MSP Pod Squad SIG - Women's Connection

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Pod Squad

New Members Welcome!

Join us for lively conversation and connection with other women from September through May. We meet on Zoom at 1:00 PM on the third Monday of each month.

Each month, a volunteer selects a podcast and guides the discussion. Check out the list of past podcasts here. While listening ahead is encouraged, everyone is welcome - even if you haven't heard the podcast. Our meetings also include a brief check-in, giving us time to connect and support one another.

Open to all Women's Connection members. Nonmembers are welcome to attend a couple of meetings before joining. Podcast selections and Zoom links are emailed in advance.

If you are interested in participating or want to be on our contact list, 1) add yourself to the Pod Squad group or 2) Contact Jane Harens or Linda Grant using the Member Directory (choose Minneapolis/St Paul Chapter). If not a Member, please contact us with any questions you may have.

Event Information: February
On Monday, February 16th at 1:00 pm, Jean Forrey will lead our discussion based on “The Smokies: Mountains and Forgotten Family”, the 10/22/25 episode of the podcast, Out Common Nature with Yo-Yo Ma.

In the Smoky Mountains, traditions layer and intersect. Yo-Yo Ma believes that story and song can help us grapple with America's complicated history. This episode highlights two stories of people who are reclaiming their connections to the land. The first brings us to Cherokee, North Carolina, where Lavita Hill and Mary Crowe are working to change the name of the tallest mountain in the range back to its original Cherokee name.

Then, we go to the other side of the mountains, where musician Eric Mingus meets up with some long-lost family, and grapples with the weight of his family's history. His performance reconnects him to a lineage he never thought he'd find.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-smokies-mountains-and-forgotten-family-with-yo-yo-ma/id1839323732?i=1000732932474
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3PfzXVPpuNybisZvyno8Xo?si=2DOVtHiJR5WSiHflVJWoIA
Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/podcast/the-broadside/our-common-nature-mountains-and-forgotten-family-with-yo-yo-ma/PE:1321194912?part=ug-desktop&corr=1588863753

Schedule
The following women have volunteered to lead a discussion for this season (September-May). Contact Linda Grant using the Member Directory if you are willing to volunteer for an unclaimed month.

September: Linda Grant
October: Jane Harens
November: Chris DiPietro
December: Mary Howard
January: Patty Peterson
February: Jean Forrey --- Up Next
March: TBD
April: Judy Punyko
May: TBD