Advertise on podcast: Tell Me What Happened

Karen Eifler earned most of her white hair teaching middle school math in schools up and down the California coast and concluded her mostly joy-filled career forming new teachers at the University of Portland in Oregon. In retirement, she directs Collegium, a national colloquy on faith and intellectual life for some 60 Catholic colleges and universities in North America. Karen has published two collections of essays drawn from lessons she learned via the students in her classrooms, A Month of Mondays and Near Occasions of Hope. These days she hosts a series called Voices of Holy Cross: Stories of Hope, available wherever you get your podcasts, in which she catches stories of ordinary people working extraordinary miracles of goodness and muscular hope in this bruised, blessed world. She also enjoys finding theology hidden in unexpected places like Schitt’s Creek and Ted Lasso and writes about that for National Catholic Reporter occasionally. Husband Mark and son Conor bring daily light and buoyancy to her life. Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor. More information about Susan Salidor can be found at her website Get Susan Salidor’s One Little Act of Kindness Children’s Book Get Susan Salidor’s I’ve Got Peace in My Fingers Children’s Book. More Information about our sponsor's 10 x 10 Blackhole Chess game can be found at www.blackholechess.com

Sophia Vourdoukis is a photographer, director, and editor with over 20 years of experience leading creative production and post-production for global brands including Warby Parker, Chobani, and Pantene. Throughout her career, Sophia has built and led creative studios, assembled multidisciplinary teams, and guided complex, multi-platform productions from concept through final delivery, always balancing creative vision with thoughtful execution. Today, her work is centered on visual storytelling. As co-founder of the women-owned film and theatre collective Argonaut, she continues to expand her long-standing passion for directing and photography, exploring stories that examine identity, connection, and the spaces between cultures. Inspired by her Greek immigrant upbringing, She's drawn to the quiet tensions and beauty that exist where tradition meets contemporary life. Through an attentive use of light, composition, space, and sound, she seeks to create intimate, emotionally resonant work that invites audiences to look a little closer. More about Sophia's work can be found at: sophiavourdoukis.com Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor. More information about Susan Salidor can be found at her website Get Susan Salidor’s One Little Act of Kindness Children’s Book Get Susan Salidor’s I’ve Got Peace in My Fingers Children’s Book More Information about our sponsor's 10 x 10 Blackhole Chess game can be found at www.blackholechess.com

Dave Temkin notes, "My work is rooted in the fact that each of us already holds the capacity for healing, growth, and meaningful change. Sometimes, life experiences—stress, trauma, loss, or transitions—can make that harder to access. My role is to help you reconnect with those inner strengths. Your True Self can be uncovered using therapy combined with ancient healing wisdom. Oftentimes, clients talk to a therapist for years. When they enter my office, I always ask what tools they have learned. Sadly, few have them. I listen, but I also teach skills that you can use every day to achieve and maintain balance. Believe me, I have been in your shoes.. Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor. More information about Susan Salidor can be found at her website Get Susan Salidor’s One Little Act of Kindness Children’s Book Get Susan Salidor’s I’ve Got Peace in My Fingers Children’s Book More Information about our sponsor's 10 x 10 Blackhole Chess game can be found at www.blackholechess.com

Kim Curry was a radio broadcaster for 33 years in some of America’s finest cities: Pueblo, Knoxville, San Antonio, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Miami. Curry was a DJ in different time slots and obtained the position of Program Director at two of America’s legendary stations: KTSA-AM San Antonio and Power 96, Miami. The diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis forced Curry to retire from broadcasting in 2005 resulting in relocation, the search for doctors, therapists, and emotional family strain.. Eight years of rapid physical decline was halted by the magic of modern medicine, chronicled in his memoir, “Come Get Me Mother, I’m Through.” Curry has continued his writing journey, with two other published books. “The Death of Fairness” and “Bonnie’s Law, The Return to Fairness" which was an “Amazon Number One Best Seller.” Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor. More information about Susan Salidor can be found at her website Get Susan Salidor’s One Little Act of Kindness Children’s Book Get Susan Salidor’s I’ve Got Peace in My Fingers Children’s Book More Information about our sponsor's 10 x 10 Blackhole Chess game can be found at www.blackholechess.com

Jennifer Griffith is an author, speaker, and host of the About Your Mother podcast, where she explores the relationships and defining moments that shape our lives. Her debut memoir, Both Sides of Then: Finding Love After Abandonment, is a candid reflection on motherhood, resilience, and the complexity of family. Through her work, she invites others to embrace both the beauty and the mess of their stories and find connection in shared human experience. Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor. More information about Susan Salidor can be found at her website Get Susan Salidor’s One Little Act of Kindness Children’s Book Get Susan Salidor’s I’ve Got Peace in My Fingers Children’s Book More Information about our sponsor's 10 x 10 Blackhole Chess game can be found at www.blackholechess.com

Allie Costa is an actor, writer, director, and singer working in film,TV, theatre, and voiceover. Her credits include Spring Awakening, 90210,Alien vs. Musical, and the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Audible seriesSlayers: A Buffyverse Story. Her work has been produced internationally,including the critically acclaimed Two Girls, Music of the Mind, BoxesAre Magic, and Can You Keep a Secret? Occasionally, she sleeps. Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor. More information about Susan Salidor can be found at her website Get Susan Salidor’s One Little Act of Kindness Children’s Book Get Susan Salidor’s I’ve Got Peace in My Fingers Children’s Book More Information about our sponsor's 10 x 10 Blackhole Chess game can be found at www.blackholechess.com

Dana Hall (she/her) is a Chicago-based, award-winning playwright, actor, and mental health therapist whose work often explores trauma, resilience, and healing. Her plays have received recognition both nationally and internationally. She has been a semifinalist for the O’Neill National Playwriting Conference, a multi-time finalist for the Lanford Wilson New American Play Festival, a top finalist for AACT NewPlayFest, and a finalist for the Morecambe Fringe John Clarke Memorial Prize, and the Dramatists Guild Foundation National Fellows Program. A winner of the New Works of Merit Playwriting Contest, Dana is currently in residency with the Dramatists Guild Institute’s Certificate in Dramatic Writing program. Her plays have been published by Next Stage Press, Heuer Publishing, Smith & Kraus, Tiny Scripted, and Stage Plays.Dana is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild, Honor Roll!, the League of Professional Theatre Women, and the International Centre for Female Playwrights. She is committed to expanding representation for women and actors over forty, advocating for playwrights’ rights, and fostering community among emerging writers via the Facebook group The Playwright Connection. A collection of her comedic monologues is available on Amazon check out: Cue the Comedy. Link: Cue the Comedy: Monologues for the Stage: Hall, Dana: 9798286125531: Amazon.com: Books Learn more about her work at DanaHallCreates.com. Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor. More information about Susan Salidor can be found at her website Get Susan Salidor’s One Little Act of Kindness Children’s Book Get Susan Salidor’s I’ve Got Peace in My Fingers Children’s Book More Information about our sponsor's 10 x 10 Blackhole Chess game can be found at www.blackholechess.com

Will Sonheim is a filmmaker and performer from Arkadelphia, Arkansas now living and working in Chicago, Illinois. Most recently, he directed Claire McFadden's web series DENISE SELLS HOUSES which screened at the JUST FOR LAUGHS comedy festival in Montreal last summer. You can stay up to date with his work but subscribing to his Substack newsletter PILLOW FORT. Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor. More information about Susan Salidor can be found at her website Get Susan Salidor’s One Little Act of Kindness Children’s Book Get Susan Salidor’s I’ve Got Peace in My Fingers Children’s Book More Information about our sponsor's 10 x 10 Blackhole Chess game can be found at www.blackholechess.com

Rabbi Allen Secher retired to Montana in 2000 and for many years was its Lone Rabbi. Ordained by Hebrew Union College, New York, in 1962, he subsequently earned his Doctor of Divinity degree. Rabbi Secher served pulpits in Chicago, Los Angeles, Mexico City, New York and to fill a void was part time in Bozeman and Whitefish,Montana. In Chicago, he and his wife, Ina, founded Makom Shalom, a Jewish Renewal congregation that explores both traditional and holistic paths toward building spiritual intimacy. Rabbi Allen is an Emmy Award winning Producer and Director, Among his Emmy-winning documentaries was the PBS special, "Choosing One’s Way: Resistance in Auschwitz-Birkenau". For 55 years, beginning with his first wedding on the day he was ordained, Rabbi Secher has officiated and co-officiated more than 2,000 weddings and other interfaith life cycle ceremonies. Dedicated to providing information and support to interfaith couples (both Christian and Jewish), he was a founder and longtime advisor to The Dovetail Institute, which at one time was the largest network for interfaith family resources in the nation, More about Rabbi Allen Secher can be found here. Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor. More information about Susan Salidor can be found at her website Get Susan Salidor’s One Little Act of Kindness Children’s Book Get Susan Salidor’s I’ve Got Peace in My Fingers Children’s Book More Information about our sponsor's 10 x 10 Blackhole Chess game can be found at www.blackholechess.com

J. S. Puller is a playwright and author from the Windy City, Chicago. She has a master's degree in elementary education and a bachelor's degree in theatre from Northwestern University. She is an award-winning member of the American Alliance for Theatre and Education and has written about the social-emotional benefits of arts education with the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research. When not writing, she can usually be found in the theatre. She is the author of two novels, CAPTAIN SUPERLATIVE and THE LOST THINGS CLUB, both published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. She also has several published plays, including: WOMEN WHO WEAVE (Playscripts, Inc.), PERSEUS AND MEDUSA - IT'S ALL GREEK TO ME! (Lazybee Scripts), THE DEATH OF ROBIN HOOD (Stage Rights), and five titles with Plays for New Audiences. Website: https://pullerwrites.wordpress.com/ Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/pullerwrites Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor. More information about Susan Salidor can be found at her website Get Susan Salidor’s One Little Act of Kindness Children’s Book Get Susan Salidor’s I’ve Got Peace in My Fingers Children’s Book More Information about our sponsor's 10 x 10 Blackhole Chess game can be found at www.blackholechess.com

David Kovacs has been a Chicago-based writer of scripts for videos, films and plays for more than 40 years. He and his wife Patty have also been involved in interfaith dialogue, and are two of the founders of the Chicago Interfaith Family School. David has always been fascinated by how the media, spirituality and learning can intersect in ways that intrigue and involve audiences. One of his first script writing positions was in the 1970s with the Emmy-winning children's program The Magic Door, produced by WBBM-TV and the Chicago Board of Rabbis. In 2019, a documentary he co-produced, Leaps of Faiths, premiered on WTTW and at the Chicago Jewish Film Festival. Available online, it explores the joys, challenges and mysteries of interfaith marriage. Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor. More information about Susan Salidor can be found at her website Get Susan Salidor’s One Little Act of Kindness Children’s Book Get Susan Salidor’s I’ve Got Peace in My Fingers Children’s Book More Information about our sponsor's 10 x 10 Blackhole Chess game can be found at www.blackholechess.com

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 Garret Jon Groenveld, Aaron Loeb, Geetha Reddy, Lauren Yee, Katie May, and many others. Recent directing and dramaturgy credits include David Steele’s Vignettes on Love and Ruben Grijalva’s Value Over Replacement. He is a veteran arts administrator with more than thirty years of experience, including stints leading Traveling Jewish Theatre, Smuin Ballet and Berkeley Symphony, and received his MFA from the Yale School of Drama. Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor. More information about Susan Salidor can be found at her website Get Susan Salidor’s One Little Act of Kindness Children’s Book Get Susan Salidor’s I’ve Got Peace in My Fingers Children’s Book More Information about other quality publications from our sponsor can be found on Sidelineinkpublishing.com

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 website Get Susan Salidor’s One Little Act of Kindness Children’s Book Get Susan Salidor’s I’ve Got Peace in My Fingers Children’s Book More Information about our sponsor's 10 x 10 Blackhole Chess game can be found at www.blackholechess.com

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 lessons from her time spent with her two young daughters, Olivia and Charlotte, and her husband.Being a mother gives her insight into what families need from their educators to help them connect and bond. Additionally, she teaches private oboe lessons, is a New Teacher Mentor, and collaborates with Kansas State University to support new and future Elementary Music Teachers. In January of 2024 Todd was recognized as a Music for All: Advocacy in Action award winner for the Elementary Excellence category. She received this for her efforts over the past three years to connect students and their families with Kindie music artists through their grade level performances. She was also selected as the 2024 Elementary Teacher of the Year Nominee for USD266. In August of 2024 Katie released her first single Chickadee under the artist name “Katie T”. Her entrance into the Kindie music world came after encouragement received from friends and family as well as members of the Children’s Music Network. She was fortunate to work with Bret Turner and Ian Walters of The Tallest Kid in the Room on this release. The song can be heard on all streaming platforms. Katie loves building relationships with her students and families and is passionate about helping them connect to each other and finding a deeper understanding of themselves through music. This quote can be found on the wall of her classroom: “ This is why I teach music…not because I expect you to major in music, not because I expect you to play or sing all your life, not so you can relax, not so you can have fun, but so you will be human, so you will recognize beauty, so you will be closer to an infinite beyond this world, so you will have something to clog to, so you will have more love, more compassion, more gentleness, more good. In short, more life.” - author unknown Chickadee by Katie Todd Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor. More information about Susan Salidor can be found at her website Get Susan Salidor’s One Little Act of Kindness Children’s Book Get Susan Salidor’s I’ve Got Peace in My Fingers Children’s Book

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 go to his website at www.electmartinross.com Tell Me What Happened features the music of Susan Salidor. More information about Susan Salidor can be found at her website Get Susan Salidor’s One Little Act of Kindness Children’s Book Get Susan Salidor’s I’ve Got Peace in My Fingers Children’s Book More Information about our sponsor's 10 x 10 Blackhole Chess game can be found at www.blackholechess.com