The Someone To Tell It To Podcast

Joshua Lazerson remembers starting to understand the power and importance of listening as a teenager. At the age of 25 he made a personal commitment to try to prioritize listening in his life, and has 41 years of practice to date. Today, he fulfills that commitment, in part, with The Listening Project, through which he holds space by offering to listen to anyone who wishes to join him in a variety of public places around S...

In our latest episode, we have a conversation with Kristopher Sledge — pastor, conversation curator, traveler, husband, and father — who has built a reputation for helping people engage in real, honest dialogue about life’s toughest issues. Kris shares how he creates safe spaces for meaningful conversations around justice, equity, and inclusion, and how humility, listening, and curiosity can bridge deep divides. He also re...

In this episode, we sit down with Nicole Deary, President & CEO of the Carlisle Area Chamber of Commerce and former Executive Director of Leadership Cumberland. With more than 20 years of experience in leadership, program development, marketing, and community engagement, Nicole has devoted her career to fostering growth, connection, and collaboration across Central Pennsylvania. Nicole shares her own journey into leade...

When Kait Gillis-Hanna opened her coffee shop, it was about more than lattes and pastries—it was about creating a place where everyone belongs. By intentionally hiring people with disabilities, Kait has cultivated a workplace rooted in dignity, purpose, and connection. In this conversation, we talk with Kait about her vision, the challenges and joys of building an inclusive team, and the transformative power of belonging a...

Jamaican-born Marva Shand-McIntosh, is a Speech Language Pathologist in the District of Columbia Public Schools, in Washington, D.C. In this conversation, Marva’s passion for the essential impact that listening well can have shines through. She has realized that her work helping others with their verbal abilities needs to be undergirded by intentional listening. Everything begins with listening, she believes, and she dedic...

As Someone To Tell It To continues to grow, we’re embracing a new chapter of leadership — one that honors who we are and where we’re going. After more than a decade of co-leading as our Co-Chief Encouragement Officer (Co-CEO), Co-founder Michael Gingerich is transitioning into a new role as Chief Values Officer.

Michael’s heart has always been at the soul of our mission. Michael will continue to pour into our team,...

In this special re-release, we revisit a playful and profound episode featuring Jed and Sophia Lazar, creators of the connection-building game COZY JUICY REAL. During our conversation, we dive into the game itself—experiencing firsthand how it sparks laughter, honesty, and heartfelt connection. What starts as fun quickly becomes something deeper: vulnerable, meaningful, and richly human. That’s the magic of COZY JUICY REAL...

Stuart Landon, the Producing Artistic Director at Open Stage of Harrisburg, a professional regional theater in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, joins us in a conversation. As an actor, director, and theater executive, Stuart has well-honed experience with how the arts can move, inspire, and elevate us. We also talk about the play we are co-producing with Open Stage this spring - I’m Proud of You - about the friendship journalist ...

Our friend and our book editor and collaborator Isabelle Harman is our special guest. Isabelle has a mission to alleviate suffering in any form that she can. Her unique life experiences living across the United States, in Europe, and her education as a young student in a Japanese school, have given her valuable insights and empathy. Those gifts inspire her to want to help others to come out of the shadows of their challeng...

Scott LaMar, has worked in both radio and television for more than 45 years. He retired last year as the Host and Executive Producer of The Spark program on public radio station WITF-FM, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He has moderated political candidate debates and was a regular contributor to BBC World News TV before and after the 2020 U.S. Presidential election. Scott hosted more than 3,200 radio shows featuring at least ...

Kittie Watson has more than 25 years of experience as an executive and leadership development consultant and coach. She is the President and Founder of Innolect Inc. Kittie has authored / co-authored 6 books on listening, is a former president of the International Listening Association (ILA), and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from ILA as a listening researcher, practitioner and advocate in 2024.

K...

In this episode, Michael and Tom have another conversation with their dear friend, Tim Madigan. Tim was the very first guest on the program six seasons ago. Tim is a journalist and author of several books. But the one book highlighted in this episode is one that was instrumental in the founding of Someone To Tell It To.

That book is I’m Proud of You: My Friendship with Fred Rogers.

This is off the Open Stage Website A true...

It was her first podcast, and Dr. Lia Belanger is a natural! A Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, she has spent her career in small animal family practice. She enjoys being able to play a part in helping people to enjoy meaningful relationships with animals. She and her team, which includes her husband, practice with sensitivity and compassion, and are attuned to the humans’ emotional needs as they nurture and love their pets.

Orly Israel created The Listening Table, aiming to empower people to be better listeners, because better listeners develop more relationship resilience which directly combats the loneliness epidemic that is facing our more-connected-than-ever world today. He writes: “We've unintentionally traded the quality of our relationships for our quantity of them, but more is not always better.” Orly is the real deal when it comes to...