I was born in Salem, Oregon in 1990. I’ve been an avid reader since childhood and was particularly fond of mythology. I like to think that mythology is the gateway to history and for me it was! When I was in my teens my parents enrolled me in a few courses at Chemeketa Community College to supplement my education. One of those was a history course by Taylor Marrow. Marrow was the coolest instructor ever and unlike any teacher I had ever had. He would come into class with a Bob Marley t-shirt on, long dreadlocks and pan-African necklaces or rings. He talked about average people, rather than the powerful, and he gave them a voice. Every time he spoke I felt like I was hearing something important, and after that I decided to become a historian.

I graduated from Chapman University in 2011 with a double major in French and history. From Fall 2011-Spring 2012 I worked as a teaching assistant in Béziers, France, a mid-sized town west of Montpellier. As a government employee I got two weeks paid vacation four times during that year, allowing me to travel all over France and Europe. I fell absolutely in love with the culture and the people.

I moved to Orange County, California and worked as a researcher for nationally-syndicated columnist and demographer Joel Kotkin. I researched for articles and projects that were published in Newsweek, Reuters and most large news services. I decided that the job was not for me and returned home to Oregon. I worked as an MA in my father’s clinic while I saved up money for graduate school.

In 2015 I was accepted into the University of Houston’s doctoral history program and graduated in Fall 2021.

I fell in love with podcasting while working as a medical records technician and spending hours filing through charts. I listened to the entire History of Rome by Mike Duncan and was hooked on every word. In 2018 I looked for a French history podcast and found there were hardly any and those that did exist only covered small segments of French history. With more chutzpah than common sense, I decided to found the French History Podcast, which debuted January 17, 2019.

I am also a creative writer and have published short stories since I was 18. I have published a dozen short stories in as many literary magazines. I have written drama, fantasy, science fiction, alternate history, horror, magical realism and much more. My debut novel The Maiden Voyage of New York City was published 15 May, 2020 by Brain Lag. Most recently my story was featured in the critically-acclaimed anthology The Light Between Stars. 

Guest episodes on other podcasts:

Industrial Revolutions: Chapter 21 Bonus: Gary Girod 

Radio France Internationale: The Sakai Incident,  When Church and State Split, France’s female PM, protecting Marseille’s Calanques, Battle of Rocroi

History’s What If?: What if the French monarchy stayed in control after the French Revolutionary Wars?

History’s Most: History’s Most Complicated Revolution

Francofiles (Official podcast of the French Embassy to the United States in Washington D.C.):  Bastille Day – Then & Now – The history & present culture of France’s National Day 

History, Eh? Podcast: Women and the French Revolution with Gary Girod

Body Count Podcast: Nancy Wake Part 1, Nancy Wake Part 2

Wonders of the World: Chambord Chateau

French-Canadian Legacy Podcast: Episode 99

Battle Royale French Monarchs: Capetian Retrospective with Dr Gary Girod