What if parenting, teaching, or just hanging out with teens could be easier and less stressful. What if we adults could adopt a few simple techniques to help kids make good decisions, free up their own authentic wisdom, AND build closer relationships. 

This week, we’re talking with Adam Young. Adam spent 10 years as a classroom teacher and nearly as long as a mentor and program director for Boys to Men Mentoring. (The nonprofit org I used to head)
At Boys to Men, Adam was key to the expansion of our school circles - we talk about “circles” a lot in this episode. They are simply hour-long support groups consisting of 8-10 boys and 3-4 adults. At our peak, BTM was conducting 16 weekly circles in half a dozen schools. This model is in use in schools all around the country and the world.

These days, Adam is one of the principals of a new consulting and training program called Circle Dynamics Group. The Circle Dynamics Group works with schools to train teachers and education leaders to quickly build interpersonal connections that encourage trust and deeper conversation with students. They have an open set of workshops coming up July 21st - 30th.
You might want to strap in a little more tightly than normal this week. Some of the ways that Adam works with teens - the radical trust, the abandonment of adult privilege and power - might rock your world and your assumptions a bit.

SHOW NOTESReferences:

• Circle Dynamics Group
  
• Boys to Men Mentoring
  
• Niobe Way - Deep Secrets: Boys' Friendships and the Crisis of Connection
  
• 7 Habits of Highly Effective People 
  

 Resources:

• Validate in Place TEDx Talk
  
• Episode 28, How to Vote for Your Best Self with Stasia Rivera
  
• Episode 15 Better Together: Teens, Community, and Activism
  
• Redefining Strength Facebook Group
  
• RocketFeather Community Lab Facebook Group
  

 Music Credits: Music provided by Audio Library Plus

What’s it like for you when your beloved gets angry?  What about when it’s over something you did?  Do you panic?  Get defensive?  Throw blame?  Crumble?  Flee?
​
How can we handle these inevitable moments in our close relationships in a way that actually deepens our connection and reduces the stress and trauma of a fight?

Kelly and Charles have been working in and on their marriage together for nearly six years. Before earning that street cred, Kelly earned a Masters in Art Therapy, and grabbed all the wisdom available from Tony Robbins, Wayne Dyer, etc. Charles studied nonviolent relationships and teaching and has mentored over 1000 youth and adults in communication, self-awareness, and accountability skills. 
​
On this week’s podcast, we share results from the lab that is our marriage, in hopes that you will find it useful in your own relationships.

SHOW NOTES
​References: 

• RocketFeather Blog
• Brene Brown Podcast
• Blushing Cactus Photography
• Prescott Woman Podcast
• RocketFeather Community Lab

Music Credits: Chill Out Records - No Copyright Music

What would it be like if we thought about the current situation as if it were a fable, told to us by an elder?  What would we learn?  How would it end? What if we could tell a story that could help us create the safe, sustainable, equitable future that we want for ourselves and our children?

Our friend and fellow traveler on the path, Rowdy Duncan returns to help us unpack the pandemic, the protests, and the times we’re currently navigating.  He shares an indigenous and earth-based perspective he’s been exploring to make sense of what he’s witnessing and experiencing, and that he’s using as a tool to blaze his trail through this complex environment. 
Rowdy is on the communications faculty at Phoenix College.  He teaches Intercultural Communication, Diversity & Inclusion studies, he’s active in youth leadership development, AND he’s a huge advocate for community and restorative modes of justice.  
Rowdy is also the Writer, Producer, and Host of The Inclusive Activism Podcast, which you will definitely want to check out. 
All this makes Rowdy the perfect person for us to have on the show to dive into the deep end with us and see what we find there.

References: 

• Colby Martin TEDx Talk
  
• Katie Hess Website
  
• Inclusive Activism Podcast
  

 Resources:

• Rowdy Duncan Consulting
  
• Harvard Implicit Bias Tests​
  

Music Credits: Peder B. Helland

How does a kind young man get involved with a hate group and how does he get out and build a life of compassion and empathy?

Our guest this week is Hayden Gebler.  A “normal kid” growing up in Northern AZ, Hayden had a huge need for connection and belonging. His journey toward that belonging took a dark turn that resulted in Hayden spending several years in a white supremicist gang.  Now at 26, his life is radically different and his heart is filled with love and understanding instead of hate and bigotry.
In this episode, Hayden talks very frankly and openly about what caused him to veer off and what brought him back.
​
Trigger warning: In this episode we talk about drug use, self-harm, suicide attempts, and violence. We don’t dwell on any of it, nor glorify it, but you might want to choose the right time to listen to this podcast.

References:

• The Harvard Implicit Bias Study 
  

Resources:

• White Supremacist Prison Gangs in the United States
  
• Suicide Prevention Resources
  
• Find a local AA Meeting

Music Credits: Royalty Free Music and Creative Commons Music from Kevin MacLeod.

Click above to play in your browser or click on the icons below to go to your favorite podcast player. 

What happens when an old college friend has his novel adapted by Jordan Peele and JJ Abrams for an HBO series? 

You invite him on your podcast, that’s what. Our guest this week is the writer Matt Ruff, author of seven, very different books. We talk about the craft of writing great characters, the luck involved in getting published, and how to become an overnight success in only 35 years. We dive deep into the creation of characters who are experiencing very different lives and challenges than we are. And we talk about how critical it is now to live with those kinds of characters and learn from them. 

Matt's books span the gamut, from speculative fiction, literary fantasy, alternative history and gothic horror. His third book, Set this House in Order, won the James Tiptree, Jr. Award for it's incredibly unique exploration of gender. Matt's sixth book, Lovecraft Country, raises the pitch of the horror of racism with a nasty dose of Lovecraftian supernatural horror. That's the book that caught the eye of Jordan Peele. 
​
​Set This House in Order changed Charles's notion of the self and, not to put to fine a point on it, this episode completely changed our understanding of racism. We're really curious what you think about it. 

References:

• Matt’s Ruff’s Website
• Risley Hall at Cornell
• Matt’s Ruff’s Books @ IndieBound
• Matt Ruff’s Books @Amazon​

 Resources:

• 8cantwait - a campaign to bring immediate change to police departments
• Anti-racism resources for white people

What makes Prescott (and the rest of the Quad Cities) strong? What makes us unique and successful when things get tough? Our first episode attempts to answer those questions. 
This week we are really, stupendously pleased to share with you the first episode of a whole new podcast series. A couple months ago, after interviewing Breeanya Hinkel on this podcast and then partnering with her and her posse of engaged business leaders on the Women in Science episode, we hatched this new project, a new, separate podcast that will feature some of the same stories and interviews from the Prescott Woman print magazine. 
For the June/July issue, the writers and staff at Prescott Woman Magazine started collecting stories of resilience and creativity in the face of Covid 19. They called the resulting cover story “Prescott Strong.”
This first episode of the Prescott Woman Podcast is an expanded audio version of that story. We trust that you will find it inspiring and meaningful because the voices are those of your neighbors and friends.

Show Notes: 
The following women and men contributed quotes: 

• Deputy Police Chief Amy Bonney
• Claire Louge - executive Director of Prevent Child Abuse Arizona
• Deputy Fire Chief Cory Moser
• Kerry Johnson - Special Education Teacher
• Tina Rose - Parent  
• Jim Cabral - Owner of Gabby’s Grill
• Rachel Whisenand, Emergency Department Nurse, Yavapai Regional Medical Center
• Ariana Bennett - Parent 

The following people shared their trials and triumphs with us in extended interviews.   

• Kaia Kordossky-Herrera, Physicians Assistant and owner of Prescott Complete Care
• Sasha Naasz, owner of The Movement Studio
• Carissa Johnson - English and Language Arts Teacher at Bradshaw Mountain Middle School 

The following local musicians provided the music you heard throughout the episode. Follow these links to more of their music:

• Drew Hall & Anton Teschner on Facebook
• Candace Devine on Spotify
• Rachel Plays Guitar on Spotify
• Sugar and the Mint on the web.
• Kaileena Martin on Spotify

Subscribe to the monthly Prescott Women Podcast. 

Get ready for next week’s episode: 

• Check out Matt Ruff here. 
• Watch the trailer for the HBO Series.

We’re both struggling with grief, anger, and shame this week. Are you? Our country is showing it's deep fracture lines and the pain is real. Creating justice through thoughtful, individual, and collective action is only goal that matters  

We know it’s not easy, but let’s spend some time together getting to the bottom of our feelings and beliefs and then moving toward some useful action.

We had planned this week to talk about creativity, but the police killings (George Floyd, Tony McDade, Sean Reed and Breonna Taylor), the unequal way COVID 19 is infecting and killing black and brown people, and the long-term affect the economic crisis is going to have on already marginalized people won’t let us talk about anything other than race today. And really, these issues directly relate to the pillars of this podcast, particularly community and masculinity.

We’ll be talking about our own personal experiences, knowing that white experience so often drowns out the experiences of others. But it’s what we have to work with and from.  We live in a VERY white area, but we feel strongly that we are also part of national and global communities, and we’ll do what we can to facilitate conversations that serve all.

We’re going to do our best to create an open space for one another and you, our beloved audience. We’re going to bring our usual blend of curiosity, warmth, and empathy to this episode. But, you all should know, there is pain and anger here… Please, if it shows up in my voice or if it shows up in your head, please breath and lean in. If we pull back, we’re done for. We need you.
​
Anti-racist activists are making it very clear. We live in an unjust and violent system and it is up to us - middling white folks - to get off the fence and off the couch and fix it. We hope this exploration will take us in the right direction.

SHOW NOTES: 
References:

• Jane Elliot -  former third-grade school teacher, anti-racism activist, and educator 
  
• Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson joins protesters as they walk for George Floyd 
  
• Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields talking and listening to protesters 
  
• Washington Post Reports - Audio Story about Christian Cooper, the African American Birder 
  
• Teri Kanefield Blog 
  
• Teatime for the Firefly - Shona Patel - A novel about a young girl growing up in India.
  

Resources:

• Anti-racism resources for white people 
  
• Check out Charles’ Blog 
  
• Zokni nomination 
  
• A guide to how you can support marginalized communities - CNN
  

Music Credits: Metamorphosis - Phillip Glass

When Bill Konigsberg was a teen, there were no novels featuring young gay men.  Thanks to him, gay teens today can’t say the same. In his latest novel, though, the sexual preference of his protagonists is almost incidental. Max and Jordan are in the middle becoming adults, and their struggle to integrate pain, joy, capacity, and weakness into their wholeness makes this book totally relevant for those of us who are still growing… that is - everybody.

Bill Konigsberg is the award-winning author of six young adult novels. THE PORCUPINE OF TRUTH won the PEN Center USA Literary Award and the Stonewall Book Award in 2016. OPENLY STRAIGHT won the Sid Fleischman Award for Humor, was a finalist for the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award and Lambda Literary Award in 2014 and has been translated into five languages. His debut novel, OUT OF THE POCKET, won the Lambda Literary Award in 2009. THE MUSIC OF WHAT HAPPENS, was released in February of 2019, received two starred reviews, and has been optioned for a film. His next novel, THE BRIDGE, will be released in the fall of 2020. In 2018, The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)’s Assembly on Literature for Adolescents (ALAN) established the Bill Konigsberg Award for Acts and Activism for Equity and Inclusion through Young Adult Literature.

Before Bill wrote for young adults, he was a sports writer and editor for ESPN and the Associated Press. Charles met and got to know Bill through their shared work helping create initiations for men - the Mankind Project - and boys at Boys to Men. Charles was immediately drawn to Bill’s intelligence, vulnerability, and attentiveness. 

Bill lives in Phoenix, Arizona, with his husband, Chuck and their two Australian Labradoodles, Mabel and Buford, who complete him.  Mabel and Buford have professional glamour shots on Bill’s website. I fell hard for Buford - you might, too.  
Bill’s books - the one we read, anyway - are filled with real people of all stripes, not token stereotypes or caricatures.  They are dealing with real and relatable problems and struggles, and being gay isn’t the most notable thing about them.  They are regular people who just happen to be gay.  Bill creates a world that is familiar for some of us - especially those of us who grew up in the arts or in places like Jerome, AZ - where being gay and out is unremarkable. We found it refreshing and a relief to spend time there and we really loved getting to know Jordan and Max and their friends and family.  We definitely want to read the rest of Bill’s books, especially the new book: The Bridge that is available for pre-order now.  

SHOW NOTES: 
References:

• Bill Konigsberg
• Bill’s Books 

Resources:

• The ManKind Project
• Mental Health Helpline
• Crisis Hotline 

Is the masked man a hero or a villain?  
These days we’re seeing some very emotional division around the decision to wear a mask in public and whether staying home is cowardly or going out is reckless. Today we are going to dig into that and see what’s under the mask.

In this episode, we’ll be looking at the value of freedom, definitions of masculinity, ideas of strength, and how our society is structured as well as experimenting with empathy, framing, and connection.  Charles will have a rant and Kelly will play devil’s advocate.

So stay tuned if you want support around doing the right thing, even when it’s unpopular [with fringe elements]. We want to know what you think about how to balance freedom with responsibility so we hope you’ll comment in the Rocket Feather Community Lab Group or by leaving a phone message at www.Anchor.fm/rocketfeather

References:​

• Charles's Blog Post "New Strength vs. Old Strength and The Great Mask Debate"
  Charles's TEDx Talk "Redefining Strength for the 21st Century"
• Vanity Fair Article by Ed Yong Why the Pandemic is So Confusing
• Stasia Rivera’s Website  
• Daryl Davis: Crossing Boundaries with Respect 
•           NPR Story
•           TEDx Talk 
• Earl Hipp, Man Making
• Bill Konigsberg Website 

Music Credits: Bensounds

Are you missing live music and the sense of community you feel when out on the town? Are you craving connection with the creative energy of your favorite musicians and artists? 

This week we’ve got the certified biggest voice in town plus our favorite guitar genius - in the HOUSE!  Literally, in our house - don’t worry we stayed in our own corners. 
Grammy-nominated singer Candace Devine and local rock god Drew Hall join us for a no holds barred talk about creativity, re-invention, and community, as well as playing some music to lift your spirits. We used several of the fan-submitted questions to pry into the life and history and thoughts of our passionately creative guests.
 
Candace has been a professional singer since her early 20s, working with Christina Aguilera, Styx, the Four Tops and many others in the recording studio and out on the road touring.  In this episode, we find out that she is both a champion equestrian coach AND a cat enchantress. Also, she swears like a sailor, so proceed at your own risk #totally worth it. 

Drew is a former banker who defied the 9-5 life at his earliest opportunity, going on to be in every kind of band, teach guitar to young and old musicians alike, and curate exceptional music shows here in Prescott.  In pre-Covid times, Drew could be spotted playing with the Cheektones, Summa Totius, THiS Trio with Slim Gamble of Lady Antebellum fame, Drew & Anton, and many many more!

This podcast episode hits a lot of the superlative buttons: longest, loudest, biggest recording challenge, most cat input, most social media engagement, and definitely the most musical. Candace and Drew played two songs for us live, and we play you the recording of “Don’t Worry Child (Rosalyn)” their newest collaboration and entry into the NPR Tiny Desk Concert. “Don’t Worry Child is ostensibly about Drew’s daughter, but in our view, it’s really for and about all of us living through these stressful times.

Show Notes: 

• Raven Productions website
• Candace Devine Website
• Bon Jovi -Livin’ on a Prayer 
• Raven Productions Friday Feature 
• Drew’s Favorite Guitarist - Richie Kotzen covering Sara Smiles

Music Credits: 
Drew & Candace songs 

• Under the episode intro and featured in the podcast - Don’t Worry Child (Roslyn) 
• "Givin it Up/Medly"
• "You Got Me"
• Under the episode outro - While My Guitar Gently Weeps George Harrison Cover by Candace Devine, Dylan Ludwig and Drew Hall