Episode 106

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Published on:

17th Nov 2024

Laura Bird Burhenn S3E106

Musician and producer Laura Bird Burhenn talks about the changes in her vocation and life since we last spoke in 2018, including shifting more to work with her production company, Our Secret Handshake. Burhenn also shares how her commitment to a more loving, inclusive world, expressed through her art, has evolved and been re-imagined in her latest intimate tour across America.

As a musician, Laura Bird Burhenn has toured the world as a member of The Postal Service, Bright Eyes, and her own band, The Mynabirds, releasing four full length albums and a host of other music. As a producer, Burhenn in 2018 founded her production company, Our Secret Handshake, based on one fundamental belief: Art Can Change the World, by exploring the spaces where art intersects activism, and where good storytelling reveals and encourages the human spirit. Burhenn has produced for various media, including The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Ellen Degeneres Show, Late Night with Seth Meyers, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Late Late Show with James Corden, and livestream events including the MTV EMAs, the "Honor Her Wish" Ruth Bader Ginsberg tribute concert, and the "Save Our Stages" concert, which raised nearly $2 million to fund the National Independent Venue Association's work to support music venues during the pandemic.

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About the Podcast

Lives Radio Show & Podcast with Stuart Chittenden
Every Sunday at 9am on KIOS 91.5FM, Omaha's NPR affiliate, Season Three of Lives will tackle the big questions: What is a good life? Why are we here? How might we feel more connected? These and other big questions about how we live will be explored each week. Through intimate conversations, fascinating guests will share their spiritual, philosophical, artistic, and cultural approaches to exploring the wonders of our human experience. Join me as we delve into the practical and profound possibilities of living well.

As well as listening to this Season Three of Lives being broadcast on KIOS, listen back to Seasons One and Two, featuring fresh voices and diverse perspectives on culture, community, business, and more. From the Midwest and beyond, inspiring guests share compelling stories spanning the fields of politics, business, media, community activism, arts and humanities, philanthropy, and more.

On air since January 2017, Lives Radio Show & Podcast initially broadcast on the community radio station Mind & Soul 101.3FM in north Omaha, housed at the Malcolm X Center, and more recently broadcast with 1st Sky Omaha.

About your host

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stuart chittenden

I'm Stuart Chittenden—an existential coach, Certified Humanist Professional, and the creator and host of Lives Radio Show & Podcast. My work centers on helping people explore who they are, what matters most, and how to live well in a world that often rushes past those questions.

Throughout my journey—from law in London to brand strategy and community dialogue in the American Midwest—I’ve always been drawn to what lies beneath: the quiet, often unspoken work of making meaning. Lives is one of the most enduring expressions of that calling. For over eight years, I’ve invited guests from all walks of life into deep, human conversations about identity, purpose, and how we shape—and are shaped by—our stories.

Whether through coaching, workshops, or the microphone, I create space for reflection, connection, and the rich conversations that help us live more fully.