Shownotes
Marilyn Ball, a seasoned traveler and podcaster, joins us in this lively chat where we dig deep into the world of travel, community, and connection. With a rich background in marketing and a heart for storytelling, Marilyn shares her experiences from her podcast, 'Speaking of Travel', which has been running for years, bringing listeners stories from across the globe.
We dive into how traveling can still happen in these times of social distancing and what it means to build communities through shared experiences. From her own family adventures to the importance of understanding different cultures, Marilyn emphasizes that travel isn't just about the places we go, but the people we meet. She offers practical advice on how to safely explore new destinations while respecting personal comfort levels during this pandemic. This episode is packed with warmth, humor, and a reminder that even in challenging times, the spirit of adventure and connection thrives.
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Transcripts
Foreign.
Speaker A:Listeners.
Speaker A:My name is Wendy Green.
Speaker A:We are having our 11th episode of hey Boomer and I'm very excited about what we're going to be talking about today.
Speaker A:Marilyn Ball is my guest.
Speaker A:She is a traveler, a podcaster, a marketer, a mother and a grandmother.
Speaker A:And she has been building communities through her work, through her travel, through her writing, through her podcast.
Speaker A:And we're going to journey with her to explore how we can still whet our appetites for travel even during these times of social distancing.
Speaker A:We're going to hear about some exciting new communities she is building beyond the travel community.
Speaker A:If you like what you are hearing on hey Boomer, please like share.
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Speaker A:I also am going to give a shout out to my friends Kathy and Alan Harry.
Speaker A:And the reason I'm giving this shout out is because I started a way to support what hey Boomer is doing through a app that me a cup of coffee and if you sign up as a gear membership kind of thing, it's $50.
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Speaker A:So Alan and Kathy are friends and they have been loyal followers of hey Boomer and they want to make your real estate experience personal.
Speaker A:They have over 40 years of combined real estate experience and they are an award winning team that exceeds your expectations when it comes to residential properties in the greater Greenville area.
Speaker A:They work with single family and multifamily homes, townhomes, condominiums, waterfront properties and luxury lakeside homes.
Speaker A:They represent new homes for enchanted construction as well as resale homes.
Speaker A:Kathy told me our real estate service is not about us, about them.
Speaker A:It's about their clients.
Speaker A:It's about their families, their friends, their clients hopes and dreams.
Speaker A:And they believe in doing what they promise and that is their key to building relationships.
Speaker A:And I can tell you from my own personal experience that they definitely do what they promise.
Speaker A:So if you are in the market for a home or know somebody who is in the market for a home, please go ahead and look up Alan and Kathy Harry.
Speaker A:So what is hey Boomer?
Speaker A:It is a place where we are building community through interesting conversations with our guests.
Speaker A:The foundation of a community is based on mutual respect for our differences and appreciation for those things that we have in Common, we want you to join our conversation today.
Speaker A:I will be asking Marilyn questions, but we want you to also be, feel.
Speaker A:Feel like you are involved in this conversation.
Speaker A:So please go ahead and leave us questions or comments, and we will be sure to try to answer those.
Speaker A:And if we can't answer them during the broadcast, we will definitely make sure that we get back to you after this is over.
Speaker A:My daughter Sandra and Marilyn's daughter Jessica have been friends since probably before elementary school, right?
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:So I moved away from Asheville, but Marilyn and Sandra and Jessica are all still in Asheville.
Speaker A:And when Sandra would come up every summer to visit her dad, she and Jessica would reignite or rejoin each other at summer camp.
Speaker A:And so they are lifetime friends.
Speaker A:They are still getting together and watching each other's children grow.
Speaker A:And it's wonderful to have friends like that.
Speaker A:Marilyn and I didn't really know each other during that time.
Speaker A:I think the first time I ran into you, Marilyn, after I had moved away, I was visiting Sandra and the grandkids, and they were taking taekwondo classes.
Speaker A:And there you were taking Taekwondo.
Speaker A:And I remember thinking to myself, this is one brave woman, because risk your body like that, go for it.
Speaker A:But that was awesome to see that.
Speaker A:And then now that I'm back here, you know, Sandra has been telling me about what you're doing, and I've seen Jessica a few times in the kids.
Speaker A: gree in mass communication in: Speaker A: And in: Speaker A:She has traveled internationally promoting North Carolina tourism.
Speaker A:She's written a book about Asheville, and she's the host of the iHeartRadio show and podcast titled Speaking of Travel.
Speaker A:Today we're going to talk about that podcast.
Speaker A:We're going to talk about how travel has helped to build community and helps her, you know, understand that idea of community.
Speaker A:And then we're going to talk about a couple of other podcasts that she's working on that are really exciting, and I can't wait to hear about that.
Speaker A:So thanks for being on the show, Marilyn.
Speaker B:Well, thank you, Wendy.
Speaker B:I'm so glad to be here.
Speaker B:And what a lovely introduction.
Speaker B:We do.
Speaker B:Our families do go back a long time.
Speaker A:They do.
Speaker A:And I hope those girls are on this broadcast.
Speaker B:I hope so, too.
Speaker A:So I know when I mentioned that we were going to be talking about travel, several people have been asking me, well, is it safe to travel now?
Speaker A:You know, in this time of COVID And I Wondered if you have some thoughts on that based on, you know, your exposure to the marketplace of travel.
Speaker B:Well, thank you.
Speaker B:I, I really feel that people can travel.
Speaker B:There are many destinations that are starting to reopen and to provide opportunities for visitors to come.
Speaker B:Speaking of travel, each week for the past three months or so, I spend a portion of the show talking to Tina Kinsey from the Asheville Regional Airport with updates on what's going on with aviation, what's going on at the, the airport and what's going on overall in travel.
Speaker B:And really when it comes to travel, flights are taking off to destinations even from right here at the Asheville Regional Airport.
Speaker B:Allegiant has the nonstop flights to Denver and to Chicago and some of the other destinations that they go to.
Speaker B:And they have really created some safety and sanitation measures that are really just over the top.
Speaker B:But when it comes to traveling right now, it's really, I think, up to each individual person to make their own decision on what risk they want to take.
Speaker B:One thing Tina told me just recently when we were talking about air travel is that there's a preconceived notion that the air is the recirculated air in the airplanes are not good for you, that it's just, you know, recycled air and that it could be, it could be harmful.
Speaker B:When in fact what she alerted me to is that that air is actually a very, very sophisticated system that cleans the air.
Speaker B:So it's, it's actually not as dangerous to be in a plane as long as you're wearing your mask.
Speaker B:And most air flights now require that you do wear a mask when you travel.
Speaker B:We just recently, my family and I took a road trip.
Speaker B:That's another way to travel.
Speaker B:We just decided it was time to get out of town and go to the beach.
Speaker B:Living here in the mountains for three months under lockdown, especially with a nine year old and a four year old, it was just time to, to get out of town.
Speaker B:We chose a beach in South Carolina where we had gone for many, many years.
Speaker B:So we were familiar with it.
Speaker B:We did not stop on the way there or the way back telling children, you're not going to go to a rest area, we're not going to stop at a gas station.
Speaker B:They held it in, they did a good job.
Speaker B:We got to the beach, we were in a freestanding home, so we weren't in a condo or a townhouse.
Speaker B:We, we were really doing a lockdown but at the beach and we had bikes and we were outside and we made sure we followed all the the sanitation rules.
Speaker B:And it was, I can tell you, mentally, it was a mental health trip.
Speaker B:So, yeah, I would say overall, yes, travel is.
Speaker B:You can travel.
Speaker B:You just have to do it by being cautious, you know, doing a lot of research before you go to where you're going and how you're going to get there and just consider your own personal risks and what level you're willing to take to go someplace different.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So I think that's good advice because I think you're right.
Speaker A:It comes down to your own personal decisions and comfort level and.
Speaker A:And then be careful, no matter.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:So, Marilyn, you started this podcast, speaking of travel, about seven years ago.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:And in the last five years, you've had this running on iHeartRadio.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:Which I just think is so cool.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker A:So do you want to tell us a little bit about how you got it started?
Speaker A:And would you like me to share the screen so people can see what it looks like?
Speaker B:Sure, that'd be great.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:And then tell us how it got started and what was your.
Speaker B: l, like you had mentioned, in: Speaker B:1212 Marketing.
Speaker B: t's actually the real name is: Speaker B: Back in: Speaker B:So I was about three years into it and starting to realize that I needed to.
Speaker B:I just needed to try something new.
Speaker B:I was feeling a little burned out.
Speaker B:I was feeling I had done such a big transition from being in an ad agency and leaving that after 18 years to becoming an entrepreneur, starting my own company.
Speaker B:And I. I had heard about a summit in Portland, Oregon, through some people here in Asheville that's called the World Domination Summ.
Speaker B:It was led by a guy named Chris Gillebo.
Speaker B:And it was at that point, it was three years into the Making of the World Domination Summit.
Speaker B:It was a four day conference out in Portland and the theme was Travel, Adventure and Service.
Speaker B:And those three words really resonated with me because I love to travel, I love adventure, and I really felt that I was at a point where I wanted to be of more service.
Speaker B:I wanted to make that an important component of what I did for my work and in my personal life.
Speaker B:So I decided to attend and I flew out to Portland by myself.
Speaker B:It was an amazing experience.
Speaker B:The people who were there were from all over the world.
Speaker B:They all were people who were looking at making change in their lives.
Speaker B:The speakers, there were people who had maybe left a corporate job and decided to go out on their own, maybe leave their job and travel the world, become a digital nomad.
Speaker B:Their stories were so inspiring that when I came back, I was much more open to maybe there's something that I can do.
Speaker B:And one night I was at a party and there was somebody talking about a radio show that he was doing on food and wine.
Speaker B:And I went over and I said, what kind of radio show are you doing?
Speaker B:And of course, I'd been in media for my entire career, so I was very familiar with radio, but I couldn't, I was curious to what he was doing.
Speaker B:And it turned out that there was a small community radio network that was being started.
Speaker B:And I called them up and said, I have an idea for a show.
Speaker B:What if I interviewed people about travel?
Speaker B:Because in Asheville, you cannot go anywhere without somebody telling you about this great trip they just been on or where they were getting ready to go.
Speaker B:And he was game.
Speaker B:He said, let's do a pilot.
Speaker B:So we did a 30 minute show.
Speaker B:I brought in a friend of mine to interview who I was familiar with her story of being in South Korea during the Peace Corps.
Speaker B:And I was so nervous.
Speaker B:In fact, just recently I found that first broadcast.
Speaker B:And when I listened to it, I was like, oh my God, I don't even know how I even did that.
Speaker B:So I did that for a couple of years.
Speaker B:It was a weekly show, it was there.
Speaker B:I didn't have sponsors.
Speaker B:I went in every week and brought in a friend, somebody that I knew, talked to them for 30 minutes.
Speaker B:And then I decided I want to up this game.
Speaker B:And I know people at iHeart.
Speaker B:Maybe I could convince them to give me a time slot.
Speaker B:And it took a while to persevere the interest of the people, the marketing people over there and the program manager.
Speaker B:But they, they eventually gave me a spot and a producer made the show an hour long show.
Speaker B:I now had the opportunity to talk to people all over the world who could phone in.
Speaker B:And that was actually now I'm going into my sixth year with iHeartRadio.
Speaker B:And of course back then it wasn't called a podcast, it was a radio show.
Speaker B:Still is a radio show.
Speaker B: t, on WWNC here regionally at: Speaker B:So back then it was on the iHeartRadio platform, but it wasn't really considered a podcast, really.
Speaker B:Podcasting was just getting Kind of started in people's minds.
Speaker B:And fortunately for me, over the years, I heart has become the largest platform for podcasting.
Speaker B:So I can now talk to people all over the world.
Speaker B:And you can see my website.
Speaker B:I. I have stories and tips.
Speaker B:And we have a segment called the Gourmet highway where I talk to a gentleman named Doc Lawrence who's down in Atlanta.
Speaker B:He every week is telling us about a different town in the south and gives us a little history and some great food and wine and cocktail tips.
Speaker B:So it's really been a lot of fun and.
Speaker B:And definitely a learning curve over these years.
Speaker A:Well, and you recently had a learning curve that you.
Speaker A:With the shutdown, right, because you couldn't be in the studio with your producer anymore.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So when.
Speaker B:When they announced that they would not be having people come into the studio, I was not sure what I was going to do with the show.
Speaker B:And at the.
Speaker B:But I wanted to keep it going, and they wanted me to keep it going.
Speaker B:So what I ended up doing was researching how can I provide a radio station format in my home.
Speaker B:And my producer, Randy and I did some research and came up with the kind of board that we would need, the kind of mixing board we would need, how people would contact me, either.
Speaker B:At first, people were calling me on.
Speaker B:On the cell phone through the mixer, but now we do it either on a zoom call or a Skype call, which makes it sound that much easier.
Speaker B:So really, in a very short time, I had to start all over and learn a new technology, which I was familiar with because I've sat in on so much video and audio production in my career, but it was always watching somebody else, like, sitting behind them.
Speaker B:Now it's here on my desk.
Speaker B:And I had to learn to.
Speaker B:Randy, my producer, really helped me with the particulars.
Speaker B:And now I actually have a software program where I can edit myself.
Speaker B:So that's another learning curve.
Speaker B:But I send my files to my producer, and then he pieces the whole show together, uploads it to iHeart, and then I upload it as well to a platform that I use called buzzsprout.
Speaker B:And with buzzsprout, I'm able to the show on itunes and Google Play.
Speaker B:And I just.
Speaker B:Now I'm on Pandora.
Speaker B:So I've been able to take it up a notch.
Speaker A:So can you briefly explain what's the difference between a radio show and a podcast?
Speaker A:Or is there a difference?
Speaker B:Well, when you're listening to the radio show on Sunday morning at 10am you can stream that on your computer.
Speaker B:You can go to the radio station's website and listen lot.
Speaker B:Not it's recorded.
Speaker B:We record the show during the week, but it's the first time that you're going to hear it.
Speaker B:And so it goes out on Sunday, Sunday mornings, and you can listen on a radio.
Speaker B:People still do have radios and they still do listen.
Speaker B:But then once the show is uploaded to the podcast platforms, then it lives there forever.
Speaker B:And they're evergreen.
Speaker B:So that means people can listen anywhere, anytime in the whole wide world, really, with a click.
Speaker B:On my website, speaking of travel, can you move that down just a bit, Wendy?
Speaker B:The screen there, So you can see right here, it says click for past episodes of speaking of travel.
Speaker B:If you click on that, it will take you directly to my Buzzsprout platform.
Speaker B:And you can also, of course, go on the iHeart plot.
Speaker B:You can go on virtually any podcast platforms, type in speaking of travel and it will come up.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:And then people could also search for something about travel or whatever on Spotify.
Speaker B:And yes, just all they, all they need to do is really type in speaking of travel and it.
Speaker B:And it will show up.
Speaker A:Cool.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:So let's stop sharing that for just a moment and come back and travel.
Speaker A:So travel is a way, in my experience, and you have a whole lot more travel experience than I have, but it's, it's a way of making our breaking down barriers, let's say, you know, building a sense of community through understanding other cultures.
Speaker A:And so I was wondering if you could talk to us a little bit about how you have seen that play out in your life.
Speaker B:Well, I'll start right here in Asheville because I've lived in asheville for over 40 years now.
Speaker B:And when I first came here, it was definitely a city that was emerging.
Speaker B:It had been pretty shut down for a long period of time.
Speaker B:And we were attracted to this region because it's Appalachia.
Speaker B:We wanted to grow our own food, get off the grid, do homesteading, you know, raise our kids barefoot and naked, running through fields.
Speaker B:That was kind of our intention.
Speaker B:And over time, as people started moving here for that type of lifestyle, people connected as a community.
Speaker B:The people who lived here, the people who were newcomers here and were able to reach across economic and racial and all kinds of boundaries to come together to create a community where we could all live together and raise our families.
Speaker B:We wanted a place that was safe and open minded and where people could share ideas and start businesses.
Speaker B:You know, about 80% of our local economy or are small business owners.
Speaker B:They're entrepreneurs.
Speaker B:And I Felt like this is the type of community, that there must be communities like this all over the world.
Speaker B:How can I connect with those type of communities?
Speaker B:And I've been very fortunate in my travels to find places where there are people who are open minded and welcoming and create a sense of community.
Speaker B:And what I have really been able to find in the people that I interview because I talk to people every single week from all different walks of life with a commonality of travel, is that once you start to open up to other cultures and other foods and other, just the way that people live in other traditions, different cultures, that we can start to break down the bound, the, the, the borders, really break down the stereotypes.
Speaker B:I'll give you an example.
Speaker B:I had a guest one time who was a career high school principal.
Speaker B:So he had worked in a high school for 30 plus years and retired.
Speaker B:When he retired, he decided he wanted to travel and he went to Iran.
Speaker B:And while he was there, he realized that the people in Iran love Americans.
Speaker B:They couldn't, they just put out the welcome mat and they, they were so engaged and they wanted to find out everything about him and his group.
Speaker B:And they told him, you know, when people talk about Iranians as being terrorists or being threats, you know, that hurts our feelings because that's not who we are.
Speaker B:That's not who we are.
Speaker B:And for people to be able to listen to that interview, and here's somebody who is a very well respected citizen in our community, in a community in our United States to talk about that experience inspires people and helps people to understand.
Speaker B:Oh, maybe what we've been hearing in the news or maybe what this stereotype is of a certain culture is really not true because here are people who have been there and can tell us that people are people all over the world, in every community.
Speaker A:Yeah, I mean, and I think it reminds me of a story that my parents told when they went to Czechoslovakia and this was shortly after the Soviet Union became.
Speaker A:And they were talking to people on the street that were saying, you know, they were so grateful to be able to speak freely again and to be able to connect with Americans and not they didn't hate us as they had been portrayed as hating us.
Speaker A:And so I think, you know, like you said, people are people wherever you go.
Speaker A:There's good and there's bad.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:And the people that I talk to every week are so diverse and it's such a privilege to be able to speak with people all over the world.
Speaker B:I've spoken with people in Vietnam and in New Zealand and in really, all.
Speaker B:All different places around the world.
Speaker B:Some people are, like, you know, nomads.
Speaker B:They've left their jobs.
Speaker B:They just travel all over.
Speaker B:Some people are retired.
Speaker B:They've left their home, and they live in another city or another country.
Speaker B:I talk to people who are in the travel industry who can give us updates and information about what the travel industry is doing to ensure that our travels are safe and gives us ideas on where to go and what to visit.
Speaker B:I've interviewed musicians who travel, chefs who travel pretty much all walks of life.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And they've been.
Speaker A:They've been good shows.
Speaker A:I've listened to several of them.
Speaker A:So I would.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Definitely encourage others to go, let me share that website again so that you know how to find it.
Speaker A:And you can, you know, like Marilyn showed us, you can go scroll down and click on.
Speaker A:See any of the episodes and anything that looks interesting, you know, just listen to that for a little while.
Speaker A:I mean, I think she does a great job, and she really does have some great guests.
Speaker A:Thank you.
Speaker A:So now I want to hear about some of these other fun things that you're doing.
Speaker A:Do you want to start with your granddaughter or with.
Speaker A:Sure.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Yay.
Speaker B:Yay.
Speaker B:So, you know, when school was canceled physically, and the kids couldn't go back to school, they were doing everything online.
Speaker B:I have two grandchildren.
Speaker B:One is nine and one is four, and they live right down the street from me.
Speaker B:So we've been kind of in lockdown together.
Speaker B:And they come over and hang out with me, which is really very special.
Speaker B:I feel really grateful.
Speaker B:And one day, Lily, the older one, who had been so stoic and just really hanging in there after school had ended, I mean, she was still participating in her classwork online, but what a different life for a child to suddenly be cut off from social activities and friends.
Speaker B:And so one day I noticed that she was.
Speaker B:She was a little down.
Speaker B:And I went out and sat next to her and asked her what was going on.
Speaker B:And she said, you know, I just miss my friends.
Speaker B:I miss being with my friends.
Speaker B:I miss being on the swim team.
Speaker B:I miss being out and able to go where we used to be able to go.
Speaker B:And I said, you know what?
Speaker B:Why don't we talk about that?
Speaker B:And you come in and put these headphones on, and I've got my mixer.
Speaker B:I know how to use it now.
Speaker B:And I said, why don't you come up with four questions that you would like me to ask you about what it's like to be a kid in the coronavirus time.
Speaker B:So she really gave it a lot of thought and came up with these four questions.
Speaker B:And we came in and I interviewed her and we listened back and it was really good.
Speaker B:She was very thoughtful and, and wanted to talk.
Speaker B:It's so important for these kids to talk right now.
Speaker B:And I, because I was so familiar with Buzzsprout and how to upload, I went ahead and uploaded it and we did it.
Speaker B: outine that every Thursday at: Speaker B:Or why don't you interview my kid?
Speaker B:Or I know somebody, or I'm a teacher and here are some kids in my class that I think would be really great to have on your show.
Speaker B:So I said to Lily, why don't you interview them instead of me?
Speaker B:Interview them?
Speaker B:You interview them.
Speaker B:So she said, okay.
Speaker B:And I guess we're about maybe 12 episodes into the podcast now and she has become quite a little professional and Real kids, Real stories is becoming something she has over.
Speaker B:I think at this point there's over 500 listeners.
Speaker B:So the kids are listening, their parents are listening.
Speaker B:You can listen anytime on the podcast.
Speaker B:And it has given her an opportunity to really develop some new skills, listening skills, especially conversational skills.
Speaker B:The children who she interviews all write their own questions so that she's prepared, she's done her homework beforehand and, and she's become much more conversational in her, in her interviews.
Speaker B:So I'm very proud of her and I think this is becoming something that will branch out into other areas of her life as she's, as she grows up.
Speaker A:I think that is such a great idea.
Speaker A:And she's building her own little community.
Speaker B:She is, yeah.
Speaker A:And what about the younger one?
Speaker A:Are you going to get her on an interview one day?
Speaker B:Well, Lily has interviewed her twice and she, you know, we've, we've put one of the interviews up on the, on the platform.
Speaker B:We haven't put the other a four year old.
Speaker B:Their conversations are a little bit different, but she, she comes and watches when Lily does her show.
Speaker B:And I think in another, you know, in another couple of months, she'll be a little bit more sophisticated.
Speaker A:Yeah, I think that is a, it's a great gift that you've given her, Marilyn.
Speaker B:Oh, thank you.
Speaker A:Yeah, I love that.
Speaker A:So there's one more.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:Community that you're building.
Speaker B:It is actually a community that I was connected with last Year through my association at the Asheville Regional Airport.
Speaker B:I was there one day about a year ago.
Speaker B:Actually, it was over a year ago, and there was some.
Speaker B:Something was going on at the airport.
Speaker B:They were getting ready for a big event, and I asked what was going on, and I was told that the next day they were having the Honor Flight.
Speaker B:Well, I'd never heard of the Honor Flight, so I did a little research and came to find out that the Blue Ridge Honor Flight is an organization that takes veterans, World War II vets, Vietnam vets, Korean War, on a.
Speaker B:On a commercial flight to Washington, D.C. where they spend the entire day being honored.
Speaker B:They have ceremonies and talk, speeches.
Speaker B:Generals come, and then they visit their memorials there in Washington.
Speaker B:Then they go to Arlington Cemetery and they have, you know, they watch the Changing of the Guard.
Speaker B:These are mostly people who don't know each other, but they all have this commonality of serving our country.
Speaker B:So I ended up going on the Honor Flight the next year.
Speaker B:They invited me last year to go on the Honor Flight.
Speaker B:And it was an honor.
Speaker B:They don't call it that for nothing.
Speaker B:There was some there.
Speaker B:It was a very moving and tender experience to be with people who really had not been able to open up in a lifetime of the pain and the suffering that they had endured.
Speaker B:So I stayed connected with them, and over time, I would have some.
Speaker B:Some of the vets on the show to talk about their.
Speaker B:Their life and.
Speaker B:And the Honor Flight.
Speaker B:And they.
Speaker B:I found out that they had started a writing program where they actually get together.
Speaker B:They write stories, they write poetry as part of their healing.
Speaker B:And over time, it became a nonprofit organization, and they were going out and performing their stories under the name Brothers and Sisters like these.
Speaker B:And they did a performance at act.
Speaker B:They did it at Flat Rock.
Speaker B:They were going into schools, and the kids would hear these vets tell their stories, sing their songs, listen to their poetry, and then they would write papers about them and do more research.
Speaker B:It had become quite a big learning experience for so many.
Speaker B:And in March, when we were all put into our lockdowns, one of the members, his name is Steve Henderson, called me and he said, would you consider helping us put together a podcast to enable our fellow vets to tell their stories so that we can.
Speaker B:We can send it out to the public.
Speaker B:And I talked to Randy, my producer, and we worked out a format.
Speaker B:So every week they record.
Speaker B:Brothers and Sisters like these two vets have an opportunity each week to tell their story or read their poem.
Speaker B:We had one who sang.
Speaker B:We've had Gold Star Mothers who have lost their children in a war.
Speaker B:It's so moving and important work that I just feel so proud to be a part of this program.
Speaker B:And you can go to the brothers and sisters like these, Buzzsprat, we're working on a website for them, and listen to the stories and.
Speaker B:And be moved yourselves.
Speaker A:So that kind of goes back to where you started with, you know, your desire for this next phase was travel, adventure, and service.
Speaker A:And now this is your service piece.
Speaker B:It is indeed.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I love that.
Speaker A:Thank you know if that's a national thing or is that just Asheville?
Speaker B:Right now it's just Asheville.
Speaker B:But their goal is to be able to eventually take it onto a national scale.
Speaker B:And our goal now is to get this podcast out to a national scale.
Speaker B:So, of course anybody can listen to it, but we would really love for the media to pick it up and.
Speaker B:And run with it.
Speaker A:Yeah, sure.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:So, Marilyn, we've talked about travel, we've talked about stories for kids, and learning to listen and build a community around being at home, and about the brothers and sisters like these.
Speaker A:Is there an overall message or theme that you would like people to take away from our conversation today?
Speaker B:I think that my experience in my career and through my life, especially here in Asheville, and building community is something that is more important now than ever.
Speaker B:Being able to accept and embrace other people's cultures, other people's differences, and be one, to really come together and create unity is more important now.
Speaker B:I feel.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker B:Ever before, and if there was anything I feel, that your listeners could do is to find a way to reach out to other people, to be of service in their community.
Speaker B:Even if you're in lockdown and you can't go out, there are many resources that are available.
Speaker B:Find ways that you can create community, even if it's just one tiny step at a time.
Speaker B:Over time, it becomes a larger and larger part of the way that we live our lives.
Speaker B:And that's how we can build not only community, but hopefully someday, world peace.
Speaker B:Just taking it one step at a time.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And there was a great comment that came through, actually, from my mother, and she said, you know, how we are with others will determine the kind of people that you find in any of these new places.
Speaker A:So, you know, taking yourself with you with this sense of openness and unity,.
Speaker B:When I interview people every single week, the.
Speaker B:The message that I hear over and over and over again, and it's not even leading them into it.
Speaker B:It' something that they just freely talk about is the connection with the people, everywhere they travel, the people are.
Speaker B:People are.
Speaker B:Are nice, people are kind, people are helpful.
Speaker B:So we hear things, you know, our.
Speaker B:Our noise level of news and information, and we just really don't know unless we experience it ourselves.
Speaker B:And granted, right now is a difficult time to be able to travel, but again, just going in the car, I tell people, you want a different cultural experience, go to Mississippi.
Speaker B:Just go someplace that is New York City.
Speaker B:Go to New York or, you know, and now especially find the places that are open.
Speaker B:And maybe they're going to be the smaller destinations, teeny, tiny little towns that maybe you never even heard of.
Speaker B:But the people there are waiting for you.
Speaker B:They're going to welcome you and embrace you, and they will bring you into being a part of their community.
Speaker B:And when you come back, you'll have a much broader mindset of what it's like out there.
Speaker B:And that's something that can only allow us to grow and just be a stronger world.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:A couple of comments.
Speaker A:Thank you, Mac.
Speaker A:Honor Flights is a national network.
Speaker A:It's the brothers and sisters like these, which is the writing workshop in Asheville that we were referring to as just being in Asheville right now.
Speaker A:But, yeah, Honor Flights is a fabulous program.
Speaker A:And then Kathy says if you are interested, she can connect you with another organization that's doing arts with vets.
Speaker B:That would be great.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker A:Okay, so we'll make that connection.
Speaker A:This has been great, Marilyn.
Speaker A:Thank you.
Speaker B:Thank you, Wendy, for inviting me to be on the show.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:You're so busy with so many different things.
Speaker A:One of these days, hey, Boomer will be national, too.
Speaker B:And it will.
Speaker B:And I did.
Speaker B:I did want to mention, because you had talked about my writing, I do have a book.
Speaker B:It's called the Rise of Asheville, An Exceptional History of Community Building.
Speaker B:It's available at Malaprops.
Speaker B:You can get it on Amazon.
Speaker B:I wrote it a couple of years ago, and it's a series of 10 stories of collaborative efforts that happened here in Asheville over the years that really helped to create this community on a very grassroots level.
Speaker B:And I feel that the stories in that book, and I interviewed the people who were actually participating in those grassroots movements at that time.
Speaker B:And those kinds of stories are so important in everything that we're doing.
Speaker B:So it's not.
Speaker B:I'm not here just plugging that.
Speaker B:I wrote the book.
Speaker B:I'm plugging that here's a resource that you can read these stories and become inspired and maybe be able to create a community, a grassroots movement from reading about people who came before you.
Speaker A:Okay, great.
Speaker A:Thanks.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So if you, if you share this with somebody and they decide to listen later, certainly encourage them to leave comments and, and share the conversation with them because this is all about.
Speaker A:We're trying to community.
Speaker A:Marilyn and I both are looking to community.
Speaker A:And so please share all of this with folks.
Speaker A:You heard my, my buy me a cup of coffee thing at the beginning, so I posted the link for that in the beginning of this comment stream that is up here.
Speaker A:And if you like what you're hearing, you are certainly welcome.
Speaker A:Buy me a cup of coffee.
Speaker A:And if you do the $50, which is the year, membership, sponsorship, whatever, I am happy to talk about your business or your vocation or your organization on this broadcast.
Speaker A:My guest for next week, I want to tell you about him.
Speaker A:His name is Matt Potts, and Matt started.
Speaker A:He's in Virginia.
Speaker A:He started a Facebook page when we all started sheltering in place, and it's called Unintended Positives of sheltering in place.
Speaker A:2020.
Speaker A:Very long name.
Speaker A:And he really started it because he thought, well, this would be a fun way to just stay in touch with friends and family since we can't see each other now.
Speaker A:It has now been shared around the world.
Speaker A:He's pushing 9,000 members, and every day people are posting things that have been unexpected, positives that have come out, spending time at home, and it's, it's wonderful.
Speaker A:It's a really wonderful place to share and get a smile.
Speaker A:So I'm looking forward to talking to him because it's totally not what he expected, and it's just fun to, to see, you know, where he might take it next.
Speaker A:So I hope you all will tune in for that.
Speaker A:Let's see.
Speaker A:Dara says my experience as a foreign exchange student to Turkey at 6:16 expanded my life view.
Speaker A:Yeah, I bet it did.
Speaker A:Cool.
Speaker A:Thanks, Doris.
Speaker A:All right, so we all have stories to share, and we are starting conversations and building community one story at a time.
Speaker A:My name is Wendy Green with Marilyn Ball, and this has been.
Speaker A:Hey, Boomer.
Speaker B:Thank you, Wendy.
Speaker A:Thanks.
Speaker A:See y' all next week.
