Big Daily Blend

It's Fall Y'all in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana! 
Big Blend Radio host/producer Lisa D. Smith is joined by Natalie Roblin of the Avoyelles Commission of Tourism, filling in for regular co-hosts Wilbert Carmouche and Mary Guillory, who are at the Jefferson Highway Conference in Joplin, Missouri. Together they explore why fall is one of the best times to visit the Centre de la Louisiane.
Natalie shares the story of how Marksville got its start with a broken wagon wheel (hence Broken Wheel Brewery), what's happening at Paragon Casino Resort and the Fox Theater, and how fall in Avoyelles is marked by food: home-cooked church dinner plates on Sundays, cochon de lait, sweet potato harvest season, boudin, barbecue, and even gas station breakfasts you won't forget.
Then it's time to roll the windows down. Explore Bunkie Trade Days, Griffin's, Hoover's Five and Dime and the retro full-service gas station along the Jefferson Highway; learn about National Hunting and Fishing Day at the Outdoor Education Center in Woodworth; and discover the Solomon Northup Trail, the Louisiana Colonial Trail, the Zachary Taylor Parkway, and the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area. 
Natalie also shares outdoor favorites including the Big Bend Museum and Sarto Old Iron Bridge, the Big Bend loop (LA 451), Spring Valley WMA, the Tunica-Biloxi Nature Trail, and Grand Cote National Wildlife Refuge, plus a Louisiana music playlist of swamp pop and Zydeco.
Events mentioned: National Hunting and Fishing Day (Sept. 26, free, 8:00 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Woodworth); Couillons of Comedy at the Fox Theater in Marksville (Oct. 3); Bunkie Trade Days (Oct. 3); church dinner plates and fairs throughout the parish in September and October.
Plan your visit: https://TravelAvoyelles.com  Events page: https://TravelAvoyelles.com/events     Last Month's Fall Event Episode: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/fall-in-avoyelles-parish-louisiana-2026 
New episodes of the Travel Avoyelles Podcast air every 3rd Sunday at 6pm CST on Big Blend Radio. Listen: https://travel-avoyelles.podbean.com/  

Today we're rethinking everything we thought we knew about Mary Cassatt. On this shared episode of Big Blend Radio's "World of Art" Podcast, host Victoria Chick and Lisa D. Smith welcome Mary G. Morton, curator and head of French paintings at the National Gallery of Art, to talk about her new book, "Cassatt Reconsidered," out this November from Getty Publications.
2026 marks the centennial of Mary Cassatt's death (born May 22, 1844, died June 14, 1926), and Mary Morton makes the case for an artist who was bold, modern, and uncompromising. Cassatt's images of mothers and children are an extraordinary part of her work, but they're only part of the story. Mary explains how a narrow label took hold and what the fuller picture looks like.
In this conversation:- How Cassatt built a career at a time when the École des Beaux-Arts did not admit women, and why selling her work mattered- The business-minded family that shaped her, and the role of dealer Paul Durand-Ruel in packaging her as "the painter of mothers and babies"- Why her maternity pictures were a realist break from the sentimental versions painted by men- Why the National Gallery holds the best Cassatt collection in the world, and why seven of its 12 oil paintings can't leave the building- The centennial exhibitions in Chicago, at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, in London, and in Boston- The cover painting, and how a woman's portrait that defies conventional beauty became the face of the book- Why the National Gallery belongs to all of us, and what a first visit to a great museum can do for a life
MORE: - Get the Book: https://shop.getty.edu/products/cassatt-reconsidered-979-8887120508 - Victoria Chick: https://victoriachick.com/ - World of Art Podcast: https://worldofart-victoriachick.podbean.com/ - Southwest Regional Museum of Art & Art Center: https://www.southwest-art-museum.org 

Happy Global Company Culture Day! 
Company culture isn't what's written on your website or printed on a poster — it's how your people feel walking in the door on a Sunday night. On this shared episode of Big Blend Radio's "Supervision Matters" Podcast, HR and organizational culture expert Rita Sever joins Lisa D. Smith to break down what culture actually is, how it's built (and eroded), and why it has to be intentional from day one.
Rita walks through the three components of a healthy culture — Mission, Vision, and Values; how the work gets done; and how people are treated — and shares the story of a NASA janitor who told President Kennedy he was "helping put a man on the moon."
Rita is the author of two books — "Supervision Matters" and "Leading for Justice." 
Links:🌐 Rita's website: https://supervisionmatters.com 📖 Supervision Matters Digital Podcast Magazine: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/supervision-matters-magazine 🎙️ Supervision Matters Podcast: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/supervision-matters-podcast-with-rita-sever 

For World Patient Safety Day, this shared episode of Big Blend Radio's "Quality of Life" Show welcomes author Kenitra W. Dominguez to discuss her debut memoir, "Because I Deserve It: What Chronic Illness Taught Me About Finding My Voice in the Healthcare System" — out now.
In 2021, a routine eye exam led Kenitra to an ER visit and, the next day, a diagnosis of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) — a rare, incurable neurological condition. In this conversation, she talks with host Lisa D. Smith about what that diagnosis took from her, the racial and gender bias she encountered navigating the healthcare system, and the practical tools she built along the way: how to assemble a care team, how to prepare for a doctor's visit, how to request your medical records, how to ask for workplace accommodations, and how to trust your own instincts about your body.
Kenitra W. Dominguez is the founder of Bay Equity HR, sits on the Advisory Board of the California Black Women's Health Project, and holds a master's in Work Law and Social Justice from UC Law San Francisco. Her work has been featured in The Washington Post, HuffPost, and Teen Vogue.
Book (out now): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GX3131XK
 

September is Pet Memorial Month, and on this shared episode of "The Pet Connection," Lisa D. Smith and co-host Angela Laws of TrustedHousesitters.com dig deep into how we remember the animals who shape our lives — personally, historically, and everywhere in between.
From home memorial gardens and paw-print keepsakes to the extraordinary true stories of Old Sam (a Civil War artillery horse secretly buried at night), Cher Ami (the WWI pigeon who saved 200 soldiers), Old Abe the Civil War eagle, and Chaser the border collie who learned over 1,000 words — this episode covers the full span of how humans across history and cultures have honored their animal companions.
Angela also shares insights from her pet-loss support work, including Trustedhousesitters' Pet Plaques program honoring extraordinary animals, and Lisa closes with the story of her heart-horse Cinnabar and the biggest lesson any animal ever taught her: be present.
Listen to more episodes of The Pet Connection:https://pet-connection.podbean.com/ 
Learn more about Trusted Housesitters:https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/ 

On this shared episode of Big Blend Radio's "Jo Goes Everywhere!" Podcast, travel writer Jo Clark takes us to Greensboro, North Carolina — the third-largest city in the state and home to Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, site of one of the most consequential battles of the Revolutionary War. A good episode to honor America 250!
Jo digs into Greensboro's roots, from the Saura and Keyauwee peoples who lived there first, to the German, Welsh, English Quaker, and Scotch-Irish settlers who followed, to the city's surprising reputation as the "second-holiest city in America." 
Then the Revolution arrives: on March 15, 1781, General Nathanael Greene's Continental Army met Lord Cornwallis's British troops at Guilford Courthouse. Cornwallis technically won the battle — but at such a staggering cost in men that it helped set up his eventual defeat at Yorktown.
Along the way, Jo tells the story of the Hoskins family, who fled war-torn Pennsylvania for a fresh start in Greensboro, only to have the British commandeer their farm and turn their home into a field hospital just three years later. 
Jo also shares Greensboro's literary and broadcast history (hometown ties to O. Henry and Edward R. Murrow), plus where to eat, drink, and stay if you visit today, including Sàigòn Cuisine, Machete, Lewis and Elm, the O. Henry Hotel, Fainting Goat Spirits, and Angels Bed & Breakfast.
Read Jo's full article: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/guilford-courthouse-national-military-park 
Plan Your Visit to Greensboro- Jo's Greensboro Travel Guide:  https://recipestravelculture.com/greensboro-1781-battlefield-to-jeansboro/ - Guilford Courthouse National Military Park: https://www.nps.gov/guco/index.htm 
Follow More of Jo:-  https://www.haveglasswilltravel.com/ - https://recipestravelculture.com/ - Jo Goes Everywhere! Podcast: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/jo-goes-everywhere-podcast - Jo Goes Everywhere! Digital Podcast Magazine: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/jo-goes-everywhere-magazine 

In this shared episode of Big Blend Radio's "ABC's of Horses" podcast, World Champion horse trainer Christy Wood is joined by fellow rider Stephanie Callahan Clark for their annual look at the Chief Joseph Trail Ride — a thirteen-year progressive journey on horseback retracing the Nez Perce National Historic Trail across Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana.
 They cover this year's route, wildlife encounters, camp community, horse safety, and why living off-the-grid on the trail is part of the adventure — plus a look ahead to 2027, the 150th anniversary of Chief Joseph's flight.
🔗 EXPLORE MORE🐴 Learn more about the Chief Joseph Trail Ride: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/the-chief-joseph-trail-ride 📚 Connect with Christy & get her books: https://wdnhorse.com/ 🏇 Chief Joseph Trail Ride nonprofit: https://chiefjosephtrailride.org/ 🎧 Listen to more episodes of the ABC's of Horses Podcast: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/abcs-of-horses-podcast 📖Check out the ABC's of Horses Podcast Magazine: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/abcs-of-horses-magazine 

Debut author Jane Brookwood joins Big Blend Radio's "Books & Authors" series with Books Forward to talk about her new tarot-themed cozy mystery, "The Hanged Man," out September 15, 2026.
Jane shares how she built the fictional town of Pineridge Hollow, the real cat named Rosie who inspired Fiona's feline familiar, and how her own tarot practice — including a recurring relationship with the Devil card — shaped the book's themes. 
The conversation covers tarot symbolism, synchronicity, the archetypes behind her characters, and what's next for the Raven-verse.
The Hanged Man is available for pre-order now. Learn more about Jane Brookwood: https://ravenversebooks.com/ 
Listen to more Big Blend Radio Books & Authors episodes: https://bigblendmediahouse.com/ 
Learn more about Books Forward: https://booksforward.com/