Voices of Pueblo

Soul Fresh, Soul Clean | Community, Criticism & Connection: Choosing Kindness in Pueblo

Episode 3 of Soul Fresh, Soul Clean features Jocelyn Martinez and Gregory Howell discussing how community, constructive criticism, and personal connection shape Pueblo. They explore the harm of online negativity, the value of everyday kindness, and practical steps to rebuild trust and engagement.
The hosts introduce "Jocelyn in the Wild" farm visits, offer a listener challenge to meet someone new and use their name, and share an update on Jocelyn's cookbook as part of fostering local food connections.
Website: https://www.soulsmilehealthandwellness.com/

Life Inside the Childcare Gap, Episode 2: Babies Down, Bottles Up with Terrin Landry

Life Inside the Childcare Gap, Episode 2: Babies Down, Bottles Up
In Episode 2 of Life Inside the Childcare Gap, part of the Voices of Pueblo podcast series, Gregory Howell and Molly Cotner sit down with Terrin Landry, co-founder of Babies Down, Bottles Up.
The conversation continues the investigative series’ focus on how childcare systems function in Pueblo and where gaps persist for families. Landry shares how Babies Down, Bottles Up was created by blind mothers to center real-life experiences of parenting while blind and to challenge common misconceptions about disability and care.
Through candid discussion, the episode explores the realities families face outside formal childcare systems, the importance of advocacy, and the need to amplify voices often left out of policy conversations. Landry also discusses how the platform has grown into a space for storytelling, resources and community connection.
Listeners will gain insight into the intersection of disability, parenting and childcare, and the broader conversation about access, equity and support for families in Pueblo and beyond.
About Babies Down, Bottles Up LLCBlind Parenting. Real Stories. Unfiltered.
New episodes are released weekly wherever podcasts are available.
Website: bdbupod.comEmail: info@bdbupod.com
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Taking the Leap: Taking the Leap and Creating a Career in Vintage

Bree on a Budget: Taking the Leap and Creating a Career in Vintage
In the latest episode of Bree on a Budget, host Bree sits down with Melissa Maestas to discuss her journey from the corporate world to building a career in the vintage industry.
Maestas shares how she made the transition, the challenges she faced, and the lessons she learned along the way. The conversation focuses on what it takes to take a leap of faith and turn a personal passion into a sustainable and rewarding career.
Listeners will gain insight into finding purpose in their work, embracing change, and creating opportunities that align with what they love to do. The episode offers practical advice and inspiration for anyone considering a new path or looking to redefine their professional journey.

State of Art with Bree Pappan | Celebrating Film in Pueblo

State of Art Podcast: Celebrating Film in Pueblo
In the latest episode of the State of Art Podcast, part of the Voices of Pueblo series, host Bree explores the growing film scene in Pueblo with guests Billie Pacheco of the Rising Star Film Festival and Chili Cilch of the Pueblo Film Fest.
The conversation highlights the Rising Star Film Festival, which provides a platform for high school filmmakers to showcase their work across categories including drama, comedy, documentary, horror and animation. The festival, held April 10 at the Rawlings Library, supports emerging youth storytellers and connects them with industry professionals and community audiences.
The episode also looks ahead to the Pueblo Film Fest, which continues to build a regional and international platform for filmmakers while fostering community engagement and cultural exchange through cinema.
Cilch also discusses his involvement in the Colorado 150 celebrations and efforts to bring film screenings and programming to Pueblo as part of the statewide anniversary.
Together, the guests reflect on the importance of film as a storytelling tool, the growth of Pueblo’s creative economy, and the opportunities being created for the next generation of filmmakers.
For more information and tickets please visit the following websites:
Rising Star Film Festival
Pueblo Film Fest
 

Soul Fresh Soul Clean | Food, Community & Local Sustainability

Soul Fresh Soul Clean – Episode 2Theme: Food, Community & Local Sustainability
In this episode of Soul Fresh Soul Clean, hosts Jocelyn Martinez and Gregory Howell explore the powerful connection between food, community, and local sustainability in Pueblo, Colorado.
We begin with an inside look at the SoulSmile Cookbook Project, where recipes are more than just meals. They are stories, traditions, and living pieces of community history. Jocelyn and Gregory share updates on the growing excitement, the voices being gathered, and why preserving these food stories matters now more than ever.
The conversation then expands into the heart of the episode, how food systems shape our local economy, health, and sense of belonging. From sourcing local ingredients to supporting farmers and makers, this episode highlights how everyday choices, what we eat and where we spend, directly impact the strength of our community.
A major focus is the Sun Soil Water Summit, now in its 5th year, bringing together farmers, food producers, entrepreneurs, and community members to explore real solutions for a resilient local food system. With a makers market, local vendors, and conversations around food economics and sustainability, the summit represents a powerful gathering of people committed to Pueblo’s future.
We also spotlight SoulSmile as a Colorado Proud business, and the importance of building meaningful partnerships with local farmers, producers, and entrepreneurs, many of whom are women leading innovation in Colorado’s food economy.
Throughout the episode, we explore:
Why local food systems matter
How local spending strengthens communities
The connection between healthy food and community wellbeing
The role of storytelling in preserving culture and identity
Call to ActionIf you believe in supporting local food, community health, and sustainable futures:
✔ Subscribe to Soul Fresh Soul Clean✔ Share your ideas for future episodes✔ Support local farmers, makers, and food producers
Learn more and get your tickets for the Sun Soil Water Summit from March 20 to 22 at Pueblo Community College. Visit pueblofoodproject.org.  To connect with Jocelyn: jocelyn@pueblostarjournal.org. To connect with Gregory: gregory@pueblostarjournal.org. 

State of Art Podcast – 2-Year Anniversary Special with Bree Pappan

State of Art Podcast – 2-Year Anniversary Special
This episode of the State of Art Podcast, part of the Voices of Pueblo podcast series, celebrates two important milestones. It marks the two-year anniversary of the State of Art column and the one-year anniversary of the companion podcast.
Host Bree marks the occasion with a lively conversation featuring three guests who are true movers, shakers, and doers in the Pueblo community. Joining the discussion are Bernice Barnes, David C. Russell, and Marc Sabatella, individuals whose work and leadership continue to shape Pueblo’s creative and civic landscape.
Together they reflect on the evolving role of the arts, the power of community collaboration, and the energy driving Pueblo’s cultural momentum. Through personal stories and thoughtful insights about creativity, leadership, and civic engagement, this anniversary episode highlights the people and ideas helping to define the state of art in Pueblo today.
Tune in for an inspiring conversation about art, community, and the visionaries helping Pueblo thrive.

Bree on a Budget | The Thrill of Thrift featuring Jai Von Westphalen of the Drip

The Thrill of Thrift Featuring Jai of Pueblo Drip | Celebrating 6 Months of Bree on a Budget
In this special episode of The Thrill of Thrift, host Bree Pappan celebrates the six month anniversary of her popular Pueblo Star Journal column Bree on a Budget. To mark the occasion, Bree sits down with Jai, owner of Pueblo Drip, one of Pueblo’s most unique thrift and consignment spaces.
Located at 416 N. Santa Fe Dr., Pueblo Drip is more than a thrift store. It is a community shared space dedicated to supporting local artists and helping marginalized members of the community. The shop is Latinx, nonbinary, and queer owned and its mission goes far beyond resale by creating programs that directly support people in need.
In this episode, Bree and Jai talk about:
The thrill of discovering one of a kind vintage and thrift treasures
How consignment and donation programs support local vendors and artists
The Drip free store, which redistributes donated items to help Pueblo’s unhoused community
Community initiatives including a women’s only Friday program that offers services such as showers, haircuts, hot meals, bike repair, and more
How thrifting can help people stretch their budgets while strengthening community connections
Pueblo Drip welcomes walk in donations of clothing, shoes, personal hygiene products, and nonperishable food. Items in good condition may receive store credit while other items are redistributed through the free store to support those in need.
This episode also celebrates the March issue of the Pueblo Star Journal, which features a special four page pullout section called the Bree on a Budget Savings Guide, packed with tips to help readers stretch their dollars while supporting local businesses.
New items arrive at Drip every day. That means every visit is a treasure hunt. The fun of thrifting is never knowing what you will discover next, whether it is a vintage jacket, a unique gift, or something that perfectly fits your style.
Visit Pueblo Drip416 N. Santa Fe Dr.Pueblo, Colorado
Listen in and discover why the thrill of thrift is not just about saving money. It is about building community.
PUEBLO DRIP WEBSITE
 
 

Soul Fresh Soul Clean | Inaugural Episode with Jocelyn Martinez and Gregory Howell

Soul Fresh, Soul Clean is a monthly podcast from the Pueblo Star Journal that celebrates food, story and the humanity that lives around the table.  In the debut episode of Soul Fresh, Soul Clean, Jocelyn Martinez shares the story behind PSJ Publishing House’s first cookbook. From restaurant hustle to healing through food, she talks about why joyful, seasonal cooking matters and how this Pueblo-rooted project is just getting started. You will find grit and a whole lot of heart.
Hosted by the PSJ and featuring chef and author Jocelyn Martinez, this series follows the creation of PSJ Publishing House’s first cookbook. Each episode dives into flavor, healing, hospitality, grit and the lived experiences that shape how we cook and why we gather.
This is not a celebrity food show. It is Pueblo-rooted, season-driven and unapologetically real. From green chile traditions to gluten-free reinventions, from industry hustle to kitchen-table resilience, the journey unfolds in real time.
Food is culture. Food is memory. Food is connection.
Pull up a chair, stool, porch or sidewalk.
Website: https://www.soulsmilehealthandwellness.com/
Music: 90's Smooth Funk by YellowTree -- https://freesound.org/s/621091/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Life Inside the Childcare Gap: An Investigative Series by Molly Cotner | What Is Childcare? And How Did We Get Here?

Episode One in the Series: What Is Childcare? And How Did We Get Here?
What do we mean when we say “childcare,” and how did Pueblo arrive at the gaps families and providers navigate today?
In Episode One of this series, Molly Cotner and Gregory Howell sit down for a conversation that traces the long arc of childcare in Pueblo, beginning in 1926 with the opening of one of the city’s earliest childcare centers and moving through decades of informal care, shifting labor patterns, and fragile systems that existed long before the pandemic. The conversation examines how COVID-19 exposed those weaknesses, including the emergence of Fair Care as a temporary community response, and why this investigative series moved forward regardless of funding outcomes.
This episode sets the foundation for a six-part investigative reporting series focused on lived experience, access, labor, and accountability in Pueblo County’s childcare system.
Life Inside the Childcare Gap is a production of the Voices of Pueblo podcast, presented by the Pueblo Star Journal and Investigative Reporters and Editors.
This episode was produced and narrated by Molly Cotner and Gregory Howell.
To learn more and to support nonprofit local news in Pueblo, Colorado, visit pueblostarjournal.org.
If you would like to share your childcare story, reach out to Molly at childcare@pueblostarjournal.org.We want to hear from you.
Thank you for listening.

Bree on a Budget: Tax Season Without the Stress - United Way’s VITA Program Explained

Tax season does not have to be overwhelming — or expensive.
In this episode of Bree on a Budget, host Bree Pappan is joined by Luanne Maes and Adrian Gomez to break down how the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program helps Pueblo residents file their taxes for free.
During the conversation, listeners also learn that United Way of Pueblo County is celebrating 20 years of the VITA program in Pueblo, marking two decades of free, trusted tax preparation for working individuals, families and seniors across the community.
Operated by United Way of Pueblo County, VITA provides free tax preparation and filing for individuals and families earning $69,000 or less with simple returns. The program helps ensure taxpayers receive all eligible credits and deductions, including expanded benefits for families with children and older adults.
Maes and Gomez explain who qualifies, how to schedule an appointment, what documents to bring and why working with IRS-certified volunteers can reduce stress and protect refunds. They also share how community members can get involved as VITA volunteers — no prior tax experience required.
If you are looking to file with confidence, stretch your refund or avoid costly tax preparation fees, this episode is a reminder that free, reliable help is available right here in Pueblo.
Appointments for VITA services run from late January through April 15 and are available by appointment only.