Crazy Amazing Humans

Katrina Carlson
  • 5.0 (27)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Monthly

Featuring crazy amazing guests with crazy amazing stories--encouraging and uplifting content designed to inspire and motivate you to expand your own sense of purpose and maximize your potential.

  1. 3d ago

    How U2, Billie Eilish & Major Tours Helped Launch Musically Fed with Maria Brunner

    What really happens to all the untouched backstage food after a concert ends? In this episode of Crazy Amazing Humans, Katrina Carlson and Jefferson Denim take you behind the scenes of major concert tours and festivals with Maria Brunner, longtime music industry executive and founder of Musically Fed. Her remarkable nonprofit rescues untouched catering from concerts, tours, festivals, sporting events and entertainment venues, delivering it to veterans organizations, shelters, domestic violence shelters, community agencies and people facing food insecurity. Maria spent decades in the music industry, but it was losing her husband, a Vietnam veteran, that pushed her from noticing the waste to doing something about it. She wanted to build something productive out of her grief, so she started reaching out to the artists and promoters she already knew. U2 said yes. Then Kenny Chesney. Then Miranda Lambert started saving her own snacks between shows. One tour led to the next, and it grew into Musically Fed. Since it started, Musically Fed has rescued more than 870,000 meals and counting. Maria shares stories from the decades she has spent backstage at major concerts and live events with artists such as U2, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, The Rolling Stones, James Taylor, Fleetwood Mac, Zac Brown Band, Coldplay, Darius Rucker, Pitbull, Benson Boone, Noah Kahan, Journey, Ed Sheeran, Lollapalooza, the Hollywood Bowl, Innings Fest, Sueños and more.  With her working knowledge of the touring world, the catering logistics, the production schedules and the chaos that happens after the show ends, Maria was uniquely positioned to discover something that many people never think about. After sold-out concerts, tons of perfectly good, untouched food often goes to waste while nearby families, veterans and people in need wonder where their next meal would come from. Hear how one act of practical compassion grew into a nationwide food rescue movement. Learn about the real work of food rescue such as how quickly meals must be packed and delivered, and why partnerships with chefs, caterers, promoters, venues, volunteers and local agencies matter so much. If you're interested in the following: how food waste can be repurposed, hunger in America, food insecurity, veterans, sustainability, nonprofits, the music industry, concert tours, backstage stories, philanthropy or people using their talents to make the world better, then this episode is for you! Crazy Amazing Humans is a podcast about people who rise above and lift others even higher. In every episode, we highlight inspiring people using their time, talent and resources to create hope, serve others and make a meaningful difference in the world. Subscribe to Crazy Amazing Humans for more inspiring conversations with changemakers, nonprofit leaders, artists, advocates, authors, leaders and everyday humans doing extraordinary things. Follow Crazy Amazing Humans: Subscribe to Our Newsletter, Instagram, Facebook Listen on:Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iTunes Crazy Amazing Humans Website

    How U2, Billie Eilish & Major Tours Helped Launch Musically Fed with Maria Brunner

  2. May 27

    Why Women Shrink, Why Men Feel Lonely & How We Heal with Leah Van King

    Leah Van King joins Crazy Amazing Humans for a powerful and deeply honest conversation about feminism, patriarchy, male loneliness, self-trust, emotional healing, addiction recovery, and what it means to stop shrinking and start living authentically. Known for her massive online following and viral commentary on gender, culture, relationships, and emotional health, Leah explains why true feminism is actually liberating for both women and men because it breaks down the restrictive "personality prisons" created by patriarchy. Leah shares personal stories about growing up watching her mother suppress her own brilliance while supporting her husband, William King of The Commodores, and how those experiences inspired her work empowering women to reclaim their voice and identity. The episode also explores: • Male loneliness and emotional isolation • Beauty standards and people pleasing • Aging and visibility for women • ADHD, addiction, sobriety, and healing • Fear based media and online division • Community, chosen family, and belonging • Authenticity, vulnerability, and emotional freedom This is a thoughtful conversation about how both women and men can build healthier relationships, stronger communities, and more authentic lives.

    Why Women Shrink, Why Men Feel Lonely & How We Heal with Leah Van King

  3. Apr 30

    EP 56: An Insider's Look at the LA County DA's Office: Nathan Hochman on Humanity and the Hard Middle

    What is really happening inside the Los Angeles justice system? In this powerful episode of Crazy Amazing Humans, we go behind-the-scenes with Nathan Hochman, the current District Attorney of Los Angeles County, for a candid and deeply human conversation about crime, justice, public safety, and the real challenges facing Los Angeles today. As the elected DA of Los Angeles County, Hochman leads the largest local prosecuting office in the United States, serving nearly 10 million people across 88 cities. His office handles more than 180,000 criminal cases each year, from violent crime and organized retail theft to human trafficking, fraud, and high-profile cases under national scrutiny. In this episode, we explore: • What the Los Angeles County District Attorney actually does • How the DA's office approaches public safety and accountability • The "hard middle" philosophy and why it matters now more than ever • The realities behind high-profile cases, including the Menendez case and the ongoing Nick Reiner case • Homelessness, mental health, and crime in Los Angeles • Juvenile justice, wrongful convictions, and victim advocacy • Protest-related crimes, wildfire-related crimes, and public trust • The pressure of leading a system with limited resources and massive responsibility Nathan also shares the human side of the job, including the weight of making decisions that impact millions of lives, the importance of getting justice right, and what it means to protect victims while preserving due process. In true Crazy Amazing Humans fashion, we go beyond the title and into the person. We explore Nathan's life and service outside the courtroom, from founding the LA County DA Foundation to his family's global work with the American Wheelchair Mission, delivering mobility and dignity to those in need. He also shares the role his wife and children play in grounding his work and why service begins with one simple question: how can I help someone a little more today? Whether you live in Los Angeles or anywhere in the world, this episode is about more than one city. It is about justice, leadership, responsibility, and the kind of communities we want to build. If you care about crime, justice reform, public safety, homelessness, mental health, or understanding how the system actually works, this conversation is for you. If you like this episode, please like, subscribe, and share it with someone! Remember to follow us on Instagram and also subscribe to our newsletter so that you'll know about this episode as well as the many crazy amazing humans featured in all of our episodes. Thanks for being part of the Crazy Amazing Humans community. We appreciate you!

    EP 56: An Insider's Look at the LA County DA's Office: Nathan Hochman on Humanity and the Hard Middle

  4. Apr 1

    She Was Gretl in The Sound of Music. Kym Karath's Real Story Is Even More Powerful

    Most people remember Kym Karath as Gretl from The Sound of Music, one of the most beloved films of all time. But what happened to her after that role is a story far fewer people know. In this episode of Crazy Amazing Humans, we sit down with Kym Karath for a deeply personal and powerful conversation about her life beyond the screen, her journey after early fame, and the experiences that shaped who she became. After starring in The Sound of Music, Kym went on to appear in well-known television shows including The Brady Bunch, The Waltons, My Three Sons, Lost in Space, and Archie Bunker's Place. For many, she remains closely associated with her role as Gretl, but the story most people know is only the beginning. Kym shares what life was really like as a child actor, including behind-the-scenes memories from The Sound of Music and what it meant to grow up in Hollywood at a young age.  This conversation then moves into much more personal territory. Kym opens up about surviving sexual assault and the emotional aftermath that followed. She speaks candidly about how those experiences impacted her sense of self and how she found a path forward. She also shares the life-changing experience of motherhood when her son became critically ill with meningitis and was left severely disabled. In an instant, her life shifted, and she was faced with a new reality that required resilience, strength, and a complete redefinition of what her life would look like. Kym didn't let those experiences define her. She used them to build something meaningful for others, turning pain into purpose in a way that continues to impact lives. As co-founder of Creative Steps, she helps create a lifestyle centered on work, play, and social connection that empowers adults with developmental disabilities to grow, thrive, and live fulfilling lives, while uplifting the families who support them. Through these experiences, Kym was forced to confront questions that resonate far beyond her own story. What really happens to child actors after fame, the hidden realities behind growing up in Hollywood, the process of rebuilding after trauma, parenting through the unexpected, the challenges and meaning found in parenting a child with severe disabilities, and how people turn pain into purpose and create real impact in the lives of others.  Rather than being defined by what happened to her, Kym transformed her experiences into purpose. She went on to co-found The Aurelia Foundation and Creative Steps, organizations dedicated to supporting adult children with moderate to severe disability and their families through education, compassion, and community. Crazy Amazing Humans is a podcast that shares the stories of people who use their time, talent, and resources to make a positive difference in the world. Each episode highlights what happens when compassion becomes action and when individuals choose to rise above their circumstances and help others along the way. Kym Karath's story is not just about what happened in her life. It is about what she chose to do with it. This is a conversation that will stay with you. If this episode encourages you, please like, subscribe, and share it with someone who needs hope and belonging right now. Thanks for being part of the Crazy Amazing Humans community. We appreciate you!

    She Was Gretl in The Sound of Music. Kym Karath's Real Story Is Even More Powerful

  5. Mar 5

    Seeing the Need, Serving the Unhoused in Los Angeles: Luther Keith, Jr. and Central Urban Mission

    There's a moment most of us try to avoid. The moment you lock eyes with someone living on the street. What happens if you choose not to look away? In this powerful episode of the Crazy Amazing Humans Podcast, we sit down with Luther Keith Jr., founder of Central Urban Mission, a faith-driven outreach serving unhoused communities across Los Angeles since 1998, and a trained gang intervention specialist who has worked in gang-impacted neighborhoods since the late 1980s. For more than two decades, Luther has shown up on Skid Row and South Los Angeles morning and night feeding hundreds of people a day, distributing clothing and hygiene supplies, mentoring gang-impacted youth, helping parolees transition, and connecting unhoused individuals to housing and employment opportunities. But this conversation goes deeper than food distribution. This is not charity as an event. This is compassion as a practice.  We do not shy away from the complicated issues surrounding the homelessness crisis in Los Angeles and nearly all cities. Instead, we lean into them: • Compassion versus enabling and why showing up still matters • Boundaries, discipline, and dignity in street outreach • Gang intervention, mentorship, and earned trust • Protecting vulnerable youth from human trafficking • Connecting people to housing, jobs, and second chances • Why homelessness triggers fear and anger in otherwise compassionate people.   Behind the scenes of this work is decades of experience most people never see. Luther completed formal gang intervention training at Cal State LA and has worked in gang-impacted communities since the late 1980s. Teachers, students, and community leaders speak of the respect he has earned across rival groups, mentoring youth, counseling athletes toward scholarships instead of the streets, and helping create safer environments in South Los Angeles schools. He also addresses another often overlooked reality of street life: the risk of human trafficking among vulnerable youth. With hard-earned insight, he speaks about awareness, prevention, and the importance of families staying vigilant. He helps individuals move from the street toward stability by guiding them into housing programs with clear expectations and accountability. He connects people to employment opportunities, including security and event positions tied to major hiring waves around the World Cup and Olympics. He prepares them not only with referrals, but with clothing, direction, and hope. His model is simple, but not easy: compassion with boundaries. Kindness with backbone. Help that points towards the next step forward. If you want to support Central Urban Mission, Luther cites the need for practical items such as blankets, hoodies, shoes, hygiene kits, towels, adult diapers, baby diapers, and baby clothes. Luther accepts all forms of help, used clothing, blankets, towels and other useful items you may no longer need. Instead of throwing them away, he makes sure they reach someone who needs them right now, reminding us that each of us can make a difference in someone's life, no matter how big or small. The donation drop-off location mentioned in the episode: Central Baptist Church 3120 W. 108th Street Inglewood, CA 90303 And here is our challenge to you: Be a Crazy Amazing Human and choose one thing that you can do in the next 48 hours that turns kindness from an idea into an action. Tell us in the comments the thing you will do or have done!  If you would like to invite others into this important conversation, please like, subscribe, and share it. Don't forget to make sure you're following us at Instagram and also subscribe to our newsletter so that you'll know about this episode as well as the many crazy amazing humans featured in all of our episodes. iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/katrina-carlson/3563718 Thanks for being part of the Crazy Amazing Humans community. We appreciate you!

    Seeing the Need, Serving the Unhoused in Los Angeles: Luther Keith, Jr. and Central Urban Mission

  6. 12/19/2025

    Bouncing Forward: Resilience, Hope, and Community

    In this episode of the Crazy Amazing Humans podcast, hosts Katrina Carlson and Jefferson Denim are joined by producer Ken Carlson for a year-end holiday reflection on resilience, hope, and community. We begin on location at Marquez Elementary School in the Pacific Palisades. We walk the campus, see the play structure that survived the fires, and meet a community that stands as a powerful symbol of resilience. It is a community rebuilding after loss, led by children, teachers, and staff who continue to show up for one another with courage, care, and hope. From there, the conversation returns to the studio for a thoughtful reflection on the year. We focus on three themes that wove their way through many of our most meaningful conversations: resilience and rebuilding, maintaining hope in the face of injustice or trauma, and fostering community and belonging. Throughout the episode, we share practical takeaways drawn from our Crazy Amazing guests and our own lived experiences. We explore resilience not as bouncing back, but as bouncing forward through conscious choices, reframing perspective, taking small actions that build momentum, and allowing timelines to unfold without self-judgment. We reflect on hope as a discipline rather than a feeling, emphasizing the importance of self-advocacy, rejecting toxic positivity, and remembering that there is always something new to try, even when circumstances feel overwhelming or unjust. The conversation also centers on community as both a lifeline and a responsibility. Through personal stories, legacy lessons, and research-backed insights, we underscore that belonging is created through small, intentional acts of care. We remind listeners that the more love we give, the more love there is to give, and that community is the antidote to isolation, especially during the holidays. We close the episode with Katrina and Jefferson singing and playing their co-written Christmas song, "You Are Christmas." If this episode encourages you, please like, subscribe, and share it with someone who needs hope and belonging right now. Don't forget to make sure you're following us at Instagram and also subscribe to our newsletter so that you'll know about this episode as well as the many crazy amazing humans featured in all of our episodes. Thanks for being part of the Crazy Amazing Humans community. We appreciate you!

    Bouncing Forward: Resilience, Hope, and Community

  7. 11/12/2025

    Where Science Meets Soul: Finding Your Joyspan with Dr. Kerry Burnight & Claire Burnight

    What if joy—not time, success, or wealth—was the real measure of your life? And what does joy truly mean? In this powerful episode of Crazy Amazing Humans, hosts Katrina Carlson and Jefferson Denim sit down with Dr. Kerry Burnight, a nationally recognized gerontologist, and her daughter Claire Burnight, a future naturopathic doctor, to explore how to move beyond Lifespan and Healthspan into the groundbreaking concept of Joyspan—the measure of how much joy, vitality, and meaning we experience throughout our lives. Drawing from over 30 years of gerontology research, Dr. Burnight challenges our culture's obsession with anti-aging, inviting us to redefine aging as a season of continued growth, connection, and purpose. She shares her keys to living with vitality and fulfillment, helping you shift your mindset, cultivate connection, and embrace aging as evolution—not decline. You'll also learn practical ways to strengthen both body and spirit through her Inner Four: Grow, Connect, Adapt, and Give. Meanwhile, Claire Burnight shares her deeply personal story of surviving a life-threatening brain tumor in her twenties and finding alignment through holistic medicine. She encourages us to find stillness each day, listen to our bodies, and see illness not as failure, but as communication guiding us back to balance. Her gentle wisdom highlights the essential determinants of health—sleep, nutrition, connection, sunlight, and gratitude—and how to nurture them in our daily lives. Together, this inspiring mother-daughter duo reminds us that joy is an inside job, available to every person at any age. Whether you're 4 or 104, thriving means using all the tools you have to shift your mindset, strengthen your connections, nurture gratitude, find purpose, and embrace each season of life. As Dr. Kerry Burnight says, "It's not about adding years to your life—it's about adding life to your years." Don't forget to make sure you're subscribing to our newsletter, following us on Instagram and  subscribing to our YouTube version of the podcast so that you'll know about this episode as well as the many Crazy Amazing Humans featured in all of our episodes. Thanks for being part of the Crazy Amazing Humans community. We appreciate you! Peace and love, Katrina Carlson

    Where Science Meets Soul: Finding Your Joyspan with Dr. Kerry Burnight & Claire Burnight

  8. 10/15/2025

    Halloween Spooktacular Santa Monica: The Heart and History Behind the Carlson Haunt

    Every year, Halloween in Santa Monica becomes something truly special. It's not just a night of costumes and candy, it's a joyful neighborhood celebration of community, creativity, and compassion. What started years ago as a simple night of trick-or-treating for the Carlson family, neighbors and close friends has transformed into the Annual Halloween Spooktacular, a beloved community event that now draws thousands from across Los Angeles. For this fun and festive episode, we're on location at the Carlson's haunted home with all their Halloween decor-–monsters, vampires, ghosts, oh my! You'll get the real, behind-the-scenes story of why Ken and Katrina Carlson have decided to put in the effort to make Halloween a magical time for kids of all ages. You'll hear how it has grown organically into such a beloved community-building event. They also offer some helpful advice for communities that might want to create their own Halloween experiences in their neighborhoods. After listening to the audio, check out the YouTube version of the podcast to see the Carlson haunted home decorations (inside and out) in all its spooky grandeur! In this inspiring and delightfully spooky episode, hosts Katrina Carlson and Jefferson Denim welcome Ken Carlson—Katrina's husband and the creative force behind the event—to share the untold story of how this neighborhood tradition evolved into a joyful symbol of community, creativity, and compassion.  In this episode, you'll discover: The origin story of the Halloween Spooktacular—how one family's front-yard fun became a city-wide celebration. How the Carlsons transform their Santa Monica home into a magical, family-friendly Halloween wonderland each year. The passion and purpose behind the festivities, including support for Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Angel City Sports, and Palisades wildfire relief efforts. What the Spooktacular reveals about the power of imagination, generosity, and togetherness in today's world. You'll laugh, you'll be inspired, and you might even get a few chills as Katrina and Ken pull back the curtain on the planning, heart, and humor that fuel one of L.A.'s most uplifting Halloween traditions. This episode captures everything that defines the Crazy Amazing Humans spirit—people using their time, talent, and creativity to bring light, hope, and connection to their communities. Listen now and rediscover how fun, kindness, and creativity can turn even the spookiest night of the year into something truly extraordinary. Check out the website www.crazyamazinghumans.com Subscribe and follow the Crazy Amazing Humans Podcast wherever you listen for more inspiring stories, and join us in celebrating the crazy amazing humans making the world brighter—one act of kindness at a time. Thanks for being part of the Crazy Amazing Humans community. We appreciate you!

    Halloween Spooktacular Santa Monica: The Heart and History Behind the Carlson Haunt
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About

Featuring crazy amazing guests with crazy amazing stories--encouraging and uplifting content designed to inspire and motivate you to expand your own sense of purpose and maximize your potential.

Information

  • Creator
    Katrina Carlson
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    59
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2020 Kataphonic Records
  • Show Website
    Crazy Amazing Humans