Speaking Broadly

Jennifer McDonald is determined to provoke conversations about racism and sexism, and she's doing it in an unusual way: by making wine in Wichita, Kansas. A black child adopted by white parents, McDonald grew up in a small town in Nebraska, hyper-aware of race issues yet never daunted. She was a track star, a success in her HR job, and an award-winning home winemaker. But after her life got disrupted by her son's debilitating medical condition, she wanted to devote time to something she was passionate about. She launched her business, Jenny Dawn Cellars, to address a problem that was meaningful to her: the lack of female and African-American role models. Listen in to hear how McDonald became an entrepreneur, and overcame the challenges of making wine in a state not known for its vineyards. Want to stay up to date on the latest Speaking Broadly episodes? To hear more conversations with Dana Cowin and her accomplished yet accessible guests, subscribe to Speaking Broadly (it’s free!) on iTunes or Stitcher. If yo

The moment that The Culinistas founder Jill Donenfeld was ready to give up, to start over and open a restaurant in Malibu, was the moment that her business was saved. On this episode of Speaking Broadly, listen in as Donenfeld explains how one networking dinner led to a game-changing partnership that reinvigorated her and allowed her to commit whole-heartedly to her business. Before that, Donenfeld got by doing things she loved—offering private chef services to families looking for healthy meals, traveling in India, curing bottarga for chefs, and researching the foods of Madagascar, among others—but never giving 100 percent. Today Donenfeld is focused and confident about the future ahead: ""Having a partner puts a mirror up to you and tells you who you really are."" Want to stay up to date on the latest Speaking Broadly episodes? To hear more conversations with Dana Cowin and her accomplished yet accessible guests, subscribe to Speaking Broadly (it’s free!) on iTunes or Stitcher. If you like what you hear, pl

After a very successful 30 year career in restaurants, Heather Carlucci lost her passion for the business. So she took a big step: she came out of the woo closet, and shared that she was a lightworker—a medical intuitive (she works with doctors on diagnoses) and psychic. For the last 7 years, she's been a full-time medium. Listen in to this episode of Speaking Broadly to hear how Heather compares her past career in hospitality with her new one (both professions require the gift of empathy and the ability to check one's ego at the door), her earliest memories of being "different," and her experiences as a famous pastry chef as well as owner of an Indian restaurant that was way ahead of its time. Clearly she knew something. Want to stay up to date on the latest Speaking Broadly episodes? To hear more conversations with Dana Cowin and her accomplished yet accessible guests, subscribe to Speaking Broadly (it’s free!) on iTunes or Stitcher. If you like what you hear, please take a moment to rate + review us on App

One month after opening the New York outpost of her Houston restaurant Pondicheri, Anita Jaisinghani got the horrific news that her husband had stage 4 cancer. Her daughter, Ajna Jai, dropped everything and took over the NYC restaurant's day-to-day operations. And after their immensely challenging year, Jaisinghani and Jai are looking ahead to bringing even more meaning to their work. On this episode of Speaking Broadly, host Dana Cowin interviews this fierce and loving mother-daughter duo about their efforts to elevate America’s understanding of Indian food, the challenges of running a restaurant under the darkness of heartbreak, and much more. "People are the most important thing, not food," says Jaisinghani, as she plans to connect the two in new ways.Want to stay up to date on the latest Speaking Broadly episodes? To hear more conversations with Dana Cowin and her accomplished yet accessible guests, subscribe to Speaking Broadly (it’s free!) on iTunes or Stitcher. If you like what you hear, please take a

When she finally healed from multiple surgeries, got a life-threatening infection under control, and emerged from the haze of years of intense pain, Valerie Gordon thought of one word: Toffee. An enthusiastic baker since childhood, she wanted to create a business around this crunchy, beloved sweet. On this episode of Speaking Broadly, Gordon tells host Dana Cowin about baking her way to comfort when she was a scared latchkey kid; the illness that consumed her; and about Valerie Confections, the extraordinary Los Angeles-based business that she's built in the last 15 years.Want to stay up to date on the latest Speaking Broadly episodes? To hear more conversations with Dana Cowin and her accomplished yet accessible guests, subscribe to Speaking Broadly (it’s free!) on iTunes or Stitcher. If you like what you hear, please take a moment to rate + review us on Apple’s podcast store and follow Dana on Instagram @speakingbroadly and @fwscout. Thanks for tuning in!Speaking Broadly is powered by Simplecast.See Privacy

Bravo’s Top Chef fan favorite, cookbook author and TV host, Carla Hall is known for her vivacious personality and warmth. In her latest book, Carla Hall’s Soul Food, other aspects of this culinary star emerge: the connection to her roots in the South as well as her desire to highlight extraordinary African-American cooks and farmers. In a far-ranging conversation on Speaking Broadly, Hall discusses not only recipes of her ancestors, but how she has overcome challenges including advocating for herself to get a raise on the talk show The Chew and what she learned from opening and closing a restaurant in under a year. Listen in for heart-warming, humorous, empowering stories from one of America’s most beloved cooks. Want to stay up to date on the latest Speaking Broadly episodes? To hear more conversations with Dana Cowin and her accomplished yet accessible guests, subscribe to Speaking Broadly (it’s free!) on iTunes or Stitcher. If you like what you hear, please take a moment to rate + review us on Apple’s podc

For Nasim Alikhani, co-owner of the Iranian restaurant Sofreh in Brooklyn, cooking both allows the world outside to disappear, and to make lost worlds re-appear. It is the thread that ties together her childhood in pre-Revolution Iran, her 20s in New York when she was a student and nanny trying to make ends meet, and now her life as a restaurateur. On this uplifting episode of Speaking Broadly, Alikhani describes her gratitude for early hardship and later happiness, how optimism grows with experience, and how she thinks about the lifespan of a passion project. Want to stay up to date on the latest Speaking Broadly episodes? To hear more conversations with Dana Cowin and her accomplished yet accessible guests, subscribe to Speaking Broadly (it’s free!) on iTunes or Stitcher. If you like what you hear, please take a moment to rate + review us on Apple’s podcast store and follow Dana on Instagram @speakingbroadly and @fwscout. Thanks for tuning in!" Speaking Broadly is powered by Simplecast.See Privacy Policy at

World-renowned author and negotiation facilitator Priya Parker grew up shuttling between her mother's Indian, liberal, incense-filled Buddhist-Hindu-New Age household and her father's American, meat-eating, conservative, climate-denying one. Not surprisingly, she never knew exactly where she belonged. Parker channeled that childhood discomfort into a powerful mission: to make people experience a sense of belonging. Parker's recent book author of The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters, focuses on what makes people in groups make meaningful connections, whether at a dinner party or a wedding or peace talks. One hint: the answer isn't the food. On this episode of Speaking Broadly, Parker reveals her methods to ensure both engagement and delight. Listen in to hear more about creating (and naming) an event with a purpose, embracing exclusion to maintain deeper relationships and so much more. Want to stay up to date on the latest Speaking Broadly episodes? To hear more conversations with Dana Cowin an

Holly Whitaker was at one time addicted to alcohol, pot, and cigarettes. She was bulimic, depressed, tried to get help. But the services that existed—the clinics and AA—weren’t right for her. Six years ago, she finally hacked her way to her own recovery. Now she’s founded a company called Tempest that is reinventing rehab for a new generation. Whitaker's plan makes recovery affordable, accessible, empowering, self-directed, and non-anonymous. On this episode of Speaking Broadly, Whitaker shares intimate details of her own story as well as her pointed opinions about our culture which glamorizes alcohol while demonizing those who have a troubled relationship with it.Want to stay up to date on the latest Speaking Broadly episodes? To hear more conversations with Dana Cowin and her accomplished yet accessible guests, subscribe to Speaking Broadly (it’s free!) on iTunes or Stitcher. If you like what you hear, please take a moment to rate + review us on Apple’s podcast store and follow Dana on Instagram @speakingbr

This week, we're delighted to share a bonus episode from our Heritage Radio Network sister program, Inside Julia's Kitchen. Dana was recently the guest on the show for their 2018 season finale. In this excerpt of the show's 2nd half, Dana and host Todd Schulkin discuss Dana's experiences making Speaking Broadly, and Dana shares her "Julia moment." If you like what you hear and you want to explore more great conversations, visit Inside Julia's Kitchen (rss | web). Speaking Broadly and Inside Julia's Kitchen are powered by Simplecast.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Do you sip your tequila neat? If you do, there's one woman you'll want to know about: Bertha González Nieves. A true believer who thought tequila should be treated like a fine cognac, González Nieves founded Casa Dragones in 2009, right as this country was experiencing the Great Recession. She sold one product and one product only, a $275 Casa Dragones Juven, for the first 5 years of the company's existence. Listen to this episode of Speaking Broadly to hear how tequila is made, how she changed the course of the spirit's history and her belief in the power of focus. As a bonus, González Nieves, a life-long resident of Mexico City gives us recommendations for a perfect day in her hometown. Want to stay up to date on the latest Speaking Broadly episodes? To hear more conversations with Dana Cowin and her accomplished yet accessible guests, subscribe to Speaking Broadly (it’s free!) on iTunes or Stitcher. If you like what you hear, please take a moment to rate + review us on Apple’s podcast store and follow Dana

Two sisters on a mission to share the stories of their Caribbean ancestors, Michelle and Suzanne Rousseau correct common misperceptions around Jamaican food and culture in their stunning new cookbook, Provisions. On this episode of Speaking Broadly, they talk about the women who reached out to them from beyond the veil to urge them on, like their great great grandmother, Ma Briggs, who worked her way up from washerwoman to restaurateur. They honor their female forebears with vegetarian recipes based on ingredients from the ""provisions"" garden pre- and post-Emancipation. Their own narrative is powerful as well—two extraordinary women with different strengths who've collaborated for more than 20 years on restaurants, tv shows, and books and supported each other through the tough times and the good ones. Want to stay up to date on the latest Speaking Broadly episodes? To hear more conversations with Dana Cowin and her accomplished yet accessible guests, subscribe to Speaking Broadly (it’s free!) on iTunes or S

For Boston star chef Jody Adams, stepping away from Rialto, her award-winning restaurant of more than 20 years, was harder than she'd anticipated, especially as it was combined with her sister's progressing cancer and, ultimately, untimely death. "I went into a dark place," says Adams. Listen in to this episode of Speaking Broadly, to hear how Adams pulled herself out into the light, her new restaurant projects, and her excitement about the power of purpose, cycling, therapy and travel. Speaking Broadly is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kim Malek filled out a Small Business Association plan in secret. The idea of telling anyone her dream of opening an ice cream shop in cold and rainy Portland, Oregon, just seemed too hard. Now Salt&Straw is an empire with 17 stores across the country, including one at Disneyland, partnerships with companies like Alaska Airlines, and an investment from Danny Meyer and others. On episode 79 of Speaking Broadly, Kim speaks about how she sustained her entrepreneurial spirit despite her father's bankruptcy, countless rejections from bankers, and persistently looming fears. Tune into this episode for more insight into crazy ice cream flavors (bone marrow included), business advice from Starbucks' former CEO Howard Schultz, and the ingredients that went into fostering Kim's confidence and persistence. Want to stay up to date on the latest Speaking Broadly episodes? To hear more conversations with Dana Cowin and her accomplished yet accessible guests, subscribe to Speaking Broadly (it’s free!) on iTunes or Stitc

When chef Jenny Dorsey creates culinary experiences, she wants the conversation to be about a whole lot more than the food. With projects such as the experimental pop up dinner series, "Wednesdays", and her "It's Disgusting" lunchboxes campaign, Dorsey wants people to be courageously present: to shed their inhibitions, open up to new and uncomfortable ideas, and ultimately leave the meal more empathetic. Her latest undertaking, "Asian in America," is a blend of VR, poetry, and food, where each ingredient is mined for its many layers of meaning. Tune in to this episode of Speaking Broadly to learn more about how Dorsey's struggle with binge-eating and being an introvert led her to culinary school, why she thinks that culinary education needs to be reimagined, and how an acupuncture session led to a now-realized vision of marrying VR and food. Want to stay up to date on the latest Speaking Broadly episodes? To hear more conversations with Dana Cowin and her accomplished yet accessible guests, subscribe to Speak

Jasmine Crowe's first solo efforts at addressing the problem of hunger involved cooking for hundreds in her home kitchen in Atlanta, and bringing the food to the people. Since then she's found a way to scale up her charitable work by creating a for-profit company, Goodr. The business provides an online solution to match excess food from restaurants to institutions who share the meals. On this episode of Speaking Broadly, Crowe tells host Dana Cowin how one friend's empty refrigerator catapulted her into action, and how she built a tech business without experience in the digital realm. Want to stay up to date on the latest Speaking Broadly episodes? To hear more conversations with Dana Cowin and her accomplished yet accessible guests, subscribe to Speaking Broadly (it’s free!) on iTunes or Stitcher. If you like what you hear, please take a moment to rate + review us on Apple’s podcast store and follow Dana on Instagram @speakingbroadly and @fwscout. Thanks for tuning in! Speaking Broadly is powered by Simpleca

Victoria James started working in restaurants when she was thirteen, dropped out of college at nineteen, became the youngest sommelier in the U.S. at twenty-one, and is currently the Beverage Director and a partner at Cote Korean Steakhouse in NYC. Her trajectory has been fierce and fast and her love of wine has kept her reaching further. On this episode of Speaking Broadly, James tells host Dana Cowin about the harassment she experienced as an insecure young woman just starting out in the industry, overcoming her fear of being considered a dilettante if she wrote a book on rosé (she committed to going deep into quality, artisanal wines), and her plans for changing the hospitality industry into a healthier and more diverse environment. Speaking Broadly is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Eden Egziabher’s journey has taken her from war-torn Ethiopia to the streets of New York City to become the first Eritrean-Ethiopian female food truck owner. From her bright yellow truck, Makina Cafe, she serves 'Habesha' food, a term that eliminates the distinctions between Eritrean and Ethiopian tribes and celebrates unity. Tune in to hear Eden talk about the genesis of her popular food truck including her labyrinthine path from entering the US as a 15 year old immigrant who didn’t speak English to becoming an accounting major at USC to being ecstatic when she was fired from her marketing job, convincing her to open her own business. Now that her authentic food has been enthusiastically embraced, Egziabher is focused on giving back.You can follow Makina Cafe (@makinacafe) on all major social media outlets to find the trucks' location each day.Want to stay up to date on the latest Speaking Broadly episodes? To hear more conversations with Dana Cowin and her accomplished yet accessible guests, subscribe to Sp

As a star chef in Portland, Oregon, Jenn Louis won industry awards including Food & Wine Best New Chefs, published two successful cookbooks and competed on Top Chef Masters. Then, in an instant, she became better known for a very public arrest for domestic abuse. On Speaking Broadly, Louis reflects on that excruciating time—the pile up of misperception, accusations and frustration—and how she’s found a new sense of calm and purpose in its aftermath. Louis’s journey is one of talent and ambition rewarded, personal transformation from confident to terrified to strong, bringing her to a place of profound optimism.Want to stay up to date on the latest Speaking Broadly episodes? To hear more conversations with Dana Cowin and her accomplished yet accessible guests, subscribe to Speaking Broadly (it’s free!) on iTunes or Stitcher. If you like what you hear, please take a moment to rate + review us on Apple’s podcast store and follow Dana on Instagram @speakingbroadly and @fwscout. Thanks for tuning in!Speaking B

On the eve of publishing her 13th cookbook, Everyday Dorie, food world guru Dorie Greenspan talks about the joys of creating recipes with a little surprise twist, and delighting the home-cook by taking the familiar and turning it into something delicious and new. Tune in to hear Greenspan talk about how the idea for a beloved cookie recipe came to her in a dream, the irresistible intricacies of lemon "goop", and her meaningful memories in the kitchen with Julia Child. Greenspan's cookbook will be available for purchase on October 23rd. Want to stay up to date on the latest Speaking Broadly episodes? To hear more conversations with Dana Cowin and her accomplished yet accessible guests, subscribe to Speaking Broadly (it's free!) on iTunes or Stitcher. If you like what you hear, please take a moment to rate + review us on Apple's podcast store and follow Dana on Instagram @speakingbroadly and @fwscout. Thanks for tuning in! Speaking Broadly is powered by Simplecast.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy