Lives Radio Show With Stuart Chittenden

Artist Bart Vargas talks candidly about a chaotic childhood, which found expression in drawing. After military service, Vargas turned full-time to art. He shares his love for color theory and the use of salvaged materials in his craft, his exploration of themes of identity, consumerism, abundance and waste, and the unexpected discovering of his personal voice and purpose.Bart Vargas is a Visual Artist, Educator, and Advocate from Bellevue, Nebraska. He received his BFA from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and his MFA at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. He has exhibited nationally and internationally, and his work can be found in collections throughout the world. His works have also been featured in many publications including Sculpture Magazine, New American Paintings, and HGTV Magazine. Vargas lives with his wife Bekah Jerde, and their 70+ plants in Omaha where they operate an international studio. Vargas is a Professor and Chair of Visual Arts/Graphic Arts at Iowa Western Community College

Melissa Breazile, a mindful outdoor guide and master naturalist, shares those early experiences of nature that inspired her creation of Wild Tree Collaborative, which offers outdoor experiences that reconnect people with themselves, each other, and the living earth. Breazile also talks about the wonder inherent in our natural world, including its spiritual and intimately healing effects in her own life.Melissa Breazile was born and raised in Southeast Nebraska and has called Omaha homebase for much of her adult life. Intrigued by the healing power of nature, she guides experiences to help participants find ease, embodiment, and connection with themselves and the living earth through her project, Wild Tree Collaborative. Breazile is a trained Mindful Outdoor Guide, certified by the Kripalu School of Mindful Outdoor Leadership, and is a Nebraska Master Naturalist. Her experience also includes communications and public policy work in the nonprofit and political sectors, and public health work as a Peace Corps Vo

International health professional, Ruth Stark, talks about a life in global health, training local health workers and developing nursing programs, eventually being appointed by the World Health Organization as its representative to Papua New Guinea. Stark shares the origins of this calling in her grandmother's stories of exploration, which inspired Stark - as a young single mother - to sell everything and embark with her family on this lifelong vocation.Doctor Ruth Stark is a nurse with over four decades of global health experience. From humble beginnings influenced by her grandmother's stories of exploration, Doctor Stark worked internationally for the World Health Organization, the United Nations, Catholic Relief Services, and other organizations across Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific Islands training local health workers, developing nursing programs, and leading initiatives like HIV/AIDS relief in South Africa. Her travels reshaped her perspective on health, deepening her understanding of the

Carol Russell, a community advocate and civic leader, talks about the events and experiences that have shaped her life vocation. Russell shares her early career as a medical technologist involved in cancer research studies, and, with more than 80 causes and organizations over many years, shares her passion for philanthropy and for Omaha’s collaborative philanthropic community.Carol Russell has been a leading community volunteer for nearly 50 years. She has been the Legislative or Governor’s appointee on multiple task forces, is an advocate for meaningful policy change when she’s passionate about a cause, and has a resume of around 83 nonprofit engagements running from A almost to Z. Russell has won numerous local, national, and international awards for her community service and is an advocate for voices that often go unheard or undervalued. Russell earned a Bachelor’s degree in Zoology and Chemistry and with her Master’s Degree in Pathology, worked as a trained medical technologist and supervised cancer resea

Maggie Wood, executive director of Film Streams, talks about working in the nonprofit world, especially in building welcoming communities and elevating the arts and cultural landscape. wood shares the evolution of her leadership, influenced not only by her work experience but also insights revealed during international travel and a recent career break.Born and raised around Bloomington/Normal, Illinois Maggie Wood came to Omaha in 1997 with the Clark Construction Group, as part of the general contracting team that built the Roman L. Hruska Federal Courthouse and then spent the following decade focusing on business development and operational management within the construction and supplier industry in Omaha. Building on her degree in Theater Arts and Communications from Eureka College, in 2006, Wood transitioned to the non-profit sector with development and operational management roles at Opera Omaha, Film Streams, and Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, before her leadership and strategic acumen took her to

Demetrius “Dee Dee” Gatson, the founder of Q.U.E.E.N.S. Butterfly House, talks about the many challenges that face formerly incarcerated people as they return to their communities and, drawing from her own experiences with incarceration, how she was inspired to create the nonprofit Q.U.E.E.N.S. Butterfly House a safe and supportive place for women to call home while navigating their reentry into the community.Being a formerly incarcerated person herself, Demetrius “Dee Dee” Gatson has seen how the lack of housing, resources, education, employment, and other supports can lead an individual back into incarceration. Gaston has worked with nonprofits such as Rise and with programs such as Dance to Be Free which supports incarcerated and formally incarcerated people in present lives and in their return to community.

Mindy Rush Chipman, the Executive Director of the ACLU of Nebraska, talks about difficult experiences in her early life and shares her personal story of seeking an abortion. She talks too about the stigma and the difficulties of telling that story. We’ll also hear Rush Chipman on the work of the ACLU and her path from working at a correctional facility library to legal practice.The ACLU of Nebraska’s advocacy and legal work regularly includes a range of impactful civil rights issues, featuring everything from police practices to LGBTQ+ and reproductive rights. Rush Chipman came to the ACLU of Nebraska after a 3-year tenure as the director of the Lincoln Commission on Human Rights, prior to which she represented Nebraskans through her roles at the Immigrant Legal Center and Legal Aid of Nebraska, as well as in her private legal practice in rural Nebraska. One of her first jobs out of high school was at the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services where, while working in the prison library, her ey

Professor of medical anthropology and ordained priest, Alexander Rödlach, talks about his early awareness of his calling to religion and to education, his vocational endeavors ministering around the world, a commitment to the intersections of health, service, and faith, and where his journey is leading him now.Alexander Rödlach was born in Innsbruck, Austria. He was ordained after completing his studies of philosophy and Roman Catholic theology and served for seven years in Zimbabwe to support the local church. Subsequently, Rödlach earned a doctorate in Anthropology and a Certificate in African Studies. Since 2007, he has been at Creighton University and teaches undergraduate courses on public and global health. His research tends to be conducted in collaboration with organizations and community groups, and focuses on themes at the intersection of health, volunteerism, and religion. For several years, he has been accompanying the Karenni, a refugee group in Omaha, and is pursuing other researc

Kevin Mahler, a nonprofit fundraising consultant, talks about the thoughtfulness required in effective fundraising, how he helps nonprofits to be responsive, and his own inexorable draw to entrepreneurship in service to the needs of philanthropic organizations. Mahler also talks about the influences in his life, from diabetes, art to astrology and faith.Kevin Mahler is the founder and owner of Contributed Line, a nonprofit fundraising consultancy based in Omaha, Nebraska, which engages multiple disciplines, diverse ways of thinking, collaboration, problem solving, and addressing the urgent issues facing the world. Mahler earned a Bachelor’s Degree from The University of Iowa and then a Master’s Degree from Michigan State University. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Nebraska Chapter of the Grant Professionals Association and the Board for The New Territory Magazine. He lives in Nebraska with his wife and children.

Native-American spiritual and cultural consultant Renee Sans Souci talks about being a lost and confused child living between indigenous and white American culture and her awakening to a Native spiritual tradition and wisdom. Sans Souci also talks about the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women movement and her own traumatic encounters.With a degree in education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and being an Umonhon woman, Renee Sans Souci is a Cultural Consultant, Lecturer, and Curriculum Developer, and has since 2009 been a Teaching Artist with the Lied Center for Performing Arts. She has been invited to speak on topics such as Water and Environmental Science, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women advocacy, Native Science, History of Indian Education, and Native languages, Poetry, and Sustainability. Sans Souci was featured in the PBS American Masters Series, UNLADYLIKE 2020: Susan LaFlesche Picotte: The First American Indian Doctor. She is also a Co-Leader for the Niskithe Prayer Camp and is a recipi

Musician, author, and Jungian Depth Coach Orenda Fink talks about her forthcoming memoir The Witch’s Daughter: My Mother, Her Magic, and the Madness that Bound Us, which recounts life dominated by an abusive, mentally ill mother; seeking to make sense of magic and faith; and Fink’s escape through music and into Jungian therapy and her Last Eden in the Mojave Desert, from where she joined me remotely for this conversation. Fink will also read excerpts from this memoir of suffering, survival, and self-determination.Orenda Fink is an acclaimed musician, songwriter, performer, and writer getting her start in Birmingham, Alabama, with the pop rock group Little Red Rocket and later, in 2000, with the lauded ethereal folk duo Azure Ray, formed with longtime friend Maria Taylor in Athens, Georgia. Fink has collaborated with, among others, Moby, Bright Eyes, Sparklehorse, and the Faint, and their music has featured regularly in film and television programs. Fink’s memoir “The Witch’s Daughter: My M

Angela Cooper, an organization culture consultant and founder of Mindpower Strategic, talks about her passion for and the pressures of being a business leader responsible for thousands of employees and the physical and mental toll of the burn out she experienced. Cooper also talks candidly about the lived experiences and the evolution of beliefs from faith to humanism that have shaped her work and her life.As the Founder and Principal Consultant of Mindpower Strategic, Angela Cooper helps organizations shape their cultures. Cooper has over 20 years of experience evolving business environments in ways that help everyone thrive. As the inaugural Chief Diversity Officer at Mutual of Omaha, a Fortune 300 insurance company, for over five years she led the organization’s award-winning diversity, equity and inclusion and culture-shaping programs. Cooper herself has been recognized with numerous accolades for her DEI leadership. Cooper now works as a DEI strategist, change architect, and thought partner having founde

Media producer Paul B. Allen IV talks about the multi-generational cultural legacy of his family in north Omaha and beyond, his own international journeys exploring media and culture, and the focus of his media entity 1st Sky Omaha on news dissemination, community outreach, and citizen journalism.Being the same age as hip hop, Paul B. Allen IV was raised in Southern California in a life of music, recording studios, showcase venues, visual art, filmmaking and radio. He moved to Hawaii in his 20’s where he deejayed, built musical acts, helped start a hip-hop radio station and music festivals, ran a record store and a print shop, and worked as a promoter and musician booking shows around the islands for numerous acts. From there, Allen moved to Europe in 2009 to work in film and deejaying. After coming to Omaha, where Allen’s family has a long cultural heritage, he became Program Director of Mind and Soul Radio 101.3FM, a community radio station out of the Malcolm X Memorial Foundation, which evolved into Allen’

Librarian Amy Mather talks about how libraries reflect and respond to their communities  and her own passion for all things library. Mather also shares how creativity offers shape and satisfaction to her life and to the creative capital of the world around her.Amy Mather is the Partnerships Manager at Omaha Public Library and believes in connecting the community through information, storytelling, and relationships. In 2010, Mather won the Library Journal’s Movers & Shakers award for her outreach efforts to young professionals. As well as her library vocation, she hosted her own podcast “Whatever Mathers” for four years and worked as an adjunct instructor teaching human relation skills at Omaha’s community college. Mather completed her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of New Mexico, and completed her master’s degree in library and information science from Louisiana State University. Though she grew up in West Virginia and has lived in New Mexico, Louisiana, and Washington

Drew Davies, the founder of Oxide, a civic-minded brand and design consultancy, talks about the practical and creative side of his years as a designer and a business founder, his work on election and civic engagement materials, and his recent co-authorship of Creative Genius: The Art of the Nebraska Capitol, a book about the Nebraska Capitol’s art.Davies established Oxide in 2001. He is a national president emeritus of AIGA, the professional association for design, and is the only Nebraskan to have served as a judge for the prestigious design competition, Communication Arts Design Annual. As part of his civic work, Davies contributed to the national ballot design standards for the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and collaborated with the Federal Voting Assistance Program to enhance the registration and voting process for U.S. citizens abroad. In partnership with the Center for Civic Design, Davies designed the Field Guides to Ensuring Voter Intent, which were featured in the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian

The Reverend Heidi McGinness talks about her journey from the rubble of post-World War II Germany, to a life in faithful service to the poor, the persecuted, the oppressed, and the enslaved, including her work with the South Sudanese Underground Railroad in retrieving citizens from the North and returning them to the South.Reverend McGinness has, with unflinching zeal and hope, dedicated her life, alongside others of all faiths and of other ethical traditions, in advocating for and helping the poor, the persecuted, the oppressed, and the enslaved. Reverend McGinness’s service has been recognized with several awards. She has worked with numerous humanitarian and anti-genocide organizations, including Christian Solidarity International, a Swiss human rights organization, in delivering humanitarian aid to Sudan in times of war and peace. From 2004 to 2018, Reverend McGinness assisted the South Sudanese Underground Railroad in retrieving citizens from the North and returning them to the South. Since her third ret

“Strength rock” musician and lawyer Stephen Pedersen shares the evolution of his musical life, with the bands Cursive, Criteria, and many others, and we’ll hear a few of Criteria’s songs to illustrate his musical style and ethos. Pedersen also talks about his career as an attorney and balancing his two life vocations of law and music.Stephen J. Pedersen is the Chief Legal Officer of Medical Solutions, the second largest clinician staffing company in the United States. Pedersen is also the lead singer, guitarist and songwriter for the rock band Criteria. Pedersen is a 5th Generation Nebraskan and 5th generation attorney, but has carved out a non-traditional path in the world of law and business; all while writing, recording, releasing and touring throughout North America, the UK and Europe in support of his music. Pedersen has for more than 20 years balanced his passion for his professional work with a continuing love of music making. He is a graduate of Creighton University with a juris doctorate from D

Author, indigenous leader, and business professor Taylor Keen discusses his new book “Rediscovering Turtle Island: A First Peoples’ Account of the Sacred Geography of America” which presents an indigenous lens on history and creation myths. Keen also discusses his own “living red” transformation and evolution of purpose.A Cherokee Nation citizen, Keen carries the name “Bison Mane” of the Earthen Bison Clan of the Omaha Tribe, The People Who Move Against the Current. Keen is the Founder of Sacred Seed – a nonprofit that educates and celebrates Indigenous culture and history. Keen also is a Senior Lecturer in the Heider College of Business Administration in Strategy and Entrepreneurship at Creighton University. A graduate of Dartmouth College, Keen went on to earn a Master of Business Administration and Master of Public Administration from Harvard University, where he served as a Fellow in the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development.

Author Uche Okonkwo reads from and talks about her debut book “A Kind of Madness,” a collection of short stories set in Nigeria that explore the intricacies of human relationships and desires, our flawed thinking, religious and cultural norms, and the erosion of childhood innocence. Okonkwo also shares her own growth as an author and as a person.Uche Okonkwo is a writer whose stories have been published in A Public Space, One Story, the Kenyon Review, Ploughshares, The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2019, and Lagos Noir, among others. A former Bernard O’Keefe Scholar at Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference and resident at Art Omi, she is a recipient of the George Bennett Fellowship at Phillips Exeter Academy, a Steinbeck Fellowship, and an Elizabeth George Foundation grant. Okonkwo grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, and is currently pursuing a creative writing PhD at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her debut short story collection, A Kind of Madness, published by Tin House, is now avail

Alexander Cayetano, formerly a Benedictine monk and now the senior director of Leadership Development with the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, talks about living life at crossroads, influenced by Cayetano’s Filipino heritage, the appeal of liturgy, coming to Nebraska, and their call to a community-minded monastic life. We talk also about Cayetano exiting the monastery to marry their same sex partner and enter a professional career.Cayetano serves as the Senior Director of Leadership Development at the Greater Omaha Chamber. A vocation to the monastic life brought them from their hometown, Virginia Beach, to rural Nebraska. A decade spent in a Benedictine monastery instilled deep values of hospitality, community, and service, which Cayetano now carries into their professional life. Their spiritual discernment journey continues as does their commitment to social justice endeavors. Cayetano serves on the boards of Astute Coffee, Tri-Faith Initiative, and Immigrant Legal Center – Refugee Empowerment Center. A