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A lost wallet. A sister’s memory. And a simple question: what do you do with love after loss?

After Kristina Ulmer lost her younger sister Katie in a sudden car accident, she found herself holding onto something small but heavy—Katie’s wallet, still filled with the tips she earned that morning. For years, it sat untouched. Not spent. Not given away. Just… held.

Until one day, she decided to do something with it.

As a high school English teacher, Kristina exchanged the money for $20 bills and handed them to her students with a simple challenge:
use this to do something kind for someone else.

What began as a quiet classroom moment turned into something far more meaningful—the $20 Kindness Challenge. But this story wasn’t really about how big it got. It was about what happened in the small, human moments along the way.

Inside a lesson on Fahrenheit 451—a story that warned about disconnection and emotional numbness—students were asked a different kind of question: how do we stay human in a world that moves too fast?

The answers didn’t come from discussion.
They came from action.

Students created acts of kindness that reached far beyond what anyone expected—paying off library fines so senior students could graduate, sewing walker caddies for nursing home residents and spending time with people who rarely had visitors, learning what was actually needed at a women’s shelter, and giving back to food pantries they once depended on.

And something shifted.

Not just for the people receiving the kindness… but for the ones giving it.

What followed reached far beyond one classroom—into communities across the country and beyond.

$20 Kindness Challenge

Interview with Kristina Ulmer, President and Founder of the $20 Kindness Challenge

Things that make you say "Wow"!
For more episodes and additional information visit the Two Chicks and a Hoe website and our Facebook page.
Big thanks to our Producer, Casey Kennedy.

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Some episodes start with a plan.
This one starts with a tree.

Not a mystical forest or some faraway place—just a regular neighborhood, and a tree where people come to tie ribbons. But what gets left there… it’s anything but ordinary. Names. Grief. Gratitude. Prayers. Promises. The quiet things we don’t always know how to say out loud.

We’re sitting down with Karen, a modern shamanic practitioner and the caretaker of what’s become known as the Good Juju Tree. And while we talk about shamanism, this conversation isn’t about labels or beliefs—it’s about connection.

To yourself.
To the land.
To something bigger than you… whatever that means in your world.

We get into what shamanism actually looks like in everyday life (and what it’s not), how ritual can be simple and grounding instead of heavy or mysterious, and why paying attention—to animals, to place, to your own nervous system—might be one of the most powerful things we’ve forgotten how to do.

There’s a story in here about a whale encounter that stops you in your tracks. The kind that feels like it was meant to happen. The kind that changes direction.

And we also keep it real—talking about things you can actually do: getting your feet on the ground, quieting the noise, letting your mind unload, finding your way back to yourself in small, doable ways.

This one feels a little different… but also exactly the same.

Because at the end of the day, it’s still about how we move through this world— and how we take care of ourselves, each other, and the spaces we’re a part of.

Come sit with us for a bit. 🌿

Shamamama
Blue Moon Shadow Shop

Interview with Karen Adamski, Certified Crystal Healer & Shamanic Practitioner

Things that make you say "Wow"!
For more episodes and additional information visit the Two Chicks and a Hoe website and our Facebook page.
Big thanks to our Producer, Casey Kennedy.

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“Whale sex” might be what gets people’s attention… but this episode goes a whole lot deeper than that.

We recorded this one from San Ignacio Lagoon in Baja California—wind whipping, sand everywhere, and gray whales moving through the water just offshore. It’s one of the most important gray whale nurseries in the world, and you can feel that the second you arrive. There’s something about this place that slows you down and makes you pay attention.

We sat down with marine biologist Minerva Valerio Conchas to talk about what’s really happening out there. We get into gray whale migration—one of the longest on the planet—from feeding grounds near Alaska down to the warm lagoons of Baja, and why this specific place matters so much for mothers and calves.

And yes… we talk about mating. The real version. From “sandwich mating” and large mating groups to sperm competition and what scientists think females might actually be selecting for. It’s fascinating, a little surprising, and not something most people ever hear explained this honestly.

But the conversation shifts too. We talk about the bond between mothers and calves, how nursing works underwater, the physical toll on mothers, and what it takes for a baby whale to survive that long journey north—where orcas are waiting, and survival is not guaranteed.

We also zoom out to the bigger picture—climate change in the Arctic, shrinking sea ice, and what that means for the gray whales’ food supply. And we touch on the powerful local story of how this lagoon was protected from industrial development, and why it still feels… intact.

This one is part science, part lived experience, and part just sitting in awe of something bigger than us.

If you’ve ever wondered what’s really going on beneath the surface—or just need a reminder of how incredible this world still is—this episode is for you.

The recording of the Gray Whale "knocking" sound was provided by the Gray Whale Research in Mexico program, a project of The Ocean Foundation.

Baja Expeditions

Interview with Minerva Valerio Conchas,
Marine Biologist and Naturalist Guide

Things that make you say "Wow"!
For more episodes and additional information visit the Two Chicks and a Hoe website and our Facebook page.
Big thanks to our Producer, Casey Kennedy.

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What if the most enduring civilization on Earth has six legs?

Ants have been organizing, farming, waging war, recycling waste, and engineering ecosystems since the age of dinosaurs — and most of us barely notice them.

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Brian Fisher of the California Academy of Sciences to explore ants as superorganisms: colonies that eat, share, and decide as one body. Larvae function as the stomach. Adults pass energy mouth-to-mouth. Queens can store decades of future in a single organ. What looks like a simple trail across your counter is actually logistics, chemistry, and collective intelligence in motion.

We meet honeypot ants that serve as living food storage, Dracula ants with one of the strangest feeding strategies in nature, and queens capable of determining the sex of their offspring. We unpack chemical language, colony takeovers, and the quiet but essential role ants play in recycling nutrients through what scientists call the “brown cycle.”

But this isn’t just fascinating biology. Ants hold ecosystems together. As global insect populations decline, monitoring and protecting these tiny engineers may be more urgent than we realize.

By the end of this episode, you won’t look at the ground the same way again.

Because ants?
They’ve been running things for a very long time.

AntWeb
MadagascarBio
iNaturalist
Breakfast Before Conservation
AntCat

Interview with Dr. Brian Fisher, Entomologist - Explorer, Scientist, Teacher

Things that make you say "Wow"!
For more episodes and additional information visit the Two Chicks and a Hoe website and our Facebook page.
Big thanks to our Producer, Casey Kennedy.

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What happens when the most elite combat divers in the world turn their training toward saving coral reefs, rescuing sea turtles, and restoring the ocean?
You get Force Blue—a nonprofit that retrains and redeploys special operations veterans to work alongside marine scientists on urgent conservation missions… and in the process, helps veterans rediscover the thing many lose after service: mission, team, and purpose.

In this episode, I’m joined by Jim Ritterhoff, Executive Director and co-founder of Force Blue. We talk about how the organization began—one friend trying to help another friend heal—and how it grew into a global force for good. You’ll hear what veterans bring to conservation work (discipline, focus, relentless teamwork), what scientists gain from partnering with them, and why Jim calls it “mission therapy.”

We also dive into the idea of Blue Mind—the healing power of water—and explore Force Blue’s core values: buoyancy, belonging, and betterment. Because this conversation isn’t just about coral, oysters, and marine sanctuaries… it’s about what happens when service becomes restoration—of ecosystems and of the people doing the work.

If you’ve ever needed a reason to believe in hope again—this one’s for you.

Force Blue

Interview with Jim Ritterhoff, Executive Director and Co-Founder

Things that make you say "Wow"!
For more episodes and additional information visit the Two Chicks and a Hoe website and our Facebook page.
Big thanks to our Producer, Casey Kennedy.

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The power of a simple question can change everything.
When a man named Isaac approached our cleanup team in Ewaso Ngiro, Kenya, and asked, “Can you give me the tools to clean up my side of town?”—none of us could have predicted what would follow. That single question launched Project PickUp (phase 2), a community-led movement that’s now reshaping how waste is handled in rural Kenya.

In this episode, Vanessa sits down with Justin Imamura and TJ Lauters of The Trash Punx and Therese Hjelm of Sabore’s Well to reflect on their recent return to Kenya—two years after their first trip—to help open an Upcycling Center that’s now in local hands.

From hilarious travel stories (beware “the rat”—aka complete exhaustion—and Nairobi traffic!) to powerful moments with changemakers like Violet, who makes reusable diapers in Kibera, and the welder whose life changed simply by being next door to the Upcycling Center—this episode is packed with laughter, heart, and global perspective.

At its core, it’s about what happens when environmental solutions are community-led. The Upcycling Center doesn’t just reduce waste—it creates jobs, replaces tree-cutting with recycled plastic fence posts, and models conservation that doesn’t leave people behind.

Join us for this raw, joy-filled conversation about listening first, staying curious, and trusting what can unfold when we say yes to the messy, beautiful work of creating change—together.

🌍 Want to support this work? Check out the links to the people and projects mentioned.

The Trash Punx
Sabore's Well
Violet Ochieng'
Ocean Sole

Interview with: Therese Hjelm, TJ Lauters & Justin Imamura

Things that make you say "Wow"!
For more episodes and additional information visit the Two Chicks and a Hoe website and our Facebook page.
Big thanks to our Producer, Casey Kennedy.

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Think rats are pests? Think again. Meet the HeroRATs — a team of highly trained Giant African Pouched Rats saving lives around the world. Through the nonprofit APOPO, these intelligent rodents are sniffing out landmines, detecting tuberculosis, and even helping stop wildlife trafficking.

In this episode, we dig into how these whiskered heroes work with astonishing accuracy and speed—clearing minefields in places like Cambodia, Angola, and Azerbaijan, and screening up to 100 TB samples in just 20 minutes in Tanzania and Ethiopia (a job that would take a lab technician a week!) They're also being trained to help in disaster zones and uncover illegal smuggling routes.

Smarter than you'd think, lighter than dogs, and far less expensive, HeroRATs are flipping the script on what it means to be a lifesaving partner. And yes—they get monthly vet visits, retirement plans, and plenty of playtime.

This is the story of courage, compassion, and the unexpected allies changing the world one sniff at a time.

APOPO

Interview with: Erin Sackett
Thank you to APOPO for images

Things that make you say "Wow"!
For more episodes and additional information visit the Two Chicks and a Hoe website and our Facebook page.
Big thanks to our Producer, Casey Kennedy.

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Horses have a unique ability to heal, inspire, and empower, and Bridle Up Hope harnesses this power to create life-changing experiences for women and girls. In this episode, we introduce you to Rosemarie Rubalcava-Stokes and Sally Ford, the visionary women behind Bridle Up Hope in San Jose. Joined by my dear friend and hiking companion, Vikki, we explore their transformative program that combines equestrian training with Stephen Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

Born out of Rachel Covey's passion for horses, Bridle Up Hope has grown into a global movement dedicated to helping participants build confidence, manage emotions, and unlock their inner strength. Through a supportive 14-week course, women and girls from all walks of life find growth, community, and joy in equine-assisted learning.

This episode also dives into the inspiring personal journey of Rosemarie, a retired veteran who discovered a new calling with the help of this program. With activities like dance, art, and meaningful interactions with horses, Bridle Up Hope is proving that healing and empowerment can take many forms. Tune in to hear how horses and habits are changing lives, one stride at a time.

Bridle Up Hope

Interview with: Rosemarie Rubalcava-Stokes and Sally Ford
Thank you to RebeccasPictures for photo.

Things that make you say "Wow"!
For more episodes and additional information visit the Two Chicks and a Hoe website and our Facebook page.
Big thanks to our Producer, Casey Kennedy.