Find the Good News with Oran Parker

Philosophy Podcasts >

Old news. Bad news. Fake news. Sometimes you want to shut down and get no news at all! I aim to change that by focusing on good people doing good works. I visit with artists, educators, civic & spiritual leaders, musicians, business owners, students, volunteers, and everyday citizens who are using their creativity, resources, and talents to bring hope, happiness, and goodness to their corner of the world.

Old news. Bad news. Fake news. Sometimes you want to shut down and get no news at all! I aim to change that by focusing on good people doing good works. I visit with artists, educators, civic & spiritual leaders, musicians, business owners, students, volunteers, and everyday citizens who are using their creativity, resources, and talents to bring hope, happiness, and goodness to their corner of the world.

More Information

Location:

United States

Genres:

Philosophy Podcasts

Description:

Twitter:

@findthegoodnews

Language:

English

Contact:

(802) 459-1668

Website:

https://findthegoodnews.podbean.com

Email:

goodpod@parkerbrandup.com

Episodes

Ep. 40 - The Tulips Ft. Susan Riehn - Find the Good News with Oran Parker

5/22/2019

You know the old saying, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.” I was never fond of that saying, to be honest. I’ve known a lot of people with a surplus of lemons, little strength or help to squeeze them, much less sugar to sweeten things up. That said, I’ve still come to believe it is in the womb of our adversities that our gifts gestate, and eventually bloom into virtues that manifest blessings for others. That’s exactly the type of tale I got to enjoy when I sat down to visit with...

Duration:01:32:49

Ep. 39 - The Wormhole Ft. Amanda Yellott - Find the Good News with Oran Parker

5/15/2019

What happens when a fan becomes a guest? That’s what I found out when I asked wonder-fan Amanda Yellott to come in and visit me on Find the Good News. With a young podcast like this one, it’s a little easier to engage with listeners in a personal way, and Amanda is precisely the type of listener a show like this needs. She’s engaged, introspective, encouraging, willing to challenge the thoughts and ideas presented, and open to absorbing new perspectives and practices as takeaways she can...

Duration:02:55:46

Ep. 38 - The Pizzeria - Mixtape Vol. 1 - Find the Good News with Oran Parker

5/8/2019

Well, this is the episode that I’ve been talking about, the first Find the Good News mixtape. I had a lot of fun putting this episode together. It’s a fun concept and I’m really thankful for Paul, Rosie, and Elizabeth. This meeting of local minds couldn’t have happened without their willingness to participate. If you’re a listener of Find the Good News then you may have already listened to their individual episodes. If not, this is a great place to start. Most episodes of Find the Good News...

Duration:02:42:04

Ep. 37 - The Time For Tea Ft. Julia O'Carroll - Find the Good News with Oran Parker

5/1/2019

Tea. Like many things, it’s always felt like there was a layer to uncover. Perhaps I’ve observed it, or read about it, but there seemed to be some type of atmosphere around it, an allure that brings people together in the sharing of the little warm cup, or maybe its the steeping, the waiting for heated water to bring the dried leaves, flowers, peels, or berries back to life. Whatever magic tea holds, it was obviously present when Julia O’Carroll, the owner of Tea at Walden, came to visit me...

Duration:02:49:35

Ep. 36 - The Chain Breaker Ft. Rusty Havens - Find the Good News with Oran Parker

4/24/2019

For a long time, I thought of sex trafficking as something that happened somewhere else, or maybe as a plot device for action films. If I'm honest, I feel pretty ignorant even admitting that. Like, many of the things that plague our world, it was an out-of-sight, out-of-mind problem. It wasn’t happening in my life, and there was not information stream putting it in my view to make me aware. That’s where Rusty Havens comes into the picture, and it’s the reason I asked him to visit me on Find...

Duration:01:53:12

Ep. 35 - The Aha! Moment Ft. Devin Morgan - Find the Good News with Oran Parker

4/17/2019

Time slipped away when I visited with Devin Morgan, the director of the Imperial Calcasieu Museum. Devin admitted right out the gate that he was a little nervous about coming in for his visit on Find the Good News as he doesn't really care to be a front-facing spokesperson. If he was nervous, I only knew from his admission, because he was straightforward and even to speak with, and for a person that doesn’t care for the spotlight, he settles into it quite quickly. Devin Morgan is the kind of...

Duration:04:06:59

Ep. 34 - The Beat Goes On Ft. Jeremy Boudreaux - Find the Good News with Oran Parker

4/10/2019

Find the Good News has been a healthy mix of people I know, people I don’t, and a lot of good people that I’ve been indirectly connected to through my friendships with others. This show has been an experiment. What happens when you ask this simple question; where are the good people? When you put that signal out there, you get a signal back, and that’s how I met local musician, music teacher, and business owner, Jeremy Boudreaux. Jeremy and I connected online, through a friend-of-a-friend,...

Duration:02:12:50

Ep. 33 - The Mentor Ft. Aleta Barnes - Find the Good News with Oran Parker

4/3/2019

I don’t think it would be very hard to Find the Good News in this world if every young person could have a teacher like the one I had between 1990 and 1992. I imagine that many, many students who had this special lady as a mentor would tell a similar story about how she taught them a lesson that they still use today, or that she showed them a side of themselves that they didn’t know they had. Perhaps she encouraged them to do something they didn’t think they could do, pushed them to get...

Duration:01:54:20

Ep. 32 - The Wax Apple Ft. Diana Vallette - Find the Good News with Oran Parker

3/27/2019

I don’t think Diana Vallette knew that she was one of the many inspirations behind Find the Good News. How could she? We’d never met face-to-face, and we didn’t really know each other all that well. I’d been watching Diana’s activity online for quite a while before asking her to visit with me, and I was intrigued by the person so willing to share her spiritual journey. Who was this Catholic mother that was making these really personal videos, sharing her inner thoughts, questions, concerns,...

Duration:02:52:00

Ep. 31 - The Windblown Seed Ft. Adley Cormier - Find the Good News with Oran Parker

3/20/2019

I had no idea what was in store for me the day that local historian and author of “Lost Lake Charles" Adley Cormier sat down in my vehicle to do a ride along as part of a historic tour project in Lake Charles, Louisiana. At every stop, corner, street, and ally, Adley had some information or intimate knowledge. I was fascinated by how quickly he could reveal the history of seemingly insignificant places and landmarks, pointing out interesting and forgotten details the brought me back in time....

Duration:02:18:51

Ep. 30 - The Naturalist Ft. Irvin Louque - Find the Good News with Oran Parker

3/13/2019

Irvin Louque, the Tuten Park Programs Manager for the City of Lake Charles, came by and visited me on Find the Good News. Through his job as Programs Manager, Irvin has an opportunity to impact and educate the community on exactly how important it is to kindly consider and engage the natural world with care. After talking with Irvin, I’ve learned that I need to change my language, because there is no "natural world" over there, around the corner, or in some faraway place that we have to...

Duration:02:04:15

Ep. 29 - The Elemental Fusion Ft. Carl & Chelsea Boudreaux - Find the Good News with Oran Parker

3/6/2019

Carl & Chelsea Boudreaux—the owners of the Yoga Center in Lake Charles and Stellar Beans Coffee House and Edibles—came in for a visit on Find the Good News. The three of us used to orbit some of the same friend-groups in high school. For as much as you think you know about people, there’s an ever-unfolding amount that you don’t. This was especially true for me regarding this couple. It had been over 20 years since I’d spoken to Carl or Chelsea, and as it turns out, we had a lot in common...

Duration:01:40:53

Ep. 28 - The Short End of the Stick Ft. Laura Grantham Broussard - Find the Good News with Oran Parker

2/27/2019

Sometimes to talk about good things we need to talk about bad things. We have to go into the darkness of the cave, but make sure we’re lighting lanterns along the way. Laura Grantham Broussard sat down with me for a visit on Find the Good News, and our conversation was a bit like that. Laura caught my eye online because she was one of the few voices ringing out in our area taking an active position of compassion and mercy for immigrants and asylum seekers. She’s one of the one’s lighting...

Duration:01:57:02

Ep. 27 - The Sugar Bowl Ft. Brook Hanemann - Find the Good News with Oran Parker

2/20/2019

Brook Hanemann, the director of Banners at McNeese State University, agreed to visit with me on Find the Good News. Like other guests, I knew very little about her before our conversation. Also, like other guests, it was an absolute pleasure to get to know her. There’s something thoughtful and poetic in the way Brook speaks. She often closed her eyes when she would recount stories of her youth, and her descriptions of her childhood haunts were sweet, dripping with heavenly honey. I could...

Duration:02:22:55

Ep. 26 - The Golden Seam Ft. Matt Young - Find the Good News with Oran Parker

2/13/2019

There are people in our lives that everyone knows, and that everyone holds in high regard. That respect often comes from the actions and good works of those individuals. Sometimes it’s their good nature that places them in such high regard. More often, it’s some combination of both. I’m always looking to meet them, these people who bind good works with their good nature, and share their heart and soul with you on Find the Good News. Matt Young, the director of 1911 Historic City Hall Arts...

Duration:01:34:44

Ep. 25 - The Secret Sauce Ft. John O'Donnell - Find the Good News with Oran Parker

2/6/2019

When I started Find the Good News I couldn’t have predicted the effect it would have on me. Each and every guest has left an impact. This is the absolute truth; I think about each one of them in some small way each day. John O’Donnell, the man I visit with in episode 25, doesn’t break that stride. In fact, John's eagerness to serve and willingness to lead has only motivated me to continue seeking out good people in this community and beyond, bringing their personal stories to you. Whether...

Duration:01:39:38

Ep. 24 - The Ascension Ft. Meagan Green - Find the Good News with Oran Parker

1/30/2019

Someone asked me how I go about finding good people, and determining whether or not they have good news to share. When I set out to Find the Good News I honestly just open a door, make an invitation, and give a person a safe and honest space to share what’s in their heart and mind, to share their story. It’s not hard to find the good in a person when those elements are in place. Sometimes, even if those elements aren’t in place you meet people that just give off a good vibe, that has an...

Duration:02:01:14

Ep. 23 - The Way She Sees It Ft. Heather Arsement - Find the Good News with Oran Parker

1/23/2019

The lovely thing about Find the Good News is seeing one guest lead directly to next. Each visit I get to catch a special glimmer in the eyes of the person across from me, and I know that means they’ve had that “aha” moment—they want to tell me about someone good in their life. That’s exactly how I came to connect with conceptual photographer Heather Arsement, through that golden thread that links one guest to the other. I like the magical idea of this unseen thread, and it’s especially...

Duration:02:04:25

Ep. 22 - The Call To Care Ft. Jody Farnum - Find the Good News with Oran Parker

1/16/2019

I’ve always found it hard to ignore the suffering and strife of my fellow man, and during the times in my life when I actually could stiffen my neck and avert my eyes, I’ve been filled with something that I can only call shame. I’ve been guilty of looking around the world, seeing people in difficult times, and like many, I’ve said, “Somebody should do something about that,” only to continue about the business of me. As it turns out, people are doing something and they’ve been doing it in my...

Duration:01:56:17

Ep. 21 - The Music Box Ft. Paul Gonsoulin, M.A. PLPC - Find the Good News with Oran Parker

1/9/2019

Before Paul arrived to visit me on Find the Good News I could not have imagined the quality of the conversation we would have, nor the variety of things we would have to talk about. I met Paul years ago while volunteering time with the Southwest Louisiana Arts Council, and while we had a friendly rapport, I wouldn’t have said we were good friends. We were more like friendly acquaintances. It’s amazing how serious listening and good conversation can change things. It had been years since I’d...

Duration:02:33:47