Fishing Without Bait: A Full Impact Mindfulness Podcast

Building Community With Casa San Jose With Monica Ruiz | Episode 534

October 6th, 2026  |  20 mins 34 secs

Civic Engagement, Compassion, Privilege, Representation, advocacy, belonging, casa san jose, community advocacy, community building, community resources, difficult conversations, fear based thinking, honesty open mindedness willingness, human dignity, human rights, identity, inclusion, jim ellermeyer, latino community, listening, mental health, mindfulness, mindfulness podcast, monica ruiz, personal growth, pittsburgh, pittsburgh latino community, positive living, recovery, seat at the table, sister janice vanderneck, social work, social worker, wellness

Jim Ellermeyer welcomes Monica Ruiz of Casa San Jose for Part 1 of a conversation about community, advocacy, belonging, and making sure people have a voice in decisions that affect their lives. Monica shares the growth of Casa San Jose and reflects on confronting prejudice, creating meaningful conversations, and building a more welcoming Pittsburgh. We’ll return to the rest of Melissa Carey’s interview in the following weeks.

Vic Costik’s Love Letter to Pittsburgh | Episode 526

August 3rd, 2026  |  35 mins 50 secs

12-step recovery, Compassion, Kindness, Privilege, accepting flaws, accountability, authentic living, authenticity, belonging, community building, emotional wellness, empathy, healthy boundaries, jim ellermeyer, lgbtq community, lgbtq inclusion, local podcasts, love letter to pittsburgh, making amends, mental wellness, mind of awareness, mindfulness, mindfulness podcast, neutral inquiry, new rust pittsburgh, new rust pittsburgh podcast, overcoming fear, people-pleasing, perfectionism, personal growth, pittsburgh artists, pittsburgh community, pittsburgh culture, pittsburgh makers, pittsburgh podcast, pittsburgh small businesses, pittsburgh weird, queer pittsburgh, recovery, self-acceptance, social awareness, toxic relationships, trans visibility, transgender community, transgender safety, vic costik, wellness podcast

In Part 2 of our conversation with Vic Costik of the New Rust Pittsburgh Podcast, we explore community-building, LGBTQ+ belonging, authentic living and the importance of approaching unfamiliar experiences with curiosity instead of contempt. Vic also shares how Pittsburgh’s artists, makers, local businesses and unexpected corners inspired a podcast that serves as a love letter to the city.

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Vic’s Story: Identity, Transition & Finding Community | Episode 525

July 28th, 2026  |  18 mins 20 secs

acceptance, authentic self, authenticity, belonging, community, community advocacy, connection, curiosity, empathy, found family, human connection, identity, jim ellermeyer, lgbtq community, life transitions, mental wellness, mindfulness, mindfulness podcast, new rust, new rust podcast, overcoming judgment, personal growth, personal transformation, pittsburgh, pittsburgh community, pittsburgh creatives, pittsburgh culture, pittsburgh lgbtq, pittsburgh podcast, queer community, recovery, self acceptance, self discovery, trans identity, trans masculine, transgender community, understanding, ux design, vic costik, wellness

Fishing Without Bait welcomes Vic Costik, creator of the New Rust podcast, for the first part of a conversation about Pittsburgh, community, identity, and finding the freedom to live authentically. Vic shares how moving from New York City to Pittsburgh helped him discover found family, embrace his community, and ultimately begin meeting himself for the first time.