The Juice with Jeff’s Podcast

The Juice with Jeff #219

On this episode of the podcast, Jen Carolan conducts and co-produces a fantastic, outstanding, superb, and really conversation interview with me in person. This is Jen's first time on the podcast and we recorded this one outdoors at Campbell Recreational Area in Clive.

 

After I talk about how I met Jen during our VHS days back in the early 1990's and how I was so excited to see and spend time with her for the first time in 32 years, Jen and I have an in-depth conversation on several topics such as: how I got interested in audio equipment and broadcasting, how I was really involved with KWDM radio during my Junior and Senior years at VHS in West Des Moines, various things I have learned about broadcasting both from the technical and creative aspects (e.g. Emergency Broadcast System and Emergency Alert System, KWDM's history, a summary about the audio and TV production work I did during my 4-1/2 years at Drake University), some stuff about these podcasts, our favorite musical groups and artists along with favorite movies, and memories/favorite moments from our VHS days, and we wrap it up with my performing a whole bunch of my voice impersonations for Jen.

 

The interview overall has a "keeping it as real and raw as possible" feel with a whole bunch of moments with two way conversation. We've now officially set two records with Jen's interview. Not only is this now the THIRD lengthiest episode of The Juice with Jeff that we've ever done since these audio interviews began in 2017, but it is now officially the LONGEST IN PERSON EPISODE that we have ever done so far during the entire podcast series!!!

 

This episode of the podcast was recorded on Friday May 24th, 2024 and it runs an EPIC 2 hours and 1 minute long. Our opening and closing theme music is provided by Oleg Kyrylkovv courtesy of Pixabay. Funding for this podcast is provided by RandomKid, Ann Kaatz LoBue, Fran Parr, Sarah Stokes, and Renee Whisnant. Enjoy!!

The Juice with Jeff #218

On this episode of the podcast, Renee Whisnant conducts and co-produces a fantastic and superb interview with me thru Zoom. This is Renee's fourth time on the podcast.

 

Renee asks me the following questions:

How are you handling the reconstruction project that's going on with your street, and how are coping with the stress that results from it?

As your 50th birthday approaches, is there anything that surprises you about turning 50?

Besides the upcoming in person and Zoom interviews for the podcast, is there anything else you are looking forward to during this summer?

Do you have any new voice impersonations you've been working on? It's during this question where I debut for the first time publicly my Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. voice impersonations.

If there was no Covid going on and if you had no plans, no responsibilities, and budget wasn't an issue; what would you do with your day? It's during this part where I talk with Renee what types of places I would prefer vacationing at.

As you turn 50, what are you learning about yourself now?

When was the last time you laughed out loud?

I also chat with Renee about where we are with this year's episodes of The Juice with Jeff and what's coming up on the show over the next few months. I also tell Renee about the Medify HEPA air purifier I ordered from Amazon that arrived at my place five weeks ago.

 

This episode of the podcast was recorded on Friday May 17th, 2024 and it runs 35 minutes long. Our opening and closing theme music is provided by Oleg Kyrylkovv courtesy of Pixabay. Funding for this podcast is provided by RandomKid, Ann Kaatz LoBue, Fran Parr, Sarah Stokes, and Renee Whisnant. Enjoy!!

The Juice with Jeff #217

On this episode of the podcast, Mindy Toyne conducts and co-produces a fantastic, outstanding, extremely fun, and very energetic interview with me in person. This is Mindy's first time on the podcast and we recorded this one outdoors at Walker Johnson Park in the Urbandale area.

 

After I talk about how Mindy was recruited to join our The Juice with Jeff family and how super excited I am to meet her and have her conduct the interview with me, Mindy brings up several topics she asks me to talk about and where we have a two way conversation on such as: these podcasts, my being autistic, how I've been dealing with the ongoing highly airborne SARS CoV-2/Covid virus and stressing the importance of a "Healthy Balance" where I make it extremely important to get together with friends as often as possible every chance I get but doing so in ways that significantly reduce the infection risks/spread (e.g. as one on one or small group events done either being in a well ventilated place with either HEPA air purifiers running or all of us masked up, or we do it outdoors and in all cases away from crowds), how I stress neurodiversity and the importance of accepting people as they are for who they are, and another item or two. Mindy shares her thoughts on all these topics, talks about one of her autistic sons and also agrees with me on the importance of autism acceptance, and at the end of the podcast she talks about her event planning and production business called In Any Event.

 

The interview overall was super energetic and at times very entertaining. I truly believe Mindy's interview with me was one of the most fun and MOST ENERGETIC episodes we've ever done of the show!!!

 

This episode of the podcast was recorded on Friday May 17th, 2024 and it runs 1 hour and 11 minutes long. Our opening and closing theme music is provided by Oleg Kyrylkovv courtesy of Pixabay. Funding for this podcast is provided by RandomKid, Ann Kaatz LoBue, Fran Parr, Sarah Stokes, and Renee Whisnant. Enjoy!!

The Juice with Jeff #216

On this episode of the podcast, Sue Evans conducts and co-produces a fantastic and outstanding interview with me in person. This is Sue's second time on the podcast and we recorded this one outdoors at Easter Lake Park on the south side of Des Moines.

 

We started off the show with talking about how the podcast has come quite a long way over the last several years and how we've really ramped/amped up the marketing related to the show, ramping up both the quality and quantity of the interviews, and how 2024 is a super special year for The Juice with Jeff.

 

Then Sue asks me questions on and we talk about the following topics:

 

About how the North Shore Recreation Playground at Easter Lake is designed to be inclusive and accessible to everyone. How important is being inclusive and accesibility at a playground?

 

Was Camp Ramah in Wisconsin inclusive and accommodating to people with physical challenges, developmental disabilities, the neurodiverse community, etc... when you were a camper there?  Were they accepting of your autism?

 

This spring has been a really active one in Iowa regarding severe weather and lots of rain. How have the outdoor warning sirens, severe weather watches and warnings, etc... affected you?

 

You have a strong journalism background with broadcast studies from Drake University, do you enjoy the newscasts on the local channels? Do you have a favorite meterologist in the Des Moines area?

 

Things that happened during 1974 like:

Movies like Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, The Sting, and The Godfather II

The New Adventures of Gilligan cartoon series

 

Sue also brought up my love for the Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids cartoon series and I talk more about how passionate I am about it. She asked me what I knew about the one time "Hey Hey Hey It's Fat Albert" special that aired in 1969 on NBC and also brought up the soundtrack that Herbie Hancock wrote and arranged for the special.

 

Sue then mentions some big news events which happened during 1974.

 

And we wrap up the podcast by talking a little about birds and an app for phones called Merlin.

 

This episode of the podcast was recorded on Friday May 10th, 2024 and it runs 58 minutes long. Our opening and closing theme music is provided by Oleg Kyrylkovv courtesy of Pixabay. Funding for this podcast is provided by RandomKid, Ann Kaatz LoBue, Fran Parr, Sarah Stokes, and Renee Whisnant. Enjoy!!

 

 

The Juice with Jeff #215

On this episode of the podcast, Spencer Cox conducts and co-produces a fantastic interview with me in person. This is Spencer's third time on the podcast and we recorded this one outdoors at Campbell Recreational Area in Clive.

 

Spencer basically asked me questions on and we talked about the following subjects: My favorite types of music, multiple things about the podcasts including how we've done our best to really ramp things up this year, and a question about our upcoming 30 year high school reunion. We wrap up the interview with Spencer asking me "What do you see happening as you move into the next decade (and beyond) with the podcasts and do you have any thoughts or comments about life as we move into the back half of our lives?"

 

This episode of the podcast was recorded on Friday May 3rd, 2024 and it runs 50 minutes long. Our opening and closing theme music is provided by Oleg Kyrylkovv courtesy of Pixabay. Funding for this podcast is provided by RandomKid, Ann Kaatz LoBue, Fran Parr, Sarah Stokes, and Renee Whisnant. Enjoy!!

The Juice with Jeff #214

On this episode of the podcast, Sonya Heitshusen conducts and co-produces a fantastic and superb interview with me in person. This is Sonya's first time on the podcast and we recorded this one at Lauren Campbell's photography studio in the Windsor Heights area.

 

During the podcast, Sonya asked me questions on several topics: How the podcasts got started and The Juice with Jeff's history, how I'm super passionate about these podcasts, my being autistic and part of the neurodiverse community, how I developed an interest in electronics and the years of extensive training I had in audio and video production during my VHS and Drake J-School years, how trying to be a halakhically/religiously observant Jew to the best of my ability brings me satisfaction, the things I do for self-care, and why I consider taking care of our emotional/mental health to be just as important and critical as physical health.

 

And then we wrapped it up with Sonya talking about how nowadays she enjoys being an entrepreneur and being the Public Information Officer for our Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand. Many of you may know that for almost 30 years, Sonya was a reporter and anchor on our local ABC Channel 5 (for a few years) and NBC Channel 13 (for many years) affiliate stations here in Des Moines. But then a few years ago she changed her career path to become the PIO for Rob Sand and an entrepreneur.

 

This episode of the podcast was recorded on Sunday April 28th, 2024 and it runs 1 hour and 10 minutes long. Our opening and closing theme music is provided by Oleg Kyrylkovv courtesy of Pixabay. Funding for this podcast is provided by RandomKid, Ann Kaatz LoBue, Fran Parr, Sarah Stokes, and Renee Whisnant. Enjoy!!

The Juice with Jeff #213

On this episode of the podcast, Jennifer Schaeffer conducts and co-produces a fantastic interview with me thru Zoom. This is Jennifer's first time on the podcast.

 

Basically, Jennifer and I talk about the following four topics during our 40 minute chat: 

 

How these podcasts have come a long way over the last few years and our special goal of having at least 50 new episodes produced and recorded of the podcast during this year

 

How Jennifer and I strongly love and are attached to animals.

 

About my being Autistic and how we both firmly promote Autism Acceptance.

 

And we end with talking about our spiritual paths in terms of Judaism. I talk about how I strongly believe in a Halakhic/Traditional form of Judaism that not just emphasizes both the ritual and ethical/moral aspects equally but at the same time also believes in the importance of Common Sense, SANITY, and being more reasonable.

 

This episode of the podcast was recorded on Sunday April 21st, 2024 and it runs 38 minutes long. Our opening and closing theme music is provided by Oleg Kyrylkovv courtesy of Pixabay. Funding for this podcast is provided by RandomKid, Ann Kaatz LoBue, Fran Parr, Sarah Stokes, and Renee Whisnant. Enjoy!!

The Juice with Jeff #211

On this episode of the podcast, Liz Cox conducts and co-produces a fantastic, superb, and at times fun interview with me in person. This is Liz's second time on the podcast and we recorded this one outdoors at Fairmeadows Park in West Des Moines.

 

During the interview, Liz asks me to talk about the podcasts, music, the significance of Pesah/Passover (which starts Monday night/Tuesday and runs 7 to 8 days), Autism and being autistic. There are times where the interview is very conversational and Liz shares her thoughts on the topics that are brought up. There are moments where Liz injects her sense of humor into the interview.

 

This episode of the podcast was recorded on Thursday April 18th, 2024 and it runs 1 hour and 3 minutes long. Our opening and closing theme music is provided by Oleg Kyrylkovv courtesy of Pixabay. Funding for this podcast is provided by RandomKid, Ann Kaatz LoBue, Fran Parr, Sarah Stokes, and Renee Whisnant. Enjoy!!

The Juice with Jeff #212

On this episode of the podcast, Micole and Josh Chapman, Carrie England, and Jill Sarcone conduct and co-produce a fantastic, superb, extremely fun, and really unique interview with me in person. This is Micole's sixth time (fourth time in person), Josh's first time, Jill's seventh time (fifth in person), and Carrie's fourth time (second in person) on the podcast and we recorded this one at Jill's house.

 

This episode of the podcast also incorporated a Half Birthday celebration as today is my half birthday (From the date we recorded this super special episode, I would be six months away from turning 50 God willing). Micole, Josh, Jill, and Carrie took turns asking me the following questions:

1.  If you could switch lives with any one person for a day, who would you choose? How about any actor or actress you'd like or love to be for one day?

2.  What was your first paying job and how old were you?

3.  What is on your bucket list?

4.  If your pet could talk, what might they say about you?

5.  If you won the lottery, what would you use it on first? What's something you would do for yourself that no one would expect?

6.  What is your longest running friendship with someone?

7.  What is one thing that instantly makes your day better? Do you have a "Go To" song that is your favorite to get you energized for the day?

8. If you could make everyone in the world follow one rule, what would it be?
And then I perform around 18 of my best voice impersonations for Micole, Josh, Jill, Carrie. We wrap up the podcast with me being given a half birthday gift of a Mister Rogers Figurine that says eight of Mister Rogers' quotes with the push of a button and a little booklet with some of his quotes. They all also surprised me with having special "The Juice with Jeff" T-shirts made for this interview where all of them wore one and gave one to me. 

 

The interview overall was super entertaining. I truly believe that not only was Micole's, Josh's, Carrie's, and Jill's BEST INTERVIEW EVER with me for the podcast, but it's also one of the MOST FUN and SUPER ENERGETIC episodes we've ever done of the show!!!

 

This episode of the podcast was recorded on Friday April 19th, 2024 and it runs 43 minutes long. Our opening and closing theme music is provided by Oleg Kyrylkovv courtesy of Pixabay. Funding for this podcast is provided by RandomKid, Ann Kaatz LoBue, Fran Parr, Sarah Stokes, and Renee Whisnant. Enjoy!!

The Juice with Jeff #210

On this episode of the podcast, Stephanie Toms conducts and co-produces a fantastic, superb, super fun, and really unique interview with me and Nathan Retzlaff in person. This is Stephanie's third time (second time in person) on the podcast and we recorded this one outdoors in Stephanie's back yard.

 

The theme for this episode is called "Brothers of Autism". Stephanie asks Nathan and I various questions related to autism and about our lives, and she also asks Nathan's mother Julie a question or two. Some of the questions include:

1. How old are each of you?

2. Do you live with parents or alone? What are the positives and negatives?

3. Do you both have jobs? Full or part-time? What are they and what do you enjoy about them?

4. I am interested as I am sure others are if either one of you knew that you had a form of autism when and how did you find out? How did it make you feel?

5. (To Julie) when was your first awareness? What steps did you take and how did you feel?

6. What unique skills do you each have? 
During this part, I perform four of my voice impersonations: Fat Albert, Audrey II the plant from "Little Shop of Horrors", Barry White, and Jim Morrison.

7. What are your plans and goals for the future?

 

The entire interview is very conversational and at times really entertaining. The entire interview overall is very conversational. This episode of the podcast was recorded on Sunday April 14th, 2024 and it runs 54 minutes long. Our opening and closing theme music is provided by Oleg Kyrylkovv courtesy of Pixabay. Funding for this podcast is provided by RandomKid, Ann Kaatz LoBue, Fran Parr, Sarah Stokes, and Renee Whisnant. Enjoy!!