Podcasts about Golden Valley

Wildfires in northeastern Minnesota exploded in size overnight. Two large wildfires in the region are still uncontained. The biggest is the Camp House fire, which has spread over 12,000 acres. That's about the size of the entire city of Winona. Just 13 miles north of that fire, another fire, dubbed the Jenkins Creek fire, has burnt 6,800 acres. The burnt area is about the size of the city of Golden Valley. Together, the wildfires have burned dozens of homes and cabins and also led to evacuation orders in the region. On Tuesday morning, St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay said some people who did not evacuate are unaccounted for. "Their houses have been lost, so we need to determine where they are,” Ramsay said. “We are hoping that they evacuated, but this is a new phase of this incident, where we are, we are working on determining the location of people, where they're at and if they're safe."Leanne Langeberg works with the Minnesota Interagency Fire Center. She joined MPR News host Nina Moini with the latest.

Bernie Hems talks to Neville Fredericks, who served as a Kiama Councillor for 14 years including 2 terms as Mayor, from 1974 and again from 1987.Neville is also a property developer, with an emphasis on ecological sustainability and effective urban planning that supports community development. Neville was responsible for the development of Tullimbar and currently has an interest in the Golden Valley developments stage 1 and 2 in Jamberoo.Recorded 22.4.25. 

FAN MAIL TEXT HOTLINE After two siblings accuse their brother of theft, sibling rivalry is taken to an entirely different level.  Who knew the value of a Volkswagon could be worth more than their brother's life.This episode was recorded and filmed with a live audience at the Belle Mehus in Bismarck, ND.Victim: Edwin HawesLocation: Golden Valley, MNEpisode title submitted by: ManySupport the showhttps://linktr.ee/midwestmurderpod

Subscriber-only episodeFAN MAIL TEXT HOTLINE **This episode will release  to all listeners as regularly scheduled on Midwest Murder Monday, April 28th.**After two siblings accuse their brother of theft, sibling rivalry is taken to an entirely different level.  Who knew the value of a Volkswagon could be worth more than their brother's life.This episode was recorded and filmed with a live audience at the Belle Mehus in Bismarck, ND.Victim: Edwin HawesLocation: Golden Valley, MNEpisode title submitted by: Manyhttps://linktr.ee/midwestmurderpod

Editor's note: This segment aired prior to President Donald Trump's announcement of a 90-day tariff pause to most countriesMore U.S. tariffs against China were implemented overnight and China shot back Wednesday morning with 84 percent tariffs on U.S. goods. That's in the midst of stocks seriously sliding after President Trump's implementation of global tariffs last week. The severe change in economic policy has rocked financial markets globally. But how could these tariffs affect markets in Minnesota? The president of the Minnesota Retailers Association, Bruce Nustad, joined Minnesota Now, along with the association's board member, Scott Farrell. Farrell is the general manager of Down in the Valley, a record store in Golden Valley. They talked to MPR News host Nina Moini about their concerns over the new tariffs and how they hope lawmakers can support them in the future.

Minnesota food shelves are scrambling to find other sources of food after federal funding cuts. For PRISM and its food shelf in Golden Valley, the cuts come at a time of growing need. Alisha Weis is the advancement director with PRISM. She joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about next steps for the food shelf.

Send us a textnewportFILM, Rhode Island's premier presenter of the latest, critically-acclaimed documentary films, will be screening: CHAMPIONS OF THE GOLDEN VALLEY at the Roger Williams Botanical Center on Thursday, March 20th at 7pm. Seating is limited, please RSVP at newportfilm.com Support the show

It's time for one of our newer segments on the show, Out to Lunch. We're getting out of the studio and meeting different members of our community over a meal, at a restaurant of their choice. Listen to a conversation that MPR News host Nina Moini had with someone who spends nearly all of his time listening to and helping members of Minneapolis' north side. Bishop Richard Howell has been a pastor at Shiloh Temple International Ministries in north Minneapolis for more than 40 years. And he's led the ministry through a difficult five years since the COVID-19 pandemic and the murder of George Floyd. Moini and Howell met up at Good Day Cafe in Golden Valley for a conversation about his life and work over lunch.

Devils Den and Golden Valley UFOs with AWAKENING MAN

Join the host Chiefs this Thursday at 6pm CST. For another Black History Moment With this week's guest the Honorable Mayor Roslyn Harmon, who in 2024 made history by becoming the first Black women to run for Mayor and to go on to win. Becoming the first Black women in the history of the City of Golden Valley, Minnesota to become Mayor. “The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the Black woman. The most neglected person in America is the Black woman.” – Malcolm As we celebrate Black History Month (February) and Women's History Month (March) this year, we'd like to acknowledge the many ways that Black women have had to create spaces for themselves when no one else was interested in prioritizing their unique existence in American society. Rosly Harmon, is also the executive director for a non-profit Dispute Resolution Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

An infectious disease expert says it's concerning that federal officials canceled a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee meeting scheduled for next month to select the strains to be included in next season's flu shot.And PRISM, a Golden Valley-based food shelf, needs to come up with an additional $30,000 that was originally promised by the USDA to buy food from local farmers and other sources. Otherwise, it'll have to pull the money from its reserves.Those stories and more in today's evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

Send us a textWhat if a simple gathering with friends could spark a movement that transforms your community and brings warmth to those in need? In this episode, we unravel the heartwarming journey of Michelle Christensen from Golden Valley, Minnesota, who turned a craft night with friends into an inspiring initiative called One Good Deed. From creating little free libraries to organizing large-scale donation events, Michelle shows us the power of collective goodwill and how small acts of kindness can cascade into significant change. Her story is a testament to how personal connections and a dash of creativity can inspire a community to come together in support of others.Join us as we embark on a remarkable journey featuring stories of unexpected kindness and community connections. You'll hear about the evolution of One Good Deed, starting from a single coach bus filled with donations and propelled by an anonymous donor to a multi-bus operation. Experience the joy of scarf bombing events and distributing essentials to the unsheltered, where everyday people, including a charismatic bus driver, join hands to spread warmth and compassion. This episode captures the spontaneous acts of generosity that arise when a community rallies together, creating a ripple effect that touches countless lives.Each chapter of Michelle's journey is filled with moments that highlight the importance of collaboration and the impact of monthly acts of kindness. Discover the diverse range of activities planned by One Good Deed, from creating cards for seniors to Earth Day cleanups, all aimed at supporting various causes and fostering a sense of shared humanity. Michelle's initiative, supported by partnerships with organizations like the Animal Humane Society, showcases how dedication and empathy can bring people together to make a meaningful difference throughout the year. Tune in to be inspired by stories that remind us of the incredible capacity for kindness in our communities.#community #homeless #empathyThis podcast is a proud member of the Mayday Media Network. If you have an idea for a podcast and need some production assistance or have a podcast and are looking for a supportive network to join, check out maydaymedianetwork.com. Like what you hear on the podcast? Follow our social media for more uplifting, inspirational and feel-good content.FacebookInstagramLinkedInTikTok Support the showDid you find this episode uplifting, inspiring or motivating? Would you like to support more content like this? Check out our Support The Show Page here.

Vikings win their 14th game, Rickey Henderson dies at 65 years old, and Reusse lays out the Golden Valley school district map!! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Vikings win their 14th game, Rickey Henderson dies at 65 years old, and Reusse lays out the Golden Valley school district map!! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Vikings win their 14th game, Rickey Henderson dies at 65 years old, and Reusse lays out the Golden Valley school district map!! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Vikings win their 14th game, Rickey Henderson dies at 65 years old, and Reusse lays out the Golden Valley school district map!! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Vikings win their 14th game, Rickey Henderson dies at 65 years old, and Reusse lays out the Golden Valley school district map!! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We revisit a conversation with Rose McGee, president and founder of the Sweet Potato Comfort Pie organization, and her daughter, Roslyn Harmon, the mayor of Golden Valley, Minn.

We revisit a conversation with Rose McGee, president and founder of the Sweet Potato Comfort Pie organization, and her daughter, Roslyn Harmon, the mayor of Golden Valley, Minn.

Mike and Tim were joined by Kevin Norby of Norby Golf Course Design to talk golf course architecture. Norby Golf Course Design has done some exceptional work around the United States, including The Club at Golden Valley, Minnesota Valley Country Club, Fox Hills, Coal Creek and many others. Kevin dives into his background, including getting into the business almost by accident and how that has become his career of now more than 30 years. With this experience, he has many stories to tell about how golf course architecture has changed and what the future may have in store. Subscribe to the Break80 Podcast on Apple and Spotify for weekly golf content. For even more from the golf world, subscribe to our YouTube channel and the Break80 Newsletter on Substack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

fWotD Episode 2770: KARE (TV) Welcome to Featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia’s finest articles.The featured article for Wednesday, 4 December 2024 is KARE (TV).KARE (channel 11) is a television station licensed to Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, serving as the Twin Cities area's NBC affiliate. Owned by Tegna Inc., the station maintains studios on Olson Memorial Highway (MN 55) in Golden Valley and a transmitter at the Telefarm site in Shoreview, Minnesota.Channel 11 began broadcasting on September 1, 1953. It was originally shared by WMIN-TV in St. Paul and WTCN-TV in Minneapolis; the two stations shared an affiliation with ABC and alternated presenting local programs. In 1955, Consolidated Television and Radio bought both stations and merged them as WTCN-TV from the Minneapolis studios in the Calhoun Beach Hotel. The station presented several regionally and nationally notable children's shows in its early years as well as local cooking, news, and sports programs. Time Inc. purchased the station in 1957. Under its ownership, ABC switched its affiliation to KMSP-TV (channel 9), leaving channel 11 to become an independent station that broadcast games of the Minnesota Twins baseball team, movies, and syndicated programs. This continued under two successive owners: Chris-Craft Industries and Metromedia. By the late 1970s, WTCN was one of the nation's most financially successful independent stations.In 1978, ABC announced it would move its Twin Cities affiliation to KSTP-TV. This forced NBC to select between KMSP and WTCN for its new local outlet. It chose WTCN on the strength of its facilities, ownership, and promise to build a first-class news operation, for which KMSP had never been known as an ABC station. On March 5, 1979, channel 11 became an NBC affiliate and began broadcasting NewsCenter 11 newscasts. In spite of a major promotional campaign, the news product was a high-profile commercial failure, beaten by entertainment shows on KMSP in the ratings, as viewers rejected the new news team and continued to prefer market leaders WCCO-TV and KSTP-TV.Metromedia agreed to buy Chicago independent station WFLD in 1982 and sold WTCN to Gannett to raise capital and make room in its station group. Gannett engineered a comprehensive overhaul of the station's news programming. Between 1983 and 1987, the station moved from last to first in late news ratings, battling WCCO for two decades. It changed call signs twice in that period, to WUSA in 1985 and KARE in 1986, when Gannett moved the WUSA call sign to its Washington, D. C., station. More recently, as of 2022, the station has been a second-place finisher in local news.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:16 UTC on Wednesday, 4 December 2024.For the full current version of the article, see KARE (TV) on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Olivia.

Whether its found in nature or composed by chemists a sweetener undergoes the same evaluations, according to Corey Scott, PhD, Principal Nutritionist, Cargill. Dr. Scott explains to co-hosts Anne Chappelle, PhD, and David Faulkner, PhD, how all sweeteners must be able to replace multiple properties inherit in sugar, such as taste, nutritional content, and binding properties.About the GuestCorey Scott, PhD, is a Principal Nutrition Scientist with Cargill in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he leads global nutritional research on sweeteners and carbohydrates. Prior to this role, he was Global Nutrition Manager for Lipid Nutrition BV in the Netherlands, focusing on clinical research involving novel lipids for early life nutrition, weight management, and diabetes. Dr. Scott has also worked for General Mills in Golden Valley, Minnesota, as a nutrition scientist at The Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition. He currently serves as a steering team member and work package leader for Project SWEET (a five-year EU Consortium project evaluating sweeteners). He is the Chair of the Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences Low- and Non-caloric Sweetener Committee, Chair of the North Carolina Agricultural and Life Sciences at North Carolina State University Technical Advisory and Finance Committee, and an industry advisor for the University and Industry Consortium/Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research Sally Rockey Fellowship. Dr. Scott holds a doctorate degree in food science and nutrition from Ohio State University, a master's degree in chemistry from North Carolina A&T State University, and a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Send SOT thoughts on the episodes, ideas for future topics, and more.

Dakota Pacific responds to critics as vote on Kimball Junction development nears, Summit County Manager Shayne Scott discusses the agenda for Wednesday's county council meeting, Director Ben Sturgulewski and Producer Katie Stjernholm discuss the homegrown ski culture of the Hindu Kush mountains in their new film "Champions of the Golden Valley," and People's Health Clinic's Women's Health team discuss their prenatal care with certified nurse midwives.

Tim sat down with the Head Golf Professional, Superintendent and the architect that renovated the Club at Golden Valley on this profiles episode of The Club at Golden Valley. Formerly known as the Golden Valley Country Club, The Club at Golden Valley changed their name as part of the re-opening this year. Kevin Norby of Norby Golf Course Design was in charge of restoring this A.W. Tillinghast classic in suburban Minneapolis. Kevin did a masterful job on the renovation and in this episode he will talk about the challenges faced on the project and how great it turned out. Tim will start by digging into some history and we will hear from the superintendent and head professional about that history, and some complications finding some of the history due to clubhouse fires over the years. Subscribe to the Break80 Podcast on Apple & Spotify. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our Guest: Craig Thompson PT, MHA, FACHECraig Thompson, CEO of Golden Valley Memorial Healthcare (GVMH), has over 20 years of experience with the organization, previously serving as COO, Assistant Administrator, and Director of Rehabilitation and Wellness Services. A skilled healthcare leader, he has expertise in Medicare, Medicaid, hospital operations, and managed care.Thompson holds a BS in Health Science and Physical Therapy from the University of Missouri and an MS in Health Services Management from Central Michigan University. He is a board-certified fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and has received awards such as the Senior-Level Healthcare Executive Regent's Award. Active in his community, Thompson serves on multiple boards, including the Missouri Hospital Association. Learn more about Craig: Golden Valley Memorial HealthcareLinkedInShow & Tell: Advocate and Inform Policy

Is there any reason in particular that two Minneapolis suburbs want to market a merger? A college football coach really needs a special teams change. Plus, the final season of a legendary TV show begins.

Rena Sarigianopoulos of KARE-11 joins Chad as he shares disappointment in his hometown of Golden Valley teaming up with St. Louis Park to create Westopolis. Where does Rena stand on Chad touting iconic spots of Golden Valley?

New Mexico native and Oklahoma law enforcement executive Virgil Green found himself in an unexpected part of the country when an opportunity to become the chief of police in Minnesota in the wake of the George Floyd incident. Find out more about Chief Green in this episode.

From the lowlands of chocolate gravy to the stunning heights of sweet potato pie, Brian and Trey cross the dessert divide with “baketivist” Rose McGee, and discover how the simple act of baking a pie can inspire and uplift in even the most difficult times. Rose McGee is President and Founder of the Sweet Potato Comfort Pie organization. She is a well-known facilitator, one of Minnesota's 50 Over 50, a member of the Golden Valley League of Women Voters, a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and Minneapolis Women's Rotary, and a Humanities Officer with the Minnesota Humanities Center. She resides in Golden Valley, Minnesota, where she was named Citizen of the Year and has been presented with the Bill Hobbs Human Rights Award twice. She is a 2023 Facing Race Award recipient from the St. Paul and Minnesota Foundation, a 2023 Black Collectives Fellow, a 2023 and 2024 University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts Hub Fellow and a 2019 Bush Fellowship recipient, and is featured in the national PBS documentary, A Few Good Pie Places.For Rose's Sweet Potato Pie recipe go to: https://www.sweetpotatocomfortpie.org/the-pie/ Brian Phelps is an American radio personality, actor, and comedian best known for co-hosting the nationally and globally syndicated Mark & Brian Morning Show in Los Angeles for 25 years. As the co-lead of his own television series, with multiple roles in movies, and a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Phelps is also an inductee in the Radio Hall of Fame.Trey Callaway is an American film and TV writer and producer who wrote the hit movie I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, and has produced successful TV series like CSI:NY, Supernatural, Rush Hour, Revolution,  The Messengers, APB,  Station 19 and 9-1-1 LONE STAR. He is also a Professor at USC.___________________________________Make sure to follow us on social media at:begoodhumanspodcast.cominstagram.comtiktok.com

In this episode of The LEO First Podcast, we are joined by Rudy Perez, the Assistant Chief of Police for the City of Golden Valley, MN. With over 20 years of law enforcement experience, including graduating from the prestigious FBI National Academy, Rudy brings a wealth of knowledge and leadership to his role. He discusses his passion for constitutional policing, building community relationships, and advocating for meaningful partnerships between law enforcement and the public. As President of the National Association of School Resource Officers, Rudy also emphasizes the importance of school-based safety and professional development for officers. Tune in to hear Rudy's insights on technology-driven crime reduction, community engagement, and fostering trust, respect, and accountability in modern policing. #LEOFirstPodcast #CommunityPolicing #LawEnforcementLeadership #SchoolSafety #PoliceAndCommunity #TrustAndAccountability #FBINationalAcademy #SchoolResourceOfficers #CrimeReduction #GoldenValleyMN

The rugged beauty of the Lower Colorado River Valley, where the borders of California, Nevada, and Arizona meet, offers a stark contrast to the neon lights and bustling casinos of nearby Las Vegas. Here, in the expansive desert landscape, a quiet yet vibrant movement is taking root—one that embraces naturism in a region known for its conservative values and remote locales. The region encompassing Bullhead City, AZ, and Golden Valley, AZ, stretches across the Mojave Desert, a place of striking contrasts. The area enjoys a dry climate, with long, hot summers and mild winters, boasting an average of 300 sunny days per year. The craggy terrain and expansive vistas provide a picturesque backdrop for multiple burgeoning backyard naturist clubs in the area, offering both seclusion and a sense of community for those seeking a nude way of life.Read the original article at www(dot)planetnude(dot)co This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.planetnude.co/subscribe

Behind Mixly Cocktail Co. is a group of friends. Some met in college, others through work, but they all came together with their shared love of craft cocktails and thought they could offer a complex craft cocktail base that you could make at home. Whether you are making Mocktail or Cocktails, any of Mixly's 7 cocktail varieties or their new Spritz line will transport you to a craft cocktail bar experience at home.Stephanie's Dish Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.EPISODE TRANSCRIPT :Stephanie [00:00:16]:Hello, everybody, and welcome to dishing with Stephanie's dish. This is a Minnesota maker edition, which are always extra special to me because it's how I got started in the podcast space. I'm here with Jonna Rosbach, and she is the founder of Mixley, which is a we'll call it a cocktail concentrate. Is that what you would call it, Johnna? I think Johnna?Johnna [00:00:36]:I think you could. I mean, we still refer to it as a mixer, but it certainly is more concentrated than typically what you find on shelf.Stephanie [00:00:44]:And what it is is this delicious fruit forward mixer that you can mix with mocktails. You can have it in a cocktail. You can have it with sparkling wine. You can just have it with, you know, soda pop, really. If you wanted to have it with 7 Up, it would be equally delicious. What made you think that, like, this was a place in the market that there was a hole that you could fill with this product?Johnna [00:01:12]:So there was a couple things. I think the the first area was, well, we all we started the journey, when we set out to you know, wanting to do our own business, and we love the idea of cocktails. Me and my business partners, we love cocktails, and just kind of the faucet making great cocktail. And then we went to the shelf to see you know, curious what our mixers like these days. Yeah. And we were shocked to see, oh, oh my gosh.Stephanie [00:01:40]:There's bad.Johnna [00:01:41]:Bad. Really bad. Bad ingredients, bad branding, bad flavors, same old flavors. And so we were just really excited. 1, I think just let's clean up the ingredient deck. Like, we all know in every other beverage category, we've evolved. So let's 1, step 1. 2, let's bring exciting flavors, like what you would want to see at a craft, you know, at a great bar, at a you know, getting a craft cocktail.Johnna [00:02:06]:And then I think 3rd, this was I was pregnant at the time. The kind of sober, curious, any movement was just coming. So, like, let's make this versatile. Let's make this for everyone. So whether you're drinking or you're not, you can really make it your way and, you're not no one's having to feel left out, you know, if they're not drinking alcohol.Stephanie [00:02:27]:I think a lot of products too thought that they were gonna deliver on that message, but then kind of few did. Because if you weren't having them with alcohol, some of them didn't have the flavor punch. Others, if you were drinking them strictly as a mocktail, they were a little too much. Like, you guys really seem to hit the right balance. So go through your flavor profile because you've been pretty consistent too.Johnna [00:02:54]:Yeah. It's really about a balanced cocktail. So you're gonna have you know, you want the balance of the sweetness. So obviously, or tartness. Right? So the fruit, whether like the strawberry, pomegranate, you're gonna have some of that tartness. We wanna balance that then with a honey. So we used a honey in our simple syrup base, and that is really just gonna create a more balanced sweetness versus cane sugar can be really intense. And then the benefit to a lot of people do, you know, prefer honey as a sweetener these days over cane sugar and then acid.Johnna [00:03:28]:So, obviously, it's lemon or lime in all of our flavors, and that acidity is, not only part of a great cocktail or can be part of a great cocktail, but also for us, that is what acts as our kinda natural, stabilizer. Right? So we are shelf stable, but because we, you know, lean into some of those, you know, to the using fresh lime and lemon, it allows us to be shelf stable longer without having to add preservatives. So I think right. It's like the sweetness or tartness and then a really good acid. And then we do have a lot of, bring in a lot of, earthy flavors as well. So we have, like, the pineapple basil lime. So we're adding in, you know, the freshness of the babel basil or the mint, cucumbermint lime has that, you know, really, refreshing element. And same thing too, like, one of my favorites we just launched, as part of our spritz line is the elderflower mint.Johnna [00:04:26]:And that again, it's floral. It's refreshing with the mint. It's, yeah. So it's really all about, yeah, that combo to create a nice balanced cocktail.Stephanie [00:04:36]:So I'm talking with cofounder at Mixley, Jonna Rosbach, and you mentioned that you have this spritz line. It is a new we'll call it an extension. Is that fair? And why did you rebrand it and make it somewhat different looking than the traditional mixed line? I was curious what the thought process was there.Johnna [00:04:57]:We were really great summer, you know, sipper. And we felt too that this was not only do we want to, you know, jump into the spritz, scene with our Mixley take, And it was a fun truly, like, Megan, our my business partner who's our designer is just so creative, wanted to have fun and and see, you know, how a kind of different branding would do. But I think it's also just, you know, it's an interesting test for us of how does a a mixer that's for a single a single type of cocktail do versus the versatility message we've had with Mixley where you can make it with rum or tequila or vodka. Like, how does that resonate with consumers when it's, like, really easy? It's a spritz. You mix it with sparkling wine, and there you go. So we wanted to distinguish it a bit, have fun with it, and then also it's just interesting to see, yeah, how it performs.Stephanie [00:05:54]:Can you talk a little bit about that? Because, clearly to me, that seems like people that have a marketing background that are doing sorta AB testing that are really as interested in the brand packaging and the messaging as the actual love of the cocktail itself. So what was your background and your business partner's background getting here? Because it seems sort of packaged goods focused.Johnna [00:06:20]:You are correct. Very much. Yes. So my background is all CPG marketing. Came up through the agency world and then spent, years in in corporate marketing at, you know, 2 different big food, CPG firms. And Megan, my business partner, the same. So, yes, we have that background. Her background's design.Johnna [00:06:41]:My background is more the marketing communication. So some ways, that's very helpful. In some ways, you have to take everything that you learned in your big CPG world and forget that you learned it because it doesn't apply.Stephanie [00:06:53]:Yeah. To yeah. That's really interesting too because I think that's one of the if I'm talking with people that are manufacturing products or talking about products and that's their background, I usually do tell them that. And you also don't have the depth of, staff or even the depth of resources or time. So you have to kinda move a lot faster than people are comfortable with.Johnna [00:07:19]:Yeah. Move faster. And I think even as you think about, like, the marketing tactics, things that we would do, it's like, it's so different when you already have brand awareness and distribution. Yeah. We made a lot of mistakes early on. I was like, oh, that lesson, that thing I thought I did really well. Like, that does not apply to Mixley to what we're doing. SoStephanie [00:07:40]:What's an example of that?Johnna [00:07:44]:I would say, for example okay. Spending on influencers. Right? Everyone wants to spend on influencers. And I'm not to say that's wrong. However, it is a very different game when you don't have, on shelf presence. Also, if you're just gonna do and true if you're truly going to invest in d two c, you have to do it right. So if you're having influencers drive to your website, you really have to be focused. And I think when we launched, we were trying to do too much.Johnna [00:08:12]:We were doing retail and a little d two c. So you're just your spend in a in a tactic like influencer marketing is really not gonna go far in the stage we were at, and that's where we learned to focus and prioritize early on. We launched we went heavy into retail, and that's what we did. So influencers at our stage of the game don't make sense. What makes sense is in store tastings. So that's where if I'm gonna spend a $100, I'm better spending in it on a brand ambassador doing an in store tasting versusStephanie [00:08:41]:an insJohnna [00:08:41]:you know, a a Instagram post.Stephanie [00:08:43]:Yeah. And I think too, maybe you can speak to this. I feel like the influencer world is changing, we're discovering that real influence is hard to come by and isn't always with the person with the 100,000 followers in a marketplace. Like, that maybe those micro influencers and doing an event or something that's different might have actual more influence than the gal that has, you know, 50,000 followers and hold something up, and her pretty smile just for lack of a better way of saying that. But do you know what I'm saying?Johnna [00:09:25]:Yeah. We're all become very savvy. I think we're very now we look at anyone who posts on and, again, it's not it's not putting anyone down, but we do look at that. I think we're all skeptical, or we know now. They're getting paid to say that. That's not you know, it doesn't feel authentic anymore. And I think too I think you're right in where the real influences, and I will say influence in as it relates to purchase for us has been in store tastings, has been, local media. So partners like you and whenever, you know, we get the opportunity to be on local media or do an interview, we see a direct correlation between that and sales.Johnna [00:10:05]:Events are also critical for us, not only in, obviously, you're in front of the consumer, but people word-of-mouth. Like, oh, I saw someone. They just told me to come down here. Like, these are really powerful tools that, you know, maybe to a sophisticated digital marketer, like, they may seem outdated, but they're tried and true. And for us right now, they work.Stephanie [00:10:25]:Well and you and I kind of I mean, originally, I think we met just through the cocktails and packaged goods in Minnesota Makers. But then, you come to the Stone Arch Festival. You come to a lot of these festivals that I program. And I try to explain to these packaged good culinary folks, and a lot of them are local and many Minnesota or Midwest made. You look at those events as an opportunity to sample, to trial, and create brand awareness. So, yes, selling your product there is awesome. And if you can get a return on your investment, that's great. That's what everybody strives for.Stephanie [00:11:03]:But that it's also a big marketing opportunity to get in front of so many people. And we see a lot of people that come to these events with their packages or their items and they don't sample, I'm like, oh, wow. You know, that is, like, you need to sample. Well, we just don't wanna give product away to the looky loos. It's like, well, those looky loos are also purchasers. You have to see them as the consumer that they are even though they're standing there with holding their kid's hand, who's eating a sweaty popsicle, and holding a beer. They still shop too.Johanna [00:11:36]:Mhmm. That's that's that's exactly it. And a lot of these events, you know, one, I I will tell you, like because we have, you know, 7, 8 different flavors. I love when people are like, can I try one of each one? I'm like, please. Yeah. Because then, like, I'm gonna upsell you on my bundle package. No. But I I do think too, like, some of these events, you know, we'll hear, well, you know, I don't wanna carry around glass right now.Johnna [00:11:56]:Do you have a card I can take with you? Like, where can I find you? And I really do believe that these people, they're taking a picture of our booth, that they're taking our card. It was a great interaction. They may not buy us now, but I think we're top of mind. And when they see us, you know, on shelf at France 44, like, hopefully, that's when they purchase. SoStephanie [00:12:14]:I was thinking about you guys recently because it seems natural with the launch of the spritz line that you might consider canned cocktails down the road. Is that something you're thinking about? Or I was even thinking about we're seeing now, like, Tattersall just launched a bunch of cocktails in a I call it a slap bag for lack of a better term. It just says the party girl in me. But the sort of canned, you miss the can, you miss the bottle, and it's just in this plastic thing that has a handle that you can carry around. You can put it on the boat. Are any of those packaging options something you guys might look at down the road or getting into the full canned cocktail?Johnna [00:12:55]:I think so. I think packaging, for sure. You look at other brands, mixer brands like Filthy, and right there in that bag. And it's really great for if you think about expansion into on premise and airlines. So I think for sure, packaging we would look at. In terms of ready to drink cocktails in a can, you know, the market's so saturated right now that I could see it maybe one day we've scaled and we're in thousands of doors, you know, retailers nationwide, and people want to see that from Mixley. But at this point, I think it it would just be too expensive to try to stand out in the noise. But I think that's really smart.Stephanie [00:13:36]:Yeah. I think that's really smart, actually. And, also, there is so many cool packaging options. Like, if you think of the Capri sun size or even if you think of the small canned, not cans, box. Small box like wine. I could just see that being a cool packaging idea for you. And, also, one of the things I love is you do have this rainbow sort of branding. And when you put all of the line together in a packaging item, it really feels like you're getting a lot.Stephanie [00:14:05]:I think you have the is it $45 for your do you call it your pride package?Johnna [00:14:10]:Rainbow package. Yeah. Okay. This month, we'll call it pride.Stephanie [00:14:14]:Yeah. And I always think of it as pride because I haveJohnna [00:14:16]:to beStephanie [00:14:16]:a daughter. So when I hear rainbow, like, I think, oh, okay. Right away. Yep. I thought that was a really clever way to market that because it gave you an opportunity to try all of them. Yeah. So the the jury is probably still out because the, spritz line is new. But so far, are you having fun with it? Does it feel like it was a good risk to take?Johnna [00:14:38]:Yeah. We are. We're having fun with it. We already flew through our 1st batch, like, what we produce, so that's great. Yep. So we're on track to, like, what we projected it to do for us, which is awesome. And, we launched it primarily as, you know, an event in kind of online product. We are in some boot in some shelves here in the Twin Cities, but we just wanted to kinda see again, like, how can we do this as a test and and do a smaller kind of more, you know, smaller launch, and then we'll see from there if it sticks with us for the long term.Stephanie [00:15:11]:I do love the idea of being able to have that on an airline as you're going on a trip. Like, I know Sun Country has had a good relationship with Crooked Water Spirits and our friend Heather Manley. But, like, I could see a spritzy kind of version of that and really covering all those warm weather destinations. And, well, that would be so fun, wouldn't it?Johnna [00:15:34]:Yes. From your lips to God's ears. Right? So, no. I agree. And that certainly I think, we know we can produce in 4 ounce bottles. We have that capability. And so, obviously, glass isn't ideal for our airlines. So back to your, you know, the packaging conversation, that's something that we're looking at and and how do we how do we break into that market? Because I agree.Johnna [00:15:56]:I think we've all been, you know, on a plane and wanting a good cocktail, and your mixers are pretty limited. It's, you know, a Coke, a Sprite, whatever they got, or a bloody, you know, a Bloody Mary. But, yeah.Stephanie [00:16:08]:Alright. So if anybody's listening, because we have a lot of fans, the Sun Country route, that would be great. And you could mix it with, they like to support local female driven companies, so that's exciting. So talk about you mentioned one of the spritzes is sort of an elderflower profile. What's the other one? It's orange. Right?Johnna [00:16:26]:Bitter orange cherry. So that's really, you know, reminiscent of, Aperol spritz. So, yeah. It's, it's, again, it's other it's another well balanced, mixer. And it really is just like this delightful summer sipper. And you can mix it. You don't need to add sparkling wine. You can just add, you know, soda water.Johnna [00:16:47]:Yep. And it still works. So, yeah.Stephanie [00:16:49]:Okay. So let me ask you. Are there any products or, like, packaged goods that you're using or seeing lately that you're just like and doesn't necessarily have to be food. That you're like, oh, I just love this product. It's so clever.Johnna [00:17:09]:Oh, the olive oil. The the, The green bottle? Yes. What is that?Stephanie [00:17:16]:Grossi, is it called?Johnna [00:17:18]:Yes. I mean, the branding, the packaging, the storytelling of the Spanish olive oil, it actually tastes good. Like, it is I'm obsessed, and that's another one too where I thought once I saw it, I go, yes. Another category that has really yet to evolve. And we're in packaging. Right? Like, I'm sure all you know, the olive oil is not all pretty equal equal. But just in terms of the design, I was like, this is so exciting.Stephanie [00:17:46]:And it feels super fresh and, like, you have to try it.Johnna [00:17:51]:Yeah.Stephanie [00:17:51]:Because everybody buys olive oil, but there is something about that product. And I actually haven't purchased it yet because I'm, like, the person who would be like, oh, that's just a marketing gimmick. You can because I'm just like because I'm cooking all the time. Yeah. But I do think it's super clever. And, also, when we look at, you know, who's coming back into the kitchen and learning to cook, It's a lot of millennials and date nights and kind of there's a more fun factor. And I think that olive oil has hit that right on the head. So that's a really good one.Stephanie [00:18:20]:I hadn't thought about that before. In town, are you, like, are you doing anything fun, or do you have any restaurants that you love? Or what do you do for fun?Johnna [00:18:30]:Oh my well, we you know, I will say this. For fun, I've got kiddos. So we're up Minnetonka. Minnetonka. Maynard's is, like, our standard. So if anyone from Maynard's is listening, I've been trying to get, like, Mixley on the menu. I'm like, I would love to enjoy my own mixer while I'm out here. But Sure.Johnna [00:18:47]:I feel like it just feels like that's the summer place out my way. But I did just eatStephanie [00:18:52]:at Starling. Oh, did youJohnna [00:18:53]:love it? I loved it. I mean, the food was great and the cocktails were fabulous. What was so interesting is they had, some, like, cranberry Red Bull based cocktails, which I have not had. Tell about party days, vodka Red Bulls. Yeah. It's been it's been a minute since I've had that. But anyway, it was on their cocktail list and surprisingly, it was really, really quite delicious.Stephanie [00:19:17]:Okay. I might have to check that out because it sounds a little weird. I'm like, okay. I feel alright.Johanna [00:19:24]:Alright. I know. On this beautiful elevated space, we have Red Bull on the menu. I have to try it. So yeah.Stephanie [00:19:30]:I still feel like whenever we get something on the, like, west of Saint Louis Park I live in Golden Valley. So, you know, we're still building out kind of the scene on the west side. And there's always been a good kinda late culture party scene, but and and maybe, like, we don't maybe it's not even fine dining, but just getting something that's a step above the chains feels so welcome and so right on right now.Johanna [00:19:58]:Absolutely. Yeah. Like, I I mean so even like an Excelsior ley line, that's just been such a really nice addition to the Excelsior food scene. You know, I guessStephanie [00:20:09]:Ivy and Hopkins is another one.Johanna [00:20:11]:Pink Ivy and Hopkins. Fabulous. Yeah. Amazing cocktails. And I would say to excellent food, and the value for what you get there is incredible. I love that space. Yeah.Stephanie [00:20:21]:Yeah. I do too. It's fun to see. And I'm excited for, the new, Grocers Table sister restaurant next door. I think that'll be fun.Johanna [00:20:31]:And Yeah. No. Same. That's it. And I just can't believe like, I'm so excited. You know, Lindsay has done so well with Grocer's Table. I'm excited for her to expand. Every time I go in that place, it is just buzzing.Johanna [00:20:43]:So I'm sure she's gonna do a great job, yeah, with the dinner concept.Stephanie [00:20:47]:Yeah. I think so too. Well, it's been super fun to catch up with you. I just I saw the spritz, and I thought, oh, I can't wait to talk to her about about them and why she did it the way she did it and what her thinking is. And I knew you'd have some really insightful thoughts about it. And I'm excited to try it too. I haven't tried it yet, but I promise I will.Johanna [00:21:05]:Okay. Well, I think I can hook you up if you need it. If you need a permit.Stephanie [00:21:09]:Guys soon. So Yes. Alright.Johanna [00:21:10]:Well, thank you, Stephanie. I appreciate it.Stephanie [00:21:12]:It's always fun to have you on. Thanks so much.Johanna [00:21:14]:Yeah. Likewise. Thanks. Bye bye. Bye. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe

Behind Mixly Cocktail Co. is a group of friends. Some met in college, others through work, but they all came together with their shared love of craft cocktails and thought they could offer a complex craft cocktail base that you could make at home. Whether you are making Mocktail or Cocktails, any of Mixly's 7 cocktail varieties or their new Spritz line will transport you to a craft cocktail bar experience at home.Stephanie's Dish Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.EPISODE TRANSCRIPT :Stephanie [00:00:16]:Hello, everybody, and welcome to dishing with Stephanie's dish. This is a Minnesota maker edition, which are always extra special to me because it's how I got started in the podcast space. I'm here with Jonna Rosbach, and she is the founder of Mixley, which is a we'll call it a cocktail concentrate. Is that what you would call it, Johnna? I think Johnna?Johnna [00:00:36]:I think you could. I mean, we still refer to it as a mixer, but it certainly is more concentrated than typically what you find on shelf.Stephanie [00:00:44]:And what it is is this delicious fruit forward mixer that you can mix with mocktails. You can have it in a cocktail. You can have it with sparkling wine. You can just have it with, you know, soda pop, really. If you wanted to have it with 7 Up, it would be equally delicious. What made you think that, like, this was a place in the market that there was a hole that you could fill with this product?Johnna [00:01:12]:So there was a couple things. I think the the first area was, well, we all we started the journey, when we set out to you know, wanting to do our own business, and we love the idea of cocktails. Me and my business partners, we love cocktails, and just kind of the faucet making great cocktail. And then we went to the shelf to see you know, curious what our mixers like these days. Yeah. And we were shocked to see, oh, oh my gosh.Stephanie [00:01:40]:There's bad.Johnna [00:01:41]:Bad. Really bad. Bad ingredients, bad branding, bad flavors, same old flavors. And so we were just really excited. 1, I think just let's clean up the ingredient deck. Like, we all know in every other beverage category, we've evolved. So let's 1, step 1. 2, let's bring exciting flavors, like what you would want to see at a craft, you know, at a great bar, at a you know, getting a craft cocktail.Johnna [00:02:06]:And then I think 3rd, this was I was pregnant at the time. The kind of sober, curious, any movement was just coming. So, like, let's make this versatile. Let's make this for everyone. So whether you're drinking or you're not, you can really make it your way and, you're not no one's having to feel left out, you know, if they're not drinking alcohol.Stephanie [00:02:27]:I think a lot of products too thought that they were gonna deliver on that message, but then kind of few did. Because if you weren't having them with alcohol, some of them didn't have the flavor punch. Others, if you were drinking them strictly as a mocktail, they were a little too much. Like, you guys really seem to hit the right balance. So go through your flavor profile because you've been pretty consistent too.Johnna [00:02:54]:Yeah. It's really about a balanced cocktail. So you're gonna have you know, you want the balance of the sweetness. So obviously, or tartness. Right? So the fruit, whether like the strawberry, pomegranate, you're gonna have some of that tartness. We wanna balance that then with a honey. So we used a honey in our simple syrup base, and that is really just gonna create a more balanced sweetness versus cane sugar can be really intense. And then the benefit to a lot of people do, you know, prefer honey as a sweetener these days over cane sugar and then acid.Johnna [00:03:28]:So, obviously, it's lemon or lime in all of our flavors, and that acidity is, not only part of a great cocktail or can be part of a great cocktail, but also for us, that is what acts as our kinda natural, stabilizer. Right? So we are shelf stable, but because we, you know, lean into some of those, you know, to the using fresh lime and lemon, it allows us to be shelf stable longer without having to add preservatives. So I think right. It's like the sweetness or tartness and then a really good acid. And then we do have a lot of, bring in a lot of, earthy flavors as well. So we have, like, the pineapple basil lime. So we're adding in, you know, the freshness of the babel basil or the mint, cucumbermint lime has that, you know, really, refreshing element. And same thing too, like, one of my favorites we just launched, as part of our spritz line is the elderflower mint.Johnna [00:04:26]:And that again, it's floral. It's refreshing with the mint. It's, yeah. So it's really all about, yeah, that combo to create a nice balanced cocktail.Stephanie [00:04:36]:So I'm talking with cofounder at Mixley, Jonna Rosbach, and you mentioned that you have this spritz line. It is a new we'll call it an extension. Is that fair? And why did you rebrand it and make it somewhat different looking than the traditional mixed line? I was curious what the thought process was there.Johnna [00:04:57]:We were really great summer, you know, sipper. And we felt too that this was not only do we want to, you know, jump into the spritz, scene with our Mixley take, And it was a fun truly, like, Megan, our my business partner who's our designer is just so creative, wanted to have fun and and see, you know, how a kind of different branding would do. But I think it's also just, you know, it's an interesting test for us of how does a a mixer that's for a single a single type of cocktail do versus the versatility message we've had with Mixley where you can make it with rum or tequila or vodka. Like, how does that resonate with consumers when it's, like, really easy? It's a spritz. You mix it with sparkling wine, and there you go. So we wanted to distinguish it a bit, have fun with it, and then also it's just interesting to see, yeah, how it performs.Stephanie [00:05:54]:Can you talk a little bit about that? Because, clearly to me, that seems like people that have a marketing background that are doing sorta AB testing that are really as interested in the brand packaging and the messaging as the actual love of the cocktail itself. So what was your background and your business partner's background getting here? Because it seems sort of packaged goods focused.Johnna [00:06:20]:You are correct. Very much. Yes. So my background is all CPG marketing. Came up through the agency world and then spent, years in in corporate marketing at, you know, 2 different big food, CPG firms. And Megan, my business partner, the same. So, yes, we have that background. Her background's design.Johnna [00:06:41]:My background is more the marketing communication. So some ways, that's very helpful. In some ways, you have to take everything that you learned in your big CPG world and forget that you learned it because it doesn't apply.Stephanie [00:06:53]:Yeah. To yeah. That's really interesting too because I think that's one of the if I'm talking with people that are manufacturing products or talking about products and that's their background, I usually do tell them that. And you also don't have the depth of, staff or even the depth of resources or time. So you have to kinda move a lot faster than people are comfortable with.Johnna [00:07:19]:Yeah. Move faster. And I think even as you think about, like, the marketing tactics, things that we would do, it's like, it's so different when you already have brand awareness and distribution. Yeah. We made a lot of mistakes early on. I was like, oh, that lesson, that thing I thought I did really well. Like, that does not apply to Mixley to what we're doing. SoStephanie [00:07:40]:What's an example of that?Johnna [00:07:44]:I would say, for example okay. Spending on influencers. Right? Everyone wants to spend on influencers. And I'm not to say that's wrong. However, it is a very different game when you don't have, on shelf presence. Also, if you're just gonna do and true if you're truly going to invest in d two c, you have to do it right. So if you're having influencers drive to your website, you really have to be focused. And I think when we launched, we were trying to do too much.Johnna [00:08:12]:We were doing retail and a little d two c. So you're just your spend in a in a tactic like influencer marketing is really not gonna go far in the stage we were at, and that's where we learned to focus and prioritize early on. We launched we went heavy into retail, and that's what we did. So influencers at our stage of the game don't make sense. What makes sense is in store tastings. So that's where if I'm gonna spend a $100, I'm better spending in it on a brand ambassador doing an in store tasting versusStephanie [00:08:41]:an insJohnna [00:08:41]:you know, a a Instagram post.Stephanie [00:08:43]:Yeah. And I think too, maybe you can speak to this. I feel like the influencer world is changing, we're discovering that real influence is hard to come by and isn't always with the person with the 100,000 followers in a marketplace. Like, that maybe those micro influencers and doing an event or something that's different might have actual more influence than the gal that has, you know, 50,000 followers and hold something up, and her pretty smile just for lack of a better way of saying that. But do you know what I'm saying?Johnna [00:09:25]:Yeah. We're all become very savvy. I think we're very now we look at anyone who posts on and, again, it's not it's not putting anyone down, but we do look at that. I think we're all skeptical, or we know now. They're getting paid to say that. That's not you know, it doesn't feel authentic anymore. And I think too I think you're right in where the real influences, and I will say influence in as it relates to purchase for us has been in store tastings, has been, local media. So partners like you and whenever, you know, we get the opportunity to be on local media or do an interview, we see a direct correlation between that and sales.Johnna [00:10:05]:Events are also critical for us, not only in, obviously, you're in front of the consumer, but people word-of-mouth. Like, oh, I saw someone. They just told me to come down here. Like, these are really powerful tools that, you know, maybe to a sophisticated digital marketer, like, they may seem outdated, but they're tried and true. And for us right now, they work.Stephanie [00:10:25]:Well and you and I kind of I mean, originally, I think we met just through the cocktails and packaged goods in Minnesota Makers. But then, you come to the Stone Arch Festival. You come to a lot of these festivals that I program. And I try to explain to these packaged good culinary folks, and a lot of them are local and many Minnesota or Midwest made. You look at those events as an opportunity to sample, to trial, and create brand awareness. So, yes, selling your product there is awesome. And if you can get a return on your investment, that's great. That's what everybody strives for.Stephanie [00:11:03]:But that it's also a big marketing opportunity to get in front of so many people. And we see a lot of people that come to these events with their packages or their items and they don't sample, I'm like, oh, wow. You know, that is, like, you need to sample. Well, we just don't wanna give product away to the looky loos. It's like, well, those looky loos are also purchasers. You have to see them as the consumer that they are even though they're standing there with holding their kid's hand, who's eating a sweaty popsicle, and holding a beer. They still shop too.Johanna [00:11:36]:Mhmm. That's that's that's exactly it. And a lot of these events, you know, one, I I will tell you, like because we have, you know, 7, 8 different flavors. I love when people are like, can I try one of each one? I'm like, please. Yeah. Because then, like, I'm gonna upsell you on my bundle package. No. But I I do think too, like, some of these events, you know, we'll hear, well, you know, I don't wanna carry around glass right now.Johnna [00:11:56]:Do you have a card I can take with you? Like, where can I find you? And I really do believe that these people, they're taking a picture of our booth, that they're taking our card. It was a great interaction. They may not buy us now, but I think we're top of mind. And when they see us, you know, on shelf at France 44, like, hopefully, that's when they purchase. SoStephanie [00:12:14]:I was thinking about you guys recently because it seems natural with the launch of the spritz line that you might consider canned cocktails down the road. Is that something you're thinking about? Or I was even thinking about we're seeing now, like, Tattersall just launched a bunch of cocktails in a I call it a slap bag for lack of a better term. It just says the party girl in me. But the sort of canned, you miss the can, you miss the bottle, and it's just in this plastic thing that has a handle that you can carry around. You can put it on the boat. Are any of those packaging options something you guys might look at down the road or getting into the full canned cocktail?Johnna [00:12:55]:I think so. I think packaging, for sure. You look at other brands, mixer brands like Filthy, and right there in that bag. And it's really great for if you think about expansion into on premise and airlines. So I think for sure, packaging we would look at. In terms of ready to drink cocktails in a can, you know, the market's so saturated right now that I could see it maybe one day we've scaled and we're in thousands of doors, you know, retailers nationwide, and people want to see that from Mixley. But at this point, I think it it would just be too expensive to try to stand out in the noise. But I think that's really smart.Stephanie [00:13:36]:Yeah. I think that's really smart, actually. And, also, there is so many cool packaging options. Like, if you think of the Capri sun size or even if you think of the small canned, not cans, box. Small box like wine. I could just see that being a cool packaging idea for you. And, also, one of the things I love is you do have this rainbow sort of branding. And when you put all of the line together in a packaging item, it really feels like you're getting a lot.Stephanie [00:14:05]:I think you have the is it $45 for your do you call it your pride package?Johnna [00:14:10]:Rainbow package. Yeah. Okay. This month, we'll call it pride.Stephanie [00:14:14]:Yeah. And I always think of it as pride because I haveJohnna [00:14:16]:to beStephanie [00:14:16]:a daughter. So when I hear rainbow, like, I think, oh, okay. Right away. Yep. I thought that was a really clever way to market that because it gave you an opportunity to try all of them. Yeah. So the the jury is probably still out because the, spritz line is new. But so far, are you having fun with it? Does it feel like it was a good risk to take?Johnna [00:14:38]:Yeah. We are. We're having fun with it. We already flew through our 1st batch, like, what we produce, so that's great. Yep. So we're on track to, like, what we projected it to do for us, which is awesome. And, we launched it primarily as, you know, an event in kind of online product. We are in some boot in some shelves here in the Twin Cities, but we just wanted to kinda see again, like, how can we do this as a test and and do a smaller kind of more, you know, smaller launch, and then we'll see from there if it sticks with us for the long term.Stephanie [00:15:11]:I do love the idea of being able to have that on an airline as you're going on a trip. Like, I know Sun Country has had a good relationship with Crooked Water Spirits and our friend Heather Manley. But, like, I could see a spritzy kind of version of that and really covering all those warm weather destinations. And, well, that would be so fun, wouldn't it?Johnna [00:15:34]:Yes. From your lips to God's ears. Right? So, no. I agree. And that certainly I think, we know we can produce in 4 ounce bottles. We have that capability. And so, obviously, glass isn't ideal for our airlines. So back to your, you know, the packaging conversation, that's something that we're looking at and and how do we how do we break into that market? Because I agree.Johnna [00:15:56]:I think we've all been, you know, on a plane and wanting a good cocktail, and your mixers are pretty limited. It's, you know, a Coke, a Sprite, whatever they got, or a bloody, you know, a Bloody Mary. But, yeah.Stephanie [00:16:08]:Alright. So if anybody's listening, because we have a lot of fans, the Sun Country route, that would be great. And you could mix it with, they like to support local female driven companies, so that's exciting. So talk about you mentioned one of the spritzes is sort of an elderflower profile. What's the other one? It's orange. Right?Johnna [00:16:26]:Bitter orange cherry. So that's really, you know, reminiscent of, Aperol spritz. So, yeah. It's, it's, again, it's other it's another well balanced, mixer. And it really is just like this delightful summer sipper. And you can mix it. You don't need to add sparkling wine. You can just add, you know, soda water.Johnna [00:16:47]:Yep. And it still works. So, yeah.Stephanie [00:16:49]:Okay. So let me ask you. Are there any products or, like, packaged goods that you're using or seeing lately that you're just like and doesn't necessarily have to be food. That you're like, oh, I just love this product. It's so clever.Johnna [00:17:09]:Oh, the olive oil. The the, The green bottle? Yes. What is that?Stephanie [00:17:16]:Grossi, is it called?Johnna [00:17:18]:Yes. I mean, the branding, the packaging, the storytelling of the Spanish olive oil, it actually tastes good. Like, it is I'm obsessed, and that's another one too where I thought once I saw it, I go, yes. Another category that has really yet to evolve. And we're in packaging. Right? Like, I'm sure all you know, the olive oil is not all pretty equal equal. But just in terms of the design, I was like, this is so exciting.Stephanie [00:17:46]:And it feels super fresh and, like, you have to try it.Johnna [00:17:51]:Yeah.Stephanie [00:17:51]:Because everybody buys olive oil, but there is something about that product. And I actually haven't purchased it yet because I'm, like, the person who would be like, oh, that's just a marketing gimmick. You can because I'm just like because I'm cooking all the time. Yeah. But I do think it's super clever. And, also, when we look at, you know, who's coming back into the kitchen and learning to cook, It's a lot of millennials and date nights and kind of there's a more fun factor. And I think that olive oil has hit that right on the head. So that's a really good one.Stephanie [00:18:20]:I hadn't thought about that before. In town, are you, like, are you doing anything fun, or do you have any restaurants that you love? Or what do you do for fun?Johnna [00:18:30]:Oh my well, we you know, I will say this. For fun, I've got kiddos. So we're up Minnetonka. Minnetonka. Maynard's is, like, our standard. So if anyone from Maynard's is listening, I've been trying to get, like, Mixley on the menu. I'm like, I would love to enjoy my own mixer while I'm out here. But Sure.Johnna [00:18:47]:I feel like it just feels like that's the summer place out my way. But I did just eatStephanie [00:18:52]:at Starling. Oh, did youJohnna [00:18:53]:love it? I loved it. I mean, the food was great and the cocktails were fabulous. What was so interesting is they had, some, like, cranberry Red Bull based cocktails, which I have not had. Tell about party days, vodka Red Bulls. Yeah. It's been it's been a minute since I've had that. But anyway, it was on their cocktail list and surprisingly, it was really, really quite delicious.Stephanie [00:19:17]:Okay. I might have to check that out because it sounds a little weird. I'm like, okay. I feel alright.Johanna [00:19:24]:Alright. I know. On this beautiful elevated space, we have Red Bull on the menu. I have to try it. So yeah.Stephanie [00:19:30]:I still feel like whenever we get something on the, like, west of Saint Louis Park I live in Golden Valley. So, you know, we're still building out kind of the scene on the west side. And there's always been a good kinda late culture party scene, but and and maybe, like, we don't maybe it's not even fine dining, but just getting something that's a step above the chains feels so welcome and so right on right now.Johanna [00:19:58]:Absolutely. Yeah. Like, I I mean so even like an Excelsior ley line, that's just been such a really nice addition to the Excelsior food scene. You know, I guessStephanie [00:20:09]:Ivy and Hopkins is another one.Johanna [00:20:11]:Pink Ivy and Hopkins. Fabulous. Yeah. Amazing cocktails. And I would say to excellent food, and the value for what you get there is incredible. I love that space. Yeah.Stephanie [00:20:21]:Yeah. I do too. It's fun to see. And I'm excited for, the new, Grocers Table sister restaurant next door. I think that'll be fun.Johanna [00:20:31]:And Yeah. No. Same. That's it. And I just can't believe like, I'm so excited. You know, Lindsay has done so well with Grocer's Table. I'm excited for her to expand. Every time I go in that place, it is just buzzing.Johanna [00:20:43]:So I'm sure she's gonna do a great job, yeah, with the dinner concept.Stephanie [00:20:47]:Yeah. I think so too. Well, it's been super fun to catch up with you. I just I saw the spritz, and I thought, oh, I can't wait to talk to her about about them and why she did it the way she did it and what her thinking is. And I knew you'd have some really insightful thoughts about it. And I'm excited to try it too. I haven't tried it yet, but I promise I will.Johanna [00:21:05]:Okay. Well, I think I can hook you up if you need it. If you need a permit.Stephanie [00:21:09]:Guys soon. So Yes. Alright.Johanna [00:21:10]:Well, thank you, Stephanie. I appreciate it.Stephanie [00:21:12]:It's always fun to have you on. Thanks so much.Johanna [00:21:14]:Yeah. Likewise. Thanks. Bye bye. Bye. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe

In his riveting feature documentary CHAMPIONS OF THE GOLDEN VALLEY director Ben Sturgulewski peels back the social, religious and community layers in the remote mountain villages of Bamyan, Afghanistan, to find what has created the newfound passion for skiing. This passion has attracted young athletes from rival ethnic groups who showcase their resourcefulness and skill on the slopes. Equipped with minimal gear, makeshift skis, and no chairlift, the determined ski coach Alishah Farhang organizes a ski race that unities the community in a moment of joy and camaraderie. However, when their country falls to the Taliban, many of the skiers are displaced across the globe as refugees, confronted with an uncertain future. In CHAMPIONS OF THE GOLDEN VALLEY filmmaker Ben Sturgulewski masterfully captures the thrill of a sports rivalry intertwined with the poignant narrative of a community grappling with profound change – revealing what it means to be a champion, in all its forms. Director, editor and cinematographer Ben Sturgulewski joins us to talk about his own long journey, figuratively and literally, to tell this amazing story of community, loss, rivalry, friendship, and how striving to be better can not only lift up an individual, like Alishah Farhang, Alishah Farhang, Mujtaba Hussaini, Raees Hussaini, Haji Hussaini, Mortiza Motahari and Hussain Ali Nazari, but those around them. For more go to: championsofthegoldenvalley.com

Today Darin sits down with food writer and cookbook author, Khushbu Shah, whose new book AMRIKAN is a love letter to the culinary traditions of the Indian American Diaspora. We talk about how immigration shapes food cultures, how her parents adapted their pantry, and she shares some of the delicious recipes that you can find in the book. In the second half of the show, Anni Rossi joins as musical guest.  An American singer, violist, and keyboardist from Minnesota, she graduated from the Perpich Center for Arts Education in Golden Valley and is notable for her unique style of playing the viola and singing, often at the same time.  Anni shares details surrounding her uniquely constructed instrument as well as her newest release due in the spring.As we head into summer, please consider supporting HRN. Your donations, whatever you can afford, are greatly appreciated.Snacky Tunes: Music is the Main Ingredient, Chefs and Their Music (Phaidon), is now on shelves at bookstores around the world. It features over eighty of the world's top chefs who share personal stories of how music has been an important, integral force in their lives. The chefs also give personal recipes and curated playlists too. It's an anthology of memories, meals and mixtapes. Pick up your copy by ordering directly from Phaidon, or by visiting your local independent bookstore. Visit our site, www.snackytunes.com for more info.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Snacky Tunes by becoming a member.Snacky Tunes is Powered by Simplecast.

Stacy Bare is a husband, father, skier, rafter, surfer and climber. As a veteran of the Iraq war, he co-founded the Great Outdoors Lab (GO Lab) in 2014 to put scientifically defensible data behind the idea of time outside as healthcare in partnership with Dr. Dacher Keltner at the Greater Good Science Center at UC-Berkeley. Stacy is a 2014 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year & the 2015 SHIFT Conservation Athlete of the Year. In 2015, he launched Adventure Not War (ANW), a project designed to take him back to all the places he fought, cleaned up after war, or was supposed to fight. On the first ANW expedition, Stacy and Alex Honnold put up new climbing routes in Angola. In 2017, he and two fellow veterans completed a first ski descent of Mt. Halgurd in Iraq chronicled in the award-winning film he produced, ‘Adventure Not War.' His latest film, a full 80 minute documentary set in Afghanistan, 'Champions of the Golden Valley,' will premiere at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival.Today, Stacy is the Executive Director of Friends of Grand Rapids Parks, an organization working to increase equal access to the outdoors and empower people to cultivate vibrant parks, trees, and green spaces in the Grand Rapids area.In this episode, Mark and Stacy talk about surviving and emerging from trauma, welcoming veterans home, healing through recovery, Adventure Not War, green spaces, wildness for everyone, and more.Save What You Love with Mark Titus:⁣Produced: Emilie FirnEdited: Patrick Troll⁣Music: Whiskey Class⁣Instagram: @savewhatyoulovepodcastWebsite: savewhatyoulove.evaswild.comSupport wild salmon at evaswild.com

Two pedestrians collide fatefully. by maxicue. Listen to the ► Podcast at Steamy Stories. Joe slid through the crowd on the street, not in a hurry, just enjoying it, like it was some kind of game, call it Body Avoidance, a challenge of finding the gaps just large enough to pass through untouched while the bodies continued moving in somewhat predictable ways, though the unpredictable could always happen, adding to the challenge and the fun, that quick burst bypassing the unexpected shift. He loved this game ever since moving to New York, at first when he worked at a copy place in Grand Central Station (nearby where he happened to be sliding through at the moment), especially busy streets around there, especially at rush hours and lunch, and further challenged when he carried heavy packages of copies destined for publishing houses, often pocketing the cab money given to him to walk even farther through more busy streets carrying those burdens. And then when he became busboy and then waiter at the restaurant at Max's Kansas City, a punk club with the music upstairs and the restaurant where he worked downstairs, sliding through crowds of kids his age on weekend nights. It felt like a kind of dance, especially at the club, even with his own special tempo. This time though, for the first time ever as far as he could recall, he collided with someone who seemed to appear out of nowhere, his height of six and a half feet always helping his vision and his traversing perhaps missing her much smaller frame, at least a foot shorter, probably closer to a foot and a half, but more it seemed like she stepped into the narrow passage he'd found as if on purpose, finding the perfect moment for collision. But of course that would have been impossible, her knowing when to get in his way, when he'd happen to be sliding through at that very moment, unless fate could be considered purposeful. “Asshole,” the young woman growled from the concrete in which his impact sent her, landing on her ass and a hand that prevented something worse like concussion and scraping it for the trouble. With him stopped standing over her, the crowd flowed around the sudden impediment like cattle somehow avoiding stampeding, though less animal and more human since the flow went both ways. He looked down at a blonde waif, skinny and frail, her t shirt and jeans too big for her and looking well past new, the t shirt white with a band logo he was unfamiliar with showing every stain, and there were many, the jeans showing a small right kneecap where the cloth had frayed. The navy peacoat, too warm for the balmy, almost summerlike weather unusual this early in the year, splayed open. “I'm so sorry,” Joe exclaimed, and when his stretched out hand was avoided by her, he insisted, “Let me help you up.” She finally allowed his large hand to take hold of her small slim one aiding her to standing. “I didn't see you,” he added. “Obviously,” she smirked, adjusting her stuffed and scuffed red backpack on her shoulders. “Hungry?” he asked. “I could eat,” she half smiled. He guided her across the street and to the end of the block where one of the last of the Horn and Hardarts automats existed and put coins into the slots for her tuna sandwich and chips and for his egg salad. He bought her a Coke and he got coffee. She used the toilet there to clean her scrape amongst other things since she took a while, which worried him, thinking she might have run off, but of course she didn't, having food waiting for her. “I'm Joe,” he told her. “Jenny,” she replied before filling her mouth with a bite of sandwich. They said nothing for a while since she devoured her food, obviously needing it. “Anything else?” he asked. “Maybe a pie? The lemon meringue looked tempting.” “Okay if we share?” he asked. “That's fine.” “Uhm, are you going to stay?” He looked at her, saw her eyes pooling and she sniffled. “Please?” Her smile nearly broke his heart when she replied, “Nowhere better to be.” “Good. After we eat, let's get that scrape taken care of.” “Okay.” They stayed, talking over the small empty plate. “Where are you from?” he asked. “The Twin Cities. Minneapolis.” “No shit! Me too!” “No shit!” “No shit. Where?” “Robbinsdale.” “Golden Valley.” “No shit?” “No shit.” The two suburbs were neighbors, Robbinsdale more middle class than Golden Valley, which tended to be more upper middle class, a lot of professionals, doctors, lawyers and professors, his dad being of the latter type. Fate. “You work around here?” she asked, since Joe had dressed up in a jacket and tie, the tie loose around his neck. “I used to,” he told her. “I'm actually applying for jobs presently.” “Presently,” she giggled. “Sorry. I tend to talk like I have a stick up my butt.” “No, it's cute.” “Glad you think so,” he chuckled. “How's the job search going?” she asked. “Not great unfortunately. My uncle's an executive at the William Morris Agency, and I hoped that might help, but I guess he's against nepotism. It's possible I'll get a job in their mail room. I applied at other offices, but I'm making a career change, or hoping to, and have got little experience.” “From what?” she asked. “I used to be a waiter at Max's Kansas City.” “No shit!” “No shit.” “Why not stay there?” “I needed a change,” he murmured, unconsciously stroking his arm. Jenny sensing Joe's discomfort regarding the subject wisely ended that line of inquiry. “What's the William Morris Agency?” she asked instead. “It's one of the largest talent agencies in America,” he told her. “Cool.” “Yeah. It's had its perks. Getting turned on to Bowie early because my uncle wrote the contract that signed him. Meeting cool stars at a party at his house upstate. Going to openings like the movie Hair and Apocalypse Now, the last a brand new print and sitting close.” “Is that cool?” she asked. “Pretty cool,” he chuckled. When they left the automat, he told her, “Let's get you some anti-bacteria for your scrape and Band-Aids. I know a drugstore nearby.” “You don't have anything at home?” she asked, surprising him. “Um…you sure?” “I'm sure,” she smiled, and he could see those pretty blue eyes pool again. “I can get something on the way,” he decided. “Great!” Since the drugstore was close by, he went there anyway, and while getting the first aid stuff, she waited for him near the counter. “Need any of these?” she blushed, pointing to the rack of condoms. His cock stiffened in his pants while he grabbed a sixpack of lubricated Trojans. She stayed his hand and grabbed a twelve pack instead. “Holy shit,” he thought. Both were blushing while he made the purchase. They walked over to Grand Central and took the subway south to Fourteenth Street close to where he lived. They entered a door between a couple non-descript store fronts and climbed the stairs three floors, Joe unlocking a door on the left at the top. Fortunately none of his roommates were around in the shared area, probably sleeping since they tended to keep vampire hours, and Joe guided Jenny down a hallway, taking a sharp right and, pushing aside a beaded curtain, gestured her through. He had by far the largest bedroom in the three bedroom apartment, a couple large windows unfortunately facing the wall of another building. Unfortunate not for the view, but for the easy access from the roof to the room, the probable path taken when someone broke in and stole his record collection and his typewriter not long before. Or they could have just walked in, because he knew the probable culprit, since he'd seen the junkie just off St. Marks selling his records, a regular at Max's. “Sorry for the mess,” he apologized, and Joe was a definite slob. “No problem,” she responded. “Beggars can't be choosers.” “Jenny?” “Mind if I take a shower?” she sniffled. “Not at all. Just a second.” He knelt in front of a small cabinet and grabbed a towel for her. “The red door on the right,” he told her. For some reason they'd painted the bathroom a deep red, including the door, the rest of the apartment with white walls. He cleaned up his place while she showered, neatening the books and papers on the coffee table, the table on which he used to type before losing his typewriter, and tossing clothes into a gunny sack he used to tote down to go to the nearest laundromat a block or so away. She returned carrying her clothes and her bag, wearing the towel with it tucked between her cleavage, more of it than he expected, and when she unceremoniously dropped the towel, she sported perky b cup breasts, all the more substantial looking on her petite frame. She was skinny but fortunately not completely starved, no bones jutting out, her belly youthfully firm with just a hint of convexity, and her full bush, being blonde, seemed less substantial than if it were dark. Her waist curved subtly, neither what some would call child bearing hips, but not boyish either. This was definitely a woman. “Like what you see?” she smiled, turning, and showing him a perfect firm round ass. He also noticed muscled thighs and her arms even had some definition. “Wow,” he said. “You're definitely in shape.” “Dreams of being a prima ballerina,” she sniffled. He sat on the bed and patted his lap. “Come here.” “You have way too many clothes on,” she sniffled and giggled. “Come here, Jenny,” he said more forcefully. She sat on his lap sideways. He reluctantly kept his hands off her. “Tell me,” he said. “You don't want to fuck me?” “Of course I do. Tell me.” She sobbed. Only then did he embrace her across her middle, her face ending up against his chest. He could feel the tears wet his shirt. “Tell me,” he repeated. “I…had to,” she choked out. “Had to?” “Your shirt,” she murmured, pulling her head away. “It's okay,” he insisted, gently pulling her head back. “I auditioned over the years to get into ballet school here, but no takers,” she managed to say. “I wanted to be a ballerina but I guess I'm not good enough.” “Best to know I guess,” Joe tried. “It's not that. Oh, okay that kind of sucked, but mostly I wanted to get away.” “From?” “Everything!” “Including?” “My mother's cruel disappointment. She'd been a ballerina until she had me. My boyfriend turning out to be gay. Another boy practically raping me instead making sure I was ready. My father…” “Did he…?” “No, but he was working up to it. Probably looked at me like I was my mom when I was her age or younger I guess. He'd be affectionate, too affectionate as it turned out. He touched me where he shouldn't, not directly but close, you know. I guess I didn't believe it, but it turned out he was actually being shy, and eventually brought my hand to his crotch which got me off him immediately. The last straw…I woke up with him in my bed. I screamed and punched like in his diaphragm which took his wind. Maybe I should have punched lower, but I wanted to be nowhere near that, and when I raced out the room, my mother plods over and my dad says some bullshit about me seducing him, and since it was all about jealousy, him being more affectionate to me, and disappointment, she fucking believed him. “I'm of course freaking out, everything…and then this…but I managed to take some breaths, calming down, and told my mom if she wanted rid of me I needed money. They only had a couple hundred around but my mom takes me to her bank, gets me another five hundred, drives me to the bus station, buys me a ticket to New York, my demand, with her credit card. She actually offered one to me, but I told her she'd probably close it and have me arrested or something, and the bitch shrugged. And I'm like, ‘You're a fucking cunt.' And she's saying I'm a useless slut.” “Sorry,” Joe apologized. “I'm the sorry one,” Jenny actually chuckled. “But…it doesn't sound like sex…” Jenny shifted around so that she faced him, straddling his lap. “I got hit on by fucking pimps, Joe, as soon as I got off the fucking bus at Penn station. I'm not as naïve as I look.” “But you don't know me.” “Like you're a psycho? You don't seem the type and in a way I don't fucking care. A rapist probably wouldn't have brought me home. The hotel I stayed at this creepy guy kept staring at me in the lobby and ended up following me to my fucking floor, so I like got out quick out of there, practically running. And I didn't even dare shower there since the shower room was fucking shared and fucking groady. I was actually headed to Grand Central when we collided, thinking I'd try taking a train down to twenty-third, staying at the Chelsea or something, just to do something cool while I was here and still alive. So Joe, I guess you're the best choice I've had so far.” She kissed him, pulling off the jacket he still wore and unbuttoning his shirt. He broke the kiss when he tossed aside the tie, then lifted her and set her on her back on the bed. He finished the unbuttoning and tossed aside his shirt. “Nice,” she smiled, stroking his chest. Joe didn't work out, but being young, just twenty-one, and working hard at his job as a waiter, kept him slim and slimly muscled. He kept his pants on when he made love to her lying beside her on his side. Kisses continued for a while, both enjoying it especially when tongues were involved, her breath tasting of toothpaste and his presumably not offensive, while his hand began exploring the rest of her. The hand took the weight of her breasts, teasingly moving on before a direct attack on her small nipples to linger on her taut belly and moving teasing across her pudendum, through her soft patch of blond hair, before feeling the smoothness of her thighs and the firmness of muscles, and then under her, lifting her slightly by her firm ass, followed by sliding along her back, across her shoulder and returning to her breasts, fingers moving in on her nipples, caressing and tugging gently at each one, making her gasp into his mouth. Only then did he end the kiss, bringing his mouth to the exploration, finding thrills for her at her ear and neck before moving to her breasts and nipples. Once each one had been appreciated for a while, the second sending his hand down slowly, eventually fingers discovering the dampness of her labia, rimming the edges, his mouth followed the same trail as his hand, and when it reached where she wanted it, he shifted his body between her widened legs and his tongue lapped across her clit, the first touch of it, and she lifted her middle and moaned. Both fingers and mouth remained there, working her gradually to her first climax via a man, especially intense when he stroked her g spot, his other hand tugging at her nipples, measuring the squeeze and building on it since she seemed to handle ever more pressure there. “Joe,” she murmured once she recovered, and smiled when he got up and got naked for her. “Oh my,” she commented at his length, on the thicker side, and definitely longer than the two she'd seen by at least a couple inches. “I'll be gentle,” he promised, opening a condom and rolling it on and moving between her thighs. He brought her hand to his cock to guide him, and she brought it where she wanted it and he slowly pushed in. “Oh fuck!” she moaned. “Too much?” he asked reluctantly. “Don't you fucking stop!” she declared. He pushed into one of the tightest sheathes he'd ever felt and realized he wouldn't last and told her. “Just fuck me,” she insisted, her legs wrapping his thighs as emphasis. Going slow probably helped delay the inevitable, seeming to open her up with each deeper stroke. In the end, he nudged at her cervix, thankfully with his cock completely inside her. He'd known girls her size, even taller, where he had to be careful about the impact there, usually no more than an inch to spare, but enough to cause pain. Not this time. Touching it made her growl, but in a good way. He decided to exploit that, grinding into her, pubic bone against pubic bone which affected her clit too, and just pulling out a couple inches before thrusting in. She seemed fine with that, even enjoying it, so he kept it up while his hands drew in to work fingers and thumbs on her nipples. She began meeting his thrusts with lifts, and her hands grabbed his ass cheeks, and she began pulling on his flesh there, wanting longer strokes it seemed, but he waited until she grabbed hard, closing on being painful, her nails thankfully short, he'd learn later she tended to nibble on them when nervous, and he'd actually seen a little of that in the automat, and she pressed against him one more time before announcing her climax with, “Oh my fucking God!” rather loudly at a high growl. And when she loosened her grip, only then did he abandon himself to fully fucking her, long, ever faster strokes for only seconds before he pressed deep, pushing against her cervix, and cumming. “Joe,” she murmured, her hands pushing his chest. “Sorry,” he responded, hugging her to him and turning them over. He'd reached the last of his ejaculations, every one intense, and reached down to hold the condom to his penis while shifting her higher with his legs. “Mmm,” she responded when it slid out. She shivered a little too as if feeling a last echo of her orgasm. “It'll be better next time,” he promised. She chuckled weakly. “What?” he asked. She shifted forward. Since both of their bodies had fairly equal proportions of legs to torsos, she had to scoot up a bit, her legs straddling his abdomen, her damp pussy pressing into it, for her to look eye to eye with him. Her hands pressed his shoulders to put her face above his. “That was several magnitudes better than the last and only fuck I've had,” she explained. “I thought it was making love,” he argued. “Don't be pedantic, Joe,” she smirked, surprising him. “Pedantic?” “You know what I mean.” “Of course, but…” “I'm smarter than I look.” “I don't believe in the dumb blonde myth.” “I've met several, and not all blondes.” “School?” “And fellow dancers, although most were dedicated enough to be smart too I suppose. Learning to put the time in to do the best you can both in dancing and studying.” “Makes sense. So school…?” “I would have graduated this spring if I hadn't had to run away.” “GED?” he asked. “Probably. I don't imagine going to school for one quarter. You?” “School?” “Yeah.” “I went to Bard in upstate New York for a couple years, but quit because it was ridiculous having parents spend that much money for me to study to be a poet.” “You're a poet?” “Not much recently. I thought New York would be inspiring, but mostly it's been distracting. I'm also interested in filmmaking, like the experimental kind, so no more lucrative. I still have a Bolex sixteen millimeter camera which fortunately the thieves never found.” “Thieves?” “The problem with living amongst junkies. Let me show you something.” He lifted his left arm and she caressed a line of marks near his inner elbow area. “Are those…?” “Tracks. Only one is fairly fresh. It's why I quit Max's: too much temptation. Living here too, but right now I can't afford to move. A friend of mine OD'd and died, and another almost did and I ended up keeping him alive. It was the last straw, and I realized that'd be me, or it'd just be a spiral of inertia, all about the next fix and nothing else, so I quit. Luckily I wasn't too strung out and basically hung with my folks for a week when my dad had his sabbatical in DC this past winter. I drank a bit there, but my parents seemed none the wiser. Anyway, when I came back to work planning to keep my tips instead of spending them all, I did okay until I didn't one day, succumbing to temptation, and quit after that.” “When was that?” “A week ago. I've been job hunting ever since.” “Lucky for me,” she grinned and shifted around, pulling off the used condom and handing it to him carefully and he managed to toss it atop his underpants while she enveloped his penis in her mouth. He worried about her lack of experience, mostly worried about her teeth, but she proved quite capable. He nudged her to straddle his face and had to bend his back a little, supported by his arms so fingers weren't available, and mostly kept her pleasure at a quiet purr, not distracting her from her surprisingly effective endeavors. Once she'd got him hard, she bounced off the bed, found a condom and rolled it on with some study and climbed on and guided him back inside her, carefully, stroke by stroke, sending him deep. Once there, she began her ride, this time having the full effect of his entire cock, to the point she needed to bring it back to her slit when it slipped out a couple times, but seemed to get the length of him soon enough and began riding him at a medium fast clip. He watched the roll and bounce of her perky tits before stilling them with his hands, one letting go to guide her hand to her clit. From that she worked herself into a frenzy, finally shifting down and rolling atop him to achieve her orgasm. Fortunately it always took longer for Joe to cum when a woman took the cowgirl position. After, she somehow turned around while he remained inside and moved her body down, and he realized what she wanted, moving from beneath her, clutching her hips, and pulling her into him in a doggy style position. He shifted, letting go of the hips and bringing one hand to her hanging tits and the other to her clit, practically holding her up with the latter hand, and like he had before, let himself go fucking her hard and fast until he came, happily not long after she did. “Fuck Joe,” she commented softly after. “Yeah,” Joe agreed. She did the securing of the condom to his penis and they soon took the same position as they had before, her head resting on his chest. “Can I stay?” she asked quietly and shyly. “As long as you want.” “Thanks.” by maxicue for Literotica. This is the first chapter of a novel. The rest of the published chapters are found at the maxicue library of Literotica. Fate's Embrace: 6 Part Series

Two pedestrians collide fatefully. by maxicue. Listen to the ► Podcast at Steamy Stories. Joe slid through the crowd on the street, not in a hurry, just enjoying it, like it was some kind of game, call it Body Avoidance, a challenge of finding the gaps just large enough to pass through untouched while the bodies continued moving in somewhat predictable ways, though the unpredictable could always happen, adding to the challenge and the fun, that quick burst bypassing the unexpected shift. He loved this game ever since moving to New York, at first when he worked at a copy place in Grand Central Station (nearby where he happened to be sliding through at the moment), especially busy streets around there, especially at rush hours and lunch, and further challenged when he carried heavy packages of copies destined for publishing houses, often pocketing the cab money given to him to walk even farther through more busy streets carrying those burdens. And then when he became busboy and then waiter at the restaurant at Max's Kansas City, a punk club with the music upstairs and the restaurant where he worked downstairs, sliding through crowds of kids his age on weekend nights. It felt like a kind of dance, especially at the club, even with his own special tempo. This time though, for the first time ever as far as he could recall, he collided with someone who seemed to appear out of nowhere, his height of six and a half feet always helping his vision and his traversing perhaps missing her much smaller frame, at least a foot shorter, probably closer to a foot and a half, but more it seemed like she stepped into the narrow passage he'd found as if on purpose, finding the perfect moment for collision. But of course that would have been impossible, her knowing when to get in his way, when he'd happen to be sliding through at that very moment, unless fate could be considered purposeful. “Asshole,” the young woman growled from the concrete in which his impact sent her, landing on her ass and a hand that prevented something worse like concussion and scraping it for the trouble. With him stopped standing over her, the crowd flowed around the sudden impediment like cattle somehow avoiding stampeding, though less animal and more human since the flow went both ways. He looked down at a blonde waif, skinny and frail, her t shirt and jeans too big for her and looking well past new, the t shirt white with a band logo he was unfamiliar with showing every stain, and there were many, the jeans showing a small right kneecap where the cloth had frayed. The navy peacoat, too warm for the balmy, almost summerlike weather unusual this early in the year, splayed open. “I'm so sorry,” Joe exclaimed, and when his stretched out hand was avoided by her, he insisted, “Let me help you up.” She finally allowed his large hand to take hold of her small slim one aiding her to standing. “I didn't see you,” he added. “Obviously,” she smirked, adjusting her stuffed and scuffed red backpack on her shoulders. “Hungry?” he asked. “I could eat,” she half smiled. He guided her across the street and to the end of the block where one of the last of the Horn and Hardarts automats existed and put coins into the slots for her tuna sandwich and chips and for his egg salad. He bought her a Coke and he got coffee. She used the toilet there to clean her scrape amongst other things since she took a while, which worried him, thinking she might have run off, but of course she didn't, having food waiting for her. “I'm Joe,” he told her. “Jenny,” she replied before filling her mouth with a bite of sandwich. They said nothing for a while since she devoured her food, obviously needing it. “Anything else?” he asked. “Maybe a pie? The lemon meringue looked tempting.” “Okay if we share?” he asked. “That's fine.” “Uhm, are you going to stay?” He looked at her, saw her eyes pooling and she sniffled. “Please?” Her smile nearly broke his heart when she replied, “Nowhere better to be.” “Good. After we eat, let's get that scrape taken care of.” “Okay.” They stayed, talking over the small empty plate. “Where are you from?” he asked. “The Twin Cities. Minneapolis.” “No shit! Me too!” “No shit!” “No shit. Where?” “Robbinsdale.” “Golden Valley.” “No shit?” “No shit.” The two suburbs were neighbors, Robbinsdale more middle class than Golden Valley, which tended to be more upper middle class, a lot of professionals, doctors, lawyers and professors, his dad being of the latter type. Fate. “You work around here?” she asked, since Joe had dressed up in a jacket and tie, the tie loose around his neck. “I used to,” he told her. “I'm actually applying for jobs presently.” “Presently,” she giggled. “Sorry. I tend to talk like I have a stick up my butt.” “No, it's cute.” “Glad you think so,” he chuckled. “How's the job search going?” she asked. “Not great unfortunately. My uncle's an executive at the William Morris Agency, and I hoped that might help, but I guess he's against nepotism. It's possible I'll get a job in their mail room. I applied at other offices, but I'm making a career change, or hoping to, and have got little experience.” “From what?” she asked. “I used to be a waiter at Max's Kansas City.” “No shit!” “No shit.” “Why not stay there?” “I needed a change,” he murmured, unconsciously stroking his arm. Jenny sensing Joe's discomfort regarding the subject wisely ended that line of inquiry. “What's the William Morris Agency?” she asked instead. “It's one of the largest talent agencies in America,” he told her. “Cool.” “Yeah. It's had its perks. Getting turned on to Bowie early because my uncle wrote the contract that signed him. Meeting cool stars at a party at his house upstate. Going to openings like the movie Hair and Apocalypse Now, the last a brand new print and sitting close.” “Is that cool?” she asked. “Pretty cool,” he chuckled. When they left the automat, he told her, “Let's get you some anti-bacteria for your scrape and Band-Aids. I know a drugstore nearby.” “You don't have anything at home?” she asked, surprising him. “Um…you sure?” “I'm sure,” she smiled, and he could see those pretty blue eyes pool again. “I can get something on the way,” he decided. “Great!” Since the drugstore was close by, he went there anyway, and while getting the first aid stuff, she waited for him near the counter. “Need any of these?” she blushed, pointing to the rack of condoms. His cock stiffened in his pants while he grabbed a sixpack of lubricated Trojans. She stayed his hand and grabbed a twelve pack instead. “Holy shit,” he thought. Both were blushing while he made the purchase. They walked over to Grand Central and took the subway south to Fourteenth Street close to where he lived. They entered a door between a couple non-descript store fronts and climbed the stairs three floors, Joe unlocking a door on the left at the top. Fortunately none of his roommates were around in the shared area, probably sleeping since they tended to keep vampire hours, and Joe guided Jenny down a hallway, taking a sharp right and, pushing aside a beaded curtain, gestured her through. He had by far the largest bedroom in the three bedroom apartment, a couple large windows unfortunately facing the wall of another building. Unfortunate not for the view, but for the easy access from the roof to the room, the probable path taken when someone broke in and stole his record collection and his typewriter not long before. Or they could have just walked in, because he knew the probable culprit, since he'd seen the junkie just off St. Marks selling his records, a regular at Max's. “Sorry for the mess,” he apologized, and Joe was a definite slob. “No problem,” she responded. “Beggars can't be choosers.” “Jenny?” “Mind if I take a shower?” she sniffled. “Not at all. Just a second.” He knelt in front of a small cabinet and grabbed a towel for her. “The red door on the right,” he told her. For some reason they'd painted the bathroom a deep red, including the door, the rest of the apartment with white walls. He cleaned up his place while she showered, neatening the books and papers on the coffee table, the table on which he used to type before losing his typewriter, and tossing clothes into a gunny sack he used to tote down to go to the nearest laundromat a block or so away. She returned carrying her clothes and her bag, wearing the towel with it tucked between her cleavage, more of it than he expected, and when she unceremoniously dropped the towel, she sported perky b cup breasts, all the more substantial looking on her petite frame. She was skinny but fortunately not completely starved, no bones jutting out, her belly youthfully firm with just a hint of convexity, and her full bush, being blonde, seemed less substantial than if it were dark. Her waist curved subtly, neither what some would call child bearing hips, but not boyish either. This was definitely a woman. “Like what you see?” she smiled, turning, and showing him a perfect firm round ass. He also noticed muscled thighs and her arms even had some definition. “Wow,” he said. “You're definitely in shape.” “Dreams of being a prima ballerina,” she sniffled. He sat on the bed and patted his lap. “Come here.” “You have way too many clothes on,” she sniffled and giggled. “Come here, Jenny,” he said more forcefully. She sat on his lap sideways. He reluctantly kept his hands off her. “Tell me,” he said. “You don't want to fuck me?” “Of course I do. Tell me.” She sobbed. Only then did he embrace her across her middle, her face ending up against his chest. He could feel the tears wet his shirt. “Tell me,” he repeated. “I…had to,” she choked out. “Had to?” “Your shirt,” she murmured, pulling her head away. “It's okay,” he insisted, gently pulling her head back. “I auditioned over the years to get into ballet school here, but no takers,” she managed to say. “I wanted to be a ballerina but I guess I'm not good enough.” “Best to know I guess,” Joe tried. “It's not that. Oh, okay that kind of sucked, but mostly I wanted to get away.” “From?” “Everything!” “Including?” “My mother's cruel disappointment. She'd been a ballerina until she had me. My boyfriend turning out to be gay. Another boy practically raping me instead making sure I was ready. My father…” “Did he…?” “No, but he was working up to it. Probably looked at me like I was my mom when I was her age or younger I guess. He'd be affectionate, too affectionate as it turned out. He touched me where he shouldn't, not directly but close, you know. I guess I didn't believe it, but it turned out he was actually being shy, and eventually brought my hand to his crotch which got me off him immediately. The last straw…I woke up with him in my bed. I screamed and punched like in his diaphragm which took his wind. Maybe I should have punched lower, but I wanted to be nowhere near that, and when I raced out the room, my mother plods over and my dad says some bullshit about me seducing him, and since it was all about jealousy, him being more affectionate to me, and disappointment, she fucking believed him. “I'm of course freaking out, everything…and then this…but I managed to take some breaths, calming down, and told my mom if she wanted rid of me I needed money. They only had a couple hundred around but my mom takes me to her bank, gets me another five hundred, drives me to the bus station, buys me a ticket to New York, my demand, with her credit card. She actually offered one to me, but I told her she'd probably close it and have me arrested or something, and the bitch shrugged. And I'm like, ‘You're a fucking cunt.' And she's saying I'm a useless slut.” “Sorry,” Joe apologized. “I'm the sorry one,” Jenny actually chuckled. “But…it doesn't sound like sex…” Jenny shifted around so that she faced him, straddling his lap. “I got hit on by fucking pimps, Joe, as soon as I got off the fucking bus at Penn station. I'm not as naïve as I look.” “But you don't know me.” “Like you're a psycho? You don't seem the type and in a way I don't fucking care. A rapist probably wouldn't have brought me home. The hotel I stayed at this creepy guy kept staring at me in the lobby and ended up following me to my fucking floor, so I like got out quick out of there, practically running. And I didn't even dare shower there since the shower room was fucking shared and fucking groady. I was actually headed to Grand Central when we collided, thinking I'd try taking a train down to twenty-third, staying at the Chelsea or something, just to do something cool while I was here and still alive. So Joe, I guess you're the best choice I've had so far.” She kissed him, pulling off the jacket he still wore and unbuttoning his shirt. He broke the kiss when he tossed aside the tie, then lifted her and set her on her back on the bed. He finished the unbuttoning and tossed aside his shirt. “Nice,” she smiled, stroking his chest. Joe didn't work out, but being young, just twenty-one, and working hard at his job as a waiter, kept him slim and slimly muscled. He kept his pants on when he made love to her lying beside her on his side. Kisses continued for a while, both enjoying it especially when tongues were involved, her breath tasting of toothpaste and his presumably not offensive, while his hand began exploring the rest of her. The hand took the weight of her breasts, teasingly moving on before a direct attack on her small nipples to linger on her taut belly and moving teasing across her pudendum, through her soft patch of blond hair, before feeling the smoothness of her thighs and the firmness of muscles, and then under her, lifting her slightly by her firm ass, followed by sliding along her back, across her shoulder and returning to her breasts, fingers moving in on her nipples, caressing and tugging gently at each one, making her gasp into his mouth. Only then did he end the kiss, bringing his mouth to the exploration, finding thrills for her at her ear and neck before moving to her breasts and nipples. Once each one had been appreciated for a while, the second sending his hand down slowly, eventually fingers discovering the dampness of her labia, rimming the edges, his mouth followed the same trail as his hand, and when it reached where she wanted it, he shifted his body between her widened legs and his tongue lapped across her clit, the first touch of it, and she lifted her middle and moaned. Both fingers and mouth remained there, working her gradually to her first climax via a man, especially intense when he stroked her g spot, his other hand tugging at her nipples, measuring the squeeze and building on it since she seemed to handle ever more pressure there. “Joe,” she murmured once she recovered, and smiled when he got up and got naked for her. “Oh my,” she commented at his length, on the thicker side, and definitely longer than the two she'd seen by at least a couple inches. “I'll be gentle,” he promised, opening a condom and rolling it on and moving between her thighs. He brought her hand to his cock to guide him, and she brought it where she wanted it and he slowly pushed in. “Oh fuck!” she moaned. “Too much?” he asked reluctantly. “Don't you fucking stop!” she declared. He pushed into one of the tightest sheathes he'd ever felt and realized he wouldn't last and told her. “Just fuck me,” she insisted, her legs wrapping his thighs as emphasis. Going slow probably helped delay the inevitable, seeming to open her up with each deeper stroke. In the end, he nudged at her cervix, thankfully with his cock completely inside her. He'd known girls her size, even taller, where he had to be careful about the impact there, usually no more than an inch to spare, but enough to cause pain. Not this time. Touching it made her growl, but in a good way. He decided to exploit that, grinding into her, pubic bone against pubic bone which affected her clit too, and just pulling out a couple inches before thrusting in. She seemed fine with that, even enjoying it, so he kept it up while his hands drew in to work fingers and thumbs on her nipples. She began meeting his thrusts with lifts, and her hands grabbed his ass cheeks, and she began pulling on his flesh there, wanting longer strokes it seemed, but he waited until she grabbed hard, closing on being painful, her nails thankfully short, he'd learn later she tended to nibble on them when nervous, and he'd actually seen a little of that in the automat, and she pressed against him one more time before announcing her climax with, “Oh my fucking God!” rather loudly at a high growl. And when she loosened her grip, only then did he abandon himself to fully fucking her, long, ever faster strokes for only seconds before he pressed deep, pushing against her cervix, and cumming. “Joe,” she murmured, her hands pushing his chest. “Sorry,” he responded, hugging her to him and turning them over. He'd reached the last of his ejaculations, every one intense, and reached down to hold the condom to his penis while shifting her higher with his legs. “Mmm,” she responded when it slid out. She shivered a little too as if feeling a last echo of her orgasm. “It'll be better next time,” he promised. She chuckled weakly. “What?” he asked. She shifted forward. Since both of their bodies had fairly equal proportions of legs to torsos, she had to scoot up a bit, her legs straddling his abdomen, her damp pussy pressing into it, for her to look eye to eye with him. Her hands pressed his shoulders to put her face above his. “That was several magnitudes better than the last and only fuck I've had,” she explained. “I thought it was making love,” he argued. “Don't be pedantic, Joe,” she smirked, surprising him. “Pedantic?” “You know what I mean.” “Of course, but…” “I'm smarter than I look.” “I don't believe in the dumb blonde myth.” “I've met several, and not all blondes.” “School?” “And fellow dancers, although most were dedicated enough to be smart too I suppose. Learning to put the time in to do the best you can both in dancing and studying.” “Makes sense. So school…?” “I would have graduated this spring if I hadn't had to run away.” “GED?” he asked. “Probably. I don't imagine going to school for one quarter. You?” “School?” “Yeah.” “I went to Bard in upstate New York for a couple years, but quit because it was ridiculous having parents spend that much money for me to study to be a poet.” “You're a poet?” “Not much recently. I thought New York would be inspiring, but mostly it's been distracting. I'm also interested in filmmaking, like the experimental kind, so no more lucrative. I still have a Bolex sixteen millimeter camera which fortunately the thieves never found.” “Thieves?” “The problem with living amongst junkies. Let me show you something.” He lifted his left arm and she caressed a line of marks near his inner elbow area. “Are those…?” “Tracks. Only one is fairly fresh. It's why I quit Max's: too much temptation. Living here too, but right now I can't afford to move. A friend of mine OD'd and died, and another almost did and I ended up keeping him alive. It was the last straw, and I realized that'd be me, or it'd just be a spiral of inertia, all about the next fix and nothing else, so I quit. Luckily I wasn't too strung out and basically hung with my folks for a week when my dad had his sabbatical in DC this past winter. I drank a bit there, but my parents seemed none the wiser. Anyway, when I came back to work planning to keep my tips instead of spending them all, I did okay until I didn't one day, succumbing to temptation, and quit after that.” “When was that?” “A week ago. I've been job hunting ever since.” “Lucky for me,” she grinned and shifted around, pulling off the used condom and handing it to him carefully and he managed to toss it atop his underpants while she enveloped his penis in her mouth. He worried about her lack of experience, mostly worried about her teeth, but she proved quite capable. He nudged her to straddle his face and had to bend his back a little, supported by his arms so fingers weren't available, and mostly kept her pleasure at a quiet purr, not distracting her from her surprisingly effective endeavors. Once she'd got him hard, she bounced off the bed, found a condom and rolled it on with some study and climbed on and guided him back inside her, carefully, stroke by stroke, sending him deep. Once there, she began her ride, this time having the full effect of his entire cock, to the point she needed to bring it back to her slit when it slipped out a couple times, but seemed to get the length of him soon enough and began riding him at a medium fast clip. He watched the roll and bounce of her perky tits before stilling them with his hands, one letting go to guide her hand to her clit. From that she worked herself into a frenzy, finally shifting down and rolling atop him to achieve her orgasm. Fortunately it always took longer for Joe to cum when a woman took the cowgirl position. After, she somehow turned around while he remained inside and moved her body down, and he realized what she wanted, moving from beneath her, clutching her hips, and pulling her into him in a doggy style position. He shifted, letting go of the hips and bringing one hand to her hanging tits and the other to her clit, practically holding her up with the latter hand, and like he had before, let himself go fucking her hard and fast until he came, happily not long after she did. “Fuck Joe,” she commented softly after. “Yeah,” Joe agreed. She did the securing of the condom to his penis and they soon took the same position as they had before, her head resting on his chest. “Can I stay?” she asked quietly and shyly. “As long as you want.” “Thanks.” by maxicue for Literotica. This is the first chapter of a novel. The rest of the published chapters are found at the maxicue library of Literotica. Fate's Embrace: 6 Part Series

We're back at Schuller's Tavern in Golden Valley, MN. The first caller wants to make tornadoes more of a celebration. The next caller has a personal dilemma and wants to dance around a certain name for his future child. Last caller is in a 10-year relationship and is wondering if he should pop the question, but there is one big thing holding it all back. Get yourself a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠"Road Huntin For Ditch Chickens"⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Hat Want us to come to your bar for a Bellied Up episode? Click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Check Out Myles' other Podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠You Betcha Radio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Check Out Charlie's other Podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cripescast

As parents, we teach our children how to move through the world. But as our children grow older, we learn from them, too.That relationship can grow into a real partnership and friendship — and a positive support system pushing each other to be better and do better.Our next Power Pair is a good example of that transition: Mother-daughter duo Rose McGee and Roslyn Harmon. It's part of our new series on the show about prominent Minnesotans you may know about individually, but who also have a close relationship. Guests:Rose McGee is President and Founder of the Sweet Potato Comfort Pie organization, which brings people together for hope, healing and dialogue around race. She's also a facilitator, author and recent Bush Fellow.Roslyn Harmon is the mayor of Golden Valley — the first Black person to hold that position. She is also an educator, counselor and ordained pastor.

As parents, we teach our children how to move through the world. But as our children grow older, we learn from them, too.That relationship can grow into a real partnership and friendship — and a positive support system pushing each other to be better and do better.Our next Power Pair is a good example of that transition: Mother-daughter duo Rose McGee and Roslyn Harmon. It's part of our new series on the show about prominent Minnesotans you may know about individually, but who also have a close relationship. Guests:Rose McGee is President and Founder of the Sweet Potato Comfort Pie organization, which brings people together for hope, healing and dialogue around race. She's also a facilitator, author and recent Bush Fellow.Roslyn Harmon is the mayor of Golden Valley — the first Black person to hold that position. She is also an educator, counselor and ordained pastor.

The rundown includes stories on the Golden Valley arson, a Southwest Flight runs into major engine issues and if you have bought groceries at Walmart, they may have rebates for you.

In this episode Lissa welcomes co-host Bukata Hayes as they explore the power of storytelling and the nourishment of soulful food with author Rose McGee. ROSE MCGEE, founder of Sweet Potato Comfort Pie, travels across the United States to deliver pies and nurture relationships. She was featured in the 2015 PBS documentary A Few Good Pie Places. After George Floyd's murder in 2020, her caring community pie baking and delivery gained recognition from NBC Nightly News, Ms McGee resides in Golden Valley, MiN, where she was named “Citizen of the Year”.

In this episode I welcome author of the recent book, 'The Hundred Remedies of the Tao: Spiritual Wisdom for Interesting Times'...Gregory Ripley. Greg and I discuss this incredible release which examines the little-known 6th-century Taoist text called the Bai Yao Lu (Statutes of the Hundred Remedies). Gregory explains how the text was created as a practical guide to what enlightened behavior looks like—with each of the 100 spiritual remedies just as relevant today as they were 1500 years ago. We also talk about Greg's process of translating this text for English readers from the original language, and why he added commentary to each section.. As we continue through this amazing discussion, we take a deep dive into the concept and meaning of the Tao.. Drop in!www.gregoryripley.comGregory Ripley Bio:Gregory Ripley (Li Guan, 理觀) is a Taoist Priest in the 22nd generation of the Quanzhen Longmen tradition as well as a Nature and Forest Therapy Guide. He holds a bachelor's degree in Asian studies from the University of Tennessee and a master's degree in acupuncture from Northwestern Health Sciences University. The author of Tao of Sustainability and Voice of the Elders, he lives in Golden Valley, Minnesota Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you envision your business in the future? If building a team and having employees are on that list, you need to carefully consider your team's structure. Creating a team involves ensuring each person is in the right role, equipped with clear directions to accomplish their tasks. Anna Rickert, the owner of Pup Culture Dog Walking and Pet Sitting, joins us to share her strategies for developing a robust business structure. Aiming for her business to operate independently of her presence, Anna discusses the importance of having a balanced mix of services and a team that excels in delivering them. Main topics: Cutting out services Bringing on a manager Building a team structure Managing a large team Main takeaway: It's not all about the money, reduce the headaches where you can! About our guests: Hi, I'm Anna Rickert, the owner of Pup Culture Dog Walking and Pet Sitting. I grew up in Minnesota with a household of pets and have loved animals ever since. Right now I have two fur babies (a cat and dog) of my own: Ellie and June. Ellie is a tabby cat who I adopted from the Animal Ark and June is a black lab mix who I adopted from the Humane Society in Golden Valley. June is an escape artist and is reactive when she is on leash, so we have worked extensively on her leash manners. I attended the College of Saint Benedict and majored in English and secondary education. I was a middle and high school language arts teacher for nine years, but I decided to trade in working with children for my real dream of working with animals. I have volunteered as a foster dog mom and have fostered over fifteen foster dogs in my home. I also volunteered as a case manager for The Retrievers for years. My work in rescue and with The Retrievers has made pets' safety a top priority at Pup Culture. I believe strongly in respecting and loving all animals, so I became a vegan a couple years ago. I am also certified in pet first aid and CPR. I currently serve on the board of the Professional Pet Sitters of Minnesota, and I'm committed to fostering connections and professionalism in the pet care industry. For years I was unable to own a dog because of long work hours and travel, so I understand the guilt that busy people who own pets often feel. I strive to offer the type of service that I would want as a pet parent. I am dedicated to providing you with reliable, friendly service, so you don't have to worry about your pet when you are gone. We provide safe, healthy dog walks and pet-sitting with lots of loving. Links: www.pupculturemn.com https://www.instagram.com/pupculturemn https://www.facebook.com/PupCultureMN/ https://www.jazzhr.com https://www.sixfigurepetbusinessacademy.com Buy PSC Merch Give us a call! (636) 364-8260  Follow us on: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter Email us at: feedback@petsitterconfessional.com Full show notes and transcript   Sponsored by: ❤️ Our AMAZING Patreon Supporters   Time to Pet Visit: https://timetopet.com/confessional Code: 50% off first 3 months   National Association of Professional Pet Sitters www.petsitters.org

John Hinderacker from the Center For The American Experiment joins with the latest on the arson that took place in Golden Valley, Jake Coleman has a legislative preview ahead of the start of the session and good human and digital guru Max Rymer joins us in studio for the rest of today's program.

Chicago illegal immigrants are getting the equivalent of $9000 a month in goods and services. Harvard diversity director charged with plagiarism, and it isn't any wonder. Patrick Reusse sports and Johhny Heidt. Scramble!!!! Heard on the show: Conservative groups claim they were targets of suspected arson at Golden Valley office building Senate Majority Leader Dziedzic stepping down from leadership role amid cancer recurrence Punxsutawney Phil predicts an early spring at Groundhog Day festivities Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chicago illegal immigrants are getting the equivalent of $9000 a month in goods and services. Harvard diversity director charged with plagiarism, and it isn't any wonder. Patrick Reusse sports and Johhny Heidt. Scramble!!!!Heard on the show:Conservative groups claim they were targets of suspected arson at Golden Valley office buildingSenate Majority Leader Dziedzic stepping down from leadership role amid cancer recurrencePunxsutawney Phil predicts an early spring at Groundhog Day festivities Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

December 12: Today on TownHall Jake Lancaster, Chief Medical Information Officer at Baptist Memorial Health Care talks with Nancy Engeman, Quality Outcomes Coordinator at Golden Valley Memorial Hospital. They discuss the demanding role of a Quality Outcomes Coordinator, involving the ultimate challenge of providing standard care for every patient despite variables such as experience levels of nurses and doctors or frequency of procedures. How does technology, particularly systems like surveillance, assist in standardizing workflow and better patient care? How might transitioning from traditional paper to digital processes transform healthcare? How does real-time monitoring of patient metrics allow for immediate interventions, advancing patient results beyond current nationwide standards in areas such as maternal care? Nancy also reflects on the challenges and final triumphs of change management during the implementation of surveillance.Read more about Golden Valley's success using MEDITECH's Surveillance solution to reducematernal complications.Subscribe: This Week HealthTwitter: This Week HealthLinkedIn: Week HealthDonate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer