Quality of Life Radio

Big Blend Radio Network
  • 3.5 (2)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Weekly

Expert Big Blend Radio interviews, conversations and podcasts focusing on Health and Wellness, Family and Relationships, Education, Beauty and Style, and Personal Development.

  1. 2h ago

    Author Robin Rosenbluth – Education, Water & Belonging in Kenya

    Author Robin Rosenbluth joins us on this shared episode of Big Blend Radio’s “Table & Compass” Podcast with hosts Joelle Machia and Ryan Slough of Wanderers Compass, and producer Lisa D. Smith, for a conversation about her new memoir, "Living with Strangers: Healing a Wounded Heart in a Distant Land" (She Writes Press). Robin was eight when her mother died. Her father placed her and her younger sister in foster care, even though relatives had offered to take them. With help from a high school guidance counselor and a few scholarships, she made it to college. At nineteen she traveled to Songa, a remote village in northern Kenya near Marsabit, to teach elementary school. She lived there for nine months among the Samburu and Rendille people, and found more connection than she had known with her foster family or her father. The conversation follows her story through the UN Sustainable Development Goals: quality education (SDG 4), clean water (SDG 6), reduced inequalities (SDG 10), and life on land (SDG 15).  Robin shares: - the story of a boy who asked only for a jar of water; - the adult literacy class she started by candlelight; - what a cup of chai says about welcome; - how vulnerability mended a friendship; - the difference between tourism and connective travel; - what people misunderstand about Africa; - a message for older foster youth; - how the Northern Rangelands Trust brought Songa into its conservancy network. LINKS & RESOURCESl - Robin Rosenbluth: https://www.RobinRosenbluth.com  - Robin’s Substack, My Jagged Journey as a Debut Writer: https://robinrosenbluth.substack.com  - You Gotta Believe: https://www.yougottabelieve.org  - Northern Rangelands Trust: https://www.nrt-kenya.org  - UN Sustainable Development Goals: https://sdgs.un.org/goals  - Wanderers Compass: https://www.WanderersCompass.com  New episodes of Big Blend Radio’s “Table & Compass” Podcast air every first Monday. Listen to more episodes: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/table-and-compass

  2. 2d ago

    Debbie Levitt: Moving to Italy Dream vs. Reality

    Have you ever scrolled past a gorgeous old stone house in Italy and thought, “I could live like that”? Our guest Debbie Levitt did more than dream. An American who now lives full-time on the island of Sardinia, Debbie is an Italian citizen who calls herself the Italian Inpat: an immigrant who came to Italy and found home, not an American who left. In this candid conversation on Big Blend Radio, Debbie shares what it really takes to make the move. She talks about how two days added to a 2017 vacation turned into a self-employment visa, five suitcases and a new life, and why she kept her move easy to undo for the first two years. You’ll hear about: - The difference between an “expat” and an “inpat” - The visa paths Debbie mentions, from self-employment to investment, retirement and digital nomad visas - Why citizenship takes years, and what Debbie understands about recent changes to citizenship by ancestry - Paperwork stories, including the flight to Rome to swear she is really herself - Why a geometra (a local surveyor) belongs on your team before you buy, and how zoning can surprise you - The truth about one-euro houses: distressed properties, hidden costs and villages with no grocery store - The residence permit (permesso di soggiorno) wait - Everyday life in rural Sardinia, from the village butcher to the driving school saga Today closes out Italian American Heritage Month, and we’re marking it with the real story of moving to Italy. Debbie shares her personal experience and general information. This is not legal or immigration advice, so check current rules with an immigration attorney or official sources. Links: - Debbie Levitt, Italian Inpat (the first call is free): https://ItalianInpat.com  - Follow Big Blend Radio on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BigBlendRadio

  3. 3d ago

    Filmmaker Gina LeVay Goldstein – Blind AF

    October is Blindness Awareness Month and Emotional Wellness Month, and this conversation fits both. Director and filmmaker Gina LeVay Goldstein joins Big Blend Radio to talk about "Blind AF," the award-winning documentary following blind Paralympian, Army veteran and world-record holder Shawn Cheshire on a 60-day, 3,600-mile solo bike ride across America. Shawn lost her sight to a brain injury in 2009 while working as a paramedic, and the film goes far beyond the miles. Gina explains how she met Shawn in 2015, how the story grew from an endurance ride into a film about trauma, healing and reclaiming your authentic self, and why trauma “tells no time.” She also talks about the filmmaking, the team behind it, and the moment on the road when a stranger reminded Shawn that blindness isn’t a disability, it’s a difference. Among others, Gina thanks executive producer Jeff Zimbalist, editor Michael Culyba, and cinematographers Cristobal de Alba and Benjamin Soto of Zenith Adventure Media. "Blind AF" premiered at the Bentonville Film Festival, won Best of Fest at the 2025 Sedona International Film Festival, and is now streaming on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Tubi and Documentary+. LINKS & RESOURCES: Watch the film: https://www.blindafdoc.com  Meet the team: https://blindafdoc.com/the-team  Shawn Cheshire: https://www.shawncheshire.org  Big Blend Media House: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com

  4. Oct 13

    Filmmaker Susanne Rostock – Harry Belafonte’s Legacy

    Harry Belafonte was a legend in music, but the film "Following Harry" isn’t about his music. It’s about what he did when the music stopped. In this Big Blend Radio conversation, host Lisa D. Smith talks with Emmy-nominated filmmaker and editor Susanne Rostock, director of "Following Harry" and its companion film, "Sing Your Song," about the last twelve years of Harry Belafonte’s life and the new generation of artists and activists he mentored. Susanne shares how the film began. "Sing Your Song" ended with Harry looking straight at the audience and asking, “What do we do now?” Not long after, he invited her to move her editing equipment into his brand-new office, which became a hub of activism where you never knew who might walk in. She talks about the podcast she once planned to make there, and how a front-row seat to Harry’s conversations with young people turned into a film about how movements are built. You’ll hear why young people listened to Harry: he was gentle, he was a true conversationalist, and he wasn’t there to lecture. He left what Susanne calls “a trail of crumbs” and invited the next generation to pick it up, or bring something better. We talk about the mentors who shaped him, including Paul Robeson, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Nelson Mandela, and about why passing the baton mattered so much to him. Lisa also shares her own connection to the story. She grew up in Kenya and South Africa listening to Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masekela, and Susanne talks about Harry’s love for African music and the power of the album he made with Makeba. We also talk about love with conviction, doing what you can with the platform you have, the role of the arts in crossing divides, and Susanne’s work editing the film, which Nancy J. Reid (Big Blend Media) called seamless. Perfect for Global Diversity Month, this episode is about common humanity, mentorship, and what we choose to leave behind for the next generation. Following Harry is available on Amazon Prime in the US and Canada, starting October 13, 2026. Watch the trailer and get more information on the film: https://www.followingharry.org/  More from Big Blend Media House: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com

  5. Oct 5

    Ambassador Dr. Nabhit Kapur: Water Is Life, Life Is Dignity

    Clean water and sanitation touch nearly every part of life: health, education, safety, economic opportunity and human dignity.  On this shared episode of Big Blend Radio's "Table & Compass" Podcast, Lisa D. Smith is joined by co-hosts Joelle Machia and Ryan Slough of Wanderers Compass for a conversation with His Excellency Ambassador Dr. Nabhit Kapur, Permanent Observer to the United Nations for the Pan-African Intergovernmental Agency on Water and Sanitation for Africa (WSA). Dr. Kapur began as a psychologist and mental health advocate, founding the Peaceful Mind Foundation and World Leaders for Mental Health. He explains how that work in Africa led him to the UN and to water and sanitation. He shares why women and girls are central to the solutions, including through his WaterHer initiative, and what happens to a community when clean water is a long walk away. He also describes a visit to a small town in Ghana where children walk five kilometres each way for a bucket of water. The conversation covers how a small UN observer mission works, from taking ideas to member states to getting them to the grassroots, and how WSA's science-based approach shapes its projects. He describes the sanitation and water clubs in Nigerian schools and a youth sanitation and water Model UN planned for next year. Joelle and Ryan add what they've seen traveling, including Sint Maarten's dependence on rainwater and desalination and the questions they ask hotels about protecting local water. The episode ends with what gives Dr. Kapur hope. Recorded just ahead of UN General Assembly 81 in September 2026. Whether you live in a city, a village or a hotel lobby, you can ask what is happening with water in your own community. RESOURCE LINKS: - Dr. Nabhit Kapur on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drnabhitkapur  - Water and Sanitation for Africa (WSA): https://wsa-un-ny.org/index.php  - UN Sustainable Development Goal 6, Clean Water and Sanitation: https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal6  - New episodes of Big Blend Radio's "Table & Compass" Podcast air every first Monday, here: https://table-and-compass.podbean.com/   - Learn more about Joelle Machia & Ryan Slough, Founders & Publishers of Wanderers Compass: https://www.wandererscompass.com/

  6. Oct 5

    Author Dr. Neil J. Farber – Treating a Broken System

    It's Health Literacy Month, and today is publication day for the book, "Treating a Broken System: A Physician's Cure for the Healthcare Crisis." Retired physician and Professor Emeritus of Clinical Medicine Dr. Neil J. Farber joins Lisa D. Smith on Big Blend Radio to talk about why he wrote the book and what he believes it will take to fix the way patients, physicians, and healthcare administrators work together. After decades of teaching communication to physicians, Dr. Farber became a patient himself and saw the healthcare crisis from the other side. In this conversation he explains why you keep getting asked the same questions at every visit, how electronic records, patient portals, and AI note-taking are changing the workload for doctors, and why he calls the pressure on physicians "assembly line medicine." You'll also hear practical tips you can use right away: bring a list of your concerns, bring someone with you or ask to have them join by phone or Zoom, record the visit, and look for a physician who practices shared decision making. Dr. Farber also describes a Mayo Clinic approach in which administrators listen to physicians and give them the authority to fix their own workload, and a Valley fever story that shows why curiosity about the whole person helps both doctors and patients. Dr. Farber says the book is for patients, physicians, and administrators, and Lisa adds caregivers and families to that list. He is donating his book profits to charity. Get the book & learn more: https://neiljfarber.com/  More from Big Blend Radio: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/

  7. Oct 1

    Author Leslie Adame – Chloe Vega and the Magic of Finding Your Hero

    Mexican-American author Leslie Adame joins Big Blend Radio for Global Diversity Awareness Month to talk about her middle-grade fantasy series following Chloe Vega, a twelve-year-old from East LA whose biggest fear is that her undocumented parents will be taken away — until she discovers her family belongs to a secret magical society, and that she has powers of her own. The first book, "Chloe Vega and the Agents of Magic," is out now. The second, "Chloe Vega and the Missing Unseen," arrives October 6, 2026 from HarperCollins Children's. In this conversation, Leslie talks about building a magic academy that blends cultures from across the Americas, the family moment of holding her first physical book, a reader story about a niece whose father is in detainment, the boundaries of writing about real immigration issues for kids, and her upcoming book tour. Leslie's website: https://leslieadame.com  Instagram & Substack: @leslieadame TikTok: @lesliepadame

  8. Sep 28

    Estate Planning 101 with California Attorney Lauren Corman - Wills, Trusts & Probate

    September is National Preparedness Month, and getting your paperwork in order is part of being ready. Estate planning attorney Lauren Corman joins Lisa D. Smith on Big Blend Radio to break down wills vs. trusts, how to avoid probate, powers of attorney and health care directives, protecting a business, and the everyday details families overlook, like titling assets and storing passwords. In this conversation: - Wills vs. trusts, and why California probate is costly and slow - Protecting founders, startups, and business owners - Naming successor trustees and backups - Why a trust only works if your assets are titled in it - Guardians for your kids, handwritten wills, and the no-contest clause - Originals, safe deposit boxes, and documenting your belongings - Health care directives, passwords, and digital accounts About Lauren T. Corman: Lauren is the Managing Attorney at the Corman Law Offices, a boutique estate planning firm serving individuals, families, and business owners in Santa Cruz, San Jose, and the greater Bay Area. She is a California Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law.  📥 FREE ESTATE PLANNING CHECKLIST: Download it at https://www.cormanlaw.net. It appears in a popup on the home page, and no email is required.

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About

Expert Big Blend Radio interviews, conversations and podcasts focusing on Health and Wellness, Family and Relationships, Education, Beauty and Style, and Personal Development.

Information

  • Creator
    Big Blend Radio Network
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Big Blend Radio and Magazines
  • Show Website
    Quality of Life Radio