KUCI: Get the Funk Out!

 
 
Dayna Altman is an energetic and dynamic mental health speaker, entrepreneur and advocate. The full force and sole operator of Bake it Till You Make it LLC, Dayna harvests herpassion for mental health advocacy by using food and baking to create an authentic recipe for vulnerable storytelling.The author of five mental health cookbooks, the facilitator of a variety of mental health presentations and the subject of an award winning documentary, Dayna is a sought after storyteller. She has been invited to speak at national conferences, in community kitchens, on the news and most notably, at the White House in 2022.With experience working in both clinical and advocacy mental health settings, Dayna’s breadth of knowledge in the field informs her work, as does her own recovery. Today, Dayna lives with major depressive disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and is in lifelong eating disorder recovery. When she’s not testing out new recipes in her kitchen or quoting her therapists, Dayna is in pursuit of creating art as a means to explore new ways to change the world using her own story.

 
The mission of Neighbors Who Nourish is to  bring communities together by nurturing meaningful connections and providing mental health resources to those facing food insecurity. 
 
Below is our instagram page highlighting the various events they have had so far: 
 
https://www.instagram.com/neighbors.who.nourish?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
 
 
Aafiya MahmoodAge: 16
Co-Founder, Neighbors Who NourishAafiya is a student and co-founder of Neighbors Who Nourish, a youth-led initiative focused on addressing food insecurity while strengthening mental well-being and community connection.
 
Yeshwi SharmaAge: 17Co-Founder, Neighbors Who NourishYeshwi is a student and co-founder of Neighbors Who Nourish, working alongside Aafiya to bring families together through food, mental wellness activities, and community-based support.
 
How We Got StartedNeighbors Who Nourish grew out of our personal connections to food insecurity, mental health, and the isolation that can come with both problems. We realized that food could be more than something people simply receive, it could be a pathway to bring people together. We began hosting community events centered around shared meals, family activities, and mental wellness conversations. Our goal was turning food from a source of stress into a source of connection. We also provide SNAP-friendly cookbooks and mental wellness resources to help people beyond their events.About Neighbors Who NourishNeighbors Who Nourish is a youth-led initiative addressing food insecurity while strengthening mental well-being and community connection. 
 
In two months, we have directly impacted 1,170 people and distributed 1,000+ mental health resources and SNAP-friendly cookbooks. Our work brings together three connected pieces: food security, mental wellness, and community. Through SNAP-friendly cooking demonstrations and bilingual cookbooks, families gain practical nutrition resources. In addition, through community mental health activities, they have opportunities to express themselves and support one another. Through shared meals and activities, those conversations become genuine connections. They have brought these events to people ages 6-80+
 
What We’d Like Listeners to KnowWe want listeners to know that food insecurity isn’t only about whether someone has enough food; it can also bring stress, isolation, and uncertainty. We believe community can help anyone, regardless of their circumstances, and that no one should have to carry their struggles alone. 
 
Through Neighbors Who Nourish, we use food as a starting point for connection, creating spaces where people can feel supported, build relationships, and become more comfortable talking about their mental well-being.

Today's guestAustin Cauldwell is a Los Angeles–based writer/director/actor and acting teacher. His short film IDYLL premiered at the Florida Film Festival in April 2026. He has appeared in various stage, film, and TV roles.
 
In January 2025, devastating wildfires swept through Los Angeles. Through firsthand interviews, children reflect on what they experienced, what they lost, what they carried with them, and how their lives have been forever changed; while simultaneously holding onto hope for what comes next.
Co-directed by Nat Wolff and Austin Cauldwell, the film was produced by Mina Sundwall and her company Zenosyne Media, along with Eliza Paprin and Julia Pitch, who also served as Cinematographer. The film was edited by Ben Schwaeber.
According to Wolff and Cauldwell:
“In the wake of the fires, much of the conversation focused on what had been lost: homes, schools, and a sense of stability. What felt missing were the voices of the children living through it. Rather than speaking about them, we wanted to listen to them. So we set out to create a space where kids and families could share their experiences in their own words. 
What we found was not only grief, but resilience, optimism, and humor. Even in the aftermath of tragedy, these children continue to imagine, adapt, and grow. Their stories reminded us that they are not just witnesses to disaster, but rather, they are participants in the future being shaped around them.
Our hope is that this film encourages audiences to think about the world we are leaving for our children. It will be their world. They deserve to have a voice in it.”
 
Austin Cauldwell is a Los Angeles based writer, director, actor, and acting teacher. His short film Idyll, which he wrote and directed, premiered at Florida International Film Festival earlier this year and was an official selection at Fantasia Film Festival and Edinburgh International Film Festival. As an actor, he has worked on stage, most notably opposite Edie Falco in the Off Broadway production of The True. His TV credits include Switched at Birth (ABC Family), NCIS, NCIS: New Orleans, and Monster.
About the FilmThe project documents the experiences of children during the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires. Through firsthand interviews, the film captures what the children lost, what they carried with them, and how their lives have changed — while also highlighting their resilience, optimism, and humor. The directors aimed to give voice to the children who were often absent from public discussions about the disaster, focusing on their personal stories rather than just the aftermath 
 
 
THE DIRECTORS: Nat Wolff and Austin CauldwellProducers: Mina Sundwall, Eliza Paprin, Julia Pitch (Pitch also served as cinematographerEditor: Ben SchwaeberPresented by: Zenosyne Media 
About the DirectorsNat Wolff is an American actor, musician, and writer/director. He is known for films such as The Fault in Our Stars, Paper Towns, and Palo Alto, and for composing music for The Naked Brothers Band. Austin Cauldwell is a Los Angeles–based writer/director/actor and acting teacher. His short film IDYLL premiered at the Florida Film Festival in April 2026. He has appeared in various stage, film, and TV roles
For tickets: Burbank International Film Festival 2026
 
more: getthefunkoutshow.kuci.org

Sagar V. Parikh, M.D., FRCPC is the John F. Greden Professor of Depression and Clinical Neuroscience at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. As a psychiatrist and former family physician, he focuses on diverse mood disorder treatments: novel medications including psychedelics, psychotherapy, digital tools, ketamine, and TMS.  He conducts research on how to improve health care delivery as well as how to improve public and clinician education about mood disorders. He also works extensively in Workplace Mental Health, identifying best practices for businesses and workplaces to prevent and treat burnout and mental health problems.  He is Medical Director of the National Network of Depression Centers (USA) and a prolific author, with 3 books and over 200 articles on research and treatment of mental disorders.  He has won multiple national and international awards for education, teaching, and research. 
Education Chair, CANMAT (Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments)
 
more: getthefunkoutshow.kuci.org

 
The highly personal, first-person filmmaking of ACTING LIKE WOMEN addresses themes of feminist, activism, performance art, LGBTQ+, herstory, and art. A rebellious art form, exploding onto the scene in the late 1970s and 1980s gave birth to the “performance art as protest” movement seen around the world today. Led by female, feminist, artists determined to bring women’s bodies and voices into the art world, from a foundational feminist art space called The Woman’s Building in Los Angeles, the radical rebellion gave rise to powerful activism at the apex of the Women’s Movement.
 
LOGLINE:Revisiting the groundbreaking feminist performance art movement in 1970s Los Angeles, one artist spotlights the inspirational, transformational, radical community exploding the narrative and status quo.SYNOPSIS:Through interviews, archival footage, and personal reflections, feminist artist Cheri Gaulke revisits the 1970s Los Angeles foundational art space, The Woman’s Building, laying bare how a collective of artists transformed their bodies and voices through performance art into a powerful tool for activism, reshaping the cultural landscape for generations of women.The film includes the voices of over 50 artists including Suzanne Lacy, Judy Chicago, and Senga Nengudi; the works of The Waitresses, Sisters Of Survival, and Feminist Art Workers among others, as well as the music of artists such as Billie Eillish, The Linda Lindas, and Phranc. Original Score is composed by Miriam Cutler.Acting Like Women builds an intimate narrative where art intersects life. Guided through Gaulke’s lens, the film reveals an explosive time of change and individual empowerment with a through-line enriched by her own experience as the daughter of a Midwestern Lutheran minister, through the sexual revolution where she joins the feminist community, to her realized self as noted performance artist, lesbian, educator, and mother of twins.The history of performance art is the herstory of California feminist performance art. It’s not a footnote about artists on the fringes, but a tome on the essential and highly influential period at the core of an artistic medium’s development. Interviews reveal personal stories brought to life alongside visually powerful performances, giving insight into what this period meant and means for women, and those struggling to define themselves today.
 
more: getthefunkoutshow.kuci.org

Julia Hotz, Author of THE CONNECTION CURE (Simon & Schuster), Social Prescribing USA Advisor, Journalist, Keynote Speaker, Fellowships Manager at Solutions Journalism NetworkAuthor of THE CONNECTION CURE (Simon & Schuster)—1st book exploring science, stories, and spread of social prescribing around the world. Speaker at TEDx, ACLM, WONCA, AHIP, Yale, Harvard, and more. Adviser to Walk with a Doc and Social Prescribing USA. Solutions-focused journalist (NYT, The Boston Globe, BBC, TIME) who helps other journalists via the Solutions Journalism Network.
 
more: getthefunkoutshow.kuci.org

HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD will make its Costa Mesa premiere at Segerstrom Center for the Arts from July 11 - 25, 2026. Today's show will feature Ryan Hallahan who plays Draco Malfoy.
 
About Ryan HallahanRyan comes from Chicago where he’s appeared on stage at Steppenwolf, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Writers Theatre, Goodman, Northlight, Indiana Repertory, Peninsula Players, and Steep Theatre. Film: Pass Over (Spike Lee/Amazon), Working Man, Orpa. Television: “Chicago Med,” “Chicago Fire.”Based on an original story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD is a play by Jack Thorne, directed by John Tiffany.   HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD features movement by Steven Hoggett, set by Christine Jones, costumes by Katrina Lindsay, music & arrangements by Imogen Heap, lighting by Neil Austin, sound by Gareth Fry, illusions & magic by Jamie Harrison, music supervision & arrangements by Martin Lowe. US Casting by Jim Carnahan, CSA. From the moment eleven-year-old Harry Potter met Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, his adventures have left an indelible mark on popular culture. Today, over 25 years later, the Harry Potter phenomenon thrives as one of the most successful and best-loved entertainment properties in history.
 
more: getthefunkoutshow.kuci.org

As a boy in colonial Kenya, Pius Kamau learns early what it means to run with lions-both the metaphorical powers that stalk his people and the real leopard he encounters alone in the forest, the first of many times he will stand eye-to-eye with death.Born under British rule and hardened by the unspeakable violence of the Mau Mau Rebellion, Pius grows up where curable illnesses claim loved ones and hope feels scarce. Inspired by his tubercular father, he dares to believe education can be his escape. He flees on foot toward Sudan in search of schooling but is arrested and sent back. He refuses to surrender. A scholarship to Strathmore College in Nairobi leads to medical studies in Spain, where Europe's art, philosophy, and culture widen his world even as he confronts the contradictions of colonialism.
Returning to an independent Kenya as a doctor, Pius discovers oppression has simply changed hands. This powerful memoir traces his journey from dirt-poor village boy to physician and eventually to surgeon, proving resilience, intellect, and courage know no color or border.About the Author
Pius K. Kamau, MD, thoracic surgeon and author, has written for HuffPost, Denver's Dailies, and the Denver Gazette. He's been published in NPR's This I believe, Marlo Thomas's The Right Word at the Right Time, Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Cancer Book, and Medical Business. He also penned the mystery novel Doctor's Date with Death. Kamau established Africa America Higher Education Partnerships (AAHEP), a nonprofit that helps African women scientists to pursue graduate degrees in the US, and is the host of Never Again, the podcast of the Coalition Against Global Genocide.
more: getthefunkoutshow.kuci.org

What if a sincere apology could lead to more freedom, stronger relationships, and greater happiness? Authors Jason Feddy and Michael Waldman, co-authors of The Glory of Groveling: Apology: A Simple Path to More Freedom and Happiness joined host Janeane on KUCI 88.9fm
We'll explore why apologizing is often harder than it should be, how it can transform our personal and professional relationships, and why owning our mistakes may be one of the most powerful tools for human connection.
The Glory of Groveling:
Apology, a Simple Path to More Freedom and Happiness
by Jason Feddy (Author), Michael Waldman (Author)
 
“Apology gives us the authority to determine our own future, free of the fear,resentment, and guilt we feel from broken relationships. It makes us people of our word, people who can be trusted, people who are ready for real love.”
In The Glory of Groveling, authors Jason Feddy and Michael Waldman deliver a refreshingly honest, surprisingly practical, and often humorous guide to personal liberation through the art of apology and forgiveness. With their signature blend of insight and irreverence, they offer a six-and-a-half step program designed to help readers drop their pride, own their mistakes, and find emotional freedom.
 
This is not your average self-help book. Feddy and Waldman take aim at the ego’s favorite defense mechanisms—deflection, denial, blame—and replace them with simple, actionable tools to repair relationships and release resentment. Whether you’re navigating a rocky marriage, tense work dynamic, or the silent guilt of past missteps, The Glory of Groveling invites you to rethink strength, rediscover humility, and learn the surprising joy of making things right.
 
Show page: http://getthefunkoutshow.kuci.org
 

WRITER/DIR: Doug Bremner PRODS: Doug Bremner, Julia Hobgood, Catherine Kagan, Joshua Looby, Viola VaccarinoCAST: Andy Evans, David de Vries, Hannah Fierman, Shaan Sharma, Caroline Avery Granger, Nisey Woods
When a psychiatrist discovers that a medication for the treatment of acne is causing teenagers to kill themselves, the pharmaceutical company sets out on a campaign to destroy the source of the threat to their billion-dollar-a-year drug.
 
Described as Erin Brockovich meets The Constant Gardener, THE GOOSE THAT LAID THE GOLDEN EGG is inspired by a true story that involves greed, power, lies, tragedy, danger, and death.
After the death of her son, Amanda Bellaconda seeks the help of Dr Jack Forteo to understand why teenagers are suddenly taking their own lives after taking a medication for acne. Carinaderm is the goose that keeps laying golden eggs, an acne medication bringing in a billion dollars a year for the Renzon Pharmaceutical Company. When Dr. Forteo sees a potentially lethal side effect of their blockbuster acne pill, Renzon doesn’t hesitate to pull out the stops with personal attacks and accusations of fraud, bringing Forteo’s marriage and career to the brink of destruction.
 
With nothing left to lose, Forteo goes on a journey to revisit a tragedy from his own past. When he unearths painful secrets and deceptions that parallel those he has discovered in the pharmaceutical company, his voyage of self-discovery gives him strength to resume his struggle, leading to the ultimate conclusion.
 
THE GOOSE THAT LAID THE GOLDEN EGG team includes writer/producer/director Doug Bremner and executive producers Neil Shulman, M.D., Patch Adams, M.D., and Raymond Schinazi., PhD. Producers include Bremner, Julia Hobgood, Cat Kagan, Joshua Looby, and Viola Vaccarino. The lead role of Dr. Jack Forteo is played by Andy Evans (86 Melrose Avenue). Plaintiff’s attorney Red Leghorn is played by David de Vries (The Founder). The bereaved mother of the teenage suicide victim, Amanda Bellaconda, is played by Hannah Fierman (VHS). Shaan Sharma (The Chosen) is Ryan Singh, plaintiff’s attorney. Jack’s wife, Isabella Forteo, is played by Caroline Avery Granger (Cobra Kai), and Crystal Watson, the ruthless attorney heading up the Renzon legal team, is played by Nisey Woods (Vampire Diaries).
 
THE REAL STORY… Douglas Bremner is professor of psychiatry and a researcher. He did brain imaging research on the effects of an acne medication, isotretinoin (Accutane), on the brain, and as a result became an expert witness in multi-district litigation related to depression and suicide in teenagers who had taken the drug. The research was funded by private donations from affected families.
THE GOOSE THAT LAID THE GOLDEN EGG is a fictionalized story with elements of truth. In reality, the plaintiffs settled with the drug manufacturer and part of the settlement was that they couldn’t talk about the settlement.
The film has a running time of 92 minutes. It is currently not rated by the MPAA and is available for sale in all territories.
 
getthefunkoutshow.kuci.org  | www.janeanebernstein.com