What does urban planning have to do with generational wealth? More than you think.

In this episode of Let's Circle Back to That, we sit down (in a massage chair, naturally) with Jet Richardson — Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity Tri-County Partners, urban planning enthusiast, former Peace Corps volunteer, and one of the most civically engaged leaders in the Tri-Cities.

From "eyes on the street" and the evolution of South Richland to medieval city cores in Estonia, Jet connects the dots between city design, homeownership, and long-term community health.

We talk about:

• Why starter homes matter (and why we don't build them anymore)

• The impending million-unit housing deficit in Washington State

• How Habitat homes have generated over $60 million in local wealth

• Urban planning lessons from Senegal, Chicago, DC, and Finland

• Why resistance to change actually means people care

• What effective service should really look like

• The power of transparency and trust in nonprofit leadership

• Why Habitat needs "a bajillion" volunteers

Plus: Anne's old bedroom studio tour (VHS player included), Ewan McGregor admiration, Disney lighting Carlsbad Caverns, moats in Richland, and reindeer for dinner.

Jet reminds us that community isn't accidental — it's built.

🎧 Listen now and join the conversation.

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💬 Share this episode with someone who cares about the future of where we live.

#BelieveInPodcasts

"The most effective way to do it is to do it." — Amelia Earhart

In this episode of Let's Circle Back to That, Anne and Heather sit down with Natalie Abersfeller for a thoughtful, wide-ranging conversation about confidence—how we build it, lose it, and learn to find our stride again in new seasons of life.

We kick off with a new intro segment featuring a leadership quote and a guessing game, then dive into big questions: Do busy people really get more done? What role does hustle culture play in our confidence? How do postpartum changes, hormones, aging, and comparison quietly reshape our expectations of ourselves?

Natalie and Anne reflect on a decades-long friendship that truly began with a high school car accident by, the power of cross-generational communities like PEO, and why gathering people is more than a personality trait—it's a way of creating confidence for others. We also talk communication tools from therapy, learning to receive constructive feedback, and how family norms shape the way we handle conflict and connection.

Then Natalie takes us into the world of barrel racing—how she found the sport later in life, the camaraderie among women riders, what it takes physically and mentally to compete, and why confidence is built one ride at a time. From caring for horses to racing by fractions of a second, this community is rooted in support, resilience, and showing up.

We wrap things up with a cozy cookie taste test that ties together food, family, memory, and community—because confidence can grow in the smallest, sweetest moments too.

🎧 Listen now and circle back with us.

💬 What's something you did before you felt ready?

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We said we'd circle back- so here we are.

In this Season 2 Circle Back episode of Let's Circle Back to That, hosts Anne and Heather revisit the questions, pop-culture debates, historical curiosities, and community conversations we promised to research during past interviews—and then promptly moved on from.

From Bridgerton hot takes, Queen Charlotte fact vs. fiction, and whether people in Regency-era ballrooms smelled (spoiler: probably), to Broadway puppetry that doubles as a full-body workout, Fiji's deeply communal culture, theatre chaos involving elephants and tigers, and the psychology of reality TV, this episode is curious, funny, and unexpectedly thoughtful.

We also explore:

• What "never underestimate the power of a small group of people" really means

• Why so many Tri-Cities nonprofits seem to have been born in the mid-1990s

• How much community involvement is sustainable in adult life

• What motivates people to serve—and when it's okay to pull back

• And why sometimes adulting just means doing things we don't enjoy

Plus: rapid-fire questions for Anne, the return of Dear Abbey, Dear Heather, and plenty of joyful side quests along the way.

🎧 Listen now and tell us what you want us to circle back to next.

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What does it really mean to build community—and who are we responsible for when we do?

In this episode of Let's Circle Back to That, we sit down with Liz McLaughlin, a Certified Fundraising Executive and Chief Development Officer for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin County, to talk about compassion in action. From growing up with powerful examples of generosity to shaping a career rooted in service, Liz shares how philanthropy is about far more than fundraising—it's about prevention, accountability, and lifting communities from the ground up.

Along the way, we circle back to cross-country skiing and downhill mishaps, Spokane (Bloomsday) nostalgia, Broadway's Suffs, Main Street USA moments, Bunco friendships, and why sometimes the best thing you can do is just start—even if it's not perfect yet.

If you've ever wondered how to help, where to give, or how small actions create lasting change, this conversation will stay with you.

🎧 Listen now, and if this episode resonates, rate, review, and share it with someone who believes in showing up for others.

Some growth begins with trust—not in yourself, but in something steady enough to carry you.

This week on Let's Circle Back to That, we sit down with Cynthia MacFarlan, founder of TROT – Therapeutic Riding of Tri-Cities, to talk about what happens when individuals are given the chance to trust a horse—and how that trust unlocks confidence, communication, and possibility.

Cynthia shares stories from over 12 years of therapeutic riding, from a shy, nonverbal child learning to step forward, to riders whose families witness abilities they've never seen before. We talk about why horses are such powerful partners, how rotary movement and neuroscience support growth, and why the impact of equine therapy shows up far beyond the arena.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why trust comes before confidence

• How therapeutic riding supports physical, emotional, and communication growth

• What families notice when their loved one realizes they can

• The role of volunteers and quiet consistency

• Cynthia's transition into "inspirement," not retirement

• And why riders never age out—only horses do

Plus—frozen pizza vs. Texas Roadhouse, Texas Roadhouse butter, and dreaming about what comes next.

🎧 Listen now on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

⭐ If this episode resonates, please rate, review, and share—it helps new listeners find the show

What if we stopped normalizing feeling terrible—and started asking better questions about our health?

In this episode of Let's Circle Back to That, we sit down with Emily Nielsen, certified nutritionist (CN), certified nutrition specialist (CNS), and founder of a thriving integrative health practice built entirely without debt while navigating burnout. Emily shares her journey from nearly dying in her twenties to rebuilding her health, her career, and her life—starting from her basement and growing into a full multi-practitioner practice.

We talk about:

• Why nutrition is medicine (but never the whole story)
• Rapid Aging or "reverse puberty" and how to cushion the symptoms instead of fighting your body
• Chronic illness, trauma, identity, and why some brains feel safer staying "in the hole"
• Preventative care vs. waiting until you're sick enough to deserve help
• Why community is a measurable health metric
• Parenting teens, food freedom, and being a "nutrition detective"
• The Wednesday Waffle 🧇—and how intentional connection can change your relationships

If you've ever felt stuck in your body, overwhelmed by health advice, or curious how art and science can meet to support total wellness—this episode is for you.

🎧 Listen now on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

⭐️ Rate, review, and share with someone who wants to live well for the long game

What does it actually mean to protect people—without losing yourself in the process?

Heather Lee joins us for a raw, funny, and deeply thoughtful conversation about advocacy, sobriety, leadership, and responsibility. From seven years of sobriety to military service, veteran advocacy, and navigating burnout in service-driven work, Heather reflects on what it means to speak up—for others and for yourself—without apology.

We talk about why women are taught to endure instead of advocate, how saying no can be an act of leadership, and why so many people wait too long to ask for help. Heather shares powerful insights on recovery, generational responsibility, friendship, and the quiet consequences of not preparing—for jobs, aging parents, or the end of life.

This episode is for anyone who feels the weight of responsibility, wants to lead with integrity, or is learning how to protect what matters most—without disappearing in the process.

🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

⭐️ If this episode resonates, a rating, review, or share helps new listeners find the show.

What if art wasn't about inspiration—but about engineering, routine, and people?

In our Season 2 premiere, we sit down with Debra Pearse Rogo, Artistic Director of Mid Columbia Ballet and co-owner of Tri-Cities Academy of Ballet and Music, to talk about building a world-class ballet organization in the Tri-Cities—one relationship at a time.

Debra grew up in Australia, became a professional ballet dancer at 17, toured internationally, and eventually landed in Washington by way of a five-year "what the heck" plan… that turned into nearly four decades of community impact.

We talk about:

• Why Debra thinks of herself as an engineer, not an artist

• Building pre-professional dancers—and humans

• What happens when volunteers stay for 20–30 years

• How ballet can serve schools, seniors, and families with disabilities

• Why her real superpower is collecting good people and never letting them go

Plus: an Australian food taste test, soup swap dinner plans, and a reminder that community doesn't happen by accident—it's built deliberately, one day at a time.

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

⭐️ If you enjoy the show, please rate, review, and share—it helps more than you think.

Season 2 of Let's Circle Back to That begins the way all good things do—with reflection, laughter, and a little chaos.

In this soft launch episode, Heather and Anne reunite to share life updates, introduce their new purple podcast space (hello boss energy 💜), and set the vision for a season focused on communities in service—the people and organizations making the Tri-Cities bigger, brighter, bolder, and better.

Along the way, they talk about:

• Welcoming baby Louise "Scout" Johnson (plus some background baby commentary)

• Why purple feels empowering, official, and inspiring

• What Season 1 taught them about friendship and community

• Leadership Tri-Cities and learning new corners of where we live

• Dancing with the Stars, Broadway updates, and rooting for good humans

• How to receive constructive criticism without getting defensive

• Therapy tools for breaking circular arguments and staying on the same team

• "Quiet quitting" in work vs. relationships—and why women are rethinking what they tolerate

• Parenting chaos, estate planning conversations, and Dear Abby–style advice

This episode is a little rough around the edges—but full of heart. It captures exactly who we are and where we're headed next.

💜 Thank you to our sponsor: Heather Lee Home Loans with New American Funding for supporting our new podcast space.

🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

⭐ Subscribe, rate, and review to help new listeners find us.

In our Season 1 finale, we turn the mic on ourselves. Heather and Anne share the stories they usually ask others to tell—about the communities that shaped them, the friendships that saved them, and the moments that rewrote their futures.

From sports teams and childhood music to community theater, nonprofits, church groups, and friend pods, their paths are a love letter to the power of showing up. Heather reflects on what it meant to find family outside of family, and Anne talks about growing up an only child who learned to build her own constellation of people.

This episode is vulnerable, funny, and full of love—a tribute to the people who choose to do life together.

Thank you for listening to Season 1. We hope you've felt seen, inspired, and a little more connected. Season 2 is on the horizon—and we can't wait to keep circling back with you.