What we love about ANDing is synthesizing our interests, personalities, cultures and experiences into a swirling, gorgeous human that is you. But does that variety implicitly encourage overdoing it? We've heard from many ANDing-curious listeners that they worry an emphasis on ANDing encourages busyness and maxing out the calendar with an ever-growing list of to-dos.

So, does it?

Erika and Producer Tim sat down to talk through that very question, recorded as a winter special just in time for these very busy holidays.

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Original music composed by Nelson Walker.

Recorded at Interplay Recording and Multimedia.

Written and produced by Erika Randall and Tim Grassley.

The Ampersand is a production of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder.

If storytelling is an art, today's guest is a maestro. Jennifer Ho is a professor of ethnic studies and director of the Center for Humanities and the Arts at the University of Colorado Boulder. On today's episode, our finale for season three, Jennifer's ability to convey meaning through compelling narratives is on full display. She discusses growing up in California, navigating cultural differences in the U.S. South, finding joy in hardship, countering racism and the manner art can bring about true reconciliation.

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Learn more about Jennifer's research.

Learn more about the Center for Humanities and the Arts.

Follow Jennifer on Threads.

Original music composed by Nelson Walker.

Recorded at Interplay Recording and Multimedia.

Written and produced by Erika Randall and Tim Grassley.

The Ampersand is a production of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Beyond a wild ride of an interview, Eric Small gifted us a new favorite word that describes his hydrological research on water, energy and carbon budgets of the Earth's surface—ground-truthing. On today's episode, Eric explosively (i.e., like a Muppet) walks us through the practice of matching on-the-ground maps with satellite data. Beyond the sheer hilarity of his and Erika's conversation, what makes this such a fun interview is his unwavering belief that easy answers are hard to come by and they only get more complex the closer you choose to look.

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Learn more about Eric's research.

Original music composed by Nelson Walker.

Recorded at Interplay Recording and Multimedia.

Written and produced by Erika Randall and Tim Grassley.

The Ampersand is a production of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder.