Shows
Eavesdrop With Meena®Music & Resonance: Carrie NewcomerSinger-songwriter Carrie Newcomer shares her journey through music, poetry, and spirituality. Carrie discusses the profound impact of language and music, her inspirations, and the importance of balancing creation and performance. She also performs two of her songs, "You Can Do This Hard Thing" and "Book of Questions which will resonate deeply with listeners.
• The Growing Edge Podcast: Co-hosted by Carrie Newcomer and Parker Palmer. Available on Apple iTunes, Spotify, and at newcomerpalmer.com/podcast
• Carrie’s Substack Blog: https://carrienewcomer.substack.com/
• New Album - "A Great Wild Mercy":
• Available on all major music platforms.
• Website: http://carrienewcomer.com
• Soc...2024-07-251h 08
Eavesdrop With Meena®(TRAILER) Music & Resonance: Carrie NewcomerJoin us on July 25 for an intimate conversation with singer-songwriter, Carrie Newcomer. Carrie’s deep connection to life, music, poetry, and spirituality express her rich soulful sound and call for global unity. The Boston Globe called Newcomer "a prairie mystic.” Eavesdrop on this gifted artist to discover shared narratives for positive world change. You won’t want to miss this riveting final episode of the season!2024-07-1802 min
Eavesdrop With Meena®Leading With Generosity: Mike GoorhouseIn this episode of 'Eavesdrop with Meena,' Meena interviews Mike Goorhouse, founder of Inspiring Impact LLC, about his lifetime commitment to philanthropy and community building. They delve into the significance of community generosity, the intertwining of philanthropy and capitalism in American society, and the critical importance of fostering social connections and inclusive communities. The conversation covers the divisive nature of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and the necessity of recognizing systemic biases and privileges. Goorhouse encourages a generous mindset and emphasizes the need for long-form conversations and civil discourse for meaningful change. The discussion also highlights the evolving...2024-07-1153 min
Eavesdrop With Meena®(TRAILER) Leading With Generosity: Mike GoorhouseOn the July 11th episode of Eavesdrop with Meena, Mike Goorhouse shares powerful insights on community generosity and the true essence of philanthropy. Discover how caring for those around us and breaking down barriers can transform our communities.
Written and Hosted by Meena Ariagno
Produced by Bruce Buursma
Recorded and Edited by Kevin Burgess
Theme Music “Never Thought” by Christopher Paul
Visit Meena Global to discover more and connect with Meena. 2024-06-2701 min
Eavesdrop With Meena®Amanda Barbour: From Cancer Survivor to Community BuilderIn this inspiring episode, we explore the Children's Healing Center, a unique recreational space in Grand Rapids, Michigan designed for kids with weak immune systems. Founded by Amanda Barbour after her battle with Hodgkin's lymphoma, the center offers a germ-free environment for children with complex medical conditions and their families to engage in art, play therapy, social support, tutoring and even a pre-school. Amanda shares her personal journey from a promising architecture career to founding this first-of-its-kind center, emphasizing the role of faith, community support, and the drive to impact others positively. The episode also features the exciting growth...2024-06-2016 min
Eavesdrop With Meena®(TRAILER) Amanda Barbour: From Cancer Survivor to Community Builder
On the next Eavesdrop with Meena, we explore the Children's Healing Center, a unique recreational space in Grand Rapids, Michigan designed for kids with weak immune systems. Founded by Amanda Barbour after her battle with Hodgkin's lymphoma, the center offers a germ-free environment for children with complex medical conditions and their families to engage in art, play therapy, social support, tutoring and even a pre-school. Amanda shares her personal journey from a promising architecture career to founding this first-of-its-kind center, emphasizing the role of faith, community support, and the drive to impact others positively. The episode also feat...2024-06-1300 min
Eavesdrop With Meena®Engineering a Dream: The Cross-Continental Journey of an Albanian-Italian Immigrant - Iris KokalariIris Kokalari, an international student of Albanian-Italian heritage, is currently studying Mechanical Engineering at Grand Valley State University (GVSU). She hopes to stay in the West Michigan area after graduation before steering her career toward project management. She stays exceedingly busy as a resident assistant at GVSU, as a student worker in the School of Engineering, and as an intern at Magna Mirrors in Holland. Iris is a fellow of GVSU's Cook Leadership Academy, and she is passionate about community and people-centered values, rooted in her experience as a "double-immigrant."
...2024-06-0654 min
Eavesdrop With Meena®(TRAILER) Eavesdrop With Meena - Iris KokalariWhat can we learn about ourselves, our country and each other from a young global voice? It turns out plenty. Next time on Eavesdrop With Meena, meet Iris Kokolari, an Albanian Italian international student who speaks double immigrant, one of three children of hardworking European immigrants, Iris's story and transcontinental journey offer a clear eyed view of America's promise through the lens of this enterprising young globalist. Come rediscover America's old story, sprouting new seeds, brimming with local smiles, and pure Michigan optimism. Iris's episode drops June 6th.2024-05-3001 min
Eavesdrop With Meena®Eavesdrop With Meena - JohnPaul Morris
JohnPaul Morris is a director/writer and owner of Practical, a Michigan-based production company and Filmsupply contributor. His directorial debut, 'Quicksand', premiered at Michael Moore's Traverse City Film Festival sold out screenings before moving to a wider premiere at the Austin Film Festival and earning Best Screenplay multiple Best Feature awards at the Grand Rapids Film Festival, Hell's Half Mile Film & Music Festival, Eau Claire International, and the Soo film festival respectively. JohnPaul also produced and supervised visual effects on the upcoming feature 'An Autumn Summer' with director Jared Isaac, starring Mark McKenna ('Wayne') as well as the short...2024-05-1654 min
Eavesdrop With Meena®(TRAILER) Eavesdrop With Meena - JohnPaul MorrisNext week on Eavesdrop with Meena, filmmaker JohnPaul Morris says his journey into film was a happy accident of slipping on a banana peel. Join us as we take an entertaining and insightful conversation with this talented creator of the award-winning "bromantic comedy" Quicksand, now available for viewing on Amazon Prime and Apple TV. It's a conversation you don't want to miss.
Recorded at Kent District Library
Written and Hosted by Meena Ariagno
Produced by Bruce Buursma
Engineered & Edited by Kevin Burgess
Theme Music “Never Thought” by Chris...2024-05-0901 min
Eavesdrop With Meena®Eavesdrop With Meena - Lance WernerLance Werner is Executive Director at the Kent District Library in Kent County, Michigan, and a widely recognized leader in his field. His background is in law and library science and he has served as president of the Michigan Library Association (MLA) and chair of the MLA Legislative Committee. He also serves as an advisory board member for Wayne State University's School of Information Sciences. Lance also holds a Distinguished Alumni Award from Wayne State.
More recently, he's gained recognition from the American Library Association as winner of the ALA's Ernest A. DiMattia Jr. Award for Innovation and...2024-05-0248 min
Eavesdrop With Meena®Eavesdrop With Meena - Season 3 TrailerWe're super excited to announce the May 2 launch of Eavesdrop With Meena, Season 3! This season we'll be featuring two new episodes monthly throughout the summer, with a variety of inspiring guests who are making both a local and global impact through their work. You won't want to miss out on what we think will be the best season of Eavesdrop With Meena yet! So come and eavesdrop with us!
Also, on June 4, Meena will be moderating a Global Women’s Panel at the Athena Forum in Grand Rapids, Michigan. If you'd like to attend, you can purchase ti...2024-04-2501 min
Eavesdrop With Meena®Eavesdrop With Meena - Robin Kimball EisenbeisMeena welcomes longtime friend and inspiring author Robin Kimball Eisenbeis to a lively conversation that puts an exclamation point on Season Two of Eavesdrop with Meena. Robin shares lessons and encouragement from her recently published book, A Gift for Life: Skills Everyone Needs to Win. Robin seeks to inspire readers to soar and succeed with the "four powers" she's mastered.
Robin's Website
Purchase A Gift For Life
Robin's Instagram
Recorded at the Kent District Library
Written and Hosted by Meena Ariagno
Produced by Bruce Buursma
Recorded...2023-11-2441 min
Eavesdrop With Meena®Eavesdrop With Meena - Jennifer JohnsonMeena's guest, Jennifer Johnson, is a screenwriter and independent documentary filmmaker based in a small Lake Michigan resort town. Before moving to Michigan, Jen lived and worked in Gothenburg, Sweden, where she created original international co-productions for television and film.
Currently, Jen is producing “Our Guys” a feature-length documentary about the South Shore Mothers ‘ Group near Boston, MA. This group was formed in the 1970s as an informal community of mothers caring for their children with intellectual & developmental disabilities.
Meena and Jen discuss the origins of the documentary in Sweden, the closeness of the subject (Jen’s m...2023-10-3043 min
Eavesdrop With Meena®Eavesdrop With Meena - Joe MatthewsMeena's guest leans into his deeply held faith convictions as a leader in the DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) initiatives in his global company based in a conservative, small town in West Michigan.
Joe Matthews grew up in Gary, IN., and excelled as the only African-American student in his class at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology before earning advanced degrees at Cornell University.
Meena and Joe discuss how he’s opening hearts and changing minds both inside the $2 billion corporation where he works as VP of DEI and in the wider West Michigan communities.
Re...2023-10-2730 min
Eavesdrop With Meena®Eavesdrop With Meena - EktaMeena invites Ekta Rajgarhia. a South Asian immigrant, to share her astonishing story of success and achievement as she's moved up the corporate chain of command at a global commercial furniture company. Ekta currently is Director of Finance at Steelcase, Inc., one of the titans in the office furniture industry. After graduating from an all-girls high school in her native India, Ekta found herself in West Michigan, where she earned a master's degree in business administration and management from Grand Valley State University, and launched her professional career in the finance wing at Johnson Controls.
https://myinforum...2023-10-1825 min
Eavesdrop With Meena®Eavesdrop with Meena - MislaMeena's guest is a remarkable Guatemalan-born educator who has devoted her life to advocating and mentoring young people, especially in marginalized communities. She is a co-founder of the Spanish Community Engaged Learning Class, a joint project of the East Palo Alto Academy and Stanford University. Meena and Misla recount the astonishing journey that brought her from an impoverished beginning to being honored by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in 2012 for her extraordinary accomplishments as a teacher and guide.
Misla's donation website
Written and Hosted by Meena Ariagno
Produced b...2023-10-1843 min
Eavesdrop With Meena®Eavesdrop With Meena - Jon CovingtonMeena's guest is a TV, Film, and Radio professional who has traveled the world to work on projects with A-list professionals and brands. He is the main force behind "Black Man," a documentary with a kaleidoscopic view of raw, riveting, candid conversations with black men about their lives. Meena and Jon discuss the origins of the film through the Muskegon Art Museum, its impact on both Jon and the community, and the importance of works like this documentary.
Muskegon Art Museum
Jon Covington
Recorded at the Kent District Library
Written and H...2023-10-1845 min
Eavesdrop With Meena®Eavesdrop with Meena - RebekahMeena welcomes Rebekah Bakker, a cross-cultural community builder in Western Michigan helping forge a more just and loving world through deep partnerships and equitable relationships. Born in South Korea, Rebekah was adopted into a family in Michigan, where she was raised and educated, earning a bachelor's degree in political science with an international focus. She works as a business development partner for an engineering firm in Zeeland, Michigan, and volunteers as a mentor for Korean youth adoptees and serves as Vice President of Women of Color Give.
Women of Color Give website
Wri...2023-09-1849 min