PODCAST · government
First Lady & Friends
by KSL Podcasts
Join Utah’s First Lady Abby Cox and her friends for timely and candid conversations with fascinating people with unique perspectives in an effort to unite us all through our common humanity. Each week, Abby dives into discussions on topics ranging from education to motherhood to mental health and beyond. Abby is an outspoken advocate for “getting proximate” with people who have different viewpoints, and using her platform as Utah’s First Lady to combat the empathy crisis our country is facing. Come along with us as we journey to bring courage, compassion and connection back into our homes and communities... and have a lot of fun along the way! THANK YOU for being our friend.
Episodes
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Learning in the Digital Age: Transparency, Trust, and Technology in Schools with Rich Nye
Rich Nye (Senior Advisor of Education to Governor Cox) joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, to talk about how his education experience growing up helped shape his passion for pursuing education as a career, the profound impact that teachers can have on students and their academic goals, and how the...
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Responsibility, Connection, and Community with Stephen Cohen
Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, joins news and broadcasting pioneer Stephen Cohen on the Responsibility Matter podcast this week to share her journey from growing up on a ranch in Mount Pleasant to becoming a champion for community connection and responsibility. Abby then reflects on lessons from…
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Regaining Control of Our Digital Lives and Taking Back Our Data with Dr. Tomicah Tillemann
Dr. Tomicah Tillemann (President of Project Liberty) joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, to discuss the breakdown of institutions in our society, fears that the United States won’t be a trusted global partner due to conflicts within the country, and how Project Liberty is focused on helping people...
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Finding Purpose Through Service with Alli Kerr and Shawna Kaminski from Girls Talk Healthy Aging
Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, recently had the opportunity to appear on the Girls Talk Healthy Aging podcast with hosts Alli Kerr and Shawna Kaminski. We enjoyed the conversation so much that we wanted to share it here! We dove into the balance of taking care of family while making a meaningful...
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The Story Behind “BlindSighted,” the Latest Book by Rich Christiansen
Rich and Gaye Christiansen join Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, to discuss Rich's new book, BlindSighted. The book documents Rich’s journey of identity, faith, and healing and his being shaken to his core at the age of 54 after he learned that he was one of the first donor-conceived children. Then...
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Empowering Children in Our Communities Through Young Caring For Our Young with Tami Olsen
Tami Olsen (Recruiting and Foundation Director for the Young Automotive Group) joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, to discuss Young Caring For Our Young, the charitable group of the Young Automotive Group, and how the foundation is tackling issues related to clothing, hunger, literacy, and teen...
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Celebrating the Utah Division of Arts and Museums’ 125th Anniversary with Vicki Bourns and Ben Steele
Vicki Bourns (Director of the Utah Division of Arts and Museums) joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, to remember Alice Merrill Horne, an innovative Utah artist and politician who helped establish a state arts organization and a state collection of artwork in 1899, and how the Utah Division of Arts...
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Reigniting Your Passion and Purpose as Teachers
In this episode of our Educator Well-Being series, the hosts are joined by Milton Collins, principal of Lincoln Elementary in the Granite School District in the Salt Lake City region of Utah. Milton is having tremendous success in his school from students’ academic success to teacher happiness,...
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Dancers Without Limits is Helping Students with Intellectual Disabilities Find Their Love for Dance with Ava Leavitt
Ava Leavitt joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, to discuss how vital dancing has been throughout her life, how she’s navigated some of the most complex challenges she’s faced in high school, and her solution to how teenagers negatively engage with social media. Then, Ava shares how losing her...
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Special Olympics and Unified Sports are Helping the Classroom be More Inclusive with Dr. Jackie Jodl
Dr. Jackie Jodl (Chief of Global Youth and Education of Global Youth and Education at Special Olympics) joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, to talk about how fundamental education has been throughout her life, how her education journey has shaped her career, and the impact that Legg–Calvé–Perthes...
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Marlon Reis on Building Relationships with Other First Spouses and the Joys of Connecting with Coloradans
Sarah Allred (Director of First Lady Initiatives) joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, to talk about this year’s Teacher’s Conference, how the National Governors Association (NGA) is helping build relationships with fellow First Spouses throughout the country, and how those connections are used to...
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How Kathy Searle and Raise the Future are Connecting Youth with Families
Kathy Searle, LCSW (Vice President of Utah Programs at Raise the Future), joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, to discuss her experiences with adoption and how they have shaped her work today in helping to find families for children in foster care. We also talk about the need to provide support to...
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Connecting Communities Through Magnify Utah with Nubia Peña and Claudia Loayza
Nubia Peña (Governor Senior Advisor & Director for the Utah Division of Multicultural Affairs) and Claudia Loayza (Planning Policy and Engagement Coordinator) join Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, to talk about how their respective backgrounds influenced them to serve others, how multicultural...
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#DisagreeBetter Nashville - Panel Discussion on Healthier Conversations
Utah First Lady Abby Cox led a discussion with Michelle Sobel (Unify America), David McCullough (American Exchange Project), and Sarah Igo (Vanderbilt University) on how we can help students develop conversation skills. Learn more about the Disagree Better Initiative at:...
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Show Up for Summer Service Fair with Tania, Sarah, and Amanda
Tania Hansen (Deputy Director of First Lady Initiatives) joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox this week and we talk about her background, her passion for helping others, and some of Tania’s favorite events so far that she’s had while on the team. Then Sarah Allred (Director of First Lady…
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Social Media and Its Impact on Youth Mental Health with Aimee Winder Newton
Aimee Winder Newton (Senior Advisor to Governor Cox and Director of the Office of Families) joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox to talk about becoming the first director for the new Office of Families, the Office of Families’ emphasis on strengthening families so children have better outcomes, and...
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A Purposeful Priority: Conversations on Teacher Well-Being
Teaching is one of the noblest professions, and the well-being of teachers is a critical component of student learning and overall community advancement. During this special podcast episode recorded at SXSW EDU 2024, hosts Dr. Stacey Ludwig Johnson and Abby Cox are joined by National University...
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The Joys of Creating Musical Connections Through Performance with Violinist Aubree Oliverson
Aubree Oliverson (Violinist) joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox to share her earliest memories of growing up playing violin, some of her favorite teachers who made an impact on Aubree’s success, and moving away to Los Angeles at fifteen years old to pursue violon. Aubree also talks about being one...
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Enhancing Connections & Fostering Positive Disagreements with S4K Talks
The original version of this episode can be found at https://stand4kind.podbean.com/. In this in-depth exchange, Utah's First Lady Abby Cox, Candy Olandt, and Maggon Osmond discuss the essence and urgency of education. Abby Cox, a pillar for educators and a special education background holder,...
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Understand and Master Emotional Intelligence with Meikel Reece
Meikel Reece (Emotional & Relational Intelligence Consultant & Utah Influencer), joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox to talk about how social justice was a fundamental aspect of her home growing up in Provo, UT., her desire to fit in with a predominantly white community when she was younger while...
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Vanessa Quigley on the Success of Chatbooks, the Importance of Family, and Adult Parenting
Vanessa Quigley (Cofounder of Chatbooks and Host of The MomForce Podcast), joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox to talk about moving back to Utah with her husband, Nate, to help build Chatbooks, how chasing her dreams of becoming an International opera singer shifted once Chatbooks started to take...
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The Undeniable Impact of Unified Sports in Tooele Schools with Superintendent Mark Ernst and Charlie Roberts
Superintendent Mark Ernst (Tooele County School District) and Charlie Roberts (Assistant Coach for Tooele High School) join Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox to talk about many of the challenges that teachers face nowadays, how social media has impacted the classroom, and the impact that Unified Sports...
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Supporting Rural Educators
In the third episode of our Educator Well-Being series, our hosts are joined by Rachael Black, a WGU graduate and award-winning teacher. Together they explore some of the unique challenges facing rural educators – from funding models and policies that can sometimes skew toward urban schools, to...
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Mariluz Cook on Hosting NBA All-Star Weekend 2023, Being Named Miss Utah USA, and Excelling in a Male-Dominated Field
Mariluz Cook (Miss Utah USA, Sports Broadcaster, and Host), joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, to talk about sharing her culture with others as a Cuban-American, her decision to move to Utah from Florida to pursue sports broadcasting, and where her passion for sports originated when she was...
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Advocating For Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Education With The Policy Project
Emily Bell McCormick (Founder & President), Mary Catherine Perry (Director of Policy & Government Affairs), and Kristin Andrus (Community Champion) from The Policy Project join Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, to talk about the originations of The Policy Project, the group's efforts to raise…
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Helping Others Achieve Their Dreams with 2023 Spirit of Service Award Recipient – Jared Quan
Jared Quan (Award-Winning, Best-Selling Author) joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, to talk about being a 2023 Utah Governor Spirit of Service Award Recipient, his work with non-profits throughout the state, and his passion for inspiring others who are interested in reading and writing. Jared…
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Our 2023 Review with Sarah Allred!
Sarah Allred (Director of First Lady Initiatives) joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, to recap some of our favorite moments of the year which include the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin, various service projects, and the ways we’ve been connecting with our youth to help promote positive...
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The Hope Behind ‘Garbage Bag Girl’ & The Christmas Box House with Celeste Edmunds & Richard Paul Evans
Celeste Edmunds (The Christmas Box Executive Director, Co-Author of Garbage Bag Girl) and Richard Paul Evans (Author, The Christmas Box Founder, Co-Author of Garbage Bag Girl) join Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, to talk about Celeste’s story of publishing ‘Garbage Bag Girl’, sharing her story of...
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Helping Others Through Light the World with Aaron Hall
Aaron Hall (Missionary Department Director for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, to talk about how his upbringing taught him the importance of helping others, his journey to joining the Missionary department for the Church of Jesus Christ of...
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Curtis Bennett on inspiring, motivating, and engaging with One Kind Act a Day
Curtis Bennett (Executive Director at One Kind Act a Day) joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, to talk about the creation behind One Kind Act a Day and how the organization is focused on introducing kindness throughout early education to create positive change in society, one kind act at a time.…
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Solving Conflict and Disagreeing Better with Steve Young
Steve Young (Hall of Fame NFL Quarterback) joined Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, and Governor, Spencer Cox, last month to share his experiences and views on solving conflict and disagreeing better with each other at this year's Fall One Utah Summit. The audio quality is less than what you're used…
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Thriving Teachers, Schools, and Communities
Educator Well-Being: From Principles to Practice Podcast This podcast is brought to you by Utah First Lady Abby Cox and Western Governors University Senior Vice President and Executive Dean of the School of Education Dr. Stacey Ludwig Johnson, facilitated by Marty Carpenter of Northbound…
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Presenting Your Best Self and Becoming an Advocate for Change with Sarah Sun, Miss Utah 2023
Sarah Sun (Miss Utah 2023) joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, to talk about her experience growing up as a Chinese-American in Cedar City, UT, Utah’s first monument honoring Chinese railroad workers that’s set to be displayed on the southeast lawn of the state capitol, and how her mother’s desire...
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How the Utah PTA Sets Our Children Up for Success with Corey Fairholm
Corey Fairholm (Utah PTA President) joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, to talk about how she initially got interested in the Utah PTA, the need for parents to be more involved with their children’s education to give their children the best chance at success, and why there are always opportunities...
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The Importance of Healthy Learning and Working Environments for Teachers
Educator Well-Being: From Principles to Practice Podcast This podcast is brought to you by Utah First Lady Abby Cox and Western Governors University Senior Vice President and Executive Dean of the School of Education Dr. Stacey Ludwig Johnson, facilitated by Marty Carpenter of Northbound…
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How The Ron Clark Academy is Transforming the Classroom with Michael Bonner
Michael Bonner (Teacher at the Ron Clark Academy, International Speaker, CEO of Bonnerville) joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, to talk about developing ways for students to be passionate about the process of learning, how the Ron Clark Academy is transforming the classroom, and why pouring love...
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Talking All Things Utah Nonprofits with Saru Ramanan
Saru Ramanan (Manager of Marketing and Communication at the Utah Nonprofits Association) joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, to talk about feeling a sense of home as soon as she moved to Utah, bridging connections across different cultures and communities, and the root of her passion for working...
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From Silicon Valley Entrepreneur to Humanitarian Advocate with Amy Antonelli
Amy Antonelli (CEO of Humanitarian Experience, Inc.) joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, to talk about her experience working in the Silicon Valley boom, the impact that Steve Jobs had on her passion for creating positive change, and how a natural disaster completely shifted her mindset towards...
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Giving service on this year's 9/11 Days of Service with Curtis Bennett
Curtis Bennett (Co-chair of JustServe) joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, to share his experience growing up in Mesa, AZ, and to talk about how mentors he gained in Mesa made an incredible impact on his work ethic. Curtis also shares the lessons he and his family learned while living in Santiago,...
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Love, Belonging, and Service: How Volunteerism Can Counteract Hate and Foster Unity with Mike Moon
Mike Moon (Associate Director at UServeUtah) joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, to discuss finding his passion for volunteerism, pursuing a career in higher education, and introducing volunteerism to students of all ages. We also talk about UServeUtah's impact on volunteerism throughout Utah, the...
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National Governor's Association and 'Disagree Better' with Gov. Spencer Cox
In this week's episode, Utah's First Lady Abby Cox is joined by Gov. Spencer Cox to talk about some life updates, their recent trip to Atlantic City, NJ for the National Governor's Association where the governor was elected chair of the NGA, and the importance of building bipartisan relationships...
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Sharon Eubank on the need for humanitarian aid and service in our communities
In this week's episode, Utah's First Lady Abby Cox is joined by Sharon Eubank (Director of Humanitarian Services for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) to talk about what she learned from teaching English as a second language in Japan after graduating from BYU, her passion for…
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Katie Donoviel on improving English language skills with the English Skills Learning Center
In this week's episode, Utah's First Lady Abby Cox is joined by Katie Donoviel (Executive Director of the English Skills Learning Center) to talk about why becoming a teacher was such an important goal of hers growing up, how she was introduced to the English Skills Learning Center and the…
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Stephen LeFevre on World Trade Center Utah's impact throughout the state
In this week's episode, Utah's First Lady Abby Cox is joined by Stephen LeFevre (Chief of Staff, Director of Strategic and Foreign Affairs with World Trade Center Utah) to talk about his passion for international affairs, his experience with attending graduate school in New York City during…
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Trade mission recap, 2023 Special Olympics World Games, and TED Talks with Kirsten Rappleye and Sarah Allred
In this week's episode, Utah's First Lady Abby Cox is joined by Kirsten Rappleye (Director of First Lady’s Initiatives) and Sarah Allred (Deputy Director of First Lady's Initiatives) to talk about the First Lady's recent trade mission to Europe, attending the opening ceremonies for the 2023…
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Dehenna Davison shares how Levelling Up aims to create equal opportunities throughout the UK
Utah's First Lady Abby Cox is joined by Dehenna Davison (MP for Bishop Auckland & Levelling Up Minister) to talk about learning proper work ethic from her father at an early age in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, how the sudden passing of her father shaped her formative years, and becoming…
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Julie Castle on how Best Friends is changing the future for pets in shelters
Utah's First Lady Abby Cox is joined by Julie Castle (CEO, Best Friends Animal Society) to talk about how rural Utah naturally embodies Utahns with an entrepreneurial spirit and the moment she decided she was going to give up her career in law and politics to move to Kanab and work for Best...
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Pam Hayes and Jay Francis on reducing bullying with Stand 4 Kind
Utah's First Lady Abby Cox is joined by Pam Hayes (Founder, Stand 4 Kind) and Jay Francis (Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs & Miller Family Philanthropy) to talk about how Stand 4 Kind is tackling bullying in schools throughout the state, some of the programs involved within the...
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Showing up for foster care with Liz Rivera and Deborah Lindner on the Fostering Conversations podcast
Utah's First Lady Abby Cox and Utah Governor Spencer Cox join Liz Rivera (Director of Education) and Deborah Lindner (Director of Communications) with Utah Foster Care on the Fostering Conversations podcast this week to talk about all things Utah foster care. We've heard from countless foster...
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Advertising for a better world with Steve Wright
Utah's First Lady Abby Cox is joined by Steve Wright (Vice President at Boncom) to talk about finding his passion for advertising at an early age, how he adapted to moving from Canada to Springville, Utah as a sixteen year old, and what he learned from moving to New York City after graduating…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Join Utah’s First Lady Abby Cox and her friends for timely and candid conversations with fascinating people with unique perspectives in an effort to unite us all through our common humanity. Each week, Abby dives into discussions on topics ranging from education to motherhood to mental health and beyond.
Abby is an outspoken advocate for “getting proximate” with people who have different viewpoints, and using her platform as Utah’s First Lady to combat the empathy crisis our country is facing.
Come along with us as we journey to bring courage, compassion and connection back into our homes and communities... and have a lot of fun along the way! THANK YOU for being our friend.
HOSTED BY
KSL Podcasts
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does First Lady & Friends have?
First Lady & Friends currently has 100 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is First Lady & Friends about?
Join Utah’s First Lady Abby Cox and her friends for timely and candid conversations with fascinating people with unique perspectives in an effort to unite us all through our common humanity. Each week, Abby dives into discussions on topics ranging from education to motherhood to mental health and...
How often does First Lady & Friends release new episodes?
First Lady & Friends has 100 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to First Lady & Friends?
You can listen to First Lady & Friends on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts First Lady & Friends?
First Lady & Friends is created and hosted by KSL Podcasts.
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