This week, we're speaking with radio broadcaster Neal Augenstein. Neal has been a general assignment reporter with the Washington DC radio station WTOP News since 1997 and is also a multimedia journalist and mobile journalism trainer. Because of his unique voice and insightful storytelling, he has been dubbed the “Voice of DC."

In November of 2022, Neal was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer, which for many can be incurable. But after a robotic-assisted lobectomy and targeted therapy, Neal is now, thankfully, cancer free. Since November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, we asked if Neal could join us to discuss his cancer journey from diagnosis to treatment. What's unique about his journey is that there's been a wide audience following him on his road to recovery as he's explained every milestone.

Neal has produced videos in which he interviewed his own care team: the oncologist, the director of thoracic surgery at the hospital where he was treated, and his interventional pulmonologist, who helped translate complex medical jargon into easily-understood messages.

Connect with Neal by visiting the WTOP website, or by finding him on Instagram, Twitter/X (@AugensteinWTOP), YouTube, or LinkedIn.

This week, we're speaking with Júlíus Ingi Jónsson, CEO and Founder of Iceland's Lava Show. Júlíus and his wife Ragga have created what's billed as the world's only live lava show, and on this episode we talk about Iceland's ever-changing landscape of fire and ice. After that, we get into how Júlíus and his team took the Lava Show from just an idea to an ever-growing business, and, above all, how he conveys the mysteries of volcanoes to lay audiences across Iceland.

On this episode of The Dragon Tree Podcast, we're speaking with board search extraordinaire Christal M. Cherry. She's Principal & CEO of The Board Pro, an organization that has helped boards of directors diversify and strengthen their membership – and to learn more about themselves and others in the process.

Christal works with nonprofits, corporations, and universities who want to modernize their boards to better resemble their clientele. Drawing on her background of 25 years as a fundraiser, consultant, DEI Specialist, and certified leadership coach, she collaborates with CEOs, board chairs, and future board members to drive highly-effective and impactful results.

She is an author and sought-after presenter on topics like equitable board governance; recruitment; and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Christal thinks your age shouldn't be an obstacle either; in fact, she points out that a varied age cohort has just as much business joining boards as other seasoned professionals, since they frequently bring a fresh and out-of-the-box perspective to a rapidly-changing landscape.

Christal has advised many well known organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, the Boys & Girls Club, UNCF, and Emory University. And, walking the walk, she serves on the board of directors for several nonprofits, along with having founded and serving as the current Chair of the Board of Directors for a nonprofit called Fabulous Female Fundraisers Inc., or F3.

On this episode of the Dragon Tree Podcast, we speak with radiologist and educator Geraldine McGinty, MD, MBA, FACR. Dr. McGinty is Professor of Clinical Radiology and Population Health Sciences at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, Attending Radiologist at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, and serves as the Senior Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs at Weill Cornell Medicine.

Also, Dr. McGinty was elected Chair of the American College of Radiology's (ACR) Board of Chancellors in 2018, the first woman to hold this distinction.

Dr. McGinty is not only a world-class breast imager, but a respected educator and mentor to the next generation of physicians. Whether she's tackling clinical problems or teaching classes, she advocates for "leading through influence," emphasizing the importance of building allies to accomplish one's goals. Her approach of active listening also plays a key role in her work.

In this episode of the Dragon Tree Podcast, we speak with spreadsheet superuser Oz du Soleil, a certified Microsoft Excel MVP, consultant, teacher and expert on all things data. Oz is a fantastic instructor (which is how we found him in the first place) who employs a free-wheeling style in his LinkedIn Learning series to make Excel (gasp!) fun and interesting.

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On this episode of the Dragon Tree Podcast, we speak with recent Boston University School of Public Health grad MacKenzie Hilton, MPH about health equity and artificial intelligence in healthcare. It's a fascinating look at where patient care is heading in the age of AI.

Dr. Phillip Levy is an ER doctor in Detroit, Michigan who founded the Wayne Mobile Health Unit (WMHU). The WMHU is a fleet of outreach vehicles like vans and RV's that brings much-needed healthcare to the doorsteps of at-risk patients in the city. With the help of major organizations like the United Way, Ford Motor Company, Sean Penn's Community Organization Relief Effort (CORE), the state of Michigan, and a few other well-known universities and organizations, Dr. Levy and his team are helping people who require care and more personalized attention. The WMHU fleet has driven thousands of miles since the program started during the pandemic. These traveling healthcare centers are an integral and trusted resource for residents who urgently need physical exams, medicine, equipment, and a range of preventative checkups and screenings that are made affordable or free of charge.

In our inaugural podcast episode, we talk with Washington Post writer Sadie Dingfelder about her brand new book, "Do I Know You?" Sadie's funny and poignant first-hand account shows us what the world looks like for someone who has tackled face blindness since childhood, a condition neuroscientists call prosopagnosia.