The Story Collider

In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers share tales about whales.
Part 1: As a child, Brittany Munson dreams of growing up to be a whale trainer.
Part 2: As a marine scientist focused on living creatures, Maya Santangelo is convinced that diving to explore an old whaling shipwreck in the Antarctic will be boring.
Brittany Munson is a Lead Educator at the California Science Center, where she engages public audiences in exploring various science topics and activities. With a degree in Aquatic Biology from UC Santa Barbara, she has chased her passion for the ocean from the coral reefs of the Bahamas to the icy waters of Alaska, where she spent two seasons as a naturalist. Most recently, she served as a Lead Science Communication Fellow aboard E/V Nautilus, sharing deep-sea exploration with the world in real-time. When she isn’t advocating for marine life or planning her next expedition, you can find Brittany tending to her indoor jungle as a devoted plant mom or salsa dancing on Sunday nights. She calls Long Beach home.
Maya Santangelo is a professional nerd, diver, and marine scientist. Working in the dive and expedition industry for more than 15 years, Maya's experiences as the 2016 Australasian Rolex Scholar of the Our World Underwater Scholarship Society cemented a passion for science communication and ocean education to enhance meaningful travel experiences. Since 2017, Maya has worked as an Undersea Specialist with Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic, diving and filming underwater around the world to share what would otherwise be out of sight, out of mind. With a focus diving in the Antarctic for the past 6 years, she has become especially interested in researching and educating about marine conservation through fisheries management and sustainable seafood choices. Alongside this role, Maya works above and below the surface to research the habitat use of the critically endangered school shark, the diet and trophic ecology of the widely distributed leopard seal, and the remote population of manta rays in French Polynesia’s Marquesas Islands.
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In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers are forced to confront the terrifying unknown and decide how to live in the shadow of what might come.
Part 1: After three generations of women in her family develop Alzheimer’s disease, Mary Jo Pollack enrolls in a study that could reveal whether she’s next.
Part 2: When Sabrina Samuel is diagnosed with a brain aneurysm and told to wait a year before surgery, she must choose between living in fear or embracing the time she has.
Mary Jo Pollack lives life out loud, not only as an award-winning storyteller but also as a general life philosophy. She has appeared at Odyssey Storytelling, Female Storytelling (FST!), Tellers of Tales Tucson, Phoenix Moth, which she won twice, and numerous virtual shows, including the 2022 Toronto Storytelling Festival. Mary Jo loves the 99-second storytelling format.
Southern Nomad, photographer, and nature lover; Sabrina Samuel is originally from Atlanta, Georgia. She enjoyed a childhood full of outdoor adventures with her little sister and their many beloved ponies, ducks, goats, cats, dogs, and rabbits. After studying art at the University of Georgia, she traveled to India and lived there for many years. In 2002, she returned to Atlanta with my husband and 2 kids. Currently, she owns and operate a small real estate photography business, Sabrina Samuel Photography. When she’s not working, she enjoy long walks visiting her tall forest friends - Trees.
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When her twenty-five year marriage unexpectedly fell apart, science writer Florence Williams (author of Heartbreak) felt shocked and blindsided. Such heartbreak led to a new range of intense feelings and, trained as a journalist, Florence set out on a journey to understand the science of heartbreak. She tried novel forms of therapy, immersed herself in nature, and consulted cutting-edge research on the science of awe. But her greatest discovery came when she tried an alternative to “hacking” heartbreak. This episode is from A Slight Change of Plans, hosted by cognitive scientist and bestselling author Dr. Maya Shankar. On A Slight Change of Plans, Maya explores how we experience change and provides strategies we can use to better navigate moments of upheaval. Whether it’s a sudden pivot or a slow transformation, each episode reveals how change can give us an opportunity to reimagine who we are and unlock greater possibility. Find A Slight Change of Plans wherever you get podcasts.
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In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers build shields to protect themselves and discover what happens when those defences fail.
Part 1: As a lonely teenager searching for connection, Christopher Moncayo-Torres turns to an unlikely disguise—a giant Clifford costume—in hopes of bridging the gap between himself and the world around him.
Part 2: JP Flores has always been the family’s “smart kid,” a role that becomes his armor in college—until the pressure of living up to that identity begins to crack.
Christopher Moncayo-Torres is an Ecuadorian-American writer, actor, teaching artist and live storyteller, born and bred in Queens, NY, and new-ish to living in LA. Most recently, he performed alongside his Ecuadorian father (yes, really) in "No Sabo", an award-winning, solo-ish show about rekindling their once estranged relationship, despite their language barrier. He's now working on a live-ish cooking show with his mother. He also hosts the monthly storytelling-workshop show, Fail Better Story Time at Studious Coworking Space in LA's Chinatown. More info can be found at www.failbetterarts.com He's an instructor and host for The Moth. He's also a 3x Moth StorySLAM winner who has been featured on The Moth Radio Hour podcast.
JP Flores recently completed his PhD in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology from UNC Chapel Hill, where he studied how DNA folds in 3D space to control when, where, and why genes turn on. He calls this the origami of gene regulation. Originally from Los Angeles, he's also pursuing a Graduate Certificate in Innovation for the Public Good, blending his love for bridging science and society. He’s a HHMI Gilliam Fellow, a podcast host (From Where Does It STEM?, a Spotify Next Wave Award winner), and is passionate about turning science communication into community connection. He is also a co-founder of the nonprofit organization, Science For Good. Outside the lab, JP plays guitar and gigs around North Carolina, and lives with his very opinionated and stubborn wiener dog, Vienna. As a first-gen college student, he’s driven to make science more community-centered and for the public good.
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Oxygen sustains almost every living thing on the planet and the air we breathe is meant to be invisible. But industrialization has changed that. In many cities around the world, the air is no longer clean. Polluted air affects our health, contributes to rising global temperatures, and harms ecosystems in ways we are only beginning to fully understand.
In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers share how polluted air shaped their lives and changed the way they see the world around them.
Part 1: After witnessing toxic fumes pouring from a nearby factory, Virginia Kilgore decides to take action.
Part 2: While working in Delhi, Sai Krishna Dammalapati is baffled by how unfazed people seem by the city’s severe air pollution.
Virginia Kilgore was born in Oak Cliff and raised in Duncanville, Texas. Much of her youth was spent outdoors building forts and playing in the woods. As a teenager she frequently commuted through a town near Dallas with large factories where she experienced air pollution and became aware of the wide spread associated human health and environmental impacts. This inspired Virginia’s self-funded lobby for stronger environmental regulations in Texas. Virginia traveled as college exchange student to Germany and stayed in Europe for 2.5 years before returning to study further in Texas. Virginia is certified in Alphabiotics, a wholistic brain balancing technique. She also attended Texas A&M firefighting academy at Commerce and continued there as an EMT instructor after receiving a Texas firefighting and EMT certificate. She has worked and lectured nationally and internationally on environmental justice and health related issues. Currently, Virginia is the Executive Director of Water Is Alive Inc, a non-profit organization developing solutions for organic wastes through fermentation and teaching students of all ages how to make biostimulants from agricultural wastes to improve soil and water quality. Virginia is fluent in Dutch, Spanish & English.
Sai Krishna Dammalapati is a civic-technologist and storyteller who explores the world through science and stories. He builds open data tools in areas such as air pollution, disaster management, and legal research. He writes and enacts stories and screenplays that aim to make readers kind, confident, and knowledgeable. Outside of work, he enjoys reading. His current read is Book Lovers by Emily Henry.
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