A Southern Girl's View with Sandy Adams

Today on the show, I am chatting with Kiran Sahota, a Social historian, researcher and public speaker on South Asian history with a special focus on women. Kiran and I chat about growing up in Birmingham, the start of her research career, that pivotal moment when she quit her full-time HR job to focus on women in history, her family's’ path from India to England and the film project she is currently working with the help of the military. What I did totally forget to discuss was her stint...

The open road. Windows down, music playing and the smells of the countryside. Those are my earliest memories of road trips with my mom, my aunt and my cousin. Some of the best memories of my life were those days packing up at a moments notice and going for a drive with my mom whether it was for the afternoon or the weekend. The excitement that immediately kicked in and the sense of wonder as we explored backroads and different towns has never cease to amaze me. In this episode, I...

On today’s show, I have a little surprise for all of you out there interested in genealogy, family history and all the subjects in between. Dr. Paul Maier, is a Population Geneticist with Family Tree DNA and it’s parent company, Gene by Gene. Paul joins me to discuss growing up in California, what role the Yosemite Frog played in his career path and all the details about what his job as a population geneticist encompasses and all the details about family genealogy tests plus so much...

Today on the show I am chatting with energy expert, James Cargas, the CEO of New Energy LLC based in Houston. We chat about his path from Detroit Michigan to Houston, the energy capital of the world. We discuss how he and his family weathered the arctic blast that hit Texas mid-February and the ins and outs of the Texas power grid controversy. All of this and so much more. You can find out more about the Texas Energy problem in an article James wrote recently for the Washington Monthly...

Today on the show I am chatting with Marianne Dunavant, the Tennessee Victim Outreach Director for Marsy’s Law. Marsy’s Law is a nationwide initiative for a constitutional amendment to give crime victims meaningful and enforceable constitutional rights equal to the rights of the accused. Marianne and I chat about her reason for championing Marsy’s law, her hard, and at times daunting, childhood and how she felt called to help criminals see, and understand, how their actions affect their...

Today on the show, I am chatting with Stephanie Espy. With chemical engineering degrees from both MIT and UC Berkeley and an MBA from Emory, Stephanie’s background is indeed impressive, but not nearly has impressive as her current mission to inspire and educate the next wave of female STEM leaders as the founder of MathSP based in Atlanta Georgia. Stephanie and I chat about growing up in a family of engineers, the scarcity of girls, especially minorities in STEM, and how she juggles being...

In today’s episode, I’m sharing a story about the 1914 World Welterweight Boxing Champion, Perry “Ivan” Graves. Graves was born July 11, 1892 in Rock Bluff, Nebraska and died at the age of 71 on July 24, 1963 in Rock Bluff, Nebraska. Listen in as I share the limited history we have of this man and a bit of the background of the once thriving town of Rock Bluff Nebraska.

On this Veterans Day episode, I revisit a blog post I wrote back in 2010 on what this day means to me with a few updates. I share memories of veterans from my childhood, my family, my college days and more recent stories. Below are links to my previous conversations with military veterans: Colonel Michael Vaughn, USAF Retired https://ASouthernGirlsView.podbean.com/e/19-colonel-michael-vaughn-usaf-retired/ LCDR Steven Cooper, USN...

Today on the show, I am chatting with Nat Sheidley, CEO and President of Revolutionary Spaces in Boston Nat and I chat about his childhood in rural Connecticut, his love of African history, the days he spent living in Cape Town, his path into Colonial American history. Then we dive into the importance of Crispus Attucks and why defining “we the people” is still as complicated today as it was in 1776. All this and so much more. I so appreciate Nat taking the time to chat with me today. You...

Beginning in 1986, Memphis State University (now the University of Memphis) went on an incredible run with 8 consecutive national titles in the sport of Handball. All led by famed Coach Charlie Mazzone. Today on the show, I am chatting with one of those Memphis State Handball Champions, Mr. Chris Jennings. Chris and I chat about growing up in Toronto, his young days as an athlete, the majestic lure of Memphis State, his days as a linesman for the Central Hockey League and why he moved back...

Today on the show, I am chatting with Mr Richard Hyde, the British Consul-General for the South Central United States based in Houston Texas Richard and I chat about his days growing up in Liverpool, his lifelong obsession with politics, how being a girl dad is his greatest honor, his passion for diversity and how green energy can live side by side with oil & gas. And of course, we discuss how COVID has shaped his job over the past few months. I so appreciate Richard taking the timeout to...

Today on the show I am chatting with former Librarian, Mona Batchelor. She’s a hometown girl with a zest for the best life has to offer. From her roots in small town Tennessee to New Orleans and back, and virtually to towns across China, she is educating the world both virtually and by living life on her terms. Mona and I chat about growing up in a small Tennessee town, her current job with VIP Kid teaching English virtually in the heart of China. We talk about the early days of the...

Today we are kicking off season 3 of A Southern Girl’s View podcast with educator, political activist, politician and my college political science professor, Dr. George Kieh, Jr. George is the current Dean of the Barbara Jordan - Mickey Leeland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University in Houston. George and I chat about his long path from growing up in the Firestone district of Liberia to his current position at TSU. We talk about the inspiration for his political activism...

Hello everyone I’m Sandy Adams, the host of the podcast A Southern Girl’s View. Growing up in the south, the best part of the summer was the late nights sitting outside on the front porch listening to my mom and my aunts laugh and tell stories about their childhood. Those were some of the best evenings when life was simple and the only thing to focus on was catching fireflies at dusk. Those conversations and that summer feeling was pretty much my inspiration for this podcast. I’m...

Today on the show I am chatting with Adventure and Vow’s Traci Edwards, she’s an elopement photographer based in Arizona who travels to the Pacific Northwest, Southern California, Southern Utah and Iceland for elopements. Traci and I chat about her roots in North Carolina, her road path to Arizona, living in a van with a cat and what she’s learned along the way. For any of you out there looking for more out of life, then Traci’s story is especially for you. We also delve into the emotional...

Today on the show, I am chatting with Kate Gunderson, an Aerospace Engineer with NASA, the Johnson Space Center here in Houston Kate and I talk about her roots in North Dakota, her lifelong dream to work at NASA, how running has done more than just build her endurance, her quest to be an astronaut and what role she will play later this month on May 27, when astronauts will life off from US soil for the first time in almost 9 years. ——————————— Friends, Thank you so much for sharing this...

Today on the show I am chatting with Houston-based Wildlife Photographer & Safari & Custom Trip Guide, Mr. Andy Biggs. Andy is an avid adventurer, conservationist, teacher and outdoor photographer whose images celebrate the African landscape and its rich wildlife, people and culture. Andy and I talk about his path from Silicon Valley to the awe-inspiring and magical Serengeti, the lure of the African landscape, the importance of storytelling and how black and white photography pushed him...

Today on the show, I am chatting with a long-time friend from high school, Master Sergeant David Rich from the 172nd Security Forces Squadron out of Mississippi David and I talk about growing up in Tennessee, his path from army to Air Force, his deployment days, his love of UT football (Tennessee not Texas) and his obsession with Nascar and what makes it so enthralling. ________________________ Friends, Thank you so much for sharing this past hour (more or less) with David and I. We...

Today on the show, I am chatting with Mr. Murilo Queiroz. Murilo is a native of Brazil, but he now calls Houston home. Murilo and I talk about growing up in Brazil and his later years in Angola, the lure of America, his family tradition in oil and gas, and his very interesting and unique path to immigration. _________________________ To find out more about the Immigration Route EB-5 https://www.uscis.gov/eb-5 To discover more about JS101 visit the website...

Today on the show, I am chatting with Dr. Dirk Van Tuerenhout, a curator of Anthropology at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Dirk and I talk about his childhood in Belgium, his love affair with the Aztec and Maya, the lure of the Big Easy and a little lady named Lucy and her connection to my pup. Friends, Thank you so much for sharing this past hour (more or less) with Dirk and I. For those wishing to connect with Dirk, you can find the Houston Museum of Natural Science online at...