Bucket List Community Cafe Podcast

Podcast: Gen Z on the 2024 election

With a consequential election on November 5 looming, voters’ voices are more important than ever. Even outside of the presidential contest, a slew of other pivotal issues will be voted on in Denver. As the landscape and demographics of the city evolve, Generation Z voters are more important than ever and want their voices to be heard.
On October’s edition of the Bucket List Community Cafe podcast, we sat down with Isabel Guzman and Travis Brooks from Metropolitan State University (MSU). Guzman and Brooks work as student journalists for The Metropolitan, MSU’s student paper, and provided us with invaluable insight into how Gen Z voters are feeling ahead of election night.

Podcast: Denver’s Polly Baca on Voting and 2024 Election

With a pivotal election fast approaching, it’s more important than ever to be engaged. The future of the country is in the hands of voters, who will decide America’s direction on November 5. 
No one knows that better than the former chair of the Democratic Caucus of the Colorado House of Representatives and local political legend Polly Baca. Ryland Scholescaught up with Baca in this month’s episode of the Bucket List Community Cafepodcast to get her take on the current political climate. 

Podcast: Pedestrian Safety is Big Concern to Denver Advocates

For a city whose metro area has grown by nearly 500,000 people in the last 10 years, Denverites should be seeing new bike pathways, better sidewalk infrastructure and improved public transit systems, but according to advocates that’s not happening fast enough. They are calling for more improvements in pedestrian and cycling safety.
In this month’s episode of the Bucket List Community Cafe podcast, our Ryland Scholes discusses Denver’s pedestrian and cycling safety issues with two advocates: David Chen from the Denver Bicycle Lobby and Alejandra Castañeda from Pedestrian Dignity. As experts on traffic safety in the Mile High City, Chen and Castañeda provided valuable context on Denver’s problems and how we can solve them.

Podcast: Super Traveler Daniel Zimny-Schmitt

As Coloradans from around the state flock to the mountains and beaches during summer vacation season, one Denverite has gone above and beyond with his travels. Daniel Zimny-Schmitt is the newest member of the Extra Miler Club, making his way to all 3,143 counties across the United States. He recently finished his cross-country journey and sat down with Bucket List for the July edition of our podcast.
 
 

Podcast: Johnny Nichols, Jr. and the Denver Gay Men’s Chorus

Johnny Nichols, Jr., the artistic director of the Denver Gay Men’s Chorus isn’t your average conductor. He just celebrated his one-year anniversary with the group, and his mission in Denver is clear: build bridges in the Mile High City. Originally aspiring to be a politician, he shifted gears after he realized his true calling was in choral music. 
“It was hard for me to grasp pride at the very beginning, because I was ashamed of who I was, initially,” he shared. “But I recognized who I was, and celebrated myself.” 
Looking toward the future, Nichols envisions a global presence for DGMC, starting with a statewide tour in Colorado in 2026, followed by national and eventually international tours. He emphasized the importance of building community through music on a global scale, saying, “If our mission is ‘building community through music’… community is larger, and it’s global.”
 

Podcast: Renowned Veterinarian and Funny Guy Kevin Fitzgerald

When Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald arrived at our publisher’s house to record our podcast last week, his first instinct was to greet our feisty three-and-a-half-month-old canine correspondent, Daphne. She can be a bit of a talker, as you’ll hear on the podcast, but she was instantly soothed by the 72-year-old veterinarian’s peaceful demeanor. But Kevin isn’t just a dog whisperer. Given a microphone and an audience, he makes crowds of all ages and demographics erupt with laughter during unique standup comedy sets. He frequently says he loves all animals; “anything with a heartbeat,” in fact. Well, except for spiders.

Podcast: District Attorney Beth McCann

Denver’s outgoing district attorney Beth McCann, who is leaving office after two terms, has made a lasting impression on the city. Many will remember her for a legacy of legal reforms, community safety initiatives and her steadfast commitment to justice. This Women’s History Month, she sat down with us for the Bucket List Community Cafe podcast to reflect on her tenure, the challenges she has faced throughout her career and the path ahead for Denver’s criminal justice system.

Podcast: Reflecting on 10 Years of Legal Cannabis With Mason Tvert

He’s been called the “Don Draper of Pot,” a “Jewish Pot Activist,” and “Marijuana’s Top Evangelist.” In 2012, he paid a protestor to dress up in a chicken suit and follow then-Gov. John Hickenlooper around the streets of Denver with a sign that said, “Hey Mayor Chickenlooper, What’s So Scary About Marijuana?’” Hickenlooper, who voted against Amendment 64, has since said he “was wrong” to oppose legalizing cannabis at the time.
He co-authored the book, “Marijuana is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink?” and founded Safer Alternatives for Enjoyable Recreation, or SAFER, as well as the SAFER Voter Education Fund. His skillful debate tactics, in-depth policy knowledge and incredibly dry sense of humor ultimately led to the successful legalization of cannabis in the state of Colorado. The rest of the country began to follow suit.
These days, he just goes by Mason. He enjoys doing jigsaw puzzles in his free time. He also plays in a band. He doesn’t spend much time coordinating chicken suit stunts anymore. As the state marks a decade since legalizing marijuana, Mason Tvert shares his reflections on the movement’s trajectory, its triumphs and setbacks and the road ahead on the Bucket List Community Cafe Podcast.

Podcast: Crime Fiction Writer Twist Phelan

Award-winning author Twist Phelan didn’t always want to be a writer but she always knew how to tell a story. Phelan started her professional career as a lawyer in one of the only all-women law firms in Arizona. She wasn’t known for her law skills but for her ability to capture the jury in her closing statements. After retiring from the world of law at 30 years old, Phelan bought a yacht and began cruising around the world. Ten years later she found herself writing short stories that she wanted to read: thrillers and mysteries. 

Podcast: Helping Migrant Families

Over 30,000 migrants from Venezuela and other Central American countries have made the grueling journey to Denver in the past year and thousands are here to stay.  Denver Public Schools (DPS) has had more than 2000 new students enroll. 
“What I always focus on as a community organizer, is making sure that there are very few barriers to entry, creating a very inclusive environment for folks to help,” President of the Tre-Vista PTA Mariah Kamei said. “You know, some folks, maybe all they can give right now is money. Some folks might not have any money and they can give time, right?”
Kamei has “adopted” three of these families and has been helping them with jobs and housing but beyond that Kamei has been building relationships with the family she has welcomed into her life. 
To hear more about Denver’s migrant crisis and how you can help, listen to our Mimi Herrick interview Mariah Kamei in this month’s Bucket List Community Cafe podcast.