It’s not everyday you meet a doctor who has made being a doctor their side gig. That’s an obvious exaggeration, but it’s what our friend (and sponsor) Dustin Portela of Treasure Valley Dermatology has done. Doctor Portela’s success at building a local skin care network across the Treasure Valley has been rivaled (and perhaps overshadowed) by his rise in dominant social media platforms TikTok and Instagram, which he has used to great effect in achieving his mission of making high-quality skin care accessible to everyone. 

Doctor Portela joins us to talk about not only basic skin care, but separating facts and relevant data from noise and misinformation, the way social media has become a tool for doctors to bypass the complicated insurance megacomplex to get medical information into the hands of the public, and his mission to help disadvantaged communities get access to skin care and cancer screening. We even razz him a bit about his personal transformation from skinny Steve Rogers to ripped Captain America. 

We’re so pleased with the value the Treasure Valley Dermatology group adds to our community and invite you to learn more about them on the web ([www.dermatologyboise.com](www.dermatologyboise.com)), on the Gram, and on TikTok (both @drdustinportela). 

Episode 75: From Doctor to TikTok Superstar

The Boise Bubble Podcast is a look into one of the fastest growing cities in America, from the perspective of the people lucky enough to live here. Issues and topics that interest and impact our entire Treasure Valley community, from food, to urban adventures, to exploring the Idaho wilderness, to the complicated and captivating experiences of the people you pass every day. Shane and Natalie Plummer bring together their experience in social media, local business, corporate development, outdoor adventures, and fumbling through marriage, to bring you conversations that will help you discover why this is one of the most sought after places to live.

Society & Culture

Personal Journals

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

Business

Investing

Careers

Management & Marketing

Business News

Shopping

The annual Idaho Gives community non-profit fundraiser is upon us once again and in this episode we visit with Kevin Bailey of the Idaho Nonprofit Center who walks us through this year’s event and how to get involved. In addition to Kevin, we’ve brought in spokespeople for two of the non-profits participating to spotlight just a sampling of the amazing causes taking place in our state: Scott Curtis, CEO of Idaho Youth Ranch; and Bart Cochran, CEO of LEAP Housing. We learned so much about these great groups and are hoping to get each of them back on the podcast to dive deeper into the needs that are driving them to help our community.

We encourage all of you to participate in Idaho Gives by visiting the website idahogives.org, researching the over 600 participating non-profits, and making a donation. The event takes place Monday 4/29 through Thursday 5/2. And you can learn more about our other two guests at youthranch.org and leaphousing.org.

Episode 88: Idaho Gives Spotlight

We bring back Amos Rothstein; local comedian, food editor for Boise Weekly, and up-and-coming beauty pageant MC; to talk about what we have seen in the past year in the Treasure Valley food scene. We talk happy hours, bars, new restaurants and co-ed bathrooms. Throwing in some conversation about dog people versus cat people, what a show “Real Housewives of Boise” would look like, and just a bit of sexual innuendo. It’s a very fun conversation. Get out your pen and paper, because you’re going to want to take notes. 

Episode 87: 2024 Foodie Update

In a very impromptu discussion, Natalie sits down with Becca Bailey from the media account Boise With Kids to discuss this current epidemic of burnout. They had already been chatting for a couple of hours about how they are both seeing and experiencing massive burnout in 2024, and the toll social media seems to be taking on their mental health. They decided to hit the record button in case anyone else was feeling the same. They admit they don’t have a lot of answers, and this was less of an interview and more a conversation between two friends trying to figure out why they are going a little crazy at times. 

If you also find yourself feeling like you’re not quite figuring out this new world we’re all living in, come along on this chat, and maybe you’ll feel less alone. 

Episode 86: Coffee Chat: Burnout and Social Media

In a very unexpected turn of events, it would seem we are getting a dog. Not that we had any plans on discussing this with Marissa Lovell from the Treefort team and also the From Boise newsletter, but we do tend to get side tracked. We discuss the pros and cons and decided we will need to do at update episode after surviving the puppy stage. You can definitely tell who in the group is the most pro-dog and who is a little hesitant. We also talk a bit about how Marissa is feeling about marriage as she nears the two-year mark. 

Back to the main point of conversation, we are talking all things Treefort Music Fest 2024. From Foodfort to Filmfort, how to enjoy the festival on the cheap and which shows Marissa is most excited for. If you are new to Treefort and wondering what it is all about, we sum it up. If you are a Treefort Pro, we give you some tips about must sees this year, including some brand new venues. 

We continue the conversation with Marissa in our next episode as we chat more about what she is doing with her extremely popular newsletter and podcast. Stay tuned. Happy Treefort, everyone! 

Episode 85: Dogs, Marriage, and TREEFORT!

In this episode we are chatting with Holly Beech, Communications Manager at the Idaho Office for Refugees. In this conversation we learned why Idaho is known throughout the country as having one of the best refugee programs, why Idaho is involved with refugee settlement, and how we can best support these members of our community. This discussion convinced us that refugee support is an incredible opportunity to enrich our community with diversity and new cultures. 

We’ve noticed that there are many misconceptions about what the term “refugee” means, and that there’s often confusion with the concept of immigration. According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website, a refugee is a person of special humanitarian concern to the United States who can demonstrate that they were persecuted, or fear persecution, due to race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. Refugees are people who are in need of help when they are persecuted in their own countries, and they come to America seeking asylum, or protection. This does not include people who come to the United States illegally.

We learned that determining where refugees go within the United States, and how many go to any given state, is a major effort. Idaho, come to find out, is one of the best organized and most helpful states to participate in the program. Holly did a wonderful job of walking us through all the details of how the system works and what we can do to support this community within our community.

We are releasing this in anticipation of a particularly exciting event happening on February 29, 2024. The Idaho Office of Refugees annual Legislative Luncheon will take place from noon to 1:30 PM on the fourth floor of the State Capitol Rotunda. This is a FREE event for the community. We strongly encourage you to come and enjoy authentic food made by the Idaho refugee community and listen to some of their stories. We can’t think of a better way to build community and truly become neighbors than by breaking bread together with people as they share their stories. 

To learn more about the Idaho Office for Refugees, visit their website at www.idahorefugees.org. We also recommend you check out Holly’s podcast, Mosaics, where she and her team interview Idaho refugees who share their amazing stories.

With all that said, we bring you a conversation with Holly Beech from the Idaho Office for Refugees.

Episode 75: From Doctor to TikTok Superstar

Download our free app to listen on your phone