Podcasts about Leslie Knope

In which we meet some delightful monsters; Cannonball is a man who knows how to wear overalls; Domino is the Leslie Knope of X-Force; red liquid babies deserve love, too; and not all British authors know each other.

Kennie's Message:I knew exactly what to do. But in a much more real sense, I had no idea what to do. - Michael Scot, The OfficeYou miss 100% of the shots you don't take - Wayne Gretzky "-Michael Scott" - The OfficeI love this park, and when you love something, you don't threaten it. You don't punish it. You fight for it, you take care of it, you put it first - Leslie Knope, Parks and Rec.Episode Description: Trailblazing Texas Podcast – San Angelo State Park (09/08 Drop)Nestled along the O.C. Fisher Reservoir in West Texas, San Angelo State Park is a place where rugged landscapes, rich history, and wild beauty collide. In this episode, we sit down with the park team to uncover what makes this destination a true hidden gem in the Texas State Parks system.From the daily life of park staff to the fascinating backstory of the reservoir, you'll hear about the park's unique history, thriving wildlife, and surprising features that set it apart. We'll explore the miles of hiking, biking, and equestrian trails, the fishing and camping opportunities, and even a few tips on avoiding common first-time mistakes.Beyond recreation, the conversation dives into the behind-the-scenes challenges of balancing conservation with visitor experience, as well as the dedication of the staff and volunteers who keep the park thriving. And with future projects on the horizon, listeners will get a glimpse of how San Angelo is preparing for the next decade of outdoor adventures.Whether you're a local Texan looking for your next weekend escape or a traveler seeking authentic West Texas beauty, this episode is your guide to why San Angelo State Park should be on your list.

Keywordscybersecurity, product management, career development, market strategy, customer insights, hacking, music, team building, startup life, risk management  SummaryIn this episode of No Password Required, host Jack Clabby and co-host Kayleigh Melton engage in a lively conversation with John Shipp, a product strategist at Rapid7. They explore John's unique journey from a metalhead to a cybersecurity expert, discussing the importance of passion in career development, the intricacies of product management, and the significance of customer insights in shaping cybersecurity solutions. John shares his early experiences in hacking, the influence of music on his life, and the value of building strong teams and company culture. The episode concludes with a fun segment called the Lifestyle Polygraph, where John answers quirky questions about his ideal cyber team and his dream day with Ric Flair.  TakeawaysBeing a metalhead prepares you for the boardroom.You can follow your passion and thrive in your career.Product management involves understanding customer needs and market dynamics.Curiosity is a key driver in the tech field.Great teams are built on strong leadership and culture.Startup life requires a willingness to take risks.Networking and building relationships are crucial in cybersecurity.Understanding your risk appetite is important when considering career moves.Music can be a significant influence on personal and professional life.Mentorship and sharing knowledge are vital for growth in the industry. TitlesFrom Metal to Management: A Cybersecurity JourneyPassion and Profession: Finding Your Path in Cybersecurity Sound bites"You can follow your passion and thrive.""I learned security at scale.""Curiosity drives my passion for tech." Chapters00:00 Introduction to Cybersecurity and Personal Journeys02:49 The Role of Passion in Career Development05:21 Navigating Product Management and Market Strategy08:23 The Evolution of Cybersecurity Skills11:37 The Importance of Customer Insights in Product Development14:35 Early Experiences in Hacking and Cybersecurity17:24 The Influence of Music on Personal and Professional Life20:19 Building Teams and Company Culture23:10 Startup Life and Risk Management26:08 Lifestyle Polygraph: Fun Questions and Insights29:13 Final Thoughts and Connections 

Greetings one and all. We have a lovely little pod for you week that hits all the big topics: map projections, Milo protocols, democratic safeguards, and I guess comets?? Don't question it, just enjoy the ride. This episode's mistakes include: Incorrectly guessing the ratio of USA population to Australian population as 16x larger, when it's 12x larger. Forgot to compare Zohran Mamdani to Leslie Knope. Referring to Shakespeare's Globe as Shakespeare's Bowl, twice. Egregious factual inaccuracies. Pierce the tin, then like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and send your questions to deepfought@gmail.com.

In this special summer rerun reminiscent of those hot and fabulous days of 1980s television, hosts Sharon Johnson and Susan Lambert Hatem take listeners back to the very first episode of our own 80s TV Ladies. Originally dropped July 20, 2022, this throwback episode revisits the launch of the podcast and the cultural moment that inspired it—emerging from the pandemic, navigating a changing world, and celebrating the iconic women of 1980s television. Sharon and Susan dive deep into the pilot of "Scarecrow and Mrs. King," exploring its unique blend of action, comedy, and romance, and discussing why the show remains a beloved, feminist classic.Along the way, they reflect on the evolution of female-driven TV, the impact of trailblazing showrunners, and the enduring appeal of stars like Kate Jackson and Bruce Boxleitner.Packed with personal stories, pop culture insights, and plenty of laughs, this episode is both a nostalgic look back and a celebration of the groundbreaking women who shaped TV history. Whether you're a longtime fan or discovering 80s TV Ladies for the first time, this is the perfect place to start your journey.THE CONVERSATIONBeverly Garland: the hotel AND the actress – Plus, Is she Amanda King's mother – or Laura Holt's (Remington Steele)?Kate Jackson's previous hit show: Was it Alley Cats or Harry's Angels or….?Did the writers change Amanda from being married to divorced in the pilot script?Who was the first female showrunner in TV history – and why did it take 30 years before there was another?What was Amanda King's superpower?And what does all this have to do with Parks and Recreation's Leslie Knope?Join us for our “First Time” as we solve the mystery of whether or not Scarecrow and Mrs. King was a feminist show – a progressive show – or both? Have no fear: Susan and Sharon are on the case!OUR AUDIO-OGRAPHYWhy does Susan call it Audio-ology in this episode? Cause she's silly, and we're still figuring out what we're calling it.Watch Scarecrow and Mrs. King On Tubi or On RokuGet "How Tall Are You? A Memboir by Greg Morton" at BooksaMilion.comCheck out ‍‍Television's Female Spies And Crimefighters by Karen A. Romanko at Barnes and Noble.Fansite: CallMeaCab.com by Taya Johnston  Podcast:‍ The Mrs. King Chronicles – Hosted by Lexie Fiema, Taya Johnston, Jenn Peterson, Miranda ThomasWe've been nominated for TWO 2025 Podcast Awards.Check us out at  PodcastAwards.comIf you're a selected judge, please vote for us in Best Female Hosted Podcast and for Best TV & Film Podcast.HELLO, TEXAS! Susan will be at the Podcast Movement Convention in Dallas, August 18-20. Reach out if you will be there, too! Email Susan at 80sTVLadies@gmail.comSign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON. Join the Facebook page discussion at Facebook.com/80sTVLadiesDon't forget to subscribe, rate, and review! 

Cassie Petoskey: Hi, everyone. Thanks for being here. I'm Cassie Petoskey. I use she or they pronouns. And I'm the Director of the Waldron Student Alumni Connections Program, where our goal really is to help Weinberg College students explore career options through connecting with alumni. So thank you so much for our alumni for being here with us today. And we're going to spend some time. Amelia is going to take us through some prepared questions for our speakers. We'll get into it. Are you okay? I feel like I always talk at the worst time too. So no worries. And then we're going to save plenty of time for questions at the end. And Shai is going to moderate questions from you all. So please, we'll save plenty of time for that as you all are writing [inaudible 00:00:44] down throughout. And I think that's it without... And of course, thank you to Geoclub for partnering with us on this event. Very excited to have you all bring this idea forward and work with you all on this. So thank you. And without further ado, I'll pass to Amelia and Shai. Why don't you introduce yourselves first and then we'll go to our alumni speakers? [inaudible 00:01:06]. Amelia: Hi, everyone. Thank you so much for coming. I'm Amelia. I'm a second year. I'm a Bio and Earth Science... Technically, Earth Science minor, but whatever. And I'm the president of Geoclub. And I'm so grateful that you all attended this event. We really wanted to be able to show people what Earth and Environmental Sciences can do for you in the future and expand the idea of there are [inaudible 00:01:29]. Shai: Hi, guys. I'm Shai. I use he/him pronouns. I'm a senior majoring in Earth and Planetary Science. I'm education chair of Geoclub. So also very glad to see so many [inaudible 00:01:40] here, and I'm excited to hear all the wisdom that our alumni have to offer. Thank you guys. Amelia: Yeah. So to start us off with some questions, can you share with us more about your industry and current job function and introduce yourselves while you're at it? And if you could speak to the microphone, that would be wonderful. Cassie Petoskey: Yeah. We're recording it. Sorry. Seems silly. Max Jones: Sure. Yeah. My name is Max Jones. And speaking of the future of your careers, I'm the near future because I graduated in June actually. So I am a class of 2024. I'm currently a Master's student at the Chicago Botanic Garden and I'm working as a conservation biologist and wildlife biologist. And so right now I've just returned from seven months of fieldwork in Panama doing work on forest fragmentation and animal movements. And I'm super excited to talk about all that and then also how I've kind of gotten to this point, especially so fresh out of undergrad. And then moving forward, I'm also going to be moving to Germany this summer to work with some scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior to keep working there. And so I'm going to be talking mostly I guess about my time networking at Northwestern and then how Earth and Planetary Science and Environmental Science has led me to the strange position I'm in right now. Margaret Isaacson: Hey, everyone. So my name's Margaret Isaacson. I graduated in 2015. It's been a minute. I'm a graduate of the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department, and currently I am a conservation and outdoors division manager at the Parks and Rec department in Evanston. So I'm pretty local. My position title is a long way of saying that I oversee our local nature center and all the programs that we run out of that facility along with the park services team that oversees the maintenance of the public restrooms around town and the athletic fields around town and picnic areas. So happy and excited to be here and talk to you all. And I think what I'll focus on, but happy to answer any questions, is how my experience in the department brought me to maybe an unusual career path and sector of the workplace, which is parks and recreation. Amelia: Thank you. So what were some of the impactful classes or experiences for you in your undergrad at Northwestern that led you to pursue your career path? Margaret Isaacson: Max, I feel like yours is in more recent memory, but I'll dig back. Max Jones: Okay. For mine, I think I'd probably start with saying ironically Spanish. Spanish led me down a snowball into this world of Latin American conservation that I've found myself in. And it was really that triggered the start, but then also I had everyone in the Environmental Science Department urging me to branch out and try new things, which was something super interesting. And so then specifically which classes, I'd say the GIS class with Elsa Anderson that I took was incredibly impactful in my senior year. That's been a skill that I've used all the time going forward. And just knowing these different kinds of programs like that have made it really easy for me to quickly pick up new kinds of analysis or feel comfortable going into different fields that I might not have experience with at the time. There was that, and then I'd also say my community ecology class from... That one's with the Biology Department, although I think Environmental Science students often take that too. That one just exposed me to a lot of different kind of paper readings. And so at first I thought those classes were very unfocused, but then I realized the goal is to expose you to so many different kinds of scientific thought that then you can... You find that one paper that you get really, really into for some reason and then that ends up being the rabbit hole that you follow down into the career that you want. Margaret Isaacson: The first thing that I'm thinking about back 10 years ago is some of the field experiences that I went on with the various classes, everything from Earth 201, that [inaudible 00:05:45] like trip, which hopefully is still around, to doing lake sediment coring up in Wisconsin on a frozen lake in the middle of February. That's right. Maggie remembers that hopefully. It was very cold. It was very, very cold that day. A lot of dancing on the ice to keep warm. So these experiences in the outdoors, they built on my passion for camping, my passion for spending time in the outdoors, but I got to be doing important science while I was out there. And now as a parks and recreation professional, my job is primarily outdoors and the goal of our Ecology Center here in Evanston is to inspire families, young kids, adults, people of all ages to spend time outdoors, whether that's through a quick class, through a whole summer of summer camp. But really it was those experiences doing science outside that showed me what can I do to inspire other people. "My professors are inspiring me now. Is there something more local, maybe less academic that I can have an impact on a broad range of people?" So I think those experiential moments were really important for me and really didn't guide me directly to parks and rec, but reinforced my passion for the outdoors and for inspiring that in others. Amelia: Max, you mentioned a bit about how your connections and networking that you had here are important. I don't know if that's applicable to you, but if you'd share a bit more about that, I'd love to hear. Max Jones: Yeah. Sorry. Give me just a second. You guys, it really was like... It's a funny thing on how you get started in these things because it's never the path you originally take that ends up to where you end up in the end. Because I think I started with one of the professors who was teaching an introductory climate change course my freshman year. I worked with her on processing photos of trees for a while and then that slowly led me to meet the people at the Chicago Botanic Garden. And then even though my research interests don't perfectly align with them, I did a thesis with Trish, with Patricia Betos, as my undergrad thesis advisor. And Trish is a mover. She loves pushing people to go do more and more and more. So I ended up going and doing a thesis in Costa Rica for my undergrad field work. And this is what I mean by the snowballs because I started taking photos of trees and then I ended up in Costa Rica doing sea turtle work with Trish and then from there I met the people that I worked with on this project as well. So that's the number one thing that I always recommend is don't be afraid to follow a lead, even if you don't know exactly where it's going to lead you to in that moment. Margaret Isaacson: Yeah. I could add a little bit to that. Not so much networking here on campus, but just post-grad when you start out at an opportunity. My first job was a part-time... My first job after post-grad was a part-time position with the Ecology Center. It was limited hours. I was learning on the job how to lead programs, completely new in the environmental education field, but I then left and came back two times and in four different positions leading to the one that I'm in now. So I think, like you said, following a lead, even if you don't know necessarily where it's going to take you, building relationships with the folks that you work with, the folks that... Whether it's academic or professional or just a summer experience, those are connections that you're going to take with you along the way. They might be people that you meet again. They might not. But like you said, Max, it's going to take you somewhere. And I think I wouldn't be where I was now if I didn't have the Ecology Center, for example, in the back of my mind and just building back towards that in some ways once I found something that I was excited about. Amelia: That's great. Thank you. What has surprised you about what you learned or did during your school days that helped you in your work today? I hope something you learned helps today. Margaret Isaacson: I can speak to that a little bit. So when I was an undergrad, I had two majors. I studied French all the way at the south end of campus, and then I was up here at the north end of campus doing Earth and Planetary Sciences. And having those two degrees really helped me flex some of my critical thinking skills. I wasn't always focused on data and reading scientific papers. I was also reading French literature and writing papers about French literature. I'm not fluent in French. I'm not using that skill very much. But that flexibility between two different majors or two different ways of using your brain has really served me well in how I organize my time at work, how I manage my staff, how we think critically about designing a new program in Evanston or figuring out how to make the bathrooms clean. Somebody's got to do it, so figuring out an efficient way to do that. I think the work ethic that you learn and practice at Northwestern is going to serve you no matter what. Maybe, Max, you have more data analyst that you use in your day-to-day than I do necessarily, but I think it's those soft skills and those hard skills that are going to come into play. Max Jones: No. I 100% agree with the soft skills part because so many of the random little things you do day-to-day as a college student end up translating in very strange ways to you being in a post-grad experience. For example, I never played soccer before, but then I played IM Leagues here and then all of a sudden, I felt very comfortable going and playing IM Leagues in Panama and that was my resource to going to meet people. And so you do just learn very good social skills in college, I'd say, that then translate very well to being outside. And I think that's especially true at Northwestern when you're surrounded by people who generally like to have conversations because sometimes you come across someone that might not want to engage with you in a way that you want to engage with them and so you have now this kind of depth of experience of having good productive conversations with people and that you can use going forward. And that's something that I always found super useful. I also took a drawing class that I found really productive here. Yeah. Amelia: So sort of going back to the networking question, what advice might you have for networking within your individual industries? Max Jones: Do not be afraid to cold call people. That's the number one thing I think, is the worst that can happen is... Honestly the worst that can happen is that they remember your name and that's a best case scenario in most fields because then a few years down the line you can meet them again and be like, "Oh, hi. Do you remember me?" They say yes, then you've won technically. Yeah, because I've also talked to friends about this because they say... Especially in science, people love to collaborate in science. You'll have people wanting to collaborate even when you don't really want to. And so if you just email them and you just express your genuine interest, not just trying to find a job out of it, then I've only had people respond very positively in these scenarios. And so even if you get told, "No, we don't have an option," a friend of mine once told me that every interview or every kind of reaching out is a networking opportunity, so even if you don't get it, you've done your job for that day at least because then you've met one more person who maybe five years down the line is going to help you out. Margaret Isaacson: I would add that more than likely you're going to end up in... You potentially end up in some kind of professional sphere that has conference opportunities, whether that's something that you're attending now or looking to in the future. I was surprised. I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was surprised when I got into parks and rec that there's a parks and rec conference. There's an Illinois parks and rec conference. There's a national parks and rec conference. There's so many people in this industry that I can learn from and skills that I never thought I'd even touch. So like Max said, don't be afraid to reach out to people. They're excited to talk about what they do and how they got there and what they want to do. So I think if you don't hear from people right away, it's probably because they're busy, but hopefully they get back to you. It doesn't hurt to email them again. Yeah. Just keep a positive attitude when you're reaching out to folks. Amelia: [inaudible 00:14:20] question, what is your favorite thing about your job? Margaret Isaacson: Oh, man. There's so many things. I also thought of my least favorite things, but... Well, you guys know I'm in charge of bathrooms now. It's not so glamorous. Gosh. There's so many fun things about parks and recreation. Being able to be outside a lot of the time is pretty great. I do spend a lot of hours behind a desk like anyone, but having our seasonal special events that we get the community out for, building new opportunities too for folks to experience the outdoors. Is really powerful to see the Evanston Environmental Association and the Ecology Center are working on trying to build a new canoe launch so that we can access the canal more easily. It's going to have a really big local impact. And it's just an inspiring process to watch. There's other parts of my job, like I said, that I never thought I'd be doing, where our building is under construction right now. And I studied Earth and science. I didn't study construction or architecture, but I get to see that whole process play out. And I think you can really see a lot of variety in most professions and learn from each of those experiences. And yeah. Right now, the construction is actually really fun to see play out. Max Jones: Yeah. For me, I'd say the collaborative element is something that I really love in my profession. It's the fact that no science is ever done in a bottle, and so you're constantly just meeting with people. It feels like a very creative process as you go through it. So it's always evolving, always adapting. Even the things you think are going to be boring, like sitting on your computer all day, just coding in R, then ends up being like something's going on there. And then you just dive down the rabbit hole and then you text all the other people you're collaborating with. It's like, "Hold on. Am I seeing this correctly?" Hey, I find it very enjoyable the fact that the process is iterative and I always get a chance to learn from other people. And then, like I said earlier, people love to collaborate. So then I've had really brief meetings where they're just throwing out ideas left and right at me. And the concept of just putting together all of these people's collective knowledge and interests and passion into the project is something that really speaks to me. And then the other thing I'd say is definitely I have a very fieldwork heavy field, and I think that that is something that's I personally enjoy a lot is this balance of I get to do work outside and then I also get to do this collaborative, creative element and bring this... Synthesize it all into a living, breathing work that I can put out into the world afterwards. Amelia: Thank you so much. Not to be presumptuous, but I'm seeing some themes between the both of you, which you said you like to be outside and you like to be creative, which I think is awesome. I think that's a thing that a lot of us in the room can relate to. How have your work or how have your values and beliefs influenced how you approach your professional workplace? Margaret Isaacson: Oh. Max Jones: It's funny. I prepped for this question and I'm still not ready for it. Margaret Isaacson: So I spoke to a little bit my passion for the outdoors, passion for outdoor rec, whether that's camping, hiking, backpacking, canoeing. A lot of those things I don't do here in Chicago. There's not too many backpacking routes in Chicago, so I try to get out of town and state for those. But those core values, just spending time outside really inform my day-to-day work, like you said, Amelia. I think even just taking a little break during the workday to get some [inaudible 00:18:04] or planning a professional development program for the Ecology Center staff or the parks and rec department as a whole that gets everyone outside and gets them rejuvenated goes a long way to staff's mental health, having fun in the workplace, being inspired in the workplace, even when we have these boring administrative tasks that we have to do every day. So I think that outdoor passion is really something that's just stuck with me along the way. And then were it not for the Ecology Center existing in this parks and rec department in Evanston, I wouldn't be able to bring my passion for sustainability to work either. I think sustainability would inform a lot of the things that the department does and that the City of Evanston does. The city has its own sustainability staff. We've got a sustainable waste manager. So I would say the town is progressive in that aspect, but having a center that's dedicated to promoting sustainability and educating folks on sustainability in a fun way, not in like a, "Here's how you recycle. And here's a DIY workshop on how to," I don't know, "Swap your clothes or something with other folks." I think having that focus of a center dedicated to this brings the fun into the Department of Sustainability, and that's been really nice to take from my work in paleo-climatology to, "Okay. What are we doing now and here and in this time to help Earth?" Max Jones: I really like what Margaret said about passion driving a lot of the work because I think that's really prominent in this field, especially where passion for the subject matter is really what gets us out of bed in the morning and then gets us to go because not a lot of people choose what we do based on the money or it's not like a career path that's recommended. It's like, "Oh, you should go into Earth and Environmental Sciences because that's a high income field." It's like, "No. We're doing this because we love it." And I do think that that is something that's like... It helps motivate a lot of the work you do and a lot of the challenges you might face along the way. It's like you think that, "At the very least I'm doing this because I love it and not because anyone is telling me I should." Amelia: I totally agree. I'm guessing a lot of people in this room also have a passion that leads them to come here. I think I'm out of my questions. Does anyone else have questions that they want to ask the speakers? I mean, I have [inaudible 00:20:42] my paper. Yeah. Rose: Yeah. Thank you guys for both being here. My name is Rose. I'm [inaudible 00:20:49] major. I'm a sophomore. I'm kind of curious, when you both were juniors, seniors, what did you think you were going to do and what was the plan that you had in your mind and what were the factors, like, "Oh, grad school. Oh, this, that."? Max Jones: Do you want me to start because more recent? Margaret Isaacson: Yeah. Max Jones: Okay. My journey as an undergrad was pretty funny because I came in as an engineering student. I originally wanted to be an environmental engineer because I come from Kentucky and so then back home you're just pushed to be either a doctor, an engineer or a lawyer. And I was like, "Well, engineer sounds fun." And then I got here and then I was just surrounded by people who were following passions instead of then just what they wanted to do. And so then I began to explore this career as an ambiguous just environmental researcher in my mind, but I didn't know exactly what that was going to look like and I really didn't know what it was going to look like until very recently. I only started all of my work abroad and then all of my work as a biologist specifically late in my junior year. And so it's one of those things where it's like I feel like a lot of it will take shape in very sudden and dramatic ways. So even if you don't know exactly where you're going, there's going to be some kind of event that triggers it and it all starts moving into place in that way. At least that's how it happened for me. Margaret Isaacson: I remember my advisor asking, "What is your dream job?" And I didn't really have a good answer. I wasn't ready, like, "Oh, I want to be teacher," or like, "I want to get a PhD and go into academia," or, "I want to do this type of research forever because I'm super excited about." And I was like, "Well, I like to spend time outside. Maybe a park ranger." I literally oversee staff called park rangers now. So I made it. But I think that brought me to, "Hmm. How can I take..." I really like reading about all this research. I really like digging into it myself. I like looking at under the microscope and making that into a paper. But I didn't see myself necessarily going to grad school. It wasn't like a for sure thing. And it wasn't a certainty for me. It didn't quite set in as that's what I definitely want to do. But I saw all this cool research and wanted to know, "Well, how do we take all this amazing but very specific research and take it and communicate it to the general public? What are they getting out of all the great things that we do here on campus and elsewhere?" And that took me down the path of environmental education and science communication. I think for a little while I thought, "Oh, I'm going to maybe go and figure how to write and become a science communicator." I found local part-time jobs that were environmental education related because that was going to be how I took my expertise and my knowledge, build on that knowledge in other ways, and then inspire other people to maybe they end up getting a PhD. Maybe it's not me, but it might be them, or they're just excited about being outside and learning a new fact about local wildlife. So yeah, it was kind of circuitous. And over the last 10 years or so since finding science communication, I've gone more towards the administrative and managerial side, which is also really exciting. I like flexing those muscles and figuring out how to get a team to work all together and put on that science communication. I'm not in front of the campfire group leading the program anymore, and that's kind of a bummer sometimes, but we make it happen as a team. So you discover different talents along the way as well. Amelia: That was an awesome answer. Thank you so much. I did realize there's one more question on my paper that Rose's kind of leaned into, which is what do you wish you could tell yourself when you were in student's shoes? Margaret Isaacson: Do you wish you could tell yourself last year? Max Jones: I know, right? I do wish that... Because it's very natural that while you're wondering if what you're doing is going to work out, then you put a lot of pressure on yourself. It's like, "Why haven't I figured out what I'm going to do next right now?" And over the process of I guess the last year and a half for me, it's very much like a process of it happens. Progress happens very slowly until it just jumps forward. So you're going to feel like you're stuck and then you're repeating the same patterns a lot. It's like, "Why haven't I gotten this next connection yet? Why haven't I figured it out?" And then it really snaps into place when you least expect it. And so then you finally get that motion forwards and then things start rushing and then life moves faster again, but then it'll slowly trickle back down and then you have to ride the waves of sometimes it moves fast in terms of you're making these good connections and you're moving forward in your projects or in your career, and then other times you have to be very calm and weather the storm a little bit. So I'd say I tell myself to calm down and chill out. Margaret Isaacson: I would second that. "Just relax. It's going to work out. Okay?" I think that I was kind of similar in putting a lot of pressure on myself to do well academically. Again, not really thinking about what I wanted to do post-grad until I was in it. But I think just give yourself some grace and be patient with what you do. Work hard, but you can also be patient and not expect that you're going to do the same thing as your colleague or your friend who is in the same department. Your paths could look completely different. Clearly. Ours are completely different. So talk to your colleagues. Talk to your advisors. See what their experiences are. Ask alumni what their experiences are. But don't think that that is the experience that you have to do or take or follow. There's a lot of options and you can also pivot later. You might get into something right after graduation and then you might find out, "Oh, I'm really good at this one piece of that job and I'm going to pursue that." It's not a straight path. It's not one thing. You can always switch it up. I may switch it up. You never know. Max Jones: Yeah. If I can bounce back off that again, it's not comparing yourself to the people around you [inaudible 00:27:34] critical because then you end up in cycles where the person next to you gets a fellowship and instead of being happy for them and interested in it, you're just like, "Oh, damn. Why don't I have a fellowship yet?" And it really is like, yeah, everyone has a different path that they're going to take throughout this and it just feeds into an imposter syndrome if you let yourself make those comparisons. Margaret Isaacson: A lot of the staff who come and work at the Ecology Center are recent grads. They come and they do part-time work as program instructors. That's what I started out as. And I think I see in them bringing just so much positivity and excitement about their work. I think that's a really great thing to grab on when you're just starting out after graduating in your career. You're going to feel great about yourself if you're doing something you're excited about. You're going to meet people and learn what they do. And the staff that I work with, they work so hard, they cobble together multiple part-time jobs. They're pulling experience from multiple places and it's getting them where they need to be. Not to say that that's the path for everyone, but I think it's just important to keep a positive attitude while you're in it and know that you're not stuck when you start one thing. You don't have to do that for the rest of time. Max Jones: That was beautiful. Amelia: That was beautiful. Thank you. Shai, you want to keep taking questions? Shai: Yeah. For sure. Did anybody have any other questions they want to ask alumni? Sure. Speaker 7: Do you guys feel like your identity ties into what you do? Or do you guys feel like you found parts of yourself doing your work? Even like you said, you kind of trialed a little bit. Do you feel like that kind of connected you more to who you are and even to [inaudible 00:29:27] up to what you do? Max Jones: Yeah. It kind of radically changed how I viewed myself in a way because, yeah, so I'm from Kentucky. I'm from a low-middle-income family. And so coming here I was very out of my elements it felt like a lot of times, surrounded by very elite academic institutions. So I went through a lot of my first second year with a chip on my shoulder. But then I go start working in Latin America where scientists there have to work twice as hard as I do just because they don't speak the same language. And then all of a sudden all of that feelings of angst, I guess, flooded away because I was like everything that I've been angry about or anxious about has just been minuscule on a larger scale. Yeah. I say working in international communities like that has very much changed my perception on life and science and as an industry as a whole. Margaret Isaacson: I would add the industry that I'm in, parks and rec, is very service oriented and I've learned so much about customer service, not from a restaurant job, but from answering 311s and... So. I don't know if everyone knows what 311. You guys know what 311 is, right? Okay. Maybe. Yes. That's Maggie, right? Are you sending me the 311s? No. But I think I've found that it makes me happy to provide a service for a community and you feel fulfilled when you... Even if it's something unglamorous, like cleaning bathrooms, you still feel like, "Oh, I'm impacting people on a regular basis, on a daily basis. And with my small work or local work, it's still important." So I think finding your impact is really a powerful thing, Speaker 7: [inaudible 00:31:29] but they take... Not take away from your [inaudible 00:31:31], but like you said, having that chip on your shoulder when you look back and now that you fulfilled almost in what you're doing, [inaudible 00:31:38]. Margaret Isaacson: I was so stressed back then. You don't need to be stressed. It's okay though. You can be stressed. College is a stressful time. There's a lot going on. You guys have a lot on your plate. You're managing a lot of learning. You're managing a lot of growth. And that's just going to continue. But you're able to take that on. And this is just one experience that's going to teach... College is just one experience that's going to teach you that you're capable of taking that on. You're just going to keep taking on new things. Shai: [inaudible 00:32:13] question? Yeah. Sure. Speaker 8: How do you guys feel about your work-life balance or just your outdoorsy hobbies come [inaudible 00:32:25]? Max Jones: Do you want to say? Margaret Isaacson: Sure. My work-life, so... Okay. Speaker 8: Your balance is [inaudible 00:32:36] by [inaudible 00:32:37] having outdoorsy hobbies and also that in a job. Margaret Isaacson: Oh, I see what you're saying. Interesting. No. Work is still work, even when it's outside, but it's nice when it's outside because you get a little break from your desk. No. I think work-life balance is probably something that you all are learning even now. And it's one of those things that you're going to get into the work world and it's going to look a little bit different. You're going to be tired. But I think if you find the right gig or the right job that's going to be able to build that in and still make time for yourself. And it's important to make time for yourself even in your work. I'm not sure if that was your question, but... Yeah. Do you want to? Max Jones: Yeah. I think I understand exactly what your worry is here because I love outdoors. I love all things nature related. But I have been surrounded by people sometimes when I'm working where it's like we're in the field 10 hours a day and then they come back, they're like, "Wow. That was great, wasn't it?" And I was like, "I'm tired. I want to go home," even though I love what I've done, but then you do come across a lot of... Not a lot, but sometimes you do find scenarios where the people you're with don't view what they're doing necessarily as work. They also view it as very fun. And so then you have to set your own boundaries there where you have to be like, "Yes, I enjoy this work a lot, but this is not what I want to be doing in my free time right now. I don't want to give up another afternoon of my time to go work, even though I enjoy my work." So I have found myself in those dilemmas before where it's like you really enjoy being outside, but also after your 15th hour of it, you're just like, "Okay. Let me go read a book or something." Shai: Good question. Do you have any more question? Cassie Petoskey: I think [inaudible 00:34:28] question about the goal day-to-day. I'm guessing every day is different, but what are you doing in [inaudible 00:34:36]? What are you doing in your outside? What are the activities? And how often? Like 15 hour a day you're outside? That's [inaudible 00:34:47]. What does that look like a day? Walk us through a day. Max Jones: Okay. For me, well, my day-to-day has just changed dramatically because I finished up my field season, but when I was in the field, it would be we're up at 5:45, quick breakfast, and then we go out into the forest, and then... I was setting up camera traps and so we were specifically looking at arboreal cameras and arboreal species, like monkeys and stuff. And so we would set up cameras in the trees. And so to do that, we would have to climb trees. I'd be climbing trees myself. And so that sometimes could entail... If one tree could take almost six hours sometimes just because you'd have to take a slingshot and then put a line up in the tree. I don't want to get too into it, but... Cassie Petoskey: [inaudible 00:35:32]. Max Jones: "Get into it. Get into it." Okay. Do we want the break- Cassie Petoskey: We want to know how you climb. Max Jones: Okay. So you take a big slingshot, and then you shoot a weight with a string on it over a branch that you think can support your weight. And then you... I say think because you test it. And then you tie a climbing rope. You pull the climbing rope over. And then I just hook into a harness and then a few climbing equipments. And then I go up. And then sometimes, depending on if the tree is difficult, if there's ants in it or something, it can take me a few hours up there too. Then I took my data and then I'd come back down. And the idea was always we would do two a day. Sometimes we would push for three a day. And so that could take like... We could be working from sunrise right up until sunset. There was a few times when I was still up in a tree and I'd had to use a headlamp to finish up up there because we were just pushing so hard by the end of the day. Margaret Isaacson: Very cool. Max Jones: Now- Margaret Isaacson: Can you teach a tree climbing program for the Ecology Center, please? Max Jones: I'd love to. Margaret Isaacson: Perfect. We'll talk later. I want to tell you what my day-to-day looked like when I first started out and then where I am now because it's very different. When I was first starting on as a program instructor, so post-grad, I would come to work, I would write a lesson plan or write up a program, decide what materials I needed, gathered them. I took care of animals on a daily basis that we had for educational purposes. And then often I would be going out and leading that program. Sometimes it was a family campfire. Sometimes it was a critter visit, where I'm holding up animals and showing them to kids and letting them pet them. Super fun. Now my work is a little bit more behind the scenes. So I do a lot of emailing and a lot of administrative tasks. I coordinate with a lot of different departments, whether that's greenways, to make sure that the athletic fields are ready for the sports season, or touching base with my seasonal staff to make sure that they're doing their rounds on the lakefront bathrooms, or planning, budgeting and meeting with the program coordinators who are actually planning programs. So it's a lot of, like I said, more backend work and making sure that when we present these programs through the program instructors, the position that I used to do, to the public or through summer camp, that it's kind of ready to go, we're using taxpayer money wisely and well, and that the city has services that are meeting their needs and expectations. So it's a lot of email and payroll and some unglamorous things, but we also get outside occasionally. Shai: Do other people have question? Speaker 9: Well, with the... Thank you so much for being here for answering all our questions, but with the summer coming around, I'm sure many of us in this room are looking for internships and jobs and any experience in the field. Where do you recommend we look? And then a follow-up that would be how do you prepare for interviews? Margaret Isaacson: If you're local, Chicago Environmental Network has a ton of opportunities, wide-ranging, seasonal, full-time, part-time. That's a great site. Yeah. Of course. Chicago Environmental Network. And they have a job board. I think they also have volunteer postings. We always post our positions there and all of the area nature science adjacent companies and organizations post on there as well. Shai: We'll find that [inaudible 00:39:22] a follow-up. Speaker 9: Thank you. Max Jones: I'd say it depends a lot on what kind of work you want to get into, but I know that there's a really good job listing board. It's like UT Austin or something. I'm sure Maggie or Trish know it. But it really kind of depends on what you want to get into. Historically, the Scientists in the Parks have been a very competitive but credible internship. I don't know if they're operating this summer because of everything happening. The Shedd Aquarium I've also heard has some pretty interesting opportunities for research assistants over the summer. I had a friend who did actually like scuba diving with them and then went to found mussels in one of the Chicago rivers or something. It was pretty cool. And then I've also heard some good things about the Audubon Society. Sometimes they periodically have stuff around here. Besides that, I'd cold call or cold email professors because a lot of them have... Either they directly have a project that they might want you to work on or sometimes they'll redirect you to Master's students or PhDs. Right now in the listserv that I'm on in the Chicago Botanic Garden, we get emails forwarded to us from students at Northwestern being like, "Hi. Is anybody looking for help this summer? I'd love to work." Margaret Isaacson: I think I was on some environmental listserv of some kind. I'll try to track it down and send it to Cassie. And this was a while ago. But I remember... Gosh. Anyway. It took me to Great Basin Institute, which is out west, but they do all kinds of research and experiential education in the western states. I did that for a summer. One year I was basically a camp counselor, but they also have a lot of research positions as well that are seasonal. Max Jones: Lincoln Park Zoo also has some really cool stuff down there. The Urban Wildlife Division is... I wanted to work with them every single year I was an undergrad. It just never worked out. Yeah. Shai: [inaudible 00:41:16]. Do they have any other questions [inaudible 00:41:16]? Amelia: How do we take care of the internship [inaudible 00:41:19]? Speaker 11: When was your last interview? Margaret Isaacson: What was that? Speaker 11: [inaudible 00:41:27]. Margaret Isaacson: My last interview was two years ago, a year and a half. Yeah. So pretty recent. The way I prepared for that interview, I had a little insight being already in the department and the division that I was applying for a promotion. So I kind of knew some of the questions that they might ask me, but you can... The way that I did it is I like to think of questions that I might be asked, go ahead and answer them and just write down ideas and thoughts. For my most recent position, I also thought about what I would want as a manager. So I was applying for the position that had been overseeing what I... That's so confusing. I was a program coordinator and I applied for a promotion. So I thought, "As a program coordinator, what would I want to see in a manager? And what projects would I want to prioritize?" And I brainstormed those. But yeah, just thinking through questions that they might ask. Most interviews will ask some of those classic questions. They're always going to start out with, "Why are you applying to this job?" So your elevator pitch is really important and can speak to your passion and also experience. Yeah. Just jotting down some notes. That works for me. Maybe it doesn't work for everyone, but that's what I did. Max Jones: I haven't been in a lot of interviews at this stage of my career, honestly. Most of my interviews have been very informal conversations. And so I think that's just by luck how I've moved forward. Right now, I just haven't had any interviews, to be honest. So think Margaret's advice is sage. Margaret Isaacson: I guess I could add more. Yeah. I also have done a lot of interviews where I didn't get the job too. So sometimes you just don't know exactly what they're looking for, and that's okay. It doesn't mean that you're not experienced and that you're not knowledgeable of what you do. It just might not be what they're looking for for that position, or someone has just a little bit more in a particular area that they're excited about. I've also been on the other side of interviews where I get to see all the candidates and hear what they have to offer and see what does it look like for our department if we hire this person instead of this person and they have different experience and we're not really sure how to staff this new position, and the interviewees inform the position. So that can happen as well, where it's not necessarily just... Sometimes it's based on a feeling a little bit, which sounds kind of crazy, but... Yeah. Been on both sides. I think you can practice a lot for an interview. You can hone your speaking skills. You can keep your answers brief but interesting and show your passion, and then just know that you're going to do interviews and some of them are going to work out and some of them aren't. And that's okay. Amelia: [inaudible 00:44:31] just kind of silly. Do people ever reference the TV show in your workplace? Margaret Isaacson: All the time. One of my co-workers has Leslie Knope on her desktop. Yeah. For sure. Yeah. Yeah. Definitely. Amelia: [inaudible 00:44:46]. Margaret Isaacson: No. There are moments where we have situations we're like, "This could be a Parks and Rec episode. We should just start our own show." Yeah. Cassie Petoskey: Thank you both so much for being here. And I know we have a few more minutes, so students, if you all have the questions or just want to make connections, we'll share out LinkedIn profiles after, but I encourage you to come up and chat with the alumni for a few minutes here. But really thank you all so much for coming out. Thanks, Geoclub, for bringing forward this idea. And thanks to Max and Margaret for being here. So... Amelia: Thanks again. Shai: Thanks [inaudible 00:45:28]. Cassie Petoskey: [inaudible 00:45:28].  

Fire Tested James 1 Era Essential Church May 25, 2025 SUMMARY The message begins with introductions by Chris Traeger and Ben, followed by Leslie Knope offering a tour of the Parks and Recreation Department. Chris Traeger is highlighted for his optimistic outlook, even in hypothetical scenarios like a fictional virus. The narrative shifts to a church service where the pastor discusses the importance of optimism, particularly in youth ministry, and introduces the theme of the James 1 era, which emphasizes finding joy in trials. The pastor elaborates on the concept of trials as preparation rather than punishment, drawing from personal experiences and the teachings of James 1. The message underscores the significance of perseverance in developing faith and maturity. An illustration using Play-Doh is employed to demonstrate the idea of being moldable and the impact of trials on personal growth. The analogy of pottery needing fire to become strong is used to convey how God reshapes and strengthens individuals through trials. The message concludes with a reminder that we are designed to be strong and carry valuable things, followed by a closing prayer seeking strength and guidance from God. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1. **Optimism and Positivity:** - How does Chris Traeger's optimistic outlook influence those around him? Can excessive optimism ever be counterproductive? 2. **Trials and Preparation:** - The Project discusses trials as preparation rather than punishment. How can this perspective change the way we approach challenges in our lives? 3. **Faith and Perseverance:** - How does the concept of perseverance in faith, as discussed in James 1, apply to modern-day challenges? Can you share a personal experience where perseverance led to growth? 4. **Youth Ministry and Influence:** - What role does optimism play in youth ministry, and how can it impact young people's development? 5. **Analogy of Pottery:** - The Project uses the analogy of pottery needing fire to become strong. How can this analogy be applied to personal growth and overcoming adversity? 6. **Community and Support:** - How important is community in helping individuals navigate through trials? Can you think of a time when community support made a difference in your life? 7. **Reframing Challenges:** - How can reframing challenges as opportunities for growth change our approach to difficult situations? 8. **Role of Faith in Adversity:** - How does faith influence the way we handle adversity? Are there specific teachings or beliefs that help you during tough times?

Send us a textWe're getting real in this episode, talking openly about what it means to be a creative with mental health struggles, from panic attacks and perfectionism to ADHD and burnout. Whether you've felt overwhelmed by your to-do list, stuck chasing an impossible standard, or just totally unmotivated and scattered, you're not alone. And you're not broken.In this heart-to-heart episode, we're sharing how our own brains work (and sometimes how they work against us), how we've found ways to collaborate with compassion, and what tools help us keep going when the mental health stuff hits hard. It's been a journey of learning, unlearning, and showing up as our whole selves. We also reflect on the ups and downs of working together while navigating different work styles, energy levels, and expectations. This one's for anyone who's felt like they're “too much” or “not enough”–we see you. All that and more when you listen to this episode:What perfectionism and ADHD really look like when collaborating How we collaborate without losing our minds (or friendship)The toll that anxiety and panic attacks can take, and what helped usWhy finishing creative projects is sometimes the most challenging partTools we use to manage time, prioritize, and avoid burnoutCreative identity and letting go of “productivity = self-worth”How different brains process time, feedback, and focusAmy Poehler (and Leslie Knope) as our collective creative spirit guide Mentioned in this episode:Creative South Conference Crop Austin ConferenceHow to Be an Imperfectionist by Stephen Guise Made by James Eisenhower Matrix Calm AppConnect with Katie & Ilana from Goodtype Goodtype Website Goodtype on Instagram Goodtype on Youtube Love The Typecast and free stuff? Leave a review, and send a screenshot of it to us on Slack. Each month we pick a random reviewer to win a Goodtype Goodie! Goodies include merch, courses and Kernference tickets! Leave us a review on Apple PodcastsSubscribe to the showTag us on Instagram @GoodtypeFollow us on Tiktok @lovegoodtypeLearn from Katie and IlanaGrab your tea, coffee, or drink of choice, kick back, and let's get down to business!

Taylor Doose is one of Stars Hollow's most important characters. After all, he basically runs the whole town! (Admit that you love all those festivals.)Jackie and Catherine have some theories to test with you. On some days, Taylor (played by Michael Winters) is a little bit like the brash Colonel Jessup from A Few Good Men. And on other days, he channels the spunky and spirited Leslie Knope from Parks and Recreation. So take this quiz with us. Which character is Taylor most similar to?Join us for "the best of Gabbing Gilmore" with this deep dive into Taylor Doose.

On Today's Patron Trivia Tournament:We are excited to be kicking off Round 1 of the Patron Tournament! To get us started, we have Bryson and Sarah playing as Combat Wombats vs Jodie and Angelina as They are Supergeeks. They will be challenged with tricky questions like:In 2001, which pop-singer couple attended the American Music Awards dressed in all denim?Which artist's last name was Buonarroti - Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael or Michelangelo?What was the name of the first human spaceflight program of the United States?Chromatophores are anatomical features famously found in what animals with zygodactylous feet, and prehensile tails?On the show Parks and Rec, what project does Leslie Knope want to complete in Seasno 1?If you liked this episode, check out our last trivia episode!MusicHot Swing, Fast Talkin, Bass Walker, Dances and Dames by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/Don't forget to follow us on social media for more trivia:Patreon - patreon.com/quizbang - Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Check out our fun extras for patrons and help us keep this podcast going. We appreciate any level of support!Website - quizbangpod.com Check out our website, it will have all the links for social media that you need and while you're there, why not go to the contact us page and submit a question!Facebook - @quizbangpodcast - we post episode links and silly lego pictures to go with our trivia questions.Enjoy the silly picture and give your best guess, we will respond to your answer the next day to give everyone a chance to guess.Instagram - Quiz Quiz Bang Bang (quizquizbangbang), we post silly lego pictures to go with our trivia questions. Enjoy the silly picture and give your best guess, we will respond to your answer the next day to give everyone a chance to guess.Twitter - @quizbangpod We want to start a fun community for our fellow trivia lovers. If you hear/think of a fun or challenging trivia question, post it to our twitter feed and we will repost it so everyone can take a stab it.Come for the trivia - stay for the trivia.Ko-Fi - ko-fi.com/quizbangpod - Keep that sweet caffeine running through our body with a Ko-Fi, power us through a late night of fact checking and editing!

Most all of us like to be nice, but some people just feel like they were born to help others. They'll take any chance to provide assistance, big or small – unasked for (and, often, unthanked…) While being helpful is a good thing, it can also evolve into a people-pleasing attitude that can have surprisingly negative effects on the helper themselves (and sometimes even the people being “helped”!) So let's take a closer look at what's really going on with Helpers and People-Pleasers, what makes them different, the problems they can encounter, and what we can really learn from these tropes. Unpacking the difference between the Helper Trope and People-Pleaser Trope on screen, people who are forced to be helpers, the *negative* side effects that can come from being a people-pleaser, and beyond. Featuring Parks and Recreation's Leslie Knope, Black-ish's Rainbow Johnson, New Girl's Jess Day, Shōgun's Toda Mariko, Friends' Monica Geller, Superstore's Amy Sosa, and more! We take a look at people pleaser syndrome / why some people are people-pleasers, what a people-pleaser is, how it's different from just being a helpful person, and how being a people-pleaser can cause you problems Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Buckle up, because Amy Gittelman is back, and this episode is one for the ages. A fellow SUNY Binghamton (yes, we still call it that) alum, Amy joins me for a hilarious and brutally honest deep dive into the absurdities of healthcare, insurance fuckery, and the general nonsense that plagues the system. From dodging medical debt landmines to battling insurance companies that seem hellbent on denying care, we go all in.But wait—there's more! We reminisce about our Binghamton days, debate the superiority of Wegmans over every downstate grocery store, and expose the dark art of healthcare billing fraud (spoiler: it's as bad as you think). Amy, a seasoned healthcare badass, drops wisdom bombs on why the industry is broken, what we can do about it, and why she's basically a mix of Miranda Priestly, Leslie Knope, and Dolly freakin' Parton.If you've ever yelled at your insurance company, fought a medical bill, or just wanted to flip a table over the state of American healthcare, this episode is for you.RELATED LINKS:Amy Gittelman on LinkedInAmy's Odyssey Feature on PM360Amy's Profile on OncoDailyVeradigm Healthcare SolutionsFEEDBACK:Like this episode? Rate and review Out of Patients on your favorite podcast platform. For guest suggestions or sponsorship inquiries, email podcast@matthewzachary.com.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Even if navigating change sometimes feels like trying to herd cats, it's important to remember as Leslie Knope says ,"every obstacle is an opportunity to prove how awesome you are.” Feeling part of a community, as we know, is so vital for student and educator success - and given the stresses, trials, and victories that come with being in the field of education and leadership, change is going to happen. So, how do we maintain those relationships and not fall into a metaphorical pit as when change or transitions come our way? The question is as prevalent now as it was nearly 3 years ago. So before GLG takes a running leap and learns to fly towards what's ahead” let's reflect on “Network Connectivity Problems” - and what we can do to keep our connections “Leslie Knope & Ann Perkins” strong…

Galentine's Day, celebrated on February 13th, originated from the TV show Parks and Recreation in 2010, when the character Leslie Knope gathered her female friends for brunch to celebrate their friendships. Since then, it has become a widely embraced holiday dedicated to appreciating and empowering female friendships. Guest: Jennifer Armstrong - New York Times Best Selling Author and Pop Culture Historian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sometimes a FIRST isn't something that's sought, but something that seeks you. Back in 1887, Susanna M. Salter became the First Woman Elected Mayor in the U.S. and it's a heck of a story. Join us, and special guest Julia Clausen (Book Club with Julia & Victoria) as we unravel and unwind, and manage to discuss Susanna Salter's story. Plus, we touch on myriad topics political, pop cultural, and more. Oh, and of course there's a MouthGarf Report and I See What You Did There! Please give us a 5 star rating on Apple Podcasts! Want to ask us a question? Talk to us! Email debutbuddies@gmail.comListen to Kelly and Chelsea's awesome horror movie podcast, Never Show the Monster.Get some sci-fi from Spaceboy Books.Get down with Michael J. O'Connor's music!Next time: First #1 Pink Floyd Album - Dark Side of the Moon

Leave it to Mark and Allen to wait until the podcast is almost done to deliver an interview like this. It was so great to meet with Mike Scully - what a nice guy, a great conversationalist, and a good sport! Not only is his body of work fascinating, but he doesn't mind when we accidentally add credits to his resume that don't even exist (keep your ears peeled to hear Mark make a royal screwup, LOL). The boys were extremely lucky to get a chance like this to talk with Mike around late September 2024. We got to hear about Mike's work on big shows such as Everybody Loves Raymond and The Simpsons (and Parks of course), what he thought about acting as Pawnee citizen Pearl, concerns he had about Champion the 3-Legged Dog, his start in stand-up (and two famous people he met in the process), and many, many other topics. Please tune in and listen to a thoroughly interesting and tremendously entertaining conversation with writer/producer Mike Scully.

You've met the "elves" who decorate Main Street (Season 1, Episode 1)... now meet their supervisors. From planning events that draw massive crowds to the importance of every little detail, here's what makes Main Street so magical during the 40-day Christmas Capital of Texas activation.What's on the agenda:00:00-02:28... who's in charge here?02:29-05:25... the party (planning) never ends05:26-8:12... "aiming for Disney" revisited8:13-10:34... getting the little things right10:35-13:00... the "Leslie Knope" mentality13:01-21:18... the data driving this year's revised festivities21:19-25:03... how events and activations affect business owners25:04-28:06... deck the halls with cute nostalgia28:07-30:01... nowhere to go but up

Cordell & Cordell – Don't let divorce take more than it has to.MUSICDave Grohl has called the lawyers that he retained in September before announcing that he fathered a child outside of his marriage, according to People magazine. Sean “Diddy” Combs turned 55 yesterday and This year was much different. He jumped on the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) phone for a conference call with his adult children.Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker‘s baby boy officially turned one on Friday (Nov. 1), and in honor of his birthday, Grandma Kris Jenner gifted Rocky with a handwritten letter from Sylvester Stallone, AKA, Rocky Balboa. TVRyan Reynolds and Martha Stewart are having a playful public beef right now and Hugh Jackman is weighing in, siding with Martha. Martha Stewart appeared as a special guest on Bilt Rewards' November Rent Free game show and said that Reynolds is "not so funny in real life." Nate Bargatze is having his moment! He is currently the top-earning standup comedian in the world and now he's finally getting his own movie. Jason Kelce has apologized for spiking a Penn State student's phone on the pavement. The kid and Jason exchanged words that included a gay slur. The school released a statement about Kelce's possible criminal mischief and disorderly conduct, saying, “University Police and Public Safety is the investigating agency for this incident and the process is ongoing.” Kelce is a member of ESPN's Monday Night Football pre-game show. On set, he acted humbled in describing his regret in failing to follow the Golden Rule. Jason said, “I'm not happy with anything that took place. I'm not proud. Within a heated moment, I chose to greet hate with hate. I don't think that's productive.” AND FINALLYWould your favorite fictional character have voted for the same people you do? Well, Americans were asked in a new poll who various fictional characters would vote for.  The Kamala Harris supporters include: Liz Lemon from "30 Rock". . . Leslie Knope from "Parks & Rec" . . . Phoebe, Monica, and Joey from "Friends" . . . Olivia Benson from "Law & Order" . . .Elaine from "Seinfeld", Peter Parker (slash) Spider-Man . . . Marge Simpson . . . Blanche from "The Golden Girls". . . Elle Woods from "Legally Blonde". . . Barbie and Ken . . . and Cliff Huxtable from "The Cosby Show". The Donald Trump voters include: Tony Stark (slash) Iron Man . . . Archie Bunker . . . Hank Hill from "King of the Hill". . . Don Draper from "Mad Men" . . . Roseanne Conner . . . Tony Soprano . . . Homer Simpson . . .Hannibal Lecter . . . Biff from "Back to the Future" . . . Dwight from "The Office" . . . Ron Swanson from "Parks & Rec" . . . Walter White from "Breaking Bad" . . . Rambo . . . and Maverick from "Top Gun". 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.

Cordell & Cordell – Don't let divorce take more than it has to. MUSIC Dave Grohl has called the lawyers that he retained in September before announcing that he fathered a child outside of his marriage, according to People magazine.  Sean “Diddy” Combs turned 55 yesterday and This year was much different. He jumped on the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) phone for a conference call with his adult children. Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker‘s baby boy officially turned one on Friday (Nov. 1), and in honor of his birthday, Grandma Kris Jenner gifted Rocky with a handwritten letter from Sylvester Stallone, AKA, Rocky Balboa.  TV Ryan Reynolds and Martha Stewart are having a playful public beef right now and Hugh Jackman is weighing in, siding with Martha. Martha Stewart appeared as a special guest on Bilt Rewards' November Rent Free game show and said that Reynolds is "not so funny in real life." Nate Bargatze is having his moment! He is currently the top-earning standup comedian in the world and now he's finally getting his own movie. Jason Kelce has apologized for spiking a Penn State student's phone on the pavement. The kid and Jason exchanged words that included a gay slur. The school released a statement about Kelce's possible criminal mischief and disorderly conduct, saying, “University Police and Public Safety is the investigating agency for this incident and the process is ongoing.” Kelce is a member of ESPN's Monday Night Football pre-game show. On set, he acted humbled in describing his regret in failing to follow the Golden Rule. Jason said, “I'm not happy with anything that took place. I'm not proud. Within a heated moment, I chose to greet hate with hate. I don't think that's productive.” AND FINALLY Would your favorite fictional character have voted for the same people you do? Well, Americans were asked in a new poll who various fictional characters would vote for.   The Kamala Harris supporters include: Liz Lemon from "30 Rock". . . Leslie Knope from "Parks & Rec" . . . Phoebe, Monica, and Joey from "Friends" . . . Olivia Benson from "Law & Order" . . .Elaine from "Seinfeld", Peter Parker (slash) Spider-Man . . . Marge Simpson . . . Blanche from "The Golden Girls". . . Elle Woods from "Legally Blonde". . . Barbie and Ken . . . and Cliff Huxtable from "The Cosby Show".  The Donald Trump voters include: Tony Stark (slash) Iron Man . . . Archie Bunker . . . Hank Hill from "King of the Hill". . . Don Draper from "Mad Men" . . . Roseanne Conner . . . Tony Soprano . . . Homer Simpson . . .Hannibal Lecter . . . Biff from "Back to the Future" . . . Dwight from "The Office" . . . Ron Swanson from "Parks & Rec" . . . Walter White from "Breaking Bad" . . . Rambo . . . and Maverick from "Top Gun". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Zdravo. Tokrat začnemo epizodo z rubriko Zadnjih 30, kjer se pogovarjamo o humorističnih TV serijah, ki si jih je vredno ogledati. Nato se znajdemo na travniku s klopco, kjer razmišljamo o svobodi in omenimo vsakodnevna opravičila Slovenskih železnic, ki jih lahko slišite na premnogih železniških postajah širom po Sloveniji. Pogovor nadaljujemo v smeri svobode, glasbe, kitar in studija, preden se že šestič posvetimo 4. poglavje 6. knjigerazpravljamo o sanjah, letenju in travniku, omenimo pa tudi basen o lisici in kislem grozdju. Za konec se posvetimo konceptu resnične virtualne resničnosti in hiši na travniku. Epizodo zaključimo z željo, da se tudi ta teden lepo imejte.

You know, true professionals wouldn't hold out until the very end of their podcast series to deliver the "big guns" like this ... but Mark and Allen have never been accused of being true professionals, have they? Oh my gosh ... Talking with Jim O'Heir was truly a pleasure, and an outright blast! He was so easy to talk to, so friendly, that we probably could have gone on for another half hour if we really wanted to. The boys were extremely lucky to get this chance to talk with Jim around mid-September 2024. We got to hear about Jim's upcoming book, how they filmed the 2020 Special, his thoughts on the series finale, and LOTS of other things, including his opinions on Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman, Paul Schneider, Aziz Ansari, Retta, Ben Schwartz, and many others. Please tune in and listen to what ended up being a thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable time with Jerry Gergich himself, Jim O'Heir. Perhaps our best Pawnee Spotlight ever.

This week Mark and Allen continue (and finish) the Episode where we see what ultimately happens ... to everyone. TO RECAP: As Leslie and the gang face their last day together in Pawnee before everyone goes their own ways, one final little job crosses their path ... fixing a broken swing. Mundane though it may seem, Leslie throws herself into it with her typical level of gusto, convincing the rest of the gang to band together to do this one last task. In the process of going through the necessary motions to get the swing fixed, we do deep dives into every single person, including time jumps into their futures, so we can see how things turned out for them. As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... Will they get the swing fixed?  Will everyone get the story they want?  Can Mark and Allen make it through this last episode review?  How many times will Mark break down?  What will the boys do with Robonstantine?  Will we ever hear from Constantine and Harvey again?  What is WITH that stupid f**king Stargate portal and the post-it notes? Everyone ... hold hands, smile, laugh, and be grateful for the good things in life ... of which this series was certainly one.

Somebody keeps writing to me in Punjabi—Arabic? I have to admit, I don't know the difference. Sanskrit? I don't know. At first it looked like gibberish, but then it kept happening. I focused on the way the words were written to find that I enjoyed the characters—the writing was pretty, and I wondered what it meant. Then, I realized my phone had been disconnected for months. I don't have a phone number. —that's when I realized it was The Illuminati. Tales of a Superstar DJ WE're not going to do this again, are we. Mm. We are. I begin to sweat early—awakening with a surge of lightning that seemed to have exploded from inside of me— nurturing a deep thought of nestling a head full of hair as he nibbled on my rouded breasts, our breaths rising and falling in time with one another—the love of a man, the touch of a lover, straddling over me with the Alpha to my Omega, cradled underneath his weight, consumed by passion, awakened by the shock that this—is what I should arise for. A fury of white light bursts from my sacral chakra, as I awaken alone, taking in a deep whisp of air, seeking refuge in the morning light, grasping the handle of power at the reigns—a grip on my sanity, a focus to cherish my own as having escaped the thought of taking a lover, nonesuch a man had yet to be deserved of such a throne. I was nearly pure again—untouched, and unbothered, groomed neatly, and made whole again, in all knowing of the denial of love—the betrayal of man with like kindness as thought of as my own, there was no such a man at all worthy of her satisfaction, The God I am, nestled in the rock of my womb as the light of woman, the mark of time a betrayal to her truth; love and nurture, whimsy and flourish, the flower of her garden, kept whole and unweathered. I warned you. What's left at all besides failure Almost nothing. Be still, Down, boy. Be calm. There, there. Relax. If I see him again in any other man I will deny him and any other man entry to my kingdom. Alas, the pure of heart have come to nourish her. Be still. Stay back. Be true. Heal, boy, Down, boy! This band of hours is nothing but a cage to calling creatures of the night who walk by day and see the light inside of all, To feast before the famine; The sprout has turned from seed, To endless gardens, Grass grows longer underfoot Of Eve and Adam. —of Eve and Adam. —of Eve and Adam. Wait here. Sir. I— He stops for a moment to regain his composure; he is clearly angry, flustered. (Sighing) —said… Wait here. [For Your Consideration] An untapped talent showcases her personality with quips and excerpts containing deep dives of a canonized saga written in all forms and genres from meta to metaphysical; a mysterious mystical journey through the multidimensional realms and worlds of the unknown—art imitating life and vice-versa. C'cxell Soleïl—pen-named CS Stone is the voice of a generation. LESLIE KNOPE and her vice president— Can it be TINA FEY reprising her SARAH PALIN but obviously just a spoof? Obviously. Prepares to hand down the reigns to her successor, whom she “personally” endorsed, although at first… FLASHBACK- BEFORE: NO. But, Madame President— NO. PRESIDENT— NOPE. See? You have to. I don't have to. I'm the President! I don't have to do anything I don't want. You have to endorse this candidate. —Why?! She campaigned for you— Says who? Uhm, everyone… So?! Both campaigns. And she lobbied for you in Iowa. In Iowa? Really? That seems dangerous… It was. [insert radical election violence here] Oh. Wow. Yeah. [beat] So— NO. This is my house! Madam, please. This is MY office!! President knope, come on. YOU'LL NEVER TAKE THIS FROM ME. I AM THE DICTATOR NOW. THIS IS MY FIRST DICTATION. LESLIE! HOW DARE YOU USE MY FIRST NAME! OFF WITH YOUR HEAD. What!! SECRET SERVICE, SECRET SERVICE— SIEZE HIM. The secret service rushes in and football tackles the President's advisor to the ground— the Vice President enters. VICE PRESIDENT Oh, dear. CUT BACK TO: The president's advisor cracks his neck, still obviously injuried and worried recalling the flashback. Can it be that guy from 30 rock who was jack's assistant? I hope so? JONATHAN. What is it. GET IN HERE. Yes, sir. Wtf, how does he still work for Jack? Idk. Continuity. You're not going to believe this. Believe what, sir. Get in here. JACK watches his TV with bewilderment; he has just learned the election results of the most recent presidential election. Tell me there's something wrong with my eyes. Continuity! Continuity! How am I supposed to get to work? Well, how do you usually get to work. Town car. Ah… Hellicopter. I see. [beat] Well, there's a Manhattan Bound L down the street. Oh, God. Or the M is around the corner, if you'd prefer. Why on Earth would I ‘prefer'— Have a good day. [she slams the door. He stands for a moment, deflated—then the door swings open and a lunch box is shoved into his chest; the door is slammed once more, and then audibly bolt locked.] Christ. What'd he say? He said “Christ” Good. Send that guy. He's gonna need him. EMMA WATSON catches the boat. After having been left hanging over the bridge for a undetermined amount of time, EMMA WATSON, whose arm doesn't seem to be tired at all, however appearing to be visibly bored, unnoticed, even by passing tugboats, dangling from the bridge, is by happenstance and quite an odd coincidence, rescinded by a yacht full of familiar friends—familiar, being that they are all celebrities, and friends—being that they are all wealthy members of the entertainment community, who recognize EMMA and urge her to jump as the boat passes under the bridge, which she does—joining the party boat as it sets sail to open sea. [The Festival Project.™] COPYRIGHT © THE FESTIVAL PROJECT 2019-2024 | THE COMPLEX COLLECTIVE. © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. © -Ū.

Somebody keeps writing to me in Punjabi—Arabic? I have to admit, I don't know the difference. Sanskrit? I don't know. At first it looked like gibberish, but then it kept happening. I focused on the way the words were written to find that I enjoyed the characters—the writing was pretty, and I wondered what it meant. Then, I realized my phone had been disconnected for months. I don't have a phone number. —that's when I realized it was The Illuminati. Tales of a Superstar DJ WE're not going to do this again, are we. Mm. We are. I begin to sweat early—awakening with a surge of lightning that seemed to have exploded from inside of me— nurturing a deep thought of nestling a head full of hair as he nibbled on my rouded breasts, our breaths rising and falling in time with one another—the love of a man, the touch of a lover, straddling over me with the Alpha to my Omega, cradled underneath his weight, consumed by passion, awakened by the shock that this—is what I should arise for. A fury of white light bursts from my sacral chakra, as I awaken alone, taking in a deep whisp of air, seeking refuge in the morning light, grasping the handle of power at the reigns—a grip on my sanity, a focus to cherish my own as having escaped the thought of taking a lover, nonesuch a man had yet to be deserved of such a throne. I was nearly pure again—untouched, and unbothered, groomed neatly, and made whole again, in all knowing of the denial of love—the betrayal of man with like kindness as thought of as my own, there was no such a man at all worthy of her satisfaction, The God I am, nestled in the rock of my womb as the light of woman, the mark of time a betrayal to her truth; love and nurture, whimsy and flourish, the flower of her garden, kept whole and unweathered. I warned you. What's left at all besides failure Almost nothing. Be still, Down, boy. Be calm. There, there. Relax. If I see him again in any other man I will deny him and any other man entry to my kingdom. Alas, the pure of heart have come to nourish her. Be still. Stay back. Be true. Heal, boy, Down, boy! This band of hours is nothing but a cage to calling creatures of the night who walk by day and see the light inside of all, To feast before the famine; The sprout has turned from seed, To endless gardens, Grass grows longer underfoot Of Eve and Adam. —of Eve and Adam. —of Eve and Adam. Wait here. Sir. I— He stops for a moment to regain his composure; he is clearly angry, flustered. (Sighing) —said… Wait here. [For Your Consideration] An untapped talent showcases her personality with quips and excerpts containing deep dives of a canonized saga written in all forms and genres from meta to metaphysical; a mysterious mystical journey through the multidimensional realms and worlds of the unknown—art imitating life and vice-versa. C'cxell Soleïl—pen-named CS Stone is the voice of a generation. LESLIE KNOPE and her vice president— Can it be TINA FEY reprising her SARAH PALIN but obviously just a spoof? Obviously. Prepares to hand down the reigns to her successor, whom she “personally” endorsed, although at first… FLASHBACK- BEFORE: NO. But, Madame President— NO. PRESIDENT— NOPE. See? You have to. I don't have to. I'm the President! I don't have to do anything I don't want. You have to endorse this candidate. —Why?! She campaigned for you— Says who? Uhm, everyone… So?! Both campaigns. And she lobbied for you in Iowa. In Iowa? Really? That seems dangerous… It was. [insert radical election violence here] Oh. Wow. Yeah. [beat] So— NO. This is my house! Madam, please. This is MY office!! President knope, come on. YOU'LL NEVER TAKE THIS FROM ME. I AM THE DICTATOR NOW. THIS IS MY FIRST DICTATION. LESLIE! HOW DARE YOU USE MY FIRST NAME! OFF WITH YOUR HEAD. What!! SECRET SERVICE, SECRET SERVICE— SIEZE HIM. The secret service rushes in and football tackles the President's advisor to the ground— the Vice President enters. VICE PRESIDENT Oh, dear. CUT BACK TO: The president's advisor cracks his neck, still obviously injuried and worried recalling the flashback. Can it be that guy from 30 rock who was jack's assistant? I hope so? JONATHAN. What is it. GET IN HERE. Yes, sir. Wtf, how does he still work for Jack? Idk. Continuity. You're not going to believe this. Believe what, sir. Get in here. JACK watches his TV with bewilderment; he has just learned the election results of the most recent presidential election. Tell me there's something wrong with my eyes. Continuity! Continuity! How am I supposed to get to work? Well, how do you usually get to work. Town car. Ah… Hellicopter. I see. [beat] Well, there's a Manhattan Bound L down the street. Oh, God. Or the M is around the corner, if you'd prefer. Why on Earth would I ‘prefer'— Have a good day. [she slams the door. He stands for a moment, deflated—then the door swings open and a lunch box is shoved into his chest; the door is slammed once more, and then audibly bolt locked.] Christ. What'd he say? He said “Christ” Good. Send that guy. He's gonna need him. EMMA WATSON catches the boat. After having been left hanging over the bridge for a undetermined amount of time, EMMA WATSON, whose arm doesn't seem to be tired at all, however appearing to be visibly bored, unnoticed, even by passing tugboats, dangling from the bridge, is by happenstance and quite an odd coincidence, rescinded by a yacht full of familiar friends—familiar, being that they are all celebrities, and friends—being that they are all wealthy members of the entertainment community, who recognize EMMA and urge her to jump as the boat passes under the bridge, which she does—joining the party boat as it sets sail to open sea. [The Festival Project.™] COPYRIGHT © THE FESTIVAL PROJECT 2019-2024 | THE COMPLEX COLLECTIVE. © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. © -Ū.

This week Mark and Allen break down the Episode where we see what ultimately happens ... to everyone.  As Leslie and the gang face their last day together in Pawnee before everyone goes their own ways, one final little job crosses their path ... fixing a broken swing. Mundane though it may seem, Leslie throws herself into it with her typical level of gusto, convincing the rest of the gang to band together to do this one last task. In the process of going through the necessary motions to get the swing fixed, we do deep dives into every single person, including time jumps into their futures, so we can see how things turned out for them.  As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... Will they get the swing fixed?  Will everyone get the story they want?  Can Mark and Allen make it through this last episode review?  How many times will Mark break down?  What will the boys do with Robonstantine?  Will we ever hear from Constantine and Harvey again?  What is WITH that stupid f**king Stargate portal and the post-it notes?  Everyone, this is it - the series finale. So buckle up, buttercup. It's going to be a bittersweet journey.

n this episode, Frank and Thomas take us on a journey to the heart of Pawnee as they dive into the beloved series Parks and Recreation. They explore the pilot episode, the series finale, and the evolution of characters across all seven seasons. With plenty of laughs, shout-outs to iconic moments (like little Sebastian!), and deep reflections on the show's cultural impact, this episode is a must-listen for any fan of Parks and Rec. Timestamps and Topics: 00:00 - Introduction to the episode and today's topic 06:00 - Shout-out to little Sebastian and the start of the Parks and Rec discussion 17:00 - Exploring the pilot episode: Initial impressions and key moments 22:00 - The evolution of Leslie Knope and Ron Swanson's relationship 32:00 - How Parks and Rec stands the test of time 40:00 - Breakdown of the series finale and what it meant for fans 50:00 - Fun Parks and Rec trivia: Behind-the-scenes moments Key Takeaways: Parks and Recreation evolved from a simple office satire to a heartwarming exploration of small-town government and community. The dynamic between Leslie Knope and Ron Swanson became one of the show's emotional cores. Parks and Rec has become a cultural staple, with timeless humor and moments that continue to resonate with audiences. The series finale offered closure and heartfelt moments for every main character, making it one of the most satisfying series finales in TV history. Memorable Quotes: “It feels like Parks and Rec lasted so much longer than seven seasons, right?” “Leslie Knope's optimism is contagious—whether you're watching it for the first time or rewatching for the hundredth time.” “I can't think of a more perfect finale for any show. It's like they knew exactly what the fans wanted.” Call to Action: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to the Geek Freaks Podcast and leave us a review on your favorite platform! Share this episode with your fellow Parks and Rec fans using the hashtag #ParksAndRecMoments, and let us know your favorite episode or character. Don't forget to follow us on social media for more behind-the-scenes content! Links and Resources: For all the latest geek news and updates, head over to GeekFreaksPodcast.com. That's your source for everything discussed during our podcast! Follow Us: Facebook: facebook.com/thegeekfreakspodcast Threads: threads.net/@ChallengeaccpetedLive Patreon: patreon.com/GeekFreakspodcast Instagram: instagram.com/challengeacceptedlive Listener Questions: We'd love to hear from you! Send us your questions or suggest topics you'd like to hear on future episodes. You can reach out to us on social media or through our website. We may feature your question on the next episode! Apple Podcast Tags: Parks and Recreation, Leslie Knope, Ron Swanson, TV Reviews, Comedy Shows, Geek Culture, TV Show Finale, Podcast Episode, Pop Culture, TV Sitcom ​

Once again, Mark and Allen were extremely lucky to spend time with another fantastic guest during a Pawnee Spotlight interview, this time around the middle of May 2024. It was fascinating to talk to Jim about not only his take on the always entertaining M.C. Martin Housely, but also voice overs and impressions, his childhood growing up as the son of Marion Ross, and many other interesting topics.  Jim was a tremendously kind and gracious guest on our show, and we are proud to have one of the only occurences in the world of an honest-to-God "Swanson-Off"! If you're confused at this (and you should be), tune in to see what we're talking about! We've said it before, and will say it once more here, this was yet another in a stream of incredible guests we've had the privilege to have on our show ... A fantastic Pawnee Spotlight featuring a tremendous multi-talented guest! We hope you all enjoy this as much as we did.Visit Jim at https://jimmeskimen.com/ and on Instagram @jimpressions

Retta (Donna Meagle herself!) joins Jim O'Heir and Greg Levine to discuss the early days of Parks and Recreation, her first epically embarrassing experience improvising a talking head with Greg Daniels, and what it was like sharing a double banger trailer with Jim. Plus Jim, Greg, and Retta break down Burt Macklin's search to discover who in the Parks Department is pregnant, the Founder's Week public forum gone wrong, and Leslie Knope's possible recall election in the season five finale, “Are you Better Off.” Got a question for the Pawnee Town Hall? Send us an email at ParksandRecollectionTownHall@gmail.com

Okay, look. Let's face facts. The series is ending. This wonderful, beloved sitcom, full of equal parts laughs and heart, is coming to a close. No doubt, it's a hard thing to contemplate for anyone, but it's just POSSIBLE that one of the guys is having a harder time than the other. Look, you have to understand, this isn't just a silly little hobby ... this gig has generated monetary kickbacks, medical benefits, travel opportunities, being asked to speak at conventions, movie deals ... and that's just the tip of the iceberg. We're not even mentioning all of the other fringe benefits, such as working with world class scientists and engineers to build what is frighteningly close to a sentient AI, or even (slightly flawed) time travel! I mean ... wow. It's so much, that it's ALMOST like we're just making this up. To imagine all that suddenly ending, well ... It's a little scary. But fans of the show deserve the truth. So, ugly or not, we're going to give you a peek into what has been going on, as well as our sincere assurance that the finale review is COMING!  We promise.  No, really ... we pinky promise.  Just like Leslie.  And if you can't believe a pinky promise ... well, then I guess the world is in worse shape than we ever imagined.  So bear with us just a few more weeks.  You won't be disappointed, and it'll be worth the wait.  We pinky promise.

This week Mark and Allen break down the Episode where FINALLY, after all this time ... we get a visual of the often talked about but never seen Mayor Gunderson! Right after the gang tells each other about their immediate plans for the future (Donna & Joe moving to Seattle, April & Andy leaving for DC, Leslie & Ben splitting their time between DC & Pawnee, Jerry retiring again), the gang learns that Mayor Gunderson has passed away. At the memorial, while everyone processes their grief, Ben asks April and Jerry to help find an interim mayor. Together, they begin interviewing several Pawnee citizens as potential candidates for interim Mayor, including such notables as Bobby Newport, Joan Callamezzo, Dr. Saperstein, and Howard "The Douche" Tuttleman. As the day progresses, they realize finding an appropriate candidate that is ABLE to (and WANTS to) do the job is trickier than they thought. Meanwhile, Leslie is somewhat depressed at all the "endings" going on, and desperately wants to find a "beginning" to balance things out. At Mayor Gunderson's funeral, Leslie talks to Tom, who is now back from his trip to New York with Lucy, and Tom tells Leslie how serious the two of them are, and that they've even looked at rings together. Seeing this as a chance for a "beginning", Leslie convinces Tom to go forward with the proposal ASAP, offering to help Tom with such extravagant details as filming a bombastic action movie for the proposal itself, not to mention lots and lots of over-the-top preparations and decorations to celebrate the (assumed) answer of yes. Finally, Ron seems to be rather composed and generally unaffected by the death of Mayor Gunderson. However, at Gunderson's funeral, he learns that Salvatore, his barber for the past four decades, also passed as well, causing him to nearly collapse in shock and grief. Wanting to show his respects, Ron attends Salvatore's funeral, accompanied by Andy and Donna for support. As Ron approaches Salvatore's coffin to say his final goodbyes, we sense Ron's sadness stems from his fear of change in this whirlwind of changes currently happening all around him ... Salvatore was one of the only constants left in Ron's life. As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... Who seems to be the strongest of all the interviewed candidates for interim mayor? How will Tom's proposal action movie turn out? Does Ron end up crying at Salvatore's funeral? Can Ben make a decision regarding interim mayor given these circumstances? Will Leslie's preparation for the engagement celebration be used as intended, or will it go to waste? Will Ron find a way to process his grief? What actually HAPPENS to the office of interim mayor? Does Tom end up proposing to Lucy, and if so ... what is her answer? Can Donna and Andy help Ron figure out who his next barber will be? Loyal viewers, we are winding down to the VERY, VERY end of this fantastic series! Can this episode possibly live up to the expectations of its fans? Just how big will the guest star list be? Do we actually consider the Parks and Recreation 2020 Special a "canon" episode in the series? Stay tuned to find out! Many thanks to our wonderful sponsor "Hair by Typhoon."

Rashida Jones (Ann Perkins herself!) joins Jim O'Heir and Greg Levine to discuss the early days of Parks and Recreation, how being a close friend of Mike Schur did not do her any favors in the casting process, and all the ways Ann Perkins and Leslie Knope's unbreakable bond parallels her and Amy Poehler's real life friendship. Plus Rashida, Jim and Greg rehash what is arguably the best television wedding of all time in this week's breakdown of “Leslie and Ben.”Got a question for the Pawnee Town Hall? Send us an email at ParksandRecollectionTownHall@gmail.com!

Mark and Allen were once again very lucky to spend time with another great person during a Pawnee Spotlight interview, this time near the end of March 2024. It was fascinating to talk to the person behind Brandi Maxxxx, and a joy to discover what a total gem she is! Nice, funny, talented, easy to talk to ... who could ask for more?  Yet another in a stream of incredible guests we've had the privilege to have on our show.Join us as Mara talks about being Canadian, her lifelong love of acting and her experiences on Parks and Recreation, Schitt's Creek, and much much more! This was a great Pawnee Spotlight from an even greater guest! We hope you all get as much out of this interview as we did.

This week Mark and Allen break down the Episode where Ron first learns April and Andy will be moving away to Washington DC!  With the Harvest Festival once again in full swing, Ben's busy congressional campaign continues, and he and Leslie make the call to skip a few Festival-related things, one of which is the "Pie-Mary", a Southern Indiana tradition where the wives of congressional candidates face off in a pie-baking contest ... something which Leslie would have refused to participate in anyway due to its antiquated and retrogressive nature. Unfortunately, several reporters pounce on this, which, combined with the yellow journalism of Mike Patterson, quickly makes this a point of controversy. Not wanting to make things harder for Ben, Leslie decides to reverse her position and participate in the Pie-Mary ... but unfortunately, THIS gets the attention of the Indiana Organization of Women, who threaten to protest both Leslie and Ben at the event. Scrambling to figure out the right move, Ben comes up with an idea that would sidestep the controversy, refocus the campaign on the candidate, and flip the antiquated tradition on its head ... HE'S going to enter the Pie-Mary instead of Leslie.  Meanwhile, April informs Ron that she is about to move to Washington with Andy to take on a new job. Ron tells her that she has to return the key to his house. April realises that she has changed the hiding place of the key, and that she left a trail of clues, the first being 4 human teeth and a Twilight ticket stub. She and Andy tell Ron, but Ron is very excited to solve this mystery. They first visit Donna, who informs them that she and April watched that movie together years ago, when April removed her wisdom teeth. Donna also informs them that April also visited the shoeshine stand that day. The trio runs to the shoeshine stand, only to find that it was removed during the remodeling of the city hall.  Finally, during the search for Ron's key, Andy finds a small brown box where April used to hide things outside in the City Hall courtyard. The box did NOT contain Ron's key, but it DID contain Jerry's wedding ring that he lost down the sewer grate 6 years ago. Jerry is overjoyed to have it again, but then in typical Jerry Gergich fashion ... drops it in the sewer grate  ... AGAIN. As Jerry attempts to fish the ring out, Donna notices him, and chooses to stay with him and keep him company. Donna and Jerry enjoy each other's company, reminiscing with each other about the old days. As Jerry ends up losing more and more things down the grate, Donna keeps things light by laughing about it and ordering them dinner.  As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... Does Ben have any ideas about redefining what a pie is? Are there more clues to find, or is this a dead end? How does Donna feel about hanging out with Jerry all day? Can Ben entering the Pie-Mary instead of Leslie prevent the IoW from protesting? Will Ron ever get his key back? Does Jerry get an earful when he returns home? Will any other protestors rise up to complain about anything political or pie related? Will April ever get satisfying closure from Ron? Will Jerry ever get his wedding ring back?  Loyal viewers, this looks like a great episode with a lot of nice callbacks, but will it live up to the hype? Could it be a perfect 10? Stay tuned to find out! Many thanks to our wonderful sponsor ... The Calzone Zone.

Phil Ginsburg is the Leslie Knope of San Francisco's Parks and Rec, and today, he joins us to share the ambitious vision for Market Street and India Basin Waterfront Parks, philosophical musings on land use, and the biggest challenge of running a department that oversees 15% of land in San Francisco. He also answers our spicy questions about things like 420 and what's contentious internally in his department. Also, what do cheerios have to do with the creation of Golden Gate Park? Grab some tea, get cozy, and tune in to find out. 

Welcome to Mockumonthary! For the whole month of May, MSPC is side-stepping The Office to break down other iconic mockumentary format TV shows. Up first, we are covering Parks and Recreation, the beloved cousin of The Office. Given it's shared DNA through showrunners Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, it's simply the natural place for us to start. We discuss first impressions we had upon its debut in 2009, how it's similar yet completely different from The Office, Michael Scott vs. Leslie Knope, favorite characters and moments, and so much more! Then we head to the conference room to react to the casting announcements regarding the new show set in the Office universe. NOTE: Our 250th live episode is coming up this Sunday May 5th! If you can, please join us for a livestream on YouTube at 10am PT. You can find us on our YouTube page. Support our show and become a member of Scott's Tots on Patreon! For only $5/month, Tots get ad-free episodes plus exclusive access to our monthly Mailbag episodes where we casually pick through every single message/question/comment we receive. We also have Season 2 of our Ted Lasso podcast Biscuits with the Boss available to our Patrons, as well as our White Lotus Christmas Special, Party Down, and early episodes of our new show Captive Audience. Oh, and Tots get access to exclusive channels on our Discord. Visit our merch store at mspcstore.com! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Mark and Allen break down the Episode where we actually meet one of Ron's brothers in person! Leslie and April are headed to Washington D.C. to convince a bunch of senators to support the National Parks. They've prepped, and Leslie is excited, convinced that April will show how thorough and hardworking she truly is. However, April is quietly freaking out about having to break it to Leslie that bureaucracy is not her calling ... as a friend, Leslie is loyal, thoughtful, and caring to a fault, but she's also stubborn and thoroughly convinced she knows what's best, not only for herself, but for literally everyone around her. As Leslie, April, and teammate Randy have meeting after meeting with senators, it seems like things are going well ... They're getting decent responses from senators, and during a one-on-one walk with Randy, Leslie is even offered a promotion to the position of Deputy Director of Operations and Interior. Despite all this, we see April just getting more and more anxious about telling Leslie the truth. Finally, while sitting with Leslie and listening to her news about the offered promotion, April finally gives in to her anxieties and blurts out that she wants to quit the National Parks Service. Meanwhile, knowing April is unhappy with her current job situation, Andy waits until she is gone on her trip to D.C. (see the A-Story above), then reaches out to Ben to brainstorm some new jobs April could pursue. Their first stop is meeting with Ron at the Very Good Building and Development company, Ron tries his best to help, but unfortunately, the routine work available there doesn't quite fit April's need to think creatively. Nevertheless, Ron joins Andy and Ben in trying to find the perfect job for April. Their second stop is a meeting with Barney Varmn at Tilton and Radomski Accounting, who (along with everyone else at the accounting firm) absolutely LOVES Ben. Anyway, Barney tells them Tilton and Radomski is opening a consulting arm, which would involve a lot of creative thinking. The good news? This sounds like it *could* be a good fit for April. The bad news? It's too late, and they aren't taking any more applicants. However, after discussing it, the guys decide they will make one last final attempt to pitch April to Barney. As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... How does Leslie take April's news? Who else do the guys get to help with their final pitch to Barney? Does Leslie end up taking the promotion? What secret plan does Andy have to help convince Barney? Will Leslie have to lean on her good friend Madeleine Albright for advice? Do the guys make a successful pitch, and if so, does April end up working for Barney? Can April ever figure out what job she actually wants? Loyal podcast viewers, April's job arc seems to be drawing to a close ... or is it? Stay tuned to find out! Many thanks to our incredible sponsor ... the Very Good Building and Development Company.

It's the Seamhead edition complete with Quirkjians, another installment of In The Cards plus Jeff's new dog has a baseball name. Mike Schur talks Tony Gwynn, Leslie Knope, Jarrod Dyson, Andy Dwyer, Manny Ramirez and Chad Ogea. Up until this point, we have had former players and managers as guests but we switched it all up this week to share the love of the game with someone who loves it as much as Tim. Mike Schur speaks of this game the way one speaks of their children, even describing baseball as a his "first love," which is relatable to all of us.  Visit GreatGameOrWhat.com to contact the show with your questions, quips and insights. Joy Pop Productions LLC

Join Nat, guest LA-based professor and comedian, Katie Dudley, (aka our stoner Leslie Knope) as we showcase the beauty and thought placed within our National Parks. We'll discuss the National Park Service's history, parks we've visited (and Katie worked at!), their intricate ecosystem, and share some park secrets and fun facts. Take a trip with us to a national park from wherever you are! If you like tangents, plus thoughtful ramblings, the coveted title of 'Munchie of The Week' (MoTW) and of course, a lot of laughs, then listen here. --- Katie's Instagram - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@kateddudley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Or find Katie at Flappers comedy club on Tuesdays! Find your closet National Park here --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/stonednsocial/message

Leslie Knope once said, “We need to remember what's important in life: friends, waffles, work. Or waffles, friends, work. Doesn't matter, but work is third.”And we agree, waffles are important. But we're here today to talk about friends. Because making marketing friends is key to supporting your growth and content production.That's one of the lessons we're taking away from Parks and Recreation with the help of our guest, Director of Content Marketing at Intellimize, Jen Lacey. Together, we talk about building relationships, collaborating for creative problem solving, and embracing your weirdness.About our guest, Jen LaceyJen Lacey is Director of Content Marketing at Intellimize, where she's responsible for web strategy, brand and maintenance including a complete corporate rebrand. She oversees content strategy, production and promotion to align with sales and revenue goals, which has resulted in a 32% increase in pipeline. She  shapes the brand's footprint through multiple content channels including PR, web and partner channels among other responsibilities. Prior to joining Intellimize in July 2022, Jen served as Marketing Director at Fountain. She also spent nearly 9 years in marketing at SparkPost (acquired by Message Bird). What B2B Companies Can Learn From Parks and Recreation:Build relationships. Create sources of mutual support and collaboration. It's a symbiotic relationship that strengthens your content and marketing. Jen says, “Leslie is all about building relationships, which I feel is the foundational thing that has helped me excel and thrive in my roles, being able to work cross-functionally with different stakeholders, getting feedback from people, my CS team internally, working with customers, doing outreach to talk to customers about how they're using our product…being that kind of conduit and building those relationships is so critical to success anywhere, and especially in the B2B world.”Collaborate for creative problem solving. If you're working on a tight budget - and let's be real, most of us are - you gotta put your heads together with your team and brainstorm innovative solutions. This is when a lot of great ideas come up that could be your next big success. Jen says, “In the show, Leslie does this constantly. Every episode, there's some new problem or something that they've got to solve. And she's always thinking outside the box of how to motivate her maybe not-so-motivated team to do things. Or how to get creative in approaching different challenges. And I think that leaning into that creativity and collaborating with people, and using your team, your different individual team members to their strengths is how you circumvent a lot of those challenges.”Embrace your weirdness. Your weirdness is a strength that you can use to be relatable and connect with your audience. It's what lets your audience know that there's a human behind the content. Jen says, “Don't try to be anyone else. Think of where you stand out and where you can contribute, and embrace that. Embrace what makes you unique and weave it into your marketing tactics and strategy. I think everyone associates B2B with straight-laced, very serious LinkedIn ad campaigns and email nurtures that are dry and boring. But at the end of the day, I'm marketing to other marketers. They're still people. And that human element is what makes us relatable. And so coming up with weird, unique, wacky ways to connect with them and get their attention and then pitch them on whatever it is you're trying to sell them on or get them to do, is key. That's how Leslie anything done in her office, catering to people's unique personalities and being weird and being herself. And her team loves her for it at the end of the day.” Quotes*”In B2B, there's only so many ways you can say the same thing. And we're all kind of saying the same flavor of something. Like we're all selling to other businesses, whether you're selling to tech people or you're selling to other marketers. It's the way that you can get yourself to stand out and lean on that creativity, especially if you don't have a giant budget to work with or a big team or a ton of bandwidth. How can you embrace your creativity and think outside the box, even if you're saying basically the same thing? Like how do you stand out, how do you set yourself apart?” - Jen Lacey*”There are so many ridiculously great characters in the [Parks and Recreation]. Putting two people that are opposites together is a great B2B marketing takeaway because we have so many opposites in the business world. Whether it's your CIO and your CMO, or your CFO and the salesperson. There's these huge differences between people just based off of like personalities. And you can play with that stuff so much and turn it up to an 11. And I think the big lesson there is turning up those things to 11, which makes it so funny because you see parts of the Ron Swansons or the Aprils in people you work with. And that's why these shows are so funny.” - Ian FaisonTime Stamps[0:55] Meet Jen Lacey, Director of Content Marketing at Intellimize[1:38] Jen Lacey's Unique Marketing Approach Inspired by Parks and Rec[3:51] Exploring the Creative Process Behind Parks and Rec[7:57] The Art of Character Development in Parks and Rec[13:58] Leveraging Opposites and Relationship Building in B2B Marketing[19:45] The Mockumentary Style of Parks and Rec[28:11] Adapting Marketing Strategies to Resources and Situations[28:32] Innovation vs. Imitation in Creative Marketing[29:42] Embracing Creativity and Uniqueness in B2B Marketing[33:26] Leveraging Personal Experiences and Humor in Campaigns[40:03] Maximizing Content Impact with Strategic Planning[41:57] Showcasing Successful Campaigns and Their Outcomes[50:40] Future Projects and Final Advice for MarketersLinksWatch Parks and RecreationConnect with Jen on LinkedInLearn more about IntellimizeAbout Remarkable!Remarkable! is created by the team at Caspian Studios, the premier B2B Podcast-as-a-Service company. Caspian creates both nonfiction and fiction series for B2B companies. If you want a fiction series check out our new offering - The Business Thriller - Hollywood style storytelling for B2B. Learn more at CaspianStudios.com. In today's episode, you heard from Ian Faison (CEO of Caspian Studios) and Meredith Gooderham (Senior Producer). Remarkable was produced this week by Jess Avellino, mixed by Scott Goodrich, and our theme song is “Solomon” by FALAK. Create something remarkable. Rise above the noise.

STDs, paper iPhones, and a robotic congressman—Jim O'Heir and Greg Levine discuss it all in this week's walkthrough of “Sex Education”. In this episode, Leslie Knope launches a safe sex initiative for Pawnee's senior citizens, Tom goes on a technology detox after crashing his car while texting, and April and Ben try to decipher if Congressman Murray is actually a robot. Plus, Darlene Hunt (The Big C) joins Jim and Greg to discuss her recurring role as Pawnee's morality watchdog Marcia Langman. Got a question for the Pawnee Town Hall? Send us an email at ParksandRecollectionTownHall@gmail.com!

You just got JAMMED! Jon Glaser (Jeremy Jamm himself!) joins Jim O'Heir and Greg Levine in this week's walkthrough of “How a Bill Becomes a Law” to break down Leslie Knope's first encounter with the Pawnee councilman we love to hate, the 311 hotline that leads Ron Swanson to find the love of his life, and the reason Ben and April can't make it out of the parking garage. Plus, Jon reveals the origin story of his character's iconic quaff and how well Jeremy Jamm would fit into today's political landscape. Got a question for the Pawnee Town Hall? Send us an email at ParksandRecollectionTownHall@gmail.com!

Broadway star Mary Faber joins Jim O'Heir and Greg Levine to discuss her recurring role as Pawnee's Restaurant Association member Kathryn Pinewood. In this episode, they discuss soda cups large enough to hold a liquified toddler, the first cries for Leslie Knope's recall, and the underlying attraction between Pinewood and another one of Leslie's nemeses, Councilman Jamm.Got a question for the Pawnee Town Hall? Send us an email at ParksandRecollectionTownHall@gmail.com!

The writer most compared to Leslie Knope, Aisha Muharrar (Parks and Rec, Hacks, The Good Place), joins Jim O'Heir and Greg Levine to discuss “Bus Tour”. In this episode, Aisha breaks out her Parks notebook recounting the time Amy Poehler helped her out of a jam, the logistics of maneuvering a full-sized campaign bus through a small Los Angeles neighborhood, the hidden sweetness of April Ludgate, and just how many pies to the face Jim had to endure while filming.  Got a question for the Pawnee Town Hall? Send us an email at ParksandRecollectionTownHall@gmail.com!

Dust off your podium - Jim O'Heir (Jerry Gergich himself!) and writer Greg Levine are back to discuss “The Debate”! In this episode, Jim and Greg break down Leslie Knope's face-off with a slew of Pawnee's City Council hopefuls (including local porn star Brandi Maxxxx and Sweetums heir Bobby Newport), Andy Dwyer's one-man reenactment of the movie “Roadhouse”, and Ron Swanson's scaling of a telephone pole. Plus, they dive into which character's backstory would make the best prequel series in our Town Hall segment. Get your rebuttal ready and go ahead and treat yo' self! Got a question for the Pawnee Town Hall? Send us an email at ParksandRecollectionTownHall@gmail.com!

This week Faith discusses how laughter can be the best way to heal through the pain of grief and Anna discusses her new adventure following the path to becoming Leslie Knope. We discuss what we're watching, the weird Grammy styles, the double standard the media portrays Taylor and Travis and how we can't wait for the 49ers to win the Superbowl.

In this week's episode Raquel and Jennifer are joined by a bevy of goddesses to celebrate Galentine's Day and female friendships. Are you wondering what Galentine's Day is? It's the brainchild of Amy Poehler's character Leslie Knope on the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation - a holiday observed on the 13th of February and encourages women to gather all of their female friends together for a party. Party time!!!Let Raquel and Jennifer know what you think about this and other episodes of Madness Cafe on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at madnesscafepodcast@gmail.com.And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!Thanks for listening and responding!

Taylor Doose is one of Stars Hollow's most important characters. After all, he basically runs the whole town! (Admit that you love all those festivals.)Jackie and Catherine have some theories to test with you. On some days, Taylor (played by Michael Winters) is a little bit like the brash Colonel Jessup from A Few Good Men. And on other days, he channels the spunky and spirited Leslie Knope from Parks and Recreation. So take this quiz with us. Which character is Taylor most similar to?Join us for today's Gilmore Girls deep dive.

We are not going down in history as frozen whores so BUCKLE IN. The trial of Leslie Knope is afoot and we discuss how we see both sides of Chris and Leslie, but Chris might have taken some things too far (in our opinion). Also, we learn interesting facts about the French painter, old stone face, and how his portrait was repurposed for this episode. We also learn how Google Maps started AND learn some pretty insane yet still active laws. Join us!  7 Laws You Might Have Broken: https://blog.linksquares.com/7-outdated-laws-that-you-might-have-brokenOur Conversation with Art Designer Jeffrey Mossa: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/our-conversation-with-jeffrey-mossa-aka-art-director/id1551856074?i=1000577280431Don't forget to rate and review us!!! :) Support the showRate and review us on Apple Podcasts!Follow us @parkpalspodcast on Instagram! Or email us at parkpalspodcast@gmail.com

Is your personal brand still important when you're scaling a business? How can your values and flair create a bedrock for company culture? And what the heck is the right balance between personal and professional content on social media? We'll answer all that and more in this week's jam-packed episode.  This week, Annie P. Ruggles is joined by Caitlin Penny, the powerhouse behind Copper Theory Creative, and they dive deep into authenticity (yep, it's still "the thing"), hiring the right people, and fostering honest-to-goodness real relationships inside your sphere of influence. Plus, this episode is loaded to the gills with Parks and Rec insights and references. What can we learn about outbound marketing from Tom, Leslie, and Ron? You don't have to go to Pawnee to find out. This one's for you, L'il Sebastian. Parentpreneur Advisory: This episode contains some colorful language. Resources: *Connect with Caitlin through her website, Facebook, and LinkedIn. *For a free 30 minute brand assessment by Copper Theory Creative, click here! *Annie P's LinkedIn group, The Legitimati, is about to blow up. Claim your space in an upcoming zany collaboration here. What's Inside: 04:12 - So how can you really, truly know your target market?! 08:44 - Parks and Rec characters have unique brands. 12:26 - Authenticity and personal branding can go awry. 17:11 - Embrace personal brand, expand reach, amplify. 22:25 - The Leslie Knope method of ecosystem growth 25:15 -  Demographics don't define individual wants and needs. 27:26 - Unexpected details in my hidden website bio. 30:49 - Workfam relationships provide critical relationships for solopreneurs and business owners. 37:19 - That could be Oprah! Wanna binge? Check out these related episodes: 10: On Branding, Reinvention & Cafe Tropical (feat. Chelsie Tamms) - Schittsfest 2 of 2 64: On Brand Stories, Self-Talk & Curb Your Enthusiasm (feat. Dana Magnus) 66: On Authenticity, Brand Identity & Inventing Anna (feat. Ari Krzyzek) 111: On Audio Branding, Improvisation & Dungeons & Dragons (feat. Jodi Krangle)

Happy Galentine's Day! This week, Jim O'Heir and Greg Levine are talking "Operation Ann." Leslie Knope makes it her mission to find Ann Perkins a Valentine's date, Ron Swanson proves himself to be a master puzzle-solver, and, for one beautiful moment, Chris Traeger contemplates a life with Jerry Gergich. It's an excellent Valentine's Day episode - treat yo' self and give it a listen! Got a question for the Pawnee Town Hall? Send us an email at ParksandRecollectionTownHall@gmail.com! Episode recorded June 7, 2023.