We welcome Christine Scolinos to the show! Christine is the founder and creative force behind TheGreekend®, a modern Greek American community and lifestyle brand connecting Greeks through shared culture and experiences. What began as a grassroots idea to promote Greek events has evolved into a globally recognized platform spanning live events, media, travel, and community initiatives.

Through TheGreekend, Christine has launched signature experiences including the Hot & Greek multi-city tour, TheGreekend Island Tour summer trip, and the newly established nonprofit arm, TheGreekend Foundation—all focused on building meaningful cultural connections.

Christine brings a background in higher education and educational consulting and is currently pursuing her doctorate in Higher Education Leadership. She blends entrepreneurship, education, and cultural advocacy to create spaces where community and modern Greek identity come together, one Greekend at a time. Join us in getting to know Christine and TheGreekend!

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We welcome author Shelley Dark to the show! After a lifetime raising cattle on Queensland’s Granite Belt, Shelley and her husband swapped the bush for the Sunshine Coast of Queensland Australia. She's an award-winning Australian author who travels as often as she can and enjoys iPhone photography. She's a member of the ALLWRiTE Club and Writers on the Coast Noosa—a generous community of writers whose work and thinking continually stretches her own.

Her books include Hydra in Winter (2024), awarded a Gold Medal at the Global Book Awards 2025 (Biographical—Traveler & Explorer), about her trip to the Greek island of Hydra to uncover her husband’s ancestor, Ghikas Voulgaris—Australia’s first Greek convict pioneer. And Son of Hydra (2025), awarded a Silver Medal at the Global Book Awards 2025 (Historical Fiction), inspired by his extraordinary life. Next will come Daughter of Cork, the story of his Irish wife, along with another exciting new narrative non-fiction. Her short fiction appears in anthologies. Join us in getting to know Shelley!

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Son of Hydra on Amazon

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We welcome Tom & Nick from the Ouzo Talk podcast to the show! Ouzo Talk is a Sydney-based podcast for Greeks of the diaspora. They bring the Ouzo-fueled conversations of ‘kafenia’ the Greek world over, right to your ears. From music, history and culture, to science, philosophy and everything in between, Ouzo Talk is all about 'parea'. And with a bottle of Ouzo always on the table, there's no telling where the conversation might go. It's solving the world’s problems – one bottle of Ouzo at a time. Join us in welcoming Tom & Nick to Connecting Greeks!

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