Hear It From Me Dale Lykins

Creating space for people to be seen, heard and known makes Caleb David come alive. His love for the Front Range community, partnership, and connecting with people has helped Caleb to become one of the leading brokers in the Colorado Springs market. He provides reliable expertise in office, medical, retail, industrial and land markets. As an investor and owner of commercial real estate himself, Caleb brings a unique perspective and solid advice to his local, national and international clients.

With almost 20 years in the non-profit sector, Caleb’s desire is to use his platform and resources to bring awareness to social justice issues and to vulnerable and oppressed people on the margins. He is the Founder and President of The Table Initiative, a non-profit organization dedicated to building relationships between global communities. He was also the recipient of the Golden Rule Young People’s Goodwill Ambassadorship Award presented by Dr. Clyde Rivers and Ambassador Mussie Hailu in 2014 for his work and commitment to the people of Ethiopia.

An epicurean at heart, Caleb loves traveling and sitting down to a delicious meal with friends and family.

Annie is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor in Chillicothe Ohio. She is married to Kurt, a retired pastor, and they have 4 amazing adult children. Annie spent over 30 years in ministry as a pastor’s wife. She grew up in church, was active in campus ministry in college and became a pastor’s wife at age 20. She is in the middle of her deconstruction journey. Her journey began over 20 years ago, as her children grew and changed, she noticed she was changing with them. Her husband’s retirement has afforded her some space and freedom to explore her faith. She has been working with a counselor for several years, unpacking her childhood and is now exploring the relationship her family of origin and her faith experience. She is growing and learning. Sorting through her beliefs as they emerge and letting go of the ones that no longer serve her. If you would like to join her on her journey you can follow her blog at annieking.substack.com.

Midge Noble is an online resiliency coach, podcaster, author, and speaker. She has published two children’s books, SHEBA, Home Is Where Your Heart Is, and ICE CUBE AWARD, Learning To Be Cool Under Pressure. Her memoir, Gay with God, Reclaiming My Faith, Honoring My Story has just been released! Her podcast, GAY with GOD! can be found wherever you stream your podcasts.

Midge specializes in helping her LGBTQIA+ community in their coming out and faith journeys. Her main focus is to stop gay suicides by educating people wounded by the church that they can be in relationship with the God of their understanding and that God does and has always loved us, just as we are created to be. To that end, Midge is very involved in her parish, The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd. Midge and her wife, along with their fur babies, enjoy spending time at their mountain cabin, hiking, and being with their friends.

Possessing a voice praised by the Cleveland Plain Dealer for its “ravishing fullness,” GRAMMY® Award-winning soprano Jessica Rivera “has established herself as a singer of uncommon vocal luster and musical intelligence” (San Francisco Classical Review). The dimension and spirituality with which she infuses her performances on international concert and opera stages has garnered Jessica unique artistic collaborations with many of today’s most celebrated composers.

Jessica’s extensive discography includes releases on the Deutsche Grammophon, Nonesuch, Naxos, Telarc, Urtext, VIA Records, Opus Arte, CSO Resound, and ASO Media labels. Her performance of John Harbison’s Requiem with the Nashville Symphony and Chorus under Giancarlo Guerrero was recorded and released on the Naxos label in October 2018 and her third release for Urtext, an Homage to Victoria de los Angeles was released in 2022. Jessica serves on the vocal faculty at Miami University in Oxford, OH. jessicarivera.com

Following a 40+ year career as a product manager and director in the insurance industry, Teri Miles has devoted her life to LGTBQ+ advocacy, particularly with trans adults under the age of 24. Teri started the MIF Foundation to provide resource support for that group.

Teri also served as adjunct instructor at the University of Wisconsin system in their Health Promotion major for nine years, coached age group swimming and high school cross-country, and served as a coach and mentor with each of her previous employers.

In her life, Teri has competed in Olympic pre-trial swimming events, created 3 major trademarked risk management tools, and authored memoirs released in 2021 to help fund the MIF Foundation.

This is Part 2 of a two-part discussion with Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr. Willis is an advocate, Kentucky Teacher of the Year, and the author of a collection of narrative poetry about his childhood growing up queer in Appalachia, Gay Poems for Red States (University Press of Kentucky), recently named a BookRiot Best Book of 2023. His work exists at the intersection of queer identity, Appalachian identity, and the politics of innocence.

Willie is a candidate for the MFA in poetry at the University of Kentucky. He publishes and presents on the subjects of education, marginalization, and identity, and his story has been featured on ABC, CBS, PBS, NPR, and in The Washington Post, Le Monde, and Good Morning America. His advocacy has led him to engage President Biden and to testify before the United States Congressional Committee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. His creative work has been published in 100 Days in Appalachia, 2RulesofWriting, Another Chicago Magazine, Largehearted Boy Blog, Smoky Blue Literary Magazine, Miracle Monocle, and Good River Review.