Audacious with Chion Wolf

Connecticut Public
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. 13 hr ago

    Our gift to you: Pinch me moments that remind us how beautiful life can be

    Most days fade into the next. You make the coffee, answer the emails, run the errands, fold the laundry, try to keep up.  But every once in a while, life gives you a moment that blows your freakin' mind.  For more than a year, at the end of Audacious interviews, we've asked guests one final question: Will you tell me about a pinch me moment in your life? Here are their answers: stories of love, second chances, belonging, transformation, and awe, including a few from 250 miles above Earth.    Suggested episodes: Life advice, one Audacious guest at a time  Forgiveness: How we define it and how it defines us  I saw it coming! When premonitions come true  What smells remind you of childhood? Kitchen objects with a story. Listen at your own whisk   Awe yeah! Exploring the magic of mind-blowing moments  How regret teaches us to live  Stories of everyday courage, from getting a needle in the eye to tackling a purse thief  The surprising ways we ritual    GUESTS (in order of appearance):  First segment: Andy Corren, Bruce Campbell, Steve Feltham, Leroy McSmith, Jeffrey Marsh, Dr. Cori Breslauer, Logan Goodspeed, Casper ter Kuile, Jody Jahn, Harriet Newman Cohen, Andrew Luber, Patrick O'Connor, Glynn Washington, and Bill Edgar Second segment: James Tillman, Cassandra Madison, Julia Tinetti, Rebekah Spicuglia, Danielle Meinert, Candace Jordan, Drew John Ladd, Mikaela Higgins, Ari Cobb, Meredith Dietz, Sarah Thomas, Dr. Lisa Kenton, and Karen Smith Third segment: Audley Stephenson, Tamia Potter, Jay Bragg, Dr. John Elefteriades, Landon Proctor, Marci Pelzer, Karen Nyberg, Nicole Stott, and Chris Hadfield   Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    Our gift to you: Pinch me moments that remind us how beautiful life can be

  2. 31 Jul

    A survivor of childhood sexual abuse speaks his truth. We’re listening.

    When someone tells you they’ve survived sexual abuse, the conversation can feel tender for everyone involved: the person choosing what to share, and the person trying to respond with care. How can we make those moments feel safer, more honest, and less lonely?  Beth Hamilton, executive director of the Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence, offers guidance on how to respond with steadiness, care, and humility.  Then Drew John Ladd shares his story as a male survivor of childhood sexual abuse. He reflects on silence, family response, masculinity, justice, shame, survival, and joy.  This episode is about how to integrate trauma, what disclosure asks of a survivor, and how the rest of us can learn to listen better Resources: RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline 1in6 offers support, information, and community specifically for male survivors Suggested episodes: Forgiveness: How we define it and how it defines us What two suicide attempt survivors want you to know about staying alive GUESTS:  Beth Hamilton: Executive director of the Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence, where she works on advocacy, prevention, survivor support, and public policy. She is also a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, which informs the care and clarity she brings to conversations about disclosure and healing Drew John Ladd: Writer, musician, and teacher. He shares his experience as a male survivor of childhood sexual abuse, and reflects on silence, family response, masculinity, justice, and what better conversations can make possible Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    A survivor of childhood sexual abuse speaks his truth. We’re listening.

  3. 24 Jul

    The kidney was just the beginning: Unexpected gifts after transplants

    What happens when a Brooklyn woman who identifies as queer, liberal, vegan, and an atheist donates her kidney to a conservative Christian man from Virginia? Kerry Kennedy and Joey Shervey tell the story of what it looks like when compassion outvotes everything else. Their transplant crossed party lines and personal beliefs to create an unexpected friendship. Then, Lindsay Vigue describes how a small flyer on the wall of a diner led her to become a living kidney donor, and then to becoming the executive director of Donate Life Connecticut. Resources: Donate Life Connecticut National Kidney Foundation National Kidney Registry OrganDonor.gov Former Middletown mayor Dan Drew's TED Talk about why he donated his kidney  Suggested episode: The Story Of The First African American Face Transplant  GUESTS:  Joey Shervey: Kidney transplant recipient from Moneta, Virginia Kerry Kennedy: Living kidney donor from Brooklyn, New York Lindsay Vigue: Living kidney donor and the executive director of Donate Life Connecticut  Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    The kidney was just the beginning: Unexpected gifts after transplants

  4. 17 Jul

    A drummer, a rapper, and a violinist on disability and the art of adapting

    How do you play the violin without a right hand? How do you drum after losing a leg? How do you rap and create beats when you can only move your head and shoulders?  Adrian Anantawan was born without his right hand and most of his right forearm, and learned violin using a custom bow adaptation attached to his arm. Billy Brimblecom Jr., a drummer who lost his left leg to cancer, shares how he returned to music and now helps other amputees get prosthetic limbs. And Pheez, a rapper and producer who became paralyzed after a diving accident, explains how he records using breath control, memory, and accessible technology.    Suggested episodes: New ways to see, new ways to move: The tech that’s changing disability Stunt performers David Holmes and Jonathan Goodwin on life after paralysis Multiple sclerosis tried to bench her. Karen Smith won gold instead Joe Stone, wheelchair rugby, and the full-contact art of resilience   GUESTS:  Billy Brimblecom Jr.: Drummer, nonprofit leader, and amputee who turned the support he received after cancer into help for others through Steps of Faith Foundation Corey Lee, AKA “Pheez“: Rapper, producer, and Navy veteran who became a quadriplegic after a diving accident. He's a disability advocate and the host of The Super Adaptables podcast Adrian Anantawan: Violinist born without his right hand and most of his right forearm. Using a custom bow adaptation, he has built a career as a performer, teacher, and advocate for musicians with disabilities Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    A drummer, a rapper, and a violinist on disability and the art of adapting

  5. 10 Jul

    No stage? No problem! Stand-up comedy in offices, ferries, prisons, and nursing homes

    When you go to a comedy club, you know what you’re there for. But what happens when comedy shows up somewhere else?  Meredith Dietz describes doing stand-up in a New York City office where employees were told not to laugh, and on a Staten Island Ferry where no one could escape the ride.  Years after his own incarceration, Ali Siddiq returns to jail to speak with people inside.  And Pauline Schantzer, aka Polly Wolly, brings suggestive parody songs, dance moves, and deeply silly comedy into nursing homes.    Suggested episodes: Why the world needs comedians with disabilities The meteoric rise of comedian Zarna Garg Actors Mary Elizabeth Kelly and Dean Edwards on the art of impressions  Why the warm-up comic is the most underrated job in show biz  D’yan Forest is a 91-year-old Guinness World Record holder for oldest female comedian    GUESTS:  Pauline Schantzer, aka Polly Wolly: Comedian and performer who brings musical comedy into nursing homes and senior-care spaces Meredith Dietz: Writer and stand-up comedian who has performed in comedy clubs, offices, and on the Staten Island Ferry Ali Siddiq: Comedian, writer, and actor whose work often draws from his own experience of incarceration. He filmed It’s Bigger Than These Bars inside Bell County Jail in 2017, and his 2026 special From Inside is a serious conversation recorded inside a detention center  Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    No stage? No problem! Stand-up comedy in offices, ferries, prisons, and nursing homes

  6. 3 Jul

    The minds, hearts (and stomachs) of competitive eaters

    Some people savor every bite. Others eat 30 hot dogs in 10 minutes. Welcome to the world of competitive eating! Visit Lake Compounce for a Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest qualifier, where everyone is trying to prove they’re top dog. Then Crazy Legs Conti and Katina DeJarnett - aka Katina Eats Kilos - talk about what it takes to train, compete, recover, and keep chewing when your body is begging you to meat it halfway. It’s a lot to digest.   Suggested episodes: The Guts & Glory Of Getting Into The Guinness Book Of World Records Edible oracles: Fortune-telling with cheese, onions, and tea leaves Welcome to the Punderdome! We're entering NYC's punniest pun competition   GUESTS:  Sam Barclay: Emcee and host with Major League Eating, where he helps turn competitive eating contests into full-on sporting spectacles Crazy Legs Conti: Longtime Major League Eating competitor, writer, filmmaker, and the subject of the documentary, “Crazy Legs Conti: Zen and the Art of Competitive Eating“ Semora Kludy: Known through her food-challenge page, Semora’s Competitive Bites, she is a Michigan-based competitive eater and food challenger Max Stanford: aka Max vs Food, is a London-based competitive eater, food-content creator, and one of Major League Eating’s top-ranked competitors Katina DeJarnett: aka Katina Eats Kilos, is a professional eater, YouTuber, and former bodybuilder. She has millions of followers across social media watching her tackle giant meals around the world Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    The minds, hearts (and stomachs) of competitive eaters

  7. 26 Jun

    Joe Stone, wheelchair rugby, and the full-contact art of resilience

    Joe Stone grew up playing volleyball, skateboarding, and breakdancing. Then, in 2012, a car crash left him paralyzed.  Doctors told him he would likely never move anything below his chest again. But five weeks after leaving the hospital, Joe found wheelchair rugby. This violent, fast, full-contact sport helped him rebuild strength, process anger, and feel alive in a changed body.  In this conversation recorded at a live tournament in New Haven, Joe talks about the crash, falling in love after paralysis, being a father, faith, adaptive sports, and what people misunderstand when they assume athletes with disabilities are fragile. Suggested episodes: Multiple sclerosis tried to bench her. Karen Smith won gold instead  Stunt performers David Holmes and Jonathan Goodwin on life after paralysis  A marathon swimmer and ultrarunner: surviving cancer, breaking records  New ways to see, new ways to move: The tech that’s changing disability    GUEST:  Joe Stone: Wheelchair rugby player and adaptive athlete who became paralyzed after a 2012 car crash fractured his C6 and C7 vertebrae. He plays with the Gaylord Warriors Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    Joe Stone, wheelchair rugby, and the full-contact art of resilience

  8. 19 Jun

    A baby’s hot car death, a mother’s grief, and the brain science behind these tragedies

    Stephanie Salvilla so deeply loved - still loves - her baby boy, Gannon. In July 2009, after a week of disrupted routines and sleepless nights, her brain went on autopilot. She dropped off her older child, drove to work, and unknowingly left 5-month-old Gannon in the car. He died. In this deeply difficult and important conversation, Stephanie talks about grief, shame, public judgment, forgiveness, and why she now shares her story. We also hear from Amber Rollins, executive director of Kids and Car Safety, about why these tragedies happen and the simple habits every caregiver can use to help keep children safe.   Resources: Kids and Car Safety Fatal Distraction: Forgetting a Child in the Backseat of a Car Is a Horrifying Mistake. Is It a Crime? by Gene Weingarten   Suggested episode: Finding purpose in life after accidentally killing someone   GUESTS:  Amber Rollins: Executive director of Kids and Car Safety, a national nonprofit focused on preventing child injuries and deaths in and around vehicles. She has worked with the organization for 21 years and helps lead its data, family support, and safety advocacy work  Stephanie Salvilla: A mother whose 5-month-old son, Gannon, died in a hot car in 2009 after a change in the family’s daycare drop-off routine. She now shares her story to help prevent other families from living through the same tragedy  Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    A baby’s hot car death, a mother’s grief, and the brain science behind these tragedies
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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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