Women Making History

Steve Wallis - Hannah: The Soldier Diaries

Celebrate Military Monday and Music Monday with this episode of Big Blend Radio that features professional theater writer, producer, and author Steve Wallis. Hear about "Hannah: The Soldier Diaries," a powerful story of love, loss, and hope that takes listeners through a theater-like experience, with an audiobook that immerses listeners in an emotionally charged narrative from the comfort of their own homes. 
Wallis invites listeners to meet Hannah as she begins a relationship with Lance Corporal Jack Webb in summer 2012 and is quickly smitten. Hannah has to decide quickly whether to embark on a whirlwind affair or walk away, as the couple only has four weeks together before Jack has to return to the army to fight in the Afghan War. More: https://hannahthesoldierdiaries.co.uk/  

Shelley Whizin - Embracing Life Fully After Fifty!

As we navigate through life, especially after reaching the milestone of 50, we become more acutely aware of our mortality. The mirror reflects changes we didn’t expect, and the world around us shifts in ways that can be both disorienting and enlightening. This episode of Big Blend Radio's SOUL DIVING SUNDAY Show with transformational life coach Shelley Whizin focuses on the Unexpected Gift of Mortality. Shelley's chapter, "Are You Ready to Die?" in the bestselling book "50 and Fabulous, Navigating Wrinkles, Spasms & Generational Chasms," is not about death in the traditional sense; it’s about embracing life with every fiber of our being, recognizing the preciousness of each moment. Check out the book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/50-Fabulous-Navigating-Wrinkles-Generational/dp/B0D953ZKQ1SHELLEY WHIZIN is the founder and CEO of the Soul Diving Institute™ and author of "What Do You Bring to the Table? A Savory, Sensory and Inspirational Guide to Living a Yummy Delicious Life." Keep up with her here: https://www.shelleywhizin.com/Tune into Big Blend Radio's "Soul Diving Sunday with Shelley" show every first Sunday here: http://tinyurl.com/2bjbectk 

Author Bridey Thelen-Heidel - Bright Eyes Memoir

This episode of Big Blend Radio features Bridey Thelen-Heidel, advocate and teacher, and author of the memoir, "Bright Eyes: Surviving Our Monsters and Learning to Live Without Them," (She Writes Press, September 24, 2024). A raw and immersive account of growing up alongside an abusive, narcissistic mother, "Bright Eyes" is an astonishing narrative of Bridey’s tenacious spirit, commitment to optimism in the face of unspeakable trauma, and dedication to breaking cycles of abuse. Learn more and pre-order the book here: https://bridey-thelenheidel.com/  Watch Bridey's popular TedX talk "ROB The Trauma: Steal Back Your Life," here: https://bridey-thelenheidel.com/tedx 

Women Who Protect the Earth

This Big Blend Radio "Women Making History" Podcast Panel discussion features guests who share how they work to protect the environment and talk about women they admire who work to protect the earth. Hear about environmentally activist women (and girls) of the past and present who are skilled in writing and the arts, hospitality and tourism, wildlife conservation, habitat restoration, progressive end-of-life care, cultivating community and peaceful cultural traditions, citizen science, and so much more!
FEATURED GUESTS:- LINDA BALLOU, travel writer, author, and podcaster. Hear her podcast about South America that also includes a segment about land conservationist Kristine Tompkins:  https://nationalparktraveling.com/listing/lost-angel-travel-adventures-in-south-america/ 
- MARIA CHAMBERLAIN, co-owner and innkeeper of The Inn at Oxbow Acres, a beautiful and sustainable Bed & Breakfast in Milan, New Hampshire. learn more: https://www.oxbowacresnh.com/ 
- SHARON K. KURTZ, travel writer and photographer. See her article about Christy Walton's eco-ranch Rancho Cacachilas in Baja California Sur: https://sharonkkurtz.com/authentic-adventures-at-rancho-cacachilas-baja-california-sur/ 
- EVA ELDRIDGE, travel writer and editor, talks about consumers who embrace environmentally practices in their homes and gardens like she does in Tucson, Arizona. See: https://blendradioandtv.com/listing/eva-eldridge/ 
- LEA BROVEDANI, trust expert and end-of-life doula, talks about green burials and women pioneers in this new eco-friendly technology. Visit: https://souljourneydoula.com/ 
- CHERYL LEUTJEN is the author of “Love Earth Now: The Power of Doing One Thing Every Day,” a candid, often humorous exploration that reveals her own imperfect journey toward living an eco-friendly lifestyle. More: https://cherylleutjen.com/ 
- ROSE PALMER is a travel writer and author. Read her article about Sadako Sasaki who survived the Hiroshima bombing but then died 10 years later from leukemia, and started the movement to make origami paper cranes as a symbol for peace: https://quiltripping.com/childrens-peace-monument-and-sadako-sasaki-stroy/ 
- JO CLARK is a travel writer and photographer who talks about Kelly Chigumbura of Zimbabwe, the head of THE BRAVE ONES who are women in charge of the protection and conservation of 11,000 elephants in Phundundu Wildlife Park.  Check out Jo's article about her visit to Etosha National Park in Namibia: https://nationalparktraveling.com/listing/etosha-national-park-safari/ 
- ELAINE A. POWERS is a retired laboratory biologist who writes science-based children’s book and continues her work as a citizen scientist for iguana conservation, serving on the IUCN Iguana Specialist Group.  More: https://elaineapowers.com/ 

Lisa Samia - Gettysburg Poet-in-Residence

With August being American Artists Appreciation Month, we're revisiting this "From the Vault" episode of Big Blend Radio with author and poet Lisa Samia, chosen as a poet-in-residence at Gettysburg National Military Park. Created by the National Parks Arts Foundation (NPAF) through a unique partnership between the Poetry Foundation, National Park Service and Gettysburg Foundation, this Poets in Parks residency was designed and curated to raise the profile of poetry as a vibrant and modern way to do public art. More: https://www.nationalparksartsfoundation.org/ 
Hear about Lisa Samia’s recent visit to Gettysburg National Military Park, and her writing, and Civil War-related essays and poetry collections including “The Nameless and the Faceless of the Civil War” and “The Nameless and the Faceless WOMEN of the Civil War.” She also recites two of her poems. More: http://lisasamia.com/ 
Featured music is "Colors of the USA" by Doreen Taylor. More: https://www.doreentaylormusic.com /

Sarah B Cochran, The Justice Bell, and Pennsylvania’s Women’s Suffrage Movement

In honor of Women's Equality Day (Aug. 26), this episode of Big Blend Radio's "Way Back When" Show focuses on Sarah B  Cochran, The Justice Bell, and Pennsylvania’s Women’s Suffrage Movement. 
FEATURED GUESTS:- KIMBERLY HESS - Author of "A Lesser Mortal: The Unexpected Life of Sarah B. Cochran." From expanding her company, to becoming a respected benefactor of her community, often rivaling the efforts of more well-known philanthropists such as Andrew Carnegie, this biography covering the life and legacy of "The Coal Queen," reveals the little-known story of a woman from American history who was constantly doing the unthinkable. More: https://blendradioandtv.com/listing/author-kimberly-hess-a-lesser-mortal/ 
- AMANDA OWEN - Founder of the Justice Bell Foundation, a non-profit  organization whose mission is to educate, inspire and mobilize current and future voters. With programs for schools, a film about the women’s suffrage movement, and a public art Justice Bell replica, the Justice Bell Foundation is committed to highlighting women’s contributions in the struggle for voting rights and inspiring people to register to vote and become engaged citizens. More: https://www.justicebell.org/ 
- DAVID L. WOODRUM, alumni historian who provides another perspective of Sarah B. Cochran's philanthropy work.
- BERT SESLER is the organist at Asbury United Methodist Church in Uniontown. He plays the pipe organ that Sarah B. Cochran donated to the church in 1919 (as heard at the start of this episode).
This episode is also featured on Big Blend Radio's "Women Making History" and "Big Daily Blend" Channels. Follow our Big Blend Radio Network of Shows, here: https://www.podbean.com/podcast-network/bigblendradionetwork 

Singer-songwriter Lara Ruggles in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park

As we near the anniversary of the National Park Service (August 25, 1916), we're revisiting select Big Blend Radio interviews with women who have been park artists-in-residence through the National Parks Arts Foundation. This 2023 episode features Tucson Arizona-based singer-songwriter Lara Ruggles who talks about her music and creative process, and month-long NPAF residency in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. 
Lara Ruggles is an activist, singer/songwriter, pianist, guitarist, and electronic music producer performing under the stage name “Sharkk Heartt”.  Since 2011, Ruggles has released an EP, two albums, and four standalone singles both as Sharkk Heartt and under her own name. More: https://www.sharkkheartt.com/ 
Learn more about the National Parks Arts Foundation and their unique artist residenty programs at https://www.nationalparksartsfoundation.org/ 

Artist Emma Stibbon in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park

As we near the anniversary of the National Park Service (August 25, 1916), we're revisiting select Big Blend Radio interviews with women who have been park artists-in-residence through the National Parks Arts Foundation. This 2016 episode features artist Emma Stibbon, Tanya Ortega - Founder of National Parks Arts Foundation, Laura C. Schuster – Division Chief of Cultural Resources for Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and Elizabeth Fien - Executive Director of Friends of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.At the time of this interview in 2016: Currently Senior Lecturer in Fine Art Printmaking at the University of Brighton, England, Stibbon studied at Portsmouth College of Art, Goldsmith College and the University of the West of England. An award winning artist with an international reputation, she has held several residencies, including the Derek Hill Scholarship at the British School in Rome (2010). She also participated in the Arctic Circle 2013, an art and science expedition to the Arctic Circle.Drawing is at the heart of Emma’s practice and she has travelled widely, recording her responses to the physical appearance and psychological impact of natural and built environments. Working from sketches and photographic records, Emma creates stark, monochrome, often large-scale works on paper. Romantic in character, they dramatise the effects of human intervention and natural phenomena on monumental structures and explore the fragility of existence. She has works in public and private collections, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, Scott Polar Research Institute, the University of Cambridge and the Stadtmuseum, Berlin. AKMore at https://www.emmastibbon.com/