Show Notes
In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers confront the real-world consequences of misinformation—and how it can spread faster than the truth. Part 1: Growing up, Modesta Abugu knows firsthand the challenges rural African farmers face. But when she discovers that misinformation is making things worse, she sets out to change the narrative. Part 2: While living in South Africa, Fiona Tudor Price witnesses how AIDS misinformation devastates an entire nation. Modesta N. Abugu recently obtained her Ph.D. in the Department of Horticultural Science at North Carolina State University, where she conducted research to identify genetic tools that can be used to improve flavor in sweetpotato, guiding the development of high-quality varieties. As a National Science Foundation interdisciplinary research fellow at the Genetic Engineering and Society Center, NCSU, she examined the scientific, policy, and public-engagement dimensions of agricultural biotechnology within integrated food, energy, and water systems to help develop sustainable and responsive solutions that bridge innovation, policy, and societal needs. Modesta is also passionate about communicating science to the public, especially on the potential of agricultural biotechnology tools in promoting food security. She has been widely involved in grassroots campaigns geared towards creating an enabling policy environment for farmers to gain access to new agricultural innovations globally. Through her awareness and advocacy efforts, she contributed to the passage of Nigeria's biosafety bill into law, and the commercialization of Bt cowpea in Nigeria. Modesta obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry from the University of Nigeria in Nsukka, Nigeria, and an MSc in horticultural science from the University of Florida. Outside of work, she loves to hike and visit new places. Fiona Tudor Price is a seasoned producer, director, and science communicator with a unique blend of expertise in biology, media and education. With a BSc. Hons. in Biology and Film & Television Studies, Fiona began her career at TVOntario and Corus Entertainment, contributing to award-winning environmental and science documentaries. In 1999, she moved to South Africa and founded Atomic Productions, where she directed and produced impactful natural-history content for global networks including National Geographic, Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and WWF. Transforming complex scientific concepts into compelling, human-centred narratives, Fiona earned a reputation for making science accessible to broader audiences. A passionate advocate for women in media, Fiona founded Women in Film and Television South Africa (WIFT SA), providing a platform for mentorship, networking, and empowerment within the industry. She is deeply committed to educational equity, particularly for learners with dyslexia. Fiona collaborated with Decoding Dyslexia, Ontario, to initiate the transformational Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Right to Read inquiry, to address systemic issues in education for learners with dyslexia. Currently, Fiona is a Digital Media and Accessibility Specialist at Humber Polytechnic, focusing on the intersection of multimedia, AI, and accessibility in education, driving innovation at the crossroads of education and technology. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
More from The Story Collider
In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers experience something that that defy scientific explanation. Part 1: After ACL surgery leaves Valarie Walker unable to walk, she can't make it to her dying mother's bedside to say goodbye. Part 2: When Robyn Jay learns her abusive father is in palliative care, she sees it as her chance to finally watch the beast fall. Valarie is a published writer and award winning storyteller. Her stories have been featured on the Moth Radio Hour and the Volume Knob podcast, among others. A Moth Grand Slam winner, she is currently working on a one woman show, Love and Other Hard Truths. One woman, one mic, and a world of possibilities. Robyn Jay is a college English professor with a passion for neurobiology and a keen interest in human behaviour. Storyteller, stage hypnotist, and former player with Montreal Improv, Robyn is on the constant lookout for novelty, adventure, and ways we can broaden our understanding of how we define ourselves. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers struggle to live up to the expectations their parents set for them. Part 1: Growing up, Kat Arney was always told by her mom that she wasn't creative—that she was destined to be a scientist instead. Part 2: After his father's unexpected death, Kevin McNulty becomes an investment banker, convinced it's the life his dad would have wanted for him. Kat Arney is a multi award-winning science writer, public speaker and broadcaster. Initially starting off as a scientist, she left the lab to work in science comms at Cancer Research UK, where she helped shape the charity’s public voice around cancer research. During that time she co-founded CRUK’s ground-breaking Science Blog and became a principal media spokesperson, translating cutting-edge research for journalists and the public. She is the author of three acclaimed popular science books — Herding Hemingway’s Cats, How to Code a Human and Rebel Cell — and has presented numerous radio programmes and podcasts including Ingenious and Bug in the System on BBC Radio 4, and Genetics Unzipped. Today she is the founder and Chief Creative Officer of First Create The Media - a life science communications and marketing agency that helps pioneering innovators in the life sciences find and tell their stories to the world. Kevin is a New York-based comedian who writes and performs at the Upright Citizens Brigade. The hour long version of his solo-show, Half-Orphan, will be at the Edinburgh Fringe this summer. He previously spent nearly a decade as an investment banker and economic researcher, where he formed an unhealthy attachment to telling stories through charts. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In honour of National Coming Out Day on October 11, we're sharing two stories about queer journeys, self-discovery, and what it means to finally become your authentic self. Part 1: Every time Billie Sainwood is intimate with a partner, she loses consciousness—a medical mystery that makes dating difficult. Part 2: Kelsea Best is sleepwalking through graduate school until an unexpected encounter with a postdoc at a brewery forces her to confront feelings she's spent a lifetime trying to ignore. Billie Sainwood is a poet, performer, and trans menace living in Atlanta. Her work has been featured in Had Magazine, the Atlanta Fringe Festival, and she was recently one of Bloodletter Magazine's 2025 Trans Voices in Horror. Her poetry collections WHAT WAS EATEN WAS GIVEN and 36 VIEWS OF MY BREASTS are available from Kith Books. Kelsea Best is an Assistant Professor at the Ohio State University where she researches topics related to climate justice and equitable climate adaptation. She is a native of Nashville, TN and has been in Columbus for almost three years. She lives with her spouse, Ash, dog, Henry, and cat, Dany. When she isn't teaching and conducting research, Kelsea enjoys horseback riding, exercising, gardening, and reading everything from murder mysteries to fairy romance novels. She is a proud queer woman and nature lover. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Every family has secrets. But some secrets have the power to completely reshape who you think you are. In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers uncover revelations that change everything they thought they knew about themselves. Part 1: When Ryan Jones receives a DNA test from his mom for Christmas, he expects to learn a little more about his family history and heritage. Part 2: After years of unexplained headaches, Alicia Silver is finally diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Ryan Jones is an award-winning spoken word artist, an environmental engineer, lawyer, and a lemon pepper wing connoisseur. In October 2025, Ryan founded the non-profit organization, Black Empowerment for Environmental Sustainability (BEES), that seeks to create culture and conversation around the pursuit of social and environmental justice by using the performing arts. Ryan was a participant in the Round 11 Reiser Atlanta Artists Lab with the Alliance Theater, where he began development of his debut stage play, "in spite of years of silence," a choreopoem about love, forgiveness, and healing in Black parent-child relationships. Ryan was born and raised in the Metro Atlanta area, where he currently resides. You can find out more about Ryan and his work at gohomeryan.com. Alicia Silver is the Founder and Chief Experience Officer (CXO) of The Silver Lining Experience, a wellness and personal‑development platform rooted in Rest, Clarity, and Alignment. Her work spans restorative hospitality, storytelling, and community experiences designed to help people regulate, reflect, and reconnect with themselves. She spent 30 years in global financial services, building a career defined by precision, pressure, and performance — all while her body was quietly signaling that something was changing. That disconnect between what she projected and what she was actually experiencing became the turning point of her story. Alicia is now writing her debut memoir, drawing from her lived experience navigating invisible illness while rising through global financial services to the role of Director in 2019. She uses storytelling and health‑literacy advocacy to help people recognize the early clues their bodies offer, communicate more clearly with their providers, and move through major transitions without shame. Alicia lives in New Jersey and is a partial empty nester who believes in the power of pausing long enough to hear yourself again. Her mission is to make conversations about health and identity easier, earlier, and more human — one story at a time. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This week we present two classic stories of people struggling with what the “right” thing to do is. Part 1: Catherine Macdonald always wanted to study sharks, but her first time tagging them in the field doesn't go as planned. Part 2: When Michelle Tong visits home after her first semester of medical school, a stranger presents an ethical dilemma. Dr. Catherine Macdonald is co-founder and Director of Field School (www.getintothefield.com), a marine science training and education company dedicated to improving field research practices while teaching students to perform hands-on research with sharks. She is also the Director of the University of Miami's Shark Research and Conservation Program and an Associate Professor at the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science. Michelle Tong is a second-year medical student from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She has been published in the Margins and Glass, among other literary journals, and reads for the Bellevue Literary Review. This past summer, she won first prize in the Michael E. DeBakey Medical Student Poetry Awards and received a fellowship from Brooklyn Poets. She teaches poetry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and lives in East Harlem. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.