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DING DONG!

Crash headfirst into the world of singing telegrams: bizarre, moving, and absolutely unforgettable. 

You’ll meet Joy Brooker, whose TikTok serenades bring millions to tears and laughter; Jay Bragg, who blends hospice care and honky-tonk into acoustic telegrams; and Paul Mordoff, a children’s entertainer who joins us on a bench by a lake in a tutu-clad gorilla costume. 

At the end, Chion puts it all into practice with her boldest assignment yet: surprising Connecticut Public’s very own president and CEO, Mark Contreras, with a song (while wearing an inflatable axolotl costume).

 

Suggested episodes:
Meet Prince & Elvis tribute artists who are finding fame, fans, and their own voice 
Inside the Mascot: The Phillie Phanatic, a Yard Goat, and a mascot maker 

 

GUESTS: 
Joy Brooker: singing telegram performer from Missouri, known for her creative characters and wide social media following
Jay Bragg: Nashville-based singer-songwriter, who offers acoustic singing telegrams with vintage charm
Paul Mordoff: party entertainer and singing telegram performer based in Monroe, CT, who has been in this business since 1996

Mark Contreras: President & CEO of Connecticut Public

DING DONG!
Crash headfirst into the world of singing telegrams: bizarre, moving, and absolutely unforgettable.&nbsp;
You&rsquo;ll meet Joy Brooker, whose TikTok serenades bring millions to tears and laughter; Jay Bragg, who blends hospice care and honky-tonk into acoustic telegrams; and Paul Mordoff, a children&rsquo;s entertainer who joins us on a bench by a lake in a tutu-clad gorilla costume.&nbsp;
At the end, Chion puts it all into practice with her boldest assignment yet: surprising Connecticut Public&rsquo;s very own president and CEO, Mark Contreras, with a song (while wearing an inflatable axolotl costume).
&nbsp;
Suggested episodes:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2025-02-28/meet-prince-elvis-tribute-artists-who-are-finding-fame-fans-and-their-own-voice">Meet Prince &amp; Elvis tribute artists who are finding fame, fans, and their own voice</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2025-08-29/inside-the-mascot-the-phillie-phanatic-a-yard-goat-and-a-mascot-maker">Inside the Mascot: The Phillie Phanatic, a Yard Goat, and a mascot maker&nbsp;</a></li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
GUESTS:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li><a href="https://linktr.ee/joy_brooker">Joy Brooker</a>: singing telegram performer from Missouri, known for her creative characters and wide social media following</li>
<li aria-level="1">Jay Bragg: Nashville-based singer-songwriter, who offers <a href="https://www.jaybragg.com/acoustic-singing-telegram">acoustic singing telegrams</a> with vintage charm</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://partytalent.com/">Paul Mordoff</a>: party entertainer and singing telegram performer based in Monroe, CT, who has been in this business since 1996</li>
</ul>
Mark Contreras: President &amp; CEO of Connecticut Public

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

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: <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf">ctpublic.org/audacious</a>

Audacious with Chion Wolf spotlights the stories of people whose experiences, professions, or conditions defy convention or are often misunderstood. 

Audacious with Chion Wolf

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.

Listen at ctpublic.org/audacious

Support is provided by a generous contribution from Suzanne Hopgood, in Memory of Frank Lord.

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&rsquo;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.
Listen at <a href="http://ctpublic.org/audacious">ctpublic.org/audacious</a>
Support is provided by a generous contribution from Suzanne Hopgood, in Memory of Frank Lord.

DING DONG! The sweetness and surprise of singing telegrams 

TV shows and movies set in places like field offices, courtrooms and hospitals entertain us, sure... But they also tell us something - about crime, medicine, danger, and heroism. So who makes sure they don’t get it wrong? 

Meet three entertainment consultants whose real jobs exist far beyond the screen: a former FBI profiler behind Criminal Minds, an ER doctor, who advised on The Pitt, and NASA astronaut Nicole Stott, who worked on the Amazon film Space Cadet. 

They reveal what Hollywood gets right, what it often misses, and the surprising responsibility that comes with shaping what millions of people believe.

Suggested episodes:
Behind The Screens: Hollywood Hairstyling, Coordinating Intimacy, And Illustrating The Great British Bake Off 
Becoming fluent in English by watching 3 hours of American and British television every day
Behind The Screens: Dressing Schitt’s Creek, Special Effects Make-Up, and Casting Queer Eye 
Stunt performers David Holmes and Jonathan Goodwin on life after paralysis 
When actors teach: Embodying the lives of an enslaved woman and a medical patient 
Who decides? Ethicists help doctors and patients answer big, nuanced questions 

 

GUESTS: 
Jim Clemente: Former FBI special agent and prosecutor, who spent more than 20 years working in criminal behavioral profiling and became an entertainment consultant, writer, and producer on the Criminal Minds series
Dr. Sylvia Owusu-Ansah: Emergency medicine physician, EMS medical director, and educator, who also serves as a medical consultant for the Emmy Award-winning HBO series, The Pitt
Nicole Stott: NASA astronaut, engineer, artist, and author, who spent more than 100 days living and working in space. She also consults on film and television, including the Amazon movie Space Cadet

TV shows and movies set in places like field offices, courtrooms and hospitals entertain us, sure... But they also tell us something - about crime, medicine, danger, and heroism. So who makes sure they don&rsquo;t get it wrong?&nbsp;
Meet three entertainment consultants whose real jobs exist far beyond the screen: a former FBI profiler behind Criminal Minds, an ER doctor, who advised on The Pitt, and NASA astronaut Nicole Stott, who worked on the Amazon film Space Cadet.&nbsp;
They reveal what Hollywood gets right, what it often misses, and the surprising responsibility that comes with shaping what millions of people believe.
Suggested episodes:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/arts-culture/2020-11-13/behind-the-screens-hollywood-hairstyling-coordinating-intimacy-and-illustrating-the-great-british-bake-off">Behind The Screens: Hollywood Hairstyling, Coordinating Intimacy, And Illustrating The Great British Bake Off&nbsp;</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2023-01-19/all-in-a-year-3-guests-3-goals-365-days">Becoming fluent in English by watching 3 hours of American and British television every day</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/arts-and-culture/2021-01-22/behind-the-screens-dressing-schitts-creek-special-effects-make-up-and-casting-queer-eye">Behind The Screens: Dressing Schitt&rsquo;s Creek, Special Effects Make-Up, and Casting Queer Eye&nbsp;</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2024-05-02/stunt-performers-david-holmes-and-jonathan-goodwin-on-life-after-paralysis">Stunt performers David Holmes and Jonathan Goodwin on life after paralysis&nbsp;</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2024-07-12/when-actors-teach-embodying-the-lives-of-an-enslaved-woman-and-a-medical-patient">When actors teach: Embodying the lives of an enslaved woman and a medical patient&nbsp;</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2024-11-15/who-decides-ethicists-help-doctors-patients-answer-big-nuanced-questions">Who decides? Ethicists help doctors and patients answer big, nuanced questions&nbsp;</a></li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
GUESTS:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.xgproductions.com/jim-clemente">Jim Clemente</a>: Former FBI special agent and prosecutor, who spent more than 20 years working in criminal behavioral profiling and became an entertainment consultant, writer, and producer on the Criminal Minds series</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.drsylvia-o.com/">Dr. Sylvia Owusu-Ansah</a>: Emergency medicine physician, EMS medical director, and educator, who also serves as a medical consultant for the Emmy Award-winning HBO series, The Pitt</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.npsdiscovery.com/">Nicole Stott</a>: NASA astronaut, engineer, artist, and author, who spent more than 100 days living and working in space. She also consults on film and television, including the Amazon movie Space Cadet</li>
</ul>

From The Pitt to NASA to FBI profilers: The experts who make movies and TV feel real

Meet two influential voices in autism advocacy whose lives and work have reshaped how the world understands neurodiversity. 

Dr. Temple Grandin - a scientist, author, and animal behavior expert - reflects on growing up autistic, thinking in pictures, and building a career by leaning into the way her mind works. 

And Dr. Kerry Magro, an autism advocate, speaker, and consultant on Netflix’s Love on the Spectrum, shares his path from being nonverbal to becoming a public voice for autism, and why accurate representation can change lives.

Suggested episode:
A conversation with 12 year-old Sophie Rupolo, who has Williams Syndrome, and her mom

GUESTS: 
Dr. Temple Grandin: Scientist, author, and professor whose work in animal behavior has transformed livestock handling around the world. Her life and thinking were introduced to a global audience through the HBO film Temple Grandin, starring Claire Danes, and through her books, including Thinking in Pictures, which helped change how autism is understood by clinicians, families, and the public
Dr. Kerry Magro: Autism advocate, professional speaker, and author who was nonverbal until age 2.5 and did not speak in complete sentences until age 7. He is a consultant on Netflix’s Love on the Spectrum and works with schools, companies, and media organizations to challenge stereotypes and promote accurate, human portrayals of autistic lives

Meet two influential voices in autism advocacy whose lives and work have reshaped how the world understands neurodiversity.&nbsp;
Dr. Temple Grandin - a scientist, author, and animal behavior expert - reflects on growing up autistic, thinking in pictures, and building a career by leaning into the way her mind works.&nbsp;
And Dr. Kerry Magro, an autism advocate, speaker, and consultant on Netflix&rsquo;s Love on the Spectrum, shares his path from being nonverbal to becoming a public voice for autism, and why accurate representation can change lives.
Suggested episode:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/health/2020-12-18/one-of-the-few-life-with-a-rare-disease?fbclid=IwY2xjawOwE_1leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETE2MElJWml5OXJOU0YzWDVuc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHprEwyf1oSbpt696BrdpITr5zq2EYJ2rQLX0bw3HxntbZcK8zm_Ga-OoFbC0_aem_clC523rF-dYsrcNlWzue6g">A conversation with 12 year-old Sophie Rupolo, who has Williams Syndrome, and her mom</a></li>
</ul>
GUESTS:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.templegrandin.com/">Dr. Temple Grandin</a>: Scientist, author, and professor whose work in animal behavior has transformed livestock handling around the world. Her life and thinking were introduced to a global audience through the HBO film Temple Grandin, starring Claire Danes, and through her books, including Thinking in Pictures, which helped change how autism is understood by clinicians, families, and the public</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://kerrymagro.com/home/">Dr. Kerry Magro</a>: Autism advocate, professional speaker, and author who was nonverbal until age 2.5 and did not speak in complete sentences until age 7. He is a consultant on Netflix&rsquo;s Love on the Spectrum and works with schools, companies, and media organizations to challenge stereotypes and promote accurate, human portrayals of autistic lives</li>
</ul>

Temple Grandin, Kerry Magro, and the power of autistic thinking

Some rituals are spiritual. Some are silly. Some are inherited, and some are self-made.

Casper ter Kuile, author of The Power of Ritual: Turning Everyday Activities into Soulful Practices, walks us through how we create all sorts of meaningful, grounding rituals.

And you'll hear clips from past two years of Audacious guests who have shared the rituals that matter most to them, from morning journaling and bedtime affirmations to pre-show sign-slapping.

Whether you've already got your rituals down pat, or are still developing your own special routine, this episode shows you how to honor the sacred in the everyday.

This episode originally aired on May 17, 2025.

Suggested episodes:
Forgiveness: How we define it and how it defines us 
Life advice, one Audacious guest at a time
Kitchen objects with a story. Listen at your own whisk
Why you so salty? The anger episode
Change Of Art: Stories About Tattoo Coverups
Awe yeah! Exploring the magic of mind-blowing moments

GUESTS: 
Casper ter Kuile: author of The Power of Ritual: Turning Everyday Activities into Soulful Practices. He holds Master's degrees in Divinity and Public Policy from Harvard University, and is a co-founder of Sacred Design Lab. He also co-hosts the podcast, Harry Potter and the Sacred Text
Audacious guests who shared their personal rituals (in order of appearance): Dean Edwards, Jessica Jin, Kristen Geez, Anna Holland, Lena Khalal Tuffaha, Chris Crowe, Bruce W Brackett, Moon Ribas, Azie Dungey, Pony Tromper, Mary Elizabeth Kelly, Paul Marcarelli, Brad White, Begoña Gómez Urzaiz, Dr. Gale Ridge, Mehdi Hasan, Stephanie Courtney, Rosanna Ramos, Sonya Horton, Greg Viloria, Ronnie “Woo Woo” Wickers, Zarna Garg, Jada Star, Luis Mojica, RoseMarie Wallace, Mindy Glickman, David Roche, Paul Gladis, and Arwen, Aidan, and Willow Gladis Perez-Sauquillo     

Some rituals are spiritual. Some are silly. Some are inherited, and some are self-made.
Casper ter Kuile, author of&nbsp;The Power of Ritual: Turning Everyday Activities into Soulful Practices, walks us through how we create all sorts of meaningful, grounding rituals.
And you'll hear clips from past two years of Audacious guests who have shared the rituals that matter most to them, from morning journaling and bedtime affirmations to pre-show sign-slapping.
Whether you've already got your rituals down pat, or are still developing your own special routine, this episode shows you how to honor the sacred in the everyday.
This episode originally aired on May 17, 2025.
Suggested episodes:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2022-03-24/forgiveness-how-we-define-it-and-how-it-defines-us">Forgiveness: How we define it and how it defines us</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2025-01-10/life-advice-one-audacious-guest-at-a-time">Life advice, one Audacious guest at a time</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2022-03-03/kitchen-objects-with-a-story-listen-at-your-own-whisk">Kitchen objects with a story. Listen at your own whisk</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2022-01-13/why-you-so-salty-the-anger-episode">Why you so salty? The anger episode</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/arts-and-culture/2020-08-28/change-of-art-stories-about-tattoo-coverups">Change Of Art: Stories About Tattoo Coverups</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2025-03-14/awe-yeah-exploring-the-magic-of-mind-blowing-moments">Awe yeah! Exploring the magic of mind-blowing moments</a></li>
</ul>
GUESTS:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.caspertk.com/">Casper ter Kuile</a>: author of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Power-Ritual-Everyday-Activities-Practices/dp/0062881825/ref=sr_1_1?crid=33STCM39FU628&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.OqrX-rFuis0HocWEXy4-NnkrighaYFk5wGFDZEfKiweRIyuJGLKWaQv22Bjx8uwoAjstcibhDLIBlH3gTpqUT7VHu99txdXLtIgBF16nTK2jrt37SGnpqsTYw-m81IwPxueEuVya1Zc7Vv_-6BdGPQ.lTfGs4SnxavbD3d6wvVqmeGcLzEGhkzeTH6oFTg13_w&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=casper+ter+kuile&amp;qid=1744741426&amp;s=books&amp;sprefix=casper+ter+kuile%2Cstripbooks%2C74&amp;sr=1-1">The Power of Ritual: Turning Everyday Activities into Soulful Practices</a>.&nbsp;He holds Master's degrees in Divinity and Public Policy from Harvard University, and is a co-founder of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sacred.design/">Sacred Design Lab</a>. He also co-hosts the podcast,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.harrypottersacredtext.com/about/our-story">Harry Potter and the Sacred Text</a></li>
<li>Audacious guests who shared their personal rituals (in order of appearance): Dean Edwards, Jessica Jin, Kristen Geez, Anna Holland, Lena Khalal Tuffaha, Chris Crowe, Bruce W Brackett, Moon Ribas, Azie Dungey, Pony Tromper, Mary Elizabeth Kelly, Paul Marcarelli, Brad White, Bego&ntilde;a G&oacute;mez Urzaiz, Dr. Gale Ridge, Mehdi Hasan, Stephanie Courtney, Rosanna Ramos, Sonya Horton, Greg Viloria, Ronnie &ldquo;Woo Woo&rdquo; Wickers, Zarna Garg, Jada Star, Luis Mojica, RoseMarie Wallace, Mindy Glickman, David Roche, Paul Gladis, and Arwen, Aidan, and Willow Gladis Perez-Sauquillo&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

DING DONG! The sweetness and surprise of singing telegrams

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