of the Children and Family Justice Center &Interim Associate Dean for Clinical Education of the Bluhm Legal Clinic, recalls being raped at her first dance.Julie Biehl, Clinical Professor of Law, Director of the Children and Family Justice Center & Interim Associate Dean for Clinical Education of the Bluhm Legal Clinic, recalls the horrific experience of being raped at her first high school dance.Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor.Get Susan Salidor’s One Little Act of Kindness Children’s BookGet Susan Salidor’s I’ve Got Peace in My Fingers Children’s BookMore Information about other quality publications from our sponsor can be found on Sidelineinkpublishing.comThose inte...
2019-09-0617 min
Tell Me What HappenedJay Rehak, teacher, author, activist, host of "Tell Me What Happened," remembers challenging his 4th grade teacher and the price he paid for it in a memory he calls,"All that for a bag of chips."Jay Rehak relates his story of losing a verbal war with his 4th grade teacher. Jay learns that there's a price to pay for sticking up for what's right, even at a young age. He also learns what "belligerence" means.Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor.Get Susan Salidor’s One Little Act of Kindness Children’s BookGet Susan Salidor’s I’ve Got Peace in My Fingers Children’s BookMore Information about other quality publications from our sponsor can be found on Sidelineinkpublishing.comThose...
2019-08-1409 min
Tell Me What HappenedJay Rehak, teacher, author, activist, host of "Tell Me What Happened," details his first fight with "One Hand on the Mailbox."Tell Me What Happened features painful childhood memories as told by the adults who lived them. People from all walks of life tell their stories and explain how their childhood experiences have impacted him/her/them in their adult lives. The podcast is hosted by Jay Rehak, an award winning author and educator, and features the song Boo Boo Blues, by singer and composer Susan Salidor. The podcast is meant to be informative and cathartic. It is meant to be a podcast for all ages.Follow Tell Me What Happened on Podchaser.Tell Me What...
2019-08-0410 min
Working Life PodcastEpisode 99: Anonymous Tells Unintended Truths; Cutting Off The Prison Industry; Bank Workers WoesEpisode 99: Anonymous did, in fact, do us a great favor—but probably not in the way he or she (most likely a “he”) thinks. I ruminate a bit on the point I have made for a long time—Anonymous simply showed us that Donald Trump and the Republican Party, as a whole, are one and the same.
I, then, turn to a discussion with American Federation of Teachers leader Jay Rehak about his union’s efforts to use its large pension fund holdings to undercut the private prison industry’s role in tearing children from their families under the immoral Trump immigr...
2018-09-1200 min