WCPT 820 Interview: Heidi Stevens

Patti Vasquez is joined by Heidi Stevens, nationally syndicated columnist, director of External Affairs at the TMW Center for Early Learning and Public Health, and fellowship coach at The OpEd Project. Stevens discussed her writing, marathon training, community advocacy, and recent work on family secrets and public anxiety. Here is a brief summary of the conversation:- Stevens compared writing and running as disciplines that require showing up consistently despite difficulty.- She is training for the Chicago Marathon (October 11) and is running to support Nourishing Hope Chicago, which provides food, mental health and social services.- The conversation also addressed climate change and warnings that artificial intelligence could threaten human life.- Stevens said industry warnings about AI need more context and concrete guidance about what people and lawmakers should do. - She talked as well about B.K. Jackson's "Relative Strangers," an anthology about family secrets revealed through DNA testing, adoption records, and other discoveries. It was the topic of a recent Stevens column.- The discussion emphasized that these experiences are common, emotionally complex, and potentially less isolating when people share their stories. Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).   Follow us: Website: https://heartlandsignal.com WCPT Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WCPT820 Heartland Signal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeartlandSignal Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@heartlandsignal  Heartland Signal X: https://x.com/HeartlandSignal WCPT 820 X: https://x.com/WCPT820 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heartlandsignal Threads: threads.com/@heartlandsignal YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heartlandsignalSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.