Listen Now

Dr. Bob Sanborn is the President and CEO of Children at Risk, a non-profit organization founded in 1989 that is dedicated to addressing public policies that affect children's issues, including education, health & nutrition, immigration, and human trafficking. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Government from Florida State University and a doctorate degree from Columbia University. In addition to expanding Children at Risk's influence, he is the Executive Editor of two academic journals and the host of Growing Up in America, a radio program and podcast. Bob and his wife call Houston, Texas home.

This week is Spring Break, and THNX: A Feelgood Podcast is celebrating! Please enjoy Sarah Lee Guthrie's song Honey and The Dew and stay tuned for a new episode next week! Enjoy responsibly.

Pam Johnson is a breath coach, classical yoga educator, Artistic Director of BREATH the Pulse of the Universe, Founding Board Member of Expedition Balance, Founder and Producer of Categories of Progressive Thought, and Founder of The Heights School of Yoga in Houston, Texas. She has worked with cancer patients and post-treatment survivors since surviving cancer herself in 2012. In addition, she is a museum-level fine artist, specializing in black and white drawings and biomorphic sculptures. Pam makes her home in Houston, Texas.

John Tanner earned his M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering and his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Caltech. He is the Founder and CEO of Tanner Research, Inc.; the Founder and Director of NuSci, The Nutrition Science Foundation (www.nusci.org); and the Founder of Little Green Forks, a low-fat plant-based catering and food delivery service (www.littlegreenforks.com). While on a run in 2009, he suffered a heart attack and credits 17 people with saving his life, which led to his journey of researching the link between a whole food plant diet and the eradication of heart disease. John, his wife, and their two sons live in California.   For $15 off your first order of $30 or more from Little Green Forks, use coupon code THNX15NEW!

Dan Wannamaker was born in Alabama and attended the University of Texas and South Texas College of Law. He started his career clerking for the Criminal Court of Appeals and has spent nearly four decades representing the accused as both a Federal Public Defender in Texas and Alabama and as a private attorney. He has two rare distinctions: (1) being board certified in criminal law and crinimal appellate law and (2) obtaining a pardon from President Obama on behalf of one of his clients. Dan and his wife live in Austin, Texas.

BethAnne Garcia is an artist and stay-at-home mom with three children and one dog. She grew up in a small Connecticut town, where her love of painting began; she went on to graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Delaware and rediscover herself as an artist in 2019 by painting fence posts, which now grow in Illinois, Connecticut, Colorado, California, New Hampshire, and Texas. Now, she paints regularly in her home studio and teaches art classes. BethAnne lives in Kingwood, Texas with her husband, three children, and dog.

Colin Gilmore is a second-generation singer-songwriter who grew up in Lubbock, Texas and was influenced by Buddy Holly, Joe Ely, Butch Hancock, The Ramones, and Johnny Cash among others. While studying at Texas State University, he minored in Classical Music after developing an appreciation of the great composers. He has released 3 studio albums, a live record, and 4 EPs and singles. Colin is currently recording and touring with West Texas Exiles and lives with his wife in Austin, Texas.

Judge David Newell is currently serving his second elected term on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. He was born in Bethesda, Maryland and studied to be a writer, earning a degree in English with Honors from the University of Houston. After a friend was attacked, he began volunteering at the Houston Area Women's Center, which led to his decision to pivot careers and go to law school. He served with the Fort Bend and Harris County District Attorney's Offices before running to be a judge on the Court of Criminal Appeals. David and his wife live in Houston, Texas with their two sons.

Gabi Magaly is a contemporary artist who expresses herself using a variety of mediums in diverse works of art. Her experiences as a first generation American and as a Chicana fighting against her father's conservative beliefs regarding traditional roles for women are some of her biggest influences. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Sam Houston State University and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Texas at San Antonio, where she also served as an Instructor of Record. In addition to working as an Assistant Professor of Photography for Dine College, she has been featured in exhibitions all over the world and has received numerous awards for her work. Gabi now resides in San Antonio, Texas.

Tim Duffy is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Music Maker Relief Foundation, a non-profit based in Hillsborough, North Carolina that seeks to "help the true pioneers and forgotten heroes of Southern music gain recognition and meet their day-to-day needs." After earning a Bachelor's Degree from Friends World College and a Master's Degree in Folklore at the University of Carolina at Chapel Hill, he worked as a substitute teacher, an experience that led him to begin Music Maker in 1994 to assist traditional musicians in need. Music Maker has produced more than 150 albums, two films, and presented dozens of Southern artists at venues and festivals around the world, all through prioritizing the health and quality of life of the over 500 artists they've worked with, almost all of whom are over the age of 55 and make less than $25,000 per year. Tim, his wife - and Co-Founder - Denise, and their two children live in North Carolina.

Ann Henderson is the Founder of Rainbow of Hope Texas, a special education school that provides a nurturing place for young adults with developmental disabilities to go after they age out of high school. Unlike a traditional school, Rainbow of Hope relies on nature and animals, especially equine assisted learning, to enhance the students' learning experiences. She has been working with children in special education programs since she was a teenager. Anne and her husband Jack live in Rosharon, Texas.

The THNX: A Feelgood Podcast Team would like to wish all of our guests and listeners a wonderful holiday season and a very happy new year. We share with you our sounds of home with Allen Hill performing Downtown Saturday Night, Guy Schwartz performing This is the One, and The Mighty Orq performing Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas. For some additional uplifting sounds this season, please listen to any of our past episodes, and we will be back with a brand new episode of THNX: A Feelgood Podcast on January 10, 2023.

Hannah Bladh has been painting since she was a child and finds beauty in the ordinary things and places around her. She graduated from Brigham Young University in 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts. Hannah and her husband make Houston, Texas their home.

Shane Swartzlander is the founder of Blackland Razors. After graduating from Purdue University with a degree in Physics, he began using a 3D printer and discovered the market and demand for quality razors. Since its inception in 2015, Blackland Razors has become one of the most respected companies in the shaving industry. Shane and his wife live in San Diego, California with their two cats.

Gaby Klerian describes herself as a storyteller through painting. She was raised in Mexico City and was exposed to art by her parents. As an eleven-year-old in Florence, Italy, she decided her life work would revolve around art. Years later, she returned to Florence to earn her first degree in painting and artistic graphics and proceeded to earn a graphic design degree in Mexico City. In addition to being a painter, she has been a classic ballet dancer for 27 years. Having lived on the east and west coast of the United Stated, Gaby presently lives in The Woodlands, Texas with her husband and three children. 

THNX: A Feelgood Podcast wants to wish all our guests and listeners the happiest of Thanksgivings. Please listen to past episodes, do a kind deed, or think about who you are thankful for in your own life. We are so grateful for all of you, and we'll be back next week!

Allan Hursig, also known as The Bearded Baker, grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He studied Energy Management at The University of Tulsa and began working in the oil and gas business upon graduation. Upon moving to Houston, Texas for his job, a fluctuation in the energy sector caused him to be laid off. With spare time on his hands, he began cooking and baking, eventually beginning to sell specialty cookies out of his home in 2016. Allan now has a brick and mortar establishment in Houston, has been on the Food Network and other publications and shows, and lives with his wife in Houston, Texas.

Beth Aplin Martin was born in Grand Chenier, Louisiana, moved around a lot during her childhood, and spent her formative years in Seadrift, Texas. Her life changed immeasurably when her father, a fisherman, was killed amidst a struggle between the established fisherman and the group of recently arrived Vietnamese fisherman in Seadrift. She went on to study at Del Mar College, has worked in a variety of fields, and can be seen in the documentary Seadrift. Beth now lives in Seguin, Texas.

Sean was born in Detroit, Michigan and spent his formative years in Pennsylvania. He graduated from Virginia Tech with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering and held a number of positions as an operations manager until he founded Fox and Seeker, a distiller and distributor of liquor that focuses on sustainability and local goods. Sean now lives in Houston, Texas with his wife and their daughter.

Jordan Garcia is the founder of Gut Friendly Bread. He served in the Navy and studied art at Coastline Community College and nutrition at Sam Houston State University. Through a friend, his service, and his studies, he realized the connection between nutritious food and good health, so he decided to leave his studies, get into baking, and found his company. Jordan lives in Houston, Texas with his wife and son.