On Location - Coastside Edition

Sophia Layne

How do we bring our world to a better place — not back to where we were, but forward, to somewhere better? This podcast is an experiment in building a better future – through enabling informed conversations, recognizing interconnections and an abundance mindset, and supporting smarter, more sustainable public investments. Drawing on my background in local and state-level public education policy as well as the global biomedical industry (and as a parent of two!), I aim to bring you real stories from remarkable people working to make a difference. Each episode is grounded in place and purpose, offering insight, inspiration, and maybe even a little entertainment—all with the hope of creating a world worth passing on.

  1. Self-portrait as legacy – a poet, a painting, and the art of deep listening

    May 15

    Self-portrait as legacy – a poet, a painting, and the art of deep listening

    In this second of a two-part series, Sophia chats with poet Monica Korde, whose collaborative installation with watercolor artist Hargun Maan is featured in a special exhibition at Kitsune Community Art Studio and Gallery in Half Moon Bay, California, through June 7, 2026. The installation is a scroll-form depiction of a poem, flowing from wall to tabletop and landing on a table with ordinary objects including moong beans, dried chili peppers, and a pen. Monica recites the poem live – and it stops you in your tracks. Kitsune founder and owner, Na Omi Shintani, joins Monica and Sophia to discuss the work and how it fits into the exhibition featured at her gallery during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. https://www.judykitsunestudio.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrQylTPaSUU https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYPguVzCRb-/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557385082181 Naomi Shintani is a visual artist and gallerist based in Half Moon Bay whose annual AAPI Heritage Month exhibitions have brought together artists from across the Bay Area to share their work and stories with the Coastside community. Her own work depicts family stories, honors Japanese American history, showcases women’s issues, and environmental issues. Monica Korde is former Poet Laureate of Belmont and current Artist-in-Residence with Government (AIRG) with the San Mateo County Office of Arts and Culture. A community builder and passionate advocate for youth engagement in the arts, her practice bridges poetry & performance, collaborations with youth & other artists, inviting audiences of all ages & backgrounds to deeply engage with identity, belonging and collective creativity. Sophia Layne is a public advocate, nature lover, long-time Coastsider, and mom. She's a former director in the biomedical industry and has served on her local school board as well as leadership roles in county- and statewide public education advocacy organizations.

    18 min
  2. What we carry – legacy, identity, and community art

    May 15

    What we carry – legacy, identity, and community art

    Host Sophia Layne steps inside a hidden artist's studio and gallery in Half Moon Bay, tucked behind a bike shop near California’s iconic Highway One. As Kitsune Studios hosts its third annual celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, they embark on a multi-media exploration of this year's theme – LEGACY. In this first of a two-part series, Sophia tours the exhibition with artist and studio owner Na Omi Shintani and chats with Na Omi and poet Monica Korde, whose collaborative installation is featured in the show. Along the way, the conversation moves through music-evoking photography, travel-inspired embroidery, and a painful but essential reckoning with the Japanese American incarceration of World War II — and why the words we use to describe history matter more than we might think. And why, in 2026, that history feels closer than ever. This episode is a reminder that art does what few other things can — it slows us down, asks us to notice, and makes space for stories that might otherwise stay buried. More information: https://www.judykitsunestudio.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qRonCpgHd0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lkzj1SoZ_sY https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYPguVzCRb-/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557385082181 Naomi Shintani is a visual artist and gallerist based in Half Moon Bay whose annual AAPI Heritage Month exhibitions have brought together artists from across the Bay Area to share their work and stories with the Coastside community. Her own work depicts family stories, honors Japanese American history, showcases women’s issues, and environmental issues. Monica Korde is former Poet Laureate of Belmont and current Artist-in-Residence with Government (AIRG) with the San Mateo County Office of Arts and Culture. A community builder and passionate advocate for youth engagement in the arts, her practice bridges poetry & performance, collaborations with youth & other artists, inviting audiences of all ages & backgrounds to deeply engage with identity, belonging and collective creativity. Sophia Layne is a public advocate, nature lover, long-time Coastsider, and mom. She's a former director in the biomedical industry and has served on her local school board as well as leadership roles in county- and statewide public education advocacy organizations.

    22 min
  3. Dream it, do it - teen robotics and the future of work

    Apr 23

    Dream it, do it - teen robotics and the future of work

    Host Sophia Layne heads to the inaugural FIRST Robotics California Northern State Championship for a front-row seat at one of the most energizing things happening on the Coastside — and possibly one of the most under the radar. This episode follows the Pumpkin Bots, Half Moon Bay's own teen robotics team, as they compete against some of the most well-resourced schools and programs in Silicon Valley — and hold their own. Sophia sits down with Franz Dill, the team's lead mentor and a robotics engineer at J&J MedTech, to talk about what it really takes to build a winning team — and why celebrating failure might be one of the most important lessons these kids are learning. Mentor Steve Patton pulls back the curtain on how a scrappy, community-supported team with a 3D printer competes with powerhouse programs — with a little creativity and, yes, a custom AI scouting tool built by one of their own students. And we hear directly from the teens themselves — including the co-captain juggling outreach, strategy, and learning to code, the team photographer and social media manager, and the student who decided the team needed a mascot (and shoots hoops with their robot when he’s not doing so with his interscholastic high school basketball team…). Along the way, Sophia reflects on the bigger picture: what this team represents at a moment when the future of work is shifting quickly, and what it might mean to make this kind of learning — expert-guided, hands-on, real-world — the norm rather than the exception. Guest Franz Dill is a medical robotics engineer at Johnson & Johnson and lead mentor of the Pumpkin Bots. Franz is also, in his spare time, an ultra marathon runner. Guest Steve Patton, a structural engineer by trade, is also a mentor with the Pumpkin Bots; he grew up on the HMB Coastside. Host Sophia Layne is a public advocate, long-time Coastsider, nature-lover, and mom. She's a former director in the biomedical industry and has served on her local school board and with county- and statewide public education advocacy organizations, and is founder of Bright Now Media.

    19 min
  4. Open to all – the quiet revolution boosting literacy

    Mar 13

    Open to all – the quiet revolution boosting literacy

    Host Sophia Layne sits down with Susan Alvaro at the Half Moon Bay Library for a wide-ranging conversation about the inner workings of public education, the power of literacy, and the many ways community members can get involved locally. This episode weaves together a fascinating tour of how public education is structured from classroom to federal level, how early literacy gaps can harden into lifelong disadvantage, the unglamorous work that rarely makes the news but shapes everything — and a touching visit to a bilingual storytime in progress. Susan Alvaro has served on the San Mateo County Board of Education for 32 years, representing the Coastside as well as a number of Bayside communities, and advocating across all of San Mateo County. She has deep experience in literacy advocacy, juvenile justice, and supporting underserved students. Susan also volunteers as an adult English learner tutor, facilitating a book club and conversation club via Zoom — a practice she began during the pandemic and continues two days a week. Sophia Layne is a public advocate, nature lover, long-time Coastsider, and mom. She's a former director in the biomedical industry and has served on her local school board and with county- and statewide public education advocacy organizations.

    40 min
  5. Season's Greetings!

    12/15/2025 ·  Bonus

    Season's Greetings!

    There’s been so much to get swept up in at the national level over the past year or so – though while ‘flooding the zone’ is not a new strategy, the tides are indeed starting to turn (if slowly…). While it’s the traditional season for holiday baking and elves on the shelves, perhaps our biggest gift is in our power to slow down and take a break… Join Sophia for this short, bonus ‘video’ episode to get grounded and catch our breath in preparation for some deep thinking (including catching up on past episodes!) and impactful action in the upcoming new year. Much needs to be done at the national level, to be sure, though perhaps our biggest impact will be changing the foundations in our local, everyday lives. Subscribe to this podcast on your favorite streaming platform to catch our next episode when it drops, and follow Bright Now Media on Instagram and Facebook to stay in touch: https://www.instagram.com/brightnowmedia/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577366317033

    5 min
  6. On location, in reflection – harvesting abundance to grow our future

    10/24/2025

    On location, in reflection – harvesting abundance to grow our future

    Season One comes to a close not with a conclusion, but with an invitation. In this final episode, we reflect on a journey across Half Moon Bay, California—walking, talking, and listening to stories that reveal the interconnectedness of land, education, immigration, art, activism, and leadership. From massive pumpkins to movement-building protests, we explore what makes a community resilient and what it takes to create a future rooted in abundance. Join us as we celebrate what we’ve learned together—and look ahead to what comes next.

    7 min
  7. Listen again: No Kings – and an experiment in moving forward to a better place

    10/17/2025

    Listen again: No Kings – and an experiment in moving forward to a better place

    With the second nationwide No Kings protest now ready to roll, this live recording and reflection from the first event, just a few months ago, reinvigorates us as to the power we have in speaking up and building community driven to make our country -- and the world -- a better place for all. In this episode, Sophia chats with folks live at the June 14, 2025, protest in Half Moon Bay, and in reflection, she shares some thoughts regarding the importance of civic engagement, emphasizing a need for for accurate information, a shift from a scarcity mindset to one of abundance, and advocating for sustainable investments in public infrastructure, and introduces this podcast as an experiment in helping achieve these three goals. Listen in, and get informed and inspired to help make change happen!

    12 min
  8. The land we love – and the democracy we build

    10/03/2025

    The land we love – and the democracy we build

    Host Sophia Layne walks the Half Moon Bay, CA, blufftops with Barbara Dye — community leader, land trust advocate, and two-time Peace Corps volunteer. Barbara shares her journey from preserving thousands of acres in Southern California to stewarding open space on the Coastside, reflecting on the lessons she’s learned about conservation, civic engagement, and belonging. Through supporting open space at Wavecrest to reimagining parks in El Granada, Barbara shows how local voices can shape the future of land, water, and community. Along the way, she connects her global experiences to protecting democracy — reminding us that stewarding nature is also about protecting democracy, resilience, and hope. If you care about the environment, open space, or simply the power of community action, this conversation will inspire you to see trails and parks – and advocating for democracy – in a whole new light.

    30 min
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About

How do we bring our world to a better place — not back to where we were, but forward, to somewhere better? This podcast is an experiment in building a better future – through enabling informed conversations, recognizing interconnections and an abundance mindset, and supporting smarter, more sustainable public investments. Drawing on my background in local and state-level public education policy as well as the global biomedical industry (and as a parent of two!), I aim to bring you real stories from remarkable people working to make a difference. Each episode is grounded in place and purpose, offering insight, inspiration, and maybe even a little entertainment—all with the hope of creating a world worth passing on.

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