Grassroots Podcast Created for PUC Employees

During a discussion of ways to better support Pacific Union College's mission and culture, a group of faculty, staff, and church pastors expressed interest in further developing the campus community. “We knew we wanted to be able to share campus stories with our colleagues specifically, and we started brainstorming ways we could potentially do that,” said Becky St. Clair, director of Paulin Center for the Arts and office manager for the department of music.

When Tara Hargrove, chair of the departments of communication and world languages, mentioned the newly created podcast studio in Irwin Hall—built thanks to the support of a passionate donor—the group knew they’d found their outlet.

The studio was fully functional and already supported a student-led podcast, so the group now had a storytelling format and a space to use it. Thus, the Unchart(Ed) podcast was born. A team of podcast hosts was created, comprising Hargrove and St. Clair, alongside Department of Theology Chair Jim Wibberding and Associate Pastor for Worship and Administration Lem Garcia.

Coming from different areas of campus, the hosts bring diverse perspectives, experiences, and ideas, while sharing a common goal: cultivating a campus culture of growth and inspiring innovation, collaboration, and creativity. To support each other’s workload (since this is, after all, a labor of love for all four hosts), they rotate recording assignments and share the tasks required to produce a podcast—from script creation to conversation outlines to audio editing to show notes and distribution.

Through thoughtful conversations, Unchart(Ed) dives into topics relevant specifically to PUC’s employees—course collaborations, leadership, personal and professional accomplishments, research, navigating challenges, and introducing new faculty and staff to their campus colleagues. Although Unchart(Ed)’s target audience is PUC faculty and staff, anyone is welcome to tune in and subscribe to the podcast, which offers ideas and inspiration for community-building and collaboration applicable to any organization.

“We have had so much fun doing this podcast,” says Hargrove. “It is great to be able to share our joy with others and have them listen. Getting Episode 1 out proved that small, steady moves get you where you want to be. We’ve already heard positive feedback, so we are excited to continue to release new episodes.”

As of publication, the group has recorded 18 episodes, with five released. Their first episode is a conversation with Arturo López, PUC chaplain, about the campus theme for 2025-2026. Wibberding stepped into a guest role for the second episode to share a bit about the history of Adventism in California, which he wrote about in his recently published book, Walking with the Pioneers: The Captivating Story of West Coast Adventism. Episode Three is a thoughtful and fun conversation with PUC’s newest administrator, Aimee Leukert, VP for Student & Spiritual Life.

Other episodes this season will include: Jennifer Peñaflorida, chair of the department of education, on the use of AI in education; Milbert Mariano, dean of the School of Arts, Humanities, and Professions and director of the Honors Program about teaching a summer course in Italy; Tony Nakashima, PUC’s new athletic director, about his vision for the future of PUC athletics; Abby Suttan, senior communication major, on her experience working in sports communication with athletics; and many more.

Though each guest brings different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives into the studio, Hargrove says each conversation is an opportunity to address one or more key ideas which are important to the Unchart(Ed) group: What colleagues are currently building, what PUC needs to hear about bridging departments and tearing down silos, and ideas and inspiration for innovation on campus. Hargrove is also excited to celebrate faculty and staff equally, honor women in leadership, and acknowledge that spiritual life is part of their work on the podcast.

“Everything is spiritual!” says Garcia. “I know that in our Western mindset, the temptation is to separate what we think of as ‘mundane’ from what is supposed to be ‘spiritual.’ In reality, spiritual life, both throughout scripture and here at PUC, is woven into the fabric of our everyday lives. It’s not limited to specific events, times, or spaces—spiritual life looks like conversations after class, the way professors and staff care about students, the friendships and connections we make, and the beauty of our mountain setting. It’s a mix of heritage and fresh expression, where we continue writing the PUC story and authentically explore our own spiritual questions.”

Whether someone is deeply rooted in their faith, unsure, or curious, Garcia wants Unchart(Ed) to feel like an “open table.” The same goes for any topic discussed—overtly spiritual or not. Although they don’t have all the answers, the hosts speak with kindness and listen with curiosity, sharing and hearing stories with an open mind to connect and get to know each other better. “I hope listeners hear that having purpose and faith don’t mean we have everything figured out,” said Garcia.

Wibberding says he wants listeners to experience hope—the kind that sees the future clearly and knows what to do with it. “In any institution, we have moments of optimism and a few moments of despair. These present diverging paths,” he says. “I choose clear-eyed optimism, and I like inviting others to choose the same path. By highlighting so many of the good things at PUC and the amazing people who lead here, we shine a light on that better path.”

He adds that an authentic experience with God “makes room for the many phases of a spiritual journey, and PUC fosters that experience. We let scripture, our Adventist faith, and the Spirit of God lead us to serve God in ways that invite others to join that journey.”

As this team navigates uncharted conversations, listeners have already expressed their excitement for this podcast. “I don’t think that was something anyone realized they wanted until it was available, but it’s really appealing to a number of our colleagues,” says St. Clair. “One listener commented that they really appreciate the spiritual component of our conversations on the podcast. Another shared how much they enjoy the hosts. I look forward to additional feedback—and recommendations for topics and guests!—in the future.”

St. Clair hopes PUC faculty and staff feel empowered to explore new ways to approach their work and to collaborate creatively. “I would also love for them each to recognize how important their role is here at PUC, and work with renewed energy and a sense of purpose,” she says. “And like we say at the close of every episode, I hope our podcast inspires listeners to explore boldly, care deeply, and lead bravely.”

Unchart(Ed) episodes are released every two weeks on Mondays on rss.com/podcasts/unchart-ed.