My husband, Andrew Harrington, and I podcast from our Boston hotel room. Our third guest, the hotel housekeeper, makes multiple off-MIC cameos. We are in Massachusetts in an effort to follow the Illini Basketball Team through March Madness. This obsession (of Andrews) leads to an achilleas injury from overuse of the gas pedal during these 14-hour up and back drives.

 Listen as we discuss if the injury effect Andrew's marathon training? How did he fare in his past marathons?  How did hernia surgery go and was Andrew a good nurse? The beginning of this "Tales From Two Townies" starts out rough with a placating apology from my caretaker. Lastly, Andrew the vigilante strikes again when calling the police on a naked man walking around Savoy. And. Another. Basement. Flood. 

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.

I had the pleasure of meeting weekly with Airiel Sadler during the 2024 rehearsals of That's What She Said. She was shy, then sweet, then vulnerable, then funny then articulate. Each time I listened to her speak, her words became more dynamic and more meaningful. She got 7 minutes on stage. Here is the full story of her glorious mess. 

 Listen as this Champaign-born, Chicago-raised, Champaign-adulting sweetheart of a women talks about her formative years running around the streets of Chicago while her mom worked full-time as a nurse. This 14-year-old girl became pregnant and gave birth to the love of her life, Mae. She chose to raise her daughter with pride and strength and more love than one mother can hope to give. Physical pain, trauma and debilitating mental health struggles were only a few of the hurdles she faced while earning her licensed clinical social worker credentials. She is also an advocate for vulnerable populations and an author of multiple books. Now she faces her next chapter as her daughter prepares to fly the coop. She calls everyone, "family," and now she is part of mine.

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.

It's not easy to follow your dream, to start something from scratch, to hustle and practice and hone your craft in the hopes that you are talented enough, or lucky enough, to one day be discovered for the gifts that you have to share. 

 Listen as this local talks about her background in dance. This background would create a craving for the stage. She's a star. A funny star. A comedienne who has trained in Chicago, Australia, the West Coast and now she is back in our community! This funny girl hustles and "slashes" as a bartender/doula assistant/juice barista/yoga instructor/shoe salesperson. She pursues her dreams with no fear or worries about what others may think. Her only fear is being  stuck in an ordinary world of complacency with no creative outlets. Hear her talk about coming up with material, how living with an elderly woman in the pandemic effected her plans and performing in front of family. **Rachel is performing Saturday, April 13 at 7:30 p.m. at Yellow & Co. Events in Mahomet.**Visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/413-730pm-yellow-and-co-presents-comedian-rachel-lindemann-tickets-822607119037

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.

How did this once cubicle dwelling-ad salesman turn into the modern-day ice cream man? 

 Listen as this local talks about his college days: the good, the bad and the ugly, how these days led to a need to prove himself, how my own good, bad and ugly days overlap with his, his full circle return to his fraternity house as a mentor to the younger guys, buying a literal fleet of Kona Ice Trucks and his dad's reaction when he told him about his idea, his most recent endeavor: Travelin' Tom's Coffee Truck, employing family, the importance of his business being recognized as local and finally (most importantly) becoming a husband and dad. Not that anyone would ever thought he needed it, but Wes certainly got his redemption story by adding a well-recognized fixture of fun and family to our community. 

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 professionally trained chef, with wife Stef, fell in love with cooking food when he saw his cousin's face light up while eating his first solo dish. This passion won out over his second love, basketball, and would lead him to the pursuit of higher education at Le Cordon Bleu in Atlanta. This militant environment would widdle a thousand students down to a few hundred by the end of the year. 

 Listen as this Tennessee transplant talks about having three girls under two, cooking and eating the fresh catch of the day which earned him the nickname "the meat man," crying in the kitchen, the popularization of pressure cooker kitchens in popular media and art imitating life, having a vision that is clear only in your head, Stef stepping fully into a stay-at-home mom role while practicing and perfecting the baking side of their Dining With Dee business and finally the surprise interview that landed him his current job bringing fresh, elevated food to a local retirement home. This pair is the perfect combination of sweet and spice!

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 retiree of the US Navy, changed his course entirely at the height of his military career. Move up or move out. He didn't opt for travel and noon naps, rather he chose steering a ship full of high school students.

 Listen as this Brooklyn-born New Yorker talks about meeting the woman that will get him to Heaven, being the Chief Operating Officer of the high school your teenage son attends, moving your family over a dozen times, negative press, dispelling rumors and negative connotations about Saint Thomas More: too far, too small, too expensive. Finally, Anthony (never Tony) explains why he has an "ask me anything" approach to leadership.

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.

Once upon a time at a local baby pool, a talkative, pretty, friendly mom with a 100-watt smile struck up a conversation with me. Almost a decade later, this mom and I would end up living in parallel orbits as our sons traveled through summers, sports and school together. 

 Listen as this Chicago suburbanite talks about her life raising three boys into gentlemen, talking to kids about consent and sex, fighting your way back into the corporate world after taking time off to provide full-time car service, emotional support, tutoring, catering and athletic directing to your three busy boys, her first breakouts in news media, the hardships that can come with getting pregnant and when she can finally earn her the townie title! I question if this is a derogatory term, and she warmly answers that Champaign is a great place to come home to. 

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.

I finally meet the multi-talented, teacher, musician, YMCA Body Attack King and hair God, Ryan Groff. Ryan has been on my potential list since the beginning of the podcast as a male "gotta" interview.

 Listen as this Southern Illinoisan talks about his crossover from jock to rock, teaching all musical abilities through tons of instruments over 60 lessons a week, the current status of the popular musical group, Elsinore, and the inception of the local Modern Drugs Band, building a backyard studio from the ground up, how to handle musical instruments with your kiddos and my son's sudden interest with the LARGEST instrument EVER.  Ryan is the most pleasant human on earth. YOU must LISTEN TO THE END for the EXCLUSIVE on his latest acoustic creation.

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.

I catch up with a current LA (former Urbana) couple while they visited family during the holidays. A sweet email from Steve's biggest cheerleader, wife Megan, brought the potential interview to my attention and ultimately my kitchen table. 

 Listen as Steve talks about his former professional life in baseball, the current state of the sport, starting Steelo Sports,  twin life, West vs. Midwest, showing initiative at a young age, the dichotomy of being both creative and athletic: music, fashion and sports, unifying, integrating and normalizing all races into baseball and finally what it's like to hang up the bat while your peers are already a few years along in the corporate world. Megan ends the interview by sharing their age difference and how they first met.

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.

My husband, Andrew Harrington, and I podcast from our honeymoon spot 13 years and a lot more literal baggage later. In Maui we touch on a WIDE range of topics and Andrew tries not to mock my voice.  

 Listen as these two townies talk about renovation PTSD, frozen poo in a bucket, our son calling incessantly from school, young love, my previous work bully and my current call out on social media from an old schoolmate. While Andrew tries to divert the conversation into safe waters—Emily dives right in! Lastly, we acknowledge the 100th episode of the podcast! Andrew continues to be my self-appointed producer and #1 fan.

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.