Podcast
Audacious with Chion Wolf
Hosted by Connecticut Public Radio · EN
Audacious with Chion Wolf spotlights the stories of people whose experiences, professions, or conditions defy convention or are often misunderstood. Guided by deep curiosity and genuine compassion, the team behind Audacious creates space for the kinds of stories that rarely get told - and the kinds of questions we're often afraid to ask. From those speaking publicly for the very first time to voices already known around the world, every guest is met with care, and every story is honored as both deeply personal and profoundly human.
For more: ctpublic.org/audacious
27episodes
Episodes
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Joe Stone, wheelchair rugby, and the full-contact art of resilience
2d ago00:49:08Tap to summarizeJoe Stone grew up playing volleyball, skateboarding, and breakdancing. Then, in 2012, a car crash left him paralyzed. Doctors told him he would likely never move anything below his chest again. But five weeks after leaving the hospital, Joe found wheelchair rugby. This violent, fast, full-contact sport helped him rebuild strength, process anger, and feel alive in a changed body. In this conversation recorded at a live tournament in New Haven, Joe talks about the crash, falling in love after paralysis, being a father, faith, adaptive sports, and what people misunderstand when they assume athletes with disabilities are fragile. Suggested episodes: Multiple sclerosis tried to bench her. Karen Smith won gold instead Stunt performers David Holmes and Jonathan Goodwin on life after paralysis A marathon swimmer and ultrarunner: surviving cancer, breaking records New ways to see, new ways to move: The tech that’s changing disability GUEST: Joe Stone: Wheelchair rugby player and adaptive athlete who became paralyzed after a 2012 car crash fractured his C6 and C7 vertebrae. He plays with the Gaylord Warriors Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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A baby’s hot car death, a mother’s grief, and the brain science behind these tragedies
1w ago00:59:08Tap to summarizeStephanie Salvilla so deeply loved - still loves - her baby boy, Gannon. In July 2009, after a week of disrupted routines and sleepless nights, her brain went on autopilot. She dropped off her older child, drove to work, and unknowingly left 5-month-old Gannon in the car. He died. In this deeply difficult and important conversation, Stephanie talks about grief, shame, public judgment, forgiveness, and why she now shares her story. We also hear from Amber Rollins, executive director of Kids and Car Safety, about why these tragedies happen and the simple habits every caregiver can use to help keep children safe. Resources: Kids and Car Safety Fatal Distraction: Forgetting a Child in the Backseat of a Car Is a Horrifying Mistake. Is It a Crime? by Gene Weingarten Suggested episode: Finding purpose in life after accidentally killing someone GUESTS: Amber Rollins: Executive director of Kids and Car Safety, a national nonprofit focused on preventing child injuries and deaths in and around vehicles. She has worked with the organization for 21 years and helps lead its data, family support, and safety advocacy work Stephanie Salvilla: A mother whose 5-month-old son, Gannon, died in a hot car in 2009 after a change in the family’s daycare drop-off routine. She now shares her story to help prevent other families from living through the same tragedy Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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It all adds up: The joy of micro-philanthropy
2w ago00:49:09Tap to summarizeWhen you hear “philanthropy,” you might think of millionaires, black-tie galas, or buildings named after donors. But what if you could be a philanthropist without being wealthy? In this episode, you’ll meet people who donate small amounts to hundreds of places, hand out cash on city streets, and send money directly to people in poverty, no strings attached. Explore the power of small, consistent giving, and how even modest acts of generosity can spark massive ripple effects. This episode originally aired on May 24, 2025. Suggested episodes: GOOD NEWS! That’s how we celebrate 100 episodes of Audacious Social media, the algorithm, and the state of our hearts "Negativity be gone!": Artists igniting joy on social media GUESTS: Rabbi Jeff & Mindy Glickman: creators of the “Giving Locally Everywhere” (GLeE) initiative, through which they donated to every NPR station and United Way branch in the country, as well as other organizations they value. Jeff serves as rabbi at Temple Beth Hillel in South Windsor, CT, and Mindy is a community leader and Hebrew instructor Peter Bond: a social media creator best known for his TikTok and Instagram accounts, @bondgives, where he documents acts of kindness and helps people in need across New York City. Since 2021, he has been using his platforms to inspire others to give back and make a positive impact in their communities Caroline Teti: a Vice President at GiveDirectly with decades of experience in almost all areas of the development sector, including the world’s largest and longest study on universal basic income. Her belief in direct cash as the most effective tool to end extreme poverty is also rooted in her upbringing in rural Kenya Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Innocent, convicted, exonerated: James Tillman, 20 years after getting free
3w ago00:49:08Tap to summarizeJames Tillman remembers the smell of steak and onions cooking at his mother’s house on the day police came for him. He thought he’d be back soon. Instead, he spent a total of 18½ years incarcerated for a crime he did not commit. In 2006, with the help of the Connecticut Innocence Project, DNA evidence proved his innocence, making him the first person in Connecticut exonerated through post-conviction DNA testing. Later, DNA pointed to another man, who eventually confessed in court. James talks about refusing to plead guilty, surviving prison, holding onto faith, and learning how to live freely again. And we meet Katie Farrell, the social worker who helped him prepare for freedom before freedom was guaranteed. Suggested episodes: Nothing goes as planned: A first-time offender’s prison story from arrest to release Love without the possibility of parole How to find purpose in life after accidentally killing someone GUESTS: James Tillman: Was wrongfully convicted of rape and kidnapping in Hartford in 1989 and sentenced to 45 years in prison. After 18½ years incarcerated, DNA evidence proved his innocence, making him Connecticut’s first post-conviction DNA exoneree. Katie Farrell: Chief Social Worker for Connecticut’s Division of Public Defender Services. She worked with James Tillman during the final stage of his innocence case and helped him prepare for possible freedom Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Astronaut artists: Painting, quilting, and playing Bowie aboard the ISS
May 2900:49:08Tap to summarizeThe International Space Station was designed for science, research, and survival. But astronauts turned it into a music studio, an art studio, and a sewing room. Former ISS commander and musician, Chris Hadfield, astronaut-painter Nicole Stott, and astronaut-quilter Karen Nyberg take us inside the strange, beautiful reality of making music, paintings, and handmade objects while orbiting Earth at 17,500 miles an hour. Suggested episodes: Nicole Stott on being a NASA entertainment consultant What it's like at the bottom of the world with Dr. “Deepsea Dawn” Wright GUESTS: Chris Hadfield: Musician, fighter pilot, retired Canadian astronaut, and bestselling author, whose performance of Space Oddity became the first music video ever filmed in space Nicole Stott: Retired NASA astronaut, watercolor artist, and the first person to paint with watercolors in space. She co-founded the Space for Art Foundation to connect children around the world through art and space exploration Karen Nyberg: Engineer, retired NASA astronaut, and textile artist who hand-sewed a stuffed dinosaur, a Texas flag, and a quilt block aboard the International Space Station. It was later placed at the center of a massive community-made “astronomical quilt” Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster: The hunt for wonder
May 2200:49:08Tap to summarizeWhat if the real mystery isn’t Bigfoot or Nessie, but the people who devote their lives to searching for them? Chion talks with Mike Wanders, who spent a year traveling through legendary Bigfoot country, and Steve Feltham, who has spent decades on the shore of Loch Ness. What keeps a person returning, again and again, to a mystery that refuses to resolve itself? And what if not knowing can be its own kind of joy? Suggested episodes: Meet a man who is committed to having coffee at every corporate-owned Starbucks on the planet GUESTS: Mike Wanders: Bigfoot researcher, adventurer, and documentarian. He traveled to alleged Bigfoot hotspots across North America for a year and documented the journey Steve Feltham: Known as the “Nessie Hunter,” he moved to the shores of Loch Ness in 1991 and holds the Guinness World Record for the longest continuous vigil seeking the Loch Ness Monster Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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I saw it coming! When premonitions come true
May 1500:49:08Tap to summarizeFor the past two years, at the end of interviews for Audacious, host Chion Wolf has been asking guests one question: have you ever had a dream or premonition that came true? Twenty-three guests describe vivid dreams, sudden urges, eerie intuitions, and moments of certainty that later proved accurate in ways they can’t explain. Some sensed love before it arrived. Some saw danger coming. Some felt loss before they knew what they were losing. Take a personal look at intuition, mystery, and the possibility that the world may be stranger and much more connected than we realize. Suggested episodes: Life advice, one Audacious guest at a time Forgiveness: How we define it and how it defines us Why you so salty? What smells remind you of childhood? Kitchen objects with a story. Listen at your own whisk Awe yeah! Exploring the magic of mind-blowing moments How regret teaches us to live Stories of everyday courage, from getting a needle in the eye to tackling a purse thief The surprising ways we ritual Are you superstitious or just a little 'stitious'? GUESTS (in order of appearance): First segment: Caroline Mandaro, Casper ter Kuile, Timothy Schultz, Christine Ha, Achivai Sofer, Tom Burgoyne, Kerry Kennedy, and Joe Stone Second segment: Dr. Gale Ridge, Katina DeJarnett, Rachel Lithgow, Andy Corren, Bill Edgar, Lindsay Childress-Beatty, RoseMarie Wallace, and Dr. Kruti Parekh Third segment: Bettina Hunt, Joy Brooker, Paperboy Love Prince, Rebekah Spicuglia, Leslie Wharton, Sarah Napoli, and Harriet Newman Cohen Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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The Great World Race and the Barkley Marathons: What extreme races reveal about us
May 800:49:08Tap to summarizeSome people sign up for a 5K. Some people sign up for a race with a secret start time, no marked course, and books hidden in the woods. Or seven marathons on seven continents in seven days. We have questions. Meet Jared Campbell, the only person ever to finish the Barkley Marathons four times - a secretive, nearly mythic race through the Tennessee woods with an unmarked course, brutal climbs, and pages torn from hidden books as proof you were there. And Dr. Lisa Kenton is an ER doctor who pushed through ice, heat, and near-total exhaustion in the Great World Race, fueled by a cause close to her heart. Suggested episodes: Extreme ironing, cheese rolling, and shin kicking: The world of weird sports From wingsuit BASE jumping to record-breaking South Pole expeditions with Ellen Brennan Frat and Liv Arnesen A marathon swimmer and ultrarunner: surviving cancer, breaking records Banjo Man, 'Woo Woo' Wickers and UConn Huskies superfans share their love of the game Roller skating as community, competition, and transformation Multiple sclerosis tried to bench her. Karen Smith won gold instead GUESTS: Jared Campbell: the only four-time finisher of the Barkley Marathons - one of the world’s most punishing, quirky, and mysterious races Dr. Lisa Kenton: emergency room doctor at The Hospital of Central Connecticut who completed the Great World Race - seven marathons on seven continents in seven days - in November 2025. She dedicated the journey to raising awareness and funds for Malan syndrome, a rare genetic condition that affects her niece and nephew. Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Paper trails: A viral book list and a wife’s secret thoughts revealed
May 100:49:08Tap to summarizeWhat can a handwritten record reveal after someone is gone? In this episode, we follow two very different paper trails. Marci Pelzer shares the 109-page list her father kept of more than 3,500 books he read over six decades. After going viral, his private habit became a public window into his life. Dan Fogel lost his wife of 45 years to cancer, and then found diaries including writing that made him question how well he really knew her. Together, these stories are about grief, memory, mystery, and the strange power of paper to preserve not just facts, but personality, silence, love, and what still can’t be explained. Suggested episodes: What's in that note? Stories about messages in bottles The weight of family secrets: Finding freedom in the truth GUESTS: Marci Pelzer: The daughter of Dan Pelzer, who left behind a 109-page handwritten list of every book he read from 1962 to 2023. After his death at 92, she helped bring the list to a wider audience Dan Fogel: Wrote a Huffington Post essay about finding his late wife Sue’s journals after her death and realizing how much of her inner life had remained unknown to him during their 45-year marriage Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Inside the Mascot: The Phillie Phanatic, a Yard Goat, and a mascot maker
Apr 2400:50:05Tap to summarizeMascots: They’re furry, funny, and just a little funky. But what's actually going on in there? Tom Burgoyne shares what it’s been like to embody the Phillie Phanatic for over three decades. Mikaela Higgins reveals how her company became a giant in the world of mascot-makers, designing icons from Ronald McDonald to the Energizer Bunny. And hear how one “yes“ changed the life of Conor Geary, whose turn as a mascot led to a dream sports gig he never saw coming. This episode originally aired on August 29, 2025. Suggested episode: Banjo Man, 'Woo Woo' Wickers and UConn Huskies superfans share their love of the game GUESTS: Tom Burgoyne: “Best friend” of the Phillie Phanatic, who has been bringing the Phanatic to life for 37 years. He’s also the author of Pheel The Love! How the Most Powerful Force in the Universe Builds Great Companies - Phillie Phanatic Style! Mikaela Higgins: Manager of Mascot Sales at Olympus Mascots in Milwaukee, WI Conor Geary: Known as “GameDay Conor“, he's been the high-energy host at every major venue in Connecticut, starting out with the Hartford Yard Goats in 2018. This season, he became the stadium host for the New England Patriots Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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