Full Expression

#33: Nick Casey is a staff reporter for the New York Times Magazine based in Europe. He writes about geopolitics, threats against democracy and armed conflict. Raised in California by a single mother, Nick earned a degree in anthropology from Stanford University and started his journalism career as a cub reporter for the Half Moon Bay Review in Northern California. A few years later he was recruited by the Wall Street Journal and launched an impressive career that has included nine years in Latin

#31: Few guitarists have shaped the emotional landscape of modern music the way Bill Frisell has. Across five decades, his playing has stretched the boundaries of jazz, Americana, folk, film scoring, and improvisation. In this episode, we trace the artistic philosophy behind one of the most quietly revolutionary careers in contemporary music. Frisell reflects on his formative years at Berklee in the early 1970s, where he studied under giants like Herb Pomeroy, Gary Burton, Michael Gibbs, and John

#30: Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska stands as one of the starkest, most haunting records in American music—a raw home recording that reshaped how we think about artistry, fame, and solitude. In this episode, author and musician Dr. Warren Zanes joins us to unpack how he captured story behind it. Zanes’ book, Deliver Me From Nowhere, chronicles the winter of 1982, when Springsteen retreated to a creaky farmhouse in Colts Neck, New Jersey, armed only with a guitar, harmonica, and four-track recorder

Marina Krut is a Ukrainian born composer, poet and singer who also plays the bandura, a 64-string instrument, weighing 15 pounds. Marina's story is one that everyone needs to hear. These days, the 28-year-old leads a double life. From her temporary home in the west of Ukraine, she travels to the front lines of the war to perform for soldiers. She spends much of her time abroad, performing and relating what she has seen on the front lines. Influenced by traditional Ukrainian music, her bandura

John Francis, Ph.D. is known around the world as the "Planet Walker." Following a tragic oil spill in the San Francisco Bay in 1971, he took a vow to reject motorized transportation. Some time later he added a vow of silence which lasted 17 years. An author, traveler, student, and teacher, John Francis has explored every continent without the use of motorized travel. “Planet Walker” is the title of his autobiography as well as a documentary film about his life released in 2024.

Will Allen is a farmer, author and activist. Raised in California, he has spent the last 20 years on Cedar Circle Farm in southeastern Vermont. I talked with Will about finding ancient pottery in a Peruvian jungle, the evolution of the modern organic farming movement and the joy he brings to each day even in the face of adversity.

Alondra Bentley is a British-born songwriter and illustrator living in Madrid. She was raised in southern Spain, studied fine arts before launching her music career, and has recorded five studio albums (with a new release pending). For over ten years, Alondra has taught children art and music based on the Montessouri methodology which emphasizes the discovery and understanding of our emotions.