Skyzoo has made a name for himself as a renowned rapper who's maintained his artistic independence, giving him even greater autonomy to pursue his other passions. On this episode, he talks about his life as a storyteller, entrepreneur, and what inspired his latest album, "The Mind of a Saint." Photograph: Robert Adam Mayer

Cammie Rice is an advocate, philanthropist, and author. Her son Christopher Wolf, died in 2016 at the age of 32 from an opioid overdose after struggling for years suffering from addiction. Since then, Cammie has made it her mission to raise awareness about the opioid epidemic and alternative ways to manage pain. She is author of “The Flight” about her work, and her son’s struggle and founder of the Christopher Wolf Crusade.

Dayton’s Democratic Mayor, Nan Whaley wants to be Ohio’s next governor. But Whaley faces an uphill battle in her race against opponent, GOP Gov. Mike DeWine. 

In our conversation, the Dayton leader talks about her concerns for the future of Ohio, extremism among its citizenry, and more. 

John Austin wears a lot of hats. He’s the director of the Michigan Economic Center, a nonresident senior fellow with the Brookings Institution and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. However in all of these roles Austin’s working toward one goal: reimagining once highly industrialized communities into something else in a Postindustrial economy. You won't want to miss this one — listen in, then subscribe!

In this episode, we hear from longtime political strategist and author Rick Wilson. He's co-founder of The Lincoln Project, a PAC dedicated to "defeating Trumpism." Wilson WAS a Republican until Donald Trump ascended to the presidency — he became an independent in 2017.

Hear Rick's take on the populist movement throughout the country, especially in the Rust Belt and Appalachia. 

Wilson is the author of the New York Times bestseller, "Everything Trump Touches Dies."

On this episode, hear from Gary Abernathy, a contributing columnist for The Washington Post. Gary is also a freelance writer, based in southwestern Ohio with a long newspaper career in Postindustrial America.

After spending 13 years as an editor at three Ohio newspapers, Abernathy worked in Republican Party politics in Ohio and West Virginia. He returned to journalism in 2011, serving until 2018 as publisher and editor of the (Hillsboro, Ohio) Times-Gazette, one of the few newspapers to endorse Donald Trump for president in 2016.

His newsletter on politics and current affairs is available at Substack.

Damon Young is a writer, humorist and satirist. His debut memoir, "What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Blacker," won a Thurber Prize, among other awards. The book explores the angsts and anxieties "of existing while Black in America."

Damon is also cofounder of VerySmartBrothas, which was sold to Univision. His writing has been featured in the Washington Post, The New York Times, and The Guardian, among others.