Twin Cities Podcast

Cy Dodson is an award-winning filmmaker and the owner of production company Triumph Pictures, LCC where he specializes in documentary style marketing. Cy’s most recent documentary Beneath the Ink was a hit on the film festival circuit winning dozens of awards. The Emmy Nominated and Academy Qualified film profiles Billy Joe White and his tattoo shop that covers up racist imagery. Beneath the Ink is a timely look at hate and racism in the western foothills of this Appalachian region that...

Rubén Rosario is an award-winning columnist for the Pioneer Press. He came to the Twin Cities in 1991 after spending 11 years at the New York Daily News. Rubén talks about his early days as a young reporter in New York covering crime and going undercover for a story about the 1980’s crack epidemic. This was a wide-ranging conversation that covered 9/11, the proposed End-of-Life Option Act in Minnesota, his cancer diagnosis, advice to young journalists, and his Puerto Rican roots.

Mary Mack and Tim Harmston are comedians that happen to be married. Mary is a self-described folk humorist who is a favorite on radio shows and podcasts, including Marc Maron's WTF Podcast and New York's 2 Dope Queens. Her voice has also been heard in the cult favorite Aqua Teen Hunger Force on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. She had her national TV debut on Comedy Central's Live at Gotham and NBC's Last Comic Standing and has appeared on TBS' Conan and NBC's Last Call with Carson Daly. In...

Brandon Schuh is an entrepreneur and the host of Risk Radio. Risk Radio is an interview style podcast examining what is new in the insurance and risk management world along with changes & disruption. Brandon is a commercial insurance producer and risk management advisor for Christensen Group. Prior to working for CG - Brandon spent six years working for Hays Group Inc - which was one of the nation's largest insurance brokerages - now a division of Brown & Brown. Enjoy!

Nathan Barclay is a pianist with intellectual disabilities. He began playing the piano when he was five years old and without ever reading sheet music he learned to memorize and play songs by ear. Master of Keys is Nathan’s piano playing name and fans of his can find him at the St. Paul Menards on Saturday afternoons performing for customers. He also entertains at a local senior center and is available for hired gigs. Nathan is a shining example about the potential that people with...

John Long is on a mission to lessen the political divide in the United States with his mobile news app Gnomi. Gnomi offers transparent, simple and clear slant grading of top news articles. John employs a proprietary grading system that combines human graders, algorithms and machine learning to produce an objective and true slant on news articles. He hopes this new found transparency in news media will provide citizens with a better understanding of current issues, lessen the political divide...

Thirty three percent of older US adults describe themselves as chronically lonely. James Falvey is helping to change that in the Twin Cities. James is the executive director of Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly (LBFE) Minneapolis, a non-profit that is part of a national network of volunteer-based organizations committed to relieving isolation and loneliness among the elderly. The organization was founded by a French nobleman Armand Marquiset in 1946 after World War II. He was dedicated...

Andrew Yang is running for president of the United States in 2020 as a democrat. His core message centers around the idea of universal basic income (UBI) which would provide every U.S. adult citizen with $1,000 per month. Andrew has served as the CEO, cofounder, or executive for several technology and education companies and was one of the first candidates to announce his bid for the White House. In the interview, Andrew details the urgent need for UBI and promotes his plan, which he calls...

Fred Melo is a reporter for the Pioneer Press. He covers St. Paul including the mayor’s office, city council, and anything else Fred finds newsworthy. The Boston native began working for the paper in 2005 by covering crime in Dakota county. In the episode, Fred talks about the hidden gems of St. Paul, big stories over the years, and his role of being a citizen and a reporter living in St. Paul. We also talk about the state of the Pioneer Press. During his tenure at the paper, Fred has...

Erin Rufledt is the founder of Luminary Lab, a brand strategy company that helps businesses of all sizes craft compelling stories. She has worked with all types of clients ranging from Fortune 100 companies, global humanitarian organizations and leading nonprofits. In 2015, Erin traveled the world living in 12 different cities over the course of 12 months and aptly dubbed her adventure the 12 Places Project. In the interview, we talk about the thrilling and unsettling feeling of life on the...

Stephanie Varone is a recording artist well-known for her powerful National Anthem performances. The Kansas City native has performed for the Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Houston Astros, as well as most pro teams in the Twin Cities. The singer, songwriter gained notoriety with her self-titled album that combined an earthy old school sound with a love for country, pop, classic rock, and soulful blues. In addition, Stephanie continues to draw in crowds as the edgy lead...

Audrey Kingstrom is the President of the Humanists of Minnesota. In this wide-ranging conversation, Audrey details the core tenants of humanism and the small but many differences between similar non-religious groups. Audrey talks about the importance for science-based discussions, living an ethical life, an emphasis on nature, and so much more. Enjoy!

Hindolo Pokawa is the founder and executive director of Sierra Leone Foundation for New Democracy, a non-profit dedicated to healing and rebuilding communities of Sierra Leone that is much needed after the country’s civil war. As a child in Sierra Leone, Hindolo experienced the brutal violence, economic destruction, and social disintegration of civil war. After finishing high school as an adult in Zimbabwe, where he fled once the war escalated, he later entered the United States on a student...

Fred Haberman has been working to take the organic food movement mainstream for more than 20 years. In our conversation, we talk about that state of that movement and the pressing challenge to sustainably feed 10 billion people by 2050. Along with his wife Sarah, the duo started a full-service marketing agency where they tell the stories of pioneers who are making a difference in the world. His agency has worked with some of the top brands in the country including, Organic Valley, Annie's,...

Duke Pieper was a youth hockey phenom who seemed destined for a long career on the ice. On the night of his first high school varsity game as a freshman, Duke suffered a cavernous hemangioma, better known as a brain bleed, and was ultimately given a 5 percent change to live. In his compelling book, I'm Alive: Courage, Hope, and a Miracle, Duke recounts his difficult and courageous struggle to survive, battling months of paralysis, multiple surgeries, massive nerve damage, and countless other...

Amelia Reigstad is a public relations practitioner and newly-minted faculty member at the University of Minnesota. She developed Crosspoint Communications, a full service consultancy agency from a grassroots level in 2007 and taught a variety of public relations and communications courses at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, the University of Victoria, and the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Amelia is currently completing her Ph.D in media and communications and recently published...

“Most of us want kindness. We start there.” Lori Myren-Manbeck is the founder and CEO of Inclusivi-tee, a subscription-based t-shirt company that donates to “forward-focused” non-profit organizations. Lori holds a PhD in Geriatric Psychology and has enjoyed a fulfilling career providing care to vulnerable individuals. Today, Lori’s passion for “taking care of each other” has never been stronger. In November of 2016, Lori noticed a deeper level of concern about the environment and social...

“You cant do this work from a desk.” Chris Serres is a reporter for the Star Tribune covering social services and issues affecting society’s most vulnerable populations. In the interview, we discuss his reporting on individuals with mental illness and the elderly. More specifically, we explore his eye-opening work that exposed statewide injustices happening to these two groups and their families. His 2015 series of articles, titled “A Matter of Dignity,” explored Minnesota’s archaic and...

“The scariest part of the journey is before you actually start.” Dr. Beth Westie is the founder and creator of the 12 Week Female Fat Solution. She has made it her mission to change the way women view their health. Alongside my wife and special co-host, Sara Gove, we have a wide-ranging conversation with this fascinating entrepreneur who is full of passion, charisma, and knowledge. Dr. Beth talks about her mission to educate women about the nuisances of the female body and how that affects...

“We grew up in a community where people were dying every day.” In this episode of Twin Cities Podcast, Mike welcomes Basil Aujo to speak about his incredible journey from Cameroon, Africa to Minnesota. Basil talks about the realities of growing up in a poor African village with limited resources and little access to healthcare. Basil was raised by his grandmother who preached the importance of education and community service. Those two pillars serve as a framework for the inspiring life...