The Pre-Made Podcast Podcast Por Matthew C Collins arte de portada

The Pre-Made Podcast

The Pre-Made Podcast

De: Matthew C Collins
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In this podcast, you'll hear stories primarily from my Amherst College Class of 1994 classmates as we reflect on life 30+ years removed from graduation day. What have we been up to all these years? How has Amherst and a liberal arts education impacted our lives? What college memories have stayed with us? How are we thinking about the next 20 years? Arte Ciencias Sociales Entretenimiento y Artes Escénicas
Episodios
  • Deb Thalheimer Long Listens Her Way to a Life of Meaning

    Deb Thalheimer Long Listens Her Way to a Life of Meaning
    Nov 20 2025
    Deb Thalheimer Long's career and life since graduating with me from Amherst College have been marked by subtle yet profound transformations. From Wall Street to academia, from the Baltimore public schools to the hospital floor, Deb has navigated big career pivots with intentionality. Now a nurse specializing in wound care and infusion therapy, she brings to her patients the same attentiveness she has offered students, colleagues, and friends: an ability to read people gently, listen deeply, and act thoughtfully. The conversation explores how her gift for quiet perception, honed at Amherst through the close reading of texts and refined through her study of literature, theology, and now medicine, has shaped her approach to work, family, and community. Her story is one of continuous learning and service, and of finding profound meaning in small, human acts of compassion. Along the way, she shares lessons she’s passed on to her two grown sons, both out in the world now, and the two bits of terrific life advice they're most likely to say they hear from their mom. Episode Highlights: How Deb’s winding path from finance to French literature to nursing reflects a life lived with intention. The subtle art of listening, and how she uses it to discern both what people say and what they can’t quite express. What she’s learned about compassion from her students, her patients, and her own aging parents. The role Amherst played in teaching her to read closely, not only books, but people. The simple but powerful advice she’s passed along to her children about integrity and accountability. Plus, she nominates two new classmates to appear in the guest's chair. You can email Deb at DeborahTLong22@gmail.com.
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    41 m
  • Matt Sawyer Has Found His Forever Team

    Matt Sawyer Has Found His Forever Team
    Nov 13 2025
    Matt Sawyer has built a career rooted in one place: the Williston Northampton School in Easthampton, Mass., where he’s taught English, coached baseball and football, and served as ninth-grade dean for more than three decades. In a world that celebrates mobility and reinvention, Matt’s story is one of steadfastness and the value of deep community attachments. This conversation explores how teaching has changed since the 1990s, why he’s finally stepping away from coaching varsity baseball after 30 seasons, and how much he's looking forward to watching more of his children’s college athletics careers instead of leading practices himself. Matt reflects on building strong team culture, the lessons learned from Amherst football’s ups and downs, and how the classroom can remain a place for curiosity and honest disagreement, even in an age of AI and youthful risk aversion. Highlights include: Longevity with purpose: Matt has spent his entire post-Amherst career at Williston, finding new ways to grow within the same community rather than leaving it. Shaping culture over chasing wins: He believes that strong team culture not only enriches students’ lives but often leads to more success on the field. A coach’s evolution: After 30 seasons leading varsity baseball, he’s trading the dugout for the umpire’s mask and embracing a new vantage point on the game. Teaching in the AI era: His English department has gone “old school,” emphasizing pen-and-paper writing and face-to-face discussion as antidotes to digital crutches. Lifelong impact: Inspired by Amherst professors like Barry O’Connell, Matt sees teaching as a way to meet students where they are and help them through life’s hardest transitions. A family woven into campus life: Matt and Sarah’s (Class of '97) home, work, and family life intersect daily, making the Williston community an extension of their own. Matt also shares whom he hopes will take the mic next. You can email Matt at msawyer@williston.com or call or text him at 413.695.8370.
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    53 m
  • David Young Finds Hope and Purpose Amid USAID’s Abrupt End

    David Young Finds Hope and Purpose Amid USAID’s Abrupt End
    Nov 6 2025
    When I started the Amherst College part of this podcast, I wanted to capture the stories of my 1994 classmates who’ve navigated big pivots in their lives. Few stories embody that better than David Young. He joined me from Mozambique, where he and his husband make their home. David’s career has taken him from Amherst’s ROTC program to the Air Force JAG Corps, then into a remarkable 20-year run with USAID. His tenure ended abruptly when the agency was dismantled earlier this year. His reflections on that loss, and the grace and perspective he brings to this moment, are inspiring. We talk about his journey all over the world, his pivotal role in South Sudan’s independence referendum, and what it’s like to help shape democracy and development from the inside out. Highlights: How his upbring led to a life of global service. The emotional impact of USAID’s sudden shutdown, and how he’s processing it. His firsthand memories of historic moments like South Sudan’s independence and Ukraine’s 2013 revolution. Why he’s hopeful about helping rebuild the global development field, possibly from the classroom. The next classmates David wants to hear from next. You can email David at w.d.young.94@gmail.com.
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    53 m
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