Isn't It Lovely? Podcast

In this light, fun, and supersized bonus episode, Rachel and Tracy throwback to the 80’s and 90’s featuring special guest and pop culture expert Adam Norenberg! Adam and Rachel proudly sing the concluding lines of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme song, while Tracy reveals the life-changing moment she discovered Degrassi Junior High in her middle school health class. Rachel acknowledges her undying and slightly problematic love of Saved by the Bell heartthrob Zack Morris, Adam and Tracy discuss the CDs that shaped their adolescence, and all three dive into music, movies, and more in the Season 2 Finale of Isn’t it Lovely?

Episode Mentions:

Abercrombie - www.abercrombie.com

Rywka's Diary: The Writings of a Jewish Girl from the Lodz Ghetto by Rywka Lipszyc and Anita Friedman

Ninja Rap Vanilla Ice Music Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_K6971WmAs

Cell Phone in a Bag - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_Bag_Phone#:~:text=The%20Motorola%20Bag%20Phone%20is,from%201988%20to%202000.

Open Space Event Hall Website: https://www.openspaceforrent.com/

In the penultimate episode of Season 2, Tracy and Rachel are thrilled to sit down for a long-awaited conversation with national business owner, philanthropist, and dear friend, Rory Kelly. After being christened a “local folk hero” less than a minute into the recording session, Rory delves into his past, sharing the pivotal moments and life lessons that led him to embrace faith, family, and a passion to give back to his community.

Episode Mentions:

Cell Only: https://cell-only.com/

Rapport Leadership International: https://www.rapportleadership.com/

The Attributes of God by A.W. Tozer

Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe

Open Space Event Hall Website: https://www.openspaceforrent.com/

Open Space Event Hall Instagram: @openspacesiouxfalls

Tracy and Rachel feel like they are at a comedy show as they sit across from a true power couple, Tim and Megan Meagher. Tim and Megan walk us all through the many twists and turns of how they met and how they eventually became co-owners of Vanguard Hospitality — a group that owns some of the most well-known and beloved restaurants in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Rachel fangirls over Tim’s time as a musician and driving a Firebird and Tracy fangirls over a woman named Wendy who almost made Tim cry in her wine-teaching methods. We also learn of Megan’s almost-FBI past and how truly difficult the COVID pandemic was for the restaurant industry, but how Vanguard’s incredible staff rose to the challenge. Don’t miss the bonus segment at the end to hear an uproarious tale of how Tim saved a bird!

Episode Notes:

Vanguard Hospitality: http://www.vanguardhospitality.com/

Minervas Downtown: https://www.facebook.com/MinervasDTSF/?fref=ts

Morries Steakhouse: https://www.facebook.com/MorriesSteakhouse

Paramount Cocktails and Food: https://www.facebook.com/Paramount-Cocktails-Food-1900807546909058

Grille 26 by Minervas: https://www.facebook.com/grille26

Open Space Events: https://www.openspaceforrent.com/

After becoming fast friends during a professional consultation in which he gently informed Tracy and Rachel that they were using their microphones completely wrong, musician and producer Scott Jibben visits the podcast to share how he transformed his lifelong passion for music into a career that includes writing and producing original material, as well as founding and running the Pulse River Recording Studio. Tracy inquires about finding inspiration and feeding creativity regardless of geographical location, while Rachel ponders christening Pulse River, “Little Studio on the Prairie”. Scott debuts Ghosts, his brand new instrumental album that dropped on May 8, 2021, and all three celebrate their shared love of the track, If I Could Hear Your Voice Again.

Episode Notes:

Scott Jibben’s Website: https://scottjibben.com/

Scott Jibben’s Instagram: @sdjibben

Al Berven’s Website: http://www.alsdrums.com/

Al Berven’s Instagram: @alberven

Electric Pulp Web Design, App Development, and Digital Marketing: https://www.electricpulp.com/

Stefan Hartwig’s Instagram: @stefanhartwig

Billie Eilish: https://www.billieeilish.com/

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Leela and Lavender Women’s Fashion and Gift Boutique: https://www.leelaandlavender.com/

Open Space Event Hall Website: https://www.openspaceforrent.com/

Open Space Event Hall Instagram: @openspacesiouxfalls

Tracy and Rachel feel as though they are on holy ground as they welcome Call to Freedom founder Becky Rasmussen to the studio for a life-changing conversation about providing healing, restoration, and empowerment to victims and survivors of human trafficking. Becky shares the many tremendous ways Call to Freedom fights for the vulnerable and, with grace and empathy, offers education and encouragement for the Sioux Falls and greater South Dakota communities to advocate for this important cause. Becky also gives the incredible story of how she came to lead Call to Freedom and powerfully exalts anyone with a call on their life from God to trust they are in the best of hands.

Episode Mentions:

Call to Freedom’s Website: https://www.calltofreedom.org/

Call to Freedom’s Instagram: @calltofreedomsd

Call to Freedom’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calltofreedomsd/

Open Space Event Hall Website: https://www.openspaceforrent.com/

Open Space Event Hall Instagram: @openspacesiouxfalls

Exodus 33:14 “And my prescence shall go with you and I will give you rest.”

Tracy and Rachel welcome local children’s book author Ashley Flynn to the podcast for a conversation about her experiences balancing multiple career opportunities with her growing family, a journey that led to the inspiration for her first book, My Favorite Job is You, a love letter to mothers everywhere. Ashley discusses the creative ways she carved out time in her busy schedule to write and shares the ways her priorities have shifted over the years. Tracy and Rachel marvel over Ashley’s postpartum superpower of rhyming, while Ashley changes everyone’s lives by introducing them to The Nap Dress.

Episode Mentions:

My Favorite Job is You by Ashley Flynn

Ashley Flynn’s Website: https://www.flynnstorytelling.com/

Ashley Flynn’s Instagram: @flynnstorytelling

The Nap Dress

Target’s Stars Above Pajamas

Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey

The Sampson House: https://the sampsonhouse.com/

Open Space Event Hall Website: https://www.openspaceforrent.com/

Open Space Event Hall Instagram: @openspacesiouxfalls

Tracy and Rachel are thrilled to welcome dear friend and honorary life coach Laura Santos to the podcast. Laura shares what led to her family’s decision to homeschool and pulls back the curtain on the highs and occasional lows of a home-centered lifestyle choice. Laura acknowledges the superpower that is a supportive and egalitarian partner, as well as the agency her children have in their educational choices. Tracy is recovering from Lasik eye surgery and conducts the entire interview in a pair of glamorous Elizabeth Taylor sunglasses; Rachel discovers too late that her chair is positioned alarmingly low to the ground and tries not to feel too much like a child at the grown-ups’ table.

Episode Mentions:

Let Me Hold You Longer by Karen Kingsbury

Open Road Summer by Emery Lord

Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Vance Thompson Vision: https://vancethompsonvision.com

Open Space Event Hall Website: https://www.openspaceforrent.com

Open Space Event Hall Instagram: @openspacesiouxfalls

Despite the technical equipment repeatedly crashing, Rachel and Tracy share a mic and sit across from Becky Weber as she discusses her personal experience with mental health, antidepressants and the intersection of it all with faith, marriage, relationships, and parenting. This raw, beautiful, and practical conversation sheds light on what it is like to grapple with depression and how to be supportive and empathetic to others.

Despite our technical equipment crashing on us, Rachel and Tracy share a mic and sit across from Becky Weber as she discusses her personal experience with mental health, antidepressants and the intersection of it all with faith, marriage, relationships, and parenting. This raw, beautiful, and practical conversation sheds light on what it is like to grapple with depression and how to be supportive and empathetic to others.

Episode Mentions:

Sioux Falls Mental Health Guide: https://www.helplinecenter.org/2-1-1-community-resources/resource-guides/sioux-falls-mental-health-guide/

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: https://www.samhsa.gov/find-treatment

Becky Weber’s Instagram: @becweber

Becky Weber’s Website: https://becweber.wordpress.com/

The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile

Share Your Stuff. I’ll Go First. by Laura Tremaine

Open Space Event Hall Website: https://www.openspaceforrent.com/

Open Space Event Hall Instagram: @openspacesiouxfalls

There is no shortage of laughter in this conversation as Rachel and Tracy spend a morning with Raena Rasmussen discussing her drive and energy as she runs multiple businesses, dances in all stages of life, and nurtures a beautiful family. Raena discusses friendship within business partnerships. Leotards are mentioned an inordinate number of times. Rachel and Tracy openly wonder if it’s too late for Raena to be placed on the Presidential ballot.

*Bonus Material* Raena tells the incredible and made-for-the-big screen story of how she and her husband met and fell in love. Rachel wonders which actor would play Raena’s husband, and Tracy begs a screenwriter to write the script for this Romantic Comedy. Warning! Unedited laughter.

Episode Mentions:

Expressing Motherhood: https://expressingmotherhood.com/

Quote: “An object in motion stays in motion”

The Nightingale: A Novel by Kristin Hannah

Shipt: https://shop.shipt.com/login

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raena4006/

MOVE Boutique: https://moveboutique.shopsettings.com/

MOVE Boutique Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moveboutiquesf/

Refuel Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/refuelsf/

Move Competition & Convention: https://www.movecompetition.com/

Move Competition and Convention Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/movecompetition/

Balleraena Dance Studio: https://www.balleraenadancestudio.com/

Balleraena Dance Studtio Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/balleraena_dance/

LiRa Dance Theatre Company: https://www.liradancetheatrecompany.com/

LiRa Dance Theatre Company Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lira_dance_company/

Sour Patch drink at Refuel

Rachel and Tracy are thrilled to welcome Charlie and Carrie Sanders to the podcast for an uplifting, hopeful conversation focused on identity, reconciliation, and the power of empathy. Rachel says the word “beautiful” approximately 97 times and ponders purchasing a thesaurus. Tracy and Carrie press into the importance of questions, education, and “getting outside of ourselves’ as “we’re here together.” Rachel and Tracy learn that Charlie and Carrie recently celebrated a decade of marriage and offer to officiate a vow renewal, despite a stunning lack of qualifications.

Episode Mentions:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thisisholyground/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisisholyground_/

Kingdom Night at Tre Ministries: https://www.treministries.org/