HarmonyTALK

Foundation for Harmony Presents
  • 4.8 (9)
  • Arts
  • Updated Weekly

HarmonyTALK is an inspirational podcast featuring ‘dreamers and doers’ who turned ideas into action. Explore creativity, perseverance, leadership and the human stories behind meaningful success through candid conversations designed to spark reflection, motivation and possibility, and join a growing community inspired to dream boldly and live intentionally.

  1. Chasing the Sound Between Here and Home

    1d ago

    Chasing the Sound Between Here and Home

    The Harmony in the Woods summer concert opens its sixth season this weekend in Hawley, Pennsylvania, welcoming world-class musicians from around the globe to its intimate outdoor amphitheater nestled among the trees, including today’s HarmonyTALK guest Taylor Ashton. This year's 23-concert season, which opens Friday, July 3, with Toronto's acclaimed Bywater Call, runs every weekend through September 5th and celebrates roots, rock, jazz, bluegrass, folk, Americana, global music and more. Taylor Ashton will bring his thoughtful blend of folk, Americana, banjo, guitar, and lyrical storytelling to Harmony in the Woods on Friday, August 7. In this heartfelt episode of HarmonyTALK, host Greg Frigoletto sits down with Taylor to explore the unexpected journey that reshaped both his music and his understanding of human connection. Taylor left his native Canada for New York City, believing the next chapter of his musical life was just beginning. Then the world stopped. His debut record arrived just as COVID shut down concerts, venues, and nearly every opportunity for musicians to connect with listeners. Like so many artists, he found himself wondering how to keep creating when the audience had disappeared. Rather than waiting for life to return to normal, Taylor packed up his microphones, instruments, and recording equipment and set off on an extraordinary journey across America. Over thousands of miles, he recorded songs wherever inspiration appeared. In forests. On front porches. In parks. Beside rivers. Behind cabins. In backyards shared by friends old and new. Those recordings became Stranger to the Feeling, an album that is every bit as much about friendship and community as it is about music. Greg and Taylor explore what happens when creativity refuses to stay still, how travel changes the stories we tell, and how some of life's most meaningful moments happen far from the places we planned to find them. Listeners will also get a preview of the intimate performance Taylor will bring to Harmony in the Woods stage on Friday, August 7. Whether you're a music lover, songwriter, traveler, or simply someone who understands what it means to begin again, this conversation is a reminder that even after seasons of isolation, connection has a way of finding us. For tickets to Taylor Ashton's August 7 performance and the complete Harmony in the Woods summer lineup, visit harmonyinthewoods.org.

    30 min
  2. Sowing Scenes and Reaping Applause: Tannis Kowalchuk’s Agri-Cultural Revolution

    2d ago

    Sowing Scenes and Reaping Applause: Tannis Kowalchuk’s Agri-Cultural Revolution

    Most people spend a lifetime trying to balance their passions. Tannis Kowalchuk planted hers in the same field. In this episode of HarmonyTALK, host Lisa Champeau sits down with the artistic director of Farm Arts Collective and co-owner of Willow Wisp Organic Farm along Pennsylvania's Delaware River. A performer at heart, Tannis always knew she belonged on a stage. Then she met a farmer. What followed was a remarkable journey that combined two seemingly different worlds into one life's mission. Today, Tannis is an actor, director, producer, farmer, educator, and climate advocate whose work has transformed a working organic and solar farm into a destination for original theater and community dialogue. Her productions are performed right on the farm, where audiences gather among fields, barns, and open skies to experience stories rooted in the realities of rural life. This summer, she directs Johnny Appleseed: An Historical Fantasia, the Farm Arts Collective's newest original production. During the conversation, Tannis shares how farming changed the way she sees the world, why climate change has become one of the most urgent topics facing agriculture, and how theater can help people understand challenges that affect all of us. As she explains: "Climate change and new weather events are the talk of the farming community. First, these devastating events affect farmers, then they affect the eaters. And the eaters are all of us." Tannis also offers thoughtful advice for aspiring artists, emphasizing the importance of mastering your craft, building relationships with mentors and collaborators, and staying committed to the work. Insightful, inspiring, and deeply original, this episode explores what happens when creativity, purpose, and community all take root in the same place. @Farm Arts Collective @Willow Wisp Organic Farm @Lisa Champeau

    29 min
  3. From a Small-Town Stage to the World's Greatest Opera Houses

    Jun 17

    From a Small-Town Stage to the World's Greatest Opera Houses

    From Rural Pennsylvania to the World's Greatest Opera Houses For most kids who grow up in a small rural town, the world's great opera houses can feel unimaginably far away. For Melanie Henley Heyn, they became home. In this episode of HarmonyTALK, host Lisa Champeau sits down with the internationally acclaimed opera singer whose journey began at age ten in a production of Amahl and the Night Visitors and eventually carried her from Wayne County in Northeastern Pennsylvania to stages across Europe and beyond. Fresh off a performance at The Cooperage Project in Honesdale, Melanie reflects on the winding path from small-town dreamer to professional artist, the discipline required to pursue a career in opera, and why she believes great art has the power to bring people together rather than drive them apart. The conversation explores the realities of pursuing one of the world's most demanding art forms, overcoming self-doubt, and learning to trust your own voice. Melanie also shares her belief that artists have a responsibility to help people see beyond labels and assumptions, finding connection through stories that reveal both the beauty and complexity of human nature. Filled with warmth, humor, honesty, and inspiration, this episode offers an intimate look at a remarkable artistic journey that began in rural Pennsylvania and continues to unfold on stages around the world.

    25 min
  4. The Truth Hunter

    Jun 10

    The Truth Hunter

    What Happens When a Reporter Stops Looking Away? For most people, curiosity lasts a few moments. For Matt Birkbeck, it became a life's work. Long before true crime podcasts dominated streaming platforms and documentary series filled television schedules, Birkbeck was chasing leads, knocking on doors, digging through court records, and asking questions others overlooked. His reporting led him deep into stories involving organized crime, political corruption, missing persons, financial fraud, and some of the most notorious figures in modern American history. In this episode of HarmonyTALK, host Greg Frigoletto sits down with the award-winning investigative journalist and bestselling author whose work helped uncover the stories behind Mafia kingpin Russell Bufalino, mob boss William "Big Billy" D'Elia, Robert Durst, and Suzanne Sevakis, whose tragic story later became the global Netflix documentary Girl in the Picture. The conversation explores what motivates someone to spend a lifetime pursuing difficult truths, the emotional toll of living inside dark stories, and the patience required to earn trust from people who often have every reason not to talk. Birkbeck also discusses his latest creative chapter, The Wicked, a historical thriller inspired by the Molly Maguires and the coal region of Northeastern Pennsylvania. After decades devoted exclusively to facts, documents, and evidence, he explains why fiction offered a different kind of freedom while still satisfying his instinct to investigate. From New York City and Hollywood, to the Poconos and Pittston, PA, and beyond,  Birkbeck's career has been driven by one simple question: What story has not been told yet?

    35 min
  5. (P)Luck: The Twin Brothers Who Rebuilt American Healthcare

    Jun 3

    (P)Luck: The Twin Brothers Who Rebuilt American Healthcare

    Before 911, Before Organ Donation Laws, Before Physician Assistants Imagine calling for help during a medical emergency in the 1960s and discovering there was no coordinated EMS system. Imagine lifesaving organs being lost because there was no legal framework for donation. Imagine overworked doctors without trained Physician Assistants helping bridge the gap in care. That was American healthcare before identical twin brothers Fred Sadler, M.D., and Blair Sadler, J.D. started working together. In this fascinating episode of HarmonyTALK, host Lisa Champeau sits down with the pioneering physician-and-lawyer team behind some of the most transformative healthcare innovations of the last century. Their book, (P)Luck: Lessons We Learned for Improving Healthcare and the World, reads like a hidden history of modern medicine. One part policy thriller. One part leadership memoir. One part blueprint for how unlikely collaborations can reshape entire systems. Together, the Sadler brothers helped establish the legal foundations for organ donation, shaped the early Physician Assistant profession, contributed to the creation of Emergency Medical Services in the United States, and helped elevate bioethics into mainstream healthcare conversations. But this conversation is bigger than medicine. It is about what happens when expertise crosses disciplines. What happens when a doctor and a lawyer stop arguing across conference tables and start building solutions together. Lisa Champeau explores the brothers’ remarkable journey through the chaos and reinvention of American healthcare during the 1960s and 1970s, the risks they took inside large institutions, and the leadership lessons they believe still matter today. For listeners who love hidden histories, systems thinking, public policy, innovation, and stories about people quietly shaping the world behind the scenes, this episode delivers a remarkable deep dive into how modern healthcare was built.

    33 min
  6. Chasing the Sound Between Here and Home

    Jun 3

    Chasing the Sound Between Here and Home

    The Harmony in the Woods summer concert opens its sixth season this weekend in Hawley, Pennsylvania, welcoming world-class musicians from around the globe to its intimate outdoor amphitheater nestled among the trees, including today’s HarmonyTALK guest Taylor Ashton. This year's 23-concert season, which opens Friday, July 3, with Toronto's acclaimed Bywater Call, runs every weekend through September 5th and celebrates roots, rock, jazz, bluegrass, folk, Americana, global music and more. Taylor Ashton will bring his thoughtful blend of folk, Americana, banjo, guitar, and lyrical storytelling to Harmony in the Woods on Friday, August 7. In this heartfelt episode of HarmonyTALK, host Greg Frigoletto sits down with Taylor to explore the unexpected journey that reshaped both his music and his understanding of human connection. Taylor left his native Canada for New York City, believing the next chapter of his musical life was just beginning. Then the world stopped. His debut record arrived just as COVID shut down concerts, venues, and nearly every opportunity for musicians to connect with listeners. Like so many artists, he found himself wondering how to keep creating when the audience had disappeared. Rather than waiting for life to return to normal, Taylor packed up his microphones, instruments, and recording equipment and set off on an extraordinary journey across America. Over thousands of miles, he recorded songs wherever inspiration appeared. In forests. On front porches. In parks. Beside rivers. Behind cabins. In backyards shared by friends old and new. Those recordings became Stranger to the Feeling, an album that is every bit as much about friendship and community as it is about music. Greg and Taylor explore what happens when creativity refuses to stay still, how travel changes the stories we tell, and how some of life's most meaningful moments happen far from the places we planned to find them. Listeners will also get a preview of the intimate performance Taylor will bring to Harmony in the Woods stage on Friday, August 7. Whether you're a music lover, songwriter, traveler, or simply someone who understands what it means to begin again, this conversation is a reminder that even after seasons of isolation, connection has a way of finding us. For tickets to Taylor Ashton's August 7 performance and the complete Harmony in the Woods summer lineup, visit harmonyinthewoods.org.

    30 min
  7. Against the Odds: Chris Ayres and the Power of Staying In the Fight

    May 27

    Against the Odds: Chris Ayres and the Power of Staying In the Fight

    From 14 Straight Losses to National Coach of the Year: The Chris Ayres Story Chris Ayres knows what it feels like to struggle before things finally click. Long before becoming one of college wrestling’s most respected coaches, he lost 14 straight matches as a youth wrestler. Most athletes would have quit. Instead, Ayres stayed in the fight. In this inspiring episode of HarmonyTALK, host Greg Frigoletto speaks with the New Jersey native about resilience, leadership, and the unlikely path that carried him from underdog athlete to national coaching success at two of the country’s most prestigious universities: Princeton and Stanford. Ayres reflects on growing up as a high-energy kid searching for direction, discovering wrestling as a place where his intensity became an advantage, and learning how failure often becomes the foundation for future success. That persistence helped transform him into an Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association champion, a two-time recipient of Lehigh’s Outstanding Athlete honor, an All-American wrestler, and a record-setting athlete before launching a coaching career that reshaped multiple programs. After helping Lehigh capture five straight Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association team championships as an assistant coach, Ayres took over a Princeton program that had nearly been canceled years earlier and helped guide the Tigers into one of the most exciting eras in program history, including a Top 6 national finish. Now at Stanford, Ayres has quickly elevated the Cardinal into national contention, earning 2026 National Coach of the Year honors after leading Stanford to a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in only his third season. Filled with honesty and perspective, this conversation goes far beyond sports. It is about positivity, persistence, and what becomes possible when someone keeps showing up long enough for the story to change.  @Greg Frigoletto Follow Chris Ayers:Instagram: @ayers157Facebook: @ChrisAyres Stanford Wrestling: @CardWrestling

    33 min
  8. Rhythm Beyond Borders: How Harvey Price Uses Music to Bring Children Together in the War-Torn Middle East

    May 20

    Rhythm Beyond Borders: How Harvey Price Uses Music to Bring Children Together in the War-Torn Middle East

    When Music Becomes Common Ground: Harvey Price and the Peace Drums Project What if the path to peace started with children simply playing music together? In this moving episode of HarmonyTALK, host Todd Stephens sits down with renowned percussionist, jazz vibraphonist, educator and Peace Drums Project founder Harvey Price to explore how one unlikely instrument became a bridge across cultural and religious divides in the war-torn Middle East. After decades as a music educator and director of the University of Delaware steel band, Harvey founded the Peace Drums Project in 2012 with a simple but profound belief: Children are not born with hatred. They come into this world filled with curiosity and the desire to connect. By bringing Israeli and Palestinian children together through shared steel drum ensembles, the Peace Drums Project fosters friendship, collaboration and humanity that rise above politics and conflict. Harvey explains why he intentionally chose the steel drum, an instrument with no cultural or political ownership in the region, and how music creates emotional space where conversation often cannot. At a time when violence and division continue to dominate the lives of children in the Middle East, this conversation feels especially urgent. Harvey reflects on why peace matters now more than ever and why creating opportunities for children to see each other as human beings may be one of the most important acts of hope in the world today. This episode explores music as diplomacy, the emotional power of collaboration, interfaith understanding, childhood connection, and the courage to believe peace can begin one relationship at a time. Perfect for listeners passionate about music education, peacebuilding, intercultural dialogue, social impact, community leadership, and stories that remind us what is still possible. Follow Peace Drums Project on Instagram: @PeaceDrumsProject linktr.ee/peacedrumsproject https://peacedrumsproject.org/

    28 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

HarmonyTALK is an inspirational podcast featuring ‘dreamers and doers’ who turned ideas into action. Explore creativity, perseverance, leadership and the human stories behind meaningful success through candid conversations designed to spark reflection, motivation and possibility, and join a growing community inspired to dream boldly and live intentionally.

Information

  • Creator
    Foundation for Harmony Presents
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    136
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Foundation for Harmony Presents
  • Show Website
    HarmonyTALK