StonesJournal

Sunny Chayes of The Sunny Chayes Show and sunnychayes.com, graciously sat down to discuss her new podcast program at Ottawa University AZ titled ‘Pod With A Purpose’ and her journey to get to where she is today. 

Written By: AJ Stone (1/13/26)

Sunny Chayes is a multifaceted force in media and education: a visionary, literary angel, podcast host, writer, businesswoman, voiceover actor, and now, professor. Previously, Sunny had been slingshotting between her lively media life and the newfound home she purchased in Arizona with her son. “I just kept going back and forth doing my shows and going to events and book signings and movie openings, and then while I was back (in Arizona) I would do voiceover at my home studio,” she said. After looking into the local scene in Surprise, Sunny noticed a University in her backyard. “At one point, I realized I wanted to bring my energy here (Ottawa). I came over to the university, and I said, “So what can I do?”” About nine months later, Sunny was offered a position teaching media and communication courses at OUAZ. When asked to be a Professor, Sunny’s initial reaction was “That’s not me.” With some convincing from Professor Andrew Potter and free range to create her own curriculum, Sunny decided to delve into collegiate education.

On day one, Sunny signaled her class would be unique. She asked if anyone had bought the assigned book, sensed students’ tension, and then reassured them they’d be doing things differently. Her courses avoid electronics and are based on a self-built curriculum. She keeps class discussions private, citing media NDA norms, and prioritizes creating a safe and educational environment.

During midterms for one of Sunny’s speech prep and delivery courses, students were allowed to discuss whatever topic came to mind. Giving her class so much creative freedom, Professor Chayes never could have predicted what came next. Students took powerful and emotional approaches to their midterm speeches. Speaking about lots of different topics that were, in Sunny’s words, “painful, deep, crazy personal topics.” Sunny said, “It was very ‘WOAH, ‘” and I felt responsible as the professor of the course.” Professor Chayes offered students meeting times to discuss their own problems and any additional info about their speeches after class. That’s when Sunny realized OUAZ was past due for a podcast of its own. As she put it, “These students need an environment to speak their minds. I don’t hear the music, I don’t see people gathering, let’s make it happen.” That’s how OUAZ ended up with “A Pod With a Purpose.”

When asked about some of the highlights of her own career to this point, Sunny noted, “My radio show, or as we now call them, podcasts. My son said, “You’ve been doing this since before it was cool! I’ve done many things in my life. I’m a musician, I’ve designed clothes, I’ve owned businesses, but with my radio show, that’s the first time where I felt like I really had to bring it.” Sunny’s experience in such a challenging media environment will no doubt aid her efforts in starting ‘A Pod With a Purpose’.

When discussing the current challenges her program is facing, Sunny stated, “Right now, because it’s starting so soon, (the challenge) is just the waiting. The way I’m holding it is sort of like the director of a musical. I know what the musical is, but I don’t know who my actors, dancers, set decorators, painters, or key grips are.” Sunny can’t wait to get started with her program and hopes to position her students in the best possible way for success, academically and creatively.

Sunny also discussed how she envisions students using her program as a catalyst of sorts for their own vision. “My wish, prayer, and desire for all of them is to be far more mindful of who they are, what they wanna say, what they wanna communicate, and what they want to share with their own world.”

Tying back into her own creative process, I got the chance to ask Sunny about her own personal “perfect trifecta” of roundtable guests. Sunny’s response: “Norman Lear, Barack Obama, and a young Martin Luther King Jr.” When I asked what her ‘Why?’ was behind each answer, she responded, “Norman Lear is sort of the father of TV. He brought all of these groundbreaking and super controversial topics into the living rooms of human beings. In terms of Barack, I would ask about his heart and all the things he wanted to accomplish that he didn’t. Lastly, I’d talk to Martin Luther King Jr. about what people don’t know. He was a serious environmentalist and extremely anti-Vietnam. There were a lot of things that he did in tandem with his powerful impact on civil rights.”

Finally, when asked about a message to leave with students or aspiring journalists who want to enact social change through media, Professor Chayes had this to say: “Choose exactly what you feel the most passionate about. Keep everything else out. You want to be remembered as a person who stuck with (what you’re passionate about) during a time when it wasn’t popular. Everybody can do something; no one can do everything.”

Sunny Chayes has had a remarkable career to this point, and she continues to color outside the lines by doing her own thing. Becoming a collegiate professor and starting her own program are just the newest tidbits in a glowing resume. Professor Chayes’ program will get going on January 12th, 2026, and after that, there’s no looking back.