Episode 144

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Published on:

7th Dec 2025

Dr. Athena Ramos S3E144

Public health expert Dr. Athena Ramos shares her commitment to public health and justice, such as tobacco prevention efforts and improving farmworker health, safety, and equity in the Midwest. Dr. Ramos talks about the cultural, health, and lived experiences influencing this award-winning passion and that are reshaping her life and her work, including becoming a cowgirl.

Dr. Athena Ramos is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Promotion at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s College of Public Health, where she leads community-engaged research focused on farmworker and agrifood worker health, social determinants of health, and reducing health disparities across the Great Plains and Midwest. A native Nebraskan and first-generation scholar, Dr. Ramos partners closely with Latino, immigrant, and rural communities, working with producers, workers, and organizations to improve conditions in agriculture and meatpacking. Her work has been recognized with numerous honors, including UNMC’s 2025 Distinguished Scientist Award, and she serves on multiple local and national boards and networks. Beyond campus, Dr. Ramos is a sought-after speaker, advocate, and mentor, and at home she and her husband are raising four children in Omaha.

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About the Podcast

Lives Radio Show & Podcast with Stuart Chittenden
Every Sunday at 9am on KIOS 91.5FM, Omaha's NPR affiliate, Season Three of Lives will tackle the big questions: What is a good life? Why are we here? How might we feel more connected? These and other big questions about how we live will be explored each week. Through intimate conversations, fascinating guests will share their spiritual, philosophical, artistic, and cultural approaches to exploring the wonders of our human experience. Join me as we delve into the practical and profound possibilities of living well.

As well as listening to this Season Three of Lives being broadcast on KIOS, listen back to Seasons One and Two, featuring fresh voices and diverse perspectives on culture, community, business, and more. From the Midwest and beyond, inspiring guests share compelling stories spanning the fields of politics, business, media, community activism, arts and humanities, philanthropy, and more.

On air since January 2017, Lives Radio Show & Podcast initially broadcast on the community radio station Mind & Soul 101.3FM in north Omaha, housed at the Malcolm X Center, and more recently broadcast with 1st Sky Omaha.
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stuart chittenden

I'm Stuart Chittenden—an existential coach, Certified Humanist Professional, and the creator and host of Lives Radio Show & Podcast. My work centers on helping people explore who they are, what matters most, and how to live well in a world that often rushes past those questions.

Throughout my journey—from law in London to brand strategy and community dialogue in the American Midwest—I’ve always been drawn to what lies beneath: the quiet, often unspoken work of making meaning. Lives is one of the most enduring expressions of that calling. For over eight years, I’ve invited guests from all walks of life into deep, human conversations about identity, purpose, and how we shape—and are shaped by—our stories.

Whether through coaching, workshops, or the microphone, I create space for reflection, connection, and the rich conversations that help us live more fully.