Episodios

  • Unpacking the powerful impact of Michigan's new Family Protection Act (05-11-25)

    Unpacking the powerful impact of Michigan's new Family Protection Act (05-11-25)
    May 13 2025
    On this episode, host Phil Tower welcomes three individuals to talk about Michigan's newly updated law regarding surrogate parenting.
    Phil spoke with Tammy Myers, a Michigan mother who was forced to adopt her biological twins in 2021 due to Michigan’s outdated surrogacy laws; Melissa Neckers, an attorney at Miller Johnson, and an expert in assisted reproduction and surrogacy law; and Jarret Zafran, a NYC-based attorney he is the founder and executive director of Brownstone Surrogacy.
    All three guests join the program to talk about the new Michigan Family Protection Act. The new law, which took effect on April 1, 2025, decriminalizes surrogacy in Michigan and establishes clear legal frameworks for families formed through assisted reproduction and surrogacy. The law ensures legal recognition of intended parents in surrogacy arrangements from the moment of birth and provides protections for children, surrogates, and intended parents.

    Michigan was the only state where surrogacy was still a felony, and it was the first state where surrogacy became a felony.
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    29 m
  • How "Down to Defend" educates and equips people with intellectual and developmental disabilities(05-04-25)

    How "Down to Defend" educates and equips people with intellectual and developmental disabilities(05-04-25)
    May 4 2025
    In this episode, we speak with Alicia Mathieu, president and founder of Down to Defend. Alicia is the mother of three children, one of those children is living with Down syndrome.
    When Alicia received her son Levi’s diagnosis, she said she was empowered to change the gut-wrenching statistics that she unveiled during her research. We spoke with her about her journey to this role as president and founder of Down To Defend.The mission of Down to Defend is to educate and equip those living with intellectual and developmental disabilities by providing safety classes and resources to lead a more fulfilling life.
    Online: Down To Defend
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    14 m
  • What you need to know about Michigan’s new child passenger safety laws with Sinas Dramis attorney Katie Tucker (05-04-25)

    What you need to know about Michigan’s new child passenger safety laws with Sinas Dramis attorney Katie Tucker (05-04-25)
    May 4 2025
    In this segment, host Phil Tower, welcomes Katie Tucker, a personal injury attorney with Sinas Dramis Law Firm. Katie specializes in advocating for the rights of people who have been seriously injured or killed in Michigan auto accidents, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian-motor vehicle accidents, etc. She's also an expert on child safety seat laws in Michigan.
    Katie joined us to breakdown Michigan’s new child passenger safety laws which took effect on April 2, 2025. Some of the key changes with the new child safety seat laws involve extending the rear-facing car seat requirement until the age of 2 or the child exceeds the maximum height or weight limit specified by the manufacturer. Changes with a forward, facing car seats, changes with children, who use booster seats, and no guidance on property use of adult seatbelts for older children. We also learned that any child under the age of 13 in the state of Michigan is still required to sit in the back of a vehicle.
    Katie also spoke about the upcoming Sinas Dramis Bicycle helmet giveaway, known as “Lids For Kids” coming up on May 25 here in Grand Rapids. Lids for Kids is West Michigan’s Biggest FREE Bike Helmet Giveaway” and also offers free bicycle helmet fitting along with giveaways.
    The Grand Rapids event is Saturday, May 31, from 10 AM – 12 PM at Garfield Park.

    Read More: New Laws Seek to Protect Michigan Children Involved in Car Accidents

    Online: Lids For Kids
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    15 m
  • The five most common mistakes car owners make wIth auto techs Al Schwinkendorf and John Puhek (04-26-25)

    The five most common mistakes car owners make wIth auto techs Al Schwinkendorf and John Puhek (04-26-25)
    Apr 28 2025
    In this episode, host Phil Tower speaks with automotive experts Al Schwinkendorf, and John Puhek. Al and John are both ASE certified automotive technicians with Verburg’s Automotive in Grand Rapids.
    Al and John are also hosts with Michigan's Auto Talk Podcast …a Grand Rapids-based podcast for car and truck lovers, backyard mechanics, and automotive enthusiasts.

    They joined Phil on this program to talk about the five most common mistakes that car owners make, and how to avoid them.

    More: Troubleshooting Common Car Problems With Napa Auto
    More: Verburg's Automotive
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    28 m
  • Up Close with Charles Burke "Maestro CEO" and President of Frederik Meijer Gardens(04-20-25)

    Up Close with Charles Burke "Maestro CEO" and President of Frederik Meijer Gardens(04-20-25)
    Apr 19 2025
    In this episode, host Phil Tower welcomes Charles Burke, the President & CEO of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.
    Charles joined us on the program to discuss his unique and inspired journey to his current position as President and CEO of Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park.

    Since becoming president and CEO in February 2023, Charles has led the wildly popular destinations to new heights, including achieving the highest annual attendance in the organization’s 30-year history and welcoming its 15 millionth visitor.
    Meijer Gardens has been recognized as the Best Sculpture Park in the United States by USA Today’s "10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards" in 2023 and 2024 and consecutively named one of the Best Places to Work in West Michigan, further solidifying its reputation as a cultural landmark of international acclaim.
    Charles brings a strong vision of accessibility, transparency, and creativity to every aspect of Meijer Gardens and he was a has a very compelling personal and professional journey to this position.

    We talked about his background and passion for music, and the arts.
    We also talked a year-long celebration recognizing 30 years of Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park and the powerful legacy created by Fred and Lena Meijer.
    Online: Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
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    29 m
  • Embracing what Matters Most In The 4th Quarter of Your Life with Dr. Allen Hunt(04-13-25)

    Embracing what Matters Most In The 4th Quarter of Your Life with Dr. Allen Hunt(04-13-25)
    Apr 13 2025
    In this episode, Phil Tower welcomes Dr. Allen Hunt … “The Fourth Quarter Guy”. He helps people discover how to become the best version of themselves in the Fourth Quarter of life.

    A four-time #1 Amazon best-selling author, Allen collaborated with Matthew Kelly to write No Regrets: A Fable about Living Your Fourth Quarter Intentionally. In that fable, they share the ground-breaking secrets of the Fourth Quarter: the 5 Keys to Living and Dying with No Regrets.

    Those 5 keys then led them to create The Fourth Quarter of Your Life: Embracing What Matters Most, a workbook to help people do just that: Discover and plan how to intentionally live their fourth quarters with confidence, boldness, and passion.

    You can experience his life-changing discoveries and coaching for yourself. Learn more about Allen:
    Online: Fourth Quarter Guy
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    16 m
  • How City of Grand Rapids and the MEDC are using Permit-Ready Plans to enhance new housing development (04-13-25)

    How City of Grand Rapids and the MEDC are using Permit-Ready Plans to enhance new housing development (04-13-25)
    Apr 13 2025
    On this episode host Phil Tower speaks with Michelle Parkkonen, Managing Director of technical assistance programs at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation MEDC.Michele spoke with us about the exciting new collaboration between the City of Grand Rapids and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) is unveiling resources that will streamline the process for communities to add housing in existing neighborhoods. Permit-Ready Plans, a collaborative partnership between the City of Grand Rapids, MEDC, Michigan Municipal League (MML), and Driven Design, LLC, lowers the barrier for infill housing development by decreasing construction costs and shortening permit processing timelines. Infill housing is the process of putting additional housing units into an already-approved subdivision or neighborhood. They can be provided as additional units built on the same lot, by dividing existing homes into multiple units, or by creating new residential lots by further subdivision or lot line adjustments.Housing plans include single-family, two-family and multi-family housing types, providing communities and prospective developers with options that will work best for each property. Plans for the three housing types can be found here.The target audiences are small- to medium-sized developers trying to enter the housing market and local municipalities seeking to line up pre-reviewed plans with fewer barriers to building more homes.” 

The City of Grand Rapids Planning Department will be hosting a Lunch & Learn at the Development Center, which will provide a comprehensive review of the Permit-Ready Plans Program, how to participate, and what to expect on May 20th. Online: Permit-Ready Plans ProgramResource Links MEDC Developer Toolkit City of Grand Rapids Permit-Ready Plans Program Landing Page City of Grand Rapids Emerging Developer GrantMichigan Municipal League Pattern Book Homes
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    13 m
  • The transformative power of horses with The Equest Center for Therapeutic Riding(04-06-25)

    The transformative power of horses with The Equest Center for Therapeutic Riding(04-06-25)
    Apr 6 2025
    In this episode, host, Phil Tower, welcomes Kelly Alcock, a Client Program Coordinator with the Equest Center for Therapeutic Riding.

    Kelly joined us on the program to talk about the power of equine therapy and the hundreds of clients who benefit from it who are served by the Equest Center.

    April 19th is the date that the Equest Center for Therapeutic Riding will be holding their annual Easter with the Equest Bunny event and all are invited!

    Kelly told us that every dollar raised at this event goes directly towards scholarship funds to ensure that all special needs riders are able to continue participating in our programs.

    The Equest Center for Therapeutic Riding is a year-round facility located in Rockford, Michigan. They offer equine-based therapy programs to those with physical, mental, and social/emotional disabilities and they serve over 200 individuals ages 2-100 each week.

    Online: The Equest Center for Therapeutic Riding


    Topics Addressed: recreation therapy, Post traumatic stress disorder, military veterans, special needs children, disability awareness, equine therapy.
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    14 m
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