Today’s episode features Allison Gamlen, a lifelong arts advocate who now serves as the Visual and Performing Arts Coordinator for the San Mateo County Office of Education.

We talk about growing up in the wings of the symphony and Kabuki theater, what happens to the brain when children are denied creativity, and how California’s Prop 28 is giving public school students a shot at becoming the next generation of culture-makers.

This episode is for anyone who knows that the arts aren’t extra—they’re essential. That creativity is a human right. And that without it, we risk losing not just stories, but entire futures.

Let’s get into it.