KUCI: Get the Funk Out

2/3/20 @9:30am pst - LAURA HUANG, Harvard Business School Professor shares how to find our personal “edge” by turning adversity into advantage

In EDGE: Turning Adversity into Advantage, Harvard Business School Professor Laura Huang shares the practical implications of her revolutionary research on advantage and disadvantage, showing us how we can all improve our chances of achieving our dreams. Arguing that personal success depends on more than our ideas and credentials, or even hard work and effort, Huang writes, “To get ahead, you need an edge—and if you don’t have one, you can make one.”
EDGE illuminates how success in all arenas of life—whether it’s landing a job, getting a raise, closing a deal, or acing a presentation—hinges not only on working hard and amplifying our strengths, but on shaping how others see our perceived flaws. Huang begins with the recognition that the world isn’t a level playing field. Some people have inherent advantages; others have to create advantages for themselves. Stereotyping, bias, and superficial perceptions, fairly or not, play a big role in how we’re seen by others and how far we can go, and we all have biases—about race, gender, age, religion, ability, sexual orientation, and more—that work for us or against us. The good news, Huang argues, is that we can turn adversity into advantage by harnessing the very stereotypes and qualities that seem like shortcomings and reframing them as assets that work in our favor. We can each find and create our own unique “edge.”

2/3/20 @9:15am pst - Director Liz Manashil joins host Janeane live on KUCI 88.9fm to talk about her film Speed of Life

SPEED OF LIFE
STARRING ANN DOWD & JEFF PERRY
AVAILABLE ON DIGITAL ON JANUARY 10
David Bowie's death rocks the lives of June & Edward. The superstar’s passing rips a literal hole in the universe, sucking Edward in. Fast forward 24 years, an older June is shocked to find her once-beloved shot back out of this inter-dimensional portal, unchanged from his entry in 2016. The ensemble struggles to understand the extreme ch-ch-changes that have befallen them in this dramedy.
SPEED OF LIFE stars Ann Dowd, Ray Santiago, Vella Lovell, Sean Wright, with Allison Tolman and Jeff Perry. The film has a running time of 76 minutes and will not be rated by the MPAA. The film was written and directed by Liz Manashil.
Giant Pictures will release SPEED OF LIFE digitally on January 10 (Apple TV, Prime Video, Breaker, Vudu, Google Play, and local Cable, among others).
To view the trailer and for additional materials, go to: https://www.speedoflifefilm.com/

2/3/20 @9:00am pst - NYC writing professor David Puretz, releases his debut novel, The Escapist. He joins Janeane live on KUCI 88.9fm

ABOUT THE BOOK
When escape becomes a first line of defense, is it possible to ever face life's harsh realities? In his debut novel, The Escapist (Global City Press, January 28, 2020), David Puretz details one young man's seemingly never-ending quest for his missing father. Weaving topics like mental health, family conflict and abuse, drug addiction, and sexuality throughout a frame narrative structure, Puretz delves into the internal and external calamities that shape the human life and mind.
The only thing protagonist Billy Chute excels in is escaping. After finding that his father has escaped his own life and disappeared, Billy quits his job and sets out to find him. But what he may really be searching for is a path to free him from his past and give him a purpose and future.
More than a story of self-discovery, The Escapist takes an intimate look into the psyche of an unlikely protagonist. Billy turns to writing as he travels the country, and uses writing, in part, as a way to heal, make sense of things, and forgive. Within the narrative, he explores the adversity of family and self, desperate to create his own identity, but drug addiction and the lasting effects of past abuse take him deeper into an escape than he ever could have imagined.

1/27/20 @9:15am pst - “The Soledad Children” (Arte Público Press, Sept. 30, 2019) by attorneys Marty Glick and Maurice Jourdane, who fought against t...

In the late 1960s, the California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA) filed two class-action lawsuits that advocated for fair education opportunities for Mexican-American children in California. A statewide problem, at least 13,000 farmworker and other second-language students were victims of culturally biased IQ tests and sent to dead-end classes and dubbed “Educable Mentally Retarded” -- in one class, 12 out of 13 students were from farmworker families in the Salinas Valley.
SOLEDAD, California – Ten-year-old Arturo Velázquez was born and raised in a farm labor camp in the small Salinas Valley town of Soledad. He was bright and gregarious, but he was still learning English when he entered third grade in 1968. A psychologist at Soledad Elementary School gave him a culturally biased IQ test in English only and without translation. Based on the results, he was labeled “retarded” and placed in a class for the “Educable Mentally Retarded.” Arturo joined 12 other children, varying in age from 6-13, in that one classroom. All but one were from farmworker families. All were devastated by the stigma and name calling by other children and by their lack of opportunity to learn.
Brand new at the time was the Lyndon Johnson and Sargent Shriver inspired national legal services program and one of its grantees, California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA), had evening office hours at the Catholic church in Soledad. In 1969, two Soledad parents had the courage to complain to CRLA staff. The CRLA attorneys knew that the problem was statewide with at least 13,000 farmworker and other second language students sent to dead end classes where they were given coloring books and magazines to cut pictures out of and, if old enough, made to wash school buses. Another generation of over 100,000 was in line to get the same mistreatment. The legal battle to stop the practice and rescue the mostly Mexican-American children ensued. That case was followed closely by a fight to end the use of the same biased IQ tests with African-American students. While African-American and Mexican-American students made up 21.5% of the state population, they were 48% of special education programs.
Written by Marty Glick and Maurice Jourdane, the two attorneys who led the charge “The Soledad Children” (Arte Público Press, Sept. 30, 2019) recounts the history of the advent of rural justice through CRLA and the two class-action suit filed in 1970 and 1972, Diana v. the State Board of Education and Larry P v Riles.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
MARTY GLICK is a litigator with the international firm, Arnold & Porter, and is listed in Best Lawyers in America in Intellectual Property and Patent Law. He worked in Mississippi for the Justice Department in the 1960s and for the California Rural Legal Assistance for eight years. He has been CRLA’s outside counsel for four decades and has been lead counsel on countless pro bono cases. He lives and works in the San Francisco Bay Area.
MAURICE “MO” JOURDANE is the author of “The Struggle for the Health and Legal Protection of Farm Workers: El Cortito” (Arte Público Press, 2005). His work at California Rural Legal Assistance helped secure farmworkers’ rights during the nation’s civil rights gains of the 1960s and 1970s. He lives and works in San Diego, California.

1/27/20 @9:00am pst - RECLAIMING MY DECADE LOST IN SCIENTOLOGY by Sands Hall

SANDS HALL is the author of the memoir Reclaiming My Decade Lost in Scientology, finalist for the Northern California Book Award, and a Publishers Weekly Best Book in Religion and Spirituality. She is also the author of the novel Catching Heaven, a Random House Reader’s Circle selection, and Tools of the Writer’s Craft. She teaches for the Iowa Summer Writing Festival and for the Community of Writers at Squaw Valley, among other conferences. She lives in Nevada City, California. Find out more at sandshall.com.
Named a Best Book in Religion and Spirituality by Publishers Weekly
Longlisted for NCIBA’s Golden Poppy Award in Nonfiction
A Finalist for the 2019 Northern California Book Award in Creative Nonfiction
In Reclaiming My Decade Lost in Scientology, Hall compellingly reveals what drew her into the religion—what she found intriguing and useful—and how she came to confront its darker sides and escape.
RECLAIMING MY DECADE LOST IN SCIENTOLOGY
A Memoir by Sands Hall

She’s Back! Emmy Winning Voice-Over Artist, Emmy Nominated Actress, Executive Communication Specialist and Public Speaker Tasia Valenza joins Janeane ...

About Tasia
Emmy Winning Voice-Over Artist, Emmy Nominated Actress, Executive Communication Specialist and Public Speaker
STAR WARS:CLONE WARS, BATMAN:ARKHAM ASYLUM, VOICE OF TVGN.
Biography
Tasia Valenza (born April 5, 1967 in New York City) is an Emmy Nominated actress who has recently found acclaim as a voice actress and is one of the top in the county.
In the early part of her career, Valenza played the role of Dottie Thornton on All My Children from 1982 to 1986, earning a Daytime Emmy nomination for her work. She also showed up in a guest star appearances in many series in the 90s such as a Vulcan in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Coming of Age", and a recurring role as Lieutenant Winslow in Space: Above & Beyond. She also portrayed Jodie Abramovitz in Aaron Spelling's drama series The Heights. Valenza is best known Iconic strong females in video games such as Poison Ivy in Batman: Arkham Asylum games as well as General Shaak Ti in the Clone Wars, Kalyio Djannis in Star Wars the Old Republic and most recently Avra Darkos in Wild Star.
Awards
Emmy
What is Giving Great Voice?
It’s the art of confident verbal communication. By thinking like a voice actor and understanding the roles you play in your own life, hone the ability to communicate powerfully, persuasively and confidently in all areas of your professional and personal life!
Giving Great Voice is a fun, interactive program for individuals looking to maximize their communication skills including media communication. Tasia combines acting games, relaxation & mindfulness practices, and other essential communication tools in this unique program to empower you to use your voice more effectively. Confidently craft your outgoing message to the world, and take control over your most powerful communication tool, your voice! Giving Great Voice will be your secret weapon for more successful, fulfilling personal and professional relationships.
Tasia Valenza is a confidence coach, mentor and the owner of Giving Great Voice, which is a platform dedicated to the art of confident verbal communication. Her unique technique revolutionizes the way we use our voices successfully, by “thinking like an actor” in our own lives. She combines her 25+ years as a master communicator, an Emmy-nominated actress, and a renowned voiceover artist to inspire individuals to find their unique voice, and use their voice powerfully to achieve their goals.
Tasia has Given Great Voice to thousands of companies, brands, and iconic roles, most known for characters such as Poison Ivy of the Batman: Arkham Series and General Shaak Ti in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. In the spirit of Giving Great Voice Back, she created a kindness campaign called the #GivingGreatVoiceChallenge and co-founded the Haven Affirmation Meditation App. She now teaches these same tools that have made her so successful to help people from all walks of life gain more confidence in themselves and their verbal communication.

1/13/20 @9:30am pst - Kerry Hannon, a leading authority and strategist on career transitions, entrepreneurship, personal finance and retirement.

Kerry Hannon is a leading authority and strategist on career transitions, entrepreneurship, personal finance and retirement. She is a frequent TV and radio commentator and is a sought-after keynote speaker at conferences.
Millions of viewers, readers and listeners have been motivated by Kerry’s can-do, down-to-earth message.
Kerry is the best-selling and award-winning author of a 13 books. Her latest book, Never Too Old to Get Rich: The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Starting a Business Mid-Life, was published by John Wiley & Sons, June 2019, and is a #1 bestseller on Amazon and was selected by The Washington Post for its Book-of-the-Month Club in September.
Other best-selling and award-winning books penned by Kerry include: Money Confidence: Really Smart Financial Moves for Newly Single Women, Great Jobs for Everyone 50+: Finding Work That Keeps You Happy and Healthy . . . And Pays the Bills, Love Your Job: The New Rules for Career Happiness, Getting the Job You Want after 50, and What’s Next?: Finding Your Passion and Your Dream Job in Your Forties, Fifties and Beyond.
She has spent more than three decades covering all aspects of careers, business and personal finance as a columnist, editor, and writer for the nation’s leading media companies, including The New York Times, Forbes, Money, U.S. News & World Report, and USA Today. Kerry’s work has also appeared in BusinessWeek, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, and The Wall Street Journal, among other national publications.
She has appeared as a career and financial expert on The Dr. Phil Show ABC, CBS, CNBC, NBC Nightly News, NPR, Yahoo Finance and PBS.
Kerry is currently an expert columnist and regular contributor to The New York Times, MarketWatch, Forbes, and is the PBS website NextAvenue.org personal finance and entrepreneur expert. Her areas of expertise include entrepreneurship, personal finance, retirement, wealth management and career transition.
Her advice as a work and jobs expert is a regular feature in AARP publications.

Coming up 1/13/20 at 9:00am pst - Laura B. Whitmore shares all of the details of the up-coming SHE ROCKS AWARDS January 17th!

Gloria Gaynor, Linda Perry, Lzzy Hale, Suzi Quatro and More to be Honored at the 2020 She Rocks Awards
Iconic vocalist Gloria Gaynor, multi-platinum producer and songwriter Linda Perry, Halestorm frontwoman Lzzy Hale, and legendary bassist, singer and musician Suzi Quatro are among this year’s diverse recipients
Tickets on sale now
Top row L to R: Gloria Gaynor, Linda Perry, Lzzy Hale, Suzi Quatro, Beatie Wolfe
Bottom row L to R: Myrna Sislen, Judy Schaefer, Suzanne D’Addario Brouder, Ebonie Smith, Tara Low
PHOTO CREDITS: Beatie Wolf – Ross Harris; Linda Perry – Angela Izzo; Suzi Quatro – Tina K
ANAHEIM, Calif., October 2, 2019 – The Women’s International Music Network (the WiMN), proudly announces a stellar array of honorees for the 2020 She Rocks Awards. Paying tribute to women in the music industry, the eighth annual She Rocks Awards will take place at 7:30p.m. on Friday, Jan. 17, 2020, at the House of Blues Anaheim, during the NAMM Show. This high-energy evening includes live music, awards and speeches, celebrity appearances, a fabulous silent auction, amazing gift bags and much more.
The event is open to the public, and tickets can be purchased at sherocksawards.com.
The 2020 She Rocks Awards recipients include:
Gloria Gaynor, GRAMMY® Award-winning artist, GRAMMY Hall of Fame inductee, and the legendary voice behind the iconic hit “I Will Survive"
Linda Perry, GRAMMY, Golden Globe, Critic's Choice-nominated artist, Songwriter Hall of Fame inductee, multi-platinum producer and former frontwoman for 4 Non Blondes
Lzzy Hale, GRAMMY Award-winning artist/songwriter and frontwoman for Halestorm
Suzi Quatro, pioneering bass player, singer, musician and actress who played the role of Leather Tuscadero on Happy Days
Beatie Wolfe, Singer-songwriter, pioneer of immersive music formats, UN Women role model
Suzanne D’Addario Brouder, Executive Director of the D’Addario Foundation
Tara Low, Music-based entrepreneur and editor and founder of Guitar Girl Magazine
Myrna Sislen, Owner of Middle C Music in D.C., classical guitarist, philanthropist, former music professor
Judy Schaefer, Marketing Director at PRS Guitars
Ebonie Smith, Founder and President of Gender Amplified, Inc, and Atlantic Records audio engineer and producer
Additional honorees and featured guests will be announced soon.
This year’s opening performers will be Japanese act D_Drive, hosted by Marshall Amplification. Consisting of Seiji and Yuki on guitar, Toshi on bass and Chiiko on drums, they play high energy, instrumental rock music with a combination of jaw-dropping guitars and a fireball rhythm section delivering a unique sound.

1/10/19 - RACHEL FRIEDMAN Author of AND THEN WE GREW UP: On Creativity, Potential, and the Imperfect Art of Adulthood

One of Publishers Weekly’s Best Books of 2019!
What happens when early artistic promise doesn’t materialize into fame and fortune?
Rachel Friedman was a talented viola player who attended the prestigious Interlochen Arts Camp as a kid. She quit music in college but never stopped fantasizing about what her life might be like if she had never put down her bow. In her 30s, a freelance writer in New York, she again found herself struggling with her fantasy of an artist’s life versus its much more complicated reality. In search of answers, she decided to track down her former Interlochen campmates—actors, writers, fellow musicians, and more—to find out how their own creative promise has translated into adult careers, relationships, and identities.
RACHEL FRIEDMAN
Author of AND THEN WE GREW UP:
On Creativity, Potential, and the Imperfect Art of Adulthood
AND THEN WE GREW UP: On Creativity, Potential, and the Imperfect Art of Adulthood is a funny, insightful exploration of how Friedman and eight of her talented childhood friends have reckoned with creativity mid-life. Each of these men and women reveal important insights about creativity: that it doesn't have to be all or nothing, that success isn't always linear, that sometimes it's okay to quit.
Those interviewed include Michelle, a violist who got the musical career Friedman thought she wanted; Dalia, a former actress who struggles as an adult to satisfy her creative impulses; Sarah, a professional flutist who quits at 29 in spite of success; Daniel, whose day job at a special effects studio turns out to be far more fulfilling than his earlier aspirations to be a screenwriter. AND THEN WE GREW UP provides a warm and whip-smart way forward for anyone struggling to write, play music, or make art, while also balancing things like having a family, making rent, and finding contentment.

1/9/20 - Kelly McGonigal, PhD speaks with Janeane Bernstein about her latest book The Joy of Movement. The bestselling author of The Willpower Instinc...

In THE JOY OF MOVEMENT, health psychologist and Stanford University lecturer Kelly McGonigal, PhD combines her passion for fitness and background in health psychology to investigate movement as a source of joy. THE JOY OF MOVEMENT is a love letter to movement and exploration of what is most human about us.
DR. KELLY MCGONIGAL
Author of
THE JOY OF MOVEMENT:
How exercise helps us find happiness,
hope, connection, and courage
Dr. McGonigal tells the stories of people who have found fulfillment and belonging through running, walking, dancing, swimming, weightlifting, and more, with examples that span the globe. From Tanzania, where one of the last hunter-gatherer tribes on the planet live, to a dance class at Juilliard for people with Parkinson's disease, to the streets of London, where volunteers combine fitness and community service, to races in the remote wilderness, where athletes push the limits of what a human can endure.