Let's Circle Back to That

This week on Let's Circle Back to That, we sit down with Diana Ruff, one of Benton and Franklin Counties' Superior Court Judges, for a conversation about law, leadership, running, and the courage to start over.

Diana shares her unexpected path from college rowing and sports law aspirations to becoming a prosecutor, handling felony and internet crimes cases, and ultimately serving on the bench. She pulls back the curtain on what Superior Court judges actually do, how court systems work, and the realities of carrying the weight of difficult decisions.

We also dive into life outside the courtroom: running a solo marathon through her neighborhood due to COVID, hiking Badger Mountain, surviving Camelback Mountain, traveling with her family in Mexico, and why exercise has become an essential tool for balancing the emotional demands of her career.

As Diana prepares to leave the Tri-Cities and begin a new chapter in Seattle, she opens up about the excitement—and uncertainty—of moving without a job, community, or clear plan.

Plus, in Dear Abby Dear Heather & Dear Diana, we tackle listener questions about family guilt, political differences, and whether long-time friendships can survive disagreement.

In this episode:

• What Superior Court judges actually do

• The difference between civil and criminal law

• Prosecuting felony and internet crimes cases

• Running a marathon entirely from home during COVID

• Rowing, hiking, and finding flow through movement

• Why exercise helps process difficult work

• Living in Mexico before the world shut down

• Leaving a successful career to start over in Seattle

• The Seattle Freeze and building community as an adult

• Friendship, politics, and navigating difficult relationships

If you enjoy conversations about community, personal growth, leadership, and the stories behind interesting people, we'd love your support.

Please follow, rate, review, and share the podcast with a friend—it helps new listeners discover the show.

What happens when your dream life is living out of hostels, working wildlife jobs for almost no money, and chasing birds across the world… only to eventually realize you want roots?

This week, Heather and Anne sit down with wildlife biologist Jason Fidorra for one of the most unexpectedly fascinating conversations of the season.

Jason shares stories from:

• studying migratory birds in Jamaica
• reintroducing species on an island off California
• sea turtle conservation work in Hawaii
• backpacking and hostel-jumping across the country
• leading birding tours in Panama and Costa Rica
• and eventually finding community and home in Tri-Cities

The episode explores:

• the "dirtbag travel" phase of life
• why fast food jobs build character
• the surprising emotional connection people have to shrub steppe landscapes
• how hobbies create community
• why sense of place matters
• and how difficult — and important — it is to build roots somewhere new

There's also:

• Olive Garden stories
• tumbleweed discourse
• bird phobias
• backpacking vs. mountaineering
• rowing clubs
• middle age sleep injuries
• and a passionate defense of Tri-Cities sunsets.

If you've ever moved somewhere new, struggled to find community, dreamed about adventure, or wondered how people actually build a meaningful life — this episode is for you.

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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What if you didn't have to choose just one version of yourself?

This week, Heather and Anne sit down with Zanna Stone — realtor, travel advisor, choreographer, former teacher, volunteer, and lifelong creative — for a conversation about building a life that fits who you are now… even if it looks different than the original plan.

From teaching burnout and career pivots to exchange students, travel obsession, creativity, financial independence, and learning how to embrace the awkward phase of trying new things, this episode circles back to what it really means to create a fuller life.

Inside this episode:

• leaving teaching and navigating major career change
• the realities of work-life balance
• commission-based work and financial planning
• why creativity matters for adults, too
• choreography, volunteering, and helping beginners shine
• travel stories from Egypt, Paris, Ireland, and beyond
• exchange students and global connection
• social media perfection vs real life
• gym culture and filming etiquette
• reality TV, British Bake-Off energy, and positive media
• real estate hot takes, lighting trends, and Zillow obsession
• why you should try things before you feel ready

Plus: airplane travel clothes & compression socks, bath bombs with prizes, Michael Jackson nostalgia, French conversations in Paris, and Heather's ongoing germ-awareness era post-COVID.

This episode is for anyone who's ever wondered:

Can I want more than one thing out of life?

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Anne and Heather are circling back again—this time through Bloomsday stories, Girls on the Run joy, local pride, civic responsibility, sushi orders, snail mucin, Sandra Day O'Connor, fanfic, Catherine O'Hara, The Pitt, Hot Dr Pepper, and the deeply specific nostalgia of Our Best Bites-era internet.

From "Linda Belcher-ing" runners up Doomsday Hill to asking what it really takes to make people feel ownership over their communities, this episode is funny, nostalgic, oddly educational, and very on-brand.

Listen in for friendship, rabbit holes, local love, and the kind of conversation that somehow connects civic pride, K-beauty, Home Alone, and post-crab bingo.

Coach Craig Lukins has spent more than 25 years building something bigger than sports. In this episode, Heather and Anne sit down with the longtime Liberty Christian football and baseball coach to talk about leadership, youth sports culture, parenting athletes, and why community only works when people are willing to actually show up and do the work.

From coaching state championship teams to renovating "The Basement" into a thriving strength program called The Forge, Craig shares what it means to create a culture centered on caring, accountability, and long-term investment in people. The conversation dives into travel sports burnout, girls in weightlifting, overuse injuries, coaching philosophies, respectful rivalries, and why sports should still be fun.

They also circle back to high school memories, old houses, football parents, fruit snacks, breakfast for dinner, and the reality that sometimes the best community builders are the people quietly doing the work behind the scenes for decades.

Theme word: Legacy

Topics include:

• Youth sports culture and burnout
• Multi-sport athletes vs specialization
• Coaching with care and accountability
• Girls in strength training
• Parenting athletes
• Building leadership through sports
• The Forge weightlifting program
• Tri-Cities sports culture
• Community investment and long-term impact
• Why actionable leadership matters

If you love conversations about leadership, sports culture, parenting, fitness, and building strong communities, this episode is for you.

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⭐ Rate, review, subscribe, and share with someone who cares about kids, coaching, or community.

You never know who you'll meet—or how it might change your life.

In this episode, we sit down with Sybil Young, Director of Sales and Marketing at the Toyota Convention Center, roller derby alum, mom of two, and someone who knows exactly how community works in real life.

From planning large-scale events like the Tattoo Convention, Brew & Bacon Festival, and River of Fire, to her unexpected journey into roller derby and postpartum fitness, Sybil shares how simply getting involved can lead to opportunities, relationships, and full-circle moments you never saw coming.

We talk about:

• How showing up consistently builds real connection
• Why reputation matters in a small community
• The behind-the-scenes reality of running major events
• Motherhood, picky eaters, and making real-life routines work
• Mastermind groups and finding your people in unexpected places

If you've ever wondered how to feel more connected, meet new people, or build something meaningful in your community—this episode is for you.

Theme: Connection

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What happens when you walk away from a successful career—and bet on something you feel called to build?

In this episode of Let's Circle Back to That, Anne and Heather sit down with DeAnna Witham, founder of Trinity Yoga, to talk about the journey from corporate life in digital advertising to creating one of the most community-centered yoga spaces in the Tri-Cities.

From starting at 250 pounds and discovering yoga as a life-changing practice… to opening a studio that filled so quickly she had to quit her job in just three weeks—DeAnna shares what it really takes to build something meaningful.

This conversation goes beyond yoga. It's about:

• Learning to slow down in a world that pushes "go harder"
• How group fitness creates powerful human connection
• Why you don't need to be "fit" to start something new
• Building a business rooted in how people feel
• And what it means to take a risk on yourself—at any age

If you've ever felt burned out, stuck, or like there might be something more for you… this episode will hit.

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What if the reason you can't show up fully… is because you haven't taken care of yourself first?

In this episode of Let's Circle Back to That, Anne and Heather sit down with Marisha Mirich—engineer, regional safety manager at Microsoft, and a community builder whose life philosophy is simple: you just serve.

From conversations about white coat syndrome and avoiding doctor visits to real mid-life health wake-up calls, Marisha shares how breathwork, nutrition, and hormone support transformed her life—and expanded her ability to show up for others.

This conversation blends humor (yes… colonoscopy talk makes an appearance 😅) with deeper conversations about leadership, service, and how communities actually work.

We dive into:

• Why so many people lose the ability to do what they love due to health

• Breathwork, hormone health, and reducing stress + inflammation

• Overcoming fear around medical care

• Finding your place in a community—without starting from scratch

• How to serve meaningfully without burning out

• Navigating differing beliefs while staying in relationship

• Raising kids who carry a genuine heart for service

From supporting organizations like Planned Parenthood and National Association of Women in Construction to mentoring women globally and building programs that last, Marisha's story is a powerful reminder that impact is built with intention—and with people.

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From bartending and uncertainty to law enforcement, K9 training, and rebuilding after rock-bottom—this episode is equal parts hilarious, raw, and deeply human.

In this episode of Let's Circle Back to That, Anne and Heather sit down with Aimee Bergman—a Benton County Sheriff's Deputy whose journey into law enforcement started with a random Facebook ad… and turned into a career defined by courage, grit, and growth.

The conversation covers everything from common 90s names and unhinged vacation stories (yes… water slide trauma included 😅) to the realities of becoming a police officer, the intensity of K9 training, and what it takes to serve a community with both strength and compassion.

Aimee shares:

• Her unexpected path from communications major to law enforcement

• What the police academy and field training are really like

• Why becoming a K9 handler (with Sir Edward 🐕) changed everything

• How she navigated divorce, injury, and starting over from scratch

• The importance of community trust in policing

• How to stay human in a high-stress, high-responsibility career

Plus, we get into risk-taking, reality TV, why people don't take advice until they're ready—and of course, a few stories that will absolutely make you laugh out loud.

This episode is about resilience, identity, and becoming someone new after life completely knocks you off course.

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What does it look like to build a life rooted in service—both in your career and your community?

In this episode of Let's Circle Back to That, Anne and Heather sit down with Tyler Scott — wealth advisor, Tri-Cities local, Navy veteran, and Vice President of the Kennewick Police Foundation — for a conversation that blends leadership, service, and a genuine love for cooking.

From growing up near the fairgrounds, to serving as an aviation mechanic in the U.S. Navy, to building a career in wealth management through mentorship, Tyler shares how each chapter shaped the way he shows up today.

At the heart of this episode is his work supporting the Kennewick Police Department through the foundation—helping meet real needs in the community that traditional funding can't always cover.

The conversation explores:

• Serving as an aviation mechanic in the U.S. Navy

• What the Kennewick Police Foundation does—and why it matters

• "Community Cares" and giving officers the ability to help in real time

• Shop with a Cop, community BBQs, and building positive interactions

• How local foundations help fill critical gaps

• Growing up in Tri-Cities—fairgrounds, food booths, and lifelong connections

• How cooking became a creative outlet (and a full-on hobby)

• Steak techniques, seasonings, and the art of a perfect sear

• The role of mentorship in shaping his career path

Being a band kin in the era of strong music programs in Kennewick

• Rotary, BNI, and building meaningful networks

• And a quick, relatable tangent on big life purchases (including Heather's van era 😅)

This episode is equal parts meaningful and fun—a conversation about showing up for your community while building a life you genuinely enjoy.

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