It all started with a conversation about waffle fries and eating our stress.
The Chatty Duo
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Kirsten
Host
Hello Podcast world! I am Kirsten. I am a forever learner, constantly finding myself back in the classroom, trying to better myself and engage in dialogue spanning various beliefs and ideology. I would love to travel the world and just connect with different humans because I believe we are a better people when we embrace all the differences. I currently oversee college and career access programs in the K-12 system. I am a mom, and I think that is my favorite role- something that actually really surprises me every day. I am more or less a pacifist, but will defend the people I love most to the death. I work hard to eliminate ego from my existence- it is amazing how much less impact stupidity and hate have on my life directly when my ego doesn’t get it the way. It isn’t a perfect system, but it reminds me that I can’t control what happens around me, I can only control how I respond to it. Most things just don’t deserve my energy. It took me a long time to figure that out. I decided to do this podcast with my friend because we got really excited talking about waffle fries, and well, one thing led to another and here we are. I couldn't imagine a better person to go on this journey with - hopefully someone out there digs our vibe and gets something out of discussions.
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Maria
Host
Maria (she/her) is a mom, sometimes artist, and educator who doesn’t use #familyovereverything, but definitely lives that #FOE life. When not obsessively overplanning for every scenario (enneagram six iykyk) Maria enjoys dabbling in digital art, dipping her toes into new hobbies, hanging out with her family & reheating her cold tea at least 3-4 times before consuming.
A hype letter to our co-host.
Kirsten to Maria
Let me introduce the world to the amazing, humble, hard core and super loving Maria…the M to my Kay! I have known this woman for over 20 years, and although I feel I know all about her, I still have so much more to learn. Having connected through our older sisters, we went from band nerds to probably just another form of nerd, to be honest. She is a school counselor by day, and a supermom by …well, day and night (Let’s face it, you can’t turn that isht off). She has a strong sense of social justice and wants to see people accept others for all that they are, and all that they aspire to be.
The first time I saw her in a position where she could make meaningful change in her community, was awe-inspiring. She donned her cape and made “Don’t Stop Believing” a whole anthem. She is protective of the people she loves most; and wants to raise her sons to be emotionally intelligent, loving and to live full and enriched lives. She is a wonderful writer and I expect her book about the Red Backpack will one day be published! (Sorry, inside joke).
What I think has allowed our friendship to grow and flourish all of these years is because she has an incredible skill at pulling people in and bringing them together. She is the keeper of human connection and I am thankful that she didn’t let me slip through the cracks after all these years.
Maria to Kirsten
There is so much to say about my dear friend Kirsten that I am not sure where to even begin. I sincerely hope that everyone has had the fortune of having a Kirsten in their lives because we surely would all be better people for it.
Kirsten is a catalyst for positive change, incredibly fun, beyond generous, and a heavy dose of real with a huge side of pragmatic optimism. Kirsten is the kind of person who will bend over backwards to make something happen, move the whole dang Earth, and play it off like she wasn’t inconvenienced in the least. Whether that is making time for friends, racking up multiple degrees, being an absolutely amazing mom,/sister/daughter, or winging it while doing wildly brave things and putting it all on the line. Duck off the water’s back, y’all she makes it look easy when all of those are difficult to pull off individually, but altogether? Awe inspiring.
Our friendship is almost old enough to drink legally and over all of these years Kirsten has been one of the best conversationalists. We can deep dive into our cultural identities, debate education policies, and rank our favorite Star Trek captains. This is a testament to Kirsten’s off the charts intellect, breadth of knowledge, and geekiness. I’m beyond excited for everyone who listens in to get a little dose of Kirsten in their lives.