Shush-Free Zone - Where librarians get loud!
The Shush-Free Zone, hosted by KM consultant and librarian Dawn Brushammar, explores the creative and unconventional careers of librarians who are redefining the profession. From tech to startups to schools to corporate boardrooms, tune in to hear their stories and get inspired.
Recent Episodes
March 5, 2026
Episode 9: Angela Pashia - Empowering Library Leaders Through Coaching and Curiosity
In this episode of the Shush Free Zone, host Dawn Brushammar speaks with Angela Pashia, a leadership and career development coach, about her journey from academic librarian to coaching library professionals. They discuss the ...
Feb. 5, 2026
Episode 8: Matthew Noe - Comics, Patients, and the Power of Storytelling: The Fascinating World of Graphic Medicine
In this episode of The Shush-Free Zone , host Dawn Brushammar speaks with Matthew Noe, a health sciences librarian at Harvard Medical School who specializes in graphic medicine. Matthew shares his path into librarianship, how...
Jan. 1, 2026
Episode 7: Jessica Talisman - From Card Catalogs to Ontologies: Building Knowledge Systems for Humans and AI
In this episode of The Shush Free Zone , host Dawn Brushammar talks with Jessica Talisman - librarian, semantic systems expert, and founder of Ontology Pipeline - about what it really takes to build knowledge systems that wor...
Dec. 4, 2025
Episode 6: MJ D'Elia - From Academic Libraries to Creative Facilitation
In this episode of the Shush-Free Zone, host Dawn Brushammar chats with MJ D'Elia, founder of Thirdway Think and Director of LLEAD, about his journey from academic libraries to teaching and creative facilitation. MJ shares in...
Nov. 6, 2025
Episode 5: Clare Bilobrk - From Law Libraries to Remote Adventures in Research, Writing and Knowledge
In this episode, host Dawn Brushammar sits down with the unstoppable Clare Bilobrk , whose decades-long journey across school, public, and law libraries has evolved into a career in content strategy and remote knowledge work....
Oct. 2, 2025
Episode 4: Mairead McKeown - From Librarianship to Knowledge Leadership in the Age of AI
In this episode of Shush Free Zone, host Dawn Brushammar speaks with Mairead McKeown, Knowledge and Market Intelligence Manager at Bord Bia, the Irish Food Board. They discuss Mairead's journey into librarianship, the evoluti...