Big Blend Radio

On this episode of Big Blend Radio's "Success Express" Podcast, "Solar Coaster" author Jared Schoch returns to talk about leading with soul, in business and in solar. 
Jared is the founder and chairman of TurningPoint Energy, and in this second conversation he shares the leadership lessons from his book, "Solar Coaster: The Untold Story of the Solar Industry and One Man's Journey Leading with Soul" (Regalo Press, out now).
Whether you lead a team of two or two thousand, you'll hear how to know when to hang on and when to take a break, why a company's culture is its collective soul, how to put purpose first, profit second, and people third, what to do when your team is burning out, and why stair-step growth helps protect a culture. Jared also shares how his company responded during COVID, why AI is a great tool but can never have a soul, and how solar and batteries are powering hospitals and other critical infrastructure.
Thinking about a career in solar? Jared shares where to start, from RE+ and your state's solar industry association chapter to the engineering, finance, and development jobs open to many backgrounds. Nearly 300,000 Americans now work in solar.
This is part 2 of our conversation with Jared. Listen to part 1 for more on how solar rose on the U.S. grid: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/author-jared-schoch-solar-coaster 
Jared Schoch's book site: https://solarcoasterproject.com/ 
Listen to more Success Express episodes: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/t/success-express 

Travel writer Mary Farah joins Big Blend Radio's "Food, Wine & Travel" Podcast with IFWTWA to share her mom-and-daughters getaway to Carlsbad, California. 
Mary traveled with her daughters, Mabel (5) and Mavis (8 months), over spring break. She shares what worked for a family trip: a kitchen-equipped suite, a beach-front stay in Carlsbad Village, and plenty of places to eat, from the Windmill Food Hall to Parakeet Cafe, GelatoLove, Knockout Pizzeria and Señor Grubby’s. 
They also cover the free Agua Hedionda Lagoon Discovery Campus, the Museum of Making Music, the Flower Fields, LEGOLAND, Michelin-starred dining and Carlsbad Food Tours.
📖 Read Mary’s article, “Visiting Like a Local in Carlsbad”:https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/visiting-like-a-local-in-carlsbad-california 
🌎 Plan your trip: https://visitcarlsbad.com/ 
🌐Follow Mary Farah’s blog, Along Comes Mary:http://www.alongcomesmaryblog.com/ 
🎧 Hear more episodes of "Food, Wine & Travel":https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/food-wine-travel-ifwtwa 
📰 Check out the "Food & Wine & Travel" Digital Podcast Magazine:https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/travel-food-wine-magazine 
🌎 Learn more about the International Food Wine Travel Writers Association: https://www.ifwtwa.org 

On World Kindness Day, six-time Emmy Award-winning journalist Janet Zappala joins Big Blend Radio to talk about her children’s book series starring Guapo, a real rescue steer who weighs more than 3,000 pounds and has a heart to match. Her brand new third book, “Guapo and the Mystery of Goodness Grove,” follows Guapo and his friends as they discover how even the smallest act of kindness can ripple through a whole community.
Janet shares how a photo of baby Guapo cuddling with Mabel, a pot-bellied pig, sparked the series, and how 45 years in television news led her to writing for children. She talks about teaching kids to notice the child standing alone, what a classroom of children in Miami told a TV news crew they learned, the joy of reading to her grandbabies, and why a portion of every book sold helps rescue animals.
LEARN MORE:- Janet’s books and website: https://GuaposTales.com - Instagram: https://instagram.com/janet_zap - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/janetzappala - Big Blend Radio: https://BigBlendMediaHouse.com 

Getting to know travel writer and photographer Rose Palmer: quilts, chemistry, and a love of travel! In this "Getting to Know You" interview, Rose answers the Super Seven questions of the Big Blend Media House. 
This episode of Big Blend Radio’s "Quiltripping Travel with Rose" Podcast covers:- Her spirit animal, a Black Lab named Chester, and why pets feel like family- A chemistry career that ran from teaching to chemical plants to continuous improvement- Her life lesson: take the risk, learn from what doesn’t work, and keep trying- A bucket list that’s about staying healthy enough to keep traveling- Coming to America at nine, and what her parents’ courage taught her- Her theme song, Aretha Franklin’s “Respect”- A dream gelato maker for the Media House kitchen, plus how to spot good gelato
MORE:- Rose’s website: https://quiltripping.com - Big Blend Radio’s Quiltripping Travel with Rose Podcast (airs every 2nd Thursday): https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/quiltripping-travel-with-rose - Quiltripping Travel Magazine: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/quiltripping-travel-magazine - Big Blend Media House: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com 

Can you be a feminist and still want to get married? Author and professor Suzanne Leonard says yes, and she makes the case in her brand new book, "A Feminist Guide to Marriage."
This episode of Big Blend Radio’s “Books & Authors” series, presented with Books Forward, features Suzanne, a Professor of Race, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Simmons University in Boston. Part memoir, part manifesto, and part feminist history, her book (Goldsmiths Press, out November 10, 2026) takes on one of the most personal and most political choices we make, and asks how we can make marriage fairer for everyone in it.
Join us for a warm, honest conversation about money and shared bank accounts, who does the laundry, why the tradwife trend is so appealing, what arranged marriages can teach us, the fairy tale of the wedding day, and how feminism can make your life, and the lives around you, better.
LINKS TO FOLLOW:- Learn more about Suzanne and her book: https://www.suzanneleonard.com - Books & Authors is presented with Books Forward: https://booksforward.com - Listen to more of Big Blend Radio on https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com 

Apollo 13 astronaut Fred Haise joins Terri and her pilot husband Ron Guthrie on Big Blend Radio's "Travel with Terri Podcast" for a special Veterans Day conversation about a journey most of us will never take: out into space and safely back again.
Fred, a native of Biloxi, Mississippi, was the lunar module pilot on Apollo 13 in 1970. When an oxygen tank exploded two days into the flight, a Moon landing became what Terri calls the greatest survival story in space exploration history. In his own words, Fred takes us inside the crisis: the crew change just days before launch, the Moon landing he lost, powering up a spacecraft that was never meant to be restarted, and the thousands of people on the ground who tested every fix before it was ever sent up to the crew.
Because it's Veterans Day, Fred also reflects on his service as a Navy aviation cadet, Marine Corps fighter pilot and Air National Guard pilot, with three honorable discharges framed in his office. Ron, a retired fighter pilot, shares stories of his own. The conversation also covers Fred's test flights of Space Shuttle Enterprise, the EAA Aviation Museum and AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, his advice for young people choosing a career, and how Apollo 13 compares with today's Artemis missions.
Fred turns 93 on November 14, 2026. To learn more about his life story, read his book, "Never Panic Early."
LEARN MORE ABOUT FRED HAISE- Follow Fred: https://fredhaise.space/  - "Never Panic Early" Book onAmazon): https://www.amazon.com/dp/1588347133 - EAA Aviation Museum: https://www.eaa.org/eaa-museum - NASA: https://www.nasa.gov/ 
TRAVEL WITH TERRI- Terri's website: https://travelwithterri.com - Travel with Terri Podcast: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/travel-with-terri - The Luxe Explorer digital podcast magazine: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/the-luxe-explorer-magazine 

Hitch up the buggy and head to Indiana’s Amish Country for the holidays! This episode of Big Blend Radio’s "Food, Wine & Travel" Podcast with the International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA) takes us to Shipshewana with Sonya Nash, CEO of the Shipshewana/LaGrange County Convention & Visitors Bureau.
About two hours east of Chicago and two and a half hours north of Indianapolis, Shipshewana is home to the third-largest Amish settlement in the U.S., and at Christmas the whole town glows. Sonya explains how the Amish celebrate a faith-based holiday while still enjoying the beauty of the lights, then walks us through everything there is to see, taste, and do.
In this episode:- Shipshewana’s Lights of Joy drive-thru display, plus more than a mile of hoop lights decorating the sidewalks downtown- Horse-drawn buggy rides, including a lit buggy ride, for couples and families- Handmade gifts and crafts: baskets, pottery, mugs, Amish furniture, and leather goods- Why Shipshewana calls itself the RV capital of the world, with free factory tours- Breakfast with Santa and holiday photo ops- Shows and concerts at the Blue Gate Performing Arts Center- Pie, comfort food, and the My My American Pie Trail- Where to stay, from the Blue Gate Garden Inn and Farmstead Inn to the Van Buren Hotel- Menno-Hof, the Amish Mennonite Interpretive Center, plus quilt shops, local makers, and barn quilts- The free gingerbread village at E&S Bulk Food Store, an “Amish Costco”- What to do after Christmas: the Spicy and Icy Festival in January and Pajama Days in February- A hot chocolate with a cause at Das Kaffee Haus, and the story behind Ben’s Soft Pretzels- Tips for visiting Amish Country respectfully, including why to leave extra time for buggies on the road
Whether you’re planning a holiday getaway or just want an armchair trip to a real-life Hallmark town, this one will put you in the Christmas spirit. 
LINKS & TRAVEL RESOURCES:- Plan your Shipshewana getaway: https://visitshipshewana.org/ - Learn more about the International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA): https://www.ifwtwa.org/ - More "Food, Wine & Travel" episodes with IFWTWA:https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/food-wine-travel-ifwtwa - Big Blend Radio Travel, Food & Wine Digital Podcast Magazine:https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/travel-food-wine-magazine 

This episode of Big Blend Radio’s "Wanderers Compass" Podcast heads to Slovenia, a small Central European country with big mountains, fairy-tale castles and a story of independence that is still young. 
Travel writers Joelle Machia and Ryan Slough have visited twice and take us from the lively riverfront of Ljubljana to Lake Bled, the quieter Lake Bohinj, and the hairpin turns of the Vršič Pass in the Julian Alps. Along the way you’ll meet the Lipizzaner horses at Brdo Park (yes, you can pet them), wander Ljubljana’s dark and fascinating public art, and find out why Slovenia is such an easy, affordable and safe place to travel.
They also talk about how a country that has seen so much history is now protecting its rivers, forests and bees, and what travelers can learn from that.
LINKS & RESOURCES:- Read Joelle and Ryan’s Slovenia article, plus resources and links:https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/slovenia-small-country-extraordinary-story 
- More epsiodes of Wanderers Compass Podcast: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/wanderers-compass-podcast 
- Wanderers Compass Digital Podcast Magazine: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/wanderers-compass-magazine 
- Follow Wanderers Compass: https://www.wandererscompass.com