Audacious with Chion Wolf

Connecticut Public

Audacious with Chion Wolf spotlights the stories of people whose experiences, professions, or conditions defy convention or are often misunderstood. Guided by deep curiosity and genuine compassion, the team behind Audacious creates space for the kinds of stories that rarely get told - and the kinds of questions we're often afraid to ask. From those speaking publicly for the very first time to voices already known around the world, every guest is met with care, and every story is honored as both deeply personal and profoundly human. For more: ctpublic.org/audacious

  1. How delusional infestation makes you feel bugs that aren’t there

    10 HR AGO

    How delusional infestation makes you feel bugs that aren’t there

    Imagine feeling an unbearable itch, convinced that tiny insects are crawling under your skin. But no doctor believes you. You try to prove it, collecting samples, documenting everything. But under a microscope? Nothing is there. That was Paula Cox’s experience with delusional infestation, a rare disorder where people are absolutely certain they’re infested with bugs, despite all evidence to the contrary. In this episode, Paula shares her harrowing experience, and experts - a leading entomologist and a psychiatrist-dermatologist - explain what’s really happening in the brain and how healing is possible. Suggested episodes: Body Integrity Dysphoria: When being disabled is a desire When every face you see is distorted: Living with PMO GUESTS:  Dr. Gale Ridge: an entomologist and Associate Scientist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven. She oversees the daily activities of the insect inquiry office. She’s also the editor of The Physician's Guide to Delusional Infestation Paula Cox: a woman in Australia who experienced delusional infestation. She started a Facebook support group called “Delusional parasitosis help” Dr. John Koo: a Professor of Dermatology at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center and Director of the UCSF Psoriasis Skin and Treatment Center. He is board-certified in both dermatology and psychiatry and co-author of Morgellons Disease: High Yield Principles for Clinical Practice Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    49 min
  2. You live where?! When home is a plane or a cruise ship

    27 MAR

    You live where?! When home is a plane or a cruise ship

    What kind of person looks at a Boeing 727 and thinks, yes, I should live there? Or boards a cruise ship and decides never to go back to a traditional home?  Bruce Campbell is a 76-year-old engineer and pilot who has spent more than 25 years living in a retired jetliner in the Oregon woods.  Angelyn and Richard Burk are a married couple who turned loss, an enthusiasm for minimalism, and a love of travel into an everyday existence at sea.  They share wisdom about home, routine, freedom, minimalism, and staying put.   Suggested episodes: Audacious at sea: Wisdom from strangers on a cruise ship   GUESTS:  Bruce Campbell: 76-year-old engineer who has lived in a retired Boeing 727 in the woods of Hillsboro, Oregon, since 1999. He welcomes visitors from around the world into the airplane home he built after deciding a conventional house no longer made sense for him Angelyn and Richard Burk: Married couple from the Seattle area who have been living as cruise nomads since 2021. After losing all their belongings in a moving-truck fire in 2013, they embraced minimalism and now spend much of the year making cruise ships their home Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    49 min
  3. Unconventional obituaries: for a mother, for strangers, and for one very good dog

    20 MAR

    Unconventional obituaries: for a mother, for strangers, and for one very good dog

    Obituaries are meant to mark an end. But sometimes they start a whole new conversation. First, Andy Corren, whose funny, biting, tender obituary for his mother captured so much life that it went viral and became a memoir. Then, Sallie Hammett, whose loving obituary for her dog Charlie rippled across the internet and moved countless strangers. And finally, we talk with professional obituary writer Jamie Passaro about what makes an obit memorable, honest and worth reading. Suggested episodes: Rethinking funerals with the Coffin Confessor, living eulogies, and designer caskets  What death investigators can tell you about life  GUESTS:  Andy Corren: Writer and author of Dirtbag Queen, a memoir that grew out of the viral obituary he wrote for his mother, Renay Sallie Hammett: South Carolina writer whose heartfelt obituary for her dog, Charlie, went viral after she shared it online Jamie Passaro: Professional obituary writer and founder of Dear Person Obits; she also co-founded Elegy.us, an online obituary platform Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    49 min
  4. “I could do that!” Stories of improbable confidence

    13 MAR

    “I could do that!” Stories of improbable confidence

    What’s a sentence that invites the universe to call your bluff? “I could do that!” Meet three people who said it, and then had to live it. Christopher Lamar runs Lunar Embassy, a company that sells deeds to plots on the Moon and other celestial bodies. Logan Goodspeed learns what happens when you casually claim you could run a marathon “with 24 hours’ notice,” and your spouse takes that seriously. And Mandle Cheung, a tech CEO and devoted music lover, writes a huge check to fund a Mahler concert, so he can conduct the Toronto Symphony Orchestra himself.   Suggested episodes: What Happens When You Act Like You Belong GOOD GOURD! A show about pumpkins! TOPS: A woman summits Everest, a man considers a body transplant, and world-record hat-wearing    GUESTS:  Christopher Lamar: CEO of Lunar Embassy, a company that sells deeds to plots on the Moon and other celestial bodies. The business was founded by his father, Dennis Hope, in 1980 Logan Goodspeed: A 32-year-old software engineer from California who ran the Rock ’n’ Roll San Diego Marathon with about 24 hours’ notice and no formal training Mandle Cheung: A 78-year-old technology CEO and amateur conductor who founded Mandle Philharmonic in 2018. In June 2025, he personally funded a one-night performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 (“Resurrection”) and conducted the Toronto Symphony Orchestra   Jessica Severin de Martinez, Meg Fitzgerald, and Robyn Doyon-Aitken contributed to this show, with help from Coco Cooley. Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    49 min
  5. Multiple sclerosis tried to bench her. Karen Smith won gold instead

    6 MAR

    Multiple sclerosis tried to bench her. Karen Smith won gold instead

    At 74, Karen Smith is still chasing the feeling she fell in love with as a kid: the freedom and aliveness of playing sports. After years of sudden pain and uncertainty, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis - news that could have ended her life in athletics. Instead, adaptive equipment helped her keep skiing, and it reshaped how she carried the diagnosis.  Through the Gaylord Sports Association, she helped expand a program now offering 17 adaptive sports, and she became a gold medal-winning goalie on Team USA’s women’s sled hockey team.  At Choate Ice Rink, she and veteran player Anthony Kuntz introduce Chion to sled hockey, and to Karen’s fierce belief in inclusion and the “dignity of risk.”   Suggested episodes: A marathon swimmer and ultrarunner: surviving cancer, breaking records  Revealing Our Blind Spots About Blindness   GUESTS:  Karen Smith: Team manager of the Gaylord Wolfpack sled hockey team and a longtime leader in Connecticut’s adaptive sports community. In her early 60s, she earned the starting goalie position on Team USA’s Women’s Sled Hockey squad at the first IPC Ice Sledge Hockey Women's International Cup in 2014, winning gold alongside teammates decades younger Anthony Kuntz: Gaylord Wolfpack sled hockey player from Colchester, Connecticut, who has spina bifida. He has 22 years of experience in the sport, including four on the U.S. Junior National Team, competing internationally in Vancouver during the 2010 Paralympic Games Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    49 min
  6. Audacious Scotland: CT’s Highland Festival & Games, plus quarrelsome dames seek justice for witches

    27 FEB

    Audacious Scotland: CT’s Highland Festival & Games, plus quarrelsome dames seek justice for witches

    Two Scotlands, one episode.  Scotland One: kilts, haggis, bagpipes, and that irresistible fairground mix of music and muscle at Connecticut’s Scottish Highland Festival & Games! Plus swordplay and the oddly soothing chaos and grunts of Weight Over Bar.  Scotland Two: centuries of witch trials, powered by rumor, rubber-stamped by law. Meet Claire Mitchell and Zoe Venditozzi of Witches of Scotland, a campaign and podcast working to restore names and dignity to the accused from 1563 to 1736.    Suggested episodes: Where We Live - 'Before there was Salem, there was Connecticut': State formally pardons accused witches  Where We Live - Are witch hunts truly a thing of the past?  Dress to unrepress: Women who dressed like men, broke rules and made history  Are you very superstitious or just a little 'stitious'? Big E ep? (similar vibe)   GUESTS:  Benjamin Elzerman: flute player from East Hartford, CT Haley Hewitt: harpist from Manchester, CT John Morahn: instructor at Western Swordsmanship Technique and Research (WSTR) from Ashford, CT Eric Lewis: weight over bar competitor at The Scottish Highland Festival and Games from Woburn, MA  Christopher Annino: weight over bar competitor at The Scottish Highland Festival and Games from Groton, CT John H Spencer: the only living founding member of The Scottish Highland Festival and Games Reggie Patchell: Co-Chairman and Vice President of Scotland Connecticut Highland Festival Committee Claire Mitchell and Zoe Venditozzi: founders of Witches of Scotland, a campaign seeking justice for the roughly 4,000 people - mostly women - accused of witchcraft in Scotland between 1563 and 1736, many of whom were executed Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    49 min
  7. What death investigators can tell you about life

    20 FEB

    What death investigators can tell you about life

    An unexpected death leaves survivors with a single relentless question: what happened?  Three forensic experts share how they investigate the dead to bring clarity to the living. Dr. Cori Breslauer, an associate medical examiner in Connecticut, describes the realities of autopsies, trauma, and truth-telling. Dr. Colleen Fitzpatrick, who pioneered forensic genetic genealogy, explains how investigators use DNA and family history to put a name to unidentified remains, and bring long-delayed answers to families. And retired forensic pathologist Dr. Cindy Hoeflinger shares what it was like to spend a career giving families answers… until she needed answers herself. Suggested episodes: Look For The Helpers: The Anatomy Of A Death  Views from the end: David Meyers The Quest For A Good Death GUESTS:  Dr. Cori Breslauer: Associate Medical Examiner at Connecticut's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, specializing in forensic pathology Dr. Colleen Fitzpatrick: Forensic genetic genealogist, founder of Identifinders International; she pioneered the use of genetic genealogy to solve cold cases Dr. Cindy Hoeflinger: Retired forensic pathologist who investigated sudden and unexplained deaths; she lost her 18-year-old son Brian in a drunk driving crash in 2013 Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    49 min
  8. Forget meet-cutes: How lasting love can blossom in unexpected places

    13 FEB

    Forget meet-cutes: How lasting love can blossom in unexpected places

    Forget the typical meet-cute; this episode features individuals whose paths crossed in extraordinarily unique circumstances. Alex and Sue Tatham met each other on the globally televised dating show "Blind Date" in the UK, leading to a wedding watched by millions. Heather and Tony are Disney enthusiasts who found love across continents thanks to a dating site for fellow fans, MouseMingle.com And after three years of chatting online, Robbie Romu and Avichai Sofer finally met… Only to have their relationship immediately tested by the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war during their first in-person meeting. Suggested episodes: Audacious Love Playlist GUESTS:  Alex & Sue Tatham: a couple who met on the British dating show Blind Date in 1988. Their wedding in 1991 was watched by 17 million people Heather & Tony Lash: Heather from Australia and Tony from Florida met through Mousemingle.com, a dating site for Disney fans, in 2015. They got married at Walt Disney World in 2018 Robbie Romu & Avichai Sofer: Robbie from Canada and Avichai from Israel met on a dating site in 2020. Robbie traveled to Israel to meet Avichai in person for the first time on October 6, 2023, a day before the Israel-Hamas war began Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    49 min
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Audacious with Chion Wolf spotlights the stories of people whose experiences, professions, or conditions defy convention or are often misunderstood. Guided by deep curiosity and genuine compassion, the team behind Audacious creates space for the kinds of stories that rarely get told - and the kinds of questions we're often afraid to ask. From those speaking publicly for the very first time to voices already known around the world, every guest is met with care, and every story is honored as both deeply personal and profoundly human. For more: ctpublic.org/audacious

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