What I Really Want to Talk About

Tim Monroe
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Society & Culture

Everyone has a passion and a story to tell. Something that lights them up. On this show we talk to fascinating people about the things that really matter to them and to all of us. Sometimes it’s funny, sometimes it’s deep, every time… we learn something new. It’s What I Really Want to Talk About.

  1. Graham Griffith Really Wants to Talk About Sense-Making and the Future of Journalism

    May 25

    Graham Griffith Really Wants to Talk About Sense-Making and the Future of Journalism

    Graham Griffith, also known as GG, is an open-source program designer and journalism missionary. He is a media strategist and audio producer who launched the award-winning national radio programs On Point and The Takeaway, as well as being part of the team that created Spotify's Sound Up, GG has developed a unique perspective on podcasting and radio specifically, and journalism in general. We have a deep and broad conversation about what journalism is and where it's going, and how we can all work and gather together to make sense of a complex and confusing world.

    1h 6m
  2. Mike Savage Really Wants to Talk About the FCC and the Future of Public Media

    May 11

    Mike Savage Really Wants to Talk About the FCC and the Future of Public Media

    Mike Savage is the General Manager of WEKU, a public radio service of Eastern Kentucky University. WEKU serves Lexington, and much of Eastern, Northern and Central Kentucky. We dive right into a discussion about the role of the Federal Communications Commission in the light of its threat to pull ABC's broadcasting license in response to a joke Jimmy Kimmel made about the First Lady and the President. We also have a wide-ranging conversation about the current and future state of public broadcasting and the clear need for journalism in the public interest to survive and thrive.

    44 min
  3. Tony Crachiolo Really Wants to Talk About a Different--And Better--Kind of Food Bank.

    May 1

    Tony Crachiolo Really Wants to Talk About a Different--And Better--Kind of Food Bank.

    Tony Crachiolo is the volunteer Director of the Berea Kentucky Food Bank. The organization's goal is that hunger never finds a home in Berea. In ten years the food bank has more than doubled the people they reach and help. Tony and his team have flipped the food pantry paradigm in crucial ways that have allowed the Berea Food Bank to serve many more people and to provide their clients with full, nutritious meals. This was a great conversation with a true community leader.

    52 min
  4. Dr Madeline Rogers really wants to talk about making classical music accessible and the role faith and community play in her musical journey

    Apr 9

    Dr Madeline Rogers really wants to talk about making classical music accessible and the role faith and community play in her musical journey

    Dr Madeline Rogers is a virtuosic concert pianist and music educator. We have a lively conversation about connecting today's audiences to classical music and about how her musical journey has been marked by her faith and her belief in the power of music to bring people together. She also discusses her passion for highlighting contemporary composers.

    54 min
  5. Shaniqua Robinson really wants to talk about teaching Black History and reclaiming her Appalachian roots.

    Apr 1

    Shaniqua Robinson really wants to talk about teaching Black History and reclaiming her Appalachian roots.

    Shaniqua Robinson is the Executive Director of The Association for Teaching Black History in Kentucky. We talk about her work helping teachers center Black History in the curriculum. Shaniqua also talks about reclaiming her roots as a Black Appalachian woman and about exploring the culinary traditions of Black Appalachia.

    47 min
  6. Rick Childers Really Wants To Talk About Writing, Recovery and the Power of Edcuation

    Mar 25

    Rick Childers Really Wants To Talk About Writing, Recovery and the Power of Edcuation

    Rick is a writer and a native of Estill County, Kentucky. His debut novel, Turkeyfoot (Shotgun Honey Books), focuses on the influx of fentanyl in Appalachia. He lives with his family in Eastern Kentucky where he also serves as Berea College’s Appalachian Male Advocate & Mentor. Rick talks about his perspective on the opioid problem in Appalachia, writing his first novel and working with women in recovery through writing. Rick's clear and fluid voice--both in his writing and on this podcast--makes us all want to pay closer attention.

    50 min
  7. Sam Gleaves, a wonderful bluegrass and old time musician and singer, talks about his musical journey and the "sheroes" who have influenced his life and career.

    Mar 18

    Sam Gleaves, a wonderful bluegrass and old time musician and singer, talks about his musical journey and the "sheroes" who have influenced his life and career.

    Sam Gleaves is a singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, and music instructor from Wytheville, Virginia. He began studying and playing old-time music as a teen. Sam has performed and taught Appalachian music throughout the United States and all over the world. He has released seven albums, including his debut Ain’t We Brothers (2015) and his most recent collaboration with Kay Justice, The Cabin Sessions (2026). In this episode, Sam plays a couple of original songs and talks about the women who have had a powerful and positive impact on his life and music career.

    54 min
  8. Mayor Bruce Fraley Really Wants to Talk About Economic Development in the Bluegrass

    12/05/2025

    Mayor Bruce Fraley Really Wants to Talk About Economic Development in the Bluegrass

    Bruce Fraley is the 5th Mayor of Berea Kentucky. He is serving his second term and plans to run for a third. He is very excited about a program that will create new building sites in this part of the Bluegrass region designed to attract new business to Berea and beyond and generate perhaps more than 1,000 jobs. In this era of bitterly divisive partisan politics, I thought it would be good to hear from an elected official who is not driven by ideology or party loyalty, but by getting things done for the people in his city and in his state.

    49 min
See All (32)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Everyone has a passion and a story to tell. Something that lights them up. On this show we talk to fascinating people about the things that really matter to them and to all of us. Sometimes it’s funny, sometimes it’s deep, every time… we learn something new. It’s What I Really Want to Talk About.

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