Hello!–What a wonderful month this has been!  We welcomed our first grandson, Max Arlo, on October 27 into the family.  Max is the son of Brad and Elisha, and brother to Stella.  Everyone is doing great.  Along with Zoey, Emmy, and Stella, he brings such joy into our lives!

In this episode of EXTRAordinary People we feature Jonathan Hunger who shares his journey overcoming stage fright and finding a fulfilling career as a park ranger.

Jonathan Hunger is the author of Agitate!, a revealing memoir of how he was able to overcome his fears by the example of Frederick Douglass.  Jonathan is a native New Yorker who grew up primarily in New Jersey. He attended the University of Maryland for his undergraduate degree, and soon after spent a year working on construction as part of AmeriCorps with Habitat for Humanity. Following his term of service, he attended The College of New Jersey where he received his Master of Arts in Education, and spent the next ten years working in public schools in New Jersey and Maryland. After realizing that teaching was ultimately not the right fit for him, he returned to graduate school to pursue a career in international relations. Surprisingly, however, instead of finding work in international affairs, Jonathan ended up in a park ranger trainee position with the Department of the Interior at the Frederick Douglass Historic Site in Washington, DC. and it was this experience that inspired him to write his first book. Jonathan lives in the Baltimore suburbs with his family.

Tune in to hear Jonathan’s inspiring story at shirleywachtel.com and streaming, beginning Monday, November 3rd.  

Until next time–Shirley