Restart at Any Age!

In this powerful new episode of Restart at Any Age, I sat down with celebrated photographer and activist Michelle Magdalena Maddox. From being duped by the Brooks Institute’s misleading promises that left her with heavy student debt, to the heartbreaking loss of her father to cancer that sparked a profound pivot into activism for planetary healing, inclusive beauty, and community change — Michelle’s journey is one...

Jill Schontag grew up in Oakland. In high school she was told she wasn’t smart enough. She believed it and chose a different path — a degree in Outdoor Recreation that she truly enjoyed.

But the inner flame never died. She eventually became the Career Counselor she was always meant to be.

In this episode we explore the psychology of restarts: overcoming fear, imposter syndrome, and discouraging advice. We discuss reconn...

What if your life could explode with adventure at any age?

Meet Alesa Lightbourne — the real-life Badass Grandma!

In 1976 she escaped Jamaica with many of the middle class as civil war loomed, sailing the Caribbean as a political refugee with a newborn baby. She lived with Bedouins in Saudi Arabia, moved to Kurdish Iraq at 58 on a dare from her son, reconnected with a college flame on Facebook 40 years later (“Pay up, g...

From neuroscience student and college soccer player to founder of Temptations Bazaar and curator of the beautiful redwood sanctuary Chez Serendip, Will’s journey of courage, pivots, and deep community healing is exactly what so many of us need right now.

In this episode he shares:How COVID cracked him open and led himto choose community over a traditional sales path

The magic of saying “yes” to last-minute opportu...

My longest podcast yet — and it was worth every minute!

We recorded at the beautiful Chez Serendip in Scotts Valley, our new sponsor and a stunning estate that supports artists and community.

I sat down with founder Alisa Sieber-Johnson — former Marine C-130 pilot and Sexual Assault Response Coordinator — who had her life mapped out for the airlines until the pandemic changed everything. 

This is a ...

Have you ever gone through a big life change… and quietly wondered:

“Where do I belong now?”

A move. A retirement. A loss. And suddenly, everything feels different.

In this episode, two women share what happened when they found themselves in that exact place—after moving to the mountains of Bonny Doon.

What they found next changed everything.

Not just a group…  Not just social gatherings…...

What does it take to save a species? 🐆

In this powerful episode, I speak with Dr. Laurie Marker, founder of the Cheetah Conservation Fund, about her groundbreaking work protecting cheetahs—through innovation, community, and an unexpected hero: livestock guarding dogs.

It’s a story of courage, reinvention, and what’s possible when passion meets purpose.

 Listen now to “Restart at Any Age” #Cheetah...

When I first interviewed today’s guest, we explored her many lives — barrel racing, triathlons, international nursing with the Indian Health Service, professional theatre in Kenya, coaching basketball in Pakistan, writing about Third Culture Kids in Boston, and even winning national basketball titles at the Senior Games.

But this time, she’s back for something entirely different.

Now, she’s stepped into the ...

Today we’re joined by Marcia Sivek, a passionate advocate for cheetah conservation with the Cheetah Conservation Fund. Pivoting from her experience at the time. the journey began in 2017 when she met Dr. Laurie Marker at the Wildlife Conservation Network Expo — a meeting that led her all the way to Namibia as a working guest at CCF’s conservation center.

Retired — or thinking about what&r...

Go Ahead and Tell Me!

Join us for an inspiring conversation with Tenzin Chogkyi — meditation teacher, compassion trainer, and longtime community educator — as we explore how it’s never too late to live with purpose, get involved, and make a meaningful difference.

Drawing from decades of Buddhist practice, modern psychology, and hands-on service work — from international teaching to prison programs and local ...

On Go Ahead and Tell Me, host Susan Douglas explores how later chapters of life can become a time of reinvention, creativity, and purpose.

This week, she talks with Dr. Deborah Bronstein and Lesley Harris of the Santa Cruz Symphony about leadership, inspiration, and the Symphony’s exciting upcoming season — including Amadeus with Charles Pasternak — and their decades-long commitment to music education.

Tune in for...

What happens when two artists are shaped by Africa—and connected by a coastal town in California?

On this episode of Go Ahead and Tell ME!, host Susan Douglas brings together Mary Collis, a Kenyan abstract painter and child of Africa, and Michelle McClune, a Santa Cruz local whose journey from veterinary science to wildlife art was deeply shaped by Kenya.

They talk about art as expression and advocacy, conservation and c...

The Artistic Director of Santa Cruz Shakespeare returns to talk about what’s ahead — including plans for 2026 — and for the first time ever, he shares a special plan out loud that’s never been announced before . 

 Listen now and join the excitement!

#GoAheadAndTellMe #SantaCruzShakespeare #C...

This episode we sit down with Joe & Gayle Ortiz, the husband-and-wife team behind the iconic Gayle’s Bakery & Rosticceria in Capitola. For more than 45 years, they’ve filled our community with incredible food, unforgettable pastries, and the kind of warmth that keeps people coming back generation after generation.

In this episode, we talk about:  How Gayle’s began in a tiny 800-sq-ft space  Their...

From blockbuster films like Zodiac, Transformers, and The Pursuit of Happyness to the hit TV series Brooklyn 99, Ryan “RJ” Allen and David Mong have seen it all.

Now, these two industry veterans are bringing their decades of on-set experience to the coast of Santa Cruz — as the founders of HWY 17 Studios, a state-of-the-art production facility offering three fully customizable stages for film, events, and creative...

In this episode we have the extraordinary pleasure of speaking with Tam and Susan O'Conner Fraser,  You may know  them as Santa Cruz Voice hosts for " Think Local First” they are a dynamic duo whose lives have been anything but ordinary. From Tam’s childhood traveling with the circus in Kansas City, Missouri, to Susan’s grounded upbringing in Pittsburg, California, their paths converged in high school on...