Episodes

Halloween is going to be very different during Covid-19. Host Arjin Claire talks with teen reporters Maggie Campione and Nihal Gill to find out what plans they have to celebrate in a safe, yet fun environment. They discuss costumes, candy, alternative ways to trick or treat, and offer historical background to the Halloween holidays. Author of Tituba, The Intentional Witch of Salem, Dave Tamanini, provides the backstory of the tragic 1692 Salem Witch Trials while adding a bit of magic and intrigu...

Perseverance is tenacity, persistence, better-than-average drive, holding firmly to beliefs, and never giving up. Host Andrea Smith reads Cynthia Brian’s chapter, The Gift of Perseverance from her book, Be the Star You Are! 99 Gifts for Living, Loving, Laughing, and Learning to Make a Difference. Newest reporter Nihal Gill, encourages teens to turn off the screen, get up, and get moving. Even though it may be tempting to be a couch potato, it is very important to set up some sort of exercise reg...

The political atmosphere couldn’t be more polarized or polluted. The first Presidential debate was painful to watch. Hosts Andrea Smith and Siri Phaneendra delve into the world of public speaking as they interview author of Mastering the Art of Public Speaking, Michael J. Gelb. Mastering the Art of Public Speaking is a simple, powerful, practical approach to improving one’s public speaking in sales, leadership, and life. Michael said that the principles that help people be influenced by your wor...

Who doesn’t LOVE theatre? Hosts Arjin Claire and Andrea Smith dive into the world of theatre, webseries, and multimedia with an energetic interview with Terrence Patterson who has created an entertaining web series, Half Past Jump Time. Recounting the real Roaring 20’s, Harlem Renaissance—Terrence recalls vivid memories of stories that painted an unforgettable picture by his beloved grandmother. He shares details of behind-the-scenes workings of producing and pitching with passion. Maggie Campio...

Everyone loves to eat and how fun is it to have a show with a chef to the stars! Andrea Smith hosts and kicks off the program interviewing Trends without Ends reporter, Jack Pawlakos, about the food trends and influences for the year. Expect to devour crickets and also no waste wrappers. New Orleans celebrity chef Ryan Rondeno cooks up a feast of flavors while sharing his journey from culinary school to becoming a private chef for the rich and famous. His spices and menus are available for home ...

If you’ve been feeling down and out, this episode of Express Yourself! will get you up and going! What is resilience? Teen hosts Siri Phaneendra and Andrea Smith interview Jack Pawlakos, Dr. Cecilia Aragon, and Henna Hundal to discover how we can face our fears, accept change, and fly free. In Trends without Ends, Jack talks about psychological resilience and how resilient people strive to find an opportunity to be positive, be connected, and concerned about others with a level of selflessness. ...

Hosts Siri Phaneendra and Andrea Smith welcome Trends without Ends reporter Jack Pawlakos with his riveting report on the healing trends for year, especially during Covid-19 including music therapy and timing of light and biology of the human body. In the face of spiraling rates of burnout amongst physicians and other health care professionals, Dr. Greg Hammer created GAIN, a four-step, proven path to personal resilience and happiness. He describes the GAIN method (an acronym for Gratitude, Acce...

Teen hosts Andrea Smith and Siri Phaneendra are joined by ebullient and talented cast members from the new Sean McNamara (Soul Surfer) directed film, Mighty Oak: Tommy Ragen (his music inspired the screenplay), Gianna Harris, Rodney Hicks, and Ben Milliken. Mighty Oak is the story of a band manager who struggles after losing her brother/lead singer in a fatal car accident while traveling to a gig. A decade later, she meets a 10-year-old music prodigy named Oak, played by Tommy. The cast talks ab...

Most decisions we make are in fact centered on our finances. Katelyn Darrow and Andrea Smith host a program focused on financial literacy. Katelkyn shares her experience with getting her first credit card and student loans. She advocates to talk to elders to learn more about financial resources. Whitman Ochiai is the producer of the Money Ed Podcast, a financial literacy podcast aimed at young people that strives to impart valuable financial management skills. Whitman explains to Andrea and Kate...

Katelyn Darrow and Andrea Smith address climate change, Coviid-19, and the ecology effects of what’s happening in our world. Katelyn shares that a positive result of Covid-19 has been that nature is beginning to heal itself. Firefighter, storyteller, and author Hersch Wilson talks about how to stay safe during these horrendous fires and other disasters in the USA. His book Firefighter Zen tackles the value of life. Life is short, grab it, and live for today. He advises rising above the calamitie...

Survival can be highly dramatic, worthy of the front pages. It can also be ordinary, something we do daily almost without taking notice. Hosts Katelyn Darrow and Siri Phaneendra tackle the topic of survival and wilderness training. Katelyn shares her experiences as a solo female backpacker. She advocates the importance of preparedness whether hiking, camping, or backpacking to thrive survive in the wilderness. Siri and Katelyn interview author Carren Strock about her middle grade chapter book, S...

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the word “rise” more than 20 different ways, both as a verb and a noun. Hosts Andrea Smith and Siri Phaneendra interview 16-year-old singer-songwriter-musician, Isolde Fair with her poignant new song nominated for Hollywood Music in Media Award, “Rise.” A collaboration between Isolde and her multi-talented parents: her mother, the esteemed pianist and composer Starr Parodi, who co-wrote “Rise” with Isolde; and Jeff Eden Fair, Isolde’s father, who co-produce...

The root of conflict and distress starts with failed leadership. Recent high school graduate and host Siri Phaneedra was awarded UC Berkeley’s Leadership Award and became an Alumni Scholar at the Cal Alumni Association. She talks about her leadership roles as a teen and then interviews Joan Ramirez, author of Let it Go, Let if Flow Leadership. Joan states that the most important virtue for a leader is humility. Learn from mistakes. Her book will give those in search of leadership positions an in...

Express Yourself!® ventures to the music mecca of Liverpool, England as Siri Phaneendra interviews actor and rap artist, Royzy Rothschild. His two new singles, Falling featuring Ettie Jayne and House of Cards featuring Lotty are played during the broadcast and available on all the streaming platforms. Royzy writes inspirational lyrics that were born from personal life experiences. He believes in helping people and shares his insights on what it takes to be a successful musician in a very difficu...

The history of the world is a result of storytelling over the ages. Long before the written word, oral histories were passed down through the generations. His story. Her story. Arjin Claire and Andrea Smith host this episode as part of Super Smart Sundays. They interview poet/speaker Traci Neal who shares her journey from bullying at school to discovering her abilities to inspire and motivate youth through her poetry and speaking. They also read the chapter, The Gift of Storytelling by Cynthia B...

Andrea Smith takes the helm of hosting Express Yourself! Teen Radio and begins by reading the chapter about Time from the book Be the Star You Are! For Teens. She then interviews author Deborah Dolan Hunt as part of our Super Smart Sundays program to give authors an opportunity to discuss their books during Covid-19. Deborah’s book, The Visitor from 4-D by Deborah Dolan-Hunt is a light-hearted science fiction novel geared for middle-graders that is based on the time travel experiments some peopl...

As part of our Operation Disaster Relief Outreach Program, Express Yourself! continues to feature Super Smart Sundays. Tech industry jobs are growing fast, offering great pay, career growth, and learning opportunities. Women of color, sadly, have not been able to fully participate in this boom. Women of Color in Tech is an indispensable resource for building a rewarding future in tech. Host Siri Phaneendra interviews author Susanne Tedrick about her practical guide that will help women develop t...

Have you thought about your future career? What line of work will be most fulfilling to you? And most importantly – how and what do you need to do to get there? The American public and the world has seen healthcare heroes in action, saving lives in the wake of COVID-19. There are many heroes amongst us, those who go above and beyond to make this world a better place for others. Besides expressing appreciation for the health heroes on the front lines, radio host Siri Phaneendra interviews pharmac...

When you are resilient, you’ll laugh more, play more, and enjoy a higher quality of significance. Host Siri Phaneendra brilliantly shares how she bounced backed from adversity to develop strength through love and support of family. She orchestrates a fascinating interview with author of Everything is Not Fine, Sarah Carlson who advises to give oneself time to grieve, space to mourn when times are shattering. A short preview of her novel: High school senior Rose is a pro at using art to ignore he...

Host Rachel Glass begins by reading the chapter, The Gift of Youth by Victoria Whitebread from the book, Be the Star You Are! Millennials to Boomers Celebrating Gifts of Positive Voices in a Changing Digital World. She also reads the chapter she wrote, The Gift of Self-Love and provides an update on how she has grown and changed since writing the chapter. Her chapter’s purpose is a call to action for people to individually look inward and be thankful. People across the country are facing real is...

What does adventure mean to you? Veteran radio host and BTSYA volunteer, Rachel Glass spearheads this exciting program about experiences and adventures. As part of our Super Smart Sundays, Rachel interviews author C.R. Kahme about her Libbie Lyndton series. The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island has always been a retreat from the modern-day world. For C.R.’s main character, Libbie Lyndton, the Grand Hotel is far more than that - it was both a paradise for a horse-loving girl and a mystery that begge...

The climate revolution is the global transition to a clean energy, low-carbon future, saying “yes” to life. What’s good for our planet is also good for human beings—especially the smallest and most vulnerable ones. Host Arjin Claire interviews author Mary DeMocker about climate change and discusses her book, The Parents Guide to Climate Revolution. Mary advocates for blocking a new fracking operation which helps the climate, and also protects our kids’ drinking water from hundreds of chemicals t...

“The past cannot be changed. The future is yet in your power.” - Host Siri Phaneendra interviews Nadalie Bardowell, Founder of It's All You Boo, a personal development blog, that helps you plan your goals and become a more positive, productive person. The duo discusses how to create colorful, imaginative vision boards to help you manifest your destiny and how to visualize your reality. Productivity is doing something in a timely manner. Contrary to popular belief, humans were not meant to multi-...

From veteran journalist, Yasin Kakande, expelled from two Middle East countries because of his daunting investigative reporting, comes the real story of why Africans flee their beloved homelands for unfamiliar and uncertain surroundings with his book, Why We Are Coming. Host Siri Phaneendra talks with Yasin about his amazing journey to combat corporate greed, exploitation, political greed, and the plight of migrants worldwide. Economic, social, and political conditions in his own country of Ugan...