It's Fat Bear Week!

On today’s show we welcome two guests – the leaders of Onyx Rising – Irma Neal and Kelli Lester Irma has been a guest on the show before, and I encourage you to check out her previous visits to News from the Peak and check out her book, Leading in Chaos – but today she is joined by Kelli, and we get a chance to hear from them on this important topic. Onyx Rising is a proven change management leader, renowned for comprehensive expertise and innovative strategies that drive meaningful, sustainable change. Their qualifications and expertise in DEI are rooted in a deep understanding of diverse organizational needs. They specialize in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) change management providing behavior change services and development for individuals, teams and organizations, With an approach that is inclusive, respectful, and empowering We shared LINKS TO THEIR WEBSITE in the show description and encourage you to visit for more information. We will feature Kelli and Irma at a free webinar scheduled for July 10, 2024 – at 1:00 PM Eastern 11:00 AM Mountain. Today’s episode is intended to give us some background and to start us all thinking about the issues of and around inclusive leadership, which we will explore further and in a more interactive way at the Webinar. Please visit our website for more information and details on how to register and attend. Or you can register by accessing THIS LINK. 

Join us at Grays Peak Strategies for an inspiring conversation on our latest podcast episode, dedicated to women in leadership. In this captivating discussion, we had the honor of hosting Shaneen Moore, the Deputy Assistant Commissioner at MN Department of Human Services, Kate Cooper Richardson, the Director of Child Support at the Oregon Department of Justice, and Kristi Gordy, the Senior Administrator for Economic Security, and Child Support Director with the Wyoming Department of Family Services. As with part 1, these members of the panel talk with Maureen Leif, reflecting on their experiences from participating in Women in Leadership panels over the past year. Host Maureen Leif says, "We dive deep into the rewards and insights gained from sharing our journeys. From breaking barriers to fostering diversity, women are instrumental in shaping the future of leadership. As leaders in our fields, we share our hopes for the next generation and discuss the importance of empowerment and creating opportunities for growth. Despite challenges such as gender bias and imposter syndrome, we offer strategies for navigating them." Tune in for valuable insights, inspiration, and advice as we celebrate women in leadership and pave the way for greater equality and empowerment. 

Join us at Grays Peak Strategies for an inspiring conversation on our latest podcast episode, dedicated to women in leadership. In this captivating discussion, we had the honor of hosting IV-D Director Erin Frisch from Michigan and Federal Office of Child Support Services Commissioner Tanguler Gray. Reflecting on our experiences from participating in Women in Leadership panels over the past year, we dive deep into the rewards and insights gained from sharing our journeys. From breaking barriers to fostering diversity, women are instrumental in shaping the future of leadership. As leaders in our fields, we share our hopes for the next generation and discuss the importance of empowerment and creating opportunities for growth. Despite challenges such as gender bias and imposter syndrome, we offer strategies for navigating them. Tune in for valuable insights, inspiration, and advice as we celebrate women in leadership and pave the way for greater equality and empowerment. 

On Valentines day in 2024, we opened the Zoom line, and Gabby Leif recorded messages of gratitude for anyone that wanted to call in. With only one day to record, I know we missed a lot of people, but we had some very nice messages from people who couldn't make it... so we hope to try this again in the future. Sharing messages of gratitude felt appropriate for Valentine's Day. But we are grateful for our listeners and supporters every day! We hope you enjoy this short episode, and we'll be back with a full episode very soon.

In this world where we tend to wear stress and being busy as a badge of honor, taking time out of work and family life to volunteer easy to overlook the profound impact that volunteering can have on both individuals and communities. From fostering a sense of purpose to building strong social connections, the benefits of volunteering are limitless. That idea that volunteering can be worth the time and effort even if you have a lot of other responsibilities is the focus of this edition of Community Table Talk from News from the Peak. I’m excited for you to hear from our esteemed panel of superpower women, Veronica Riley an owner and founder of her own consulting and training company, Stefanie Jones my best friend and the President and Founder of a successful public relation company, Feed Media, Tricia Harper, a Lead Partner for KPMG, and Janice Neal a lead consultant for Grays Peak Strategies.  Join us as we talk to our guests to uncover the transformative power of giving back. Through engaging discussions and inspiring stories we'll delve into the many ways volunteering enriches our lives and strengthens the fabric of our communities.

David Kilgore serves as the Director of the California Department of Child Support Services. At a recent Western Intergovernmental Child Support conference, David participated in a session called “the World Café”. At this session, the audience could choose various tables around the room where a discussion leader would talk to them about an innovative, or sometimes controversial topics related to the Child Support Program.    David led the table discussing something he’s been working on in California for quite a while; enhancing Self Service options for people. Of course, this leads to all kinds of other issues, like public awareness of the program, how to address the needs of families in the context of what is required, and how this might lead to a more effective and more successful program overall.   So on today’s show, we dig a little deeper into the subject of self service, and explore some really interesting ideas.

November marks Native American Heritage Month, an annual observance in the United States dedicated to honoring and celebrating the rich tapestry of Native American cultures, histories, contributions, and achievements. This month provides a valuable opportunity for individuals, both Native and non-Native, to pay tribute to the unique heritage and resilience of Native American communities. In the spirit of this commemoration, we bring you a captivating podcast featuring Terrance "TJ" Lafromboise, MSW-ITR, Piikani – Siiksakaitstiitaapii of the Blackfeet Tribe in Browning, MT. Our engagement with TJ stems from our collaboration on the Iiksook’Ksooksik Project, translating to "Good Future" in Blackfeet. This initiative, funded by a Section 1115 Demonstration grant from the Federal Office of Child Support titled "Charting the Court for Economic Mobility and Responsible Parenting," holds significance in its mission to empower Native communities.

Our fourth episode on Bear Management may be our best yet. Carl Ramm returns to give us an update on his adventures trying to get the resident Alaskan Brown Bears and human visitors at Brooks Camp in Alaska to do what they're supposed to. Along the way, we hear about what it's like to be in the bear management zone, how bear management really is like human management, and what's next for Carl, who is leaving Alaska after some 40 years to live in rural Virginia. 

What do Elvis Presley, child support, and our guest James Forsher have in common? (No, he's not the long lost son of Elvis...) They share a connection with pioneering child support researcher Trude Forsher. On today's show, we hear about Trude Forsher's life, her escape from Nazi-occupied Austria, her groundbreaking role as a working mother (including time as Elvis Presley's personal secretary), and how, on top of all of that, she provided a research base that helped set in motion the child support program we know today. This podcast just keeps getting better!

Taylor Hagood on Stringbean, Persistence, and the Problem of Cutting a New Path Banjo player and comedian David Akeman, known essentially all of his professional life as Stringbean, lived the kind of rags-to-riches story that was supposed to come with a happy ending.  On this episode of News from the Peak, we talk to Professor Taylor Hagood about Stringbean and the work—the very real and often quite fragile work—of writing a book about someone who has tended be seen as only important in death. Hagood is as engaging a speaker as he is a writer. A professor of literature at Florida Atlantic University, Hagood has a distinguished career as a scholar of William Faulkner, among other writers, and is a teacher and lecturer of no small renown.  Alongside all of that, he somehow finds time to perform magic and sing and play piano and banjo. A skilled visual artist and craftsman, he recently built a banjo that uses the same resonator as the one most closely associated with Stringbean (the Vega #9 Tubaphone) and closely follows it in other elements of its design.  That’s the banjo you can hear Hagood play in these three tracks that he very generously recorded for us. You will hear Cripple Creek during the interview and at the end we share two tracks in full —“Hot Corn, Cold Corn” and “Pretty Polly”. All of these are closely associated with Stringbean and Hagood plays them in the clawhammer style that Akeman favored, and on the Banjo he built during the writing of this book.