Sometimes the world feels a little heavy—so let’s flip the script with a burst of good news! In this Positivity Pop-up episode of HodgePodgeCast, I’m sharing three uplifting stories that remind us there’s still so much joy, creativity, and kindness out there.
Stay curious—and come soak up the good vibes with me.
7 Feb 2025
HodgePodgeCast S1 E3: Cleveland BalloonFest 1986
Listen in as Mur tells Jess the story of when 1,400,000 balloons were released in Cleveland's town square. It took a lot of work to pull this off and we'll do our best to fill you in!
Resources:
2023-Qualatex-latex-polymer-Test.pdf. Qulatex Latex Polymer Test. (n.d.). https://pioneerballooncompany.widen.net/s/26ns5sgqcd/2023-qualatex-latex-polymer-test
All-america city award- celebrating the best in Civic Engagement. National Civic League. (2025, January 31). https://www.nationalcivicleague.org/america-city-award/
Cleveland.com. (2024, May 25). BalloonFest 1986: What Really Happened?. YouTube. https://youtu.be/MIM-pJP5A0o?si=CRfXC0O2P2QuBK09
Guerrieri, V. (2023, December 15). Balloonfest made Cleveland a laughingstock. did it deserve it?. Defector. https://defector.com/balloonfest-made-cleveland-a-laughingstock-did-it-deserve-it
Newman, V. (2024, November 18). Rested Guinness World Records titles and why we no longer monitor them. Guinness World Records. https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2024/11/rested-guinness-world-records-titles-and-why-we-no-longer-monitor-them
Quinn, C. (2024, May 31). Where truth ends and fake news begins on Cleveland’s 1986 balloonfest: Letter from the editor. cleveland. https://www.cleveland.com/news/2023/06/where-truth-ends-and-fake-news-begins-on-clevelands-1986-balloonfest-letter-from-the-editor.html
Record policies. Guinness World Records. (n.d.). https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records/record-policies
Sheridan, T. (n.d.). Thom Sheridan. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/thom.sheridan/posts/pfbid0qVDd6havqPqQvu3QknXfijSjaYcHRV1D2K44pqdKCVjwhLY7MWTQ9qEoTodjnfJ3l
Walker, T. (2021, January 12). YouTube. https://youtu.be/-j1AeV-n8j4?si=tFUCPaLYDMzDq-wC
Wikimedia Foundation. (2024a, November 17). Balloon release. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balloon_release#:~:text=A%20balloon%20release%20in%201986,balloons%20in%20a%20single%20release
Wikimedia Foundation. (2024b, December 17). Timeline of Cleveland. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiiomeline_of_Cleveland
Wikimedia Foundation. (2025, February 1). Hough riots. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hough_riots
Music provided by:
Silly Intro by Alexander Nakarada (CreatorChords) | https://creatorchords.com
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
24 Jan 2025
HodgePodgeCast S1, E2: Personality Changes in Organ Donor Recipients
Mur and Sara discuss the incredible story of Claire Sylvia, a heart-lung transplant survivor who felt a deep connection to her donor.
Resources for this episode:
G. Jung Institute of New England. (n.d.). C.G. Jung Institute of New England. CG Jung Institute NE. https://cgjungne.com/about-us/c-g-jung-institute-new-england/
Liester, M. B. (2020). Personality changes following heart transplantation: The role of cellular memory. Medical Hypotheses, 135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2019.109468
Pearsall, P., Schwartz, G. E. R., & Russek, L. G. S. (2000). Changes in heart transplant recipients that parallel the personalities of their donors. Integrative Medicine, 2(2–3), 65–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1096-2190(00)00013-5
Sylvia, C., & Novak, W. (1998). A change of heart: A memoir. Warner Books.
Music provided by:
Silly Intro by Alexander Nakarada (CreatorChords) | https://creatorchords.com
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Who has been a guest on Hodgepodgecast
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
George C. Parker
Christen Fackler
Tom Higgenson
Drue Chrisman
unknown
Podcast Authority Score: 40 / 100
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