By Chris Hobson, Consultant, Dragon Tree Communications, LLC Posted on January 11, 2026 Image created using Adobe Firefly AI In the past few months, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevent...

Ever wonder how our lives are linked to the common salamander or a very busy newt? This week on The Dragon Tree Podcast, we sat down with Kimberly Curren, a dedicated naturalist and educator who's helped her students participate in everything from tracking horseshoe crabs by the Chesapeake Bay, to closely monitoring the very mysterious world of dragonflies. Her story proves that the best hands on learning often happens outside the classroom, where we can all benefit from studying our ever evolving connections to the natural world. Kim shared how her career first began, teaching children about animals in an indoor aquarium setting to eventually finding her passion for the outdoors through nature-based education in Calvert County, Maryland. Her mission has always been straightforward: create a safe space for all learners and find the hook that could spark a lifelong interest. Kim’s core communication philosophy is to meet students where they are. She often teaches school-aged children on nature walks, to encounter wildlife in their very own territory. She also emphasizes the need for a teaching style that authentically validates everyone's experience, from the enthusiastic volunteer to the kid who's not really a "nature person" (well, not yet, anyway). Nature's Tiny Barometers 🦀 Kim's work is often supported by the work of citizen scientists, which sbows how anyone can contribute to scientific research. She's involved in several such incredible projects: The Dragonfly Mercury Project: Since dragonflies spend their early lives as aquatic larvae, this study has shown how it makes them excellent indicators for monitoring mercury pollution in the environment. Amphibian Bio-Indicators: Programs like Frog Watch monitor the calls of frogs and toads. Specifically, their permeable skin makes them highly sensitive to environmental changes and their calls can signal shifts in seasons or pollution before humans even notice them. The Red Knot Effect: Kimberly discusses her effort to start a horseshoe crab monitoring program along the Chesapeake Bay. This project matters because horseshoe crab eggs are a critical food source for migratory shorebirds, like the Red Knot, showing how interdependent the ecosystem truly is. You May Already Be a Citizen Scientist 📱 People are the most powerful tool in the efforts for nature conservation. But being a citizen scientist doesn't require a lab coat. It often just requires a smartphone. Robust, easy-to-use apps like iNaturalist and eBird allow anyone to regularly log local plant and animal sightings. Naturalists like Kimberly use this crowd-sourced data daily to not only track seasonal changes but also to predict animal appearances. Drawing her inspiration from dynamic global scientists and presenters such as Jane Goodall and David Attenborough, Kim reminds us that science education is not just reciting facts but truly sharing what subjects you care about and then bringing them to life. This passion she believes is the key to inspiring future generations to address major issues such as habitat loss and climate change. Engaging children early in science, Kim states, will challenge and empower them to be the much needed innovators who can eventually shape a better, more resilient world. 🌎

This week on The Dragon Tree Podcast, we sat down with Teresa Yasutis, a seasoned entrepreneur who has been successfully navigating the field of communications for over 25 years.🎙️ Her journey is a case study in career evolution, with experiences ranging from high-stakes advertising campaigns for Discovery Networks to eventually founding her own boutique PR firm. What tied it all together? A fundamental love of storytelling, rooted in her childhood and reinforced by a career built on messaging that drives real change. We talked about her early work on public awareness campaigns and about her belief in the power of community in business, comms, and beyond. The Right Client💡 In 2006, Teresa took a calculated risk to launch her own communications firm. She quickly found success working with clients like ZocDoc and local DC powerhouse Sandy Spring Bank. The secret to her success? Choosing her clients wisely. For a relationship to be successful, she says, you must genuinely connect with the client's message and mission. As she puts it, if the story doesn't resonate, you most likely won't be the best match to drive that project forward. Building Community from the Ground Up 🚴‍♀️ Teresa also channeled her entrepreneurial spirit into fitness, founding PopCycle, a community-focused indoor cycling studio. This pivot allowed her to blend her business and communication skills with her passion for biking and music! During the height of COVID, she and her husband moved the studio's 30 bikes outside each day to maintain a needed sense of community for their riders. It’s a powerful example of what it takes to protect a brand and a business through unprecedented times, while keeping lines of communication open between owner and client. Coaching the Authors of Tomorrow 📘 Today, Teresa is focused on helping authors in ways that might at first seem counterintuitive. Working as a literary representative, she sees her clients not only as artists, but as entrepreneurs who are selling a valuable product. Viewed in that light, it becomes part of her job to help authors differentiate themselves in a crowded marketplace. This work recently led her to client Ann Butler, who casually mentioned that she was writing a memoir about her 27 years as a covert CIA officer while juggling the responsibilities of being a mother to five children. 🖊 Recognizing a powerful story, Teresa helped Ann package and prepare her book for publication, which led to high-profile media coverage on platforms like NBC Nightly News and C-SPAN. Teresa emphasizes that preparation and coaching are integral to transmitting one's message, especially for those new to the public spotlight. Whether it’s anticipating tough questions or staying on script, a strong communicator should ensure that their client’s genuine story always shines through.

YouTube video by Dragon Tree Communications

YouTube video by Dragon Tree Communications

YouTube video by Dragon Tree Communications

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Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

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The American Medical Association and a chorus of physician groups decried a decision by the Republican-controlled Congress to allow a cut in Medicare payments to doctors.

This week we were honored to invite the popular and seasoned career advice guru Timothy Lo to the Dragon Tree Podcast. As the co-founder of Your Next Jump, since 2015 Tim and his group have done an incredible job of providing people a keen edge over their competition in landing their dream job. After receiving over a thousand positive reviews and testimonials, it's evident that Tim has cracked the code for helping his clients make significant breakthroughs in the job search game, leading to very real results. Through an array of programs, he and his team successfully craft targeted resume building, job counseling, and career change guidance with a calm and empathic approach. Tim says that above all, attending job networking events and engaging in online networking remain the key elements in any successful career transition. "Networking is the only shortcut in the job search," he emphasizes. "And we want to make sure when people are marketing themselves that they're not just submitting their resumes and waiting to hear back, because there's just so many other people that are doing that." Tim stresses that advertised positions can garner between 200 and 400 applications. These are particularly steep odds to face if you're not also networking, even if you happen to have a phenomenal resume, he says. And he speaks from experience: Tim began his career in the federal government and went on to work in both the private sector and top-tier international consulting firms. In light of recent events, his team has shifted a significant amount of focus to helping recently laid-off federal workers land private sector jobs through a program called the FedExit Strategy. Whether it's through his webinars, in-person events, or social media outreach, Tim meets people where they are in their career journey and then takes them to the next level. One of his main goals is to help clients land their ideal job while staying authentic to themselves. So if you know of someone right now who is looking for a job or a career change, give them a leg up and encourage them to connect with the friendly folks at Your Next Jump. Check out our exciting conversation with Tim here! You can find Tim in the following places: Website: https://yournextjump.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothyclo/ Find us on social media! Twitter: @DragonTreeComms Threads: @dragontreecomms BlueSky: @chrishobson.bsky.social Instagram:@DragonTreeComms Music I Use: Bensound.com/royalty-free-music License code: ROKSTDAAWYZ8H5IE Song: Elevate

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Welcome to the Dragon Tree Newsletter, your go-to source for all manner of great communication, past and present! A former U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare named John W. Gardner once stated, "History never looks like history when you're living through it." Yet when we take the time to document the past with some care and attention, E. M. Forster's quote also comes to mind: "History develops, art stands still." Today's message is not just about history's bumps and news cycles, but, more importantly, about how Americans can preserve them. On this week's Dragon Tree Podcast, we spoke with historian Bob Sullivan about why old school forms of communication still intrigue us. Bob is the founder and owner of Sullivan Press, which has been carefully reproducing historical documents from various eras of American history since 1989. We met Bob at an event hosted at George Washington's Mount Vernon, where he was dressed in the guise of a colonial publisher. During our brief meeting, he kindly showed us the workings of an ancient-looking book binding machine. Although the books he recreates were considered the cutting-edge physical media of their day, he points out that the methods for creating them are slowly passing into obscurity. Not only does Bob create spot-on reproductions of old books, stationery, playing cards, and even currency, he's also been a Revolutionary War and Civil War re-enactor since the 1970s. In fact, it was during the course of this work that he got the idea for creating old books. Throughout his extensive career as a historical interpreter, publisher, and expert communicator, he continues to bring attention to the enduring value of being rooted in the past, especially in the midst of our lightning-paced world. During our podcast conversation, Bob goes into depth about how only a few people in the U.S. still practice this art form, and why keeping history alive really matters. Check out our conversation for a more detailed look at printing the old fashioned way. And watch to the end to find out which of Bob's creations he's most proud of, and which treasures still elude him. You can find Bob in the following places: Website: https://sullivanpress.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bob-sullivan-383a2b111 Find us on social media! Twitter: @DragonTreeComms Threads: @dragontreecomms BlueSky: @chrishobson.bsky.social Instagram:@DragonTreeComms Music I Use: Bensound.com/royalty-free-music License code: ROKSTDAAWYZ8H5IE Song: Elevate

This week on the Dragon Tree Podcast, our guest is Ragnhildur Ágústsdóttir, also known as Ragga. She and her husband Júlíus Ingi Jónsson co-founded the Lava Show, which is billed as Iceland's only live lava show. During the live show, they clearly and calmly educate live audiences about Earth's ever-changing topography, especially lava from volcanoes. They are proof positive that those with passion and ingenuity can make compelling content. We talked to Ragga about what it's like to showcase a feat that's never been attempted in human history (harnessing live lava before a captive audience) and about how she and Júlíus get the word out about their innovative show. (Full disclosure: we've been to the live Lava Show in Reykjavik and it's amazing!) In our interview, Ragga dispels common misconceptions about volcanoes (and there are many) and goes into detail about how she educates her wider audience. For instance, unlike the movies, most people can outrun a lava flow! But there are other unseen dangers, she explains; like ice on a frozen river, you should never step on a recently-dried lava field (come on, people). Ragga and Júlíus see themselves more as interpreters, breaking down complex science into bite-sized facts that volcano novices and other experts can quickly understand. And Ragga is often on social media talking to those who are interested in seeing Iceland's volcanoes, to dissuade fears, and to encourage an attitude of curiosity and open-mindedness. As she attests, Ragga films all her social media videos on her phone and uses basic editing software. It's more important, she says, to get your authentic message across and less crucial to use the best camera or lighting equipment. She has three pieces of advice for anyone who is just starting out on social media, or who's looking for a new strategy: just start, and don't let it stop you if you don't have top-of-the-line equipment. Online (or in-person), her disarming approach is simple yet effective: "I'm basically trying to put out content that I would myself want to watch…if I think it's interesting, then someone else must find it interesting, too. It doesn't have to be the whole world. It doesn't have to go viral." She prefers to avoid the sensationalism that often accompanies media reports covering natural disasters. What best describes her approach in her own words? "Truthful, accurate, non-sensationalist, and hopefully entertaining!" You can find Ragga in the following places: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lavashowiceland/?hl=en TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lavashowiceland LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ragnhildur The Lave Show website: https://www.lavashow.com For more information about the Lava Show, check out a previous conversation we had with co-founder Júlíus Ingi Jónsson: https://youtu.be/18jAbGyM9Ac?feature=shared

This week on the Dragon Tree Podcast, our guest is Ragnhildur Ágústsdóttir, also known as Ragga. She and her husband Júlíus Ingi Jónsson co-founded the Lava Show, which is billed as Iceland's only live lava show. During the live show, they clearly and calmly educate live audiences about Earth's ever-changing topography, especially lava from volcanoes. They are proof positive that those with passion and ingenuity can make compelling content. We talked to Ragga about what it's like to showcase a feat that's never been attempted in human history (harnessing live lava before a captive audience) and about how she and Júlíus get the word out about their innovative show. (Full disclosure: we've been to the live Lava Show in Reykjavik and it's amazing!) In our interview, Ragga dispels common misconceptions about volcanoes (and there are many) and goes into detail about how she educates her wider audience. For instance, unlike the movies, most people can outrun a lava flow! But there are other unseen dangers, she explains; like ice on a frozen river, you should never step on a recently-dried lava field (come on, people). Ragga and Júlíus see themselves more as interpreters, breaking down complex science into bite-sized facts that volcano novices and other experts can quickly understand. And Ragga is often on social media talking to those who are interested in seeing Iceland's volcanoes, to dissuade fears, and to encourage an attitude of curiosity and open-mindedness. As she attests, Ragga films all her social media videos on her phone and uses basic editing software. It's more important, she says, to get your authentic message across and less crucial to use the best camera or lighting equipment. She has three pieces of advice for anyone who is just starting out on social media, or who's looking for a new strategy: just start, and don't let it stop you if you don't have top-of-the-line equipment. Online (or in-person), her disarming approach is simple yet effective: "I'm basically trying to put out content that I would myself want to watch…if I think it's interesting, then someone else must find it interesting, too. It doesn't have to be the whole world. It doesn't have to go viral." She prefers to avoid the sensationalism that often accompanies media reports covering natural disasters. What best describes her approach in her own words? "Truthful, accurate, non-sensationalist, and hopefully entertaining!" You can find Ragga in the following places: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lavashowiceland/?hl=en TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lavashowiceland LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ragnhildur The Lave Show website: https://www.lavashow.com For more information about the Lava Show, check out a previous conversation we had with co-founder Júlíus Ingi Jónsson: https://youtu.be/18jAbGyM9Ac?feature=shared

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On this week's podcast we interview Colleen Hole, a Healthcare Strategic Advisor working on the front lines of value-based healthcare. During her time at Advocate Health in Charlotte, North Carolina, she was a central figure in the adoption of something called the Atrium Health Hospital at Home Initiative.  The program was a version of a federal government-sponsored program called the Acute Hospital Care at Home (AHCAH) program. It was launched by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to relieve pressure on overstretched care facilities.  This innovative approach to care delivery allows certain hospitals to treat patients with inpatient-level care at the patient's own home, with the goal of improving outcomes, while reducing hospital costs.  To facilitate adoption of this unique program, Colleen relied on her highly-trained communication skills to align caregiver and hospital administrator aims. During the ups and downs of COVID, Colleen was a steady hand, keeping her team focused on administering high level, home-based care while advocating to expand the program. To date, Advocate Health has enrolled over 8,400 patients across 10 counties in the Charlotte region. This has resulted in nearly 30,000 bed days saved since March 2020, and maintained high patient satisfaction ratings. To learn more about Colleen, you can find her on LinkedIn or at https://colleenhole.com. Find us on social media! Twitter: @DragonTreeComms Threads: @dragontreecomms BlueSky: @chrishobson.bsky.social Instagram: / dragontreecomms Music I Use: Bensound.com/royalty-free-music License code: ROKSTDAAWYZ8H5IE Song: Elevate

For this episode of the Dragon Tree Podcast, we've got the luck of the Irish in the form of former Notre Dame football player – and nonprofit executive director – Reggie Brooks, who stopped by the podcast to talk about a unique organization he heads called Holtz's Heroes Foundation. And his timing couldn't be better, as the Fighting Irish continue their improbable run at a college football national title. Holtz's Heroes Foundation, which takes its name from of legendary Notre Dame head football coach Lou Holtz, works across the country providing support to promising student-athletes, assisting the families of former players facing adversity, and sponsoring regular food drives in a variety of communities. Many readers will already be familiar with Coach Lou Holtz, who helmed several teams during his illustrious college football coaching career, including NC State, the University of Arkansas, and the University of South Carolina. But it was as head football coach at the University of Notre Dame that he earned iconic status. It was there, in 1988, that Holtz's team won the national championship and enshrined him as one of the greatest college football coaches of all time. In 1989, Reggie Brooks began his own storied career in South Bend, Indiana. He ultimately became the starting tailback at Notre Dame, earning All-American status and finishing fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting his senior year. Reggie went on to play in the NFL, spending time with the Washington Commanders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After his playing days were over, Reggie decided to invest his efforts in helping former athletes cope with life off the playing field. In time, he became Executive Director of Holtz’s Heroes Foundation, which continues to help former athletes and many other community groups. Reggie is a first-rate communicator and organizer working to motivate others to always aim high and strive for the greater good. Learn more about Holtz's Heroes Foundation here: https://holtzsheroes.org/ Donate to the organization here: https://holtzsheroes.org/donate/ Find us on social media! Twitter: @DragonTreeComms Threads: @dragontreecomms BlueSky: @chrishobson.bsky.social Instagram: dragontreecomms Music I Use: Bensound.com/royalty-free-music License code: ROKSTDAAWYZ8H5IE Song: Elevate