by Betsy Fasbinder | Nov 1, 2023 | Extra Blooms, Podcasts
As a follow up to her memoir Poetic License which came out in 2020, Gretchen Cherington dug deeper into family myth and lore, resulting in her new memoir The Butcher, the Embezzler, and the Fall Guy—A Family Memoir of Scandal and Greed in the Meat Industry.
In the early 1900s, Gretchen’s paternal grandfather was recruited by George A. Hormel to help him build what is now the multi-billion dollar food conglomerate Hormel Foods. As a child, Gretchen listened to riveting stories about these two men from her father. Third in the trio was the company’s comptroller, Ransome J. Thomson, who, over a decade, embezzled $1.2 Million from the Hormel company and nearly brought it to its knees. Rumors suggested Gretchen’s grandfather was “in cahoots” with the embezzler. But was he? Gretchen sent out to investigate this question.
Research led Gretchen to business documents, letters, and historical records that helped her find a few of the missing pieces of the picture that is her family’s history puzzle. Kirkus calls this new book “A dazzling account that deftly combines crime, drama, history, and introspective remembrance…a mesmerizing story filled with drama, suspense, and told with remarkable emotional insights.”
by Betsy Fasbinder | Oct 4, 2023 | Podcasts
Nicki Traikos has been an artist at heart her entire life, though in her early career she thought she had to choose a more “practical and profitable” way to earn a living. But her creative self found its way into every job until eventually she decided she wanted to be a full-time artist, but not a starving artist. Today Nicki is the living embodiment of her company’s name: Life I Design. She has built a successful art career as a teacher, as a creative who sells her own work, and now as a published author with an upcoming book to help others develop their artistic skills.
While the medium Nicki has used through her career may have changed greatly over the years, the goal has always been the same: to have the courage to try, and to find joy in the moments exploring. Known best for her “Watercolors Made Simple” online classes and new book of the same name, Nicki has a casual and approachable philosophy about making art and inspires other artists to adopt it, too. It’s not about achieving perfection, but about having the joy of experiencing artistic expression, developing techniques so that they can create art that pleases them, and for each creative person to find their own style.
by Betsy Fasbinder | Sep 6, 2023 | Podcasts
Christy Warren is a retired fire captain/paramedic from the Berkeley, California Fire Department, with 25 years of service as a first responder. In 2014, she was diagnosed with PTSD and struggled through shame, exhaustion and feelings of suicide to finally ask for help so she could fight for her recovery. In her memoir, Flashpoint: A Firefighter’s Journey Through PTSD Christy reveals with both candor and vulnerability the nearly unimaginable challenges that first responders face, the pressure they feel to be invulnerable to the mental health impact of their work, and the value of support, treatment, and healing for the brave people who serve.
by Betsy Fasbinder | Jun 21, 2023 | Podcasts
Small in stature, large in presence, and always in charge, Joanne Greene anchored the news and hosted talk shows on San Francisco radio while totally devoted to her family—until a traumatic accident suddenly removed her ability to control anything.
Her debut book, By Accident: A Memoir of Letting Go is a story of resilience and perseverance, of will and pluck, and of positivity and gratitude for lessons learned—even as the personal hits just keep on coming. Joanne also hosts two podcasts—“In This Story…”, XX minute musings on XXX and “All the F Words”, which she and her Gen X co-host explore everything from fun and friendship to Fiber, Fraud, and Feng Shui.
by Betsy Fasbinder | Jun 7, 2023 | Podcasts
Margo Fowkes is the mother of two children – Jimmy, forever age 21, and his younger sister Molly, who is now 26. After Jimmy’s death in 2014, Margo created Salt Water, a blog and online community that provides a safe harbor for those who are grieving the death of someone dear to them.
Margo is the president of OnTarget Consulting, a firm specializing in helping organizations and their leaders act strategically, improve their performance, and achieve their business goals.
Last September, on what should have been Jimmy’s 30th birthday, Margo published Leading Through Loss: How to Navigate Grief at Work. The book provides practical tools and ideas from leaders who’ve dealt with loss and offers insights into the perspective and experiences of grieving employees: what they want and need, what helps and what hurts, what support they were deeply grateful for, and what they wish their leaders had done differently.
