I Love You So Much: The Austin360 Podcast

We have some news, listeners.  "I Love You So Much" co-hosts Tolly Moseley and Omar L. Gallaga are leaving the show. The co-creators of the "Statesman Shots" podcast that preceded this one discuss with co-host Addie Broyles that evolution, what it's been like to podcast in Austin for the last five years and what's next for both of them. But don't despair: all three co-hosts will be back next week for a full "ILYSM" episode including a preview of Austin City Limits Fest, and will be doing short dispatches from Weekend One of ACL Fest as well. More info: http://austin360.com/loveaustin360

After winning teacher of the year for Austin Independent School District, James Butler left the traditional classroom to work in the district’s SEL — or social and emotional learning — department, and now he brings mindfulness to classrooms from pre-K to high school., who recently released an SEL coloring book for parents, teachers and kids alike, talks to us about kids and emotional awareness, and how these types of practices can transform the culture of schools from the inside out. PLUS: Mando Rayo and Dennis Burnett discuss “Tacos of Texas,” a web series debuting on Sept. 25 that tells the cultural stories of tacos across Texas cities and the peopel who make (and eat!) them. And in this week’s Webb Report, Eric Webb tells us about his recent interview with “Project Runway” mentor Tim Gunn, who was in town this week for the Jewel Ball Fashion Luncheon. In "A Toast," we recommend HBO doc “Swiped” about online dating, Richard Garriott's autobiography “Explore/Create,” and the new film “A Simple Favor.” More i

Austin was one of the film's strongest premiering cities for the hit film "Crazy Rich Asians," thanks to an effort from local leaders, including Christine Hoang of Color Arc Productions, to fill local theaters. Hoang, who is hosting an Asian Pacific American artist meet-up at the Vortex on Sept. 29, and Austin comedians Yola Lu and Santino Fernandez came in to talk about how the movie has rallied Austin’s Asian community. Lu and Fernandez also talked about their comedy troupes, Y’all, We Asian and Hot Pot Comedy, which host regular improv and sketch shows, including a Sept. 20 event at the Fallout Theater called "This Asian American Life." ALSO: This month’s Statesman Selects is Scott Von Doviak’s new book, “Charlesgate Confidential," and in this week's podcast, Austin360 writer Joe Gross interviews the Austin writer whose work appears in the Onion A/V Club about his fiction debut, a noir set in three time periods in Boston. In this week’s Webb Report, Eric Webb explains Matthew McConaughey’s usual recipe for

When Austinites Gray Haddock and Evan Narcisse booked “Black Panther” star Michael B. Jordan for their new series, “Gen:Lock,” they couldn’t tell anyone. In this episode you can hear the story of how Haddock, the head of Rooster Teeth’s animation studio, and Narcisse, a writer on the “Rise of the Black Panther” comic, attracted such a celebrity-studded cast for this show, which launches in January, PLUS: Austin’s first immersive selfie museum, the FOMO Factory, opens in downtown in mid-September, and creator and Austinite Rachel Youens chatted with us about how a colorful, whimsical selfie-friendly space can help us reconnect with the best parts of childhood. AND: Ben Milam Whiskey, a woman-owned distillery based in Blanco, is where Kentuckian Marlene Holmes, who previously worked for Jim Beam for more than 25 years, and longtime Austinite Marsha Milam are now making whiskey inspired by Ben Milam, a hero of the Texas Revolution and Marsha's ancestor. And in "A Toast," we recommend stencil artist El Federico,

The co-founder, Jonathan Davis, and employees of Empowered Coffee talk with co-host Tolly Moseley about running a radically inclusive coffee shop, where employees of all abilities pour you a cup of joe. Davis explained why he wanted to create meaningful employment for a segment of population that wants to work hard but doesn’t always get the opportunity. 101X radio host Deb O’ Keefe didn’t always have dreams of becoming a bodybuilder, but when she found out the mission of a local competition called Make A Vet Sweat, she decided to compete. Last week, Peter Dutton, a 30-year-old Austinite, found himself caught up in a case of mistaken Twitter identity with an Australian politician bidding to become the country’s prime minister. He explains why this mix-up has turned out to be a blessing. In A Toast, we recommend: Netflix new Matt Groening series “Disenchantment,” H-E-B’s curbside pickup and two movies: Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman” and “Christopher Robin.” More info: austin360.com/loveaustin360. 

Chaka Mpeanaji and Qi Dada are so much more than a local hip hop group. The husband-and-wife team behind Riders Against the Storm come in to discuss RAS Day, the annual family friendly music festival happening Saturday at Kenny Dorham’s Backyard. With new music coming out this fall, the couple behind the monthly Body Rock dance party talked about their passion for bringing audiences and communities together through movement and music. ALSO: Since 2011, the Quesoff has drawn Austin’s best queso-makers to the Mohawk for the cheesiest party around. Ahead of this year’s contest, co-founder Adi Anand talked to us about why the event remains so popular. AND: in this week’s Webb Report, Eric Webb talks to us about a little-known government plot involving our very own Mexican freetail bats. In "A Toast," we recommend “The Good Wife,” Raul Garza’s new play, “There and Back" and the next ATX Flowdown, a jazz-and-freestyle spoken word show. More info: austin360.com/loveaustin360

What if you followed your dream, no matter how unlikely it was and how many people told you it was crazy? Joshua Bingaman did it twice, creating two uniquely Austin businesses, Progress Coffee and Helm Boots. On this episode, Joshua discusses what inspired him to start each of them and why the creative synergy of around 2008-2010 in Austin led to so many successful offshoots from some of Austin’s best artisans. PLUS: Austin360 restaurant critic Matthew Odam talks about the blowback from his article about the state of BBQ in Lockhart, Texas; he says the meat mecca has missed a step as Central Texas brisket has evolved. AND: In this week’s Webb Report,  Eric Webb gives us the lowdown on the upcoming FieriCon, a pub crawl happening in Austin this October for fans of “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” host Guy Fieri. And in a “A Toast," we recommend a documentary you can find on Netflix, “The Last Laugh,” Michael Chabon’s recent book of essays about fatherhood, “Pops.” And Addie suggests “Daughters of the Dust,” Julie

Austin’s real estate market continues to boom, but what does that mean for homebuyers and renters? Former Statesman reporter Lilly Rockwell, who is now a realtor at Coldwell Banker joins us for a conversation about what it takes to buy a house in Austin these days, what it's like to switch careers to real estate and which neighborhoods are still considered affordable. ALSO: The hottest month of the year is upon us, but we’re staying cool all over Austin. We share the best spots to stay cold that won’t cost you much (if anything) to enjoy. PLUS: highlights from our one-year anniversary happy hour, which brought together podcast fans from all over the city to share their love of audio storytelling and the community around it. AND: In this week’s Webb Report, social media editor Eric Webb joined Addie and Omar to share reader reactions to a recent story about possibly renaming Austin. In our "A Toast" recommendations: the inflatable obstacle course at Waterloo Adventures on Lake Travis, the new podcast “Everythi

We get to know Daniel Curtis, who, in 2011, slipped while diving in his backyard pool, resulting in a vertebrae injury that left him paralyzed. Two months after the accident, his family and friends in the food and hospitality industry put together an event called Pay It Forward to raise money for the Lone Star Paralysis Foundation. The annual event, which to date has garnered $360,000 to help others, too, continues this year on Aug. 2. Curtis talked about how his life has changed since the accident and why the local nonprofits that support quadriplegics and paraplegics are crucial in the recovery process. PLUS: Personality type tests have been around for decades; the Myers-Briggs test goes back all the way to World War II. Does that mean they can help us pick the right bar in Austin today? That’s the idea behind a recent post about finding the right bar for your Myers-Briggs personality type. Austin360’s Eric Webb discusses why people still love this test and why Austin was recently deemed an ENFP. And in "A

On Richard Garriott, Austin’s legendary creator of online virtual worlds and real-life adventurer joins us; he’s been to space, he’s been to the Titanic, and he even hit the North Pole recently with his kids. But he's best known for designing role-playing video games such as "Ultima: Online" and his latest, "Shroud of the Avatar," which launched out of Austin in March. He tells us what real-life adventures make it into his games and what it's been like for Lord British to embrace fatherhood. PLUS: Texan Melissa Radke has amassed millions of YouTube fans for her tell-all videos on parenting fails, marriage, and upside-down French braiding. Now, she has a book! "Eat Cake. Be Brave" just released, and details how, at age 41, she made a decision to live a radically braver life. In a Webb Report, American-Statesman social media editor Eric Webb tackles a pesky problem: skeeters! In a callout to readers, we asked for home remedies to repel mosquitos and to deal with ‘squito bites. He tells us what some of those hom

For our 50th episode of Austin360’s “I Love You So Much” podcast, we’re going places. In this special travel episode, we talked to some of our travel expert friends and colleagues about staycations, affordable excursions and nearby adventures for adrenaline junkies. Statesman travel editor Kristin Finan joins in to talk trips that get you the most bang for your buck: creative day trips from Austin, Texas beaches post-Hurricane Harvey and even a new obstacle course on Lake Travis. Travel writer Helen Anders discusses hotels vs. Airbnb and tells us what's the deal with Frontier Airlines. Austin360 fitness reporter Pam Leblanc gives you options for trips to take it from merely eyebrow-raising to heart-pounding to satisfy your thirst for adventure this summer. In a quiz with Statesman media editor Gary Dinges, we talk direct flights from Austin and see how well Gary knows how to (quickly and efficiently) get out of town. And in a travel-themed "A Toast," we recommend destinations Denver, Santa Fe and the Back Por

To help kick off our Austin360 Grackle Week, this week’s grackle-themed episode of “I Love You So Much” brings stories from fellow Austinites who interact with this loud and prolific bird species on an everyday basis. Judith Bailey, who is a volunteer birding guide with the Travis Audubon Society, talks about the biology, geography and behavior of grackles and what it was like playing herself in a grackle-themed Fusebox Festival performance earlier this year.Breaking: Heloise Gold talks to video journalist Reshma Kirpalani what she's learned about Grackles while working on an April Fusebox Festival performance of "Grackle Call," an audiovisual performance inspired by Austin's birds. We also get to hear a story from longtime Austinite Brady Coleman, whose life was actually saved by a grackle. (No, really.) And then, co-hosts Tolly Moseley, Addie Broyles Omar L. Gallaga join in on the bird chatter in a conversation about whether grackles should replace bats as the true mascot of the city, in a nod to Grackle We

Jay B. Sauceda joins us this week to talk about how he went from being an editorial photographer for publications including Texas Monthly to the owner of a T-shirt company that sprang from a Twitter account, @TexasHumor. Features editor Emily Quigley chats about a recent summer books recommendations story from Austin360 and why summer reading doesn't have to be light and fluffy. In this week’s Webb Report, Statesman online editor Eric Webb tells us whatever happened to Celebration Station, the birthday party paradise that so popular when he was a kid growing up in Austin in the 1990s. And after hearing the news of Hoeks Death Metal Pizza's recent closure, we decided to say goodbye to other Austin-area spots we’ve lost in a special “In Memoriam” segment. in "A Toast," we recommend "The Night Owl Podcast," Loro Austin, and "Making Fun: The Story of Funko," a documentary on Netflix. More info: http://austin360.com/loveaustin360

Tito's Handmade Vodka launched more than 20 years ago and is now one of the country's most beloved spirit brands, and in this week’s show, Austinite Beth Bellanti, who has helped expand the company's philanthropic efforts through her Vodka for Dog People program, talks about the company's work with rescue dogs and how becoming a philanthropy-first business has shifted its work culture. ALSO: If you haven't yet seen "Won’t You Be My Neighbor?," make sure you bring tissues when you go. Features editor Sharon Chapman stop by to talk about how Fred Rogers influenced American culture when he was a regular fixture on television and why watching the movie is such a powerful experience. PLUS: You can spot a Texan in a crowd when you hear them use the word "y’all," but what is the history behind this regional contraction? On this week's Webb Report, Statesman web editor Eric Webb shares the special backstory behind this Texas trademark. And in "A Toast," we recommend the frantic multiplayer cooking game "Overcooked,"

A pizza field trip to New York sounds like a once-in-a-lifetime dream, but for Home Slice Pizza workers, pizza camp is an integral part of their training. We visited co-owners Jen Strickland and Terri Hannifin at their new North Loop restaurant about why they’ve chosen to invest in their staff with these annual trips, why it took them a decade to open a second location and the importance of neighborhood restaurants in a quickly growing city. ALSO: Austin photographer Scott David Gordon has turned his love of art into Austin Art Talk, a podcast featuring interviews with local artists and gallery owners. He sat down with co-host Addie Broyles to talk about what he's learned about what inspires them and the ups and downs of the creative life. PLUS: Food lovers are still mourning the death of Anthony Bourdain last week; Addie and co-host Tolly Moseley talk about the legacy of his storytelling and what other food writers continue to inspire us. And in our "Toast" recommendations: kayaking lessons, buying groceries

Why does TV matter so much to us? How is producing or critiquing television different in the peak TV era ? We dig into the joys of television ahead of the ATX Television Fest.Joining us in the studio is Tara Ariano, an Austinite who helped pioneer the TV recap format as one of the creators of the website Television Without Pity and who continues to evolve it with write-ups and podcasts at Previously.tv. ALSO: One of the highlights of the festival this year is a "Felicity" reunion, which got Tolly and co-host Addie Broyles thinking: Why are coming-of-age shows so memorable? They chatted with Felicity megafan (and features editor) Sharon Chapman about the other shows that influenced us in our journey toward adulthood, and why we continue to watch them, long after we've "grown up." PLUS: Even if you’re not a soccer-obsessed fan, you'll probably catch some of this year's World Cup action somewhere, so we brought in "The United States of Soccer" author Phil West to explain what we should be looking for, even thoug

What's it like to be a hippie parent in the 21st century? In her new book, "Handmade Mama" author and Mary Makes Good blogger Mary Helen Leonard offers dozens of projects, recipes and tips for mothers and their babies-to-be. In this week’s episode, she chats with Addie Broyles about the many ways that families, especially in Austin, have elements of what might be called "natural parenting," from making your own baby food to baking lactation cookies for a friend. ALSO: Our music, comics and movies expert Joe Gross visited to talk about his new book from the 33 1/3 book series, "In On the Kill Taker," which documents the making of and significance of punk band Fugazi's third studio album. PLUS: With more than 122,000 followers on Instagram, Maura Ambrose of Folk Fibers has been featured in Martha Stewart, Vogue and Garden & Gun. In a visit with Addie, she explains why her passion for quilting and dyeing fabric has been more than just a business. Quilting might seem like a craft of the past, she says, but it's a

We’re all awkward at age 13, but some people decide to revisit that time in front of a live audience, in supremely cathartic and hilarious fashion. This week, we welcome "Mortified: Austin" producers, Erica Lies and Katie Moore, who coordinate shows that feature everyday Austinites reading from their old diaries, instant messages or even the songs they wrote to deal with their adolescent and teen emotions. How did reading your old, cringe-worthy, diary entries become a thing? Erica and Katie explain the origins and national explosion of "Mortified," which is now a book, a podcast, a Netflix series, and course a beloved live show, which returns to the Spider House Ballroom on June 15 and 16. ALSO: What’s it like to never stop growing or to sweat uncontrollably? Austin musician Adam Sultan recently started a new podcast, "Friends with Deficits," to talk with friends who deal with everything from multiple sclerosis to gigantism. And in this week's Webb Report, social media editor Eric Webb tells us about Spin, t

This week: startup entrepreneur, cancer survivor and now meditation teacher Paige Davis. When the BlueAvocado founder was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 38, her reaction was pretty shocking: Instead of waging a battle against cancer, she embraced the diagnosis. She recently wrote a book about the experience, “Here We Grow: Mindfulness Through Cancer & Beyond,” which she’ll be signing at BookPeople on May 22. ALSO: Care2Rock founder, Karyn Scott, a former juvenile courts prosecutor whose online music lesson company now helps foster care children find hope through music. And Eric Webb talks about the real story behind Ninnie Baird, better known to Texans as "Mrs. Baird," the entrepreneur extraordinaire who built the multi-million dollar company built on carbs. In A Toast new Netflix comedy specials from John Mulaney and Ali Wong, Childish Gambino's “This is America” video and a few food books to check out: Daniel Stone’s “The Food Explorer," Adam Leith Gollner’s “The Fruit Hunters” and Elizabeth Gilbert’s

Are crawfish spring’s most perfect communal meal, or are they too much work for too little payoff? We discuss the growing number of crawfish boils in Central Texas, why even upscale restaurants and wineries are getting in on this trend and how much is too much to charge for what has always been a food for the people. ALSO: Why are 11 women, some who have never distance-cycled before, pedaling 1,700 miles from Seattle to San Diego this summer? Savannah Nauwelaers and Grace Pfeffer tell us about how a coffee conversation about sex trafficking inspired this epic Pedal the Pacific bicycle journey, which started last year and raised more than $60,000 for the Refuge, a 48-bed facility to serve survivors of the sex trafficking industry in Texas. PLUS: Jon Chamberlain was a stay-at-home dad for four years before he started Shutterbugs, a kids’ photography studio where young Austinites learn photo basics and the art of saying yes to their creative selves. And in "A Toast," we recommend a re-watch of “Felicity,” the ne