Articulate and sweet and obviously loved, Michelle has been through it. However, she has been through it with her high school sweetheart by her side. 

 Listen as this Centennial High School graduate talks not having prescription coverage during kidney failure, a close circle raising more than $70,000 to help pay for prescriptions, undergoing three kidney transplants, not being able to have biological children and not grieving that fact, doubling her body weight, using surgery and weight-loss drugs to lose that weight, accepting and appreciating the tools available to get help, providing resources to those who need financial guidance and last, but not least, supporting the art community. Michelle is a muse to her artist husband and those around her. Her perseverance and appreciation for love and life is unmatched. She was a privilege to meet and interview.

I am adding video podcasting to my repertoire of mediums. During this transition, I have banked a batch of episodes in the new studio. The infrastructure and powers that be aren't quite ready. If you want to listen to the audio version as normal, NOTHING will change for you. However, if you want to WATCH the full-length podcast, that option will now be available. In the meantime, stay with me and listen to these still relevant recordings of the HyperLocal(s) Podcast.

Thank you so much for listening! However your podcast host of choice allows, please positively: rate, review, comment and give all the stars! Don’t forget to follow, subscribe, share and ring that notification bell so you know when the next episode drops!

Also, search and follow hyperlocalscu on all social media. If I forgot anything or you need me, visit my website at HyperLocalsCU.com. Byee.

She's a mom at my school, and I didn't even know it! Maybe I need to open my eyes more, look up in the hallway and make an effort to know the parents around me. Many of us are so much more than what we see on the surface. Not only are we balancing the biggest job of raising kids, but some of us are keeping massive companies thriving, a family legacy alive and a mindset of both progression and tradition.

 Listen as this Southern Illinoisan talks about the importance of challenging yourself, how volleyball goes from sport to business, marrying an Abercrombie model and professional beach volleyball player, the utility of a stay-at-home husband, homeschooling and running the 5th generation of furniture stores. Most commonly known as Ashley Furniture, Ellen walks us through the evolution and success of this now household name. Glad to meet you, Ellen, you are a shining example of how to create a balance between professional and personal success.

I am adding video podcasting to my repertoire of mediums. During this transition, I have banked a batch of episodes in the new studio. The infrastructure and powers that be aren't quite ready. If you want to listen to the audio version as normal, NOTHING will change for you. However, if you want to WATCH the full-length podcast, that option will now be available. In the meantime, stay with me and listen to these still relevant recordings of the HyperLocal(s) Podcast.

Thank you so much for listening! However your podcast host of choice allows, please positively: rate, review, comment and give all the stars! Don’t forget to follow, subscribe, share and ring that notification bell so you know when the next episode drops!

Also, search and follow hyperlocalscu on all social media. If I forgot anything or you need me, visit my website at HyperLocalsCU.com. Byee.

Unexpected. This interview was an honest conversation about what I take for granted. It's a luxury for most—growing up in a place where opportunity is abundant. Dalitso came to the states for an education with few directions and not enough money to house and feed himself.

 Listen as this born Malawian moves himself from Africa to the Midwest in search of an education. This higher education experience would be very hard for him to get from his homeland. He isn't given the correct prep instructions before heading to the states, leaving him homesick and financially at a disadvantage. He would depend on the kindness of those around him to house and feed him as he completes his education and works his way into the nonprofit and public service space. A coincidental meeting of a fellow Malawian, a job at the Regional Planning Commission and an adoption of a healthy lifestyle round out this interview. 

I am adding video podcasting to my repertoire of mediums. During this transition, I have banked a batch of episodes in the new studio. The infrastructure and powers that be aren't quite ready. If you want to listen to the audio version as normal, NOTHING will change for you. However, if you want to WATCH the full-length podcast, that option will now be available. In the meantime, stay with me and listen to these still relevant recordings of the HyperLocal(s) Podcast.

Thank you so much for listening! However your podcast host of choice allows, please positively: rate, review, comment and give all the stars! Don’t forget to follow, subscribe, share and ring that notification bell so you know when the next episode drops!

Also, search and follow hyperlocalscu on all social media. If I forgot anything or you need me, visit my website at HyperLocalsCU.com. Byee.

This gal is 100 percent good, authentic and sweet. She is a ray of light. If you come in contact with her in or outside of the Emergency Department, consider yourself one of the lucky ones. I do!

 Listen as this Galesburg transplant made her way slowly but surely to Champaign-Urbana where she has planted her roots and grew her family. Married to a physician, she and her husband are able to share war stories from their daily experiences at neighboring hospitals. Sarah shares tales of the Emergency Department, why she left and returned and how she balances a young family and a emotionally and physically demanding job. The Emergency Department has always been a place that both scares and fascinates me. Its doors see tragedy, addiction, poor choices and bad luck. Old and young, rich and poor, chronically ill or tragically afflicted, no one can avoid the necessity of care our local Emergency Departments provide. The people that work within their walls are admirable. The ones that forge through their day with grace and patience, like Sarah, are heroes.

I am adding video podcasting to my repertoire of mediums. During this transition, I have banked a batch of episodes in the new studio. The infrastructure and powers that be aren't quite ready. If you want to listen to the audio version as normal, NOTHING will change for you. However, if you want to WATCH the full-length podcast, that option will now be available. In the meantime, stay with me and listen to these still relevant recordings of the HyperLocal(s) Podcast.

Thank you so much for listening! However your podcast host of choice allows, please positively: rate, review, comment and give all the stars! Don’t forget to follow, subscribe, share and ring that notification bell so you know when the next episode drops!

Also, search and follow hyperlocalscu on all social media. If I forgot anything or you need me, visit my website at HyperLocalsCU.com. Byee.

Most teachers don't get a unanimous vote of AWESOME from all their students. This one, however, does. Mrs. Pritchard appreciates that all kids learn differently, all kids ARE different, school should be fun and experienced through projects. 

 Listen as this Chicago suburb transplants to our town of CU with her townie husband and young son. This mom found little outreach for NICU moms locally, so when she found The Nest Postpartum she quickly knew she'd found a place to get and give support to other families like hers. Current (and local) NICU families that need childcare, meals, lodging and transportation are welcome here. The nonprofit hopes to remove barriers so parents can be with their babies. Period. Claire is one of the care coordinators that uses her own experience to help others in her specific niche of the NICU unit, specifically, micro preemies. Her own son was about the size of her forearm when he arrived. Her story, and the stories of the other care coordinators, provide a base of knowledge and empathy to this organization. Want to help? Visit thenestpostpartum.org. They earn an A+ from me!

I am adding video podcasting to my repertoire of mediums. During this transition, I have banked a batch of episodes in the new studio. The infrastructure and powers that be aren't quite ready. If you want to listen to the audio version as normal, NOTHING will change for you. However, if you want to WATCH the full-length podcast, that option will now be available. In the meantime, stay with me and listen to these still relevant recordings of the HyperLocal(s) Podcast.

Thank you so much for listening! However your podcast host of choice allows, please positively: rate, review, comment and give all the stars! Don’t forget to follow, subscribe, share and ring that notification bell so you know when the next episode drops!

Also, search and follow hyperlocalscu on all social media. If I forgot anything or you need me, visit my website at HyperLocalsCU.com. Byee.

These two absolute shining stars taught me a lot. When they left Kitchen Table Studios, I was in a better mood than when we started. Wise beyond their years, these brothers should be so proud of their accomplishments. I'm excited to see them soar in the upcoming years.

 Listen as these Urbana brothers explain their parent's journey from the African Congo to the great state of Illinois, where they fall in a big family tree, Peace's transition from Urbana schools to Holy Cross Catholic School in Champaign, why football is a LIFE giving sport for both of them, their higher education decision- making process, how they stay focused on "the main thing" and how asking questions, staying later and making some SHAKE put you in the figurative and literal game. I am so glad to have met these two. Their parents deserve a pat on the back and a "job well done."

I am adding video podcasting to my repertoire of mediums. During this transition, I have banked a batch of episodes in the new studio. The infrastructure and powers that be aren't quite ready. If you want to listen to the audio version as normal, NOTHING will change for you. However, if you want to WATCH the full-length podcast, that option will now be available. In the meantime, stay with me and listen to these still relevant recordings of the HyperLocal(s) Podcast.

Thank you so much for listening! However your podcast host of choice allows, please positively: rate, review, comment and give all the stars! Don’t forget to follow, subscribe, share and ring that notification bell so you know when the next episode drops!

Also, search and follow hyperlocalscu on all social media. If I forgot anything or you need me, visit my website at HyperLocalsCU.com. Byee.

Disordered eating and eating disorders have changed in terms of language, scope and target demographic. What used to be a common topic in library books and after school specials is now talked about less as other mental health topics take center stage. However, more than ever with social media, weight loss drugs and misinformation, disordered eating needs to be a trending topic. 

 Listen as this townie, Certified Eating Disorder Specialist and Licensed Clinical Social Worker talks about her personal story with eating disorders, how her experience makes her an expert ear when helping others, talking carefully to your kids about their own bodies, the chronic effects disordered eating can have on your body, reality vs. altered photos and finally how the popular Rx weight loss drugs play into diet culture. Kaitlyn is not only an expert, but she knows what it feels like to feel the emotional and physical pull from disordered eating. If you or someone you know is struggling with this disorder, she can help. 

I am adding video podcasting to my repertoire of mediums. During this transition, I have banked a batch of episodes in the new studio. The infrastructure and powers that be aren't quite ready. If you want to listen to the audio version as normal, NOTHING will change for you. However, if you want to WATCH the full-length podcast, that option will now be available. In the meantime, stay with me and listen to these still relevant recordings of the HyperLocal(s) Podcast.

Thank you so much for listening! However your podcast host of choice allows, please positively: rate, review, comment and give all the stars! Don’t forget to follow, subscribe, share and ring that notification bell so you know when the next episode drops!

Also, search and follow hyperlocalscu on all social media. If I forgot anything or you need me, visit my website at HyperLocalsCU.com. Byee.

Insurance is supposed to be dry. Not a lot of flair, color and charisma involved. Austin bucks that stereotype. His education in communications and creative outlets bring a fresh perspective to the industry, and sales, in general. 

 Listen as this Southern Illinois boy meets even more southern girl and builds a family and a business here in C-U. By day he is a desk jockey selling insurance plans with a philosophy of fishing for clients over the sometimes off putting tactic of hunting for sales. By night he is a rapper, graffiti artist, podcaster and overall creative mind. With three kids and a wife that works with him, life is full, business is good and Austin continues to make a name for himself in the community. Learn  about talking about hard things on hard days, how he wooed his wife as a luchador wrestler, why he got scolded after a frat party, why he calls his wife "baby bundles" and the realization that he doesn't like being told what to do. Autonomy is paramount for Austin, and he has achieved just that. 

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I am adding video podcasting to my repertoire of mediums. During this transition, I have banked a batch of episodes in the new studio. The infrastructure and powers that be aren't quite ready. If you want to listen to the audio version as normal, NOTHING will change for you. However, if you want to WATCH the full-length podcast, that option will now be available. In the meantime, stay with me and listen to these still relevant recordings of the HyperLocal(s) Podcast.

Thank you so much for listening! However your podcast host of choice allows, please positively: rate, review, comment and give all the stars! Don’t forget to follow, subscribe, share and ring that notification bell so you know when the next episode drops!

Also, search and follow hyperlocalscu on all social media. If I forgot anything or you need me, visit my website at HyperLocalsCU.com. Byee.

This pod is an oldie but a goodie. We pushed this episode back to release the Boston ep for timeliness reasons. When we have nothing left to talk about, we play a game. Art imitating life. We do this sometimes when walking or waiting impatiently for something.

 Listen as my husband and "Tales From Two Townies" segment star talk "bringing the funk, upping the energy and being a basic bitch," voice mocking and a Q&A game. Find out where we want to be in the future? What we want our legacy to be? What we value in a partner? What we value in a friend? The best moment of our lives? And who loves each other more than the day we got married?

I am adding video podcasting to my repertoire of mediums. During this transition, I have banked a batch of episodes in the new studio. The infrastructure and powers that be aren't quite ready. If you want to listen to the audio version as normal, NOTHING will change for you. However, if you want to WATCH the full-length podcast, that option will now be available. In the meantime, stay with me and listen to these still relevant recordings of the HyperLocal(s) Podcast.

Thank you so much for listening! However your podcast host of choice allows, please positively: rate, review, comment and give all the stars! Don’t forget to follow, subscribe, share and ring that notification bell so you know when the next episode drops!

Also, search and follow hyperlocalscu on all social media. If I forgot anything or you need me, visit my website at HyperLocalsCU.com. Byee.

Another That's What She Said cohort visits Kitchen Table Studios. She is smart, powerful, commanding and confident in her abilities and talents. Jen is no stranger to business, grief and going after what she wants. 

 Listen as this Arizona born, Champaign raised, fixture in our community shares her opinion of our little-big community, her love of animals, losing her husband unexpectedly while gaining a flailing business, taking the business from the red to the black, removing one thing a day from her home, finding a new kind of love at a tailgate and her recent venture, MOVIES. Jen is bringing Hollywood to Central Illinois with Shatterglass Films. Jen is someone you want in your corner. She has grit and determination, and I look up to the woman she is today because of the obstacles she endured in the past. 

I am adding video podcasting to my repertoire of mediums. During this transition, I have banked a batch of episodes in the new studio. The infrastructure and powers that be aren't quite ready. If you want to listen to the audio version as normal, NOTHING will change for you. However, if you want to WATCH the full-length podcast, that option will now be available. In the meantime, stay with me and listen to these still relevant recordings of the HyperLocal(s) Podcast.

Thank you so much for listening! However your podcast host of choice allows, please positively: rate, review, comment and give all the stars! Don’t forget to follow, subscribe, share and ring that notification bell so you know when the next episode drops!

Also, search and follow hyperlocalscu on all social media. If I forgot anything or you need me, visit my website at HyperLocalsCU.com. Byee.