387: The Healing Power of Plants, Purpose, and Family
Getting Unstuck – Cultivating Curiosity
Release Date: 11/04/2025
407: Why Might the Arts Teach the Holocaust More Powerfully Than History Alone?
Getting Unstuck – Cultivating Curiosity
Guest Karen Berman, Ph.D., Chaired the Department of Theatre and Dance at Georgia College and previously taught for 15 years at Georgetown University. She is Dean Emerita, College of Fellows of the American Theatre; Past President of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education; Director of 150 Holocaust and other theatre productions; and winner of the Georgia Governor’s Award for the Arts and the Hillel Heroes Award. Karen is co-Artistic Director of Washington Women in Theatre. She is the co-author with Dr. Gail Humphries of the two-volume work, Stories of the Holocaust: Art for Healing...
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406: "Attack!" How Do the Complexities of Character and Context Converge to Shape History?
Getting Unstuck – Cultivating Curiosity
Guest Bill Whiteside abandoned a 30-year career in software sales to devote his time to a story that he started researching to keep his mind engaged during his business travels. Intrigued by a little-known incident from early in Winston Churchill’s first term as Britain’s Prime Minister, this diversion evolved into an obsession as he dug into the story of a controversial and catastrophic clash between the British and French Navies from multiple angles. The more he learned, the more it became a book he just had to write. That book, Operation Catapult: Winston Churchill and the British...
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405: What Can Standing in Awe of the Natural World Teach Us?
Getting Unstuck – Cultivating Curiosity
Guest Tom Reed studied photography at Rutgers while studying Geography. Ansel Adams, Edgar Payne, and the Hudson River School are major influencers. Zen sensibilities profoundly influence his compositions and writings, as he is a student of Japanese martial arts and aesthetics (chado). His photographs and writing center on the experience of awe at the sight of a landscape. He hopes this leads to considering nature itself divine and sacred, and that stewardship, rather than the dominant utilitarian view, is the only sane attitude. Summary In this episode, Jeff speaks with...
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404: How Do the Experiences of War Echo Across Generations?
Getting Unstuck – Cultivating Curiosity
Guest Matthew Collins is a writer, speaker, and voice coach whose career spans British television, travel writing, prison education, and Shakespeare. A former BBC presenter, he now leads voice and public speaking workshops and teaches Shakespeare to students ranging from ex-prisoners to members of the Women's Institute. His approach is non-academic. He encourages students to explore Shakespearean texts using spoken voice exercises - and to feel the effects they can have on the mind and body. (And soul...) Matthew also gives entertaining talks. And last year, he launched...
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403: What Do Artifacts Explain About the History of the West?
Getting Unstuck – Cultivating Curiosity
Guest Paul Knowles has not followed a conventional path. Originally from Texas, he worked in Downtown Dallas as a financial advisor for the world’s largest private wealth manager. He then served as marketing director for a highly successful Colorado regional bank and later for one of the nation’s top real estate offices. However, it was after stepping away for a year and a half that Paul stumbled onto his true calling, and for the past ten years, he has been the Assistant Director of the Museum of Northwest Colorado, located in Craig, Colorado Summary In this episode, I visit with Paul to...
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402: How Does Animal-Assisted Education Improve Student Focus and Mental Health?
Getting Unstuck – Cultivating Curiosity
Guest Barbara Vokatis is a professor at the State University of New York an Oneonta, keynote speaker, award-winning author, and therapy dog partner. She is an author of books in dog therapy in educational settings (“Teachers and Therapy Dog Teams: Innovative Collaborations to Make a Difference for Children”) and a children’s book (“Carmel Goes to School”) with the therapy dog theme. Her latest book is titled “Unshakable: Parenting through Autism with Love, Courage, and Purpose.” Summary In this episode, Jeff Ikler speaks with Dr. Barb Vokatis about the role of animal-assisted...
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401: How Do Writer Friendships Make the Creative Journey More Sustainable?
Getting Unstuck – Cultivating Curiosity
Guest Hurley Winkler is a writer and editor from Jacksonville, FL. Her newsletter, “Lonely Victories,” is among the top Substack publications in the Literature category. She teaches creative writing at Flagler College. Summary In this episode, I speak with writer and teacher Hurley Winkler about journaling, creative practice, and building a sustainable writing life. Hurley traces her path to writing back to childhood anxiety and early journaling inspired by Harriet the Spy, and describes how writing eventually became her preferred independent art form after early interests in...
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400: How Do Observing and Deep Listening Help Shape Strong Writing?
Getting Unstuck – Cultivating Curiosity
Guest Heather Lende is the author of four books centered on her life in Haines, Alaska: If You Lived Here, I’d Know Your Name, Take Good Care of the Garden and the Dogs, Find the Good: Life Lessons from a Small-town Obituary Writer, and, most recently, Of Bears and Ballots, about her adventures in local politics. Heather served as Alaska Writer Laureate from 2021-2023, has an honorary Ph.D in Humane Letters from the University of Alaska, Anchorage, and is the recipient of the Middlebury College Alumni Award. Summary In this, my 400th episode, I sit down with writer Heather Lende...
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399: Why Do Public Lands Remain a Source of Controversy?
Getting Unstuck – Cultivating Curiosity
Guest Adam Bronstein grew up exploring the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York and knew from a young age that he wanted to work to protect wild places. He received a BS from SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry in Environmental Studies and Geographic Information Technologies. Adam first joined the Western Watershed Project staff in 2020. Outside his capacity at WWP, Adam hosts and produces Our Public Lands podcast, advocates for Wilderness, and is a dedicated public lands hunter and angler—always looking for that elusive cow-free habitat. Summary In...
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398: Why Do Internal Customers Matter as Much as External Ones?
Getting Unstuck – Cultivating Curiosity
Guest April Obersteller is a people-centered leader, operator, and founder of And Not Or, a community and leadership platform built around the belief that we don’t have to choose. She has led customer and employee experience across iconic consumer brands, including YETI and woom, and now leads community and experience at Recess. April also hosts The AND Podcast, where she shares real conversations about leadership, growth, and humanity. Summary In this episode, Jeff talks with April Obersteller, co-founder and CEO of And, about what it really takes to build companies that succeed by...
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Jodi Scott is a purpose-driven business leader and entrepreneur passionate about bridging the gap between natural wellness and modern innovation. As the co-founder of Green Goo, she’s helped pioneer plant-based alternatives in categories traditionally dominated by synthetics, from first aid to personal care. With a background in science, sales, and sustainability, Jodi brings a fresh perspective to how businesses can grow with integrity, lead with empathy, and stay true to their mission even in fast-changing industries.
Summary
In this episode, Jeff speaks with Jodi Scott, co-founder of Green Goo, a family-run company that produces plant-based first-aid and wellness products. The conversation traces Green Goo’s origins from her sister’s early herbalism experiments to a thriving business built around natural healing and sustainability. Jodi shares how her family’s blend of skills—her sister’s herbology, her mother’s tech entrepreneurship, and her own background in health psychology—converged to create a purpose-driven company focused on high-efficacy, natural alternatives to chemical-laden over-the-counter products.
She explains the rigorous process behind Green Goo’s product formulation, including the FDA’s growing recognition of botanical ingredients and the company’s commitment to transparent labeling. Beyond product development, Jodi highlights the deeper values that guide the company: spreading goodness, supporting community, and cultivating trust among consumers skeptical of plant-based efficacy.
The heart of the conversation comes when Jodi recounts selling the company to a seemingly aligned partner—only to watch it collapse after the buyer’s scandal. Forced to lay off her family and staff, she describes the emotional devastation and eventual resilience that followed as they fought to buy the company back. That experience reshaped her understanding of resilience—not as relentless grit, but as the ability to pause, get present, and move forward with clarity.
Now, with Green Goo reborn and expanded into a broader wellness portfolio, Jodi continues to advocate for purpose-driven leadership and mindful living, encouraging others to “keep showing up” even when the path is uncertain.
The Essential Point
Jodi’s essential message is that resilience isn’t about endless drive—it’s about presence, reflection, and finding purpose even amid loss. Her journey with Green Goo shows how values and mindfulness can sustain both people and businesses through profound challenges.
Social Media
www.greengoo.com | www.southernbutter.com | www.ovamoon.com | www.fambotanicals.com