At the Podium: Season Four
What it means to come home.
When Mike Elliott’s marriage ended, it awakened a much older wound—the fear of abandonment he had carried since being separated from his biological mother as an infant. In this deeply personal conversation, Mike reflects on adoption, his mother’s journals, masculinity, vulnerability, and the relationships that helped him heal. Together, we explore what our deepest wounds can teach us about the men we become, the responsibility we carry for the impact we have on others, and why none of us heals alone.
Who tells us we belong—and what happens when they tell us we don’t? Dr. Rosslyn Knight, Hartnell College’s Interim Vice President of Institutional Equity, Effectiveness, and Success, joins me for a deeply personal conversation about education, race, access, the meaning of merit, and the teachers and institutions that can shape what we believe is possible for our lives.
Quiet, reserved, and extraordinarily gifted, Taylor Abbitt is an artist coming fully into his own. The Juilliard-trained double bassist and Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra member joins At the Podium to explore the discipline behind excellence, finding his voice as a biracial artist, and the journey from mastering technique to trusting himself. And when the conversation ends, Taylor lets the music speak—performing the magnificent Concerto No. 1 for Double Bass by Andres Martin at the Sphinx Competition tthat reveals what words cannot.
Raised in the church and ordained as a minister at a young age, Jonathan L. Allen spent years wrestling with his identity, the roll of faith in his life, and the cost of living truthfully. In this episode of At the Podium, Jonathan joins Patrick Huey for a conversation about courage, purpose, leadership, and the lifelong journey of becoming more fully ourselves. Together they explore the personal sacrifices that come with authenticity, the mission behind Leadership Brainery to expand access to graduate education, and why coming home is ultimately about living in alignment with who you are rather than who the world expects you to be.
At nineteen, Connor Schoen co-founded Breaktime with a bold vision to help end young adult homelessness. Since then, he has become one of Boston's most respected civic leaders, but this conversation reveals a journey far deeper than professional success. Connor reflects on the pressures of leadership, embracing his identity, and the freedom that comes from no longer performing the person you think others expect you to be. Together, we explore authenticity, integrity, purpose, and the ongoing work of becoming—discovering that true leadership isn't defined by titles or achievements, but by allowing the person you are in public and the person you are in private to become one.
In this episode of At the Podium, US Congressman Christian Menefee of Houston’s historic 18th District reflects on growing up in Houston, the public programs that shaped his family's life, and why he believes government can expand opportunity when it serves people well. Together, we explore leadership, education, citizenship, personal responsibility, and the lasting influence of public servants who came before him. Rather than debating political headlines, this conversation asks a more enduring question: What happens when responsibility becomes personal?
Season 4 of At the Podium begins with bestselling author Attica Locke in a deeply personal conversation about identity, creativity, purpose, family, and the meaning of home. Patrick Huey and Attica reflect on friendship, faith, race, and the unexpected ways life reshapes our plans, while exploring what healthy manhood looks like, the mentors who shape our lives, and two near-death experiences that forever changed Patrick's understanding of life's fragility. Together, they ask one of the defining questions of the season: Who do you become when life guides you home?