Host Jason English welcomes Stella Prince, hailed as the face of Gen Z folk, for a conversation recorded at AmericanaFest after her first official showcase at Nashville’s female-owned venue, Anzie Blue. Prince reflects on growing up in Woodstock, New York, singing as a child with artists like Pete Seeger, and her early drive to work in music, including being a 12-year-old radio DJ spinning 1930s–40s big band and writing music reviews. She discusses making folk mainstream again, the generational appeal of the genre, and inspirations like Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, and Judy Collins, plus contemporaries like Laufey. Prince describes building an all-women team, recording her debut EP in Laurel Canyon, and releasing her first sync—a Hallmark film featuring her reimagined “(They Long to Be) Close to You.” She also shares songwriting shaped by Gen Z anxiety, inflation, and newfound independence, and performs “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” and her original “Good Luck Is Hard to Find.”00:00 Folk Across Generations

00:28 Podcast Intro and Guest Setup

02:42 AmericanaFest Milestone

04:38 Why Folk Feels Real Now

05:34 Making Folk Mainstream Again

06:13 Gen Z Jazz Inspiration

08:21 Woodstock Roots and Early Magic

09:27 Radio DJ and Big Band Years

11:00 DIY Hustle to Building a Team

13:04 All Women Team and Industry Gaps

13:45 Women on the Road

14:42 Laurel Canyon Recording Dream

15:23 Career First at 21

16:26 EP Plans and Hallmark Sync

17:57 Songwriting From Independence

18:35 Gen Z Pressure and Anxiety

20:55 Curiosity and Defining Success

23:14 Live Performance Session

26:04 Original Song Closing

Bird on AmericanaFest, Accidental Filmmaking, and Storytelling Through Music | Curious Goldfish PodcastHost Jason English welcomes Janie, who performs as Bird, to the Curious Goldfish Podcast in Nashville during AmericanaFest. Bird, half Irish and half English, grew up in London, is based in Italy, and is increasingly working in the U.S. after receiving an O-1 visa. She discusses Irish storytelling roots, her classical cello training from age six, learning drums at 11, and influences ranging from Jacqueline du Pré to Led Zeppelin and Bob Dylan that shaped her Americana sound. Bird explains the origin of her stage name, her “accidental filmmaker” path after a cinematic album stalled during COVID, and her short films “Wider Than the Sky” and “You Found a Friend in Elvis,” inspired by a Roy Orbison story. She outlines festival strategy, upcoming full-length film plans, two EPs (“Heads or Tales” and “Strange as Folk”) and a vinyl release, touring via Café Nero, and performs “The Tides” solo on cello for the first time.00:00 Irish Storytelling Roots

00:55 Podcast Welcome and Guest Intro

02:56 Meeting at AmericanaFest

03:35 AmericanaFest Buzz and US Plans

04:44 Why the Name Bird

07:22 Accidental Filmmaker Origin

09:12 Elvis and Roy Orbison Mystery

11:15 Festival Strategy and No Money

12:45 Third Film Tease and Timeline

14:13 Back to Music Classical Beginnings

15:13 Drums and Rock Influences

15:56 Irish Storytelling Roots

17:24 Albums and Genre Evolution

17:52 Heads or Tales EP

18:28 Why Two EPs

19:17 Folk Horror Inspiration

21:17 Lockdown Demos in Italy

22:27 Touring and Future Plans

25:19 Curiosity and Connection

27:58 The Tides Closing Song

Stephanie Sammons: Financial Planner by Day, Songwriter by Calling | Curious Goldfish with Jason EnglishHost Jason English welcomes Stephanie Sammons to Curious Goldfish in Nashville for a conversation about her dual life as a Dallas-based financial planner and an emerging songwriter. Stephanie explains her holistic approach to wealth management—combining financial planning, tax planning, and investment management—while emphasizing the importance of behavior, long-term perspective, and living fully rather than following rigid rules. She shares how she decided to “go pro” as a songwriter without leaving her career, motivated by a desire to avoid regret and stop waiting for permission to be herself, including encouragement from songwriter Mary Gauthier to claim the title of songwriter. Stephanie discusses her Southern Baptist upbringing in Missouri, how coming out created a decade-long family disconnect, and how reconciliation eventually developed into mutual respect, including her parents’ relationship with her wife and their grandchildren. The episode explores themes of faith, nuance, fear, optimism, and how personal experiences become songwriting material, including her song “Faithless” and the origins of “Innocence Lost,” inspired by a childhood memory of shooting a bird with a BB gun and later shaped in a Mary Gauthier workshop. Stephanie notes she released her 2024 album “Time and Evolution” and is currently recording a second full-length album with Mary Bragg, expected in early 2026. The episode closes with Stephanie performing “Innocence Lost.”00:00 Music, Faith, and Finding a Hopeful Perspective

01:01 Welcome to Curious Goldfish + Meet Stephanie Sammons

03:15 Nashville Intro & Why Her Songs Hit So Hard

04:07 Holistic Financial Planning: Retirement, Spending, and Mindset

06:53 Market Chaos, Long-Term Optimism, and Tuning Out the Noise

08:05 Day Job vs. Art: Going Pro Without Quitting10:57 ‘Build Your Own Adventure’ + Claiming the Title Songwriter

12:06 No More Excuses: Regret, Calling, and Making the Leap

14:10 Faith Deconstruction in Americana Music (and Why It’s Taboo)16:52 Southern Baptist Roots, Sexuality, and a Complicated Belief

18:10 The ‘Billboard Sign’ Lyric: Family Rejection and Its Aftermath

18:59 Rebuilding the Relationship: From Pedestal to Reconciliation

19:40 The Turning Point: Letting Go and Parents Coming Back Around

21:33 Agreeing to Disagree: Family, Marriage, Kids, and Mutual Respect

22:30 Will Sexuality Always Be the Headline? Identity Beyond Coming Out

23:31 Deep-Cut Songs & ‘Innocence Lost’: Writing Empathy in the South

26:57 How a Workshop Sparked ‘Innocence Lost’ (Mary Gauthier Story)

27:46 Why Songwriting Is the Joy (and Co-Writing as the Next Step)

28:53 ‘Faithless’ and Living with Nuance: Doubt, Privilege, and Worldview

31:06 Going Pro, New Doors, and Album #2 in the Works (2026)32:02 What She’s Most Curious About: Media, Fear, and the Swinging Pendulum

34:39 Closing Thanks + Live Performance: ‘Innocence Lost’