For this Spotlight, we welcome Brian Smith, Director of Employee Well-Being at Northern Illinois University. With over 25 years of counseling experience, Brian shares insights on mental health, workplace wellness, and the power of hope in building resilience. Discover how humor, self-awareness, and trust play crucial roles in team dynamics and personal growth. Whether you're navigating stress, leadership challenges, or simply seeking balance, this conversation offers valuable strategies for fostering well-being in all aspects of life.

For this Spotlight, we are excited to welcome Kiki Prottsman, a computer science educator and advocate who believes coding is "productive art." From her early days tinkering with a kitchen computer to shaping Microsoft MakeCode, Kiki shares how computational thinking empowers learners—and why AI literacy matters now more than ever. Discover her playful, unplugged teaching methods and why making mistakes is key to innovation.

Join hosts Russ Devereaux and Jess Winn as they sit down with Samuel Bello, a Fulbright Scholar and linguist from Colombia, for an inspiring conversation about language, culture, and identity. Samuel shares his journey from teaching in Indigenous communities to studying English linguistics in the U.S., offering profound insights into multilingualism, language revitalization, and the power of education. Discover how language shapes our world, the importance of preserving Indigenous languages, and why embracing cultural roots matters more than ever. Whether you're a language enthusiast, educator, or simply curious about global perspectives, this episode will leave you with a deeper appreciation for the beauty and complexity of human communication.