Jane Q. Public

Episode 34: Maharat Rori Picker Neiss

In this episode of the podQast, Q talks to her longtime friend Maharat Rori Picker Neiss about what exactly a Maharat is; the challenges in leading community during such politically divisive times; and her public support of transgender rights.Find Maharat Rori Picker Neiss online:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/roripickerneiss
Twitter: https://twitter.com/roripn
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Maharat Rori Picker Neiss serves as the Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of St Louis. She is one of the first graduates of Yeshivat Maharat, a pioneering institution training Orthodox Jewish women to be spiritual leaders and halakhic (Jewish legal) authorities. Rori is the Chair of the Interfaith Partnership of Greater St. Louis, a David Hartman Center fellow of the Shalom Hartman Institute, and co-editor of "InterActive Faith: The Essential Interreligious Community-Building Handbook." Her passions center on Judaism, feminism, interfaith dialogue, social justice, and her three children.

Episode 33: Cornell Woolridge

In this episode, Q chats with her friend Cornell Woolridge about civics, the impact of digital media on our engagement with the political process, and the need to unplug once in a while.Cornell Woolridge, is Founder/President of CivicSolve LLC, a Civic Empowerment Consultant Firm founded in Building Better Communities Through Civic Empowerment.
Raised in the South and educated in the North, Cornell often walks the line between Southern Hospitality and Brutal Honesty. When he's not working with various communities to build community and civic capacity, Cornell is known to write creatively, inhale non-fiction podcasts and documentaries, cook, sing and generally enjoy people.
Cornell has run political campaigns in Texas and Massachusetts, coordinated issue campaigns in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania as well as national grassroots advocacy for the Epilepsy Foundation of America and served as a civic engagement consultant for the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities.
He holds a B.A. in English (Creative Writing) from Skidmore College, M.S. in Ethics & Public Policy from Suffolk University and Graduate Certification in Transformative Leadership from Maryland University of Integrative Health.
Find Cornell online:
CivicSolve.com
Twitter: @CivicSolve
Facebook: facebook.com/CivSolve/
Twitter: @RenaissanceXM (Personal)  

Episode 32: Paul-Gabriel Wiener

In this episode of the podQast, Q talks to her friend and touchstone, Paul-Gabriel Wiener about MST3K, internet culture, coping with disability, and finding community online.
Paul is a general purpose nerd with an overactive immune system just trying to make the world an incrementally better, happier, fairer place. Forecast calls for fog in the morning giving way to clouds and pun with a 40% chance of brain. Find him on:
Twitter: @hataroni
Twitch: @wearshats
 
 

Episode 31: Erin Walter

In this episode Q talks with Erin Walter, the front woman for indie rock band Parker Woodland, whose new EP and music video trilogy The World's On Fire (and We Still Fall in Love) came out in 2021, and bassist for queer rock band Butch County. Erin is also a Unitarian Universalist minister based in Austin, TX, a former YMCA director, Zumba teacher, activist, and mom of two.
 
Erin Walter - personal website
Parker Woodland - band website
 
Parker Woodland social media:
Instagram
Twitter
Youtube
 
 
 
 
 

Episode 30: Yehuda Kurtzer

In this episode of the podQast, Q talks with her friend Dr. Yehuda Kurtzer about identity, belonging, social transformation... and food.
Shalom Hartman Institute website
Shalom Hartman on Facebook
Identity Crisis Podcast
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Dr. Yehuda Kurtzer is the President of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America. Yehuda is a leading thinker and author on the meaning of Israel to American Jews, on Jewish history and Jewish memory, and on questions of leadership and change in American Jewish life. He is the author of Shuva: The Future of the Jewish Past, which offers new thinking to contemporary Jews on navigating the tensions between history and memory; and the co-editor of The New Jewish Canon, a collection of the most significant Jewish ideas and debates of the past two generations. He is also the host of Hartman’s Identity/Crisis podcast which can be found at identitycrisispod.com.

Episode 29: Brie Loskota

In this episode Q talks to her friend, teacher and mentor, Brie Loskota about how to (realistically!) make a positive impact.
Find Brie online at:
BrieLoskota.com
Twitter: @brieloskota
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Brie Loskota is the executive director of the Center for Religion and Civic Culture at the University of Southern California. Her research explores how religions change and make change in the world. She is a leading voice working to enhance religious pluralism and community resilience in the US and around the globe. She is co-founder and senior advisor to the American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute and implementing partner for the United State Institute of Peace’s Generation Change program where she trains emerging leaders committed to peace-building from the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Colombia.

Episode 28: Dr. Tiffany Puett

In this episode, Q talks with her friend Dr. Tiffany Puett about religion, politics, race and her journey to interfaith and diversity work.
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Tiffany Puett is a scholar of American religions and a community educator. As the founding Executive Director of the Institute for Diversity and Civic Life, she researches, develops resources and curriculum, and writes about religious and cultural diversity, equity and social justice.
She also teaches at St. Edward's University and Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. She holds a PhD in Religious Studies from the University of Waterloo and a master’s degree in Ethics from Boston University.
Her work is inspired by the rich diversity of Texas, the power of storytelling, and her commitment to mutual liberation. She lives in Austin with her husband, two lovely children, and two energetic dogs.

Episode 27: Christine Glenn

Season 2 of the podQast kicks off with a conversation with Christine Glenn, an executive coach and organizational design consultant who also writes and models in her "spare" time. In this episode Q and Christine discuss the future of feminism.
Find Christine online at ChristineGlenn.com.

Episode 26: Mickey Gomez

In this episode Q is joined by her friend Mickey Gomez, a writer and passionate supporter of rescue dogs and libraries. 
Read Mickey's hilarious blog.Follow Mickey on Twitter.

Episode 25: Cathy Benavides

In this episode of the podQast, Q is joined by her longtime friend (and notorious character) Cathy Benavides. They discuss Cathy’s family - one of the founding families of Austin, Texas - and her views on art, fashion and social media.
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Cathy is the founder of Cathy360, a small but mighty digital marketing agency. She's a storyteller at heart that loves to help her clients tell their unique stories online. She is a proud Scorpio and Slytherin, she has 21 tattoos, and she collects sneakers.
Find Cathy on...
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
Pinterest