Episode 268: Richard Reyes AKA Pancho Claus
THNX: A Feelgood Podcast
Richard Reyes has been playing the character of Pancho Claus in Houston and the Rio Grande Valley for over 40 years. Pancho Claus is a Tex-Mex Santa that grew out of the Chicano civil rights movement and is often referred to as being Santa's cousin from the South Pole. In addition to running programs throughout the year to assist kids and teens who are struggling, he coordinates toy drives year round and parades along city streets on Christmas morning with low-riders and a jazz band to deliver meals and gifts to children from low-income families. Having raised over $20,000, he and his team of...
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Episode 267: Dr. H Denise Wooten
THNX: A Feelgood Podcast
Dr. H Denise Wooten has over 30 years of specialized training and experience in pediatric psychiatry and developmental disorders. She earned her Doctor of Psychology Degree from Baylor University, served a post-doctoral fellowship in Child Clinical Psychology at the University of Kansas School of Medicine, and is a member of the American Psychological Association. Denise lives in Flower Mound, Texas.
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Episode 266: Carlo Taboada
THNX: A Feelgood Podcast
Carlo Taboada is an attorney in Brownsville, Texas. After serving in the US Marine Corps from 2001-2006, he decided to begin his legal career and specialize in immigration. Once graduated from Texas State University and Texas Tech University, he worked as a lawyer in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas area and served as a State Bar of Texas District Director before leaving to start his own firm, Carlo Taboada Law Firm, PLLC. Carlo makes his home in Texas.
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Episode 265: DJ Bracken
THNX: A Feelgood Podcast
DJ Bracken is the founder of the Utah Lunch Debt Relief Foundation. He created the organization after learning of the immense lunch debt of Utah schools and donating $835 of his own money to an elementary school in his community. As of Summer 2025, UTLDR has raised over $50,000 and paid off the lunch debt of 12 different Utah schools. His advocacy also helped pass HB100, legislation that directly impacts kids' lunch in Utah schools. DJ lives with his daughter Liara in Utah.
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Episode 264: Beartisa "Beata" Lerman Ph.D
THNX: A Feelgood Podcast
Dr. Beata Lerman is a distinguished scientist with over 22 years of biomedical development experience renowned for her work in immuno-oncology and cancer research at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Inspired by her personal battle with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, she co-invented and patented two cancer immunotherapy treatments. After seeing the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially on health compromised people, she founded Sinless Treats LLC and became a partner in Revogreen Inc. Beata makes her home in Houston, Texas.
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Episode 263: Sandy Weinmann
THNX: A Feelgood Podcast
Sandy Weinmann is the General Manager of KPFT 90.1 FM Houston. He earned a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Maryland College Park and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Houston. With extensive experince in technologies, he was a programmer at KPFT for many years prior to serving as the Interim General Manager from 2022-2025. Sandy makes his home in Houston, Texas.
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Episode 262: Genesis Draper
THNX: A Feelgood Podcast
Judge Genesis Draper, born and raised in Texas, earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Spelman College and her Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law. Upon graduation, she moved to Nashville, Tennessee and began her career as an Assistant Public Defender. She later moved to Houston, Texas, where she served as Assistant Public Defender at both the federal and state levels before becoming the first Black female to lead Harris County's Public Defender's office in July of 2025. Genesis makes her home in Houston with her husband and their two children.
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Episode 261: Woody Witt
THNX: A Feelgood Podcast
Woody Witt is an active performer, composer and educator based in Houston, Texas. Witt has 13 CDs to his credit as a leader or coleader and most of his CD's feature original music. He plays saxophone and has had the opportunity to perform with some of the most well known jazz musicians of our time.
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Episode 260: Melissa Rippy
THNX: A Feelgood Podcast
Melissa Rippy has been a Director of Libraries & Instructional Materials in Texas since 2019. She earned a Bachelor's Degree in Education from Baylor University, a Master's Degree in Educational Psychology from Baylor Unviersity, and a Master's Degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Houston. Prior to her current position, she worked as a Teacher and Librarian, Library Manager, and Libraries & Instructional Materials Specialist. Melissa makes her home in Houston, Texas.
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Episode 259: Keith Stroup
THNX: A Feelgood Podcast
Keith Stroup graduated from the University of Illinois in 1965 then Georgetown University Law Center in 1968 before founding the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) in 1970. After leaving his post at NORML in 1979, he worked as a lobbyist and was hired as the Executive Director of the National Association for Criminal Defense Lawyers from 1989 through 1994 before returning to NORML as Executive Director for another decade. He now serves as legal counsel for NORML and recently published a book on its history. Keith makes his home in Washington, DC.
info_outlineHyman Penn is a retired pediatrician; he graduated from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio in 1982 and went on to practice for over 40 years. The son of Holocaust survivors, he is a longtime docent and board member at the Holocaust Museum Houston. In his free time, he practices magic, enjoys bike riding, and travels. Hyman lives in Houston, Texas.