The Make Meaning Podcast
Writers figure out what they believe and make sense of the world by putting words on the page.
How authors, writers and those in publishing go from idea to book-length story to published with a sought-after audience is the focus of this podcast!
Make Meaning Podcast host Lynne Golodner is a former journalist, multi-title author, award-winning marketing strategist who knows just how to ask the right questions to yield rich, inspiring responses. She shares her own writing process and creative pursuits in lively conversations with stunning writers of great books, compelling stories, and life-changing articles.
- Update frequency
- every 11 days
- Average duration
- 27 minutes
- Episodes
- 164
- Years Active
- 2018 - 2024
Episode 84 - Andrew Meloche - How to make every student in a high school feel special & noticed
Leading with the belief that education is transformation, Andrew Meloche did an exemplary job as principal of Berkley High School in Berkley, Michigan, during the months of shutdown due to the COVID-…
Episode 83 - Adrian Tonon - How to build a night-life culture in America's greatest cities
Adrian Tonon is an example of what happens when people believe anything is possible. The first-generation son of Italian immigrants, Adrian is now Director of Customer Service and the first 24-hour E…
Episode 82 - Jessica McCormick - Envisioning a new type of Jewish community
For decades, we’ve heard that Americans are losing interest in formalized religion – while at the same time seeking spiritual connection. This episode’s Make Meaning podcast guest, Jessica McCormick,…
Episode 81 - John Hartig - How to inspire future generations to care about conservation
From a young age, John Hartig knew he wanted to work toward protecting the environment, especially waterways and the quality of water in the Great Lakes region. Today, he is a Visiting Fulbright Scho…
Episode 80 - Iris Lee Underwood
Meaning has directed Iris Lee Underwood along the many paths of her life – from her childhood in Appalachia, hailing from the McCoy part of the Hatfield-McCoy legend, to raising three daughters in Mi…
Episode 79 - Laura Munson - How to find refuge in writing
In this episode, Laura and Lynne Golodner talk about writing past the fear of exposure, writing as practice, prayer, meditation, a way of life and a way TO life, and so now what?, the next logical st…
Episode 78 - Dr. Sibrina Collins - How to build interest in STEM subjects among girls, women, and BIPOC communities
What do you do when you’ve worked hard to ascend the academic ladder, put in the time, sparked great research and debate, and you’re denied tenure? You ask yourself some hard questions, turn to your …
Episode 77 – Jason Kadlitz - Building community in a barber shop
Jason Kadlitz dropped an engineering career to become a barber, morphing his engineering skills and creative passion into vintage precision haircutting. As he built a one-of-a-kind business, he drew…
Episode 76 - Lynne Golodner and Kirstin Karoub - How to find purpose through volunteering
In this episode of the Make Meaning podcast, Lynne Golodner speaks with former Your People team member Kirstin Karoub explore the power of volunteering to instill meaning, reveal purpose, create con…
Episode 75 - KidsRead2Kids - How to help people with learning disabilities love reading
Growing up with dyslexia can lead children to feel stupid, misunderstood, or as if they don’t fit in. Jacob Blumenstein knows this well. His own transformation from a 5th-grader who tried to skip out…
Episode 74 - Building Bridges with Deanna Singh
Our world is one of beautiful, powerful diversity. We can find many differences in race, culture, and religion, and yet there are many similarities, too. To appreciate and understand each other, we s…
Episode 73 - Jim Reese - Why teaching writing in prisons helps everyone
Jim Reese says readers connect most with his “failures and screw-ups,” because they reveal the humanity that lives within each of us. The author of four books, including a beautiful collection of ess…
Episode 72 - Monica Mae Leibson - How to build lasting health through acupuncture and Chinese medicine
A personal bout with asthma at the age of 18 led Monica Mae Leibson to learn about a variety of ways to create good health – which ultimately inspired her to build a career in acupuncture and Chinese…
Episode 71 - Adri Smith - How to create floral arrangements for the perfect wedding
When Adri Smith, founder of Moss Floral Design in Fort Worth, Texas, was a child, she loved sitting in her mother’s garden, smelling the hyacinths and admiring the irises. She began her career as a t…
Episode 70 - Elena Reads - How to stoke a love of reading in kids
What did your younger self want to be when you grew up? Elena, 6th-grade book blogger of ElenaReads.com, wants to be a writer and is well on her way to realizing that dream. Celebrating her 2-year an…
Episode 69 – Philomena Mantella - How to be the first woman president of a Midwestern university
For high school graduates, the expectation to obtain a college degree seems higher than ever, but greater still is the pressure to pursue a marketable course of study to offset the heavy price tag. T…
Episode 68 - M. L. Liebler - How to use writing & performance to be an activist
“It’s not like I set out to be a poet,” explains M.L. Liebler, Fulbright Specialist, Wayne State University professor and Poet Laureate of St. Clair Shores. And yet, this self-described product of wo…
Episode 67 – Clay Carnill - How to podcast
Whether he’s talking with Tony Hawk, gathering with Make Meaning podcast guests, or convening with close friends over coffee, Clay Carnill knows when someone shares their story, it is a sacred moment…
Episode 66 – Aaron Dworkin - How to elevate and share musical talent from underserved communities
Our paths in life often start with a dream, but they can’t end there. “A lot of times we just sit in the dream without putting the infrastructure in place so that the dream can be realized,” says Aar…
Episode 65 – Reyanne Mustafa - How to reduce food waste
Reyanne Mustafa, co-founder of Soulmuch, aims to rescue the 1 million pounds of untouched restaurant food headed for the trash bin every day. Reyanne knows Soulmuch can’t do it alone, but by engaging…